Chapter Summaries

Lu Qing’s first step into the Dongzhen Realm stirred the River of Time and awakened ancient beings, who feared he was a supreme Variable Fate. The Profound Heaven Bell concealed his fate, while the Profound Heaven Dao Sect’s elders weighed threats from the past; Lu Qing saw his Fate Allotment begin to turn pale gold.

• Lu Qing’s Dao Manifestation created a new tributary in the River of Time, awakening ancient beings in the Void Ground who feared his power and called him the era’s greatest Variable Fate.
• The Profound Heaven Bell concealed the disturbance and Lu Qing’s Variable Fate within the Profound Heaven Dao Sect’s territory.
• Zhang Qingyun, Yu Youshu, and Fu Huazi discussed hiding the Heavenly Secrets and protecting Lu Qing while treating him as an ordinary disciple.
• Fu Huazi and Sun Qidao warned that Primordial Immortals or other beings from the past might interfere with the present despite the backlash of acting upon time.
• Lu Qing noticed his crimson Fate Allotment drifting toward pale gold and smiled as it transformed with his breakthrough.

After three years of contemplation beneath Yellow Heaven, Lu Qing’s Fate Allotment became pure gold and his understanding of the Great Dao deepened. He returned to his Dao Field with his spirit connected to the Long River of Time and began surveying the living beings around him.

• Lu Qing realized that his Fate Allotment had stabilized and risen to pale gold, and he sensed that Profound Heaven Sect’s elders had concealed the Heavenly Secrets for him.
• As he left Yellow Heaven, Lu Qing reflected on the earth’s enduring nature and the lives of ordinary people and cultivators rooted in it.
• Lu Qing encountered the lingering figures of those who had walked before him and heeded a young man’s warning not to step into the darkness of Voidness Dao.
• Lu Qing thanked the land for its gift, withdrew his spirit, and returned to his Dao Field after three years of contemplation.
• Lu Qing considered his new ability to protect himself after entering Dao Manifestation and connecting to the Long River of Time, then used clear light to survey nearby living beings.

Heavenly Sun Mountain emerged from the East Sea as the Heavenly Sun Realm began returning to the Nine Heavens, stirring the Fate Allotment and drawing cultivators toward the new realm. Lu Qing chose to remain focused on cultivation, while Sword-Pillow Mountain’s leaders faced a surge of visitors hoping to reach Heavenly Sun Mountain.

• Lu Qing sensed traces of hidden Heavenly Secrets and witnessed Heavenly Sun Mountain manifest in the East Sea.
• The Heavenly Sun Realm began merging into the present world, and the Fate Allotment of the Six Paths shook as Primordial Era figures appeared.
• Lu Qing judged the newcomers’ cultivation, then withdrew his gaze and decided not to pursue the era’s opportunities.
• Cultivators changed course for Sword-Pillow Mountain, hoping to cross from there into Heavenly Sun Mountain despite the dangers.
• Chen Su listened as Sword-Pillow Mountain’s elders worried about their limited manpower and the Heaven’s Prides seeking passage to Heavenly Sun Mountain.

As Sword-Pillow Mountain opened beside Heavenly Sun Mountain, cultivators learned that the ancient Mystic Path and Sentient Path were gathering there. Divine Firmament Thunder recognized their doctrine as resembling the demonic methods of the Sentient Freedom Demon, but wondered why no Heavenly Retribution had appeared.

• The elders at Sword-Pillow Mountain decided to let the mountain choose for itself and allow cultivators to enter despite the dangers.
• Three youthful figures from Heavenly Sun discussed the cultivators gathering at Heavenly Sun Mountain and waited for elders of Mystic Path and Sentient Path before acting.
• Divine Firmament Thunder trained its mortal successor and heard news of Heavenly Sun Mountain, Sword-Pillow Mountain, Mystic Path, and Sentient Path.
• Divine Firmament Thunder recognized the two paths' doctrine as a disguised version of the Sentient Freedom Demon's method of cultivating others' opportunities and harvesting their Dao Fruits.
• Divine Firmament Thunder questioned why Heavenly Retribution had not appeared if the place truly belonged to Demon Continent.

Divine Firmament Thunder warned Lu Qing that the Heavenly Sun Realm’s Mystic Path and Sentient Path might be connected to the Ancient Demon Sect and its primordial Devil Master. Lu Qing recognized the potential danger, decided to alert his sect and Wang Chunfeng, and the chapter left Wang Chunfeng preparing to enjoy a meal in his Cultivation Cave.

• Divine Firmament Thunder considered the strange Heavenly Sun cultivation paths and sent a Flaming Light Talisman message to its Master.
• Lu Qing received Divine Firmament Thunder’s warning and sensed an unsettling response from his Heavenly Secrets Resonance at the title All-Beings' Self-Emancipated Devil Master.
• Lu Qing suspected that a remnant Dao Rhyme from the primordial Devil Master might have affected the Heavenly Sun Realm, where Fate Allotments were surging and colliding.
• Lu Qing decided to warn his sect and Senior Brother Wang, whose karmic entanglements might grow if he returned to Heavenly Sun to compete for Fate Allotment.
• Wang Chunfeng stood in his Cultivation Cave, congratulated himself on his Dao Heart cultivation, and prepared to have a good meal.

Ye Lin thanked Wang Chunfeng for saving his life, and a message led them to discuss the risks of visiting the Heavenly Sun Realm. As news of the realm spread, Lu Qing sensed changes in the Long River of Time and heard rumors of an upcoming Dao Debate Assembly.

• Ye Lin treated Wang Chunfeng to an Eight Delicacies Feast to repay him for saving his life.
• Wang Chunfeng received a message warning him about the Heavenly Sun Realm and discussed its possible dangers with Ye Lin, who recalled the burdensome Cause and Effect of the Eight Wastelands.
• Lu Qing returned from Yellow Heaven, stabilized his new understanding, and thanked the Profound Heaven Bell for intervening.
• News of the Heavenly Sun Realm spread across the Nine Heavens and Four Seas, drawing attention to its Primordial Era lineages and ties to the Ancestors of small factions.
• Half a year later, Lu Qing sensed waves in the Long River of Time and heard rumors that the Immortal Path Daoist Lineage planned to hold a Dao Debate Assembly.

After emerging from seclusion, Lu Qing learned that a Dao Debate Assembly had become the talk of the Nine Heavens and suspected it had been prepared for Heavenly Sun. As cultivators across the Dao Sect discussed the gathering, the Profound Heaven Bell and Profound Heaven Mirror wondered what the old figures behind it were seeking.

• Lu Qing emerged from seclusion, heard that news of a Dao Debate Assembly had spread throughout the Nine Heavens, and sensed that it might involve him and Heavenly Sun.
• Lu Qing considered how the rising Fate Allotments of the Spirit Path, Divine Path, and Demon Race were reshaping the Nine Heavens, while the Human Path remained uncertain.
• Dao Sect disciples exchanged Talisman Light messages about the assembly, wondering who would attend and whether they would participate or simply listen to the Dao.
• The Profound Heaven Bell noticed the surge of Divine Sense in the Talisman Light and discussed the assembly with the Profound Heaven Mirror.
• The Profound Heaven Mirror suggested that the old figures behind the assembly were pursuing what lay ahead, and the Profound Heaven Bell remarked that long years of playing chess would teach anyone patience.

The Nine Heavens Dao Assembly spread across the realms, earning Merit Qi from heaven and earth and prompting the Heavenly Sun cultivators to consider joining. Lu Qing received a Divination about the gathering, whose lines differed from those he had seen before.

• The Profound Heaven Mirror told the Profound Heaven Bell that Supreme Treasures needed to watch changes in their sects' Fate Allotment during the Dao Debate Assembly.
• News of the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly spread, and its announcement caused the Immortal Path Fate Allotment to produce Merit Qi that flowed across the Four Direction Continents.
• Lu Qing observed the Merit Qi and sensed that guiding cultivators and teaching the Dao counted as Merit valued by heaven and earth.
• Heavenly Sun cultivators discussed sending representatives to the assembly as their Fate Allotment merged with the Nine Heavens, and they decided to send young Sentient Path disciples.
• Lu Qing received a Divination about the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly and saw that its lines were unlike those of his previous Divinations.

Lu Qing divined that the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly would shape the Great Era’s Fate Allotment and future paths, with Sentient Path and Mystic Path cultivation spreading among his old acquaintances. He saw that attending the assembly and visiting Little Yang Mountain on its third day could calm the resulting karmic dangers, and he judged the latter course more important.

• Lu Qing considered the divination’s warning that the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly would influence Fate Allotment and the road ahead.
• Lu Qing saw that old acquaintances across Profound Heaven, the Dao Academy, and the Heavenly Domain might turn to the Sentient Path or cultivate the Mystic Path, creating future obstruction during tribulation.
• Lu Qing received Calming Hexagrams showing that he could leave seclusion after hearing news of the assembly and guide others through a period of turmoil.
• Lu Qing received another Calming Hexagram advising him to visit Little Yang Mountain on the assembly’s third day and eliminate hidden karmic dangers.
• Lu Qing identified Little Yang Mountain as the former First Yang Mountain and concluded that the two Heavenly Sun paths held a significant advantage.

Lu Qing investigated the Heavenly Sun Realm and discovered that its Mystic Path and Sentient Path made cultivators and the Dao strengthen one another, drawing on a legacy influenced by the Ancient Demon Sect. He recognized the system as a disguised tribulation and suspected its opportunities and Companion Artifacts came from sacrifices by earlier cultivators.

• Lu Qing decided to spend three days studying the Heavenly Sun Realm before news of his emergence from seclusion spread.
• Lu Qing sent a wisp of his Primordial Spirit to survey Heavenly Sun without contacting its cultivators or entering their lineages.
• Lu Qing observed that Mystic Path and Sentient Path cultivators together displayed an eerie, seemingly flawless unity between humanity and nature.
• Lu Qing realized that the two paths grew stronger alongside their cultivators and that Sentient Path Companion Artifacts likely contained the path’s Dao Rhyme.
• Lu Qing concluded that the system resembled the Ancient Demon Sect’s practice of harming others to benefit one, and suspected that opportunities and artifacts came from cultivators who had sacrificed their Dao attainment.

Lu Qing learned that Heavenly Sun’s Fate Allotment was unstable and that Ancient Heavenly Secret foresaw ominous possibilities surrounding the realm. As Heavenly Sun cultivators entered the Nine Heavens and clashed with its people, Lu Qing examined the Sentient Path before returning to the Dao Sect for the Dao Discussion Gathering.

• Cultivators saw Heavenly Sun’s Fate Allotment fluctuate, while Ancient Heavenly Secret divined a hazy future marked by a setting Golden Crow and bloody possibilities.
• Ancient Heavenly Secret suspected that Heavenly Sun concealed a danger like the Eight Wastelands and decided to inform its Master.
• Sentient Path disciples traveled from Heavenly Sun to the other Earth Continents, criticizing the Nine Heavens’ widespread cultivation and planning to visit the Nine Immortal Gates and contact the Six Paths.
• Heavenly Sun cultivators clashed with locals, who described them as arrogant and unsettling opponents capable of borrowing the cultivation and Dao Fruits of others.
• Lu Qing considered how the Sentient Path gathered cultivators’ Dao attainments and wondered who held its leading Dao Fruits.
• Lu Qing returned to the Dao Sect, where figures assembled on the Seven Vein Cloud Platform for the Dao Discussion Gathering.

Lu Qing questioned Fu Huazi and his Master about the Heavenly Sun Cultivation Path and the grand trend, then gained insight into the need for heaven, earth, and the Six Paths to be complete. He decided to attend the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly, where he sensed the Human Path might emerge, while the Broken Sword discovered it had drifted into the West Sea.

• Fu Huazi explained that the Heavenly Sun Cultivation Path reflected a grand trend of cultivators pressing onward, regardless of the unknown risks.
• Lu Qing visited his Master in the Sword Lineage and learned the grand trend could be changed, then gained Illumination about heaven and earth and the incomplete Six Paths.
• Lu Qing resolved to attend the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly, observe other cultivators' paths, and visit Little Yang Mountain on the third day.
• Lu Qing sensed the Human Path might appear at the assembly and concluded the Heavenly Sun Cultivation Path had inherent limitations.
• The Broken Sword realized it and its sword master had drifted into the West Sea and urged them to leave before encountering the West Sea's bald donkeys.

Maitreya met Broken Sword and its swordmaster in the West Sea, sensing an ancient Buddhist Affinity, while Lu Qing observed the encounter from afar. As the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly approached, its Illusory Realm drew the attention of powerful figures and stirred Fate Allotment and the hopes of cultivators throughout the Nine Heavens.

• Maitreya appeared before Broken Sword and its swordmaster, sensed an ancient Buddhist Affinity, and asked whether Broken Sword came from Profound Heaven.
• Lu Qing sensed Maitreya's presence in the West Sea, dismissed the faint spiritual response, and reflected that the region concealed a great secret.
• Broken Sword left with its swordmaster and wondered why the Buddhist cultivators had not tried to convert them.
• Lu Qing observed the Illusory Realm where the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly would be held and saw that entry depended on karmic affinity.
• Powerful figures noticed Heaven's Will and the gathering of Fate Allotment around the Assembly, and some hoped it would open a path forward.
• News of the Assembly spread, stirring cultivators' hopes and sending their thoughts and intentions into the currents of Fate Allotment.

The Demonic Path debated whether and how to take part in the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly, while Heart Fox decided to stay away. Lu Qing continued cultivating as the Heavenly Sun Earth Continent watched and waited for the assembly to begin.

• The Five Elders decreed that the Demonic Path should participate in the Dao Debate Assembly and act according to Heaven’s Will and karmic affinity.
• The Old Devils discussed which sects should send disciples, while the Painted-Skin Path and other Demon Sects resisted being left out.
• Heart Fox judged the assembly dangerous and decided not to attend.
• Lu Qing continued cultivating as the Heavenly Sun Earth Continent watched and waited, with many Old Dao Cultivators remaining hidden.

Figures in a Grotto-Heaven reflected on the flourishing of cultivation and the uncertain future of the Mystic Path and Sentient Path as the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly drew attention across the world. Meanwhile, Sword-Pillow Blessed Land welcomed the diversion as visitors failed to overcome Sword-Pillow Mountain’s unchanged inner threshold.

• Figures in a Grotto-Heaven observed the multitude of cultivators beyond the Heavenly Sun Earth Continent and discussed how Immortal Path Fate Allotment had flourished.
• The figures compared Heavenly Sun cultivation with the Mystic Path and Sentient Path, noting that the Dao Debate Assembly would test individual Dao Hearts against the many paths of other cultivators.
• The figures concluded that the Era of Variables obscured the future and that Heavenly Sun needed to return to the Nine Heavens to find the right opportunities and path ahead.
• Over half a year, Sword-Pillow Blessed Land allowed cultivators to visit Sword-Pillow Mountain while avoiding interference in their attempts to seek Sword Dao treasures.
• Countless visitors failed to overcome Sword-Pillow Mountain’s inner threshold and left disappointed, turning their attention back to the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly.

As the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly approached, disciples across the continents began preparing to test their Dao cultivation. Lu Qing visited the Violet-Light Thunder Dragon at Sun-Moon Mountain, where they agreed to hold a Dao debate.

• Blessed Land elders welcomed the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly as both a chance for their disciples and a reason for Sword-Pillow Mountain to withdraw.
• A Dao Inheritance disciple told Ancient Heavenly Secret he had entered the Dao, and Ancient Heavenly Secret explained that he still needed to strengthen his foundations through daily cultivation.
• Ancient Heavenly Secret and Divine Firmament Thunder prepared their inheritors to attend the Assembly and establish their Dao Hearts through experience.
• Lu Qing sensed that the inheritances had found their inheritors and told the Violet-Light Thunder Dragon that Divine Firmament Thunder had chosen its own disciple.
• The Violet-Light Thunder Dragon recognized Lu Qing's capacity for enlightenment and creation, then invited him to a Dao debate, which Lu Qing accepted.

Lu Qing witnessed the Violet-Light Thunder Dragon’s memory of a White-robed Daoist who had once suppressed it, then returned to Sun-Moon Mountain. Three or four days later, the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly gateway opened, drawing attention from cultivators across the world.

• Lu Qing saw a memory of the White-robed Daoist seize the Violet-Light Thunder Dragon and confine it in a stream, and the Daoist briefly mistook Lu Qing for a later-generation Divine Firmament disciple.
• The Violet-Light Thunder Dragon ended its observation of Lu Qing’s Dao, agreed to attend the Dao Debate Assembly, and marveled at Lu Qing’s extraordinary comprehension.
• Lu Qing returned to Sun-Moon Mountain, dispersed his remaining incarnation, and resumed cultivation in his main body.
• Three or four days later, the gateway to the Nine Heavens Dao Assembly opened, and cultivators across the world turned their attention to the illusory realm.

Lu Qing entered the Dao-Debate Realm after the Dao Debate Assembly opened and observed how Heaven's Will guided beings with Karmic Affinity toward it. He met a wandering elder who warned that Lu Qing's concentrated Dao Rhyme was making the illusory clouds beneath him fade, then watched the elder depart.

• Lu Qing sensed the Numinous Response Invitation and saw Spiritual Vitality guide cultivators and spirit beasts toward the assembly.
• White Crane Boy and White Marsh chose to attend, while Stone Vein Chaosheng stayed behind to guard the Daoist Dojo.
• Lu Qing considered how countless creatures' Karmic Affinity could gather into Heaven's Will and shape Fate Allotment.
• Lu Qing entered the Dao-Debate Realm and found himself amid boundless, shifting mists and clouds.
• A smiling elder warned Lu Qing that his true Dao was causing the illusory clouds beneath him to disperse.
• Lu Qing thanked the elder, who dismissed the thanks and drifted away with carefree Dao Rhyme.

Lu Qing attended the Dao Debate Assembly in the Void Mist-Cloud Realm and listened as an elder expounded the Dao through dawn-colored rosy light. He recognized the light’s pure yang Dao Rhyme as an opportunity to deepen his understanding of Yin-Yang, then settled among the gathered cultivators to await more teachings.

• Lu Qing explored the bare, cloud-filled realm and concealed his cultivation as he observed cultivators moving through the mist.
• A brilliant rosy glow drew the cultivators’ attention, and they explained that Fellow Daoist Rain was expounding his Dao through Purple Dawn Radiance.
• An elderly, white-bearded cultivator began teaching that his Dao was the rosy light, revealing its pure and flawless dawn Dao Rhyme.
• Lu Qing recognized the glow as ultimate-yang dawn qi, contrasted it with the yin sunset glow he had previously comprehended, and saw a chance to deepen his understanding of the Two Modes.
• Lu Qing saluted the elder and settled at the back among the gathered cultivators, whose Fate Allotments bore signs of their standing as Heavenly Prodigies.

Lu Qing gained new insight into the Dao while attending a lecture in the Dao-Debate Realm, where time flowed differently from the outside world. After the lecturer departed, Lu Qing noticed a Ruomu tree and recognized its speaker as a great figure of the Spirit Path, who began a new lecture.

• The Heavenly Prodigies arrived and respectfully listened as the old man lectured on the glow, the Dao, and the heart.
• Lu Qing connected the lecture to his Sunset Glow True Meaning and gained insight into the First-Dawn Purple Radiance and the unity of the Myriad Dao.
• The lecture ended, and the old man's remaining imprint dispersed after Lu Qing thanked him.
• Lu Qing realized that a month passed in the Dao-Debate Realm while only a day passed outside, and he drifted away without disturbing the others.
• Lu Qing saw an ancient Ruomu tree embodying the Dao of life and death and compared its profound aura with the Wuwei old man's Demonic Path.
• The Ruomu speaker announced that he would lecture there, and Lu Qing recognized him as a great figure of the Spirit Path.