Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Meeting the First Emperor”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ye Wudao returns to the Council Pavilion after two centuries of seclusion and reflects on the colossal stele he once commissioned. It has since become a symbol of the Immortal Realm’s restored order.
• The Primordial Immortal Emperor gives Ye Wudao a detailed report on the realm’s progress, including population growth, economic development, resource production, military training, academy education, and administrative inspections.
• Ye Wudao learns that First Emperor Ying Zheng was rescued 180 years earlier from a hidden chamber beneath the ruins of the Heavenly Court Ancestral Court, which Patriarch Fuxi had destroyed.
• The First Emperor had suffered severe damage to his origin, but the Immortal Realm spent decades and numerous heavenly treasures restoring him.
• Ying Zheng’s Human Emperor aura proved exceptionally pure, so Ye Anyuan transferred the Human Emperor Sword and position to him. Human Emperor Hall was subsequently moved beside the Council Pavilion, reflecting its increased political importance.
• Ye Anyuan, relieved of his duties, now wanders freely through the mountains and rivers, enjoying the freedom that suits his personality.
• Ye Wudao visits Human Emperor Hall and meets Ying Zheng for the first formal time. After the others leave, the two remain behind to discuss matters privately.

Character Developments

• Ye Wudao is shown as reflective, humble, and appreciative of the order established during his absence. He feels genuine respect and curiosity toward Ying Zheng.
• The Primordial Immortal Emperor is established as a highly capable and loyal administrator. His successful governance reflects his gratitude for Ye Wudao’s trust and his desire not to disappoint him.
• First Emperor Ying Zheng has fully recovered from his imprisonment and now serves diligently as the Human Emperor. His disciplined review of documents and imposing presence demonstrate his natural authority and dedication to governance.
• Ye Anyuan has willingly relinquished power because administrative responsibility conflicted with his love of freedom and adventure.
• Patriarch Fuxi’s earlier destruction of the Heavenly Court Ancestral Court indirectly enabled Ying Zheng’s rescue.

Significant Themes

• Restoration and renewal: The Immortal Realm has transformed from a ruined land into an organized and prosperous civilization.
• Trust and responsibility: Ye Wudao’s decision to entrust the realm to the Primordial Immortal Emperor allowed it to flourish.
• Leadership suited to character: Ying Zheng is portrayed as naturally fitted for imperial rule, while Ye Anyuan is happier without official obligations.
• The passage of time: Two centuries have changed the realm, its institutions, and its leaders, while preserving the consequences of Ye Wudao’s earlier actions.
• Historical legacy: Ying Zheng’s legendary achievements on Blue Star are contrasted with his present-day role as a serious and effective ruler in the Immortal Realm.

Character Interactions

• Ye Wudao and the Primordial Immortal Emperor share a respectful exchange, with Ye praising his governance and the Immortal Emperor expressing admiration for Ye’s trust.
• The Primordial Immortal Emperor informs Ye Wudao about Ying Zheng’s rescue, recovery, and succession as Human Emperor.
• Ye Wudao and Ying Zheng greet each other warmly. Ying Zheng acknowledges his debt to Ye Wudao for helping bring about his rescue, while Ye dismisses the gratitude by calling Haotian their common enemy.
• Their private meeting at the end suggests an important future discussion between the two rulers.

Chapter Summary: “Farewell to Patriarch Fuxi”

Plot Points and Events

• The First Emperor meets Ye Wudao and openly praises his extraordinary accomplishments: unifying the Spirit Realm, ascending to the Immortal Realm, defeating its crises, and establishing peace among its races.
• The First Emperor senses that Ye Wudao possesses hidden origins and abilities beyond an ordinary person. He questions Ye’s true identity, but Ye avoids answering directly.
• Although suspicious, the First Emperor concludes that Ye Wudao is not an enemy. He trusts Ye because Ye could have harmed the Immortal Realm long ago but instead governed it peacefully and protected its inhabitants.
• Ye and the First Emperor discuss the future administration of the Immortal Realm. The First Emperor offers valuable advice on centralizing authority, strengthening laws, and integrating the various races.
• Before leaving, Ye asks to see Patriarch Fuxi. The First Emperor escorts him to the secluded chamber where Fuxi has been recovering.
• Ye discovers that Fuxi’s condition has deteriorated severely over the past two hundred years; his life is nearly exhausted.
• Fuxi reveals that he once met Yuan Yi when Yuan Yi first arrived in the Primordial World. Yuan Yi believed Fuxi possessed a special “BUG” that allowed him to sense things others could not, and Fuxi now believes Yuan Yi had been waiting for Ye Wudao.
• Fuxi explains his knowledge of the Trial Grounds and the true nature of their world: it may be an artificial world in which its inhabitants are being raised or controlled, with their Fate manipulated by an unseen force.
• He describes how the perfect operation of reincarnation, Karma, the Heavenly Dao, and fate led him to suspect that the world was designed rather than naturally formed.
• Fuxi claims that an observing power monitors the world and can erase anyone who investigates too deeply. He therefore focused on protecting humanity and Human Emperor Hall while waiting for someone capable of breaking the system.
• The chapter ends with Fuxi asking Ye whether he is the person capable of shattering this controlled world.

Character Development

• Ye Wudao: Remains calm and guarded when questioned about his identity, but shows genuine respect for the First Emperor. His visit to Fuxi reflects his growing determination to uncover the secrets behind the world and Yuan Yi’s plans.
• The First Emperor: Demonstrates sharp judgment, political wisdom, and impressive tolerance. Though he recognizes Ye’s mysterious nature, he chooses trust over suspicion after evaluating Ye’s actions.
• Patriarch Fuxi: Is revealed to be physically near death but intellectually and spiritually perceptive. His long investigation into the world’s laws has made him a keeper of hidden truths and a guardian awaiting a destined liberator.
• Yuan Yi: Though absent, he becomes increasingly important through Fuxi’s testimony. His remarks suggest he understood the artificial nature of the world and anticipated Ye Wudao’s arrival.

Significant Themes

• Trust versus secrecy: The First Emperor accepts that Ye has secrets but judges him by his actions rather than demanding complete explanations.
• The nature of reality: Fuxi introduces the possibility that the world is a constructed prison or “Trial Grounds,” with its inhabitants manipulated by higher powers.
• Fate and free will: The apparent perfection of Karma, reincarnation, and the Heavenly Dao raises questions about whether anyone’s destiny is truly their own.
• Sacrifice and guardianship: Fuxi has spent countless years protecting humanity while waiting for someone capable of changing the world, even though the effort has consumed his life.
• Destiny and responsibility: Ye is positioned as a possible world-breaker whose abilities and hidden identity may be tied to Yuan Yi’s long-awaited plan.

Character Interactions

• Ye and the First Emperor engage in a respectful but probing exchange, with the Emperor testing Ye’s identity and Ye responding cautiously.
• Their political discussion establishes mutual respect: the First Emperor contributes his governing expertise, while Ye listens and benefits from his counsel.
• The First Emperor acts as a guide and intermediary by bringing Ye to Fuxi.
• Ye and Fuxi share a solemn, revealing conversation in which Fuxi discloses his knowledge of Yuan Yi, the Trial Grounds, and the world’s hidden controllers. Their meeting ends on a moment of expectation as Fuxi identifies Ye as the potential agent of liberation.

Chapter Summary: “Another Explanation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ye Wudao explains the truth of the world to Ancestor Fuxi: it is the Trial Grounds, a virtual world created by the Founder to cultivate warriors capable of opposing the mysterious entity known as Void.
• He reveals that everyone within the Trial Grounds is essentially a captive test subject, with their lives and destinies controlled by the Founder.
• Ye Wudao declares his intention to destroy the Trial Grounds, escape the Founder’s control, and lead its inhabitants to the Real World, regardless of the danger.
• Fuxi accepts Ye Wudao’s determination and reveals that he once encountered an Unregistered One, a being who did not belong to the current world.
• The Unregistered One came from the previous era and claimed that countless eras had existed before the current one. Each era followed a cycle of creation, civilization, war, destruction, and renewal.
• In the previous era, the Unregistered One completed his mission of locating more than three hundred qualified trial-takers and opened the Door of Departure, supposedly leading to the Real World.
• However, he sensed that the world beyond the door had the exact same aura as the Origin World. He concluded that the door might actually lead only to the next era, not true freedom.
• Fearing that entering the next era would erase his memories and force him to repeat the cycle, he remained behind in the Supreme Realm and survived the era’s destruction until Fuxi eventually discovered him.

Character Developments

• Ye Wudao moves from revealing the truth to openly committing himself to rebellion. His motivation is not merely personal freedom but also protecting those he cares about and freeing all test subjects from the Founder’s control.
• Fuxi receives confirmation of suspicions he has held for countless years. His initial shock and desolation give way to resolve, and he begins treating Ye Wudao as someone capable of challenging the world’s structure.
• The Unregistered One is portrayed as a tragic truth-seeker. Although he completed his assigned mission, he discovered that the promised escape might be another layer of the same cyclical system and chose uncertainty and suffering over losing his memories.

Significant Themes

• Free will versus predetermined fate: The inhabitants’ lives may be scripted as part of an experiment, yet Ye Wudao insists they can still choose to resist.
• The illusory nature of reality: The chapter questions whether apparent escapes or higher realms are genuine, suggesting that even the “Real World” may be part of a larger deception.
• Cyclical history and existence: Worlds are repeatedly created and destroyed, with each era potentially restarting the same pattern.
• The cost of truth: Discovering reality brings clarity but also despair, isolation, and the fear that liberation may be impossible.
• Resistance and hope: Despite the Founder’s overwhelming power and the possibility that every escape route is false, Ye Wudao remains determined to break the cycle.

Character Interactions

• Ye Wudao and Fuxi share a serious, revealing conversation in Fuxi’s stone chamber. Ye Wudao acts as the bearer of hidden knowledge, while Fuxi contributes an older and broader perspective.
• Fuxi listens without interruption, moving from disbelief to acceptance before asking Ye Wudao what he intends to do.
• After hearing Ye Wudao’s vow to rebel, Fuxi acknowledges the difficulty of opposing the Founder but supports him and offers additional information.
• Their exchange establishes a partnership between Ye Wudao’s determination and Fuxi’s ancient experience, while Fuxi’s account introduces a darker interpretation of the Unregistered Ones’ supposed path to freedom.

Key plot points and events

• Fuxi tells Ye Wudao about an Unregistered One from a previous era who questioned the accepted story of their world.
• Unregistered Ones are traditionally taught that the world is a virtual Trial Grounds and that, after completing their missions, they can pass through the Gate of Departure to reach the Real World. In truth, they have been entering the next era, losing their memories, and repeating the cycle.
• The former Unregistered One concluded that the world is real and that the Virtual World story was invented to keep its inhabitants from ascending to higher dimensions.
• He could not prove his conclusion or identify who created the lie. Fuxi relays two possible motives: to preserve order if ascension had become impossible, or to prevent inhabitants from discovering secrets in higher dimensions—perhaps because their world is treated as a “breeding farm.”
• The former Unregistered One’s strongest objection to the virtual-world theory was Dark Chaos. Unlike Origin Chaos and the laws of the world, Dark Chaos seemed independent and uncontrollable, suggesting it might not have been created by the alleged Founder.
• Ye Wudao is left uncertain: the account conflicts with Yuan Yi’s claim that the Founder created the Trial Grounds and that Unregistered Ones are rebels against the Founder.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Wudao moves from seeking clarification to confronting a profound crisis of belief. He considers both explanations, recognizes the force of the Dark Chaos argument, and fears what a real world governed by higher-dimensional powers might mean.
• Fuxi acts as a measured but unsettling guide, carefully distinguishing the former Unregistered One’s conclusions from his unproven guesses.
• Their conversation ends with Ye Wudao asking Fuxi whom he believes, leaving the central mystery unresolved.

Significant themes

• Truth and manipulation: Accepted beliefs may be fabricated to control entire generations.
• Cycles and false escape: What appears to be departure may simply be another turn in a repeating system.
• Power and containment: Higher beings may block ascension to preserve order—or to keep lower-dimensional life confined.
• Uncertainty and critical thought: Neither Yuan Yi’s account nor the former Unregistered One’s theory is conclusively proven; Ye Wudao must decide what, if anything, to trust.

Chapter Summary: “When the Real Becomes False, the False Becomes Real”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Patriarch Fuxi admits that, despite living for countless millennia and endlessly pursuing the truth, he cannot determine whether the world is real or virtual.
• He explains that both Yuan Yi’s theory and the Unregistered One’s opposing account contain convincing evidence, yet both also have weaknesses.
• Fuxi once had the opportunity to ascend into Origin Chaos, but refused because he did not know what awaited him beyond it—whether a true world, a breeding ground, or something else.
• Instead, he remained behind to protect the Human Race and Human Emperor Hall while waiting for someone capable of uncovering the truth. He believes Ye Wudao is that person.
• Fuxi urges Ye Wudao not to blindly trust or reject either side. He tells him to investigate personally and follow his own path.
• As Fuxi delivers his final words, his life force rapidly fades. He entrusts the Human Race and the world to Ye Wudao before dying. The Everlasting Lamp goes out, leaving the chamber in darkness.
• Ye Wudao is overwhelmed by the contradictions between Yuan Yi’s version of reality and the Unregistered One’s version:
  • Yuan Yi claims the world is virtual and that the Founder created the Trial Grounds to oppose Void.
  • The Unregistered One claims the world is real and that the “Virtual World” theory is a deception designed to prevent ascension.
• Ye Wudao also begins questioning his own identity. He may be an ordinary person selected by the Founder and aided by a system, or he may be an ancient powerhouse whose memories were erased.
• Fuxi’s final principle helps him regain clarity: regardless of whether the world is real or false, sincere emotions, convictions, and bonds give it meaning.
• Ye Wudao resolves to continue growing stronger, protect the people he loves, and personally uncover the truth.

Character Developments

• Fuxi: Revealed not as an all-knowing sage, but as a weary pioneer who spent his existence navigating uncertainty. He accepts that he may never know the ultimate truth, but finds peace in guiding Ye Wudao before his death.
• Ye Wudao: Experiences his first profound crisis of identity and purpose. Although initially paralyzed by doubt, he ultimately reaffirms his values and chooses action over philosophical uncertainty.
• Yuan Yi and the Unregistered One: Their conflicting ideologies become even more ambiguous. Neither can be definitively judged truthful or false, suggesting that the larger mystery may involve partial truths or multiple perspectives.

Significant Themes

• Reality versus illusion: The chapter questions whether objective reality can ever be confirmed and suggests that “real” and “false” may depend on perspective.
• Faith and personal experience: Fuxi advises Ye Wudao to trust neither authority blindly nor reject it prematurely, but to discover the answer through direct experience.
• Meaning through the heart: The chapter argues that sincere emotions, relationships, and moral commitments can make a world meaningful even if its objective nature is uncertain.
• Legacy and responsibility: Fuxi’s death marks the transfer of responsibility for the Human Race and the world to Ye Wudao.
• Identity and purpose: Ye Wudao learns that uncertainty about his origin does not erase the importance of his choices or the people he protects.

Significant Character Interactions

• Fuxi and Ye Wudao: Their final conversation is both a philosophical lesson and a farewell. Fuxi entrusts Ye Wudao with the future and encourages him to seek truth independently.
• Ye Wudao and Fuxi’s death: Ye Wudao tries to respond when Fuxi weakens, but Fuxi stops him and calmly delivers his final message, leaving Ye Wudao to carry on alone.
• Ye Wudao’s memories of his loved ones: His recollections of revenge, protecting the orphanage, rebuilding Heaven Gate Sect, and holding his daughter reinforce what he considers unquestionably real: his bonds and responsibilities.

Overall Significance

Fuxi’s death ends an era of philosophical uncertainty without resolving the mystery of reality. Instead, it gives Ye Wudao a guiding principle: even if the world’s nature is unknowable, his heart, choices, and commitment to protecting others are genuine. He accepts that the truth must ultimately be witnessed for himself.

After five hundred years of secluded cultivation, Ye Wudao emerged from the Origin Realm and visited Heavenly Evolution City in disguise to see how the Immortal Realm had changed. He found the city flourishing under his laws, but the chapter left him confronting the return of powerful youths abusing ordinary people.

• Ye Wudao left the Human Emperor Hall after vowing to protect humanity and uncover the world's truth.
• Over five hundred years, the Immortal Realm prospered under the laws Ye Wudao had established, while he remained in seclusion and became a subject of rumor.
• Ye Wudao emerged from seclusion at the Origin Realm, concealed his aura, and went alone to Heavenly Evolution City.
• Ye Wudao observed East Street's prosperity and credited the Primordial Immortal Emperor, Ye Yu, and the others with governing well.
• A young man wearing a jade pendant engraved with "Ye" led his attendants through the street, forcing people aside and frightening shopkeepers into preparing money.
• Ye Wudao frowned as he recognized the oppression he had hoped his laws would prevent.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Wudao watches Ye Tianxing, a powerful young member of the Ye Family, demand an inflated “protection fee” from an elderly herbalist.
• When the shopkeeper cannot pay more, Ye Tianxing tries to seize his valuable Million-Year Spirit Ginseng. The herbs represent the old man’s entire investment and his hope of buying a cultivation technique for his daughter.
• Ye Tianxing kicks the old man, leaving him injured. The shopkeeper’s daughter confronts him and threatens to report him, but Ye Tianxing and his attendants mock the idea, claiming the Ye Family controls Heavenly Evolution City and holds sway even over Alliance officials.
• Ye Tianxing then lewdly propositions the daughter in exchange for waiving the fee and returning the herbs. As he reaches for her, Ye Wudao intervenes, gripping his wrist.
• Ye Tianxing cannot break free, but responds with anger and insists that he himself is the law. Ye Wudao asks whether he understands his crimes and silently condemns the corruption among his descendants.

Character developments

• Ye Wudao moves from quiet observation to direct intervention. His anger grows as he realizes that his descendants have betrayed the laws he established, but he initially holds back to see the full extent of their behavior.
• Ye Tianxing is revealed as entitled, violent, sexually predatory, and convinced that his family’s influence makes him untouchable. His confidence falters when Ye Wudao restrains him effortlessly.
• The shopkeeper’s daughter shows courage by defending her injured father and standing up to Ye Tianxing despite her fear.
• The shopkeeper is vulnerable to the Ye Family’s extortion and violence, with his livelihood—and his daughter’s future—at stake.

Significant themes

• Power and corruption: The Ye Family’s influence has turned the law into a tool for protecting its own members.
• The abuse of authority: Protection fees, assault, and coercion are presented as routine under Ye Tianxing’s rule.
• Justice versus impunity: The bystanders’ fear contrasts with Ye Wudao’s decision to confront the abuse.
• Legacy and responsibility: Ye Wudao must face the gap between the laws he created and the conduct of his descendants.

Character interactions

• Ye Tianxing intimidates and extorts the shopkeeper, then physically assaults him.
• The daughter protects her father and challenges Ye Tianxing, who responds with threats and sexual harassment.
• The crowd and Ye Tianxing’s attendants reinforce the family’s power through silence, mockery, and intimidation.
• Ye Wudao intervenes between Ye Tianxing and the daughter, setting up a direct confrontation between the family patriarch and his arrogant descendant.

Ye Wudao defended a father and daughter from Ye Tianxing, then struck down seven Ye Family guards with one move. After Ye Tianxing summoned reinforcements, Ye Chengye arrived and confronted Ye Wudao, whose identity he vaguely recognized.

• Ye Tianxing attacked Ye Wudao, who slapped him and demanded that he admit his guilt.
• Ye Tianxing ordered seven guards to attack Ye Wudao, but Ye Wudao knocked them all down with one sweep of his hand.
• Ye Tianxing crushed a Communication Jade Talisman and threatened Ye Wudao while waiting for backup.
• Ye Chengye arrived with more than twenty Ye Family disciples, and Ye Tianxing accused Ye Wudao of hitting him and his guards.
• Ye Chengye confronted Ye Wudao and pressed him with his aura, but it had no effect.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Chengye arrives after Ye Wudao has confronted Ye Tianxing, but his attempt to intimidate Ye Wudao fails. He instead offers a supposed compromise: Ye Wudao should apologize and pay medical expenses.
• Ye Wudao refuses, condemning the Ye Family’s long-running extortion and abuse of East Street merchants. He vows to settle every debt the family has accumulated.
• Ye Chengye orders more than twenty Ye Family elites to attack. Ye Wudao effortlessly pins them—and Ye Chengye himself—to the ground with a single gesture, sealing their spiritual power.
• Realizing Ye Wudao may be an Immortal Lord, Ye Chengye summons the Ye Family’s higher-ups.
• First Elder Ye Chengzong arrives with reinforcements, including Immortal Realm Alliance Inspectors. He insists the Ye Family will handle its own offenders and accuses Ye Wudao of insulting the family. Ye Wudao rejects this claim and challenges the Ye Family to answer for its conduct.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Wudao remains calm and resolute, revealing overwhelming strength while framing his actions as a demand for justice rather than a personal dispute. The Inspectors’ presence visibly unsettles him because he founded their organization five hundred years earlier.
• Ye Chengye shifts from arrogance to fear after his force is easily subdued. Though he knows the Ye Family profits from the extortion, he tries to conceal it and relies on reinforcements.
• Ye Chengzong arrives with authority and confidence, but quickly faces Ye Wudao’s direct challenge.
• The onlookers move from assuming Ye Wudao is in danger to fearing the scale of his power and the consequences of confronting him.
• The Ye Family’s leaders try to protect their status and control the response; Ye Wudao refuses their proposed internal handling and insists on public accountability.

Significant themes

• Justice versus corrupt authority: The Ye Family treats its power as justification for exploiting merchants, while Ye Wudao demands accountability.
• Power and impunity: The family’s confidence rests on its prestige and force, but Ye Wudao’s strength exposes how fragile that dominance is.
• Institutional corruption and lost purpose: The Inspectors, founded to uphold order, now appear alongside the Ye Family—raising the question of whether they still serve their original mission.

Ye Wudao confronted Ye Chengzong and the corrupt Inspectors over the Ye Family’s abuses in Heavenly Evolution City. After Ye Chengzong summoned the family head, Ye Yu, the chapter ended with Ye Wudao waiting for his son to arrive.

• Ye Chengzong ordered the Inspectors to arrest Ye Wudao, but Ye Wudao challenged Inspector Zhou Zheng over their failure to enforce the law against Ye Tianxing.
• Ye Wudao incapacitated Zhou Zheng and the other Inspectors with a single wave of his hand.
• Ye Chengzong apologized and offered to meet Ye Wudao’s demands, but Ye Wudao insisted that the Ye Family and Inspectors answer for their abuses.
• Ye Wudao vowed to settle the Ye Family’s accounts for extorting merchants and embezzling Alliance resources.
• Ye Chengzong crushed a golden Communication Jade Talisman to summon Ye Yu, the Ye Family head and Ye Wudao’s son.

Ye Wudao vowed to punish the Ye Family for abusing merchants, despite the family's power. Ye Yu arrived and revealed that Ye Wudao was his father, the long-secluded Alliance Leader Ye, leaving the Ye Family's offenders terrified and the merchants hopeful.

• Ye Wudao rejected the old man's plea to leave and promised to enforce the laws against the Ye Family for the sake of oppressed merchants.
• The crowd speculated about Ye Wudao's identity as he stood against the Ye Family.
• Ye Yu arrived, recognized Ye Wudao, and knelt to pay his respects as his father.
• The crowd realized Ye Wudao was Alliance Leader Ye, while Ye Chengzong, Ye Tianxing, and the kneeling Ye Family disciples feared the consequences of their actions.
• The old man and his daughter learned that Alliance Leader Ye had personally intervened and felt renewed hope for merchants.

Plot points and events

• After emerging from five hundred years of seclusion, Alliance Leader Ye Wudao intervenes when Ye Family disciples are caught extorting merchants and abusing their power on East Street.
• The crowd celebrates, seeing his intervention as a chance to restore the laws that the Ye Family’s influence had long undermined.
• Wudao confronts his son, Ye Yu, the Ye Family patriarch, over the family’s misconduct. Ye Yu says he knew nothing about it, having left daily affairs to the elders, but Wudao holds him responsible for failing to oversee the family.
• Wudao orders Ye Chengzong, an elder who controlled the protection-money operation, to produce a complete account of the money collected and where it went.
• He condemns the Inspectors for enforcing the law selectively and acting as the Ye Family’s enforcers. He dismisses all those present and announces a thorough reform of the Inspectorate.

Character developments

• Ye Wudao demonstrates a firm commitment to impartial law, even when it means disciplining his own family and dismantling a corrupt institution.
• Ye Yu is exposed as an absent patriarch: although he genuinely did not know about the abuses, he accepts that his neglect makes him responsible.
• Ye Chengzong is implicated in the extortion scheme and is forced to account for it.
• Zhou Zheng and the other Inspectors are publicly disgraced and lose their positions for betraying their duty.

Character interactions

• Wudao rebukes Ye Yu as both patriarch and son, contrasting Ye Yu’s lack of knowledge with his obligation to govern.
• He directly demands answers and records from Ye Chengzong, then challenges Zhou Zheng and the Inspectors to explain their conduct.
• The crowd’s cheers support Wudao and amplify the contrast between his actions and the Ye Family’s former impunity.

Significant themes

• Accountability: Ignorance does not excuse a leader’s failure to supervise.
• Rule of law versus family power: Wudao insists that neither the Ye Family nor its allies stand above the law.
• Institutional corruption and reform: The Inspectors’ selective enforcement shows how public authority can be captured by powerful interests.
• Public hope and justice: The crowd’s response reflects how long ordinary people have endured abuse and how urgently they want fair enforcement.

Plot points and events

• Upon returning from five centuries of seclusion, Ye Wudao orders an emergency Immortal Realm Alliance meeting. The five Immortal Emperors, Primordial Gods and Devils, race leaders, and great-family heads must attend within half an hour or face punishment. The order sends Heavenly Evolution City into a rush.
• Before going to the meeting, Ye Wudao confronts the kneeling Ye Family members over the family’s conduct and influence within the Alliance.
• He learns that the Ye Family has more than 3,000 members, with over 1,500 holding Alliance positions—about a third of all registered officials, in violation of his rule limiting each great family to one-tenth.
• Ye Wudao orders a full investigation, not merely mass resignations: qualified officials may stay, nepotistic appointments must be dismissed, and anyone who has embezzled, broken the law, or oppressed the public must be punished equally, regardless of status or surname.
• He then confronts Ye Tianxing, who had claimed the Ye Family was “heaven” in the city and used its influence to extort merchants, assault an old man, and seize women. Ye Wudao declares that descendants like him cannot remain in the family. The chapter ends with Ye Tianxing begging for mercy.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Wudao emerges as a forceful, law-focused leader. He holds his own family accountable and makes clear that status will not shield anyone from investigation or punishment.
• Ye Yu, Ye Wudao’s son and head of the Ye Family, accepts responsibility for its unchecked growth and neglect of proper governance. He promises to carry out the investigation.
• Ye Tianxing shifts from acting as an arrogant bully to a terrified defendant once he learns that the man he defied is his ancestor and the Alliance’s founder.
• Ye Wudao’s exchanges with Ye Yu and Ye Tianxing contrast corrective leadership with abusive privilege: he gives the family head a path to reform, while condemning Ye Tianxing’s repeated harm to ordinary people.

Significant themes

• Equality before the law: Even the ruling family’s members are subject to scrutiny and punishment.
• Checks on nepotism and concentrated power: The Ye Family’s disproportionate share of Alliance offices threatens the institution itself.
• Leadership and accountability: Ye Yu’s position carries responsibility for both family governance and the conduct of its descendants.
• Power versus justice: Ye Tianxing’s belief that family status makes him untouchable is directly challenged.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Wudao refuses to show leniency to Ye Tianxing, a Ye Family descendant who extorted merchants, assaulted people, and tried to seize a woman. Following the law, he orders Tianxing’s cultivation abolished, expulsion from the Ye Family, and thirty years’ exile in the Desolate Wilderness. Tianxing faints after hearing the sentence.
• Ye Wudao gives Ye Chengzong and the other stewards three days to disclose their protection-fee collection and embezzlement in full, repay the merchants, and accept legal punishment. He warns that concealment will bring severe consequences.
• Ye Wudao promises full compensation to the injured shopkeeper and his daughter and assures them they can operate without further harassment.
• Addressing East Street, Ye Wudao publicly renews his principle that everyone is equal before the law—including members of his own family—and warns that anyone who abuses status or undermines justice will face the same fate as Tianxing.
• He orders his son, Ye Yu, to clean up the Ye Family within half a month or surrender his position as its head.
• At the Immortal Realm Alliance headquarters, leaders and major family heads gather and discuss Ye Wudao’s return and his immediate crackdown. Many fear their own families may be investigated next.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Wudao demonstrates uncompromising impartiality, applying the law even to his own descendant. He protects the victims, holds corrupt officials accountable, and signals that his return will bring broader reform.
• Ye Yu obeys his father’s judgment and accepts responsibility for reforming the family, though he is visibly intimidated and chastened.
• Ye Tianxing faces the full consequences of his abuses; his privileged status offers no protection.
• Ye Chengzong and the stewards submit to Ye Wudao’s orders and agree to confess and make restitution.
• The shopkeeper and his daughter receive compensation and reassurance, while the crowd responds with gratitude and renewed confidence in the law.

Significant themes

• Equality before the law: Rank, family ties, and influence do not exempt anyone from punishment.
• Justice and accountability: Abuses of power require restitution as well as legal consequences.
• Reform and leadership: Ye Wudao’s return challenges corruption beyond his own family and threatens a wider transformation across the Immortal Realm.
• Fear and hope: Ordinary people celebrate the prospect of protection, while powerful families worry that their own misconduct will be exposed.

Chapter Summary: “Strike at the Ye Family First”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ye Wudao emerges from five hundred years of seclusion and summons the Immortal Emperors, Primordial Gods and Devils, and leaders of the major families to discuss “rectification.”
• He condemns the Ye Family for abusing its power on East Street, including extorting merchants, beating the elderly, abducting young women, and using Inspectors to suppress ordinary people.
• Ye Wudao declares that the Ye Family is only the first target and warns all powerful families that peace and law in the Immortal Realm must be actively protected.
• Qi Yunting arrives and approves the punishments against the Ye Family, while imposing additional penalties on its leadership for corruption, negligence, and shielding criminals.
• She announces the creation of an independent Inspection Bureau, which she will personally lead. The Bureau will investigate and punish officials, families, and forces—including Ye Wudao, herself, and the Ye Family—when they violate the law.

Character Developments

• Ye Wudao is reaffirmed as a stern but principled ruler. Though he is not bloodthirsty, he refuses to show favoritism and prioritizes justice and social order over family ties.
• Qi Yunting demonstrates that she is even more decisive and ruthless than Ye Wudao when enforcing discipline. Her willingness to punish her own descendants and family leaders reinforces her integrity.
• Ye Yu appears ashamed and submissive. He accepts responsibility for failing to manage the family and understands that strict punishment is necessary to preserve the Ye Family’s reputation and survival.
• The major families and leaders become fearful, recognizing that the Ye Family’s misconduct reflects broader corruption and that they may be targeted next.

Significant Themes

• Justice above bloodline and status: The laws are meant to apply equally, regardless of family, power, or ancestry.
• Accountability and reform: Long-term peace has allowed influential families to become complacent and corrupt, making institutional reform necessary.
• The danger of unchecked power: The Ye Family’s behavior shows how authority can become a tool for oppression when oversight fails.
• Sacrifice for social order: The Ye Family’s severe punishment is presented as necessary to restore public trust and protect the wider Immortal Realm.
• Leadership through example: By placing themselves under the Inspection Bureau’s authority, Ye Wudao and Qi Yunting demonstrate that legitimate rule requires submission to the law.

Character Interactions

• Ye Wudao publicly confronts the assembly, using the Ye Family’s crimes to warn every powerful faction.
• Qi Yunting and Ye Wudao cooperate in the reform, with him establishing the need for rectification and her providing concrete punishments and institutional measures.
• Qi Yunting reprimands Ye Yu as both his mother and a senior member of the Ye Family; Ye Yu accepts her judgment without protest.
• The silent reactions of the gathered leaders show their fear and acknowledgment that the old system of family privilege is ending.

Chapter Summary: Origin Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qi Yunting formally establishes the Inspection Bureau to investigate corruption and misconduct throughout the Immortal Realm.
• The first Inspectors will be chosen from the disciples of the five Immortal Emperors, the subordinates of the Primordial Gods and Devils, and outstanding members of every race.
• All factions are given three days to submit candidates and half a month to conduct internal investigations.
• Those who confess, return stolen gains, and correct their behavior may receive lenient treatment; those exposed by the Inspection Bureau will be punished severely.
• Ye Wudao declares that the rectification begins with the Ye Family, emphasizing that it is intended to strengthen the Immortal Realm rather than target or suppress particular factions.
• He reminds the leaders that the peace won five hundred years earlier must be protected from corruption and greed.
• After the meeting, Qi Yunting begins organizing the Inspection Bureau, while Ye Yu returns to the Ye Family to prepare for its internal reforms during his three-month punishment.
• The fourteen Super Primordial Gods and Devils remain behind to question Ye Wudao about his five-hundred-year seclusion.
• Ye Wudao reveals that he has broken through from the True Immortal Realm to the Origin Realm, shocking Taotie, Ancestor Dragon, and the other ancient beings.

Character Developments

• Qi Yunting demonstrates her decisive, authoritative nature by taking charge of the Immortal Realm’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign. Her leadership earns Ye Wudao’s complete trust.
• Ye Wudao presents himself as a responsible ruler focused on preserving peace and improving society rather than consolidating power. His revelation that he has reached the Origin Realm establishes an astonishing level of cultivation and signals his growing dominance.
• Ye Yu appears humbled and troubled after being punished. He now returns to the Ye Family determined to consider how to correct its problems.
• Taotie, Ancestor Dragon, and the other twelve Super Primordial Gods and Devils are portrayed as ancient, powerful figures, yet they are visibly stunned by Ye Wudao’s unprecedented advancement.

Significant Themes

• Justice and accountability: The Inspection Bureau represents an effort to confront corruption, privilege, and abuse of power.
• Voluntary repentance versus forced punishment: Those who confess and repair their wrongdoing may be treated leniently, while those who conceal their crimes face merciless judgment.
• Duty to preserve peace: Ye Wudao stresses that the peaceful Immortal Realm was earned through past sacrifice and must not be destroyed by present-day greed.
• Trust and partnership: Ye Wudao and Qi Yunting’s marriage is also a political partnership; they support each other in governing and protecting the realm.
• Extraordinary cultivation and transformation: Ye Wudao’s leap to the Origin Realm highlights the immense difficulty of advancement and foreshadows a major shift in the balance of power.

Character Interactions

• Qi Yunting delivers the official rectification order, after which Ye Wudao reinforces her message and publicly supports the campaign.
• After the assembly, Qi Yunting reassures Ye Wudao and promises to manage the Inspection Bureau while he rests. Their affectionate exchange reveals mutual trust and loyalty.
• Ye Wudao and Ye Yu do not directly interact in the chapter, but Ye Yu’s response to the meeting shows the impact of their leadership on the Ye Family.
• Taotie confronts Ye Wudao about his cultivation breakthrough, and Ancestor Dragon joins him in demanding confirmation. Their disbelief reflects how extraordinary Ye Wudao’s achievement is, even to beings who have lived for countless ages.

Chapter Summary: “Incomplete Dao Fruit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ye Wudao reveals that, although his energy, physical body, and spiritual power have reached the threshold of the Origin Realm, he has not truly completed the breakthrough.
• His Dao Fruit remains incomplete because he has not yet entered the Reincarnation Realm to retrieve his original Soul Origin.
• The chapter explains that every living being’s Soul Origin is stored in the Reincarnation Realm. To achieve a true Origin Realm breakthrough, a cultivator must reunite this Soul Origin with their body and Dao.
• The Reincarnation Realm is portrayed as extremely dangerous, filled with distorted space-time, chaotic laws, and powerful vengeful spirits. Even Immortal Emperor-level experts may not survive the journey.
• Ye Wudao states that he must eventually enter the Reincarnation Realm, but will first stabilize the reorganized Immortal Realm and establish the Inspectorate.
• Taotie reminds Ye Wudao of the master-servant contract imposed on the fourteen Primordial Gods and Devils by Pangu. The contract requires Ye Wudao to take them beyond the Primordial World; once there, it will dissolve and restore their freedom.
• Ye Wudao reassures them that he remembers his promise and will take them with him after resolving affairs in the Primordial World and recovering his Soul Origin.
• The Primordial Gods and Devils accept that they must wait longer and promise to protect the Immortal Realm while Ye Wudao handles his remaining trials.

Character Developments

• Ye Wudao is shown to be cautious and secretive, deliberately concealing the existence of the system because of its connection to the Trial Grounds, the Founder, and a larger conspiracy. He also demonstrates responsibility by acknowledging both his obligation to complete his cultivation and his promise to free the Primordial Gods and Devils.
• Taotie and the other Primordial Gods and Devils reveal their long-standing desire for freedom. Although they respect and trust Ye Wudao, they do not wish to remain servants indefinitely. Their anxiety eases after Ye Wudao confirms that he will honor the contract.
• The Ancestor Dragon acts as a calm and supportive figure, questioning Ye Wudao about his plans and assuring him that the Immortal Realm will remain secure.
• Ye Wudao’s relationship with the fourteen beings shifts further from formal master and servants toward comrades, brothers, and trusted allies.

Significant Themes

• Incomplete achievement: Power alone does not constitute true advancement; Ye Wudao’s physical and spiritual strength is insufficient without a perfected Dao Fruit.
• Danger and sacrifice: Reaching the Origin Realm requires confronting the deadly Reincarnation Realm and risking the loss of one’s soul.
• Freedom and autonomy: The Primordial Gods and Devils’ desire to escape servitude highlights the importance of controlling one’s own destiny.
• Trust and promises: Ye Wudao’s commitment to honor the contract strengthens the bond between him and his companions.
• Secrecy and responsibility: Ye Wudao withholds dangerous knowledge not from distrust, but to protect others from the consequences of learning too much.

Character Interactions

• Taotie directly questions Ye Wudao about the meaning of his “sort of, but not exactly” Origin Realm status.
• Ye Wudao explains the nature of his incomplete Dao Fruit to Taotie, the Ancestor Dragon, and the other Primordial Gods and Devils.
• The group discusses the dangers of the Reincarnation Realm and the necessity of Ye Wudao’s journey there.
• Taotie then confronts Ye Wudao about the master-servant contract, voicing the group’s unspoken concerns.
• Ye Wudao promises to take all fourteen with him when he leaves the Primordial World, while they pledge to safeguard the Immortal Realm during his preparations.

After reforming the Immortal Realm, Ye Wudao entered the Reincarnation Realm to recover his soul origin and complete his Dao fruit. He arrived in the realm and began searching its endless sea of soul origins for his own.

• Ye Wudao entrusted the Immortal Realm to Taotie and the other Primordial Gods and Devils while he prepared for his journey.
• Three months later, Qi Yunting established the Inspection Bureau, which punished corrupt Lineages and purged the Ye Family.
• Ye Wudao said goodbye to Qi Yunting, opened a rift to the River of Time, and entered it to find the Reincarnation Realm.
• Ye Wudao followed the River of Time to a gray vortex and entered the Reincarnation Realm.
• Ye Wudao saw countless soul origins floating across the gray world and set out to find his own.

Ye Wudao entered the Reincarnation Realm to find his own soul origin, but the realm suppressed his divine sense and made the search slow and costly. He discovered that his intent body could move beyond his body without being suppressed, expanding his range for searching soul motes.

• Ye Wudao found himself in a vast gray Reincarnation Realm filled with countless floating motes of soul light.
• He examined over a hundred motes and learned they belonged to other people, while the effort steadily depleted his soul power.
• Ye Wudao realized the realm might suppress energy and divine sense without suppressing his intent body.
• He sent his intent body floating away from himself and confirmed that it remained unaffected by the realm's laws.
• Ye Wudao used his intent body to perceive motes a hundred zhang away, extending his search range beyond his divine sense's limit.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Wudao discovers that his Intent Body can safely travel about five hundred zhang from his physical body. This lets him search a much wider area for his Soul Origin while moving through the Reincarnation Realm.
• After searching for many days and sensing more than ten thousand unfamiliar points of light, he begins to doubt whether his own Soul Origin is still there.
• He encounters a rotating point of light that unleashes a dead cultivator’s memories and resentment. The soul, driven by a blood oath against those who betrayed it, has become a wraith.
• The wraith attacks Ye Wudao. He destroys it with three increasingly powerful punches, the last strengthened by his Intent Body.
• The wraith’s scattered resentment is absorbed by Ye Wudao’s Intent Body, making it slightly stronger. He realizes that wraiths can serve as nourishment for it.
• Ye Wudao resumes his search, now deliberately using his Intent Body’s aura as bait to attract wraiths.

Character development

• Ye Wudao grows more resourceful and purposeful: he adapts his search technique, withstands the wraith’s psychic assault, and turns a dangerous encounter into an opportunity for cultivation.
• His confidence rises after discovering a practical way to strengthen his Intent Body while searching.

Character interactions

• The wraith’s only direct interaction is a hostile attack, fueled by its unresolved grievance and hatred. Ye Wudao responds with overwhelming physical force and Intent Body power.
• The wraith’s memories reveal its former life as a cultivator betrayed by its master, fellow disciples, and lover; its death and blood oath explain its transformation.

Significant themes

• Resentment and reincarnation: An obsession powerful enough to keep a soul from the normal cycle can transform it into a wraith.
• Turning danger into opportunity: Ye Wudao repurposes the wraith’s resentment as fuel for his Intent Body.
• Persistence and adaptation: Though the search is vast and discouraging, Ye Wudao keeps going and improves his approach.