Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with Lu Chen, a mortal, carefully boiling medicine for A-Nan, his blind younger sister, in the grimy, stench-filled mud alleys of Black Mud City's outer city.
• The Offering-to-Immortals Festival is approaching, where mortals must pay three Mortal Silver coins as an offering. Those who can't are driven out to feed demon beasts.
• Steward Zhao, an immortal city guard, visits the mud alley, kicking and abusing the residents, including Old Zhang, for not having their offerings ready.
• Lu Chen shields A-Nan as Steward Zhao threatens them, but before any confrontation occurs, a massive spirit vessel from the Azure Firmament Sword Sect descends, unleashing a terrifying spiritual pressure that forces everyone to their knees.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Lu Chen is shown to be protective of A-Nan, willing to stand up against the immortal guards despite the danger. He practices Iron Cloth Shirt, a tacky external art, to strengthen his body. His determination not to kneel under the spiritual pressure reveals his inner resilience.
• A-Nan: A-Nan is timid and dependent on Lu Chen, showing her vulnerability and fear. However, she also displays an intuitive sensitivity to spiritual energy, sensing the spirit vessel's descent.
• Steward Zhao: Steward Zhao is cruel and arrogant, abusing his power over the mortals. He sees them as worthless and disposable, highlighting the harsh treatment of mortals by immortals.

Significant Themes

• Mortal vs. Immortal: The stark contrast between the lives of mortals and immortals is a central theme. Mortals are treated as livestock, while immortals hold immense power and disregard for mortal life.
• Resilience and Defiance: Lu Chen's refusal to kneel under the spiritual pressure symbolizes his resilience and defiance against the oppressive immortal system.
• Fear and Powerlessness: The mortals' reaction to the spirit vessel's descent and the spiritual pressure it unleashes highlights the fear and powerlessness they feel in the face of immortal power.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and A-Nan: Lu Chen's protective behavior towards A-Nan shows their strong sibling bond. A-Nan's fear and dependence on Lu Chen also emphasize this bond.
• Lu Chen and Steward Zhao: The tense interaction between Lu Chen and Steward Zhao highlights the power dynamic between mortals and immortals, with Steward Zhao abusing his power and Lu Chen struggling to protect himself and A-Nan.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Azure-Water Qilin, a powerful creature, roars, causing destruction and injury to the mortals in a muddy alley.
• Disciples of the Azure Firmament Sword Sect descend, intending to perform the Dust-Severing Rite.
• An elder from the sect casually strikes the alley with a sword aura, killing several mortals and severely injuring Lu Chen and A-Nan.
• A-Nan is critically injured and lies dying in a sewage pit.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen, initially submissive and tolerant, snaps after A-Nan's severe injury, triggering the first resonance of his Ancient Desolate Forbidden Physique.
• A-Nan, despite her critical injury, reaches out for Lu Chen, showing her love and dependence on him.

Significant Themes

• The disregard and cruelty of immortals towards mortals.
• The awakening of power and potential in the face of extreme circumstances.
• The bond between Lu Chen and A-Nan.

Character Interactions

• Steward Zhao fawns over the disciples of the Azure Firmament Sword Sect, showing his servility and lack of regard for the mortals' lives.
• Li Changfeng and Wang Xuan, disciples of the Azure Firmament Sword Sect, display their arrogance and disregard for mortal lives.
• Lu Chen and A-Nan's bond is strengthened by their shared ordeal, with A-Nan reaching out to Lu Chen even in her critical state.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Changfeng, an immortal sect cultivator, sends an Azure-Water Qilin to clean up the aftermath of a battle in Black Mud City.
• Lu Chen, a mortal man, defends A-Nan, a dying girl, from the Qilin by charging at it and biting its throat.
• Lu Chen drinks the Qilin's blood, triggering the Ultimate Dao Furnace within him, which filters and absorbs the spiritual energy.
• A muffled boom erupts from Lu Chen's chest, indicating a significant change in his body.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Initially portrayed as a weak mortal, he demonstrates extraordinary courage and savagery in defending A-Nan. After drinking the Qilin's blood, he undergoes a physical transformation.
• Li Changfeng: A cultivator from the immortal sect, he shows concern for the Azure-Water Qilin but hesitates to act due to its importance to the sect's Grand Elder.
• Wang Xuan: Another cultivator, he advises Li Changfeng not to act rashly to avoid injuring the Qilin.

Significant Themes

• The power dynamics between mortals and immortal cultivators.
• The potential within ordinary people, represented by Lu Chen's transformation.
• The consequences of hesitation and inaction, as seen in Li Changfeng's delay in acting.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and the Azure-Water Qilin: A fierce, primal struggle between man and beast.
• Li Changfeng and Wang Xuan: They discuss the situation from their vantage point in the air, showing their concern for the Qilin and their awareness of its importance to the sect.
• Lu Chen and A-Nan: Lu Chen's defense of A-Nan highlights his protective instincts and willingness to sacrifice for others.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen drinks the Scalding Qilin True Blood, which should kill him due to his mortal body's inability to withstand its spiritual energy.
• The Ultimate Dao Furnace within Lu Chen awakens, allowing him to absorb and transform the spiritual energy into primordial vitality, shattering and reforming his meridians.
• Lu Chen evolves the Iron Cloth Shirt technique, mutating his body and reaching the tenth layer, Mortal Iron Great Perfection.
• Lu Chen drains the Azure-Water Qilin's blood and crushes its skull underfoot.
• Li Changfeng attempts to kill Lu Chen with a Water Arrow spell and a lower-grade flying sword, but Lu Chen withstands and even deforms the flying sword with his bare hands.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates immense physical resilience and power, evolving his Iron Cloth Shirt technique and reaching a new level of strength.
• Li Changfeng: Becomes increasingly desperate and enraged as Lu Chen's power grows, leading to reckless actions.

Significant Themes

• The power of mortal flesh and blood, defying expectations and cultivator norms.
• The Ultimate Dao Furnace's ability to transform and absorb spiritual energy.
• The evolution and growth of Lu Chen's Iron Cloth Shirt technique.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen vs. Azure-Water Qilin: Lu Chen drains and kills the Qilin, turning the tables on the beast that had been hunting him.
• Lu Chen vs. Li Changfeng: Lu Chen withstands and counters Li Changfeng's spells and flying sword, demonstrating his growing power and defiance against cultivators.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen, a mortal without spiritual roots, crushes a magic artifact (azure steel flying sword) with his bare hands, causing its cultivator, Li Changfeng, to suffer mental backlash and fall.
• Lu Chen punches Li Changfeng, shattering his protective treasure and sending him crashing into a wall, leaving his fate uncertain.
• Lu Chen saves A-Nan, a blind girl, by feeding her a drop of his purified qilin blood, transforming her mortal body and saving her life.
• Steward Zhao witnesses these events and flees to alert the Immortal Alliance.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates incredible physical prowess, surpassing that of cultivators, and shows compassion towards A-Nan.
• Li Changfeng and Wang Xuan, cultivators from the Azure Firmament Sword Sect, are terrified and humiliated by Lu Chen's actions.
• A-Nan's life is saved, and she undergoes a transformation, though she remains unconscious.

Significant Themes

• The disparity between mortals and cultivators is challenged when Lu Chen, a mortal, defeats cultivators.
• The power of Lu Chen's physical body and inner strength is emphasized, contrasting with the spiritual power of cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Li Changfeng: Lu Chen demonstrates his superiority, defeating Li Changfeng and shattering his magic artifact and protective treasure.
• Lu Chen and A-Nan: Lu Chen saves A-Nan's life by feeding her his purified qilin blood, showing selflessness and care.
• Steward Zhao and Lu Chen: Steward Zhao witnesses Lu Chen's actions and flees to alert the Immortal Alliance, setting up a potential conflict.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen, carrying A-Nan, walks through the outer city, leaving deep footprints and scaring the residents.
• He encounters Immortal City guards and formation masters at the entrance to the inner city.
• The formation masters use a Beast-Trapping Formation to suppress Lu Chen, but it fails to harm him.
• Lu Chen breaks through the formation with a single punch.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Shows immense strength and resilience, breaking through an immortal sect's formation with his bare fist. His cultivation technique, Iron Cloth Shirt, advances to an unknown eleventh layer.
• Steward Zhao: Becomes terrified of Lu Chen's power, alternating between bravado and fear.
• Formation Masters: Initially arrogant and dismissive, they panic when they realize Lu Chen's power exceeds their formation's capabilities.

Significant Themes

• The power of brute strength and blood vitality over spiritual energy and cultivation techniques.
• The disparity between immortals and mortals, and the fear and awe mortals inspire when they defy expectations.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Steward Zhao: Lu Chen's actions terrify Steward Zhao, who alternates between ordering Lu Chen's death and cowering in fear.
• Lu Chen and the Formation Masters: The formation masters initially underestimate Lu Chen, but panic when they realize their formation cannot suppress him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen breaks the Beast-Trapping Array using sheer physical force.
• He fights and defeats the Immortal City guards, including their captain.
• Steward Zhao attempts to threaten Lu Chen with a life-soul jade plaque connected to the Immortal City Grand Array.
• Lu Chen crushes Steward Zhao's leg with a spearhead and stomps on his knee, leaving him crippled.
• Lu Chen walks to the City-Guarding Stele, symbolizing the immortal sect's authority, and presses his hand against it.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates incredible physical strength and combat skills, proving that he doesn't need spiritual energy to fight.
• He shows concern for A-Nan's safety during the battle, restraining his power to protect her.
• Lu Chen's anger is ignited when Steward Zhao threatens A-Nan, leading to a surge of bloodline power.

Significant Themes

• The power of physical prowess over spiritual energy and cultivation.
• The oppression of mortals by the immortal sect, represented by the City-Guarding Stele.
• The kindred tremor of bloodline Lu Chen senses from the stele.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and A-Nan: Lu Chen protects A-Nan throughout the battle, showing concern for her safety.
• Lu Chen and Steward Zhao: Lu Chen crushes Steward Zhao's leg and knee, leaving him crippled and powerless.
• Lu Chen and the City-Guarding Stele: Lu Chen presses his hand against the stele, sensing a kindred tremor of bloodline.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen touches the City-Guarding Stele, experiencing visions of ancient Ultimate Dao cultivators.
• A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, a steward from the inner city, arrives to execute Lu Chen for defiling the stele.
• Lu Chen withstands the steward's true essence attack and, using his physical strength, begins to lift the 30,000-jin stele.
• The stele's shaking causes an ancient force field to suppress spiritual qi and increase gravity, affecting the steward and the city.
• A blood-colored desolate rune appears on the stele and spreads across Lu Chen's body.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates incredible physical strength and resilience, withstanding a Foundation Establishment Realm attack and lifting the massive stele.
• The steward shows arrogance and underestimation of mortals, leading to his temporary defeat.

Significant Themes

• The power of the physical body and bloodline against spiritual cultivation.
• The ancient Ultimate Dao cultivators' legacy and their suppression of spiritual qi.
• The disparity between cultivators and mortals, and the consequences of underestimating mortals.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and the steward: Lu Chen defies the steward's authority and power, leading to the steward's temporary defeat.
• Lu Chen and the Dao Stele: Lu Chen's blood and qi resonate with the ancient stele, activating its power.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen, using the ancient Dao Stele, overpowers a Foundation Establishment cultivator by hurling the thirty-thousand-pound stone stele at him, smashing him into a paste.
• The impact causes significant damage to Black Mud City's inner city wall and formation.
• The event instills fear and shock among the city's inhabitants.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates immense physical strength and power, defying the norms of immortal sects. He shows no mercy and is driven by a desire to protect A-Nan.
• A-Nan, though young and injured, shows awareness and understanding beyond her years, sensing the fear and tension within the city.

Significant Themes

• Power and its consequences: Lu Chen's immense strength brings destruction but also instills fear, protecting A-Nan but causing collateral damage.
• Defiance of norms: Lu Chen's actions challenge the established rules and practices of immortal sects, highlighting the brutality of his methods.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and A-Nan: Their bond deepens as A-Nan seeks comfort and protection from Lu Chen, while he is driven to protect her.
• Lu Chen and the Foundation Establishment steward: Their interaction is one of pure violence and dominance, with no attempt at negotiation or understanding.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen crushes the Sumeru Ring and retrieves its contents.
• He drags the thirty-thousand-pound Dao Stele out of the Immortal City using a Demon-Locking Chain.
• The City Lord of Black Mud City covers up the incident, blaming it on the Azure-Water Qilin and labeling Lu Chen as a "Blood Demon."

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates immense physical strength and determination, further challenging the immortal sects' authority.
• A-Nan's constitution transforms due to the Ultimate Dao blood, allowing her to sense cultivators' emotions and "see" their forms.

Significant Themes

• The power dynamics between mortals and cultivators are explored, with Lu Chen defying the immortal sects' rules and oppressive power.
• The theme of transformation is evident in A-Nan's physical changes and Lu Chen's growing influence.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and A-Nan's bond strengthens as they face the wilderness together, with Lu Chen protecting A-Nan and her relying on him.
• The City Lord's fear and desperation to cover up the incident contrast with Lu Chen's defiance, highlighting the power struggle between them.

Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen enters Immortal-Breaking Mountain, accompanied by A-Nan.
• They encounter a pack of Netherwind Wolves, first-rank demonic beasts.
• Lu Chen uses the heavy black Dao stele to create a crater, stunning the wolves.
• The lead wolf attacks, but Lu Chen crushes its jaw and smashes it against a tree.
• The remaining wolves use their innate spell, Netherwind Blade, but Lu Chen's Iron Cloth Shirt defense negates the attack.
• Lu Chen fights and defeats the entire wolf pack single-handedly.
• A-Nan senses a mass of gray, foul-smelling blood deeper in the forest.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates his formidable strength and combat skills, easily defeating the Netherwind Wolves.
• A-Nan shows her sensitivity to blood qi, warning Lu Chen of danger ahead.

Significant Themes

• The strong devouring the weak in the wilderness.
• The power of the Ultimate Dao against spiritual-energy attacks.
• A-Nan's unique ability and her bond with Lu Chen.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and A-Nan's relationship deepens as they face danger together.
• Lu Chen protects A-Nan, while A-Nan uses her ability to sense danger to keep them safe.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Immortal City Lord is summoned and intimidated by an Outer Sect Elder due to the Mud Alley massacre and the theft of the City-Guarding Stele.
• The City Lord blames the Azure-Water Qilin and a possessed mortal named Lu Chen for the incident, shifting the blame to the Blood Demon Sect.
• The Elder orders a search of Immortal-Breaking Mountain to find and eliminate the Blood Demon Sect remnants.
• The City Lord orders his men to kill Lu Chen on sight and not bring him back alive to prevent him from speaking about the true events.

Character Developments

• The Immortal City Lord is shown to be cowardly and desperate to preserve his position, leading him to frame others and order a cover-up.
• The Outer Sect Elder displays the arrogance and disregard for lower-tier forces and mortal lives common among cultivators.

Significant Themes

• The arrogance and disregard for mortal lives among cultivators.
• The lengths to which those in power will go to maintain their status and avoid blame.
• The danger and lawlessness of the wilderness, especially at night, where demon beasts and poisonous miasma pose significant threats.

Character Interactions

• The City Lord and the Outer Sect Elder interact, with the Elder exerting dominance and intimidation, while the City Lord tries to appease and deceive him.
• The City Lord and his trusted commander interact, with the City Lord ordering a cover-up and the commander expressing concern for the mission's safety, only to be rebuked and threatened by the City Lord.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with the outer district of Black Mud City submerged in muddy water after a rainstorm, following a day of unrest.
• Immortal City guards raid the homes of mortals, demanding triple tax tribute due to the destruction of the inner city wall by demonic cultivators.
• Steward Zhao, the city's steward, is left to die in a ditch after being beaten and abandoned by the guards.
• Old Zhang, a mortal, refuses to kneel or beg when confronted by the guard commander, marking a significant change in his demeanor.
• The guard commander threatens to throw Old Zhang's grandson into a furnace if they can't pay the increased tribute.
• Old Zhang secretly keeps a fragment of the City-Guarding Stele, stained with Lu Chen's blood, which he gives to his grandson.

Character Developments

• Steward Zhao: Falls from power and status, left to die in a ditch, highlighting the Immortal sects' disregard for the weak and usefulness-based society.
• Old Zhang: Shows defiance and courage in the face of the guard commander, marking his transformation from a submissive mortal to one who dares to challenge the Immortal sects' authority.
• The guard commander: Demonstrates the cruel and indifferent nature of the Immortal sects, prioritizing wealth and power over the lives of mortals.

Significant Themes

• Power dynamics: The Immortal sects hold power over mortals, treating them as inferior and disposable.
• Defiance and awakening: Old Zhang's defiance and the mortals' growing awareness of their oppression foreshadow potential rebellion.
• Usefulness and disposal: The Immortal sects value only what is useful to them, discarding the weak and powerless without a second thought.

Character Interactions

• Steward Zhao and the guard commander: The commander shows no mercy, leaving Steward Zhao to die in the ditch, highlighting the lack of loyalty or respect between them.
• Old Zhang and the guard commander: Old Zhang's defiance and refusal to kneel challenge the commander's authority and expectations.
• Old Zhang and his grandson: Old Zhang's love and concern for his grandson motivate him to protect and empower the child, passing on the symbol of defiance (the stele fragment) to him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen finds a hidden cave on Immortal-Breaking Mountain and seals the entrance with a thirty-thousand-jin Dao stele.
• He uses a Netherwind Wolf hide to keep A-Nan warm while she undergoes the transformation of jade bones, which is extremely painful.
• The Immortal Sect's mountain search team arrives, using a spirit vessel to comb the area and eventually finding the cave.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates his strength and resourcefulness by sealing the cave and keeping A-Nan warm and safe.
• A-Nan, in her unconscious state, exhibits extraordinary strength, crushing a century-old cold iron chain with her bare hands.

Significant Themes

• The power of the Ultimate Dao system is further revealed, showing that physical strength alone can be incredibly powerful.
• The disparity in strength between Lu Chen and A-Nan, and the Immortal Sect cultivators is highlighted.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen cares for A-Nan, trying to help her through her pain and keeping her safe from the Immortal Sect cultivators.
• The Immortal Sect cultivators, referred to as 'Senior Brother' and 'that brat', show their disregard and underestimation of Lu Chen and A-Nan.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A group of five Qi Refinement disciples from the Azure Firmament Sword Sect venture into Immortal-Breaking Mountain to capture a mortal named Lu Chen, believed to be a Blood Demon causing havoc.
• The disciples struggle through the treacherous, miasma-filled forest, encountering a mud bog that nearly claims one of their own.
• The captain discovers a massive, smooth earthen groove, realizing that they have found the trail of the Blood Demon.

Character Developments

• The disciples initially display arrogance and underestimate the dangers of the forest, but their attitudes change after one of them is nearly killed by a Bloodthirsty Vine.
• The captain shows leadership and quick thinking, prioritizing the group's safety and eventually identifying the Blood Demon's trail.

Significant Themes

• The dangers of underestimating one's opponents and the environment.
• The importance of unity and caution in facing adversity.
• The contrast between the cultivators' initial arrogance and the harsh reality they face in the forest.

Character Interactions

• The tall disciple expresses his eagerness to use a high-grade Fireburst Talisman against Lu Chen, demonstrating his disregard for mortal life.
• The captain rebukes his subordinates for talking too loudly, emphasizing the need for stealth in the dangerous forest.
• The disciples work together to rescue the short, fat disciple from the mud bog, showing a sense of camaraderie despite their earlier bravado.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group of cultivators encounters a thirty-thousand-jin City-Guarding Stele blocking their path, which they cannot explain or move.
• They approach the stele cautiously, using their spiritual sense to scan the area, but detect nothing.
• Lu Chen, hidden behind the stele, kills the young disciple silently and swiftly without triggering any spiritual energy fluctuations.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates exceptional stealth, strength, and brutality in his attack, indicating his formidable combat capabilities.
• The cultivators, despite being Qi Refinement cultivators, are terrified and helpless against Lu Chen's invisible, silent attacks, highlighting their vulnerability.

Significant Themes

• The power of surprise and stealth in combat.
• The limitations of spiritual sense and the common sense of cultivation in the face of extraordinary abilities.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and the cultivators: Lu Chen remains hidden and silent, while the cultivators are increasingly panicked and disorganized as they try to locate and combat an unseen enemy.
• The cultivators among themselves: They communicate their findings and fears, but their formation and coordination crumble as the situation becomes more terrifying.

Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen, using a black iron chain, ambushes and kills a tall disciple from the immortal sect.
• The remaining sect members (a captain, a short fat man, and a young disciple) attempt to retaliate with spells and talismans, but their attacks are ineffective due to the environment and Lu Chen's close combat tactics.
• Lu Chen leaps from the forest canopy, breaking the captain's sword and the short fat man's legs, and scaring the young disciple into fleeing.
• The captain is left unguarded and at Lu Chen's mercy.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates his formidable close combat skills and fearlessness, proving himself a formidable opponent despite his lack of spiritual qi.
• The immortal sect disciples, despite their training and artifacts, are no match for Lu Chen's brutal and unconventional tactics, highlighting their overreliance on spiritual qi and formations.

Significant Themes

• The power of close combat and physical strength over spiritual qi and formations.
• The vulnerability of the immortal sect disciples when their reliance on spiritual qi and artifacts is stripped away.
• The brutal and unforgiving nature of the environment and the immortal arts.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen's interactions with the immortal sect disciples are one-sided and dominant, showcasing his overwhelming strength and their lack of effective countermeasures.
• The immortal sect disciples' interactions with each other are panicked and chaotic, highlighting their lack of unity and coordination in the face of Lu Chen's onslaught.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A young disciple of an immortal sect, fleeing from a battle, enters a dense miasma forest and is attacked by Netherwind Wolves, leading to his demise.
• The captain of the immortal sect's forces, surrounded by Lu Chen, attempts to use a sound-transmission talisman to call for reinforcements but fails due to the stele's suppression.
• The captain, desperate, attempts a life-for-life technique and uses a mid-grade flying sword against Lu Chen, but it proves ineffective.

Character Developments

• The young disciple shows resilience and determination in the face of danger but ultimately succumbs to the Netherwind Wolves.
• The captain, initially confident and authoritative, becomes increasingly desperate and terrified as he realizes the futility of his power against Lu Chen, resorting to drastic measures.

Significant Themes

• The limitations of immortal sect cultivators' power and techniques against Lu Chen's physical strength and the stele's suppression.
• The desperation and fear that arises when one's power and authority are challenged and proven ineffective.

Character Interactions

• The young disciple's interaction with the Netherwind Wolves highlights the dangers of the forest and his vulnerability without his flying sword.
• The captain's interaction with Lu Chen showcases the captain's increasing desperation and Lu Chen's unyielding strength, leading to the captain's final, futile attempt to defeat him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen crushes a mid-grade flying sword barehanded, demonstrating his immense physical strength.
• He kills the captain of the Azure Firmament Sword Sect's disciples, who threatens him with the sect's retribution.
• Lu Chen crushes the storage bags of the dead disciples, revealing a pile of spoils, including mid-grade spirit stones and healing pills.
• He purifies the healing pills using his Ultimate Dao blood and qi and feeds them to A-Nan.
• Lu Chen hears immortal music from the sky, signaling the approach of immortal cultivators.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen's immense physical strength and power are further emphasized, as he crushes a mid-grade artifact and kills an immortal sect disciple with ease.
• A-Nan's condition stabilizes after Lu Chen feeds her the purified healing pills.

Significant Themes

• The disparity in power between mortal and immortal cultivators is highlighted, with Lu Chen's strength being exceptional even among mortals, but still no match for immortal cultivators.
• The value of spirit stones and healing pills is emphasized, with Lu Chen's ability to purify and use them setting him apart from ordinary mortals.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and the captain of the Azure Firmament Sword Sect's disciples have a tense interaction, with the captain threatening Lu Chen and ultimately being killed by him.
• Lu Chen cares for A-Nan, feeding her the purified healing pills and using mid-grade spirit stones to keep her warm.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Saintess of the Azure Firmament Sword Sect travels in a spirit vessel above Immortal-Breaking Mountain, indifferent to mortal affairs.
• She learns about a demon beast attack in Black Mud City but shows no concern.
• The old woman accompanying her discovers the bodies of Azure Firmament outer disciples killed by Lu Chen but dismisses it as unimportant.
• The Saintess is disturbed by a scent from the lower realm and orders the vessel to return to the sect at full speed.

Character Developments

• The Saintess displays her indifference to mortal lives and the lower realm, prioritizing her cultivation and Dao heart.
• The old woman shows respect and deference to the Saintess but also demonstrates a lack of concern for the lives of lower disciples.

Significant Themes

• Indifference of the immortal sect to mortal lives and the lower realm.
• The growing power of Lu Chen, which contrasts with the Saintess's disregard.

Character Interactions

• The Saintess and the old woman discuss the state of the sect and the disturbances in Black Mud City.
• The Saintess's irritation with the scent from the lower realm highlights her disdain for the mortal world.