Chapter Summaries

After comprehending the Green Lotus’s Dao, Zhao Li transformed his cultivation path and learned that the lotus was the Dou Qi Continent’s true Plane Embryo. He gained its recognition and a lotus seed, then told the First Emperor that the Green Lotus wanted him to help the continent grow.

• Zhao Li realized the Green Lotus had transformed him into Chaos, making his Inner Universe the focus of his cultivation and placing him at a Great Dao-level status.
• Zhao Li recognized the Green Lotus’s urging to replenish it and learned that it was recovering from Third Grade to Fourth Grade and needed energy and Dao essence.
• The Green Lotus gave Zhao Li a lotus seed, granting him authority over the Dou Qi Continent’s Plane Embryo second only to the lotus itself.
• The First Emperor examined Zhao Li’s improved aura and identified the seed as a newly born Plane Embryo that had recognized him.
• Zhao Li told the First Emperor that the Green Lotus wanted him to strengthen the Dou Qi Continent by helping its experts grow.

Zhao Li told the First Emperor he would help advance the Dou Qi Continent but would not promise to accomplish it alone. He proposed strengthening the continent’s origin by restoring Origin Qi and teaching many cultivation paths, and the First Emperor warned that careless instruction could stifle future generations; Zhao Li accepted the risk of being surpassed.

• Zhao Li told the First Emperor that advancing the Dou Qi Continent would take the efforts of many and that he would only do what he could.
• The First Emperor criticized Zhao Li for disclaiming responsibility, but Zhao Li explained that strengthening the continent would also strengthen him.
• The First Emperor accepted Zhao Li’s limits and advised him to do what he could and leave the rest to time.
• Zhao Li proposed restoring Origin Qi and teaching many paths so the continent’s origin and its cultivators could grow together.
• The First Emperor warned that poorly planned teachings could block future progress and asked whether Zhao Li feared being surpassed.
• Zhao Li said the paths of later generations would nourish him through his control of the Plane Embryo and that he would accept being surpassed.

Zhao Li explained why he was unafraid of being surpassed and described his plans to foster varied schools of cultivation on the Dou Qi Continent. First Emperor agreed to help and passed Zhao Li cultivation methods for Heavenly Supremes.

• Zhao Li told First Emperor that he welcomed others surpassing him and believed the world needed more than one person to advance.
• First Emperor asked how Zhao Li would persuade the fighting-minded cultivators of the Dou Qi Continent to listen without ruling through force.
• Zhao Li described Great Li’s reforms and his plans to spread teachings and encourage diverse paths of cultivation.
• First Emperor praised Zhao Li’s ambition but warned that changing the continent would be extremely difficult.
• First Emperor revealed that he could be resurrected only after the Green Lotus reached its seventh grade and said he could not leave as a remnant will.
• Zhao Li asked First Emperor to provide cultivation methods for Heavenly Supremes, and First Emperor handed them over.

Zhao Li left the space of the First Emperor with a new inheritance and returned to the Magma World, where Yao Chen and Yun Shan had been searching for him. He learned that less than half an hour had passed outside despite the years he had spent inside, and began considering how the space’s flow of time could help him advance.

• The First Emperor gave Zhao Li a Storage Ring, sent him away, and hoped he would succeed in strengthening the Dou Qi Continent.
• Yao Chen and Yun Shan searched the Magma World for Zhao Li and found that the Jade Talisman could no longer contact him.
• Zhao Li returned suddenly, and Yao Chen and Yun Shan asked what had happened inside the space.
• Zhao Li asked how long he had been gone, and Yun Shan told him that less than half an hour had passed.
• Zhao Li realized the space could give him time to develop his Inner Universe and pursue the Dominator realm.

Zhao Li gave Xiao Yan the strengthened Green Lotus Core Flame and protected him as he swallowed it to refine it. Xiao Yan began enduring the flame’s destruction and slow reconstruction of his body, but he could not yet reach or tame it.

• Zhao Li told Yun Shan, Yao Chen, and the others a little about the First Emperor, leaving them shaken by the legendary Dou Di.
• Xiao Yan asked Zhao Li about the Green Lotus Core Flame, and Zhao Li revealed that it had grown to Twelfth Rank.
• Zhao Li gave Xiao Yan the flame and urged him to refine it with the Flame Mantra while he provided protection.
• After Yao Chen confirmed Zhao Li could be trusted, Xiao Yan swallowed the Green Lotus Core Flame.
• Zhao Li injected Creation Force into Xiao Yan and placed the Azure Lotus Seed in his Qi Sea, easing most of the pain as Xiao Yan’s body began rebuilding.
• Xiao Yan tried to tame the flame but found that his destroyed meridians and burned-away Dou Qi left him unable to touch it.

Xiao Yan endured the Green Lotus Core Flame and transformed his body, soul, and Qi Vortex by learning to draw in the Azure Lotus Seed’s energy. He then refined the Green Lotus Core Flame, leaving Zhao Li impressed by the method’s power.

• Xiao Yan repeatedly tried to control the special energy around the Azure Lotus Seed until he drew a wisp into his Qi Vortex and began transforming it.
• Zhao Li watched over Xiao Yan as his body, soul, and Qi Vortex changed, while Yao Chen and Yun Shan grew confident in his recovery.
• Xiao Yan returned to awareness with a greatly strengthened body and a transformed Qi Vortex, then triggered a surge of energy from the Azure Lotus Seed.
• Yun Shan recognized that Xiao Yan had touched the Spirit Realm, and Zhao Li urged him to use his breakthrough to refine the Green Lotus Core Flame.
• Xiao Yan guided the Green Lotus Core Flame through his meridians until it merged into them and his Dou Qi, then opened his eyes with green flames flickering in them.
• Zhao Li realized that Xiao Yan’s method came from a sovereign-level existence.

After refining the Green Lotus Core Flame, Xiao Yan discovered that the Flame Mantra had raised his strength beyond the Dou King Level and begun transforming his foundation. He continued cultivating to test whether the method could evolve, and found that it had formed a new meridian network that greatly increased his Dou Qi.

• Zhao Li realized that the Flame Mantra let Xiao Yan absorb the Green Lotus Core Flame’s attributes into his foundation while the flame itself remained available as a weapon.
• Zhao Li reflected that Xiao Yan’s progress came from both the Flame Mantra and the transformation he had previously bestowed on him.
• Xiao Yan suppressed the urge to end his cultivation and summoned the Green Lotus Core Flame to test whether the Flame Mantra could evolve.
• Xiao Yan endured intense pain as he circulated the flame through the cultivation method again and again.
• Xiao Yan discovered that the flame had opened new meridians, creating a more efficient network that increased the quantity and quality of his Dou Qi.

Xiao Yan successfully devoured the Green Lotus Core Flame, evolving the Flame Mantra and advancing to Dou King. Yao Chen warned him that refining the next Heavenly Flame would be far more dangerous, while Zhao Li quietly recorded the moment.

• Xiao Yan discovered that his meridians had widened and transformed, allowing his Dou Qi to circulate far faster than before.
• Yao Chen congratulated Xiao Yan on proving that the Flame Mantra could devour Heavenly Flames, and Zhao Li explained that Xiao Yan had reached Dou King with an Earth Tier Low Grade cultivation technique.
• Xiao Yan manifested azure Dou Qi Wings through his own strength and realized he had joined the ranks of the continent's strong.
• Xiao Yan thanked Zhao Li for guarding him and told Yao Chen that his resurrection would not be far off.
• Yao Chen warned Xiao Yan that the coming battle for a Heavenly Flame in the Snake People Tribe's Ancestral Land would take place within his body and could kill him if he was careless.

After Xiao Yan returned from the underground Magma World as a Dou King, Yun Shan entrusted the little snake Little Cai to him while she fused her soul. Zhao Li then shared a startling plan with Yun Shan and Yao Chen, leaving them stunned and the future uncertain.

• Yao Chen warned Xiao Yan not to let his rapid advancement make him careless, and Zhao Li brought them out of the underground Magma World.
• Zhao Li summoned Yun Shan, who was astonished by Xiao Yan's new Dou King strength and asked about Little Cai.
• Yun Shan revealed Little Cai in her nine-colored snake form, and she flew eagerly toward Xiao Yan.
• Yun Shan asked Xiao Yan to care for Little Cai while she fused her soul, and Yao Chen agreed to the arrangement.
• Zhao Li transmitted his plans to Yun Shan and Yao Chen, leaving both men stunned by the information.

Yao Chen agreed to guide Xiao Yan toward the Eastern Region while Yun Shan returned to Jade Capital to help improve the Jia Ma Empire. Zhao Li arrived at Ancient Saint City to approach Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi, but Gu Lie attacked him, and Zhao Li halted everything with a single word.

• Yao Chen promised Zhao Li that he and Xiao Yan would help spread the teachings in the Eastern Region and Great Li.
• Zhao Li instructed Yun Shan to return to Jade Capital, update his knowledge, and bring people back to improve the Jia Ma Empire's productivity.
• Yao Chen sent Xiao Yan toward the Black Corner Region and Jia Nan Academy for training, while planning to develop Xiao Yan's Soul Power and Alchemy Technique.
• Zhao Li arrived above Ancient Saint City, where a guard reminded him that flight was forbidden within a thousand li of the city.
• Gu Lie attacked Zhao Li for defying the Gu Clan's rules, and Zhao Li said "Forbidden," freezing everything nearby.

Zhao Li froze Gu Lie with a single word after the Gu Clan leader confronted him for violating Ancient Saint City’s rules. Gu Yuan recognized Zhao Li and hurried to the city, trying to prevent a needless conflict while facing the risk of losing the Gu Clan’s prestige.

• Zhao Li arrived in Ancient Saint City and drew the attention of its residents and the Gu Clan.
• When Gu Lie approached, Zhao Li said “Seal,” cutting off Gu Lie’s access to Heaven and Earth Energy and immobilizing him.
• Onlookers realized Gu Lie could not move, and news of the clash spread through the city and the Gu Clan.
• Gu Yuan suspected the mysterious expert was Zhao Li and teleported to Ancient Saint City to address him.
• Before appearing, Gu Yuan called out to Zhao Li and asked him to calm down and explain why he had not announced his visit.

Zhao Li visited the Gu Clan and revealed that he had discovered a secret about the Dou Di realm, drawing Gu Yuan’s interest. After bringing Zhao Li to his residence, Gu Yuan explained his belief that the continent lacked the energy needed for anyone to become a Dou Di.

• Gu Yuan revealed Zhao Li’s identity to the gathered Gu Clan members and outsiders, calming those who had considered challenging him.
• Zhao Li crushed Gu Lie’s imprisoned space into pieces, then showed mercy as Gu Lie recognized him and thanked him.
• Gu Yuan asked why Zhao Li had come, and Zhao Li said he had discovered secrets about the Dou Di beyond the known lack of Origin Qi.
• Gu Yuan isolated the space around them and invited Zhao Li into the Ancient Realm to discuss the revelation.
• Zhao Li noticed that the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame had lost its origin, then asked Gu Yuan why no Dou Di had appeared since Tou She Ancient God.
• Gu Yuan said the Dou Qi Continent lacked a special energy required to become a Dou Di and lamented Xiao Xuan’s fate.

Zhao Li revealed to Gu Yuan an energy resembling Origin Qi that could fill the weakness in his soul and enable a breakthrough to Dou Di. Gu Yuan realized Zhao Li had already reached that realm, leaving him stunned by how far Zhao Li had surpassed him.

• Gu Yuan recalled Xiao Xuan's strength and asked Zhao Li what discovery could overcome the lack of Origin Qi.
• Zhao Li manifested a wisp of golden energy, and Gu Yuan immediately sensed it could let him become a Dou Di.
• Zhao Li withdrew the energy and explained that he had discovered the Secret of the Dou Di.
• Gu Yuan asked whether Zhao Li had already taken that step, and Zhao Li confirmed it with a nod.

Zhao Li sought Gu Yuan’s support for spreading cultivation methods across the Dou Qi Continent so that many cultivators could work toward discovering a path beyond Dou Di. Gu Yuan agreed after Zhao Li promised the Gu Clan Origin Qi, a sermon, an exchange of cultivation insights, and full reimbursement, then Zhao Li transmitted a vast body of information to him.

• Gu Yuan recognized Zhao Li’s Origin Qi and asked what he must do to receive a share.
• Zhao Li described Great Li’s development and asked Gu Yuan to compare the ancient Dou Qi Continent with the present one.
• Zhao Li revealed his plan to spread cultivation methods and hold a Hundred Emperors Discussing the Dao to deduce the way forward.
• Gu Yuan agreed to support Zhao Li’s plan but requested benefits for the Gu Clan.
• Zhao Li promised the Gu Clan a strand of Origin Qi for Gu Yuan, a sermon, cultivation discussions, and reimbursement for its costs.
• Zhao Li touched Gu Yuan’s forehead and sent a vast amount of information into his mind.

Zhao Li instructed Gu Yuan to send selected Gu Clan juniors across the continent to establish local power bases, warning that they would be punished if they abused their authority. After leaving the Ancient Realm, Zhao Li headed to the Ling Clan’s Holy Spirit City to enlist its people in spreading the scriptures.

• Zhao Li explained that Gu Yuan should send capable Dou Zong or stronger juniors to occupy regions and warned that grave misconduct would bring punishment.
• Gu Yuan promised to select and guide suitable candidates, then resolved to study Dou Di methods with Gu Lie after Zhao Li departed.
• Zhao Li planned to involve the major factions in spreading the scriptures and reflected on how Dou Di bloodlines aided cultivation but could hinder later advancement.
• Zhao Li arrived at Holy Spirit City and was stopped at the entrance for lacking an Entry Permit.
• Zhao Li handed a White Jade Pass to the Spirit Guard, whose expression changed drastically upon receiving it.

Zhao Li discovered that the Soul Clan had trapped the Ling Clan inside Hun Tiandi’s Realm of Nothingness and intervened. He entered the Spirit Realm and confronted Hun Tiandi, who was shocked to learn Zhao Li had reached the Dou Di realm.

• Zhao Li presented Gu Yuan’s White Jade Pass at the Ling Clan’s entrance and asked to travel to the Spirit Realm.
• When the Ling Clan’s Spirit Guard could not contact the clan, Zhao Li traced the disrupted message to Nihility Devouring Flame and suspected the Soul Clan was attacking.
• Zhao Li located Hun Tiandi suppressing the Ling Clan inside the Realm of Nothingness and forced his way into the domain.
• Hun Tiandi recognized Zhao Li and was shocked that he had become a Dou Di; breaking into the realm also caused Hun Tiandi to spit blood.
• Zhao Li greeted Hun Tiandi and searched the Spirit Realm for the familiar presence he sensed there.

Zhao Li arrived in the Spirit Realm as Hun Tiandi attacked the Ling Clan and revealed himself as a Dou Di, leaving Hun Tiandi unable to accept that someone else had surpassed his thousand-year plan. Hun Tiandi attacked Zhao Li with a soul-suppressing technique, but Zhao Li stopped and began dissolving it with a single gesture.

• Zhao Li recognized Ling Poshan from a Pocket World he had visited a century earlier and reflected on how much he had surpassed the continent's former powers.
• The Ling Clan realized Zhao Li's arrival had shaken Hun Tiandi and suspected Zhao Li was a Dou Di.
• Hun Tiandi accused Zhao Li of deceiving him and attacked because he refused to believe Zhao Li had obtained what he had sought for a thousand years.
• Hun Tiandi summoned the Soul Suppressing Tombstones, whose aftershock left nearly everyone in the Ling Clan unable to stand.
• Zhao Li dismissed the soul attack as useless, halted the tombstones with a finger, and began dispersing them as he touched Hun Tiandi's formation.

Zhao Li shattered Hun Tiandi’s forbidden attack and trapped him beneath a Five-Finger Mountain, intending to keep him alive for a future plan. When Hun Tiandi demanded to know why Zhao Li had become a Dou Di, Zhao Li concluded that he had never truly belonged to the Dou Qi Continent.

• Hun Tiandi’s Soul Suppressing Tombstone Formation crumbled when Zhao Li broke it with a finger, leaving Hun Tiandi gravely weakened by the backlash.
• Zhao Li suppressed Hun Tiandi beneath a Five-Finger Mountain that used the Azure Lotus Seed and the Power of a Realm to seal him away from Heaven and Earth Energy.
• Zhao Li revealed that he had spared Hun Tiandi because he needed him for a plan and hoped to persuade him to seek realms beyond Dou Di.
• Hun Tiandi demanded to know on what grounds Zhao Li had become a Dou Di after Hun Tiandi had pursued that realm for a thousand years.
• Zhao Li reflected on his path and answered that perhaps he had never been meant to belong to the Dou Qi Continent.

Zhao Li reflected on his ambition to keep pursuing the Dao beyond Dou Di and sent Hun Tiandi away with the Journey to the West Scripture Transmission. After restoring the Ling Clan, he asked whether Ling Poshan had family, hoping to learn if the people from the Pocket World had all arrived.

• Zhao Li resolved to keep advancing toward the summit of the Great Dao, while Hun Tiandi wondered whether any realm stood above Dou Di.
• Zhao Li passed the Journey to the West Scripture Transmission to Hun Tiandi and told him that overcoming his obsession could give him a place among Dou Di.
• Zhao Li sent Hun Tiandi and Five-Finger Mountain through a spatial rift to the Abyss of the Sea Boundary, then sent an identical figure after them.
• Zhao Li used Innate Qi to heal the Ling Clan members, and Ling Haoran thanked him after waking.
• Zhao Li praised Ling Poshan’s cultivation and asked Ling Haoran whether the young man had family.

Zhao Li discovered that Ling Poshan and the others had survived in the Ling Clan, and he returned the Great Elder’s entrusted items and message to Ling Poshan. He learned that Ling Meng had been searching for him, but when he refused to meet her, she appeared before him in person.

• Ling Haoran cautiously asked Zhao Li about his connection to Ling Poshan, and Zhao Li explained that someone had entrusted him to look after Ling Poshan.
• Zhao Li revived Ling Poshan by cleansing the deathly energy in his soul, and Ling Poshan recognized him as Ling Li before realizing he had been an outside expert all along.
• Zhao Li transmitted the Great Elder’s message to Ling Poshan, returned his Storage Rings, and gave him a Communication Talisman.
• Ling Poshan told Zhao Li that Ling Meng had been looking for him, but Zhao Li refused to meet her and said to consider Ling Li dead with the village.
• Ling Meng arrived with Spirit Guards and confronted Zhao Li over his refusal to stay, leaving him to consider how to handle her feelings.