Chapter Summaries

Lu Qing cultivated and examined the vast phenomena in his Purple Mansion, realizing that his grasp of the Five Elements remained incomplete and needed genuine comprehension to stabilize. He continued to follow changes in the outside world through news from the Spirit Plant Garden and White Crane Boy, using shifts in Fate Allotment to gauge the age of strife.

• Lu Qing sensed the hazy Fate Allotment in the far east and reflected on the changing celestial phenomena before sending the last wisp of Star Power into his Purple Mansion.
• Lu Qing observed the Purple Mansion’s visions of thunder in the east, Origin Water and snow in the north, lava in the south, and sword intent in the west.
• Lu Qing scattered the visions and concluded that his Five Elements cultivation remained incomplete, since the phenomena were only shadows rather than genuine comprehension.
• Lu Qing explained that he kept up with outside affairs through the Spirit Plant Garden’s daily conversations and messages from White Crane Boy.
• Lu Qing used changes in regional Fate Allotment to track when major events occurred and how fiercely the age of strife had begun.

Lu Qing set aside concerns about the wider cultivation struggle and focused on studying the Five Elements through old spells. After examining a metal-path spell, he began to broaden his understanding of the Five Elements beyond what could be seen.

• Lu Qing reflected that he was an observer in the conflict between great powers and believed the Profound Heaven Dao Sect would remain safe for now.
• Lu Qing decided to pursue the Five Elements by studying the spells and spiritual objects he had prepared.
• Lu Qing brought out jade slips containing spells associated with the Five Elements and chose one from the metal path.
• Lu Qing read the Autumn Wind Formula and studied its circulation and bleak, chilling intent.
• Lu Qing considered how intangible forces such as autumn wind could belong to the Five Elements and settled into contemplation.

Lu Qing gained fresh insight into the Five Elements and began studying common Five-Element spells to broaden his cultivation. As he immersed himself in their principles, his aura and the transformations within his Golden Core’s Inner World grew increasingly powerful.

• Lu Qing recalled the insights in Dongyang's Travelogue and concluded that mastering Five-Element cultivation would require a deep foundation.
• Lu Qing decided to use ordinary spells to expand his understanding and swept through the jade slips with his Divine Consciousness.
• Lu Qing examined water and earth spells, including Raging Waves, Earth Escape Art, and Thick Earth Formula, and drew out their Five-Element principles.
• Hou Wucai noticed that the Five-Element Spiritual Qi around the Spirit Rice had increased, though the group could not identify the cause.
• Lu Qing concentrated fully on cultivating spells as his aura manifested the Five Elements and transformations surged through his Golden Core’s Inner World.

As Lu Qing remained immersed in cultivation, the chapter shifted to White Jade City, where the Immortal Path and Demonic Path clashed and cultivators gathered. Golden Feather Sect disciples arrived, and others learned that the overseas sect’s formidable standing came from a Half-Step Ascension Realm expert.

• Lu Qing continued cultivating the Five-Element Arts without noticing the passage of time or the commotion in the Four Lands.
• White Jade City served as a bustling frontier and first line of defense against the Demonic Path, where disciples of the nine great Immortal Sects gathered.
• Golden Feather Sect disciples appeared on a White Jade Platform, drawing attention from nearby cultivators.
• A cultivator explained that the Golden Feather Sect came from overseas but rivaled an Immortal Sect in strength.
• Cultivators learned that the Golden Feather Sect’s standing came from possessing a Half-Step Ascension Realm mighty expert.

The Golden Feather Sect arrived in White Jade City, drawn by the Mars Starfall incident and its hopes of rising among the great Immortal Sects. Zhao Buhuo had received part of Mars's Fate Allotment, and the sect prepared to enter the Four Lands while seeking materials for a sect-suppressing treasure.

• Senior Brother Zhao asked Zhao Buhuo where the rest of Mars's Fate Allotment was, but Zhao Buhuo said there was no need for excessive caution.
• The Golden Feather Sect disciples saw cultivators from the Dharma-Free Immortal Gate leave White Jade City for the Four Lands.
• Cultivators in the city recognized the visitors as prodigies from a great Immortal Sect and regarded the Golden Feather Sect with wariness.
• The Golden Feather Sect believed its Half-Step Ascension Realm mighty figure gave it a chance to become the tenth great Immortal Sect, though it lacked the foundation to replace one of the Nine.
• The Golden Feather Sect had also come to find a suitable sect-suppressing treasure or gather rare materials needed to refine one.

The Golden Feather Sect disciples witnessed the Dharma-Free Immortal Gate’s arrival, then sensed danger from a passing sword cultivator. Zhao Buhuo resolved to travel to the Four Lands, where he sensed Mars Fate Allotment gathering, and Senior Brother Zhao agreed to go with him.

• Senior Brother Zhao lamented that the Golden Feather Sect lacked a grand formation for crossing the void, while Zhao Buhuo showed pride in his sect’s future.
• Zhao Buhuo and Senior Brother Zhao sensed an ominous danger as the Dharma-Free Immortal Gate crossed into White Jade Immortal City.
• A sword cultivator swept past the city, and Zhao Buhuo felt dangerous sword radiance stir his heart.
• Zhao Buhuo told Senior Brother Zhao that he would travel to the Four Lands, drawn by the gathering Mars Fate Allotment and the sects’ movements toward the Demon Land.
• Senior Brother Zhao agreed to set out with Zhao Buhuo to contend for the Immortal Path Fate Allotment.

The Golden Feather Sect disciples departed White Jade Immortal City as cultivators discussed the Nine Sects’ unprecedented mobilization and its likely target: the Demonic Path in the Four Lands. The chapter left the city’s residents weighing whether to stay or flee as young cultivators learned more about the region.

• The Golden Feather Sect disciples summoned a Sky-Crossing Feather Boat and flew away from White Jade Immortal City.
• An old cultivator recalled a catastrophe from three thousand years earlier, and another predicted the Nine Sects’ mobilization was an operation against the Demonic Path.
• Cultivators in White Jade Immortal City noticed increased activity in the city’s formations and suspected the Immortal Sects were preparing to cross the Northern Heaven River into the Four Lands.
• An elderly patriarch worried that conflict with the Ancient Demon Sect could endanger his family, while other cultivators considered whether to avoid the coming turmoil.
• Young cultivators asked their elders about the Four Lands, learning that it was the territory of the Demon Sect and home to people, demons, and many kinds of outcasts.

Cultivators at Immortal's Arrival Inn learned that the Ancient Demon Land was beginning to emerge alongside the Millennial Great Fortune, prompting the Nine Sects to act. More than a month later, Lu Qing sensed that the Four Lands were shrouded in dense tribulation clouds and killing intent.

• A cultivator at Immortal's Arrival Inn explained that the Immortal Path's move against the Demon Sect was connected to the approaching emergence of the Demon Land.
• Cultivators recalled the Celestial Starfall and learned that the Ancient Demon Land's return coincided with the Millennial Great Fortune, though only one fragment was expected to appear.
• The news spread, and cultivators began preparing for the changes ahead.
• More than a month later, Lu Qing reflected on his progress with the Five-Element Arts and heard that news of the Demon Land had become widespread.
• Lu Qing used a seal to peer across the clouds and saw the sky filled with heavy tribulation clouds and killing intent.

Lu Qing received four divinations about the coming peak of Fate Allotment, warning that the Mars Fate Allotment and a battle between mighty experts could entangle him in deadly tribulations. He chose the safe path: leave Sun-Moon Mountain for the Sword Lineage Dojo and remain inside, avoiding outside Cause and Effect even at the cost of Fate Allotment’s fortune.

• Lu Qing saw an Absolute Omen divination warning that intercepting Heavenly Secrets to learn the Great Concealment Art would bring disaster and threaten his Longevity.
• Lu Qing read a Greatly Ominous Hexagram predicting that Mars Fate Allotment would reach him in the mountains despite his decision not to seek a Heavenly Mandate.
• Lu Qing learned that descending the mountain at Fate Allotment’s peak could draw him into a battle between two mighty experts that would devastate the southeastern land.
• Lu Qing received a Calming Hexagram advising him to enter the Sword Lineage Dojo before Fate Allotment peaked and never leave it.
• Lu Qing accepted that he would forgo Fate Allotment’s fortune and keep a low profile to avoid entanglement in the coming tribulations.

Lu Qing considered the ominous divinations surrounding an immense, long-lasting struggle over Fate Allotment and resolved to observe events from his Dao field rather than intervene. He connected a strange Tripod Shadow to the Dao-Seeking Cauldron and reflected on why the Heavenly Domain was strategically important as Tribulation Qi continued to gather.

• Lu Qing decided to avoid conspicuous actions and wait within his Dao field, trusting that the course of the Tribulation would eventually become clear.
• Lu Qing interpreted the divinations as signs of a vast conflict involving mysterious watchers, Mars Fate Allotment, and great powers fighting amid the Tribulation.
• Lu Qing recalled the Tripod Shadow from the Profound Heaven Domain and wondered whether it was connected to the Dao-Seeking Cauldron, but chose not to pursue the matter.
• Lu Qing reasoned that the Heavenly Domain bordered the Four Lands beyond the Nine Heavens and therefore held an important place in the struggle for Fate Allotment.
• Lu Qing watched as Tribulation Qi continued to gather over heaven and earth, spreading a suffocating pressure.

The Golden Feather Sect entered the conflict, deepening the Tribulation Qi and drawing the attention of ancient powers waiting for the Golden Age of Cultivation. At the Yellow Springs of Wrongful Death, Demon Sect disciple Fan Rong confronted a rival and resolved to reach the third layer for greater safety.

• Golden Feather Sect disciples departed for the Four Lands, and the growing Tribulation Qi stirred hidden gazes across the cultivation world.
• Ancient Divine Senses discussed Jin Yu's entry into the conflict and the Demon Sect and Demon Land's preparations at the Yellow Springs of Wrongful Death.
• Demon Sect disciples gathered at the Yellow Springs' Withered Graves, where their status and power corresponded to how far inward they could go.
• Fan Rong met a sinister-eyed Senior Brother, traded threats with him, and watched him leave when a blood-red cloud appeared.
• Fan Rong decided that he needed to reach the third layer of Yellow Springs to gain even a shred of security.

Yellow Springs of Wrongful Death prepared to lure Immortal Path cultivators into a deadly confrontation, while its elders discussed sending their own prodigies into the fray. Futuzi, a Primordial Spirit Realm disciple who welcomed Cause and Effect and Tribulation, stood ready to leave Yellow Springs and face his unresolved matters.

• Fan Rong anticipated gaining lifespan from the deaths of cultivators outside the graves and stopped provoking another disciple.
• In the Ninth Heaven cemetery, unseen elders agreed to support the plan to bury Immortal Path prodigies in Yellow Springs, while warning that some had Dao Protectors.
• The chapter explained that Yellow Springs cultivators used Withered Graves to slow the loss of lifespan, conceal Heavenly Secrets, and shelter their True Spirits.
• Yellow Springs disciples discussed how Fate Allotments brought heavenly punishment and unresolved conflicts that would surface during the Tribulation.
• Futuzi admitted that Cause and Effect clung to him and planned to search for those with unresolved matters when he left Yellow Springs.
• The disciples recognized Futuzi as a notorious killer whose Yellow Springs Transmigration Scripture let him face Tribulation and use it to nourish his soul.

Yellow Springs disciples discussed their Tribulation Responses and schemes before Blood Lord’s direct disciple, a sinister monk, and another ghostly presence arrived. The arrivals’ powers killed several disciples, leaving the survivors terrified.

• A Yellow Springs disciple revealed that he had found his Tribulation Response and claimed his Immortal Fate had been severed.
• Yellow Springs disciples traded details about their targets and plotted against one another while avoiding the cemetery’s crimson radiance.
• Blood Lord’s direct disciple arrived riding a black flood dragon through a sea of blood energy, causing stabbing pain in the disciples’ Sea of Consciousness.
• A monk appeared and chanted, enthralling some Yellow Springs disciples, who greeted him as their Buddha.
• A ghostly sigh drove other disciples to destroy their own True Spirits and Divine Souls, terrifying those who had escaped its reach.

Blood Lord, No Buddha, and Eastern Capital discussed their aims for the journey Beyond the Tomb before the Ghost Lord announced rewards for killing immortal cultivators. As the Immortal Path investigated the rumored Demon Land in Yellow Springs of Wrongful Death, Xie Chonghuo’s junior brother arrived with urgent news.

• Blood Lord, No Buddha, and Eastern Capital met and revealed their separate goals: No Buddha sought the Bodhi Seed, Blood Lord planned to deal with their fellow travelers, and Eastern Capital intended to take the lifespan of the Nine Heavens’ immortal prodigies.
• The Ghost Lord announced that Yellow Springs disciples could earn a slot to advance one level of heaven by killing more immortal cultivators, stirring their desire for slaughter.
• Wang Chunfeng returned after slaying demonic cultivators as the Immortal Path continued investigating the rumored Demon Land in Yellow Springs of Wrongful Death.
• Xie Chonghuo watched the distant shadow of the Heavenly Domain before his junior brother rushed in and told him something terrible had happened.

Lu Qing traveled toward the Dao grounds and witnessed a hidden clash among great powers over the Demonic Path’s surging Fate Allotment. The upheaval perfected his Great Concealment Art and Evergreen Qi Observation Art, while the Demon Land’s arrival in the Four Lands appeared unavoidable.

• Lu Qing left Sun-Moon Mountain for the Dao grounds after hearing rumors that Immortal Sect disciples and elders had vanished in the Four Lands.
• When Lu Qing murmured “Demon Land,” a thunderous sound revealed the Demonic Path’s Fate Allotment swelling before powerful figures moved to suppress it.
• The Heavenly Secrets vision perfected Lu Qing’s Great Concealment Art and Evergreen Qi Observation Art, keeping Tribulation Qi out of his Spirit Platform’s heart-ground.
• Lu Qing concluded that the Demon Land had descended in the Four Lands and that the great powers were trying to stop the sudden surge in the Demonic Path’s Fate Allotment.
• Lu Qing sensed that the Demonic Path’s Fate Allotment had been halted and might be collapsing, though he could not see what would happen next.

Lu Qing entered the Daoist Dojo and chose a secluded Sword Lineage Cultivation Cave, planning to keep a low profile after his Divination drew attention. He settled into the mountain retreat and informed White Crane Boy of his location.

• Lu Qing decided to seek a secluded place in the Daoist Dojo to avoid trouble after choosing his Divination.
• Lu Qing visited the Sword Lineage Affairs Hall, signed a ten-year contract, and obtained a Restriction token talisman for a Cultivation Cave.
• Lu Qing selected a quiet mountain retreat near a spring, Phoenix-Tail Bamboo, and evergreen trees.
• Lu Qing used his token to reveal a small mountain lodge and placed his Star Tree beside it, noting that it needed the true sun, moon, and stars to thrive.
• Lu Qing sent White Crane Boy a spirit talisman with his location and kept a low profile in the Daoist Dojo.

Sword Lineage inner disciples discussed the Ancient Demon Land and the coming chance to descend the mountain for tribulations. They learned Lu Qing was at the Spirit Plant Academy and assumed he had missed the opportunity, leaving him dismissed from their thoughts.

• Chen Qingyun and the other inner disciples discussed the Ancient Demon Land’s appearance and the expected opening of slots to descend the mountain.
• Wang Jing asked why they had not met Lu Qing, and the disciples realized he was absent from their gathering.
• Xiang Chaozong sent an immortal crane with a letter to find Lu Qing, but it returned without locating him.
• Qian Chengxing recalled that Lu Qing had gone to the Spirit Plant Academy to become a Spirit Plant Master and explained what he knew.
• The disciples assumed Lu Qing would not descend the mountain for tribulations and returned to other topics, retaining a faint disdain for him.

Lu Qing cultivated on Sun-Moon Mountain and explored how the Five Elements could form a living Dao within his Golden Core’s inner world. He discovered that his attempt to combine water and fire failed, leaving him to seek a way for change and life to arise naturally from their interaction.

• Lu Qing heard news that some introductory disciples had gone to the demon lands and that others did not consider him a qualified Sword Lineage cultivator.
• Lu Qing confirmed that the hexagram had brought no further developments and resumed cultivating beneath the tribulation clouds.
• Lu Qing studied the Five Elements and recognized that his understanding of each element had become balanced and profound.
• Lu Qing brought together water and Nine Yang True Fire, but the opposing forces destroyed each other despite his precise control.
• Lu Qing concluded that combining the Five Elements required more than forcing elements to coexist; their interaction needed to produce change and give rise to life.

Lu Qing realized that he needed to let the five elements fuse naturally within his Golden Core inner world rather than force them together through opposition. By following this path, he transformed his inner world and broke through to the sixth Golden Core realm.

• Lu Qing spent months in the Sword Lineage Dojo contemplating the five elements and observing how they naturally coexisted in the mountains.
• Lu Qing concluded that nature and transformation, not forced opposition, were the right path for fusing the five elements.
• Lu Qing brought his insights together within his Golden Core, where metal, wood, water, fire, and earth converged and transformed his inner world.
• Lu Qing broke through to the fifth Golden Core realm, then advanced another stage to the sixth Golden Core realm.
• Lu Qing sent his divine sense into his transformed inner world and saw a blazing sun overhead and jade-green waves across the sea.

Lu Qing quietly broke through into the Sixth Golden Core Realm and strengthened his Golden Core Inner World. Li Luoyang noticed the breakthrough but said nothing, and Lu Qing returned to his Cultivation Cave.

• Lu Qing established the Five Elements in his Inner World and reflected on its role in comprehending the Great Dao.
• After sunrise, Lu Qing concealed his aura and descended the mountain, content to cultivate quietly while hearing rumors about the Tenth Direct Disciple’s rapid progress.
• Lu Qing passed through the Sixth Golden Core Realm smoothly, with almost no one noticing.
• Li Luoyang briefly sensed Lu Qing’s breakthrough, judged it an impressive achievement despite Lu Qing lacking great Providence, and withdrew his Divine Sense.
• Lu Qing returned to his Cultivation Cave.