Chapter Summaries

Summary: The Fall of the Three Clans

Key Plot Points and Events

• Blood Cloud traps Golden Dragon inside the Four Symbols Formation and unleashes its ultimate technique, “Four Symbols Reversal, Destruction of All Heavens.”
• Golden Dragon is completely destroyed and cannot revive. Blood Cloud claims his Dragon Pearl and Silver Ring Saber before retreating to Buzhou Mountain to enter seclusion.
• The wider Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Tribes remain consumed by their devastating war. Their massive losses attract powerful hidden cultivators, who wait for an opportunity to attack.
• Yin-Yang Patriarch, Yang Mei Patriarch, Qiankun Patriarch, and Hong Jun observe the conflict. They recognize the Three Clans’ immense strength but also judge that their karmic debts and declining destiny have made their destruction inevitable.
• Luohou uses the slaughter and killing intent generated by the war to strengthen the Zhuxian Four Swords, intending to defeat Hong Jun and achieve the Hunyuan realm.
• Once the Three Clans’ ancestors are seriously wounded, outside cultivators emerge and slaughter their remaining forces. The clans fight with desperate brutality, including mass self-destruction.
• As the deaths mount, the secrets of Heaven become clear and the calamity’s killing intent begins to fade. The three ancestral leaders realize they have been manipulated by the calamity and that their clans are doomed.
• Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and Primordial Qilin each swear to sacrifice themselves to repair the damaged Primordial World:
  • Ancestral Dragon transforms into the world and binds the Dragon Clan to guard the Four Seas.
  • Primordial Phoenix transforms into the world and makes the Phoenix Clan guardians of the Undying Volcano.
  • Primordial Qilin transforms into the world and makes the Qilin Clan guardians of the Earth Veins and auspicious beasts.
• The Heavenly Dao accepts their vows, removes the surviving clans, restores the shattered regions, and greatly reduces the calamity’s killing intent.

Character Developments

• Blood Cloud grows in confidence after defeating a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. He recognizes the battle as a valuable opportunity for insight and chooses caution, retreating into seclusion rather than risking further conflict.
• Golden Dragon changes from arrogant confidence to fear when faced with certain death, but his threat that the Dragon Clan will retaliate proves meaningless.
• Yin-Yang, Yang Mei, Qiankun, and Hong Jun Patriarchs are established as powerful observers who understand that the Three Clans’ dominance is ending.
• Luohou becomes increasingly ambitious and dangerous, exploiting the war’s killing intent to empower his weapons and openly targeting Hong Jun.
• The Three Clan Ancestors awaken from the influence of the calamity and recognize their responsibility for the destruction they caused. Their final decisions show acceptance, remorse, and a willingness to sacrifice themselves for the world’s restoration.

Significant Themes

• The destructive consequences of ambition and unchecked power: The Three Clans’ struggle for supremacy devastates the Primordial World and leads to their downfall.
• Karma and heavenly retribution: Their accumulated slaughter and refusal to stop fighting cause their destiny to decline and make them targets of the Heavenly Dao.
• Sacrifice and redemption: The ancestors atone by giving up their lives and transforming their bodies into forces that repair and protect the world.
• The danger of calamity and manipulation: The great tribulation clouds judgment, driving even powerful beings into irrational violence.
• Opportunism amid catastrophe: Hidden cultivators and Luohou exploit the Three Clans’ weakness, showing how large-scale conflict creates openings for rivals.
• The supremacy of the Heavenly Dao: Even the strongest patriarchs are intimidated when Heaven directly intervenes, emphasizing that no individual or clan stands above cosmic order.

Character Interactions

• Blood Cloud directly confronts and overpowers Golden Dragon, dismissing the Dragon Clan’s threat and claiming his treasures afterward.
• The four Patriarchs discuss the Three Clans’ power and inevitable downfall while observing the war from concealment.
• Luohou’s ambitions are framed in opposition to Hong Jun, whom he intends to kill using the enhanced Zhuxian Four Swords.
• Countless hidden cultivators collectively attack the weakened Three Clans, turning the war into a slaughter from which the clans cannot recover.
• The three clan ancestors exchange a final glance before independently making their sacrificial vows, signaling their shared recognition of guilt and fate.
• The Heavenly Dao responds to their declarations, removes the clans from the battlefield, and restores the damaged world.

Chapter Summary: Dao-Demon Conflict (1)

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the Heavenly Dao’s power dissipates, Hong Jun, Qiankun Patriarch, Yang Mei Patriarch, and Yin-Yang Patriarch rush toward the western lands. Although the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Tribes’ tribulation has ended, the greater struggle to attain the Dao—and overcome Luohou—continues.
• At Mount Sumeru, Luohou cultivates by absorbing the tribulation’s Killing Intent. He falls just short of a breakthrough because the Heavenly Dao prevents him from easily attaining the Dao.
• Hong Jun and the three other patriarchs confront Luohou, condemning him for manipulating the war among the three great tribes and causing immense destruction and death.
• Luohou responds arrogantly, claiming that the four patriarchs cannot defeat him. He activates the Zhuxian Sword Formation, using the four swords—Zhuxian, Luxian, Xianxian, and Juexian—to seal the entire western region in terrifying killing energy.
• Hong Jun recognizes that the formation can only be broken by four beings of equal rank. The four patriarchs therefore separate and attack one formation gate each:
  • Hong Jun: Zhuxian Gate
  • Yang Mei: Xianxian Gate
  • Yin-Yang: Luxian Gate
  • Qiankun: Juexian Gate
• Luohou strengthens his position with the World-Destroying Black Lotus and draws the God-Slaying Spear, an Innate Supreme Treasure capable of piercing and destroying a powerful being’s Primordial Spirit.
• Taking advantage of the formation’s ability to divide his enemies, Luohou attacks Qiankun Patriarch. Though Qiankun uses the Heaven-Earth Cauldron to defend himself, the God-Slaying Spear bypasses the defense and pierces him.
• Qiankun Patriarch is killed instantly, his Dao extinguished. However, the Heaven-Earth Cauldron simultaneously strikes Luohou’s World-Destroying Black Lotus, seriously injuring Luohou.
• Luohou suppresses his wounds, puts away the spear, and immediately turns his killing intent toward Yin-Yang Patriarch.

Character Developments

• Luohou: Demonstrates his cunning, arrogance, and overwhelming combat ability. Rather than fight all four patriarchs directly, he uses the Zhuxian Sword Formation to isolate them and eliminate them individually. Despite suffering serious injuries, he remains aggressive and determined to prove himself through slaughter.
• Hong Jun: Acts as the strategic leader of the group. He quickly understands the structure of the Zhuxian Sword Formation and realizes that four equally powerful opponents are required to break it.
• Qiankun Patriarch: Shows confidence in his Heaven-Earth Cauldron but is ultimately unable to defend against the God-Slaying Spear. His death marks a major turning point in the confrontation.
• Yang Mei and Yin-Yang Patriarch: Join the assault on Luohou and follow Hong Jun’s plan, though their survival is immediately threatened after Qiankun’s death.
• The Heavenly Dao: Though not directly present, it influences the conflict by suppressing Luohou’s attempted breakthrough and forcing him to continue through the tribulation.

Significant Themes

• The struggle between Dao and demonic power: Hong Jun and the patriarchs frame Luohou as a destructive devil, while Luohou seeks to overturn the established order and attain the Dao through slaughter.
• The cost of ambition: Luohou’s schemes have devastated the Primordial World, and his pursuit of transcendence has led to mass death and destruction.
• Strategy versus strength: The battle emphasizes that even supreme power must be paired with tactics. Luohou’s formation and targeted attacks allow him to overcome a numerical disadvantage.
• The fragility of powerful beings: Despite their immense cultivation and supreme treasures, even the patriarchs can be killed instantly by a weapon suited to destroying the Primordial Spirit.
• The consequences of the tribulation: The Killing Intent and destructive energy generated by the earlier tribal war now empower Luohou and shape the battlefield.

Character Interactions

• Hong Jun, Qiankun, Yang Mei, and Yin-Yang unite against Luohou, publicly condemning his actions and declaring their intent to kill him.
• Luohou mocks the four patriarchs as hypocrites and challenges their belief that they can defeat him.
• Hong Jun explains the formation’s weakness and coordinates the group’s four-pronged assault.
• Luohou directly targets Qiankun first, killing him with the God-Slaying Spear despite Qiankun’s attempt to block the attack with the Heaven-Earth Cauldron.
• Qiankun’s final counterattack wounds Luohou, but Luohou immediately begins pursuing Yin-Yang Patriarch, leaving the remaining battle poised to escalate.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yin-Yang Patriarch breaks through the Slaying Immortals Formation gate using the Taiji Diagram and Yin-Yang Sword.
• Luohou, enraged by Qiankun Patriarch's death, attacks Yin-Yang Patriarch, killing him despite his powerful Innate Supreme Treasure, the Taiji Diagram.
• Yang Mei flees, abandoning Hong Jun, who is left to face Luohou.
• Hong Jun deploys his Three Corpses, each holding a small flag, to suppress the other formation gates of the Zhuxian Sword Formation.
• Luohou wounds Hong Jun's Three Corpses, but Hong Jun uses the Pangu Banner to drive Luohou back and seizes the Zhuxian Sword Formation.
• Luohou offers Demon Dao to the Heavenly Dao, attaining the Dao unconventionally, and self-destructs, causing widespread destruction in the west.

Character Developments

• Yin-Yang Patriarch's power is showcased but ultimately futile against Luohou's determination and strength.
• Hong Jun reveals his Three Corpses and the Pangu Banner, demonstrating his hidden power and cunning.
• Luohou, despite his injuries, maintains his formidable strength and strategic thinking, ultimately sacrificing himself to ensure Demon Dao's existence.

Significant Themes

• The power of determination and will (Luohou's resolve in killing Yin-Yang Patriarch and his final self-destruction).
• The consequences of one's actions (Hong Jun's karmic burden for the western lands' destruction and the influence of inner demons in cultivation).
• The balance of Yin and Yang (Demon Dao's entry into the world and its intertwining with the Dao).

Character Interactions

• Luohou's icy determination and hatred drive his pursuit of Yin-Yang Patriarch and his eventual self-destruction.
• Hong Jun's cunning and desperation lead him to abandon his allies and seize the Zhuxian Sword Formation.
• Yang Mei's cowardice in fleeing leaves Hong Jun to face Luohou alone, highlighting the lack of trust and unity among the cultivators.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Four Divine Beasts (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise) gain enlightenment and guard the Four Poles of the Primordial World.
• Hong Jun, after the Dao-Demon Conflict, collects spiritual treasures and returns to his Daoist grounds.
• Red Cloud, upon the end of the Dragon-Han Calamity, decides to take form and enter the world.
• Red Cloud takes form as a young man, his cultivation reaching Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.
• He refines the Boundless Cloud Sea into a Superior-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure, the Boundless Cloud Veil.
• Red Cloud leaves for Fire Cloud Cave, then sets out to explore the Primordial World.
• He senses a stirring in his heart and flies towards Wealth-Bringing Mountain, guarded by a formation.

Character Developments

• Red Cloud takes physical form, demonstrating his power and cultivation growth.
• Hong Jun's cultivation advances significantly after the conflict, gaining insight into attaining the Dao.

Significant Themes

• Transformation and Growth: Red Cloud's transformation into a physical form symbolizes his growth and readiness to enter the world.
• Guardianship and Protection: The Four Divine Beasts guarding the Four Poles represent their role as protectors of the Primordial World.
• Opportunity and Fate: Red Cloud's decision to take form and his sensing of an opportunity at Wealth-Bringing Mountain highlight the theme of seizing opportunities and shaping one's fate.

Character Interactions

• While not physically present, the Four Divine Beasts interact with the world through their enlightenment and guardianship.
• Red Cloud interacts with the world through his transformation and exploration, sensing the Heavenly Dao and formations.
• Hong Jun's actions, though not directly interacting with other characters, influence the world and set the stage for Red Cloud's entrance.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Red Cloud uses the "Literary Dao divine ability—War on Paper" to study and breach Wealth-Bringing Mountain's formation.
• He enters the mountain and discovers a Money Tree, a Superior-grade Innate Spiritual Root that bears fruit every 9,000 years, each cluster granting 30,000 years of cultivation.
• Water Cloud, a Primordial Spirit, claims the Money Tree, harmonizing with it and advancing to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.
• Red Cloud cultivates under the Money Tree, evolving small worlds and gaining insights into laws.
• Water Cloud takes form and advances to the early Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.

Character Developments

• Red Cloud: Focuses on cultivation and world evolution, gaining insights into laws.
• Water Cloud: Harmonizes with the Money Tree, advances to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm, and takes form.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation and advancement in the Primordial World.
• The connection between individuals and their fated treasures.
• The power of harmonization between beings and spiritual roots.

Character Interactions

• Red Cloud and Water Cloud: Red Cloud gifts the Money Tree to Water Cloud, who harmonizes with it and advances. They acknowledge each other's progress and support.

Summary: “Water Cloud Makes Her Move”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Water Cloud successfully retrieves the Superior-grade Innate Spiritual Root, the Money Tree, after its protective formation collapses and treasure light fills the sky.
• Red Cloud warns her to conceal the tree, since news of such a treasure would attract powerful enemies. Water Cloud uses her blue mana and Golden Flower to shrink and store the Money Tree within her Essence Flower.
• The chapter explains the significance of the Three Flowers of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Their grade reflects a cultivator’s Innate Origin and determines their potential for future advancement:
  • Water Cloud’s flowers reach the eighth grade, improved by the Money Tree.
  • Red Cloud’s reach the ninth grade.
  • Blood Cloud’s reach the seventh grade.
• The narrative emphasizes that Innate Origin can be strengthened before reaching the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm, but once the Three Flowers are fixed at that breakthrough, further improvement becomes impossible.
• After the Money Tree is secured, Water Cloud and Red Cloud sense that someone has locked onto them. The approaching enemy is identified as a Six-Winged Golden Cicada, an early-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.
• Red Cloud allows Water Cloud to handle the enemy so he can observe the strength of her Formation Dao.
• The Six-Winged Golden Cicada demands to see the treasure Water Cloud discovered. When she denies finding anything, he openly threatens to seize it.
• Water Cloud welcomes the confrontation and engages him in battle.
• The Cicada attacks with his technique, Heaven-Breaking Blade, launching six black wing blades infused with a dark, unpleasant killing aura.
• Water Cloud blocks the attack with a watery barrier, then counters with Boundless Formation: Deep Blue Judgment, creating countless blue judgment spears.
• Relying on his extraordinary speed, the Cicada attempts to evade the attacks, but unknowingly moves deeper into Water Cloud’s formation.
• When he finally realizes that the surrounding void has been trapped, his counterattack exposes the formation but fails to break it. Water Cloud declares that it is already too late for him.

Character Developments

• Water Cloud demonstrates increased confidence and power after obtaining the Money Tree. Her eighth-grade Three Flowers reflect the improvement of her Innate Origin, and she is eager to test herself in combat.
• She displays a playful yet commanding personality, calmly provoking the Cicada while maintaining complete confidence in her Formation Dao.
• Red Cloud acts as a cautious and supportive companion. He understands the danger of revealing the Money Tree and trusts Water Cloud enough to let her face the enemy alone.
• The Six-Winged Golden Cicada is introduced as a proud and aggressive powerhouse. His rare race gives him superior individual combat ability and speed, but his arrogance leads him to underestimate Water Cloud.
• The Cicada’s confidence begins to waver when his wing blades fail to penetrate Water Cloud’s defense and he realizes that her formation has restricted his movements.

Significant Themes

• Power and potential: The chapter explores how Innate Origin and the grade of the Three Flowers determine a cultivator’s future prospects.
• Growth through cultivation and fortune: Water Cloud’s Money Tree enhances her origin, showing how treasures, breakthroughs, and opportunities can alter one’s destiny before the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.
• Individual strength versus collective power: The discussion of the Six-Winged Golden Cicada and the Three Clans contrasts the exceptional strength of rare species with the advantages of large populations.
• Concealment and competition over treasure: The Money Tree must be hidden because valuable treasures inevitably attract danger and conflict.
• Strategy over brute force: Although the Cicada possesses immense speed and powerful weapons, Water Cloud’s careful use of Formation Dao gradually traps him.

Character Interactions

• Red Cloud and Water Cloud cooperate closely, with Red Cloud advising her to conceal the Money Tree and later stepping aside so she can prove her strength.
• Their relationship suggests familiarity and trust, with Water Cloud addressing Red Cloud as a fellow Daoist while speaking with playful confidence.
• The Six-Winged Golden Cicada attempts to intimidate Water Cloud into revealing the Money Tree, but she responds with mockery and challenges him to fight.
• During the battle, Water Cloud exploits the Cicada’s movements rather than confronting his speed directly, turning his own evasive actions into a trap.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Six-Winged Golden Cicada attacks Water Cloud for her treasure.
• Water Cloud uses her power of judgment, making Six-Winged Golden Cicada feel guilty, but he resists.
• They exchange attacks: Six-Winged Golden Cicada uses the Blade of Destruction, while Water Cloud uses her Water Cloud Karmic Fire.
• Water Cloud uses her ultimate move, Karmic Fire Judgment, and Six-Winged Golden Cicada counters with Cosmic Slash.
• Water Cloud deploys Heaven's Net and Earth's Snare, and Six-Winged Golden Cicada uses his Golden Cicada Blade's blade soul to attack.

Character Developments

• Water Cloud demonstrates her power and composure, showing she's a formidable opponent.
• Six-Winged Golden Cicada reveals his strength and cunning, trying to outmaneuver Water Cloud.

Significant Themes

• The power of judgment and guilt.
• The struggle between good (Water Cloud) and evil (Six-Winged Golden Cicada).
• The consequences of one's actions and the inescapable karmic retribution.

Character Interactions

• Water Cloud and Six-Winged Golden Cicada engage in a battle of wits and strength, each trying to outdo the other.
• Water Cloud's calm and composed demeanor contrasts with Six-Winged Golden Cicada's ferocity and desperation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Water Cloud's Heaven's Net and Earth's Snare proves to be a formidable formation, breaking through the Six-Winged Golden Cicada's Golden Cicada Blade and defenses.
• The Six-Winged Golden Cicada, despite being a sham Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, struggles against Water Cloud's power.
• Water Cloud uses Heaven's Net and Earth's Snare to devastating effect, ultimately killing the Six-Winged Golden Cicada and absorbing his origin energy with the Money Tree.
• Water Cloud refines the Golden Cicada Blade, discovering it's a Lesser-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure.
• Red Cloud arrives, and Water Cloud decides to explore the Primordial World alone, planning to meet Red Cloud later when Hong Jun becomes a saint.

Character Developments

• Water Cloud demonstrates her immense power and formation mastery, easily defeating the Six-Winged Golden Cicada.
• The Six-Winged Golden Cicada reveals his true strength and desperation in the face of Water Cloud's power.
• Water Cloud shows a playful, confident side when interacting with Red Cloud.

Significant Themes

• Power dynamics and the consequences of underestimating one's opponent (Water Cloud vs. Six-Winged Golden Cicada).
• The value of spiritual treasures and the materials used to forge them (Golden Cicada Blade).
• The importance of alliances and future plans (Water Cloud and Red Cloud's parting).

Character Interactions

• Water Cloud and the Six-Winged Golden Cicada: A one-sided battle where Water Cloud's power and formations overwhelm the Six-Winged Golden Cicada.
• Water Cloud and Red Cloud: A friendly, somewhat flirtatious exchange between the two, with Water Cloud teasing Red Cloud about his intentions. They plan to meet again when Hong Jun becomes a saint.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Red Cloud, after parting from Water Cloud, wanders the Primordial World for tens of thousands of years, contemplating laws, the Great Dao, and his path ahead.
• Hong Jun's preaching of the Dao leads Innate Divine Beings to pursue the Immortal Dao, pressuring those who might have forged their own paths.
• Jieyin and Zhunti, two Innate Divine Beings, persist in forging their own Buddhist Dao independent of the Immortal Dao.
• Red Cloud plans to cultivate to Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Perfection before Hong Jun preaches the Dao, aiming to find his own road and break through to Primordial Golden Immortal.

Character Developments

• Red Cloud: Reflects on the Great Dao, plans his cultivation path, and refines artifacts and pills, demonstrating his growth and determination.
• Hong Jun: Introduced as a pivotal figure who preaches the Dao, influencing the cultivation paths of Innate Divine Beings.
• Jieyin and Zhunti: Show resilience and independence by forging their own Buddhist Dao, setting them apart from other Innate Divine Beings.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of the Great Dao and the challenges faced in doing so.
• The influence of external pressure on individual cultivation paths.
• The tension between following established paths and forging one's own.

Character Interactions

• Red Cloud's internal dialogue reveals his thoughts and plans, showing his determination and strategic thinking.
• The mention of other Innate Divine Beings, such as the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and Di Jun, highlights the collective pursuit of the Great Dao and the pressure they face.
• Jieyin and Zhunti's persistence in forging their own path suggests a subtle interaction with Hong Jun's influence, as they choose a different path than the majority.

Chapter Summary: “Eight Desolations Ox”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Red Cloud completes and names a set of twenty-seven formation flags the Three Talents Formation Flags.
  • Three flags create a small formation, nine create a medium formation, and all twenty-seven form a large formation.
  • The interconnected formations are powerful enough to restrain even a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.
• He stores the flags and begins refining pills with the Four Symbols Furnace, treating artifact and pill refinement as ways to test and develop his understanding of the Dao. Red Cloud values failure because it provides greater insight and experience.
• While traveling through the Primordial World, Red Cloud gathers rare spiritual herbs and plants them with the help of the Hundred Herbs Diagram.
• Resting in a mountain range, he hears the roar of an enormous Eight Desolations Ox, an Immortal Species at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm.
• The ox attacks Red Cloud with specially refined body barbs. Most are magical artifacts, while some are Lesser-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasures capable of self-detonating and seriously injuring opponents.
• Red Cloud effortlessly freezes the barbs in midair and sends them flying away, where they explode harmlessly. The terrified ox flees.
• Suspecting that the ox’s strength and unusual ability to detect his concealed presence indicate a hidden treasure or spiritual source, Red Cloud follows it.
• By deliberately pressuring the ox, Red Cloud forces it toward the place where it instinctively feels safest. The ox eventually enters a valley and disappears.
• Red Cloud realizes that the valley conceals an innate grand formation, suggesting that the seemingly ordinary mountain range contains a major hidden opportunity.

Character Developments

• Red Cloud continues to demonstrate exceptional mastery and confidence. He treats every act of pill-making, artifact refinement, and exploration as part of his Dao cultivation.
• His personality remains curious and methodical. Rather than simply killing the ox, he studies its techniques and follows it to uncover the mountain range’s secret.
• Red Cloud also shows a patient, nurturing side through his collection and cultivation of rare spiritual herbs.
• The Eight Desolations Ox is presented as powerful but disadvantaged. Although it has reached the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, it cannot take human form because of the limitations of its Immortal Species heritage.
• The ox displays ingenuity by weaponizing and refining its own barbs, but it is completely outmatched by Red Cloud and ultimately becomes an unwitting guide.

Significant Themes

• Dao cultivation through experimentation: Refining pills and artifacts is portrayed as a process of testing, failure, and deriving deeper truths about the Dao.
• Fate and opportunity: Red Cloud initially has no strong karmic connection to the hidden formation, but his curiosity allows him to encounter an opportunity that might otherwise have passed him by.
• Racial hierarchy and limitations: The distinctions between Spirit Species, Immortal Species, and Variant Species reveal how innate bloodlines determine cultivation potential, physical form, and status.
• Strength versus ingenuity: The ox’s self-detonating barbs are clever and dangerous, but cleverness alone cannot overcome an overwhelming difference in cultivation.
• Hidden treasures and exploration: The ordinary mountain range conceals an innate grand formation, reinforcing the idea that great opportunities may lie beneath seemingly insignificant appearances.

Character Interactions

• Red Cloud encounters the Eight Desolations Ox after hearing its roar and observes its cultivation, body, and unusual attack methods.
• The ox launches a surprise attack, but Red Cloud neutralizes it effortlessly without suffering harm.
• Rather than engaging in a direct battle, Red Cloud manipulates the situation by pursuing and intimidating the ox, causing it to flee toward its hidden refuge.
• The ox unknowingly leads Red Cloud into a valley containing an innate grand formation, setting up the chapter’s next major discovery.

Chapter Summary: Delighted to Obtain the Judge’s Brush (Happy May Day)

Key Plot Points and Events

• After confirming the existence of an Innate Formation in Netherworld Mountain, Red Cloud cautiously studies it rather than entering recklessly. With the help of the Illustrated Record of Literary Fortune, he spends over ten thousand years comprehending the formation and gains a trace of Netherworld Law.
• He identifies the formation as the Innate Netherworld Formation, despite the fact that Reincarnation and the Netherworld have not yet officially appeared.
• Inside the formation, Red Cloud finds countless Jade Ganoderma Immortal Herbs filled with Netherworld aura. He ignores the herbs at first and searches for the Eight Desolations Ox.
• The Eight Desolations Ox is found sleeping after recovering from its injuries and absorbing Netherworld power. Because of its enormous killing intent and karmic sins, Red Cloud kills it with a single Sword Qi attack without incurring negative karma.
• A repulsive force prevents Red Cloud from reaching the formation’s core, but the Netherworld Law he comprehended allows him to pass through.
• At the core, he discovers the Judge’s Brush, also called the Reincarnation Brush, a Superior-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure associated with Reincarnation. The brush possesses thirty-six Innate Restrictions and accepts Red Cloud’s refinement.
• Although the Judge’s Brush is extremely powerful in theory, its true abilities cannot yet be used because Reincarnation, the Netherworld, and its paired treasure—the Human Book, or Book of Life and Death—have not yet emerged. For now, it functions mainly as a potent offensive treasure carrying dangerous death aura.
• Red Cloud also obtains the Netherworld True Gold forming the platform beneath the brush. He considers using it to forge unusual treasures infused with Netherworld power.
• Once the brush and Netherworld True Gold are removed, the Innate Netherworld Formation collapses. Its accumulated Netherworld aura spreads across the mountain, transforming it into a gloomy, ghostly place.
• Red Cloud discovers a Netherworld Spring Eye, which appears to connect to the future Netherworld Realm. He briefly investigates but retreats because the space within is directionless, extremely stable, and dangerous to navigate.
• From the spring, he collects more than a dozen drops of Netherworld Sacred Water, a rare substance formed from condensed Netherworld aura that possesses extraordinary life-restoring properties, rivaling the legendary Three Lights Divine Water.
• He then plunders additional rare Netherworld treasures from the transformed mountain. The resulting disturbance attracts powerful cultivators, including Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals.
• Just as Red Cloud prepares to leave, a strange one-legged bird arrives. He recognizes it as the Primordial World’s Variant Species, the Omen Fire Bird, Bi Fang.

Character Developments

• Red Cloud demonstrates his characteristic caution and strategic thinking by carefully analyzing the formation before entering it.
• His comprehension of Netherworld Law marks a significant advancement, giving him a new connection to the future Netherworld and Reincarnation.
• Red Cloud’s discovery of the Judge’s Brush greatly expands his future prospects. He realizes that possessing it may grant him the qualifications to participate in the affairs of Reincarnation and the underworld.
• His opportunistic and resourceful nature is shown through his collection of the Judge’s Brush, Netherworld True Gold, Netherworld Sacred Water, and other rare treasures.
• He remains prudent even after gaining valuable treasures, refusing to risk becoming trapped inside the Netherworld Spring Eye.
• The Eight Desolations Ox is eliminated as a dangerous, karmically burdened creature before it can become a future threat.

Significant Themes

• Caution and preparation: Red Cloud’s success comes from understanding the formation before acting, reflecting the dangers of the Primordial World.
• Death giving rise to life: Netherworld Sacred Water embodies the paradox that vitality and creation can emerge from death.
• Future destiny and strategic positioning: By obtaining the Judge’s Brush before the Netherworld and Reincarnation appear, Red Cloud secures an important connection to future cosmic developments.
• Treasure and opportunity: Red Cloud repeatedly turns dangerous discoveries into advantages, gathering resources that may provide both cultivation benefits and tactical weapons.
• The unknown nature of the Netherworld: The chapter emphasizes that the Netherworld already has hidden foundations before its official emergence, hinting at larger mysteries in the world’s development.

Character Interactions

• Red Cloud has a brief but decisive interaction with the Eight Desolations Ox, killing it while it sleeps to remove a potential danger.
• He forms a favorable connection with the Judge’s Brush by using Netherworld Law to refine it, suggesting that the treasure recognizes his affinity with its power.
• His collection of Netherworld treasures indirectly draws the attention of outside cultivators, setting up future conflict.
• The chapter ends with the arrival of Bi Fang, whose sudden appearance introduces a new powerful character and likely confrontation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bi Fang, a Variant Species of the Primordial World, arrives and confronts Red Cloud.
• Bi Fang attacks Red Cloud without provocation, using his powerful cultivation and the Thorn Feather, a plume from a Primordial Phoenix.
• Red Cloud uses his Heaven-and-Earth Transformation to match Bi Fang's size and counters with his Illustrated Record of Literary Fortune.

Character Developments

• Bi Fang: Reveals his true form and powerful cultivation, demonstrating his combat prowess and thirst for battle.
• Red Cloud: Initially appears easy-going but reveals hidden strength and vigilance, showing his ability to adapt to powerful opponents.

Significant Themes

• Power and Strength: Both characters exhibit immense power, highlighting the theme of strength determining one's actions and status.
• Vigilance and Adaptability: Red Cloud's vigilance and ability to adapt to Bi Fang's attacks showcase the importance of these traits in survival and combat.

Character Interactions

• Bi Fang and Red Cloud: Their interaction is hostile, with Bi Fang attacking first and Red Cloud responding in kind. Despite their power difference, Red Cloud manages to hold his ground, surprising Bi Fang.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Red Cloud battles Bi Fang, using the latter's Phoenix Truefire to temper his essence, energy, and spirit.
• The battle destroys a vast region, turning it into a desert.
• Red Cloud uses the Four Symbols Divine Swords to wound Bi Fang, then traps him in a heavenly net and kills him.
• Red Cloud takes Bi Fang's origin and Thorn Feather, a Mid-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure forged from the Primordial Phoenix's plume.
• Red Cloud decides to target the Three Clans (Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin) for revenge and their treasures once he reaches the Primordial Golden Immortal realm.

Character Developments

• Red Cloud: Demonstrates his immense power and strategic patience, using Bi Fang's Phoenix Truefire to improve himself and ultimately defeating Bi Fang.
• Bi Fang: Reveals his true form and origin but is ultimately killed by Red Cloud.

Significant Themes

• Power and cultivation: Red Cloud's strength and strategic use of Bi Fang's power highlight the importance of cultivation and power in this world.
• Revenge: Red Cloud's decision to target the Three Clans is driven by his desire for revenge.
• Treasure and wealth: The Three Clans' treasures are a significant motivator for Red Cloud's actions.

Character Interactions

• Red Cloud vs. Bi Fang: The main interaction in this chapter is the intense battle between Red Cloud and Bi Fang, showcasing their power and strategic thinking.
• Red Cloud's future plans: Red Cloud's decision to target the Three Clans hints at his future interactions with them.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Red Cloud travels across the Primordial World, gathering rare materials, spiritual medicines, and remnant souls.
• He decides to enter seclusion to consolidate his cultivation and refines Blood-Origin Pills, aiming for a Nine-Turn Golden Pill.
• Over a thousand years, Red Cloud attempts to refine the pill, failing at the stage of writing his Great Dao Foundation into it.

Character Developments

• Red Cloud demonstrates his dedication to refining pills, showing patience and persistence in his alchemy practice.
• He reveals his understanding of the differences between Innate and Acquired Dao Foundations and the challenges in refining a Nine-Turn Golden Pill.

Significant Themes

• Patience and Persistence: Red Cloud's commitment to refining pills, even after a thousand years of failure, highlights the importance of perseverance in cultivation and personal growth.
• Understanding the Dao: The process of refining pills is likened to comprehending the Dao, emphasizing the interconnectedness of alchemy and spiritual growth.
• The Limitations of Pills: The chapter explores the limits of using pills to advance cultivation, suggesting that personal understanding and matching one's Dao Foundation are crucial for further progress.

Character Interactions

• Although Red Cloud interacts with no other characters in this chapter, his internal dialogue and thoughts reveal his determination and understanding of alchemy and the Dao.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Red Cloud, unable to directly inscribe a complete Great Dao Foundation, conceives the idea of a Dao Foundation Seed that evolves into a complete foundation based on the user's state of mind and insights.
• He successfully creates the Dao Seed Alchemy Method, allowing him to refine Nine-Turn Golden Pills, a significant achievement in the Alchemy Dao.
• Red Cloud refines multiple batches of Nine-Turn Golden Pills, with a success rate of only one percent due to the limitations of his alchemy furnace.
• He proposes the conjecture of the Dao Seed Path-Realization Method for his future Dao realization.

Character Developments

• Red Cloud's understanding and skill in the Alchemy Dao significantly improve, leading to a breakthrough in his cultivation path.
• His insight into the Literary Dao deepens, allowing him to propose a method for his future Dao realization.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of perfection and breakthrough in one's cultivation path.
• The importance of personal insight and understanding in the cultivation process.
• The limitations of one's tools and resources in achieving one's goals.

Character Interactions

• There are no significant character interactions in this chapter, as it primarily focuses on Red Cloud's personal cultivation and achievements.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Red Cloud leaves the Alchemy Hall after refining the Nine-Turn Golden Pill and breaking through in cultivation.
• He arrives at Thunder Abyss, home to the Thunder-Ember Worms, and is attacked by them.
• Red Cloud uses the Four Symbols Seal to devastate the area, killing countless Thunder-Ember Worms.
• The Thunder-Ember Ancestor, a mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, emerges from underground.

Character Developments

• Red Cloud's cultivation improves significantly, allowing him to suppress his former self.
• The Thunder-Ember Ancestor is revealed to be a powerful Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal who can control and empower other Thunder-Ember Worms.

Significant Themes

• Power and strength: Red Cloud's growing power is a central theme, as is the Thunder-Ember Ancestor's formidable might.
• Fear and courage: The Thunder-Ember Worms initially show no fear of Red Cloud, but they do fear death and flee when faced with his power.

Character Interactions

• Red Cloud vs. Thunder-Ember Worms: Red Cloud easily defeats the swarm of Thunder-Ember Worms, demonstrating his overwhelming power.
• Red Cloud vs. Thunder-Ember Ancestor: The Thunder-Ember Ancestor challenges Red Cloud, leading to a potential confrontation between two powerful beings.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Thunder-Ember Ancestor and Red Cloud engage in a fierce battle.
• Thunder-Ember Ancestor reveals the Thunder Spirit Pearl, a Superior-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, and unleashes its power.
• Red Cloud uses the Illustrated Record of Literary Fortune and Verbal Swords and Spears to counter Thunder-Ember Ancestor's attacks.
• Thunder-Ember Ancestor summons a massive thunderstorm, but Red Cloud survives and defeats him using the Heaven-Measuring Ruler of Primordial Chaos.
• Red Cloud refines the Thunder Spirit Pearl, gaining a 24% comprehension of Thunder Law, and seizes the Thunder-Ember Worm clan's treasures.

Character Developments

• Thunder-Ember Ancestor: Shows immense power but ultimately falls to Red Cloud.
• Red Cloud: Demonstrates his strength and strategic prowess, refining the Thunder Spirit Pearl and gaining a significant understanding of Thunder Law.

Significant Themes

• The power of innate spiritual treasures and their role in battle.
• The strategic use of divine abilities and spiritual treasures.
• The consequences of refusing instruction or guidance.

Character Interactions

• Thunder-Ember Ancestor and Red Cloud: Engage in a intense battle, showcasing their respective powers and strategies.
• Red Cloud and the surviving Thunder-Ember Worms: The worms show fear and submission to Red Cloud, highlighting his dominance and their lack of resistance.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Water Cloud, seeking the Treasure-Dropping Coin and Treasure-Gathering Basin, calculates Wuyi Mountain's location and travels there.
• She encounters an Innate Formation protecting Wuyi Mountain, which she breaks through after a thousand years.
• Inside, she finds a blessed grotto-heaven with spiritual herbs and immortal roots. She follows a sense of guidance to Heavenheart Rock, where she becomes the master of Wuyi Mountain.
• She discovers an Innate Formation protecting a Big Red Robe Mother Tree, which she passes through to find the Treasure-Dropping Coin hiding on the tree.
• Water Cloud refines the Treasure-Dropping Coin and it takes residence in her spirit flower, boosting her Primordial Spirit condensation speed.

Character Developments

• Water Cloud demonstrates her Formation Dao mastery by breaking the Innate Formation and deducing another formation in a short time.
• The Treasure-Dropping Coin shows high spirituality and chooses Water Cloud as its master after sensing her Money Tree aura.

Significant Themes

• Pursuit of wealth and treasure, as Water Cloud seeks the Treasure-Dropping Coin and Treasure-Gathering Basin.
• Mastery of formations, showcased by Water Cloud's ability to break and deduce formations.
• Spiritual connection and recognition, seen in the Treasure-Dropping Coin's choice of Water Cloud as its master.

Character Interactions

• Water Cloud interacts with the Treasure-Dropping Coin, luring it to her and refining it as her new spiritual treasure.
• Water Cloud's spirit flower and the Treasure-Dropping Coin establish a connection, boosting her Primordial Spirit condensation speed.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Water Cloud retrieves the first batch of Big Red Robe Mother Tea and brews it, entering a state of enlightenment.
• During enlightenment, she gains profound insights into the Water Law and Formation Dao, advancing to the Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.
• She transplants the Big Red Robe Mother Tree into the Hundred Herbs Diagram and plunders Wuyi Mountain's treasures.
• Red Cloud discovers the Burning Heart Pine, a high-grade Acquired Spiritual Root, and refines its seeds to break through to the Late-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.
• He transplants the Burning Heart Pine into his Hundred Herbs Diagram and travels to Buzhou Mountain.

Character Developments

• Water Cloud: Advances in cultivation and understanding of Water Law and Formation Dao after consuming Big Red Robe Mother Tea.
• Red Cloud: Breaks through to the Late-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm after refining Burning Heart Seeds.

Significant Themes

• Enlightenment: A rare state that can lead to rapid cultivation advancement and understanding of laws.
• Spiritual Roots: Plants with extraordinary properties that can aid cultivation or have other miraculous effects.
• Cultivation Advancement: The primary goal of the characters, driving their actions and decisions.

Character Interactions

• No significant interactions between characters in this chapter. Both Water Cloud and Red Cloud act independently.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Red Cloud enters the Buzhou Wasteland and reaches Buzhou Mountain, where he meets Blood Cloud.
• Fire Cloud emerges from Red Cloud's Boundless Cloud Veil, seeking an opportunity meant for him from Blood Cloud.
• Blood Cloud gives Fire Cloud the Hundred Herbs Diagram, which contains the Parasol Tree, a Superior-grade Innate Spiritual Root. Fire Cloud enters the Parasol Tree to break through his cultivation bottleneck.
• While Fire Cloud cultivates, Red Cloud and Blood Cloud discuss the Dao, answering each other's questions about the nature of the Dao, good and evil, karma, and cultivation.

Character Developments

• Red Cloud: Shows wisdom and enlightenment in his discussions with Blood Cloud about the Dao.
• Blood Cloud: Demonstrates understanding and insight in his responses to Red Cloud's questions about the Dao.
• Fire Cloud: Breaks through to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm after cultivating with the Parasol Tree.

Significant Themes

• The nature of the Dao and how to approach it.
• The importance of cultivating without attachment or discrimination.
• The equality of all living beings before the Great Dao.
• The concept of karma and retribution as a natural flow of cause and effect.

Character Interactions

• Red Cloud and Blood Cloud: Engage in a profound discussion about the Dao, each asking and answering the other's questions.
• Red Cloud and Fire Cloud: Greet each other warmly and acknowledge Fire Cloud's breakthrough.
• Blood Cloud and Fire Cloud: Blood Cloud gifts Fire Cloud the Hundred Herbs Diagram, showing camaraderie and understanding.