Chapter Summaries

Li Changhe traveled through the Reincarnation Entrance, studying Reincarnation Light Shadows and hearing old cultivators discuss past eras and Fangxian Reincarnation. He emerged before the Ancient Nine Nether’s Yellow Springs River, but the river remained impossibly distant.

• Li Changhe observed Reincarnation Light Shadows revealing scenes from the Primordial Era and later eras as cultivators exchanged observations.
• The avatar listened as old cultivators discussed the Third Era’s Ancient Methods and Old Dao, Fangxian Reincarnation, and the dangers of entering Nine-Nether.
• Li Changhe recalled accounts of Fangxian Reincarnation’s destruction and watched a fleeting shadow show a Dao-seeking expert’s fall in the Third Era.
• The travelers passed through the gateway and saw an Azure River that Li Changhe recognized as the Ancient Nine Nether’s Yellow Springs River.
• Several cultivators tried to approach the river, but they found that even one step could not cross the immense distance.

Li Changhe and the other cultivators waited at the Yellow Springs River, unable to approach it as they considered how to cross. The river began to transform, and boats appeared along the shore, leaving the group poised to discover whether one would carry them across.

• Li Changhe watched the other cultivators fail to advance toward the Yellow Springs River and stayed cautious among the powerful figures gathered there.
• Li Changhe chose to wait with the others, while some cultivators recalled that a ferryman or ferry boat was said to cross the ancient river.
• The cultivators heard splashing and saw the Azure River spread into a vast, dark expanse beneath billowing gray-white mist.
• Li Changhe and the others saw small boats appear along the previously empty riverbank.

Li Changhe and the others reached the Reincarnation Yellow Springs River, where a strange boatman demanded three taels and two qian of Life-Lifespan to cross. Before anyone could learn more, a Dharma Combat broke out, and the Reincarnation Portal began withdrawing from the present world.

• A wooden boat emerged from the mist, and its straw-cloaked boatman demanded three taels and two qian of Life-Lifespan from anyone crossing the river.
• The boatman ignored questions and repeated his demand, while the group considered how Nine-Nether Law might govern the reincarnated beings and the cost of crossing.
• Several people began a Dharma Combat, prompting Li Changhe's incarnation and others to shift position and retreat from the Yellow Springs River.
• The Reincarnation Portal lingered near the East Sea for two months before returning toward its place in the Long River of Time.

The Reincarnation Entrance in the East Sea vanished after only a few months, prompting confusion and failed divinations among cultivators. Attention remained fixed on the West Sea, where the contest for a Supreme Treasure was nearing its end and a young Human Path cultivator had escaped with its favor.

• The East Sea Reincarnation Entrance disappeared, surprising cultivators who expected it to remain for years.
• A cultivator used yarrow stalks and a tortoiseshell to divine the disappearance, then suffered a backlash and realized Reincarnation could not be divined.
• Cultivators noted the ruins and traces of Reincarnation left behind in the East Sea, but most focused on the greater commotion in the West Sea.
• Observers discussed how a young cultivator had received the West Sea Supreme Treasure’s favor and escaped alive beneath the eyes of veteran powerhouses.

Young Master Nie and Wei Shaoping reflected on Huang Wuxuan’s escape and the uncanny fortune of a Son of the Human Emperor. They learned that Huang Wuxuan was headed for the Southern Sea, but Young Master Nie decided to let others pursue him first.

• Young Master Nie questioned how Huang Wuxuan had evaded the attackers, while Wei Shaoping used the Star-Dipper Eight-Trigrams Formation to divine that Huang Wuxuan was headed for the Southern Sea.
• Young Master Nie praised Wei Shaoping’s divination, then said he had little hope for the mission and would let others encounter Huang Wuxuan first.
• Wei Shaoping withdrew and recalled how attacks, Divine Abilities, and treasures had repeatedly failed or gone awry during the Dharma Combat.
• Wei Shaoping concluded that the Human Emperor Fate was extraordinary, and the Nie Clan’s tower ship did not immediately pursue Huang Wuxuan.

Lu Qing examined the Human Emperor's Son’s extraordinary Fortune Dao after the struggle for the West Sea's Supreme Treasure and saw how his calamities strengthened his Destiny Pattern. He concluded that the Son’s path would bring ever-greater hardships until he gathered enough Providence to become the Humanity Human Emperor.

• News of the West Sea's Supreme Treasure struggle spread, and Lu Qing learned that the Humanity Human Emperor's Son had survived through an unusual turn of fortune.
• Lu Qing deduced that the Human Emperor's Son’s calamity-to-fortune Destiny Pattern had not greatly depleted his Providence.
• Lu Qing observed the nine streams of Humanity Fate Allotment and identified one Human Emperor's Son as burdened by shackles and gathering dark clouds.
• Lu Qing saw that the leading Human Emperor's Son’s Destiny Pattern grew more brilliant through hardship and would draw further Tribulations.
• Lu Qing concluded that the Human Emperor's Son would need to gather Providence and ascend as the Humanity Human Emperor to break through his tribulation snare.

As the Human Emperor destinies of the Nine Sons emerged, cultivators considered the wider heavens and the missing Sons, while the Silver Star Return Ruins became a bustling hub for the Academy Grand Competition. Lu Qing watched from the Void Cloud Realm as Humanity Providence and the resulting Tribulation Qi gathered, with blood-colored aura spreading from the tangled Human Path Fate Allotments.

• Cultivators observed the shifting Six Paths Fate Allotment and discussed the emergence of the Sons of the Human Emperor, including two who were likely born beyond the Nine Heavens.
• A Son of the Human Emperor connected the missing pair to Strange Gate Temple of the West Sea and reflected on the challenges and opportunities of their paths.
• The Silver Star Return Ruins filled with visitors, merchants, and cultivators as the Academy Grand Competition began there and the area became a safer transit point.
• Lu Qing monitored the competition from the Void Cloud Realm and saw Humanity Providence gather alongside growing Tribulation Qi.
• Lu Qing saw blood-colored aura spread from the tangled Human Path Fate Allotments.

Lu Qing's incarnation observed the Academy Grand Competition and glimpsed the ancient Heavenly Net Chessboard, reflecting on the destinies moving across it. He recognized the Fate Allotment of the Sons of the Humanity Human Emperor as the story turned toward the secrets of Silver Star Return Ruins.

• Lu Qing's incarnation watched Human Path cultivation prodigies compete at the Academy Grand Competition while his true body remained in secluded cultivation.
• Cultivators in a tavern discussed the likely champion, the Sons of the Human Emperor, and how one Son's Destiny Pattern had recently transformed.
• The cultivators also talked about Silver Star Return Ruins and its bustling market, where goods of many origins could be traded.
• Lu Qing glimpsed the immense Heavenly Net Chessboard above the River of Time and saw countless destinies move like chess pieces.
• Lu Qing recognized several currents of destiny as the Fate Allotment of the Sons of the Humanity Human Emperor.

Lu Qing cultivated the Great Dao of Time and Reincarnation, discovered that a rare Dao Marker could take him into the Primordial Era, and considered the dangers and opportunities of breaking through there. He chose to enter the past, and the Dao Marker engulfed him in white light.

• Lu Qing saw how other cultivators’ Great Dao paths and imprints shaped the River of Time, including a powerful green lotus and traces of Buddhist experts.
• Lu Qing examined the rare Dao Marker and recognized that the Primordial Era’s final Tribulation and the imprints of mighty experts could obstruct travel through time.
• Lu Qing decided that the Nine Heavens were unsuitable for his breakthrough and considered entering the Primordial Era to pursue Dao Transmission to all worlds.
• Lu Qing recalled the Primordial Era’s successive ages and hoped to witness its complete heavens, while judging the flourishing era of the Six Paths a comparatively safer destination.
• Lu Qing adapted his aura to blend into the Primordial Era, and the Dao Marker opened and sent him into a boundless white light.

White Cloud Taoist Temple’s sect boys Wen An and his companion discussed the unusual commotion caused by a honored guest the previous day. They returned to their worries about failing to enter the Dao and having to leave the sect.

• The green-robed boy asked Wen An about the honored guest the Mountain Lord had received the day before.
• Wen An said his master, the temple kitchen’s head cook, had not known who the guest was and had been busy.
• The green-robed boy noted that Wen An had found a master while he had spent over half a year at the temple without entering the Dao.
• Wen An and the green-robed boy sighed over the risk of failing to become Dao-entry disciples and having to leave the sect.

Lu Qing, a powerful cultivator from a later era, asked Master of White Cloud Mountain about recent strange events to help determine when he had arrived in the Primordial Era. Master of White Cloud Mountain began recalling unusual reports he had heard at the Azure Cloud Banquet.

• White Cloud Taoist Temple disciples speculated about the distinguished guest their mountain master had received.
• Elder Zhang recalled how Lu Qing had destroyed a Fierce Beast that tried to ambush him on the Flowing Cloud Great River.
• Lu Qing considered the pressure of the Power of Time and chose to gather information from smaller sects rather than risk disturbing the past.
• Master of White Cloud Mountain accepted Lu Qing's tea and explained that he had heard of several strange events at the Azure Cloud Banquet.
• Master of White Cloud Mountain searched his memories for the reports as Lu Qing listened.

Lu Qing listened as the Master of White Cloud Mountain described strange occurrences and recent news, using the reports to learn about the era he had entered. The Master then revealed that Humanity Heaven of Universe was searching for a peerless genius whose Destiny Pattern had not yet been revealed.

• Lu Qing considered how his concealed identity and Merit allowed Heaven's Will to accept him, and thought he might use his identity's ruined temple for seclusion.
• The Master of White Cloud Mountain described strange immortal light over a lake near Azure Cloud Mountain that made cultivators obsessed with cultivation until they ruined their foundations, before the light vanished.
• Lu Qing inferred that the light had likely been a lingering Dao trace and used the reports to gauge the state of the era.
• The Master shared more current news, then reported that Humanity Heaven of Universe was searching for a peerless Great Dao genius whose Destiny Pattern had not yet been revealed.

Lu Qing learned that the first Human Emperor of the Human Path was born with a destined Destiny Pattern, but the prophecy failed when the appointed day came, suggesting hidden schemes. After giving the Master of White Cloud Mountain cultivation guidance, Lu Qing left the temple and continued toward his own destination.

• Lu Qing learned that the Human Path had flourished in the Nine Heavens and that its first Human Emperor was said to be a Great Dao genius destined from birth.
• The Master of White Cloud Mountain said the Three Ages Venerable Elders had prophesied the Human Emperor’s Destiny Pattern, but it failed to appear when the Big Dipper and Southern Dipper Main Stars emerged.
• Lu Qing inferred that others had likely schemed against the destined Human Emperor and divined that the figure was probably in the south.
• Lu Qing determined that his own destination lay north, then gave the Master of White Cloud Mountain guidance that helped him approach a breakthrough.
• Lu Qing parted from the Master of White Cloud Mountain and left White Cloud Taoist Temple.

After leaving White Cloud Taoist Temple, Lu Qing traveled through the Primordial Era and observed its mortal lands, cultivation environment, and ordered heavens. He reached a mountain peak in a region where the Six Paths Fate Allotment did not manifest, and continued contemplating the world around him.

• Master of White Cloud Mountain reflected on his breakthrough and realized that he had previously been too impetuous.
• Lu Qing followed the direction indicated by his Heavenly Secret Deduction after leaving White Cloud Taoist Temple.
• Lu Qing traveled beyond a cultivation region and observed that most of the surrounding lands were populated by mortals with natural aptitude.
• Lu Qing considered how the Primordial Era's complete environment compared with the Nine Heavens and pondered the changes and Tribulation Qi brought by transformations of heaven and earth.
• Lu Qing landed on a mountain peak and sensed that the Six Paths Fate Allotment did not manifest in the region.

Lu Qing discovered that changing the destiny of ordinary cultivators caused little backlash from time, then settled into secluded cultivation on an elegant mountain peak in the Primordial Era. Seeking insight into Reincarnation without entering Nine Nether, he decided to investigate the Ghost Path’s Netherworld Providence for its possible connection to Nine-Nether Reincarnation.

• Lu Qing divined that guiding the Master of White Cloud Mountain through a breakthrough caused only a faint ripple of time because the man would still die after his lifespan ran out.
• Lu Qing concluded that altering the destinies of insignificant beings stirred little backlash, while changing the fate of great figures would provoke a far greater response.
• Lu Qing chose the mountain peak for secluded cultivation, concealed its Heavenly Secrets, and restored its decayed Daoist temple.
• After cultivating there and gaining insight into the Primordial Era’s environment, Lu Qing decided not to enter Nine Nether.
• Lu Qing planned to examine the Ghost Path’s Netherworld Providence to determine whether it connected to Nine-Nether Reincarnation.

Lu Qing examined the flourishing Ghost Path Providence and traced its hidden Karmic Affinity to the Primordial Era’s Nine-Nether Reincarnation. He saw how its True Spirits and Yellow Springs River differed from the later Nether Sea, then stopped before crossing to the Other Shore.

• Lu Qing observed that Ghost Path Providence flourished, though it had become concealed after the Primordial Era Tribulation.
• Lu Qing traced a hidden Karmic Affinity bearing traces of Reincarnation through the Ghost Path Providence.
• Lu Qing looked through the drifting fog and found an azure Yellow Springs River in the Nine-Nether.
• Lu Qing saw an intelligent old ferryman carry dim, corpse-like True Spirits across the river.
• Lu Qing compared this Reincarnation with the later Nether Sea and stopped before crossing the Yellow Springs River.

Lu Qing studied Primordial Era Nine-Nether Reincarnation and distinguished it from the later Nether Sea, while sensing a hidden connection between Nine-Nether and Ghost Path Providence. He placed the story before the Nine-Nether Upheaval, when the Six Paths' Rise was flourishing and Fangxian Reincarnation had yet to emerge publicly.

• Lu Qing realized that Primordial Era Nine-Nether and the later Nether Sea were distinct, though linked by a faint trace of karma and destiny.
• Lu Qing watched True Spirits cross the Yellow Springs River by boat and sensed that entering the concealed Other Shore could alter his cultivation Dao Path.
• Lu Qing considered how the eras of the Primordial Age were defined and recalled that the Humanity Human Emperor's appearance marked the rise of the Six Paths' powerhouses.
• Lu Qing concluded that the Nine-Nether Upheaval had not yet occurred and that Fangxian Reincarnation remained hidden before its later public emergence.
• Lu Qing sensed that the hidden Nine-Nether karma within Ghost Path Providence might draw attention as heaven and earth's Providence continued to change.

Lu Qing contemplated the dangers and mysteries of the Reincarnation Dao, then advanced his cultivation and gained new insights into the Great Dao. His breakthrough stirred Providence across the Immortal Path, alarming the attendants and a middle-aged cultivator at the All-Immortals Heavenwatch Terrace.

• Lu Qing reasoned that Primordial Era powerhouses may have perished in the Reincarnation Tribulation, leaving no trace of their Dao in the world.
• Lu Qing recognized the Reincarnation Tribulation as a hurdle he would have to cross, then set aside his thoughts and prepared to complete his cultivation breakthrough.
• Lu Qing’s Inner World filled with starlight and the changing seasons as he gained new insights into Yin-Yang, the order of all things, and the Great Dao.
• Providence began to shine and flourish across the Primordial Era’s Nine Heavens.
• Two attendants at the All-Immortals Heavenwatch Terrace noticed the strange glow on the Register of All Immortals, and a middle-aged cultivator warned that Immortal Providence had changed.

Qinghe discovered that the Immortal Path Providence had changed in connection with the upheaval surrounding a Human Path Great Dao Prodigy. The Immortals discussed the prodigy’s Human Emperor Destiny Pattern and agreed to observe events without entering the conflict, while Lu Qing remained in seclusion in Mortal Heaven.

• Qinghe noticed the change in Immortal Path Providence and excused two attendants for falling asleep at the All-Immortal Jade Register.
• Qinghe reported the Providence change to the Immortals, who linked it to the disturbance in Humanity Fate Allotment.
• The Immortals discussed the Human Path prodigy’s altered Destiny Pattern and the interest it might attract from the other Paths.
• The Immortals decided to stay out of the struggle, remain vigilant, and let cultivators of the same generation resolve their own Cause and Effect.
• The narration described the Nine Heavens and Mortal Heaven, where Lu Qing was in seclusion and the Six Paths’ Providence did not easily descend into the mortal world.

Lu Qing continued his secluded breakthrough while the Mortal Heaven remained quiet, and a son was born into the Wang Family in a county town near Qianli Lake. In Humanity Heaven, a cultivator’s divination revealed signs of a coming tribulation, leaving its outcome uncertain.

• Lu Qing remained in seclusion as years passed peacefully in the Mortal Heaven.
• Wang Jiulang welcomed a son, and his family celebrated the birth.
• A cultivator in Humanity Heaven cast three tortoiseshell divinations and interpreted them as signs of a tribulation that could bring either completion or loss.