Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Wu Horse Sword Sigil, Bone Condenses into Jade”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Dongqing refines the bones of a powerful horse demon within the Heaven Yang Blazing Flame.
• The demon’s enormous skeletal form is repeatedly melted down, with its spine serving as the core and mold for a White Bone Dharma Sword.
• His first attempt produces a sword infused with Ultimate Yang qi and Bing Fire Sword Qi, but it lacks any true Sigils and remains only a mundane refined object rather than a genuine Vessel.
• To force a qualitative breakthrough, Liu Dongqing gathers eight additional horse demon corpses. He repeats the refining process, melts their bones into paste, and fuses their essence into the original sword.
• The resulting sword transforms from a sinister bone weapon into a smooth, white-jade Dharma sword. Its nine spinal joints become the foundations for incomplete Wu Horse Sword Sigils.
• This transformation allows the weapon to transcend its mundane nature and become the rudimentary form of a genuine Vessel: the Wu Horse Sword Embryo.
• Liu Dongqing determines that the sword currently supports only one complete cycle of Dharma Sigils, corresponding to the earliest stage of Foundation Establishment cultivation.
• He uses the Spirit-Shattering True-Nourishing Art to consume spiritual essence from Yin Spirit Beads. Their fire-aligned nature allows him to complete the first Wu Horse Sword Sigil cycle using only half the normal amount.
• After successfully nurturing the sword, he stores it and the Yin Spirit Beads, then brings out the Jade Pestle Treasure Artifact and prepares to imprint another Dharma seal upon it.

Character Development

• Liu Dongqing demonstrates increasing mastery of both artifact refinement and Daoist techniques. He recognizes the limitations of merely nurturing a weapon over time and decisively chooses a more demanding method: merging the essence of multiple demon corpses to create a stronger foundation.
• His understanding of the Bone Sword Lineage deepens as he converts horse demon bloodline essence into incomplete Wu Horse Sword Sigils.
• He begins to formulate a broader cultivation strategy involving sword Dao, artifact nurturing, spiritual essence, and future resource trading.
• His attitude becomes increasingly confident and motivated. Rather than viewing cultivation as a burden, he sees the expanding range of techniques and projects as fulfilling and exciting.

Significant Themes

• Transformation through refinement: Brutal demonic bones are repeatedly tempered until they become an elegant jade sword, symbolizing the conversion of raw power into disciplined spiritual authority.
• Quantity becoming quality: Liu Dongqing deliberately uses multiple horse demon corpses to achieve the qualitative breakthrough that a single corpse cannot provide.
• Foundations and progression: The sword’s incomplete Sigils mirror the stages of cultivation, emphasizing that powerful artifacts, like cultivators, must gradually develop their internal cycles and foundations.
• Integration of opposing forces: The sword combines White Bone Yin Balefulness, Ultimate Yang qi, Bing Fire, and the horse demon’s bloodline essence, showing Liu Dongqing’s ability to harmonize contrasting energies.
• Long-term cultivation and resource management: The chapter highlights the need for continued nurturing, spiritual materials, sword Dao knowledge, and future exchanges with other sects.

Character Interactions

• No direct interpersonal exchanges occur in the chapter.
• Liu Dongqing mentally anticipates seeking Qingyue’s guidance on Bing Fire sword Dao.
• He also plans to study sword Dao notes taken from deceased Myriad Phenomena Sword Sect disciples and eventually trade with South Flower Dao Sect cultivators for more Yin Spirit Beads.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhuang Wanqing and Liu Dongqing engage in another cultivation session, with Liu pushing Zhuang's limits further.
• Zhuang offers Liu a Pill Formula for a powerful elixir to speed up her cultivation, but Liu insists on pushing her more.
• Zhuang, despite her initial resistance, ultimately complies with Liu's demands.

Character Developments

• Zhuang Wanqing: Struggles with her limits and desires, but ultimately capitulates to Liu's demands, showing growth in her understanding and acceptance of her situation.
• Liu Dongqing: Continues to push Zhuang's boundaries, displaying a growing confidence in his abilities and understanding of the Dao.

Significant Themes

• Desire and its role in cultivation: Both characters grapple with the influence of desire on their cultivation and personal growth.
• The limits of cultivation: Zhuang faces her physical and mental limits, while Liu tests these boundaries, exploring the extent to which one can push themselves in pursuit of the Dao.

Character Interactions

• Zhuang and Liu's dynamic continues to evolve, with Liu taking a more dominant role and Zhuang gradually accepting this dynamic. Their interactions are marked by a mix of tension, resistance, and compliance, reflecting their complex relationship and the power dynamics at play.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Ange enters the Dao hall and finds Liu Dongqing in meditation, comprehending the Dao.
• Chen Ange shares her notes on the Wood Thunder Body-Washing Life-Strengthening Method with Liu Dongqing.
• Liu Dongqing agrees to compile a complete Dao book on the method in just a few days.

Character Developments

• Chen Ange: Struggles with envy and anxiety upon seeing Liu Dongqing's progress, but ultimately respects and acknowledges his talent.
• Liu Dongqing: Demonstrates exceptional comprehension and efficiency in grasping Dao methods, completing a task that Chen Ange estimated would take five to six days in just moments.

Significant Themes

• Talent and Aptitude: Liu Dongqing's exceptional talent in comprehending Dao methods is highlighted, contrasting with Chen Ange's struggles.
• Respect and Acknowledgment: Chen Ange's initial envy and anxiety give way to respect and acknowledgment of Liu Dongqing's abilities.

Character Interactions

• Chen Ange and Liu Dongqing: Their interaction shows a shift in Chen Ange's perception of Liu Dongqing, from seeing him as a peer to acknowledging him as a superior cultivator. Liu Dongqing, in turn, shows humility and respect towards Chen Ange's knowledge.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Dongqing successfully transmits the improved Wood Thunder Body-Washing Life-Nourishing Method to Chen Ange.
• Chen Ange struggles to perform the method, leading to Liu Dongqing's self-doubt.
• Chen Ange suggests Liu Dongqing use an empowerment secret art to directly impart the method's resonance and true meaning.

Character Developments

• Chen Ange: Becomes more determined and desperate to advance her cultivation, showing a willingness to take risks.
• Liu Dongqing: Struggles with self-doubt after repeated failures and fears the consequences of using an empowerment secret art on Chen Ange.

Significant Themes

• The struggle and determination in cultivation, especially when facing obstacles.
• The fear of failure and its impact on one's reputation and future.
• The risks and consequences of using empowerment secret arts, highlighting the potential dangers of dual cultivation of the mind.

Character Interactions

• Chen Ange and Liu Dongqing: Their interaction reveals their respective fears and determination, with Chen Ange pushing Liu Dongqing to use an empowerment secret art despite his reservations.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Ange, driven by desperation, asks Liu Dongqing to help her master the Wood Thunder Body-Washing Life-Nourishing Method.
• Liu Dongqing, reluctant but persuaded, agrees to use the empowerment secret art from the Profound Essence Treatise.
• Chen Ange, greedy for knowledge, also wants to learn the Profound Essence Treatise, leading to a tense negotiation.
• Liu Dongqing initiates the empowerment secret art, and their minds connect.

Character Developments

• Chen Ange: Shows her true nature as greedy for knowledge and willing to go to great lengths to achieve her goals. She also displays a scholarly air and is determined to master the initiation technique.
• Liu Dongqing: Initially reluctant, he eventually gives in to Chen Ange's persuasion. He shows understanding of the delicate nature of initiation techniques and the importance of cooperation. He also reveals his knowledge of the Profound Essence Treatise and its contents.

Significant Themes

• Greed for knowledge and power.
• The delicate nature of initiation techniques and the importance of cooperation.
• The struggle between desire and responsibility.

Character Interactions

• Chen Ange and Liu Dongqing: Their interaction is marked by negotiation, persuasion, and reluctant acceptance. Chen Ange's greed for knowledge clashes with Liu Dongqing's reluctance, leading to a tense exchange. Ultimately, they cooperate for the initiation technique.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Dongqing and Chen Ange encounter each other in their spiritual forms, revealing their true selves.
• They experience an urge for destruction but ultimately trust each other.
• Liu Dongqing imprints the true intent of his Dao rhythm into Chen Ange's mind, also transmitting the tail end of his inspiration storm.
• Chen Ange's mind and spirit tremble from the influx of external force and inspiration, causing her to collapse into Liu Dongqing's embrace in their spiritual forms.

Character Developments

• Liu Dongqing: Becomes more open and honest with Chen Ange, revealing his attraction to her beauty.
• Chen Ange: Shows a bold and confident side, expressing her attraction to Liu Dongqing's beauty as well. Her mental strength and inspiration surge due to the transmission.

Significant Themes

• Trust and understanding between cultivators.
• The power and danger of spiritual encounters.
• The transmission of knowledge and inspiration.

Character Interactions

• Liu Dongqing and Chen Ange: Their relationship deepens as they meet in their spiritual forms, leading to a mutual understanding and attraction. Liu Dongqing imprints his Dao rhythm into Chen Ange, causing her to experience a surge of inspiration.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Dongqing and Chen Ange perform the Wood Thunder Body-Washing Life-Nourishing Method.
• Chen Ange, inspired by Liu Dongqing's mental prowess, wants to learn from him.
• Chen Ange offers Liu Dongqing a thousand Yin Spirit Beads and a mental tonic in exchange for another session.

Character Developments

• Liu Dongqing: Realizes the value of his mental prowess and decides to use it to his advantage. Agrees to another session with Chen Ange for resources.
• Chen Ange: Becomes more determined to master Liu Dongqing's mental abilities. Offers resources to secure another session.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of power and resources in cultivation.
• The value of mental prowess and inspiration in cultivation.
• The dynamics of power and wealth in the cultivation world.

Character Interactions

• Liu Dongqing and Chen Ange: Their relationship evolves as they both seek to gain from each other. Liu Dongqing becomes more cautious, while Chen Ange becomes more determined.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the side hall, Liu Dongqing finishes cultivating with Xue Mingfei through the Celestial Maiden Attending Demon Consort Secret Method. The process causes Xue Mingfei’s cultivation to fall an entire realm, stabilizing at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment.
• Liu’s Blood Essence Path advances dramatically. Around fifty thousand Blood Demon Seals have formed throughout his major blood and qi pathways, though his smaller bodily channels remain unsealed. His body soon begins demanding further nourishment.
• Xue Mingfei reports that her Blood Essence Path mana has been purified to its limit and that the bottleneck to Foundation Establishment Late Stage has disappeared. She expects to advance after the next harvest of the Green Splendor Ridge mine vein.
• Liu gives her three jade slips containing activation incantations for additional geomantic talisman formations and orders her to cultivate and consume as much energy as possible.
• Liu then reflects on his stalled progress in the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Origin Remnant Form Life-Nurturing Diagram. He realizes that advancing it requires far more inspiration and understanding of the Ten Thousand Households’ Lights Dao Rhyme than he anticipated.
• He also lacks a complete method for using his Yang Fire Path and future Three Thousand Fire Crows Dao Sigils to release Ultimate Yang qi and connect it to the diagram’s transformation from extreme yang into yin.
• Despite his uncertainty, Liu decides to take the first step by condensing a true Crow Spirit before fully comprehending the entire path. He believes hesitation and leaving himself an escape route have contributed to his previous lack of progress.
• Liu successfully combines a Fire Crow Dao Sigil, shattered Yin Spirit Beads, the Heavenly Demon Supreme Joy Blood Flame, five-colored thunder pearls, and Glazed Heavenly Sun Blaze. These powers nurture both the body and soul of the emerging spirit.
• A genuine Crow Spirit forms—comparable to Jiang Xiuyong’s snake spirit—rather than a temporary projection or ordinary spell manifestation. It is born from Liu’s mana, bloodline essence, Seven Emotions, and transformed righteous thoughts.
• The Crow Spirit then dissolves back into Liu, leaving behind extremely dense mana.
• At that moment, Chen Ange returns as previously arranged. Liu immediately complains that she has not adequately grasped the Dao Rhyme’s true meaning and announces that he must raise his price.

Character Developments

Liu Dongqing

• Makes major progress in the Blood Essence Path and continues pushing his physical and spiritual foundations toward their limits.
• Becomes more aware of the enormous difficulty of completing his Dao Path and the insufficiency of his current insights.
• Demonstrates increased resolve, choosing to act despite uncertainty and embracing the principle that he must be ruthless toward himself as well as his enemies.
• Successfully creates a true Crow Spirit, marking a major breakthrough in his Yang Fire Path and providing the foundation for further evolution of the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Origin technique.

Xue Mingfei

• Suffers a severe cultivation loss but stabilizes at the fifth Foundation Establishment layer.
• Her Blood Essence Path becomes highly purified, removing the bottleneck to her advancement toward the late Foundation Establishment stage.
• Remains obedient and devoted to Liu, addressing herself as his servant and accepting his cultivation arrangements.

Chen Ange

• Reappears at the agreed time, apparently connected to Liu’s efforts to obtain or exchange Dao Rhyme and inspiration.
• Her arrival sets up a negotiation in which Liu intends to demand greater compensation.

Significant Themes

• Progress through self-sacrifice: Advancement requires Liu and his allies to endure physical pain, cultivation loss, and spiritual danger.
• Resolve versus uncertainty: Liu recognizes that incomplete understanding cannot be allowed to become an excuse for inaction. His decision to attempt the Crow Spirit reflects a strengthened Dao heart.
• Integration of disparate traditions: Liu combines techniques from several different inheritances—blood cultivation, soul-nourishing methods, thunder, demonic flame, and Yang Fire—to create something entirely new.
• Body and soul as complementary forces: The Yin Spirit Beads nourish the spiritual aspect of the Crow Spirit, while blood essence and Yang flame nourish its bodily vitality; thunder unifies and refines both.
• Ambition and survival: Liu’s determination is driven not only by personal cultivation but also by the survival of the Holy Cult and the need to oppose the Aristocratic Clans.
• The cost of power: Advancement is tied to exploitation, harvesting, consumption, and transactional relationships, suggesting that power in this world is built through both sacrifice and ruthless resource management.

Character Interactions

• Liu and Xue Mingfei discuss her cultivation progress after their secret-method cultivation. Liu encourages her advancement and supplies the means to continue refining the mine vein’s energy.
• Liu’s internal struggle centers on whether to attempt condensing the Crow Spirit before his Dao Path is fully understood. He ultimately resolves the conflict through force of will.
• Liu and Chen Ange’s relationship is framed as one of negotiation and exchange. When she returns, Liu immediately challenges the value of what she has provided and prepares to renegotiate their agreement.

Chapter Summary: “Lost to Greed in the End”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Dongqing completes the first transformation of a Fire Crow Spirit Form into a true Dharma Flame Crow Spirit, producing the Crimson Crow Dao Sigil.
• The transformation purifies his mana to an unprecedented level. His Ultimate Yang energy is not depleted as expected; instead, it is restored and strengthened, suggesting that reaching absolute fullness before release is essential to mastering his secret art.
• He realizes that completing the transformation of all 3,000 Fire Crow Spirit Forms will require an enormous amount of resources, including Yin Spirit Beads, Five Thunder Spirit Beads, and Blood Essence Path mana.
• These resource demands, combined with the strain placed on his mental power by Chen Ange’s repeated cultivation sessions, lead Liu Dongqing to demand a higher price for demonstrating techniques.
• Chen Ange immediately agrees—not merely to a price increase, but to a sixfold payment—and offers him all 3,000 remaining Five Thunder Spirit Beads. She asks only that he prolong the demonstrations as much as possible.
• Liu Dongqing suspects that Chen Ange has become dependent on the heightened spiritual intelligence and inspiration produced by his demonstrations. He also senses that she is approaching a crucial breakthrough in her Dao comprehension.
• Inside Chen Ange’s mental world, Liu Dongqing writes the Wood Thunder Body-Washing Life-Nourishing Method onto her spirit form. He recognizes that she has already mastered this technique and is using it as an excuse to continue borrowing his spiritual intelligence.
• When her back is filled, Chen Ange turns around, allowing him to write the longer Five Thunders Body-Washing Condensation Grand Curse across her front.
• As Liu Dongqing nears exhaustion, Chen Ange suddenly cries out that the inspiration is still insufficient. Overcome by urgency and greed, she forcibly embraces his spirit form and absorbs it into her own mental spirit.
• The chapter ends with Chen Ange declaring that she finally understands everything, implying that the intense cultivation session has triggered a major breakthrough.

Character Developments

• Liu Dongqing gains a deeper understanding of his Dao path. He realizes that the Ultimate Yang energy must reach its peak of fullness before being released, reflecting the cycle of flourishing to the extreme and then declining.
• He becomes more pragmatic and assertive about the value of his resources, mental strength, and spiritual intelligence. Rather than allowing Chen Ange to exploit him freely, he raises his price and negotiates from a stronger position.
• Despite his caution, Liu Dongqing is still vulnerable to Chen Ange’s wealth and agrees almost immediately when she offers vastly greater compensation.
• Chen Ange is shown to be increasingly dependent on Liu Dongqing’s spiritual intelligence. Her repeated visits have evolved from calculated cultivation into something resembling addiction or obsession.
• Her normally confident and controlled attitude gives way to visible urgency and greed as she nears a breakthrough. By the end, she abandons restraint and forcibly seizes Liu Dongqing’s spirit.

Significant Themes

• Greed and temptation: Liu Dongqing tries to set boundaries, but Chen Ange’s immense wealth overwhelms his resistance. Meanwhile, Chen Ange’s desire for inspiration grows into uncontrollable greed.
• The cost of cultivation: Advancement requires vast resources, mental strength, and personal risk. Even a single transformation demands more treasures than Liu Dongqing currently possesses.
• Extremes and reversal: Liu Dongqing’s insight into Ultimate Yang energy emphasizes the Daoist principle that prosperity reaches its limit before reversing into decline.
• Exploitation and dependency: Chen Ange uses the technique demonstrations as a pretext to repeatedly access Liu Dongqing’s exceptional spiritual state, while Liu Dongqing knowingly permits it in exchange for resources.
• Breakthrough through danger: Both characters push beyond safe limits—Liu Dongqing exhausts his spirit, while Chen Ange risks losing control to her desire for enlightenment.

Character Interactions

• Liu Dongqing confronts Chen Ange about the increasing cost of his demonstrations.
• Chen Ange dismisses his attempted bargaining by offering an extravagant sixfold payment and thousands of Five Thunder Spirit Beads.
• Liu Dongqing recognizes that Chen Ange has already mastered the technique she asks him to demonstrate, exposing her true motive.
• Their interaction becomes increasingly intimate and psychologically intense as Liu Dongqing writes techniques directly onto her spirit form.
• When Liu Dongqing tries to stop because of exhaustion, Chen Ange refuses and forcibly embraces his spirit, turning the cultivation exchange into an act of domination driven by desperation.
• Her final declaration—“I understand it all”—signals that their dangerous interaction has produced the breakthrough she sought.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Ange completes her cultivation method and opens her eyes to find Liu Dongqing wary of her.
• Liu explains that Chen Ange's greed for knowledge led her to absorb his righteous thoughts, leaving an imprint in her mindscape.
• Chen Ange reassures Liu, promising to remove the imprint and enter secluded cultivation.
• Zhuang Wanqing and Liu Dongqing meet in a stone chamber, and she expresses melancholy about completing her refinement method.
• Liu encourages her to continue their partnership, and they resume cultivating together.
• Chen Ange, in the Discipline Hall, realizes she must act immediately to save Liu Dongqing from his fate.

Character Developments

• Chen Ange: Completes her cultivation method, becomes more confident and assertive, but also more mysterious and unfathomable.
• Liu Dongqing: Remains calm and collected despite Chen Ange's revelation, maintains his composure and wit.
• Zhuang Wanqing: Becomes more emotionally attached to Liu Dongqing, expresses melancholy at the end of their current partnership, but remains determined to continue cultivating with him.

Significant Themes

• Greed and its consequences: Chen Ange's greed for knowledge leads her to absorb Liu Dongqing's righteous thoughts, causing complications.
• Partnership and mutual growth: Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing encourage each other to continue cultivating together, highlighting the importance of their partnership.
• The relentless pursuit of the Dao: Despite setbacks and the end of one phase, characters remain determined to continue advancing on the path of cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Chen Ange and Liu Dongqing: Their relationship becomes more complex and tense after Chen Ange's revelation, but they maintain a level of mutual respect and understanding.
• Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing: Their bond deepens as they express their feelings and recommit to their partnership, fostering a sense of intimacy and shared purpose.

Chapter Summary

Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing’s joint cultivation

Liu Dongqing continues cultivating the Profound Essence Treatise while closely observing and refining the Dao Rhyme produced by Zhuang Wanqing’s refinement of Ten Thousand Households’ Lights. Zhuang Wanqing accepts the external fire Liu provides and focuses her mental strength on maintaining the refinement. Their cooperation reaches an unprecedented level of efficiency, and their shared spiritual connection allows them to experience the process from nearly the same perspective.

Chen Ange’s breakthrough

As their cultivation nears completion, both Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing sense a tremendous aura rising from Mountain Lily Peak. Through the fortune and heavenly will of the ancient Zhaijiao Ritual governing the Holy Profound War, their awareness is drawn into an illusory, gray-white vision of Chen Ange’s breakthrough.
Chen Ange’s Dao Rhyme true form—an ancient bronze bell—absorbs Jia Wood and thunder spiritual energy while being forged by her immense Innate Thunder of Tremor mana. The Dao Rhyme eventually breaks through the boundary between illusion and reality, producing thunder that shakes the heavens and surrounding mountains. Chen Ange successfully advances to the Golden Core realm.

Recognition of Chen Ange’s power

Zhuang Wanqing identifies Chen Ange’s achievement as the highest-grade Innate Thunder of Tremor supernatural power from the Thunder Peak lineage. She observes that it embodies both the birth and destruction of thunder and the greater principle of one qi giving rise to all phenomena. She acknowledges that Chen Ange’s thunder can counter every path and reveal no technique’s hiding place, sincerely praising her extraordinary talent despite being her opponent.

Refinement of Chen Ange’s natal treasure

Chen Ange summons the ancient Thunder Peak treasure and obtains a rare heavenly material and earthly treasure: an azure-green, heart-shaped mass of bronze-like wires pulsing with blue lightning. This material is the prize she earned from her earlier Dao contest with Zhuang Wanqing. She immediately incorporates it into her newly formed natal magical treasure.
The treasure’s violent aura settles into a deeper, more restrained power and transforms into the Sky-Blue Myriad Dharma Thunder Bell, represented outwardly by a perfectly round wheel of sky-blue thunderlight behind Chen Ange’s head.

Chen Ange’s declaration

Through the fortune-bound connection of the ancient Zhaijiao Ritual, Chen Ange announces that she has:

• Realized the natal supernatural power

Innate Thunder of Tremor

• Refined the natal magical treasure

Sky-Blue Myriad Dharma Thunder Bell

• Advanced to become a

Golden Core True Person

• Taken the title

Master Azure Rainbow

Response from the Thunder Peak Lord

The breakthrough causes the Innate Eight Trigrams Fortune Cloud to manifest more powerfully. The Peak Lord of Thunder Peak publicly congratulates Chen Ange, calling her another pillar of the Holy Cult and noting that she is the first Golden Core True Person of the Holy Profound War. He then announces his intention to reveal the manifestation of the war’s fortune according to the rules of the ancient Zhaijiao Ritual, ending the chapter with the command: “Arise!”

Character Development and Interactions

• Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing: Their synchronized cultivation deepens their spiritual and cooperative bond. Although they remain adversaries in the larger conflict, their shared perspective enables them to recognize and appreciate Chen Ange’s achievement together.
• Chen Ange: She undergoes a major advancement, evolving from a powerful cultivator into a Golden Core True Person. Her new title, Master Azure Rainbow, and the completion of her natal treasure establish her as a central force in the Holy Profound War.
• Zhuang Wanqing and Chen Ange: Zhuang Wanqing openly praises Chen Ange’s talent despite their opposing positions, highlighting both her discernment and the exceptional nature of Chen Ange’s breakthrough.
• Thunder Peak Lord and Chen Ange: The Peak Lord publicly validates Chen Ange’s accomplishment and elevates its political and military significance by presenting her as a pillar of the Holy Cult.

Significant Themes

• Cooperation amid conflict: Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing’s cultivation demonstrates that mutual cooperation and shared insight can exist even between opponents.
• Transformation and refinement: Chen Ange’s breakthrough reflects the progression from raw power to disciplined, perfected strength, especially through the fusion of her supernatural ability and natal treasure.
• Recognition of exceptional talent: Even rivals acknowledge genuine greatness, emphasizing merit and mastery beyond factional allegiance.
• War and destiny: Chen Ange’s advancement is not merely personal; it is immediately absorbed into the fortune and heavenly will of the Holy Profound War, marking her breakthrough as an event with consequences for the entire conflict.
• The rise of a new pillar: Her emergence as the war’s first Golden Core True Person signals a major shift in the balance of power and prepares the stage for the next revelation of the ritual’s manifested fortune.

Chapter Summary: “Seated upon the Lotus Platform, Contending for Fortune”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the Thunder Peak Lord speaks, the Innate Eight Trigrams Fortune Cloud begins spinning violently and drawing fortune from the mountain gates of the sects participating in the Holy Profound War.
• Through the Arcane Vision Realm, Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing witness the fortune clouds of numerous major sects, including the Supreme Origin Immortal Sect, South Flower Dao Sect, Curse Sacrifice Origin Sect, Spirit-Raising Immortal Sect, Purple Spirit Manor, Moral Immortal Sect, and Bodhi Mountain Temple.
• The fortune of each sect is drawn into the ancient Zhaijiao Ritual. The combined spiritual insight and fortune explode into thirty-six misty lotus platforms, each representing a portion of the ritual’s power.
• The Thunder Peak Lord orders Chen Ange—whom he affectionately calls Qingni—to return to her position. Chen Ange obeys him as her grandfather, revealing their familial relationship.
• Chen Ange takes her place above Mountain Lily Peak and receives one of the thirty-six lotus platforms. Her presence generates visions of past battles between Southern Border cultivators and opponents from Central Province and the Western Regions.
• These visions show Southern Border cultivators suddenly gaining flashes of combat inspiration while their enemies lose clarity and skill. The miraculous changes in fortune allow the Southern Border side to gain an advantage in the great sect contest.
• Recognizing the importance of the struggle, Zhuang Wanqing decides to return to Green River Ridge. She plans to refine the Ten Thousand Households’ Lights ritual and prepare for her Golden Core breakthrough.
• Liu Dongqing gives her the spell seals and incantations needed to control the Jade Pestle Treasure Artifact. He explains that she may need it now, but once she reaches the Golden Core realm, relying on such an external object could interfere with her publicly witnessed breakthrough.
• Moved by his consideration, Zhuang Wanqing chooses to remain briefly and offers Liu Dongqing a “parting gift,” ending with an implied intimate encounter.
• Above the Fortune Cloud, An Zhixu proudly praises Chen Ange’s mastery of the harmony of all methods, then suddenly realizes that someone may have influenced his granddaughter in a questionable way and angrily demands to know who “led her astray.”

Character Developments

• Chen Ange: Demonstrates growing authority and importance by occupying a lotus platform and directly influencing the fortune of the Southern Border cultivators. Her relationship with the Thunder Peak Lord is clarified as affectionate and familial, with him acting as her grandfather.
• Liu Dongqing: Shows greater emotional maturity and generosity. Rather than using the Jade Pestle as a permanent means of control over Zhuang Wanqing, he willingly gives her the means to operate it herself and prepares her for eventual independence.
• Zhuang Wanqing: Becomes more determined to advance her cultivation and fulfill her responsibilities as a senior disciple. She recognizes that she must not fall behind in the sect-wide contest and begins preparing for Golden Core advancement. Her interaction with Liu Dongqing also reveals continued affection, trust, and intimacy.
• An Zhixu: Reveals both pride in Chen Ange and comic protectiveness. His admiration turns to outrage when he suspects that someone has corrupted or influenced her behavior.

Significant Themes

• Fortune and destiny: The chapter emphasizes how sectarian fortune can be gathered, redistributed, and used to influence battles and breakthroughs.
• Collective struggle between sects: The Zhaijiao Ritual transforms the conflict into a contest of accumulated fortune, with Chen Ange’s lotus platform giving the Southern Border an important advantage.
• Growth and independence: Liu Dongqing’s gift symbolizes Zhuang Wanqing’s gradual movement away from dependence on him and toward her own cultivation path.
• Family pride and protectiveness: An Zhixu’s reaction highlights the tension between pride in a descendant’s achievements and concern over her personal choices.
• Intimacy and power dynamics: Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing’s relationship continues to blend spiritual cultivation, emotional attachment, dominance, and mutual consideration.

Important Character Interactions

• The Thunder Peak Lord and Chen Ange interact as grandfather and granddaughter; his stern command is softened by her obedient, affectionate response.
• Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing discuss her cultivation resources and future Golden Core breakthrough. His willingness to surrender control over the Jade Pestle deeply affects her.
• Zhuang Wanqing and Liu Dongqing share a final intimate exchange before her departure.
• An Zhixu and Chen Ange, though not directly interacting in the scene, are connected through his proud commentary and alarm over her apparent personal influence.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Dongqing returns to Mountain Lily Peak and begins refining the Great Dao Pill of Yin Refining Form.
• He experiences a storm of inspiration, followed by bursts of lightning in his mindscape, which increases his comprehension efficiency.
• He realizes that Chen Ange, in her Golden Core realm, is projecting lightning into his mindscape, enhancing his Dao comprehension.
• Chen Ange, in the high heavens, notices the deepening of Liu Dongqing's imprint in her mindscape and the transformation of her mental thoughts.

Character Developments

• Liu Dongqing: Becomes more determined to advance on his Dao path, gains insight into his Senior Sister Chen's lightning arts enhancing his comprehension.
• Chen Ange: Advances to the Golden Core realm, discovers the deepening of Liu Dongqing's imprint in her mindscape, and experiences a surge of inspiration.

Significant Themes

• The interconnectedness of cultivators' minds and the influence of one's cultivation on another.
• The enhancement of Dao comprehension through external influences.
• The transformation and deepening of mental imprints as one's cultivation realm increases.

Character Interactions

• Liu Dongqing and Chen Ange: Their minds are connected through the imprint, allowing Chen Ange's lightning to enhance Liu Dongqing's comprehension, and Liu Dongqing's inspiration to surge into Chen Ange's mindscape.
• Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing: Liu Dongqing reflects on Wanqing's advice about not falling too far behind in his cultivation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Dongqing regains consciousness after his intense cultivation session and reflects on his progress.
• He decides to focus on completing the <Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Origin Incomplete Form Vitality Diagram> and stabilizing his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
• Liu Dongqing leaves for a while, instructing Wei Junxie to guard the Punishment and Might Hall and contact him through Mei Qingyue if needed.
• He meets Xue Mingfei at the old place and they resume their dual cultivation of the Blood Essence Path.
• Liu Dongqing absorbs the essence of Golden Crow Heavenly Demon bloodline, bringing him close to the peak of Foundation Establishment.
• He refines another crow spirit and experiences an abrupt surge of Ten Thousand Households' Lights' Dao rhythm and true intent.
• A mysterious vision of Zhuang Wanqing ascending into the void appears before them.

Character Developments

• Liu Dongqing has made significant progress in his cultivation, gaining immense insights but still facing challenges in completing his technique.
• Wei Junxie has broken through to the seventh level of Foundation Establishment and seems resentful of Liu Dongqing's lack of attention to her cultivation.
• Xue Mingfei has advanced to the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment through their dual cultivation.

Significant Themes

• The relentless pursuit of cultivation and enlightenment, even in the face of challenges and setbacks.
• The interconnectedness of cultivators' fates and the influence of external forces on their cultivation journeys.

Character Interactions

• Liu Dongqing and Wei Junxie maintain their master-servant relationship, with Wei Junxie showing signs of independence and resentment.
• Liu Dongqing and Xue Mingfei continue their dual cultivation, leading to significant advancements for both.
• The vision of Zhuang Wanqing ascending suggests a connection between her and Liu Dongqing's cultivation progress.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhuang Wanqing, from the Moral Immortal Sect, ascends to the Golden Core realm, causing a stir among cultivators from the Three Regions.
• Liu Dongqing realizes Zhuang Wanqing's breakthrough and understands that she kept her external objects to help him.

Character Developments

• Zhuang Wanqing demonstrates her resolve and selflessness by keeping her external objects to aid Liu Dongqing's cultivation.
• Liu Dongqing shows his understanding and gratitude towards Zhuang Wanqing's actions.

Significant Themes

• The theme of selflessness and sacrifice for others is highlighted through Zhuang Wanqing's actions.
• The power of friendship and mutual support is emphasized as Liu Dongqing benefits from Zhuang Wanqing's breakthrough.

Character Interactions

• Zhuang Wanqing and Liu Dongqing's bond deepens as Zhuang Wanqing helps Liu Dongqing advance in his cultivation.
• The cultivators from the Three Regions watch Zhuang Wanqing's ascent with admiration and envy.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Dongqing receives a powerful Dao resonance from Zhuang Wanqing's cultivation breakthrough, aiding him in completing the 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Origin' diagram.
• Zhuang Wanqing advances to the Golden Core True Person realm, refining two heavenly treasures and naming herself 'Jade Mystery Master'.
• The balance of slaughter-tribulation fortune is restored after Chen Ange's earlier advancement.

Character Developments

• Liu Dongqing makes significant progress in his understanding of the Dao and completes his diagram, experiencing a profound moment of enlightenment.
• Zhuang Wanqing advances in cultivation, refines heavenly treasures, and assumes the title of 'Jade Mystery Master'.

Significant Themes

• The power of shared cultivation experiences and resonance.
• The balance of fortune and fate in the cultivation world.
• The importance of personal growth and enlightenment in the pursuit of the Dao.

Character Interactions

• Liu Dongqing and Zhuang Wanqing's cultivation breakthroughs are intertwined, with Zhuang Wanqing's resonance aiding Liu Dongqing's enlightenment.
• The cultivators present witness and acknowledge Zhuang Wanqing's advancement and new title.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Dongqing completes his Yang Fire Path cultivation, reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment.
• Xue Mingfei breaks through her time bottleneck and enters the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment.
• Several cultivators, including Du Fuxian, advance to the Golden Core realm, marking significant progress in the Holy Profound War.
• Liu Dongqing perceives Xie Miaoyin's advancement and suspects she has been refined by the Mystic Serpent, indicating the decline of the Southern Border.

Character Developments

• Liu Dongqing refines his Heavenly Sun Blazing Mana and prepares for his next cultivation step.
• Xue Mingfei strengthens her Blood Essence Path cultivation under Liu Dongqing's guidance.
• Du Fuxian advances to the Golden Core realm, showcasing the power of the Curse Sacrifice Origin Sect's cultivation method.
• Xie Miaoyin advances to the Golden Core realm, but Liu Dongqing suspects she has been refined by the Mystic Serpent, hinting at her true fate.

Significant Themes

• The power of cultivation and the struggle to advance through realms.
• The consequences of the Holy Profound War on cultivators and sects.
• The decline of the Southern Border and the rise of demonic influences.

Character Interactions

• Liu Dongqing continues to guide Xue Mingfei's cultivation, demonstrating his commitment to her growth.
• Liu Dongqing observes the advancements of other cultivators, showing his awareness of the broader conflict and its implications.
• The cultivators' advancements highlight the competition and camaraderie among the sects, as well as the personal stakes in the Holy Profound War.

Chapter Summary: “Seeking to Perform the Second Step of the Leap”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Dongqing returns to the Punishment and Might Hall on Mountain Lily Peak after observing the worsening position of Southern Border in the Holy Profound War.
• Southern Border currently has only three Golden Core True Persons opposing four from the alliance of Central Province and the Western Regions, giving the opposing side an advantage in fortune and battlefield strength.
• Liu learns from Lu Congji and others that Xie Miaoyin’s breakthrough into the Golden Core realm dramatically shifted the tides of fortune. Several of the Holy Cult’s supposedly certain attacks on Purple Spirit Manor and the Myriad Phenomena Sword Sect ended in failure or devastating defeat.
• The Wind Peak lineage’s senior brother is killed by Zhu Chengfei before he can attempt his own Golden Core breakthrough, demonstrating the dangerous effects of declining fortune.
• Despite Southern Border’s setbacks, Lu Congji brings Liu abundant resources, including rare materials, Pill Dao manuscripts, and twenty-one horse demon corpses.
• Liu rewards Lu and the others generously with pills, encouraging them to continue hunting horse demons.
• He refines the Yang Fire Wu Horse Sword Embryo with the horse demons’ bloodline essences, White Bone Sword Seals, and Ultimate Yang qi. This causes the sword embryo’s second and third incomplete Sword Sigils to manifest, advancing its embryonic foundation by two ranks.
• Liu then completes another stage of cultivation by condensing the third circuit of sigils in the Black Gold Treasure Cauldron, using the final Yin Spirit Beads he has accumulated.
• Having completed the final step of Yang Fire Path cultivation and the first step of the Leap Dao Path, Liu prepares to undertake the second step: releasing the tremendous Ultimate Yang qi stored within his three thousand Crow Spirits in one overwhelming burst.
• Unsure of the best method, Liu consults Cai Siyun, whose soul true spirit resides within the Black Gold Treasure Cauldron.

Character Developments

• Liu Dongqing becomes increasingly aware of the importance of fortune and its direct effect on victory, defeat, breakthroughs, and survival. His earlier concern about the broader war quickly gives way to practical cultivation and strategic planning.
• He continues to display opportunism and calculated generosity, using pills and resources to motivate others to obtain more horse demon corpses for his cultivation.
• Liu’s cultivation advances significantly: the Wu Horse Sword Embryo improves by two ranks, and he completes major milestones in both the Yang Fire Path and Leap Dao Path.
• He must now transition from accumulating power to demonstrating controlled destruction, since the next stage requires him to release his stored Ultimate Yang qi without drawing continued suspicion from the Holy Cult’s powerful observer.
• Cai Siyun acts as a perceptive and experienced adviser. She understands both the political consequences of Liu’s actions and the subtle workings of fortune better than Liu does.

Significant Themes

• The power and danger of fortune: Fortune is portrayed as a real force that influences battle outcomes, breakthroughs, life and death, and even the distribution of future misfortune. The rise of Xie Miaoyin’s cultivation alters the course of entire campaigns.
• Individual actions versus collective destiny: Liu cannot act solely for personal gain. Killing a fellow Southern Border disciple could worsen the fortune of his entire side and ultimately rebound upon him.
• Strategic restraint and public image: Liu must carefully appear “harmless” after releasing his Ultimate Yang qi. His actions must satisfy the Holy Cult’s investigation while avoiding the appearance of deliberate betrayal or excessive ambition.
• The price of advancement: Cultivation breakthroughs require resources, corpses, risk, and political calculation. Liu’s progress is inseparable from the ongoing war.
• Seeking straightness through crookedness: The Leap Dao Path reflects the chapter’s central strategy—Liu must use seemingly destructive or indirect actions to achieve escape, safety, and an unprecedented Divine Ability Fruit.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Dongqing and Lu Congji’s group: Lu and the others report on the battlefield and deliver valuable cultivation materials. Liu rewards them with even more precious pills, strengthening their cooperation and encouraging further hunts.
• Liu Dongqing and Cai Siyun: Liu explains his intended second step and asks for guidance. Cai warns him not to kill fellow disciples, particularly Jiang Xiuran, despite Liu’s personal hostility toward him.
• Cai urges Liu to target cultivators from Central Province and the Western Regions instead—especially those close to reaching the Golden Core realm. A public killing through a massive release of Ultimate Yang qi would both help restore Southern Border’s fortune and convince the Holy Cult that Liu has merely vented his power rather than posing a continuing threat.
• Cai also reminds Liu that he is part of Southern Border and the Innate Sacred Sect. If he causes Southern Border’s fortune to decline, the resulting misfortune will eventually reach him, though fortune may protect him temporarily if he helps balance the situation.

Overall Significance

The chapter marks Liu Dongqing’s transition from preparation to execution. His cultivation has reached the point where he can perform the second step of the Leap Dao Path, but the act must also serve a larger political and strategic purpose. Cai Siyun directs him to use his power against enemy Golden Core candidates, thereby damaging opposing fortune, concealing his true intentions, and potentially buying enough time to reach the Golden Core realm himself.

Key Plot Points and Events

• After a brief respite, the Holy Profound War resumes with increased intensity.
• The Many Treasures Artifact Sect's senior brother advances to the Golden Core realm, widening the disparity between the north and south.
• Jin Wangsun and Zhu Chengfei ambush and severely injure Cheng Yingjue, the true inheritor of the Curse Sacrifice Origin Sect.
• Liu Dongqing receives horse demon carcasses from rootless cultivators, indicating a shift in fortune favoring him amidst the Southern Border sects' misfortune.

Character Developments

• Liu Dongqing gains a deeper understanding of the Dao of fortune and realizes the danger he faces as the decline in fortune approaches him.
• Cheng Yingjue and Tao Guanwei suffer severe setbacks, delaying their advancement to the Golden Core realm.
• Jin Wangsun and Zhu Chengfei gain fortune's blessing, increasing their likelihood of advancing to the Golden Core realm.

Significant Themes

• The merciless nature of the Great Dao and the consequences of declining fortune.
• The fragile nature of Liu Dongqing's Dao transition path.
• The interconnectedness of fortune and misfortune among cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Liu Dongqing interacts with Lu Congji, learning about the ongoing battles and the increasing threat posed by Purple Spirit Manor's cultivators.
• Liu Dongqing aids the rootless cultivators, exchanging medicinal treasures and provisions for horse demon carcasses, further solidifying his position as a benefactor.
• Jin Wangsun and Zhu Chengfei collaborate to injure Cheng Yingjue, demonstrating the brutal nature of the Holy Profound War.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhu Chengfei breaks through to the Golden Core realm, causing a significant shift in fate and fortune.
• Liu Dongqing, inspired by the Great Dao Pill, activates the Three Thousand Fire Crow Grand Formation and challenges Zhu Chengfei.
• Both cultivators enter a mysterious, illusory field of vision, suggesting an impending clash.

Character Developments

• Zhu Chengfei: Becomes arrogant and defiant after attaining Golden Core, confident in his sect's return to the Southern Border.
• Liu Dongqing: Determined to prevent Zhu Chengfei's sect's return, uses the Great Dao Pill to activate his powerful formation and challenge Zhu Chengfei.

Significant Themes

• Fate and fortune: The balance of power shifts with Zhu Chengfei's breakthrough, affecting the outcome of the Holy Profound War.
• Schemes and counter-schemes: Both cultivators have long-term plans, with Liu Dongqing countering Zhu Chengfei's scheme to prevent his sect's return.

Character Interactions

• Zhu Chengfei and Liu Dongqing: Their interactions are marked by hostility and determination, with Liu Dongqing challenging Zhu Chengfei's confidence and plans.