Chapter Summaries

After killing Duan Gong, Lu Ren escaped the pursuit of two ancient Feathered God Dynasty elders and hid on a desolate planet to cultivate. As he began assimilating Ancestral Witch blood, his acupoints illuminated his Inner World, revealing how they helped form its universe.

• Lu Ren left the battlefield with two pursuing elders of the Feathered God Dynasty, while Ruthless One withdrew.
• Near the Big Dipper, Lu Ren used a Great Teleportation Formation to escape the two elders, who could not trace his destination.
• After three months of repeated jumps, Lu Ren settled on a barren planet to spend the remaining six years cultivating in seclusion.
• Lu Ren laid down restrictions, concealed himself, and began transforming his blood and body with the Ancestral Witch bloodline.
• As Lu Ren cultivated, starlight appeared in his Inner World and his three hundred and sixty-five major Acupoints shone like stars.

Lu Ren completed years of Ancestral Witch bloodline cultivation but left before reaching the Earth Immortal Realm, keeping his remaining system resources in reserve. Minutes after he returned, a powerful woman arrived at the barren planet and inspected the place where he had been.

• Lu Ren watched his Ancestral Witch Bloodline replace his blood and judged that he was still one step short of the Earth Immortal Realm.
• Lu Ren decided to save his Skill Points and Force of Destiny for the World Honored One Heart Sutra in case he needed it against descending immortals and gods.
• Lu Ren compared the cultivation systems of the present world and the Shrouding Heavens World, then resolved to return rather than risk entering a forbidden zone.
• Lu Ren said "Return!" and vanished from the barren planet.
• A woman appeared atop an illusory river, suppressed the world with her power, and stared at the place where Lu Ren had secluded himself.

Lu Ren narrowly avoided being captured by the Ruthless One after she traveled upstream along the river of history in the Shrouding Heavens World. Back in the present, he fortified the expanding passage with a grand formation and inspected China’s completed mothership, where Ji Quanzhen suddenly attacked him.

• The Ruthless One appeared on a barren planet and lamented that she had arrived too late before vanishing.
• Lu Ren returned to the present and saw a system message warning that an unknown existence had traveled upstream through history to capture him.
• Lu Ren suspected the Ruthless One had traced abnormalities in her history and resolved to be cautious about the Shrouding Heavens World.
• Lu Ren spent nearly a month building a layered formation around the expanding passage, then spent seven more days inspecting it.
• Lu Ren went to the orbital dock and examined China's completed home-class mothership as workers made final preparations.
• Ji Quanzhen sprang up from Astral Travel and swung his Black Gold Iron Rod at Lu Ren.

Lu Ren and Ji Quanzhen prepared to send the Wu Cha mothership, carrying five hundred thousand people, away from Earth as humanity’s hope of survival. Lu Ren saw the ship off by protecting it and opening a space for its first warp jump.

• Ji Quanzhen told Lu Ren that Wu Cha had been built at great cost to preserve humanity, but it could carry only five hundred thousand people.
• Ji Quanzhen confirmed that the passengers had been selected, and Lu Ren said everyone had to board within three days; he also learned that something had happened to Zhang Tongxuan.
• Over the next three days, the final inspections were completed and five hundred thousand people boarded Wu Cha.
• As Wu Cha prepared to leave, Lu Ren manifested his Ancestral Witch Avatar and laid defensive formations around the mothership.
• Lu Ren left a Wish Power avatar in Wu Cha’s Salvation Temple and opened an active space to help the mothership make its first warp jump.

Lu Ren sent the Wu Cha on its one-way journey to Andromeda, then gathered China’s forces to prepare for the Heavenly Court’s return. As Zhang Tongxuan rallied Dragon Tiger Mountain’s True Immortals, Lu Ren claimed he would face the Earth Immortals, though the patriarchs doubted his chances.

• Lu Ren opened a spatial passage and sent the Wu Cha away, wishing its passengers well as they began their long journey to Andromeda.
• After the ship vanished, Lu Ren sensed the coming danger, armored himself with Witch Power, and ordered everyone to prepare for battle.
• Zhang Tongxuan appeared with his Dao artifacts and called on Dragon Tiger Mountain’s patriarchs to form the array.
• Several hundred True Immortal Daoists arrived near Earth, grumbled about fighting the Heavenly Court, and began preparing the Dragon Tiger Astral Array.
• Zhang Tongxuan argued that the Heavenly Court’s return offered China a chance to break free from its rule.
• Lu Ren said he would handle the Earth Immortals, but the tall, thin patriarch warned that Lu Ren was only a half-step Earth Immortal and accused him of leading China to destruction.

Chen Qingquan and the other old Daoists activated Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Innate Spiritual Treasure chessboard to attack the returning Heavenly Court forces. The Tianyuan Great Star crushed the first Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to emerge from the passage, though the treasure was expected to shatter after this final use.

• Chen Qingquan summoned the old Daoists into an enormous chessboard formation that stretched across the Solar System, and they shifted 299 great stars into position.
• Zhang Tongxuan told Lu Ren that the four sacred lands in Kunlun had been slaughtered and that they had no way back as the passage to the Unknown Land reopened.
• Heavenly Soldiers and Generals poured out of the passage, and a vast face and a descending finger dragging a magma-covered star appeared above them.
• Chen Qingquan merged with the Tianyuan Great Star at the center of the chessboard and sent it crashing toward the newly arrived forces.
• The Heavenly Soldiers and Generals combined their weapons in a battle formation, but their attack only chipped the great star before it crushed them.

Chen Qingquan and the Dragon Tiger Mountain immortals used an Innate Spiritual Treasure to attack the finger emerging from the Unknown Land, but they failed to damage it and were wiped out. As the Jade Emperor’s power threatened Earth, Lu Ren spent his accumulated resources to upgrade his cultivation method to Return to Simplicity (Perfect).

• Chen Qingquan used the Tianyuan Great Star to destroy the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, but the Heavenly Palace continued onward unharmed.
• Chen Qingquan summoned the remaining great stars into a killing formation as a flawless white-jade finger emerged from the passage to the Unknown Land.
• Sun Wukong recognized the finger’s owner as the Jade Emperor, and Chen Qingquan unleashed the chessboard’s full power against it.
• Lu Ren used the Salvation Temples to erase the shockwaves threatening Shenzhou, while the attack left the finger nearly unscathed and exhausted Chen Qingquan and the Dragon Tiger Mountain immortals.
• Lu Ren spent 30 Skill Points and 4 points of Force of Destiny to upgrade the Great Brightness World Honored One Heart Sutra of Salvation and Deliverance to Return to Simplicity (Perfect).

Li Qing studied mathematics to prepare to cast Mage Hand and discovered that meditation had raised his Intelligence to 3. He then returned to Grey Magic Academy, where Rosenberg began inspecting the students’ summoned demons.

• Li Qing planned Mage Hand and realized its spellcasting derivations relied on advanced mathematics he had forgotten.
• Li Qing went to the district library, rapidly studied high school mathematics, and bought textbooks and exam papers to continue learning.
• Li Qing checked his Character Panel and saw that his Intelligence was 3, his Physical Strength was 0.8, and his rank was Beginner Apprentice.
• Li Qing studied late, put on his black robe, and entered Grey Magic Academy’s classroom early.
• Rosenberg summoned the students forward and began inspecting their demons, starting with the first row on the left.

Lu Ren faced the Jade Emperor as the battered Heavenly Palace emerged from the Unknown Land, while Sun Wukong confronted Yang Jian. After using a Wish Power statue to restrain the Jade Emperor, Lu Ren launched a devastating punch, leaving the fight poised to begin.

• The Jade Emperor brought the ruined Heavenly Palace out of the Unknown Land and used a magical artifact to strengthen the surrounding space and hinder Lu Ren.
• Yang Jian emerged from the Heavenly Palace, and Sun Wukong recognized him as an old enemy whose Earth Immortal Dao Fruit had fallen to a True Immortal.
• Sun Wukong and Yang Jian clashed as attacks from the ground struck the Heavenly Palace and filled it with explosions.
• Lu Ren held back the Jade Emperor while secretly controlling a Wish Power clay statue, and the Jade Emperor explained that the Heavenly Palace had found no safe path through the Unknown Land.
• Lu Ren bound the Jade Emperor with the statue and swung a powerful fist at him, drawing the attention of Sun Wukong and Yang Jian.

Lu Ren battled the Jade Emperor, shattering the Jade Emperor’s summoned palm before their attacks collided in a cataclysmic blast. As the others braced against the shockwaves, Sun Wukong ambushed Yang Jian, but Nezha intervened, and the three traded barbs.

• The Jade Emperor summoned a flawless jade palm to catch Lu Ren’s punch, but Lu Ren shattered it and forced the Jade Emperor to unleash the Imperial Jade Seal.
• Lu Ren’s fist and the Imperial Jade Seal collided, sending devastating shockwaves through the battlefield and activating Lu Ren’s hidden formations.
• Sun Wukong used the collision’s aftermath to launch a surprise attack on Yang Jian with his Black Gold Iron Rod.
• Nezha blocked Sun Wukong’s strike with his Fire-Tipped Spear and stepped forward to face him.
• Sun Wukong mocked Nezha and Yang Jian about their friendship, and Nezha recognized Sun Wukong and taunted him about being trapped beneath Five Finger Mountain.

Lu Ren and the Jade Emperor began their decisive battle in the starry sky, while the Jade Emperor’s awakening also stirred the Queen Mother of the West on Earth. The chapter ended as the Jade Emperor’s sword descended and Lu Ren raised a giant axe to meet it.

• Sun Wukong insulted Nezha, and Nezha and Yang Jian charged him together.
• Lu Ren told the Jade Emperor they would settle the fight before he explained his grudge, then formed earthen-yellow armor around his body.
• The Jade Emperor manifested a primordial spirit dharma body and drew his sword, forcing Sun Wukong, Zhang Tongxuan, Nezha, Yang Jian, and the others to flee.
• The Queen Mother of the West stirred in the Jade Boat, absorbed a vast amount of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, and prompted the monitors to flee into a Salvation Temple.
• The Jade Emperor slashed at Lu Ren, who condensed the Essence Qi of the Great Earth into a giant axe and raised it against the attack.

Lu Ren and the Jade Emperor fought across the starry sky for a day and night, with Lu Ren’s small world-universe sustaining his strength and allowing him to wound the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor eventually withdrew and asked what Lu Ren wanted, while considering whether he could later join forces with Tathagata to suppress him.

• Lu Ren and the Jade Emperor clashed with a sword and Giant Axe, and their battle wreaked havoc across the surrounding star system.
• After fighting for a day and night, the Jade Emperor realized Lu Ren had opened a small world-universe that kept his Essence, Qi, and Spirit at their peak.
• Lu Ren traded injuries with the Jade Emperor, then summoned a second Giant Axe from Essence Qi of the Great Earth and forced the Jade Emperor to retreat.
• Lu Ren taunted the Jade Emperor, who declined to continue fighting and asked what Lu Ren wanted.
• The Jade Emperor considered waiting for Tathagata to emerge from the sea of suffering so they could join forces to seal and suppress Lu Ren.

Lu Ren confronted the Jade Emperor over the fallen Heavenly Court, but the Queen Mother of the West suddenly attacked him with the Mountain and River Diagram. The Jade Emperor unleashed his full power to resist her strike, and the chapter ended as his sword forced its way into the diagram.

• The Jade Emperor declared his intention to reclaim the territory and glory he had lost, while Lu Ren told him to focus on pursuing the Celestial Immortal in the Land of Attainment.
• Sun Wukong attacked Yang Jian and Nezha, and the three resumed their fierce battle.
• A painting scroll appeared from Earth, revealing itself as the Mountain and River Diagram and crashing down toward the Jade Emperor.
• The Jade Emperor recognized the Queen Mother of the West and raised his Profound Yellow Pagoda, Imperial Jade Seal, and Slaying Immortal Sword to meet her attack.
• The Jade Emperor's sword tore into the Mountain and River Diagram and held back its descending world.

Lu Ren and the Jade Emperor’s clash devastated the surrounding space, but the Queen Mother of the West struck the Jade Emperor and shattered his defenses, giving Lu Ren a chance to attack. Tathagata then appeared and unleashed a torrent of golden lightning against Lu Ren, who drove it back with his sword.

• Lu Ren watched the Jade Emperor unleash Emperor's Sword, Severing Immortals, as their collision sent destructive shockwaves through space and forced Sun Wukong and the others to retreat.
• Zhang Daoling told Zhang Tongxuan that he would stand aside and urged him to hope either the ancestral witch or the Jade Emperor won.
• The Queen Mother of the West rammed the Jade Emperor, shattering the Profound Yellow Pagoda and damaging the Imperial Jade Seal.
• Lu Ren seized the opening and swung his greatsword at the Jade Emperor, but Tathagata appeared and invited him to join the Buddhist sect.
• Tathagata summoned golden lightning through a vertical eye and engulfed Lu Ren, who swept his sword to hold back and drive away the lightning.

Lu Ren destroyed Tathagata’s Eye of Heavenly Punishment and faced the Buddha’s attempt to merge with the starry sky. Their battle began as Lu Ren fought to overcome Tathagata’s immense borrowed power.

• Lu Ren charged into the Tribulation Cloud, endured its lightning, and struck the Eye of Heavenly Punishment with his greatsword.
• The blow stripped the Eye of Heavenly Punishment of its spiritual brilliance and injured Tathagata’s mind and spirit.
• Tathagata unleashed a Buddhist Kingdom that drew Lu Ren into a real and illusory realm as he began merging with the starry sky.
• Lu Ren gathered stellar power and attacked Tathagata, who rose to meet him in battle.
• Tathagata summoned a colossal Demon Subduing Pestle, but Lu Ren changed his sword into an axe and cleaved it apart before fighting the Buddha manifestation.

Lu Ren and Tathagata stopped fighting when their clash opened a rift to the True Realm and revealed Earth’s hidden formation. They recognized that neither could defeat the other, and Lu Ren left Tathagata an opening to pursue transcendence while he continued protecting humanity.

• Lu Ren and Tathagata collided, tearing open a rift that released strange, evil auras from the True Realm.
• Tathagata warned that the Outer Gods could contaminate reality, while Lu Ren accused him of fearing for his path to enlightenment.
• Lu Ren detected a vast concealment and sealing formation that hid most of Earth’s true extent.
• Lu Ren and Tathagata discussed Buddhist cultivation, the True Self, and the pursuit of transcendence.
• Lu Ren said he was protecting humanity, leaving Tathagata room to continue his pursuit without renewing their fight.

Lu Ren refused to let Tathagata treat humanity as expendable, but the two Earth Immortals temporarily set aside their conflict when an Outer God emerged from the True Realm. Their attempted alliance quickly proved to be a mutual trap, and the battle remained unresolved as the Jade Emperor called for the Four Demonic Generals.

• Lu Ren rejected Tathagata's claim that mortals could be used like any other living beings and declared that he would protect humanity because he was human.
• Tathagata proposed that they join forces against the Outer God and promised to leave the mortals on the great star to Lu Ren, and Lu Ren agreed.
• Lu Ren and Tathagata pretended to attack each other, then both retreated when they realized each had been trying to trick the other.
• Lu Ren and Tathagata cursed and accused one another while the Outer God advanced and the Jade Emperor struggled against the Queen Mother of the West.
• The Jade Emperor noticed Nezha and Yang Jian holding back against Sun Wukong, then shouted for the Four Demonic Generals to emerge.

Lu Ren watched the Heavenly Palace and Spirit Mountain join forces to unleash a soul-shattering power that wiped out most of the Outer Gods in the True Realm. As the Four Demonic Generals and Tathagata’s manifestations faded, chains and formations began revealing an immense continent in orbit around Earth.

• Lu Ren sensed the Four Demonic Generals emerge from the Heavenly Palace and warned Ji Quanzhen to withdraw the troops and formation personnel.
• The Four Demonic Generals lured the True Realm’s evil god toward low Earth orbit while Lu Ren prepared the earth statue to strike if it approached Earth.
• The Four Demonic Generals spread a vast net of Dao-weapon threads, and Tathagata poured his Buddha manifestation’s dharma power into them after swearing the method would not harm humanity.
• The evil god collided with the net, triggering a wave that destroyed most Outer Gods in the True Realm and annihilated nearby satellites and technology.
• Lu Ren realized the Jade Emperor and Tathagata had orchestrated the passage to the True Realm, then saw spiritual chains and formations reveal an enormous continent in orbit.

Lu Ren and the others witnessed the sealed Hantu continent emerge, revealing the vast world that had once surrounded Earth. As Tathagata’s Spirit Mountain appeared, Lu Ren discovered that a million Arhats had been turned into living sources of Wish Power and condemned Tathagata’s selfish methods.

• Lu Ren confirmed that Earth remained protected as the immense Hantu continent emerged and the stars began revolving around it.
• Tathagata, Yang Jian, Nezha, Sun Wukong, Queen Mother of the West, and the Jade Emperor reacted to the revealed Hantu and recalled the world that had been hidden.
• Queen Mother of the West regained her clarity, eyed Lu Ren with suspicion, and then turned her attention to Hantu.
• Spirit Mountain emerged from the Unknown Land, and Lu Ren saw that a million Arhats had been rendered unconscious and arranged to generate Wish Power.
• Tathagata defended using the Arhats as a necessary measure, but Lu Ren rejected his argument and condemned his selfishness.

Lu Ren ended the battle with the Jade Emperor and Tathagata without resolving their rivalry, then examined the sealed Hantu. Ao Li explained that the Supreme One had transformed the region into a World Cosmos and suggested that the great universe had forced him out.

• Tathagata proposed that Lu Ren and the others leave their conflict aside and pursue the Dao, and Lu Ren realized the Jade Emperor and Tathagata were both weakened and wary of him.
• Lu Ren tried to provoke Tathagata into joining him against the Heavenly Court, then called for a ceasefire with the Jade Emperor, who agreed.
• Lu Ren asked how to enter Hantu, and Tathagata explained that those born there could pass through the Supreme Daoist's formation freely.
• Ao Li recognized Hantu as a World Cosmos and explained that the Supreme One had carved the region into a universe despite the great universe's resistance.
• Lu Ren asked whether Ao Li's past encounter with the Supreme One involved more than a brief meeting, after Ao Li said the great universe had squeezed him out.