Chapter Summaries

Plot and key events

• In Netherworld Forest, Su Chen’s sacrifice reveals a young man who looks remarkably like the dead Supreme Sovereign Jue Tianshuo. Su Chen suspects he is an incarnation of the Kind Father, possibly carrying something taken from Jue Tianshuo, and believes he has come to exploit Qin Jianzhi and reclaim the Kind Father’s power.
• Su Chen considers killing or tracking the man, but decides instead to expose him to the Bright Suns and avoid confronting him directly. He resumes searching for Black and White Flowing Light.
• The suspected incarnation senses that someone has divined his whereabouts. Realizing his cover may be at risk, he decides to take what he came for and escape, despite the danger of revealing himself.
• At Scarletmoor Lake, Su Chen’s Sacrificial Rune Array gives no sign of Black and White Flowing Light. He then learns from Old Yuan that Qin Jianzhi died thirteen days earlier. Qin had reverted to his emaciated former body and fallen back to Moon Radiance strength, suggesting the Kind Father’s power had been withdrawn.
• Old Yuan reports that several people from the research facility vanished after Qin’s death, including the Great Heaven disciple whose identity the suspected incarnation had assumed. Su Chen concludes the man was likely responsible. The Pillar Lords are angry and suspicious, but focus their investigation on the Final Ruins because the Corruption Power in Qin’s body disappeared.
• After searching all three reported locations, Su Chen finds no trace of Black and White Flowing Light at Scarletmoor Lake or Stigmata Crater. He wonders whether Clearwind Commerce’s information is wrong or his array has a flaw.
• Chu Lingyuan sends urgent confirmation that Black and White Flowing Light is indeed in Stigmata Crater, leaving Su Chen to reconsider what he has observed there.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen becomes increasingly alarmed about the Kind Father’s plans and recognizes the threat as larger than his search for the Final Ruins. He remains cautious, choosing exposure and investigation over a risky direct attack.
• The suspected Kind Father incarnation is shown to be wary and purposeful: he detects Su Chen’s divination, prioritizes recovering what he came for, and abandons his cover even though the escape may expose him.
• Old Yuan shares the news of Qin’s death and warns Su Chen that Abyssless’s underlying currents may be unsettled. He and Su Chen agree not to reveal their suspicions, since they lack evidence and could attract scrutiny.
• Chu Lingyuan serves as an information link, first helping Su Chen reach Old Yuan and later confirming the location of Black and White Flowing Light.

Significant themes

• Concealed identities and hidden motives: The incarnation’s resemblance to Jue Tianshuo and his infiltration of the research facility obscure who he is and what he seeks.
• Power, extraction, and cost: Qin’s restored weakness and death suggest that power can be withdrawn from its bearer, with potentially fatal consequences.
• Caution amid uncertainty: Su Chen and Old Yuan weigh the dangers of acting without proof, while the search itself is complicated by unreliable clues and limits on divination.
• Abyssless’s growing instability: Old Yuan’s warning and the competing factions’ suspicions imply that larger forces are moving beneath the immediate investigation.

Key plot points and events

• Su Chen learns from Chu Lingyuan that Clearwind Commerce may have found the Black and White Flowing Light in Stigmata Crater. Chief Zhou uncovered this after several of the company’s monitored officials vanished and its search operation abruptly changed.
• Chief Zhou and Chu Lingyuan’s master used an avatar to erase part of a Clearwind Commerce official’s memory, but the official’s mental safeguards may expose the tampering. They believe they must act quickly.
• Su Chen decides not to enter the crater yet. His Sacrificial Rune Array has shown no reaction, leading him to suspect either that it does not work or that the Black and White Flowing Light has not been placed there yet. He fears the latter could be part of Old Gou’s plan to corrupt the World Honored One and resolves to proceed cautiously.
• In the crater, Old Gou reveals the genuine Black and White Flowing Light to the World Honored One, using it as bait to draw the Bronze Church into a trap. The World Honored One covets its Creation Power but remains wary, knowing it has been tampered with.
• The World Honored One confronts Old Gou about Qin Jianzhi’s mysterious death. Qin had absorbed the Black and White Flowing Light, yet died after his borrowed power vanished and he reverted to his original form. Old Gou is surprised and alarmed, suspecting an unknown entity may have extracted the power.
• Old Gou conceals his concern and plans to investigate a recent disturbance in the Netherworld Forest, which he suspects may be connected to Qin’s death.
• Su Chen continues training at Meteorlight Hub, nearing his third Moonfire. Chu Lingyuan’s latest message reports “No change.”

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen weighs competing explanations rather than rushing into danger. His concern for the World Honored One makes him especially cautious about becoming the unintended victim of Old Gou’s trap.
• Chu Lingyuan efficiently relays Chief Zhou’s intelligence and leaves the decision to Su Chen, reflecting trust in his judgment.
• Old Gou appears confident in his scheme against the Bronze Church, but Qin Jianzhi’s death unsettles him. He hides his suspicion from the World Honored One while privately reconsidering what may be happening.
• The World Honored One distrusts Old Gou and questions both his methods and his possible role in Qin’s death. Their exchange is guarded: Old Gou deflects, while the World Honored One remains unconvinced.

Significant themes

• Caution under uncertainty: Su Chen delays action because either explanation for the rune’s silence could conceal serious danger.
• Deception and mistrust: Old Gou’s bait-and-trap strategy mirrors the suspicion between him and the World Honored One.
• Power and corruption: The Black and White Flowing Light offers immense Creation Power but carries the threat of Corruption Power.
• An emerging mystery: Qin Jianzhi’s death suggests that an unknown force may be acting beyond the expectations of even the powerful beings involved.

Plot points and events

• Su Chen confirms that Nine Eyes’ flesh can guide him to the Black and White Flowing Light, which lies in Stigmata Crater. He realizes Old Gou is using it as bait to lure the World Honored One and avoids waiting for Sheng Qinghe.
• Su Chen travels into the crater’s dangerous core, where he finds the Flowing Light. Old Gou and the World Honored One are watching from concealment, expecting the Bronze Church to follow Sheng Qinghe’s movements.
• The two detect Su Chen, identify him despite his disguise, and discover he has arrived as a powerful clone. They let him approach, hoping to track the Flowing Light back to his true body.
• Su Chen grabs the Flowing Light and calls on Saint Monarch, transferring it away. His clone is immediately destroyed by the surrounding energy torrents, leaving Old Gou and the World Honored One unable to trace the transfer.
• Back at Meteorlight Hub, Su Chen checks his panel and confirms that the plan succeeded.
• In a separate scene, a mysterious young figure recovers some Origin Power and decides to search the Bronze Church for another scattered portion, while also taking an interest in Su Chen.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen is cautious but decisive. He recognizes the trap, weighs the danger of Old Gou and the World Honored One, and uses a clone and an unexplained transfer ability to secure the prize without exposing his true body.
• Old Gou remains patient and strategic, treating the Flowing Light as bait. Su Chen’s arrival and escape unsettle him, though he concludes the larger plan has still worked.
• The World Honored One recognizes Su Chen and restrains his hostility. His past failure to recover the Buddha Sarira and Spirit of Radiant Moon makes him wary—and disappointed when Su Chen repeats the same kind of unexplained transfer.
• Formless’s pursuit of Sheng Qinghe delays the expected chain of events, frustrating Old Gou’s schedule but making the trap appear more convincing.
• The mysterious figure’s interest in Su Chen foreshadows a possible future encounter.

Significant themes

• Deception and counter-planning: Old Gou’s bait is met by Su Chen’s own caution and contingency planning.
• Secrecy and hidden power: Su Chen’s transfer ability and the mysterious figure’s Origin Power remain unexplained, keeping both sides uncertain.
• Patience versus urgency: Old Gou waits for his plan to unfold, while Su Chen acts before the World Honored One or Old Gou can intervene.

Plot points and events

• Su Chen retrieves the Black and White Flowing Light, but its easy recovery makes him suspect it is part of a trap.
• After surrounding himself with protective Rune Arrays, he examines it. The panel reveals that the treasure contains both the Kind Father’s power and Old Gou’s blood, confirming that it has been altered.
• Su Chen reasons that Old Gou may have deliberately allowed him to take it—and that the trap may target the Bronze Church rather than the World Honored One. He suspects the World Honored One and Old Gou may have secretly joined forces.
• Old Gou and the World Honored One are shown discussing their plan: a hidden measure in the Flowing Light will activate when the Bronze Church uses it, destroying the treasure. The World Honored One is eager for the plan to take effect, while Old Gou cannot say exactly when it will.
• Su Chen warns Chu Lingyuan that he has the treasure and orders Bronze Church members to withdraw from the search. He decides not to use it yet and returns to prepare for whatever comes next.
• Elsewhere, Old Gou finds that the ancient tree and a piece of the Kind Father’s flesh in Netherworld Forest have vanished. He fears the Kind Father may have emerged from the Bottom of the Nether Domain, but clings to the hope that the threat can still be contained.
• Months later, Su Chen arrives near Meteorfall Mountain using the Stupa Pagoda for fast travel.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen demonstrates caution and analytical skill, piecing together a possible alliance between two powerful enemies. Though he has secured the treasure, he treats it as dangerous bait rather than a victory.
• Old Gou is revealed as a schemer working with the World Honored One, but his discovery in Netherworld Forest exposes a new fear: something tied to the Kind Father may be active again.
• The World Honored One appears to be directing the trap toward the Bronze Church and is impatient for Old Gou’s hidden measure to activate.
• Chu Lingyuan is startled by Su Chen’s news but trusts his judgment, promptly recalling their people.

Significant themes

• Deception and shifting alliances: Apparent enemies may cooperate when their interests align, and the true target of a scheme can change.
• Caution under uncertainty: Su Chen survives by questioning an easy success and delaying use of a compromised artifact.
• Fear of ancient powers: Old Gou’s dread suggests that even beings of immense age and strength may be vulnerable to the Kind Father’s influence.

Chapter Summary: “The Real Crisis”

Key plot points and events

• Su Chen returns from his journey with the Black and White Flowing Light and meets with Yuan Shuo and Chu Lingyuan.
• Chu Lingyuan reports that Formless disappeared after entering Stigmata Crater with Sheng Qinghe. Buddha Land blamed Sheng Qinghe, then the World Honored One arrived and killed him. Clearwind Commerce was destroyed soon afterward.
• Buddha Land announces that Clearwind Commerce had a lead on the Black and White Flowing Light, but that someone had already taken it. The news spreads across Abyssless, drawing attention to whoever possesses the strand.
• Su Chen suspects the World Honored One and Old Gou of the Final Ruins engineered the affair. Their apparent plan is to let the Bronze Church use a corrupted strand, then expose or exploit the resulting disaster to destroy the Church while avoiding blame.
• Su Chen explains his suspicions to Yuan Shuo. Though they cannot prove the conspiracy, both recognize that confronting the World Honored One and Old Gou together would be extremely dangerous.
• Rather than surrender the strand, Su Chen decides to use it himself. He also proposes preparing to kill the World Honored One, potentially with help from the Body of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion.
• The chapter ends with Su Chen resuming his fusion with Moonfire, intent on advancing to Bright Sun before his enemies can act.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen demonstrates sharp political insight, piecing together the likely trap behind the public revelations. He shifts from recognizing the danger to planning a counterattack, confident he can neutralize the strand’s threat and use it to advance.
• Yuan Shuo is alarmed by Su Chen’s theory and initially favors giving up the strand for safety. He ultimately trusts Su Chen’s judgment, while warning that defeating the World Honored One—especially alongside Old Gou—will be difficult.
• Chu Lingyuan provides the news and shows relief that the Church withdrew early from the unfolding crisis. His practical focus is on protecting the Bronze Church and obscuring its involvement.
• Su Chen and Yuan Shuo share a candid strategic discussion; Su Chen entrusts his suspicions to his master, and Yuan Shuo supports his decision despite the risks.

Significant themes

• Forbidden alliances and moral boundaries: Cooperation with the Final Ruins violates an ancient taboo, making the World Honored One’s suspected alliance politically explosive.
• Power and vulnerability: Possessing a powerful artifact can be a liability when it may be corrupted or used as bait.
• Conspiracy and misdirection: Public events and rumors appear designed to conceal a deeper plot and steer suspicion toward the Bronze Church.
• Trust and calculated risk: Su Chen and Yuan Shuo must act without proof, relying on judgment and mutual confidence while preparing for a much stronger opponent.

Key events

• Su Chen forms his third Moonfire and estimates that reaching the fourth will take another seven or eight months. Though eager to grow stronger because of the World Honored One’s schemes, he reminds himself that his progress is already exceptional.
• He reviews the four stages of Bright Sun power—Ember, Remnant Flame, Flourishing Flame, and Blazing Sun—and learns that greater stages allow more Professions to be sanctified. The World Honored One and Dao Lord are at Flourishing Flame, making the World Honored One a formidable opponent.
• Su Chen contacts Amitabha and proposes joining forces against the World Honored One. He claims the World Honored One engineered the Clearwind Commerce affair to target the Bronze Church, omitting Old Gou’s role and the secret of Black and White Flowing Light.
• Amitabha agrees to help with an ambush but remains wary and plans to investigate Su Chen’s account. Su Chen expects the investigation to reinforce his version of events.
• Seeking further ways to prepare, Su Chen considers using Creation Power, though it would require an enormous amount of Faith Spirit.
• The Bronze Church continues expanding through the Redfall Way, consolidating groups and rotating outpost leaders. Its screening procedures check returning members for spies, spiritual tampering, and contamination.
• A returning disciple, Junior Brother Chen, is praised for building a successful outpost but declines another assignment. After passing the checks, he returns to core territory.
• The disciple secretly releases black symbols and discovers he cannot sense his Origin Power, which he believes is sealed beneath Meteorfall Mountain. Surprised by the Bronze Church’s countermeasures, he becomes intrigued by it.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen is powerful but recognizes that strength alone may not be enough to defeat the World Honored One. He shifts toward careful preparation and uses selective disclosure to secure an ally.
• Amitabha welcomes cooperation but does not fully trust Su Chen, balancing their shared enemy against his own caution.
• Junior Brother Chen appears to be a capable, loyal returnee, but his hidden connection to the black symbols and sealed Origin Power suggests he is an infiltrator or otherwise operating under a secret agenda.
• Wei Zhenghong warmly welcomes Chen back, praises his service, and processes his rewards while ensuring he completes standard security checks.

Significant themes

• Preparation versus impatience: Su Chen restrains his desire for rapid advancement and seeks strategic advantages instead.
• Trust, deception, and alliance: Su Chen and Amitabha cooperate while withholding information and questioning each other’s motives.
• Institutional growth and security: The Bronze Church’s expansion brings strength but also demands rigorous safeguards.
• Hidden threats: The final reveal suggests that the Church’s security measures are being tested by an unseen enemy.

Key plot points and events

• The Bright Sun leaders investigate Qin Jianzhi’s death but find no clues, even after trying temporal reversal. The World Honored One urges them to withdraw, prompting the Mech Sovereign to accuse him of hiding knowledge and bring up the old death of Tai Xuan Ye.
• The leaders confront the World Honored One over Buddha Land’s destruction of Clearwind Commerce. They condemn the attack and agree to bar Buddha Land from spreading its teachings for a thousand years. The World Honored One accepts outwardly but vows revenge once he has destroyed the Bronze Church, taken Su Chen, and absorbed the Body of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion.
• The leaders’ real concern is that the World Honored One might absorb all three aspects and rise to power comparable to a Supreme Sovereign. They also discuss the missing wisp of Black and White Flowing Light, which Clearwind Commerce had tried to secure. The World Honored One denies having it, but the others remain suspicious.
• Yuan Shuo recognizes that the World Honored One is carefully concealing his knowledge of the Bronze Church’s involvement. He understands that the World Honored One’s casual speculation about a new pillar is meant to deflect suspicion.
• Across Abyssless, factions search for the stolen wisp. Investigations and even a war produce no results, while the true holder remains hidden.
• At the Bronze Church, a disguised observer has spent nearly a year searching for Origin Power and trying to meet Su Chen, without success. He detects a powerful new aura from Su Chen’s Floating Island and realizes it is Black and White Flowing Light—the union of Origin and Creation Power.
• Su Chen completes his fourth Moonfire after nearly ten months of effort. Seeing it as his final major step before becoming a Bright Sun, he prepares to use the hidden wisp despite knowing it will reveal his possession to Old Gou and the World Honored One. He breaks the wisp’s balance, releasing its opposing forces into his body.

Character developments and interactions

• The World Honored One remains composed under public criticism, but privately grows bitter and plots revenge. His ambition to absorb the three aspects drives the other leaders’ distrust.
• The Mech Sovereign openly challenges the World Honored One, while Longevity Old Man and the Dao Lord criticize his actions against Clearwind Commerce and impose consequences. Great Heaven eventually redirects the tense discussion toward the missing wisp.
• Yuan Shuo stays silent during the confrontation, but his knowledge of Su Chen’s role makes him alert to the World Honored One’s deception.
• The disguised observer shifts from frustration at his stalled investigation to excitement when he discovers Su Chen’s connection to Black and White Flowing Light.
• Su Chen reaches a major cultivation milestone and chooses to risk exposure rather than postpone using the wisp.

Significant themes

• Power and political distrust: The Bright Sun leaders’ alliance is strained by the World Honored One’s ambition and unilateral actions.
• Secrecy and misdirection: The stolen wisp, concealed identities, and the World Honored One’s careful phrasing keep factions guessing.
• Ambition and risk: Su Chen pursues the last step toward Bright Sun status, knowingly triggering consequences by using the wisp.
• Rising power and instability: The prospect of a new pillar—and the World Honored One’s potential transformation—threatens the existing balance of Abyssless.

Key plot points and events

• Su Chen directly absorbs the Black and White Flowing Light, enduring vivid visions of evolution and a terrifying sense of physical mutation as Kind Father’s power begins to erode him.
• His status panel serves as an anchor. The Lord of Creation eventually intervenes, revealing that the Flowing Light was meant to test Su Chen. Old Gou’s blood disrupts the intended balance, forcing the Lord of Creation to extract and purify Kind Father’s power.
• The Lord of Creation transforms Old Gou’s blood into a Sacredification Opportunity, which can permanently sanctify one Holy Profession—but only Bright Sun.
• Su Chen gives the remaining Creation Power to the Purple Extremity World-Purifying Sage Lord. This completes requirements six through nine for that Profession, bringing Su Chen close to advancing to Bright Sun.
• Meanwhile, Old Gou and the World Honored One coordinate an attack on the Bronze Church. Old Gou promises that reinforcements will be blocked for the first day.
• The World Honored One warns the other four Bright Suns that the Final Ruins may be involved in Clearwind Commerce’s apparent luck and the Flowing Light. They agree to help if necessary.
• Kind Father’s avatar senses his Origin Power being absorbed and then abruptly disappearing, leaving him baffled. Soon afterward, defensive Rune Arrays activate around Meteorfall Mountain.
• The World Honored One arrives openly. With key routes and communications cut off and space destabilized, it becomes clear he has come to fight. The Bronze Church’s people are alarmed, but less fearful than during the previous attack.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen withstands Kind Father’s erosion through focus and his panel, then benefits from the Lord of Creation’s intervention. His willingness to hand over Creation Power helps advance the Sage Lord Profession.
• The Lord of Creation initially lets the process serve as a test, but steps in when Old Gou’s blood upsets the balance.
• Old Gou and the World Honored One reveal a coordinated plan: Old Gou will obstruct reinforcements while the World Honored One leads the assault.
• The World Honored One acts cautiously, consulting the other Bright Suns and arranging contingencies before heading to Meteorfall Mountain.
• Kind Father’s avatar is increasingly bewildered by Su Chen’s apparent ability to absorb and shed his Origin Power.
• Xuantian Ancient King and Star Vault Ancient King recognize the World Honored One and infer that his arrival signals a serious attack. The Bronze Church’s residents speculate that their powerful allies, including Su Chen, may still deter him.

Significant themes

• Power and transformation: Su Chen’s advancement requires enduring forces that threaten to remake his body and mind.
• Tests and unintended consequences: The Lord of Creation’s trial is disrupted by Old Gou’s blood, turning a planned test into an emergency.
• Hidden schemes and uncertain alliances: The Flowing Light may be tied to the Final Ruins, while Old Gou and the World Honored One prepare a surprise assault.
• Escalating conflict: The chapter shifts from Su Chen’s personal breakthrough to a looming confrontation at Meteorfall Mountain.

Key plot points and events

• The World Honored One arrives at the Bronze Church, claiming Clearwind Commerce’s Black and White Flowing Light may be dangerous and linked to Final Ruins. He demands that the Primordial Mountain Lord surrender it.
• His announcement reveals to the Church’s leaders that the sought-after treasure is already in their possession. The four other Bright Suns send incarnations to Meteorfall Mountain, wary of letting the World Honored One seize it.
• The World Honored One grows openly hostile when the Primordial Mountain Lord refuses. He implies Su Chen is using the Flowing Light and may be in danger, alarming the Church and making several observers suspect Su Chen has been trapped.
• As the World Honored One prepares to attack, the Spirit of the Bright Sun rises from its statue and converges with a white flame appearing around Su Chen’s Floating Island. Their meeting creates a brief, chaos-colored flame.
• The flame reveals a vision of a vast purple-fire realm and a powerful figure. Those present recognize the figure as the Purple Extremity World-Purifying Sage Lord.

Character developments and interactions

• The World Honored One shifts from measured persuasion to anger and threats when the other Bright Suns oppose him. His confidence that Su Chen is endangered briefly makes the Church believe he has set a trap.
• The Primordial Mountain Lord stays composed, refuses to hand over the treasure, and tries to make the World Honored One reveal his true intentions.
• Yuan Shuo and the Church’s leaders are caught between relief at possessing the Flowing Light and fear for Su Chen. Yuan Shuo deliberately calls on the Bright Sun incarnations to constrain the World Honored One.
• Amitabha (Suda) realizes Su Chen misled him about the Flowing Light’s existence. Though resentful, he remains concerned for Su Chen and the Church.
• The Kind Father initially assumes Su Chen has been outmaneuvered and considers withdrawing, but the Spirit’s transformation shocks him into reconsidering.
• The Dao Lord, Longevity Old Man, Mech Sovereign, and Great Heaven oppose the World Honored One’s unilateral seizure, preferring to wait for their true bodies.

Significant themes

• Power and political rivalry: The Bright Suns struggle to control a prize that could shift the balance among major powers.
• Deception and uncertainty: Su Chen’s concealment, the World Honored One’s claims, and the hidden presence of Old Gou leave characters unsure who has the advantage.
• Hope amid apparent danger: Just as Su Chen seems to be in peril, the Spirit’s intervention reveals a possibility far beyond what anyone expected.

Key plot points and events

• Su Chen completes his ascent to Bright Sun, gaining the Bright Sun Body, which boosts all his Professions by 500%, and the ability to use Bright Sunfire to Sanctify Professions.
• His fire-related Profession, the Purple Extremity World-Purifying Sage Lord, remains active after the transformation. Its Saint Monarch spirit congratulates him and grants additional power over fire Professions.
• The Supreme Profound Extremity Lord of Creation also acknowledges Su Chen’s advancement. His gift permanently Sanctifies the Immortal, while Su Chen uses his own Bright Sunfire to permanently Sanctify the Emperor of Flesh and Blood, greatly strengthening his Chaos Flesh Embryo.
• Thunderborn Nine Hells is permanently Sanctified as well. Its new Infinite Prison imprint removes the limit on stored Spirits of Radiant Moon and lets Su Chen temporarily increase his power by one minor stage.
• Su Chen reveals his true Bright Sun status before the assembled powers. The World Honored One, Old Gou, and the others realize the Black and White Flowing Light did not prevent his advancement; Su Chen appears to have neutralized its Corruption Power and absorbed its Creation Power.
• The World Honored One is left isolated as the other Bright Suns urge him to withdraw. Su Chen instead taunts him, making clear he has no intention of letting the conflict end peacefully.

Character developments

• Su Chen moves from someone who could only temporarily match Bright Sun power to a genuine Bright Sun. His preparations and accumulated abilities now yield an extraordinary leap in strength, and he becomes more confident and confrontational.
• The World Honored One suffers another major setback. His certainty about the Black and White Flowing Light proves misplaced, and his hatred of Su Chen is tempered by caution about Su Chen’s growing power.
• Old Gou is shaken when Su Chen survives and advances, recognizing that the Black and White Flowing Light he supplied was likely wasted.
• The Dao Lord, Mech Sovereign, Longevity Old Man, and others reassess the balance of power and become reluctant to support the World Honored One against Su Chen.
• Kind Father infers that Su Chen overcame the corruption and retained the Creation Power, while Amitabha questions Su Chen’s true identity.

Significant themes

• Preparation and accumulated growth: Su Chen’s many prior choices and abilities combine into a dramatic breakthrough.
• Power and transformation: Becoming a true Bright Sun changes not only Su Chen’s strength but the impact of his existing Professions.
• Uncertainty and miscalculation: The powerful characters repeatedly misunderstand the Black and White Flowing Light and Su Chen’s advancement.
• Shifting alliances: The other Bright Suns’ willingness to support the World Honored One depends on who holds the advantage.
• Pride and rivalry: Su Chen’s taunt turns a possible retreat into a test of the World Honored One’s dignity and resolve.

Character interactions

• The Saint Monarch and Lord of Creation each recognize Su Chen’s ascent and contribute gifts that strengthen him.
• The World Honored One and the other observers react with disbelief, fear, or suspicion as Su Chen appears before them.
• The Mech Sovereign and Longevity Old Man urge the World Honored One to withdraw, trying to prevent a wider conflict.
• Su Chen mocks the World Honored One’s failed scheme, intensifying their personal feud and leaving the confrontation unresolved.

Plot points and events

• The World Honored One summons Old Gou, a being from Final Ruins, and reveals his plan to destroy the Bronze Church and silence everyone who might expose his alliance. The gathered Bright Sun avatars recognize that he has crossed a line.
• Su Chen’s plan becomes clear: he arranged for the avatars to be present so the World Honored One would call Old Gou, isolating Buddha Land politically. Su Chen had anticipated Old Gou’s involvement and remains confident he can protect the Church.
• The World Honored One attacks Su Chen while Old Gou engages Yuan Shuo, whose Meteorfall Mountain helps hold the Final Ruins being back. The other Bright Sun avatars wait for their true bodies to arrive.
• The World Honored One manifests a vast Buddha Kingdom, using its followers and karmic power to make Su Chen’s attacks carry consequences. Su Chen counters with World-Cleansing Fire, then shatters the World-Suppressing Mountain with one punch.
• Su Chen uses Sanctified Shadowflash Form to pursue and strike the World Honored One’s true body through his Dreamlike Illusion, startling the watching experts. The World Honored One is forced to call for Old Gou’s help.
• Su Chen continues fighting, disrupts the World Honored One’s staff, and lands a direct blow that injures his true body. The chapter ends with the Body of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion appearing—an unexpected new complication.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen shows that his recent advancement to Bright Sun has made him far stronger than expected. He remains calm and strategic, using the crisis to expose the World Honored One’s alliance while protecting the Bronze Church.
• The World Honored One abandons restraint and commits fully to destroying the Church. His confidence falters as Su Chen defeats his major techniques and reaches his true body.
• Old Gou arrives to support the World Honored One but is checked by Yuan Shuo and Meteorfall Mountain. Su Chen’s composure also makes Old Gou question whether his arrival was anticipated.
• Yuan Shuo takes on Old Gou despite the limits of Final Ruins’ power in the Reality Universe, relying on Meteorfall Mountain to buy time.
• The other Bright Sun avatars—including Longevity Old Man, the Mech Sovereign, Great Heaven, and the Dao Lord—recognize the political danger of the World Honored One’s actions. Their true bodies are approaching, but the avatars must first survive.
• The Kind Father’s avatar watches Su Chen’s performance with unusual interest, suggesting he sees him as exceptional.

Significant themes

• Power and political isolation: The World Honored One’s alliance with Final Ruins may secure immediate force, but it risks making him an enemy of Abyssless.
• Strategy and confidence: Su Chen’s apparent fearlessness is backed by preparation; he deliberately creates circumstances that expose his opponent’s choices.
• The limits of deception: The World Honored One’s illusions and elaborate Buddha Kingdom are challenged when Su Chen can locate and strike his true body.
• Escalation and uncertainty: Just as Su Chen gains the upper hand, the sudden appearance of the Body of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion threatens to change the battle again.

Key plot points and events

• Amitabha appears alongside the Body of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion, revealing that Su Chen anticipated the World Honored One’s alliance with Old Gou and had prepared a trap.
• The World Honored One’s plot to attack the Bronze Church is exposed, leaving him disgraced and unable to remain openly in Abyssless. He threatens Su Chen’s family and allies, then insists he can still escape.
• Su Chen reveals that he has finished refining the Soaring Heavens Universe-Slaying Sword into a Flesh Embryo Inscription, further increasing his power. He attacks the World Honored One and quickly gains the advantage.
• Amitabha interferes with the World Honored One through their shared origin and the Nine-Ring Monk Staff. This traps the World Honored One: he needs the staff to resist Su Chen, but using it lets Amitabha restrain him.
• The World Honored One sanctifies a clone Profession, splitting into countless indistinguishable bodies. Su Chen responds by sanctifying all nine of his Professions and linking them through the Nine-Profession Wonder Tree.
• Su Chen destroys every Dreamlike Bubble-Shadow Body, leaving the World Honored One’s true body weak and exposed. He then knocks away the monk staff and kills him with a final blow.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen demonstrates a dramatic increase in strength and strategic foresight. He turns the World Honored One’s escape tactic against him and refuses to let either Amitabha or the World Honored One dictate the outcome.
• The World Honored One shifts from confidence and threats to desperation and fear. Though he finds a temporary escape strategy by exploiting the tension between Su Chen and Amitabha, Su Chen’s power ultimately overwhelms him.
• Amitabha hopes to devour the World Honored One, but hesitates when the plan risks losing that opportunity. Su Chen’s glance makes him wary, suggesting Amitabha recognizes how formidable Su Chen has become.
• Old Gou abandons the fight and retreats once the trap is revealed. The other Bright Suns and faction leaders watch in shock as Su Chen defeats the World Honored One.

Significant themes

• Power and transformation: Su Chen’s rapid advancement overturns the expected limits of the Bright Sun level.
• Betrayal and consequence: The World Honored One’s secret collusion is exposed, costing him his standing and ultimately his life.
• Rivalry and opportunism: Amitabha’s shared origin with the World Honored One is both a means of restraint and a source of personal ambition.
• Strategy under pressure: The battle turns on anticipating opponents’ motives and exploiting their conflicting interests, not strength alone.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Su Chen uses the Chaos Flesh Embryo, the Nine-Profession Wonder Tree, and his Bright Sunfire to reach a terrifying temporary level of strength. His power can destroy not only a body but its spirit, thoughts, and even others’ memories of the target.
• He kills the World Honored One with a second, focused strike, defeating the latter’s attempts to escape through scattered thoughts and Faith Power. The World Honored One’s death threatens to reshape the balance of power in Abyssless.
• The surviving Bright Suns and other observers—among them the Dao Lord, Mech Sovereign, Longevity Old Man, Great Heaven, and Yuan Shuo—react with shock. They recognize Su Chen’s strength as comparable to Supreme Sovereign-level power, though the state is clearly costly and unsustainable.
• Old Gou realizes that Su Chen may eventually threaten the Nether Domain and its inhabitants. The Kind Father’s avatar also sees Su Chen as a grave potential danger.
• On First Star, the Bronze Church learns that the World Honored One has died. Their disbelief turns to excitement, while the Star Vault and Xuantian Ancient Kings confirm that the news is real.
• Amitabha hopes to claim the World Honored One’s Spirit of the Bright Sun, which he needs to survive. But Su Chen absorbs it into the Purple Extremity World-Purifying Sage Lord through his mysterious panel. The Sage Lord swallows the essence and begins digesting it.
• With the Spirit gone, Amitabha’s foundation collapses. He begins to dissolve and cries out, blaming Su Chen.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen proves capable of killing a legendary Bright Sun, but the transformation rapidly consumes his Longevity Root and weakens the Radiant Moon Spirits within him. He remains calm after the battle and chooses not to entrust the World Honored One’s essence to Amitabha.
• The World Honored One shifts from confidence to panic when confronted with death that can erase every trace of him. His final attempt to survive through escaping thoughts fails.
• Amitabha reveals that his cooperation with Su Chen was self-interested: he hoped to make Su Chen an ally before eventually devouring the World Honored One. After the death, he tries to bargain for the spirit, then faces dissolution when Su Chen keeps it.
• Old Gou moves from shock to strategic fear, recognizing that Su Chen’s growth could endanger the Nether Domain.
• The onlooking Bright Suns debate how Su Chen achieved such power. The Dao Lord suspects he is using Bright Sunfire to forcibly Sanctify his other Professions.
• The Purple Extremity World-Purifying Sage Lord responds to the essence through the panel and consumes it, beginning a potentially significant transformation.

Significant themes

• Power and its cost: Su Chen’s overwhelming strength is real but places enormous strain on his body and resources.
• The finality of death: The World Honored One’s usual means of escape fail against a force that erases not only his life but also the traces of his existence.
• Shifting power and political balance: The World Honored One’s death unsettles established alliances and makes Su Chen a potential threat to multiple factions.
• Self-interest and fragile alliances: Amitabha’s apparent support is driven by his own survival and ambition, while Su Chen’s strength leaves little room for bargaining.
• Transformation through absorption: The Sage Lord’s consumption of the Bright Sun essence hints at a new development whose consequences are not yet known.

Key plot points and events

• Su Chen discovers that Amitabha, the World Honored One’s Body of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion, is fading after losing its connection to the Spirit of the Bright Sun. The Lord of Creation intervenes, restoring the body’s stability and preserving the World Honored One’s mark.
• Under Su Chen’s control, Amitabha absorbs the World Honored One’s lingering thoughts and presence, gradually taking on his appearance and becoming his replacement.
• Su Chen argues that keeping Amitabha in place will prevent the Buddha Land from collapsing and provoking widespread unrest. The other Bright Suns agree that a gradual reduction of the Buddha Land’s influence is safer than its sudden destruction.
• Old Gou departs after exchanging threats with Su Chen. Su Chen retrieves the World Honored One’s Nine-Ring Monk Staff, intending to smelt it.
• Dao Lord arrives too late to participate in the battle. After recovering his incarnation’s memories, he is shocked to learn that the World Honored One has been killed.
• At a meeting on Meteorfall Mountain, Amitabha confirms he will temporarily serve as the World Honored One. Su Chen says the immediate priority is preserving stability and dealing with the Final Ruins.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen shows both overwhelming power and political restraint. Though he controls Amitabha’s survival, he chooses to use him to stabilize the Buddha Land rather than dismantle it. He remains guarded about his true intentions and the looming threat of the Kind Father.
• Amitabha accepts his dependence on Su Chen and gains a new role by absorbing the World Honored One’s remnants. Becoming the World Honored One fulfills his ambition in an unexpected way.
• Dao Lord is surprised by Su Chen’s victory and questions why Su Chen withheld his suspicions about the World Honored One’s alliance with Old Gou. He ultimately supports Amitabha’s temporary succession.
• Mech Sovereign worries about the shifting balance of power and considers the Machine Domain’s interests, but agrees that stability must come first.
• Longevity Old Man backs Su Chen’s plan, emphasizing the danger of a sudden collapse.
• Old Gou attempts to provoke discord but leaves rather than confront Su Chen directly.

Significant themes

• Power and dependence: Su Chen’s control over Amitabha turns their uneasy partnership into a relationship defined by life-and-death leverage.
• Stability versus justice: Rather than letting the defeated World Honored One’s faction collapse, the characters preserve its structure to avert wider chaos.
• Political realignment: The World Honored One’s death shifts the balance among Abyssless’s Bright Suns, while Su Chen’s influence rises sharply.
• Hidden threats and mistrust: Alliances remain tentative; Su Chen conceals his deeper plans even as the group publicly agrees to cooperate.

Key plot points and events

• After killing the World Honored One, Su Chen proposes preparing to clear the Final Ruins in the Nether Domain. The Dao Lord argues that this is necessary before they can investigate the greater threat at the Nether Domain’s depths.
• The group agrees to begin the next stage of Abyssless’s reconstruction: moving toward complete unification. The Mech Sovereign resists at first, worried that the Machine Domain will lose influence, but eventually agrees.
• Su Chen says he will retain the World Honored One’s Bright Sun Essence for now and restore the Buddha Land by ending its corrupt practices, rather than abolishing it. Amitabha will take the vacant World Honored One’s position.
• Su Chen reveals that he already possesses all the Buddha Land’s Spirits of Radiant Moon and Buddha Sariras. Amitabha realizes Su Chen has quietly stripped the Buddha Land of much of its power.
• After the others leave, Su Chen entrusts the Bronze Church’s affairs to Yuan Shuo and returns to his residence. He notices a growing, uncomfortable pressure within his body and draws out a statue resembling himself—the Saint Monarch Statue—whose significance he begins to recognize.

Character developments

• Su Chen moves from newly ascended victor to political power broker, guiding plans for Abyssless’s unification and shaping the Buddha Land’s future. His control over its resources and Amitabha is greater than others realized.
• Amitabha accepts his new role as World Honored One. Though still under Su Chen’s control, he feels exhilarated at finally occupying the position he had long coveted.
• The Mech Sovereign reluctantly accepts unification and recognizes that Su Chen’s influence—and his alliance with Amitabha—makes open resistance unwise.
• The Longevity Old Man mourns the World Honored One despite disliking him, showing the weight of their long history.
• Yuan Shuo remains wary of letting the Buddha Land continue under Amitabha, but trusts Su Chen to manage the danger.

Significant themes

• Unity versus self-interest: The Pillars weigh Abyssless’s shared survival against the political costs of unification.
• Power and control: Su Chen’s victory extends beyond force; he has secured the Buddha Land’s assets and holds Amitabha in his grasp.
• Reform and legacy: The Buddha Land’s corruption is attributed to the former World Honored One’s methods, leaving Amitabha responsible for changing its course.
• Uncertainty after ascension: Su Chen’s new bodily discomfort and the appearance of the Saint Monarch Statue suggest that his rise may bring unforeseen consequences.

Character interactions

• Su Chen’s proposal prompts the Dao Lord to push for a broader political project, while the Mech Sovereign and Longevity Old Man debate its timing.
• Su Chen reassures Amitabha that the Buddha Land will remain, but makes clear that he controls its key resources; Amitabha responds with deference and private satisfaction.
• The Dao Lord acknowledges Su Chen’s extraordinary potential before departing, while Yuan Shuo questions whether Amitabha can truly be controlled.
• Su Chen leaves the Bronze Church’s cleanup to Yuan Shuo, then confronts the mysterious sensation in his body alone.

Key plot points and events

• After advancing to Bright Sun and defeating the World Honored One, Su Chen feels the Abyss Pillar trying to pull him toward it. He realizes his statue—formed through his connection with Stingy Dragon—anchors him against the pull, letting him travel normally while avoiding the Pillar’s binding.
• Su Chen reflects on the battle and his next challenges: finding the remaining Black and White Flowing Light, dealing with Kind Father and the Final Ruins, and eventually surpassing Bright Sun. He wonders whether the Saint Monarch and Lord of Creation may transform after absorbing Creation Power and the World Honored One’s Bright Sun Essence.
• Kind Father, watching Su Chen’s Floating Island, becomes more urgent about gathering power. He fears Su Chen could eventually threaten him, especially if he gains the Abyss Pillar, and hopes Old Gou understands the danger and keeps quiet about Kind Father’s existence.
• News of the battle spreads across Abyssless. Witnesses report that Su Chen advanced to Bright Sun and killed the World Honored One, but the Bronze Church and Buddha Land issue a joint statement claiming the World Honored One came to help them. The public story obscures what really happened, while most major factions infer the truth and stay silent.
• Su Chen’s advancement becomes the main public focus: he is recognized as a Pillar Lord and likely the youngest in history.
• In Buddha Land, Amitabha—the surviving World Honored One—meets Huijing. He announces a purge of corruption and self-interest in the institution and orders three ascetics, Mingxin, Mingjing, and Ming Guang, to be considered for Moon Radiance.
• The Stupa Pagoda administrator is astonished by Su Chen’s achievement and hopes he can finish Jue Tianshuo’s work by destroying the Nether Domain. Su Chen instead asks him about the Abyss Pillar.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen shifts from relief at removing the World Honored One as a threat to concern about larger obstacles. His curiosity about the Abyss Pillar grows, but he approaches it cautiously.
• Kind Father sees Su Chen as a rising danger and considers how to protect his secrecy and secure more power.
• Amitabha turns the crisis into an opportunity to reform Buddha Land, while Huijing recognizes the political reality and reluctantly accepts the World Honored One’s decisions.
• The administrator moves from disbelief to hope, placing great confidence in Su Chen’s potential.
• The chapter’s key interactions center on concealed truths: Su Chen and the administrator discuss the Abyss Pillar; Amitabha directs Huijing’s reforms; and factions publicly cooperate to protect a version of events they know is false.

Significant themes

• Truth and manufactured reality: Witness accounts, official statements, and censorship reshape public understanding; the chapter’s title reflects how truth can be made to seem false, and falsehood accepted as real.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a newly ascended Bright Sun must reckon with forces like the Abyss Pillar and with enemies who may exploit his growth.
• Political self-interest: Factions conceal the truth when disclosure is inconvenient, while Kind Father and Buddha Land act to preserve their own security.
• Reform after crisis: Amitabha’s response suggests that institutions can use upheaval to confront corruption and reward genuine service.

Key plot points and events

• The administrator explains that the Abyss Pillar is the foundation of Abyssless and represents the collective consciousness of living beings. By choosing a bearer, it grants that person indirect dominion over the Reality Universe.
• The Nether Domain’s arrival made the Universe strengthen the Pillar, enabling the former Supreme Sovereign Jue Tianshuo to attempt the Ultimate Leap and seriously wound the entity at the Nether Domain’s bottom. Su Chen considers combining the Pillar’s power with his own efforts to reach beyond the Bright Sun.
• Su Chen visits the Bronze Church’s base on Pivot Star. The Church has demanded more territory from the other Pillars, and he suspects Chu Lingyuan is settling an old grievance.
• At the rebuilt Abyss Pillar, Su Chen touches its half-illusory surface and is overwhelmed by countless fragments of thought carried in unprocessed Faith Power. He concludes that spirit could mediate this force, but his own path to becoming the Pillar’s bearer may already be closed.
• A panel reveals that fully repairing the Pillar might help the Saint Monarch transform. Su Chen realizes that uniting Abyssless could greatly increase the Faith Power it receives, and resolves to support cooperation among the six Pillars.
• He then returns to his private residence and tests whether Nine Eyes’ seal has lifted by repeating a ritual with Nine Eyes’ flesh. As before, nothing happens.

Character developments

• Su Chen becomes more interested in the Abyss Pillar—not only as a force that once restrained him, but as a possible route toward surpassing the Bright Sun and helping the Saint Monarch transform. He shifts toward supporting the unification of Abyssless.
• The administrator provides crucial history about the Pillar and the former Supreme Sovereign, though he admits he does not know how a new bearer would be chosen.
• Yuan Hong is wary and deferential toward Su Chen, whose standing has risen dramatically after killing the World Honored One.
• The Lord of Creation unexpectedly offers insight that could benefit the Saint Monarch, leaving Su Chen suspicious about his motives.

Significant themes

• Faith and collective consciousness: The Pillar draws power from the attention and thoughts of living beings, but that power is dangerous when unfiltered.
• Unity as a source of strength: A united Abyssless could channel far more Faith Power into the Pillar than its divided factions do.
• Ambition and transcendence: Su Chen weighs different possible paths beyond the Bright Sun, building on Jue Tianshuo’s failed but consequential attempt.
• Power and uncertainty: The Pillar’s origins, the process for choosing a bearer, and the Lord of Creation’s intentions remain unclear.

Character interactions

• Su Chen questions the administrator about the Pillar’s nature, its changing power, and the route to becoming its bearer.
• Yuan Hong greets Su Chen at the Bronze Church’s base and explains its territorial demands; Su Chen recognizes the political significance but does not intervene.
• Su Chen’s brief exchange with the Lord of Creation’s panel reveals a possible link between restoring the Pillar and the Saint Monarch’s transformation.

Key plot points and events

• Su Chen sanctifies the Infinite Neural Core and uses it to strengthen the Sacrificial Rune Array, attempting to trace the Black and White Flowing Light through Nine Eyes’ remains.
• The search briefly reveals a starry route passing through Starfield Galaxy, but a roar interrupts it, destroys the array, and burns the remains away. Su Chen realizes the Kind Father detected the attempt.
• The Kind Father’s avatar, stationed in the Bronze Church, learns that someone has breached Old Gou’s seal. Eager to reclaim the remaining power before others can, he prepares to leave.
• Old Gou meets the Kind Father in the Nether Domain. Convinced Su Chen is a threat to them both, Old Gou offers to help the Kind Father recover his power in exchange for “free will.” The Kind Father agrees.
• Su Chen rebuilds the divination array to conceal his next search, using his remaining piece of the Kind Father’s flesh. He successfully traces the avatar to Meteorfall Mountain and First Star, where it is inhabiting the church disciple Chen Xing.

Character developments

• Su Chen becomes more capable and resourceful after advancing to Bright Sun: the sanctified Neural Core gives him near-infinite computing power, allowing him to redesign the array and attempt a more subtle divination. He remains cautious, knowing his clues are incomplete and the Kind Father can interfere.
• The Kind Father is revealed to be badly wounded but recovering after taking Qin Jianzhi’s power. He is focused on collecting the Black and White Flowing Light and maintaining the secrecy of his avatar.
• Old Gou shifts from resisting the Kind Father to cooperating with him, driven by fear of Su Chen and a desire to preserve his own will. He accepts the Kind Father’s promise despite its being only verbal.
• Chen Xing is identified as a talented seventh-rank dual-Profession practitioner whose body the Kind Father has taken.

Significant themes

• Power and its costs: Su Chen’s greater power enables bolder investigations, but using it risks detection and consumes precious materials.
• Agency and free will: Old Gou’s bargain exposes the tension between loyalty to the Kind Father and the desire to retain an independent will.
• Secrecy and surveillance: Both Su Chen and the Kind Father try to locate or evade each other while hiding their true identities and intentions.
• Shifting alliances: Old Gou’s fear of Su Chen pushes him toward an uneasy partnership with the Kind Father.

Character interactions

• Su Chen’s investigation repeatedly clashes with the Kind Father’s efforts to protect the Flowing Light and keep his avatar hidden.
• Old Gou probes the Kind Father about Qin Jianzhi and his plans, then offers assistance in exchange for freedom of will; the Kind Father mocks his request but accepts.
• Su Chen’s final divination brings him directly to the Kind Father’s host body, setting up a potential confrontation.

Plot points and events

• Su Chen uses the Sacrificial Rune Array to discover that the Kind Father’s hidden incarnation is inside the Bronze Church, inhabiting Chen Xing. The incarnation came seeking a separated portion of the Kind Father’s power, but Su Chen has already purified and used the power he hoped to find.
• Su Chen tries to observe or mark the incarnation with the Sanctified Mortal Realm Eye. It can reveal Chen Xing’s past and possible futures, but it detects no trace of the entity concealed within him.
• Church records show that Chen Xing has requested meetings with Su Chen several times and applied to leave five days earlier—the day Su Chen killed the World Honored One. Su Chen suspects the incarnation may have been interested in him as well as in the Kind Father’s power.
• The incarnation decides to leave the Church and pursue a portion of Black and White Flowing Light whose approximate location he learned through divination. Before he can go, Su Chen accepts Chen Xing’s request to meet.
• Su Chen welcomes Chen Xing warmly and learns that the stated reason for the earlier requests—questions about the Thunder Venerable Profession—has supposedly been resolved. Su Chen then recruits him to infiltrate the Reward and Punishment Envoys and report on threats to the Bronze Church.
• Chen Xing accepts. Su Chen privately recognizes that the assignment may help keep the incarnation attached to Chen Xing’s body, allowing him to track the body’s information state.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen remains outwardly friendly and courteous, even though he knows Chen Xing is possessed. He turns the situation into an opportunity, using a trusted assignment to make Chen Xing’s identity valuable to the hidden incarnation.
• The Kind Father’s incarnation is cautious and self-interested. It wants to leave before Su Chen can expose it, but Su Chen’s invitation unsettles it. The warm reception also makes it reconsider discarding Chen Xing’s identity, which could provide continued access to Su Chen.
• Their conversation is cordial on the surface but shaped by mutual suspicion: Su Chen conceals what he knows, while the incarnation maintains its cover.
• Su Chen’s friendly exchanges with Chen Xing contrast with the latter’s increased formality toward Su Chen, now a powerful Bright Sun.

Significant themes

• Concealment and surveillance: Even Su Chen’s advanced perception cannot directly identify the incarnation, forcing him to rely on indirect clues and records.
• Trust and manipulation: Both sides conceal their intentions, while Su Chen’s offer of cooperation doubles as a strategy to keep the incarnation traceable.
• Identity as an instrument: Chen Xing’s body and Church status are useful assets; the incarnation’s view of that identity shifts when it becomes a route to Su Chen.
• Power and changing relationships: Su Chen’s rise has altered how others treat him, though he tries to preserve the friendliness of their earlier acquaintance.

Key plot points and events

• Su Chen lets the Kind Father’s incarnation continue traveling in Chen Xing’s body, using the Bronze Church identity. He suspects the incarnation is heading toward the Starfield Galaxy and may be seeking the Black and White Flowing Light.
• In the Nether Domain, Old Gou tells several Final Ruins that the World Honored One is dead. He explains that Su Chen delivered the killing blow with help from the Body of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion and the Dao Lord.
• Concerned that Su Chen could grow powerful enough to threaten the Nether Domain, Old Gou proposes luring him into an ambush. The bait will be the Purple Extremity World-Purifying Pagoda, which could strengthen Su Chen and is therefore likely to tempt him. Four Final Ruins agree to the plan.
• The Purple Extremity World-Purifying Sage Lord undergoes its first “Supreme Metamorphosis” after digesting powerful forces, including Creation Powers and the World Honored One’s external spirituality. Because Su Chen’s Sage Lord profession is linked to him, Su Chen transforms too.
• Su Chen’s Bright Sunfire advances to the Remnant Flame level, far sooner than he expected. He receives a Sanctification Opportunity and places Shadowflash Form into Sanctification, gaining the imprint “Fleeting Shadow Through a Narrow Gap,” which lets whatever his thoughts reach become his shadow.
• The transformation’s energy surge triggers an emergency shutdown at the Star Gate hub. Su Chen returns and sees Chen Xing’s body still being used by the Kind Father’s incarnation. He decides to pursue the Black and White Flowing Light before the incarnation can reach it.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Chen recognizes that strengthening the Sage Lord now directly strengthens him as well. His rapid advancement makes him more ambitious, and he turns his attention to securing the Black and White Flowing Light.
• Old Gou shifts from warning the Final Ruins about Su Chen to organizing a coordinated assassination attempt, while concealing how much he knows about the failed scheme involving the World Honored One.
• The Final Ruins, especially Three Fool, debate whether Su Chen is truly dangerous. Some mock his threat, but they ultimately accept Old Gou’s plan.
• Chen Xing’s body and the Kind Father’s incarnation remain central to Su Chen’s surveillance: the incarnation continues traveling under Chen Xing’s identity rather than abandoning it.

Significant themes

• Power and transformation: Su Chen’s growth is accelerated through his bond with a Holy Profession, while the Sage Lord’s metamorphosis raises the possibility of reaching unprecedented heights.
• Ambition and preemptive fear: Old Gou’s plan reflects the Final Ruins’ fear that Su Chen will become too powerful if left unchecked.
• Faith as a resource: Su Chen recognizes Faith Power as vital to cultivation and other supernatural uses, underscoring the strategic value of religious influence.
• Identity and leverage: Chen Xing’s body serves as both disguise and potential advantage, as Su Chen monitors the incarnation using it.