Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Jingcheng confronts Daoist Master Xuanwei, arguing that Wujie had murdered fellow disciples first and that punishing Wang alone would fail to satisfy the Heavenly Palace’s disciples.
• Xuanwei dismisses Wang’s defense and accuses him of secretly investigating Heavenly Palace secrets and concealing his discoveries.
• Wang reveals that he has stored the information he found within seven remnant formations connected to the Immortal Ruins. If he dies, those formations will activate and transmit the information back to the Heavenly Palace, preventing Xuanwei from killing him without consequences.
• The broken formation platform suddenly activates, releasing golden Divine Runes that form a massive net around both cultivators. The formation begins draining their true essence, even overwhelming Xuanwei’s superior Great Ascension Flying stage cultivation.
• The net reveals a vortex filled with the screaming faces of human cultivators, Demon Cultivators, and damaged souls. Wang realizes that the formation has been collecting and refining the souls of living beings, suggesting a terrifying purpose tied to the Divine Realm and the Nine Pillars of the Immortal Ruins.
• Wang uses the Star Disk to activate seven broken stone pillars and redirect the formation’s power. This greatly reduces the pressure on him while concentrating the devouring force on Xuanwei.
• Xuanwei, enraged at Wang’s manipulation, is forced to focus on escaping the formation. He uses a powerful Heavenly Palace secret technique and an ancient Dao seal to dramatically amplify his strength.
• With one palm strike, Xuanwei destroys numerous golden Divine Runes, demonstrating the overwhelming might of a true Great Ascension Flying stage expert.
• Wang recognizes that Xuanwei could have killed him instantly had he attacked seriously from the beginning, but he remains composed. When Xuanwei’s attack scatters the Divine Runes, Wang notices a tiny ash-gray jade shard hidden beneath the golden vortex.

Character Developments

• Wang Jingcheng displays exceptional composure, preparation, and strategic intelligence. Though physically inferior to Xuanwei, he protects himself through advance planning and uses the formation to counterbalance their difference in cultivation.
• Wang also shows increasing insight into the Immortal Ruins’ formations, quickly deducing that the formation targets the stronger cultivator and deliberately shifting its power toward Xuanwei.
• Daoist Master Xuanwei is established as vastly more powerful than Wang. His aura alone injures Wang, but his arrogance and initial underestimation allow Wang to exploit the situation.
• Xuanwei’s anger grows as Wang repeatedly outmaneuvers him, yet his survival instincts force him to temporarily abandon his pursuit of Wang and concentrate on breaking free.
• Xuanwei’s use of the ancient Dao seal reveals that his ordinary strength does not represent the full extent of a Great Ascension Flying stage expert’s power.

Significant Themes

• Power versus strategy: Superior cultivation does not guarantee victory when an opponent has preparation, information, and control of the battlefield.
• The danger of hidden ancient formations: The Immortal Ruins contain mechanisms capable of threatening even the strongest cultivators.
• Secrets and political control: Wang’s discoveries threaten the Heavenly Palace, making knowledge itself a weapon and a means of self-preservation.
• The cost of the Divine Realm’s experiments: The tortured souls within the formation suggest large-scale sacrifices and raise questions about the Divine Realm’s true goals.
• Composure under overwhelming pressure: Wang survives by remaining calm and thinking strategically despite facing an opponent who could easily overpower him directly.

Character Interactions

• Wang and Xuanwei engage in a tense verbal confrontation over justice, Wujie’s crimes, and Wang’s secret investigations.
• Wang uses the threat of transmitting his discoveries to restrain Xuanwei from killing him.
• Once the formation activates, the two become unwilling partners trapped by the same danger, though Wang manipulates the formation to place most of its burden on Xuanwei.
• Xuanwei reacts with fury to Wang’s scheme, while Wang calmly explains that he is merely exploiting the formation’s natural behavior.
• Their conflict shifts from direct confrontation to a temporary contest against the formation, with Wang searching for its secrets and Xuanwei fighting to destroy it.

Chapter Summary: Cliffside, Su Shi’er’s Discovery

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Jingcheng seizes a gray-white jade fragment containing:
  • Names and soul auras of various cultivators.
  • Methods for operating teleportation arrays deeper within the Immortal Ruins.
  • A partial image of an ancient immortal palace bearing traces of the Heavenly Palace’s aura.
• Before Wang can investigate further, Daoist Master Xuanwei’s attack collides with the golden divine net, causing a massive explosion that destroys the array platform.
• Wang escapes into a newly formed underground fissure using the Star Disk and seven streams of starlight. Xuanwei pursues him, injures him, and attempts to track him, but Wang detonates the starlight into seven spatial streams and completely conceals his escape.
• Xuanwei realizes that the golden runes belong to the Divine Realm and angrily concludes that the Heavenly Palace has been treated with contempt. He vows to remember the insult and disappears.
• Meanwhile, Su Shi’er—disguised as Hou Sihai—travels through the ruined city using a broken jade map and residual Array Restrictions.
• The Nine Pillars’ power is gradually destroying the remaining formations, making his route increasingly dangerous. Su Shi’er realizes he must hurry before the protective arrays collapse.
• After three days, he reaches a vast cliff separated by dark-red spatial turbulence. The bridge shown on his map is broken, leaving no obvious route forward.
• Using his divine sense, Su Shi’er discovers hidden array patterns within a ruined stone stele. Activating them creates an incomplete teleportation array leading downward into the spatial turbulence rather than directly across the cliff.
• He stabilizes the array with Array Flags and tests it using a piece of stone carrying his divine sense. The stone vanishes and transmits a blurred image of another ruined city—one that appears to contain considerably more signs of life.

Character Developments

• Wang Jingcheng demonstrates quick thinking and resourcefulness. Despite being wounded by Xuanwei, he uses the Star Disk and deliberately scatters his spatial traces to evade pursuit.
• Daoist Master Xuanwei becomes increasingly furious and resentful toward the Divine Realm and possibly Wujie. His pride is wounded by the Heavenly Palace’s apparent humiliation, motivating a future grudge.
• Su Shi’er displays caution, patience, and growing mastery of ancient formations. Rather than recklessly crossing the cliff, he analyzes the environment, identifies the hidden stele, reinforces the array, and safely tests it before using it himself.

Significant Themes

• Survival through intelligence: Both Wang and Su Shi’er rely on strategy rather than brute force to survive dangerous situations.
• Ancient secrets and competing powers: The jade fragment, immortal palace, Heavenly Palace aura, and Divine Realm runes suggest deeper conflicts among major forces.
• Decay and impermanence: The ruined cities, collapsing formations, eroding mist, and shattered bridge emphasize the destruction of the Immortal Ruins over time.
• Risk and cautious exploration: Su Shi’er’s testing of the teleportation array highlights the danger of advancing into unknown areas.
• Resentment and political conflict: Xuanwei’s reaction reveals hostility between the Heavenly Palace and the Divine Realm, setting up future confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Wang Jingcheng and Daoist Master Xuanwei clash directly over the jade fragment. Xuanwei attacks and pursues Wang, but Wang escapes despite being injured.
• Xuanwei and the Divine Realm do not interact directly, but the divine runes’ presence provokes Xuanwei’s anger and reinforces the chapter’s larger political conflict.
• Su Shi’er and Sang Xuangu are not physically together, but Sang Xuangu’s earlier guidance helps Su Shi’er recognize and use the formations near the cliff.
• Su Shi’er and the ancient array system function almost as cautious collaborators: he studies, repairs, and tests the remnants before trusting them with his own passage.

Chapter Summary: “Immortal Ruins Market, Another Sudden Change”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Shi’er activates a formation that instantly transports him deep into the Immortal Ruins. The passage causes intense physical pain, but he arrives safely.
• He enters a ruined market protected by several pale-yellow defensive barriers. Only a few dozen cultivators remain there, most severely weakened:
  • Some possess shattered bodies sustained by secret techniques.
  • Others are on the verge of death.
  • Several still retain traces of Immortal Spiritual Qi, suggesting they were once Immortal Realm beings.
• The market contains numerous damaged treasures, including magical artifacts, formation diagrams, jade slips, pills, Spirit Crystals, and immortal beast bone fragments. However, most have lost their spirituality and are nearly useless.
• Su Shi’er approaches an elderly cultivator called Fellow Daoist Mirror, who sits upon a Mirror Stone and appears closely connected to the market’s protective formation.
• Daoist Mirror explains the market’s rules: no forced transactions, no attacks without cause, and information must be purchased with something of adequate value.
• Su Shi’er offers pills capable of restoring true essence to Tribulation Crossing cultivators in exchange for information about an outsider who passed through the market centuries earlier. Daoist Mirror rejects the offer as insufficient and implies that information in the Immortal Ruins is extremely valuable.
• Before negotiations can continue, the market’s main formation suddenly changes. Gray-white radiance emerges from a cracked stone pillar, and the defensive barrier turns dark red.
• Several cultivators attempting to flee are violently repelled and injured. The formation begins contracting, destroying buildings and stone walls within the market.
• Daoist Mirror orders everyone to reinforce the formation. The cultivators activate formation nodes, use remaining Immortal Essence, and deploy damaged Array Flags.
• Their efforts briefly slow the barrier’s collapse, but the formation is soon disrupted again. An Array Flag breaks, causing the energy everyone contributed to reverse direction and surge back toward them, placing all the cultivators in immediate danger.

Character Developments

• Su Shi’er: Demonstrates caution, composure, and confidence. He protects himself during teleportation, carefully observes the market before acting, follows its rules, and makes a calculated attempt to trade pills for information. His calm behavior contrasts with the rapidly escalating crisis.
• Fellow Daoist Mirror: Is revealed as the market’s apparent guardian and formation expert. Though physically near collapse and integrated with the Mirror Stone, he retains authority and technical knowledge. His confidence gives way to alarm when the formation changes, showing that even he may be unable to control the threat.
• The Market’s Survivors: Their desperation and declining strength become evident. Despite once being powerful—possibly Immortals—they must rely on damaged formations and their remaining energy to survive.

Significant Themes

• Decline and survival: Formerly powerful beings have been reduced to fragile remnants, preserving themselves while waiting for a nearly impossible “Ray of Vitality.”
• The value of information and resources: In the Immortal Ruins, even basic information is treated as a precious commodity, while seemingly ordinary pills may be valuable because the survivors cannot replenish their strength.
• Powerlessness against larger forces: The market’s inhabitants possess deep knowledge and once-great cultivation, yet they remain vulnerable to the invading power of the Nine Pillars.
• Fragile order amid chaos: The market’s rules maintain temporary stability, but the sudden formation reversal shows how quickly that order can collapse.
• Danger of relying on damaged systems: The survivors’ attempts to reinforce the formation ultimately cause the energy they supplied to rebound against them.

Character Interactions

• The market’s cultivators scrutinize Su Shi’er but do not approach him, recognizing him as an outsider with impressive ability yet not immediately worth engaging.
• Su Shi’er respectfully greets Daoist Mirror and asks for information, offering spirit pills as payment.
• Daoist Mirror dismisses the offer as inadequate, establishing a negotiation based on the high value of knowledge in the ruins.
• When the formation crisis begins, Daoist Mirror takes command and issues instructions to the other cultivators. They cooperate by reinforcing formation nodes and deploying Array Flags.
• The chapter ends with the entire group endangered by the formation’s reversal, leaving Su Shi’er and the survivors trapped in a rapidly collapsing market.

Chapter Summary: Jing Chenzi

Key Plot Points and Events

• The defensive formation protecting the market suffers a violent backlash while resisting the Nine-Pillar Formation. Several cultivators are badly wounded, including two whose already-damaged bodies are further shattered.
• The white-haired old woman assumes the problem lies with a malfunctioning Array Eye and prepares to reinforce it.
• Su Shi’er interrupts, warning that continuing to pour power into the formation may worsen the backlash. He argues that the real issue is the invading power of the Nine-Pillar Formation interfering with the array’s seals.
• Despite the others’ disdain for his lower-realm cultivation, Su Shi’er examines the formation and identifies a second Array Eye: the Mirror Stone beneath the old man, Jing Chenzi.
• The revelation causes the other cultivators to turn suspiciously on Jing Chenzi. They demand to know why he concealed the Mirror Stone’s role and question whether he has secretly taken control of the formation.
• Su Shi’er explains that the original Array Eye was damaged and could no longer sustain the formation. Jing Chenzi therefore fused the Mirror Stone into it as a replacement, allowing the formation to continue protecting everyone.
• The group realizes that if the formation collapses, the Mirror Stone will likely be destroyed, and Jing Chenzi—whose life is linked to the treasure—may die as well.
• Jing Chenzi admits that he kept the matter hidden but explains that he acted to preserve the group’s only remaining shelter. Since they are already trapped and facing likely death, he believes surviving even one additional day is worthwhile.
• His explanation reduces the others’ suspicion and earns him a measure of respect, though the Nine-Pillar Formation continues threatening the defensive array.

Character Developments

• Su Shi’er demonstrates unexpected expertise in formations. He remains calm and respectful despite being insulted as a lower-realm cultivator, relying on observation and logic rather than arguing over status.
• He also shows strategic judgment: by helping the trapped cultivators understand the formation, he hopes to gain their trust and learn more about the Immortal Ruins.
• Jing Chenzi is revealed to have made a dangerous sacrifice by binding his Mirror Stone to the damaged formation. Though his actions could be interpreted as an attempt to control the array, they are ultimately presented as an effort to protect everyone.
• The white-haired old woman shifts from dismissing Su Shi’er to taking his analysis seriously. Her hostility toward Jing Chenzi softens once she understands that he risks his own life.
• The other cultivators move from reliance and cooperation to suspicion when they discover Jing Chenzi’s concealed role, then return toward reluctant trust after hearing his explanation.

Significant Themes

• Trust and concealment: Jing Chenzi’s secrecy threatens the fragile unity of the group, showing how easily hidden information breeds suspicion in a life-or-death situation.
• Sacrifice and survival: Jing Chenzi sacrifices his treasure—and potentially his life—to keep the formation functioning, while the group must decide whether survival justifies such risks.
• Prejudice versus ability: The cultivators judge Su Shi’er by his lower-realm status, but his actual insight proves more valuable than their assumptions.
• Desperation and endurance: The characters are trapped in a hopeless environment and continue preserving the formation despite knowing it may only delay disaster.
• Power and responsibility: Controlling the formation gives Jing Chenzi influence over the others, but it also places the burden and danger directly upon him.

Character Interactions

• Su Shi’er directly challenges the old woman’s diagnosis but does so without arrogance.
• The old woman and the other cultivators confront Jing Chenzi after Su Shi’er exposes the Mirror Stone’s function.
• Jing Chenzi attempts to defer the explanation until after the immediate crisis, but the group’s distrust forces him to address it.
• Su Shi’er acts as an impartial interpreter between Jing Chenzi and the others, explaining the technical reason for Jing Chenzi’s actions and helping restore some trust.
• The chapter ends with the group recognizing that Jing Chenzi’s interests are tied to theirs: protecting the formation protects them, but its destruction may kill him as well.

Chapter Summary: “Crisis! A Way to Break the Deadlock”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jing Chenzi initially argues that because his aura is connected to the Mirror Stone, he would have sensed any change in it.
• Su Shi’er clarifies that the problem is not the Mirror Stone itself, but the unstable connection between it and the grand formation’s original Array Eye.
• He explains that the formation has effectively developed two Array Eyes: the original one and the Mirror Stone. Because the damaged formation was repaired over time, its operation contains hidden points of sluggishness.
• The Nine Pillars’ repeated attacks and the cultivators’ efforts to reinforce the formation have caused undissipated power to accumulate. The incompatible Array Eyes amplify this energy until it begins to rebound through the formation.
• Many cultivators doubt Su Shi’er’s explanation, and the Red-Bearded Man accuses him of causing the disturbance because the crisis began after his arrival.
• The Red-Bearded Man attacks Su Shi’er with a powerful fire-essence claw. Su Shi’er calmly redirects the attack using the Miro Heaven Hand technique, Cloud-Sweeping, causing the claw to strike empty ground.
• Jing Chenzi intervenes before the Red-Bearded Man can attack again, placing a barrier between them and ordering him to respect the market’s rules.
• Jing Chenzi asks Su Shi’er whether he can resolve the crisis. Su Shi’er proposes destroying the formation’s original Array Eye to release the accumulated power.
• The suggestion shocks everyone, since the original Array Eye is believed to be essential to maintaining the incomplete formation. Several cultivators, especially the white-haired old woman and the Red-Bearded Man, strongly oppose the idea.
• Su Shi’er argues that destroying the Array Eye is the only way to vent the trapped energy. Otherwise, the power will continue rebounding until the entire formation collapses.
• To prove his analysis, Su Shi’er activates the formation and traces its pathways with his true essence. The hidden Array Eye becomes visible.
• The energy changes from cyan to gray-white as it passes through the original Array Eye, travels toward the Mirror Stone, and then returns as dark red energy with increased strength. This visible circulation convinces the surrounding cultivators that Su Shi’er’s explanation is correct.

Character Developments

• Su Shi’er demonstrates advanced formation knowledge, calm judgment, and confidence under pressure. He remains composed despite being accused and attacked, and successfully proves his theory through action.
• Jing Chenzi becomes less dismissive of Su Shi’er and increasingly relies on his insight. His intervention against the Red-Bearded Man shows that he values order and is willing to protect Su Shi’er while the crisis remains unresolved.
• The Red-Bearded Man is portrayed as suspicious, aggressive, and impulsive. His hostility toward Su Shi’er increases, but his confidence is shaken when Su Shi’er effortlessly neutralizes his attack.
• The white-haired old woman acts as a powerful and influential skeptic. Although she challenges Su Shi’er’s proposal, her earlier agreement with part of his analysis gives his words credibility.
• The surrounding cultivators shift from disbelief and suspicion toward reluctant recognition that Su Shi’er understands the formation’s true condition.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge versus prejudice: Su Shi’er is judged as an outsider before his expertise is accepted, but his practical demonstration overcomes suspicion.
• Hidden flaws becoming crises: The formation’s long-standing imperfections remain harmless under normal conditions but become catastrophic when subjected to enormous external pressure.
• The danger of maintaining broken systems: The attempt to preserve the incomplete formation has created a deeper imbalance between its two Array Eyes.
• Trust and decisive action: The cultivators must decide whether to trust Su Shi’er’s unconventional solution before the formation collapses.
• Power and restraint: Su Shi’er’s ability to defeat the Red-Bearded Man without excessive force contrasts with the latter’s rash aggression.

Character Interactions

• Su Shi’er directly challenges Jing Chenzi’s initial assumption and explains the conflict between the two Array Eyes.
• The Red-Bearded Man confronts Su Shi’er physically, but Su Shi’er defeats the attack without moving from his position.
• Jing Chenzi stops the conflict and places himself between the two men, reinforcing his authority.
• Jing Chenzi then turns to Su Shi’er for a solution, marking a shift from skepticism to dependence.
• The white-haired old woman and other cultivators challenge Su Shi’er’s proposal, creating tension between caution and urgent action.
• Su Shi’er resolves the dispute temporarily by activating the formation and visibly demonstrating the dangerous feedback loop between the Array Eyes.

Plot points and events

• Su Shi’er identifies that the marketplace formation is destabilizing because its two Array Eyes are clashing. Jing Chenzi accepts his judgment and orders Red-Bearded Man to destroy the formation’s original Array Eye.
• Its destruction triggers a violent burst of chaotic power and worsens the danger. Su Shi’er quickly deploys twelve Array Flags, using stellar restrictions to contain the eruption.
• The restrictions begin to crack under the accumulated force. Su Shi’er directs Jing Chenzi to use his Mirror Stone to replace the destroyed Array Eye, while the other cultivators hold off the Nine Pillars’ assault for the time needed to restart the formation.
• A falling meteorite, formed from the Nine Pillars’ power, intensifies the attack. With the marketplace’s formation stalled, the cultivators are pushed to their limits.
• After roughly the time needed to drink a cup of tea, Su Shi’er signals the crucial moment. The Array Flags collapse into a chain of starlight that races through the formation, and Jing Chenzi’s Mirror Stone responds with a brilliant beam. The chapter ends as the remaining formation power gathers toward it.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Shi’er’s insight and Array Dao skill win the group’s respect. He remains composed under pressure and takes command, assigning roles without waiting for approval.
• Jing Chenzi shifts from doubt to trust, backing Su Shi’er’s plan and directing Red-Bearded Man to act. He still worries whether the plan can work, but has no alternative.
• Red-Bearded Man initially hesitates, then obeys Jing Chenzi and destroys the Array Eye.
• The white-haired old woman, previously disdainful, recognizes Su Shi’er’s ability and uses her authority to secure the group’s cooperation.
• The other cultivators follow Su Shi’er’s instructions, combining their strength to withstand the attack.

Significant themes

• Expertise across worlds: Su Shi’er’s Cultivation World restriction techniques prove valuable against a damaged Immortal Realm formation.
• Trust under pressure: The group must rely on Su Shi’er despite the plan’s uncertainty.
• Collective survival and sacrifice: Everyone contributes to holding back the Nine Pillars while the formation is repaired.
• No turning back: With the crisis underway, the characters must commit to the risky plan rather than retreat.

Chapter Summary:

Array Hub Token

Key Plot Points and Events

• The ruined formation in the market is reactivated under Su Shi’er’s control. It absorbs the immortal arts and power released by everyone present, combining them into a tremendous force that strikes the fiery meteor generated by the Nine-Pillar Formation.
• The resulting clash devastates the surrounding land, but the market’s protective formation withstands repeated attacks. The Nine Pillars eventually stop attacking and retreat into the mist.
• Jing Chenzi and the other cultivators acknowledge that Su Shi’er’s intervention saved everyone. Su Shi’er modestly attributes the victory to the group’s collective efforts.
• Jing Chenzi reveals that the mysterious Daoist Su Shi’er was seeking is Ren Yunzong, who passed through the market centuries earlier and headed toward the Nine-Pillar Array Hub.
• Ren Yunzong had secretly taught Jing Chenzi how to use Mirror Stones in place of the original Array Eye and had left behind a diamond-shaped Array Hub Token for an old acquaintance who might follow his path.
• The token reacts to Su Shi’er’s presence and formation techniques, convincing Jing Chenzi that Su Shi’er is the person Ren Yunzong intended to find it. Su Shi’er accepts it, suspecting that it is a key to reaching the Array Hub.
• After leaving the market, Su Shi’er reaches a partially collapsed stone door. Activating the token causes the stones to rearrange, opening a narrow passage filled with darkness and a deathly aura.
• His Divine Sense is heavily suppressed within the passage and encounters a hidden force that travels back along it. Su Shi’er recognizes that this aura resembles the power of the Nine Pillars, suggesting the passage is directly connected to the Array Hub or its dangers.

Character Developments

• Su Shi’er: Demonstrates advanced Array Dao knowledge, calm judgment, and the ability to coordinate the crowd’s power against the Nine-Pillar Formation. Despite saving everyone, he remains humble and avoids claiming credit. His investigation into Ren Yunzong progresses significantly when he obtains the Array Hub Token.
• Jing Chenzi: His initial uncertainty gives way to strong admiration and trust in Su Shi’er. He reveals his past connection to Ren Yunzong and willingly passes on the token.
• The white-haired old woman: Recognizes that she misjudged Su Shi’er and apologizes for her earlier behavior, showing a shift from suspicion to respect.
• Red-Bearded Man: Becomes wary and intimidated by Su Shi’er after witnessing his abilities, abandoning his previous aggressive attitude.
• Ren Yunzong: Though absent, his influence becomes central. His earlier preparations, teachings, and token indicate that he anticipated Su Shi’er—or someone connected to him—eventually following his trail.

Significant Themes

• Collective strength: The market survives only because the cultivators combine their powers through the formation, emphasizing cooperation over individual ability.
• Humility and merit: Su Shi’er’s refusal to boast contrasts with the magnitude of his contribution and earns him greater respect.
• Trust and recognition: The Array Hub Token acts as proof of Ren Yunzong’s foresight and identifies Su Shi’er as the intended successor or companion on the path ahead.
• Hidden legacies and destiny: Ren Yunzong’s past actions continue to shape the present, suggesting that Su Shi’er is uncovering a carefully arranged legacy.
• Danger beneath appearances: The apparently ruined stone door conceals a powerful, ominous passage, reinforcing the uncertainty and peril of the Immortal Ruins.

Character Interactions

• Jing Chenzi openly praises Su Shi’er for saving the market, while Su Shi’er responds respectfully and credits the entire group.
• The white-haired old woman apologizes for previously doubting or opposing him; Su Shi’er accepts her explanation without resentment.
• Jing Chenzi explains Ren Yunzong’s history and gives Su Shi’er the Array Hub Token as both proof of identity and a possible means of entry to the Nine-Pillar Array Hub.
• Su Shi’er departs after thanking Jing Chenzi, then cautiously investigates the stone passage alone, showing his continued reliance on observation and restraint rather than recklessness.

Key events

• Su Shi’er uses the Array Hub Token to reveal hidden patterns in a passage, confirming that the ruins’ arrays are connected to Ren Yunzong’s lineage.
• The token’s pale-blue radiance shields him from dangerous array attacks, suggesting it can control or neutralize the passage’s restrictions.
• He reaches a fork with three identical routes, but after careful observation discovers a concealed fourth path between them. The hidden route appears to be the true way forward.
• The passage folds space like an Earth-Shrinking Step, allowing him to travel vast distances quickly and avoid hazards.
• A violent force erupts near the exit, shattering the passage’s arrays. Su Shi’er races into a vast circular hall, where he sees the nine immense pillars and their countless phantom souls.
• In the hall’s center, a young-looking, white-haired man in a violet Daoist robe works over a huge array, whose operation makes the distant pillars tremble. Su Shi’er recognizes him despite the centuries and the dramatic changes in his aura.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Shi’er demonstrates caution and strong array expertise: he restrains his aura, stays alert despite the token’s protection, and patiently studies the apparent illusion rather than acting hastily.
• His recognition of the violet-robed figure establishes a significant past connection, though the chapter ends before either character speaks or interacts directly.

Significant themes

• Perception and hidden truth: The obvious three paths are decoys; careful attention reveals the real route.
• Ancient power and lingering danger: The nine pillars, their phantom souls, and the destructive force show that the ruins remain perilous and active.
• The persistence of the past: Centuries have passed, but Su Shi’er still recognizes the mysterious figure, hinting that old ties and unresolved history remain important.

Chapter Summary: Sect Master Ren, Ren Yunzong

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Shi’er discovers that the person struggling within the great hall is Ren Yunzong, Sect Master of the Yun Ge Sect, who has been trapped in the Immortal Ruins for nearly a thousand years.
• Ren is maintaining a powerful formation that is simultaneously resisting and attacking an encroaching force of Dark-Gold Divine Runes. The formation is unstable, with cracks repeatedly spreading toward its Array Eyes before being forced back at the cost of Ren’s vital blood.
• A giant winged python formed from the Divine Runes attacks Ren. Seeing Su Shi’er arrive from the Cultivation World, Ren immediately asks him to help guard the Kun-position Array Eye.
• Ren gives Su Shi’er three Array Flags and assigns an Immortal Artifact, the Whereabouts Sword, as the Kun-position Array Eye.
• By using the flags, Su Shi’er stabilizes the sword and gains a partial understanding of the immense Immortal Formation. The experience nearly injures his soul because of the formation’s complexity and unfamiliar Immortal Realm restrictions.
• Su Shi’er successfully reinforces the Kun position, strengthening the formation and halting the giant rune-python’s advance.
• Ren divides the formation’s power: one portion continues suppressing the Dark-Gold Divine Runes while another forms chains that bind the giant python.
• Ren directs Su Shi’er through a series of rapid formation changes, requiring him to respond instantly and maintain the balance of the formation.
• When Ren orders him to shift the Kun position to the Kan position, Su Shi’er hesitates briefly, analyzes the spreading dark-gold radiance, and realizes Ren intends to use an offensive maneuver to erode the enemy while defending.
• Understanding Ren’s strategy, Su Shi’er changes his hand seals and begins moving the Array Flags accordingly.

Character Developments

• Su Shi’er demonstrates courage, discipline, and considerable Array Dao skill. Although the formation places immense pressure on his soul and true essence, he does not retreat or hesitate for long.
• His ability to stabilize the Whereabouts Sword quickly surprises Ren Yunzong and proves that Su Shi’er is capable of handling an Immortal-level formation.
• Su Shi’er’s analytical ability develops further as he learns to interpret the formation’s rapid changes and understand Ren’s deeper tactical intentions.
• Ren Yunzong is revealed to be severely weakened after centuries in the Immortal Ruins, relying on dwindling resources and even his Immortal Artifact to maintain the formation.
• Despite his exhaustion, Ren remains highly skilled and composed, directing the battle with precise formation techniques and trusting Su Shi’er to assist him.

Significant Themes

• Endurance and sacrifice: Ren has survived nearly a thousand years in an environment where spiritual energy cannot be cultivated, expending his vitality to preserve the formation.
• Trust under pressure: Ren entrusts Su Shi’er with a critical Array Eye almost immediately, while Su Shi’er accepts the responsibility without demanding explanations.
• The complexity and power of Immortal formations: The formation is portrayed as vast, intricate, and dangerous, far beyond ordinary cultivation techniques.
• Offense as defense: Su Shi’er realizes that Ren’s formation strategy is not merely to resist the Divine Runes but to counterattack and gradually erode them.
• Adaptability and insight: Success depends not only on strength but on the ability to read rapidly changing circumstances and act at exactly the right moment.

Character Interactions

• Ren identifies Su Shi’er as a cultivator from the Cultivation World and urgently recruits him to help maintain the formation.
• Su Shi’er responds through action rather than words, taking the Array Flags and stabilizing the Kun-position Array Eye.
• Ren issues increasingly complex commands, while Su Shi’er follows and interprets them under extreme pressure.
• Their cooperation quickly evolves into a coordinated partnership: Ren controls the overall formation, while Su Shi’er manages a critical section and independently understands the purpose behind Ren’s instructions.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Shi’er activates the Secret Law Gui Wu to defend against more than ten Dark-Gold Divine Runes that break free from the formation.
• Since the runes are empowered by Divine Power and cannot be resisted by ordinary true essence, Su Shi’er secretly draws on the Heaven and Earth Furnace’s azure radiance through the Nine Heavens Exquisite Pagoda. He uses it only in his palm to conceal its origin and destroys the attacking runes.
• The giant python formed from the Divine Runes absorbs the remaining runes throughout the hall, greatly increasing its strength. Its chains begin to break, while Ren Yunzong suffers internal injury.
• Ren Yunzong reveals that the apparent instability of the formation was a deliberate trap designed to gather all the hidden Divine Runes. He asks Su Shi’er to restrain the python for three breaths.
• Su Shi’er uses the treasures Star Amnesty, combined with three Array Flags and his knowledge of the Record of Heavenly Star Restrictions, to create a formation within the existing formation.
• The resulting Stellar Restriction slows and immobilizes the Divine Rune python.
• Taking advantage of this opening, Ren Yunzong channels the sword qi from the Whereabouts Sword into a massive immortal sword and cleaves the python and the power of the Nine Pillars in half.
• Ren Yunzong then uses formation patterns and the technique “Profound Origin Heavenly Law: Settle Heaven and Earth” to pin down and suppress the scattered Divine Runes.
• The formation stabilizes, the surrounding images of the nine stone pillars weaken, and the immediate crisis ends.
• Ren Yunzong asks Su Shi’er’s identity. Su Shi’er hides them both with additional Array Flags, dispels his disguise, reveals his true face, and respectfully addresses Ren Yunzong as “Senior Brother Sect Master.”

2. Character Developments

• Su Shi’er demonstrates exceptional defensive ability, formation mastery, quick judgment, and secrecy. He carefully conceals his use of the Heaven and Earth Furnace’s power and later reveals that his burly middle-aged appearance was only a disguise.
• His skill in combining external treasures with his own formation knowledge becomes decisive in restraining the Divine Rune python.
• Ren Yunzong is shown to be an experienced and powerful formation expert. His apparent loss of control is revealed as part of a calculated plan to draw out the hidden Divine Runes before destroying them.
• Ren Yunzong is injured by the formation’s backlash but continues fighting and successfully executes a devastating sword and suppression technique.
• The final exchange establishes that Su Shi’er and Ren Yunzong share a significant past connection, likely within the same sect, though Su Shi’er’s identity had been concealed.

3. Significant Themes

• Cooperation and mutual trust: The crisis can only be overcome through precise coordination between Su Shi’er’s formations and Ren Yunzong’s attack.
• Concealment and revelation: Su Shi’er hides his power, identity, and appearance, while the chapter gradually exposes the true purpose of Ren Yunzong’s strategy.
• Formation mastery and adaptability: The battle emphasizes intelligence, preparation, and manipulating the battlefield rather than relying solely on brute force.
• Power concealed beneath appearances: Both characters possess abilities and histories that are not immediately visible.
• The danger of the Nine Pillars: The formation and its connection to the Immortal Ruins remain part of a larger mystery, linked to the place where Shen Miaoyin and others were once trapped.

4. Character Interactions

• Ren Yunzong depends on Su Shi’er to restrain the python long enough for his decisive strike.
• Su Shi’er responds to Ren Yunzong’s request by employing Star Amnesty and his advanced array techniques.
• Their battle coordination shows strong tactical compatibility despite Ren Yunzong’s uncertainty about Su Shi’er’s identity.
• After the battle, Ren Yunzong cautiously questions Su Shi’er, sensing familiarity in his formation methods.
• Su Shi’er avoids answering immediately, secures their surroundings, then reveals himself and respectfully calls Ren Yunzong Senior Brother Sect Master, turning the encounter into a reunion and setting up the next stage of their relationship.

Chapter Summary: “Maybe... Yes?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Shi’er reveals his true appearance to Ren Yunzong after helping stabilize the dangerous array connected to the nine stone pillars.
• He explains that he is currently traveling under the alias Hou Sihai, since many people in the Cultivation World are seeking his life.
• Ren Yunzong admonishes him for entering the Immortal Ruins despite the warning not to come, emphasizing that Divine Realm beings are also involved and that the ruins may be fatal.
• Su Shi’er insists that he could not abandon Sect Master Ren, Shen Miaoyin, Master Jiekong, and the other trapped cultivators. He also believes the Divine Realm is plotting something that could threaten the entire Cultivation World.
• Ren Yunzong reveals that the Immortal Ruins and the Nine Pillars were once parts of the former Immortal Realm.
• He explains that the Immortal Realm once fought a devastating war against the Divine Realm, lost, and was shattered. The Immortal Ruins are remnants of that destruction.
• Su Shi’er asks whether Ren Yunzong is a reincarnated Immortal. Ren gives an uncertain answer, admitting that fragmented memories of the Immortal Realm occasionally surface, but he does not yet know his full past.
• Ren then explains the history of the Immortal Ruins: after becoming trapped in an Exotic Space, the former Immortals gradually exhausted their resources and began losing cultivation. Some reincarnated by abandoning their immortal bodies, while others remained behind and split into factions—those still waiting for hope and those driven to desperate actions.

Character Developments

• Su Shi’er demonstrates increased cultivation, powerful Array Dao abilities, courage, and loyalty. Despite knowing the danger, he refuses to leave his companions behind and remains determined to confront the larger threat.
• Ren Yunzong is shown to be highly capable, cautious, and burdened by an uncertain ancient identity. His abilities and partial memories strongly suggest that he is a reincarnated Immortal, though he cannot confirm the details.
• Their reunion reveals a long-standing trust between them. Ren understands Su Shi’er’s temperament and accepts that persuasion will not change his decision to remain.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and responsibility: Su Shi’er risks his life rather than abandon fellow cultivators.
• Hidden identities and uncertain origins: Both Su Shi’er and Ren Yunzong conceal or struggle to understand their true identities.
• The consequences of ancient conflict: The war between the Immortal and Divine Realms continues to affect the present Cultivation World.
• Desperation and moral decline: The trapped Immortals’ loss of resources and hope has caused some to change drastically and pursue survival at any cost.
• Fate versus personal determination: Although others possess reincarnated origins and powerful advantages, Su Shi’er relies on his own resolve and opportunities.

Character Interactions

• Ren Yunzong and Su Shi’er exchange respectful but familiar dialogue, reflecting their history as fellow sect members.
• Ren warns Su Shi’er about the ruins’ dangers, while Su Shi’er justifies his decision to come and highlights the broader threat.
• Su Shi’er directly questions Ren about his past, and Ren responds honestly but ambiguously, deepening the mystery surrounding his identity.
• Their conversation shifts from personal reunion to revelations about the Immortal Realm, the Divine Realm, and the crisis within the Immortal Ruins.

Chapter Summary: Immortal Realm, Secrets of the Immortal Ruins

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ren Yunzong explains that certain Immortals cooperated with the Divine Realm, which has interfered with the Immortal Ruins and endangered the Cultivation World.
• The Immortal Ruins have survived within an Exotic Space because of the Nine-Pillar Formation, originally designed to protect and sustain them.
• Tens of thousands of years ago, the Divine Realm reversed the formation’s function. Nearly ninety percent of the remaining Immortals had their souls bound to it.
• For the past ten thousand years, the formation has harvested souls from the Cultivation World. Ascending cultivators were destroyed and imprisoned, while in the past thousand years even lower-level cultivators undergoing Lightning Tribulation could be forcibly abducted.
• The souls remain connected to the Nine Pillars. Destroying the pillars would annihilate the souls and cause the Immortal Ruins to collapse through spatial turbulence.
• Ren Yunzong reveals that the formation is actually the Nine-Pole Transcendent Immortal Formation, supported by nine Immortal Pillars. Its true central Array Eye is the Nine-Pole Celestial Core, where the power of the entire formation converges.
• The Divine Realm is gradually corrupting the Celestial Core and using the imprisoned souls to seize control of the formation.
• Su Shi’er realizes that simply destroying the pillars is impossible. The formation must instead be restored, reclaimed, and cleansed of the Divine Realm’s influence.
• Ren Yunzong demonstrates that the Divine Realm’s power is not flawless. He shows that his Whereabouts Sword is suppressing the corruption within their Immortal Pillar.
• He then reveals that the Wangshu Sword is suppressing another pillar, where Senior Sister Shen is stationed at an ancient site left by Fairy Qionghua.

Character Developments

• Su Shi’er gains a clearer understanding of the crisis and recognizes that it threatens not only the Immortal Ruins but the entire Cultivation World.
• He demonstrates practical courage: although he admits fear, he accepts that the calamity cannot be avoided and seeks a way to begin solving it.
• His knowledge of formations is shown to be insufficient for fully understanding the ancient Immortal Formation, emphasizing the scale of the challenge.
• Ren Yunzong is established as a long-term protector and strategist. Though trapped for a century, he has studied the formation and found ways to resist the Divine Realm’s influence.
• Ren also reveals his continuing concern for his fellow cultivators, including Senior Sister Shen, who is actively resisting the corruption elsewhere.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and responsibility: Ren Yunzong and Miao Yin remained because they could not ignore the suffering of countless souls and the danger to the Cultivation World.
• The cost of power: The Divine Realm’s attempt to control the formation has turned a protective system into a mechanism for enslavement and soul harvesting.
• Hope amid catastrophe: Although destroying the formation would bring ruin, the existence of weaknesses in the Divine Realm’s control offers a possible path to salvation.
• Courage versus fear: Su Shi’er acknowledges his fear but understands that fear cannot exempt him from responsibility.
• Interdependence: The Immortal Ruins, the Nine Pillars, the imprisoned souls, and the wider Cultivation World are all bound together; saving one requires protecting the others.

Character Interactions

• Ren Yunzong patiently explains the history and structure of the Nine-Pillar Formation to Su Shi’er, guiding him from confusion to understanding.
• Su Shi’er asks insightful questions and quickly grasps the strategic importance of the Nine-Pole Celestial Core.
• Their exchange about fear reveals mutual trust: Ren lightly challenges Su Shi’er, while Su honestly admits his anxiety without retreating.
• Ren’s revelation of the Whereabouts Sword and Wangshu Sword connects the current crisis to other important characters, especially Senior Sister Shen and Fairy Qionghua.
• The chapter ends with Ren continuing to identify the locations and defenses of the remaining Immortal Pillars, setting up the next stage of their investigation.

Chapter Summary: “Demon Buddha Jizhao?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ren Yunzong explains the condition of the Nine-Pole Transcendent Immortal Formation, showing Su Shi’er the nine Immortal Pillars.
• Only five pillars remain barely stable:
  • Ren Yunzong’s pillar
  • Shen’s pillar
  • Master Jiekong’s pillar
  • Jing Chenzi’s pillar
  • Sang Xuangu’s pillar from the Immortal Ruins
• Su Shi’er realizes that Jing Chenzi’s ruined marketplace formation was connected to one of the Immortal Pillars. Jing Chenzi had merged his life-bound Mirror Stone into the formation both to protect survivors and to help stabilize the pillar.
• Ren Yunzong describes the four failing pillars:
  1. One has been threatened by the Divine Realm after its guardian Immortal died.
  2. One lies in an ancient battlefield saturated with multiple forms of terrifying Killing Intent.
  3. One was abandoned when its guardian Immortal defected to the Divine Realm.
  4. One has been broken for tens of thousands of years, with most of its formation patterns destroyed.
• Restoring the formation requires more than repairing the four pillars. All nine locations must activate simultaneously and channel their power into the Nine-Pole Celestial Core. Failure could destroy every immortal soul within the pillars.
• As Su Shi’er considers the immense difficulty of this task, the formation suddenly collapses.
• A vast black-gold Dharma Wheel appears above the sea of mist. It combines solemn Buddhist patterns with flowing demonic markings.
• The soul shadows within the pillars react in fear and identify the figure associated with the Dharma Wheel as either Immortal Lord Jizhao or Demon Buddha Jizhao.
• Ren Yunzong recognizes it as the Jizhao Dharma Wheel and experiences fragmented memories of Jizhao as both a revered Buddhist Immortal and a terrifying figure who tormented countless immortal souls.

Character Developments

• Su Shi’er gains a clearer understanding of the Nine-Pole Formation’s importance and the enormous obstacles preventing its restoration. He also demonstrates increasing awareness of the hidden motives behind past events, particularly Jing Chenzi’s actions.
• Ren Yunzong is revealed to possess deep personal knowledge of Jizhao’s history. His painful reaction suggests that he witnessed or was directly connected to Jizhao’s transformation from Immortal Lord into the feared Demon Buddha.
• Jing Chenzi is further characterized as someone who made significant sacrifices and preparations to preserve both the Immortal Realm’s survivors and the Nine-Pole Formation.
• Jizhao emerges as a mysterious and possibly corrupted figure whose identity exists between Buddhist holiness and demonic terror.

Significant Themes

• Decay and preservation: The Nine-Pole Formation represents a dying Immortal Realm struggling to preserve its remaining power and souls.
• The consequences of betrayal: Several pillars have failed because of death, defection, or the influence of the Divine Realm.
• The duality of holiness and corruption: Jizhao’s black-gold Dharma Wheel unites Buddhist and demonic imagery, suggesting that sacred power and destructive evil may coexist within one person.
• The burden of the past: Ren Yunzong’s memories and emotional response show how unresolved historical tragedies continue to shape the present.
• Risk and sacrifice: Restoring the formation could save the Immortal Ruins, but a single mistake could annihilate all the souls bound to the pillars.

Character Interactions

• Ren Yunzong patiently explains the state of the Immortal Pillars and the requirements for restoring the formation, while Su Shi’er listens, questions, and draws connections to his previous encounter with Jing Chenzi.
• Their discussion establishes mutual reliance: Ren Yunzong provides historical and structural knowledge, while Su Shi’er assesses the strategic implications.
• When Ren Yunzong reacts painfully to the appearance of the Jizhao Dharma Wheel, Su Shi’er immediately notices and expresses concern, showing his attentiveness and growing trust toward Ren Yunzong.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ren Yunzong reveals the history of Fan Tianshu, also known by the Daoist title Immortal Lord Jizhao. Fan once cultivated both Buddhist and demonic powers through vows and demonic thoughts, reaching a strength comparable to Immortal Lord Li Jiuyào.
• Su Shi’er realizes the significance of Fan’s identity because Li Jiuyuan, who has caused immense trouble in the Cultivation World, was created from Li Jiuyào’s incarnation.
• Fan Tianshu appears beneath the enormous Dharma Wheel and declares that the former Immortal Realm has vanished. He now wishes to be called Demon Buddha Jizhao, reflecting his fusion of Buddhist and demonic powers.
• Fan warns Ren Yunzong that he should not have come to the Immortal Ruins and claims that Ren will die there. Ren refuses to be intimidated and activates the Immortal Formation, using the Whereabouts Sword to strengthen its defenses.
• Fan examines Su Shi’er and briefly suppresses both his true essence and divine soul, demonstrating the overwhelming power of his projection. He recognizes Su Shi’er’s understanding of the Heavenly Palace Array Dao and his improvements to the Immortal Formation through the Stellar Restriction.
• Su Shi’er concludes that Fan was responsible for arranging for Divine Realm beings to seize control of the Nine-Pole Transcendent Immortal Formation.
• Fan admits this, explaining that the Immortal Ruins would otherwise have collapsed long ago. His plan allowed the ruins and their inhabitants to continue existing, although the souls trapped within the Nine Pillars are gradually drained, losing their identities and consciousness.
• Ren Yunzong condemns this as meaningless survival. Fan argues that preserving the souls’ origins and the Immortal Realm’s remaining spark may eventually allow them to regain consciousness and reincarnate, making the sacrifice preferable to total annihilation.
• Su Shi’er rejects Fan’s justification, accusing him of using other people’s lives to build a path toward salvation. Fan calmly dismisses his disagreement but appears to appreciate Su Shi’er’s principles and insight.

Character Developments

• Fan Tianshu/Demon Buddha Jizhao is established as an immensely powerful and morally uncompromising figure. He genuinely believes his ruthless actions are necessary to save what remains of the Immortal Realm, making him frightening precisely because he is calm and convinced of his righteousness.
• Ren Yunzong shows courage and defiance despite recognizing that Fan is far stronger. His fragmented memories may connect him to Fan and the ancient Immortal Realm, though the full nature of that connection remains unclear.
• Su Shi’er demonstrates both caution and moral resolve. He suppresses his aura and carefully assesses Fan’s strength, while also firmly opposing Fan’s utilitarian plan. His skill in formations earns Fan’s recognition.
• Fan’s opinion of Su Shi’er shifts toward interest and approval after seeing his Array Dao accomplishments and willingness to challenge Fan’s ideology.

Significant Themes

• Buddhism and demonic power in one person: Fan’s appearance and abilities embody the coexistence of sacred and sinister forces.
• Survival versus identity: The chapter questions whether continued existence has meaning if consciousness, memory, and individuality are destroyed.
• The morality of sacrifice: Fan believes sacrificing many is justified if it preserves the possibility of future salvation; Su Shi’er rejects salvation achieved through the exploitation of others.
• Conviction and extremism: Fan’s lack of guilt or emotional instability makes him especially dangerous. He has transformed a morally horrifying choice into an unquestioned principle.
• Past and present identities: Fan and Ren’s forgotten history suggests that the remnants of the Immortal Realm continue to shape present events.

Important Character Interactions

• Ren Yunzong and Fan Tianshu: Their exchange reveals a possible shared history and opposing views on the Immortal Ruins’ fate. Ren challenges Fan’s claim that his plan constitutes salvation.
• Su Shi’er and Fan Tianshu: Fan tests and evaluates Su Shi’er through his spiritual pressure, then recognizes his formation talent. Su Shi’er responds with guarded suspicion and open moral disagreement.
• Ren Yunzong and Su Shi’er: Ren’s explanation gives Su Shi’er crucial context about Fan’s identity and power, while both ultimately stand against Fan’s methods.

Chapter Summary: “Fan Tianshu’s Scheming”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fan Tianshu confronts Su Shi’er and Ren Yunzong, defending his role in the Immortal Ruins’ current state. He admits responsibility for its suffering but insists he has never sought forgiveness or approval.
• To demonstrate his control, Fan activates the Jizhao Dharma Wheel, causing the nine immortal pillars to flare and the countless souls trapped within them to writhe and scream. He then stops the display, showing that he can control the formation and its inhabitants at will.
• Fan explains that the Nine-Pole Transcendent Immortal Formation is incomplete, while the Nine-Pole Celestial Core is controlled through his Dharma Wheel. As a result, Su Shi’er and Ren Yunzong currently have no realistic chance of taking the formation from him.
• He reveals that Ren Yunzong, Shen Miaoyin, and Jiekong were not brought to the Immortal Ruins by coincidence. Their abilities make them ideal candidates to stabilize different parts of the formation and prevent it—and the souls sustaining it—from collapsing.
• Fan admits that the earlier disturbance in the Immortal Ruins and the rumors that drew cultivators from the Cultivation World were deliberately orchestrated. Since the Immortal Ruins’ remaining resources were insufficient to repair the formation, he lured in suitable outsiders.
• Su Shi’er deduces that Fan’s reluctance to attack outright indicates that the formation has limitations. Fan confirms that he appeared because Su Shi’er’s unexpected arrival may provide the missing condition he needs.
• Fan points out the only damaged immortal pillar, explaining that it cannot normally be reconstructed. However, Su Shi’er’s unusual formation techniques—particularly his ability to use stellar positions and unlock hidden restrictions—may allow him to restore it.
• Su Shi’er recognizes the trap: repairing the pillar is necessary to save the person he came to rescue, but doing so would also restore Fan Tianshu’s formation and strengthen his control.

Character Developments

• Fan Tianshu is revealed as calculating, ruthless, and completely committed to his chosen path. He acknowledges his crimes without remorse and views the lives within the pillars as components of a larger plan to preserve the Immortal Ruins.
• Su Shi’er demonstrates sharp insight and emotional restraint. He quickly recognizes that Fan’s confidence masks limitations and correctly infers that Fan needs him to repair the broken pillar.
• Ren Yunzong remains morally opposed to Fan’s methods, especially his use of trapped souls as leverage, but realizes that he and the others have been maneuvered into becoming essential parts of Fan’s plan.
• Shen Miaoyin and Jiekong, though not physically present in the exchange, are recontextualized as strategically valuable figures whose reincarnation and Buddhist vows make them suited to specific roles in the formation.

Significant Themes

• Moral responsibility and justification: Fan refuses to deny his guilt but argues that preserving the Immortal Ruins justifies his actions, raising the question of whether a noble goal can excuse mass suffering.
• Control and manipulation: Fan’s power lies not only in the formation but also in arranging circumstances so that his opponents must help him voluntarily.
• Necessity versus free will: Su Shi’er and the others appear to have choices, yet their goals—especially rescuing the trapped souls—force them toward the exact actions Fan requires.
• Sacrifice and survival: The Immortal Ruins survive by consuming or exploiting countless immortal souls, presenting survival as a system built on sacrifice.
• Cunning versus strength: Su Shi’er’s insight becomes as important as physical power, allowing him to identify the hidden weakness in Fan’s seemingly absolute control.

Character Interactions

• Fan and Su Shi’er engage in a tense battle of intellect. Fan attempts to intimidate him with his control over the souls, while Su Shi’er analyzes the limits of that power.
• Ren Yunzong openly condemns Fan’s use of the souls as leverage, but Fan dismisses his moral objections and emphasizes his practical authority.
• Su Shi’er and Ren Yunzong exchange a silent understanding after examining the damaged pillar, recognizing that Fan’s plan has already placed them in a difficult position.
• Fan ultimately treats Su Shi’er less as an enemy to destroy than as a necessary tool, praising his intelligence while maneuvering him into repairing the formation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fan Tianshu states that restoring and preserving the Immortal Ruins must come before deciding who will possess the Nine-Pole Celestial Core. He challenges Su Shi’er and the others to prove themselves by overcoming the dangers within the ruins.
• Using the Jizhao Dharma Wheel and the power of the Nine-Pole Celestial Core, Fan Tianshu dramatically alters the Immortal Ruins. Mountains, halls, and roads shift, cutting off the route Su Shi’er and Ren Yunzong used and making the Array Hub Token unreliable.
• The transformation demonstrates Fan Tianshu’s extraordinary control over the ruins. He can potentially isolate every cultivator and trap them within the unstable space.
• The formation beneath Su Shi’er and Ren Yunzong suddenly erupts with dark-gold Divine Runes, which turn into countless needles and attack them.
• Su Shi’er evades the needles through movement techniques, while Ren Yunzong uses the Whereabouts Sword to destroy them. However, the sword is gradually damaged, and Ren Yunzong’s strength is strained.
• Much of the formation’s released power is diverted into a newly formed road of cold moonlight. Fan Tianshu reveals that it leads toward Qionghua’s Old Grounds, where the Immortal Pillar guarded by Shen is failing.
• Fan Tianshu disappears after deliberately creating the moonlit path, challenging Su Shi’er to see how many people he can save. His actions force the group to choose between stabilizing the current formation and rescuing Shen.
• Ren Yunzong remains behind to suppress the Divine Runes and protect the formation. Su Shi’er realizes that Fan Tianshu chose this moment because Ren Yunzong’s connection to the formation has been weakened.
• Ren Yunzong admits that breaking the formation earlier disrupted his bond with the formation position. If he focuses entirely on stabilizing it, he will be unable to aid Su Shi’er elsewhere.
• The chapter concludes with Su Shi’er recognizing that Fan Tianshu’s encounter was a carefully calculated maneuver designed to create multiple problems at once.

Character Developments

• Fan Tianshu: Reveals himself as an exceptionally calculating and powerful strategist. Rather than directly fighting, he manipulates the ruins, formation, and the group’s priorities, using information and carefully timed actions to control the situation.
• Su Shi’er: Becomes increasingly perceptive and cautious. He quickly understands that Fan Tianshu’s apparent conversation concealed a larger plan and correctly identifies the weakness in Ren Yunzong’s position.
• Ren Yunzong: Demonstrates immense combat and formation expertise by resisting the Divine Runes and protecting the formation. He also shows honesty by explaining his weakened connection and acknowledging that he cannot support Su Shi’er while maintaining the formation.
• Shen: Though absent from the scene, her endangered Immortal Pillar becomes the immediate reason Su Shi’er may need to leave the formation and enter Fan Tianshu’s trap.

Significant Themes

• Strategy over direct confrontation: Fan Tianshu wins control through timing, manipulation, and environmental mastery rather than open combat.
• The cost of divided attention: The protagonists must choose between protecting the formation and rescuing Shen, illustrating how every action creates another vulnerability.
• Trust and hidden intentions: Fan Tianshu offers seemingly reasonable words and information, but his true purpose is to observe and exploit weaknesses.
• Limits of power: Even Ren Yunzong’s great strength cannot solve every problem simultaneously, while the unstable Immortal Ruins amplify the consequences of failure.
• Testing and survival: Fan Tianshu frames the situation as a test of whether Su Shi’er and the others are worthy of reaching or controlling the Nine-Pole Celestial Core.

Character Interactions

• Fan Tianshu verbally engages Su Shi’er, presenting his actions as a challenge and suggesting that the group may ultimately benefit from them.
• Su Shi’er questions Fan Tianshu’s intentions and later calls out to him, but Fan Tianshu ignores him and vanishes after setting his plan in motion.
• Ren Yunzong warns Su Shi’er of the Divine Rune attack and fights alongside him to defend the formation.
• Su Shi’er attempts to help Ren Yunzong stabilize the formation, but Ren Yunzong refuses, insisting that he can hold the position temporarily and that Su Shi’er should focus on the moonlit path and Shen’s endangered Immortal Pillar.
• Their discussion reveals mutual trust and cooperation, while also showing that Fan Tianshu has successfully forced them into separate roles.

Chapter Summary: “To Thank Someone, I Should Be the One Thanking You”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Shi’er prepares to leave and search for Senior Sister Shen, but first stays behind to help Ren Yunzong stabilize the damaged Nine-Pole Transcendent Immortal Formation.
• Fan Tianshu is draining the formation’s power through the Dark-Gold Divine Runes, using the Nine-Pole Celestial Core as an anchor. Directly severing this connection appears impossible.
• Rather than blocking the energy flow, Su Shi’er places twelve Array Flags at the points where the Dark-Gold Divine Runes intersect the formation’s veins. His arrangement redirects nearly half of the stolen power back into the formation, reducing the burden on Ren Yunzong.
• Su Shi’er creates two Stellar Restrictions:
  • An overt restriction that diverts and returns part of the formation’s lost power.
  • A hidden restriction attached to a Dark-Gold Divine Rune, intended to retain traces of energy and potentially reveal the location of the Nine-Pole Celestial Core.
• The hidden restriction appears to escape Fan Tianshu’s detection, though Su Shi’er remains uncertain whether Fan truly failed to notice it or deliberately ignored it.
• With Su Shi’er’s assistance and Ren Yunzong’s suppression of the remaining Divine Runes, the formation is temporarily stabilized.
• Ren Yunzong transfers the locations of five stable Immortal Pillars into Su Shi’er’s damaged Array Hub Token. Su Shi’er can use it to locate those pillars, while the four unstable pillars must be investigated directly.
• Su Shi’er thanks Ren Yunzong and prepares to continue toward Senior Sister Shen. Ren Yunzong warns him that Fan Tianshu’s opened path is likely part of a larger trap or plan.

Character Developments

• Su Shi’er demonstrates advanced Array Dao mastery, creativity, and strategic flexibility. Instead of attempting the impossible task of stopping Fan Tianshu’s energy drain, he redirects it to minimize the damage.
• He also shows increasing maturity and tactical sophistication by using the hidden restriction not only as a possible tracking device but also as a distraction, forcing Fan Tianshu to wonder about Su’s true intentions.
• Ren Yunzong recognizes Su Shi’er’s growth in both cultivation and worldly experience. He trusts Su’s judgment and supports his mission by providing information about the Immortal Pillars.
• Ren Yunzong is also portrayed as selfless and appreciative, emphasizing that Su Shi’er is aiding the larger cause despite having no personal obligation to do so.

Significant Themes

• Guiding rather than resisting: When direct opposition is impossible, adapting to an opponent’s power and redirecting it can achieve a better result.
• Caution and deception: Su Shi’er uses uncertainty itself as a weapon, making even a possibly ineffective formation valuable if it forces Fan Tianshu to divide his attention.
• Public duty and sacrifice: Both characters frame their actions as service to the broader cultivation world rather than personal gain.
• Trust and mutual respect: Their exchange of thanks reflects a longstanding bond in which neither sees the other’s assistance as a burden or obligation.
• Strategic uncertainty: Fan Tianshu’s intentions remain unclear, reinforcing the danger surrounding Su Shi’er’s journey.

Character Interactions

• Su Shi’er and Ren Yunzong collaborate closely, combining Su’s formation expertise with Ren’s ability to suppress the unstable Divine Runes.
• Ren Yunzong praises Su Shi’er’s ingenuity and maturity, while Su remains modest and attributes his survival to caution.
• Their conversation reveals deep mutual respect: Su thanks Ren for his help, but Ren insists that he is the one who should be grateful because Su voluntarily joined a dangerous mission.
• Ren’s final warning underscores both his concern for Su Shi’er and his awareness that Fan Tianshu has likely prepared further dangers ahead.

Chapter Summary: A Moonlit Road, Danger at Every Turn

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Shi’er leaves the main hall after reassuring his senior brother, Ren Yunzong, that he will proceed carefully.
• Ren remains behind inside the protective grand array, guarding the array hub while Su Shi’er enters the moonlight path.
• Upon stepping onto the path, Su Shi’er is transported into a gray, lifeless void filled with floating ruins of the Immortal Realm. The route behind him disappears, cutting off any easy return.
• Using the array hub token, Su Shi’er confirms that the path is connected to the aura of the Wangshu Sword and appears to lead toward Shen Miaoyin, who has been trapped in the Immortal Ruins for centuries.
• Although he suspects Fan Tianshu may have manipulated the path through the Nine-Pole Celestial Core and turned it into a trap, Su Shi’er chooses to continue.
• After traveling a considerable distance, he notices that the surrounding ruins are repeating. A broken paifang gate marked by a crescent moon and a deep sword scar appears again, revealing that the path is not progressing normally.
• His divine sense is blocked after only a short distance, and the array hub token shows that Shen Miaoyin’s location remains no closer despite his movement.
• Su Shi’er tests the path by throwing a piece of rubble behind him. The rubble later reappears ahead of him, proving that the path folds space and connects back to itself.
• He realizes that travelers could walk endlessly without advancing unless they detect the moment when the moonlight causes space to overlap.
• Rather than rushing forward, Su Shi’er sits down, uses array flags, and studies the spatial fluctuations. He determines that escaping requires altering his position precisely during the brief instant of spatial overlap.
• Just as he begins using spatial secret laws to break the formation, the moonlight path violently trembles, and countless chilling rays transform into transparent humanlike figures, signaling a new and more dangerous trial.

Character Developments

• Su Shi’er demonstrates courage, determination, and disciplined caution. Though aware that Fan Tianshu has likely designed the path as a trap, he remains committed to rescuing or locating Shen Miaoyin.
• His expertise in formations and spatial laws becomes central to his survival. Instead of relying on brute force, he carefully investigates the path and identifies its hidden mechanism.
• Su Shi’er’s resolve strengthens as he recognizes that he may face danger without a reliable route back, yet he refuses to retreat.
• Ren Yunzong remains behind as a steadfast support figure, maintaining the grand array and silently encouraging Su Shi’er’s mission.
• Fan Tianshu, though absent, exerts influence through the deliberately engineered moonlit path, revealing himself as a manipulative and hostile force.
• Shen Miaoyin’s unseen predicament motivates Su Shi’er’s actions; her uncertain condition gives the journey urgency.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance in the face of uncertainty: Su Shi’er continues despite not knowing whether the path leads to salvation or another deadly trap.
• Danger hidden beneath appearances: The apparently straight and peaceful moonlight path conceals a spatial loop and potentially lethal mechanisms.
• Knowledge versus force: Su Shi’er survives by applying his understanding of formations and spatial laws rather than attacking blindly.
• Isolation and commitment: The disappearance of the return path emphasizes his separation from safety and his willingness to proceed for Shen Miaoyin’s sake.
• Manipulation and mistrust: Fan Tianshu’s influence reinforces the danger of accepting seemingly helpful opportunities without questioning their purpose.

Character Interactions

• Su Shi’er exchanges a brief but meaningful farewell with Ren Yunzong. His promise to return and Ren’s silent wave convey mutual trust and support.
• Su Shi’er’s thoughts repeatedly center on Shen Miaoyin, whose disappearance drives his choices despite their lack of direct interaction in the chapter.
• Fan Tianshu functions as an unseen antagonist whose calculated trap shapes Su Shi’er’s entire journey.

Key plot points and events

• Su Shi’er is attacked by more than a hundred moonlight-made sword figures. He deflects their combined attack with the Miro Heaven Hand, redirecting the sword light into nearby ruins.
• Realizing the figures are linked to the spatial distortions and are meant to trap intruders, he targets the weakest shadow. He breaks it apart, revealing a spatial fissure, then uses his array hub token to widen the opening and escape.
• The token confirms that he has moved closer to Shen Miaoyin. Su Shi’er pauses to restore his true essence and divine sense before continuing.
• The path grows dangerously cold, with the chill threatening not only his body but also his cultivation and soul. After traveling a thousand miles, he hears the familiar cry of Shen Miaoyin’s Wangshu Sword.
• Beneath a crescent moon, he senses Shen Miaoyin’s sword intent being overwhelmed by a surging black-and-gold force. Her position flickers on the token, so he hurries toward her despite worsening cold and an unsettling aura.

Character developments

• Su Shi’er demonstrates tactical insight, recognizing the sword figures’ purpose rather than wasting time fighting them directly.
• His control and precision are emphasized: he redirects the sword formation’s attack, exploits a weak point, and uses the brief spatial opening effectively.
• He remains cautious and disciplined, resting after escaping instead of rushing onward. His alarm at Shen Miaoyin’s situation quickly turns into urgent action.

Character interactions

• Su Shi’er confronts the sword shadows, which attack without apparent consciousness and act as part of the spatial trap.
• Though Shen Miaoyin does not appear directly, Su Shi’er senses her through the Wangshu Sword and tracks her with the array token. Their connection motivates his decision to press forward.

Significant themes

• Perception and strategy: Understanding how a danger works can be more effective than meeting it head-on.
• Persistence and restraint: Su Shi’er balances decisive action with careful recovery.
• Growing peril and urgency: The worsening cold and black-and-gold force build tension as he approaches Shen Miaoyin.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• As Su Shi’er flies toward the Qionghua Old Palace, Fan Tianshu’s influence reaches him through voices urging him to abandon his mission. Su Shi’er recognizes the attempt to unsettle his mind, maintains his mental defenses with Chan Ding Nine Heavens, and speeds up instead.
• He reaches a crescent-shaped landmass of white, frost-covered stone, where ruined palaces surround a towering immortal pillar. Black-gold chains bind the surviving formations and draw out their immortal runes.
• A moonlight-formed guardian blocks his approach, immobilizing him and assaulting his consciousness with an illusion of Qionghua’s former glory. Chan Ding Nine Heavens helps him break free.
• The guardian’s sword strike proves immensely powerful. Su Shi’er counters with Secret Law Gui Wu, which absorbs much of the attack but cannot stop it completely; his sturdy body lets him withstand the remainder.
• Realizing the guardian may be an automatic formation rather than a sentient opponent, Su Shi’er presents the Array Hub Token and calls out that he has come to assist Senior Sister Shen under Sect Master Ren Yunzong’s direction. The guardian and surrounding formations admit him.
• He passes through nine ruined palaces and reaches the immortal pillar, whose ancient scale and aura leave him keenly aware of his own smallness.

Character development and interactions

• Su Shi’er demonstrates determination, discipline, and quick judgment. He resists psychological manipulation, survives a near-overwhelming attack, and chooses diplomacy and recognition credentials over further combat.
• Fan Tianshu does not appear directly, but his abilities are shown through the disembodied voices that try to make Su Shi’er doubt the mission.
• The palace guardian behaves like an impersonal defensive mechanism: it attacks intruders, then yields when Su Shi’er signals his authorized purpose. The surrounding spectral sword cultivators watch him pass but do not intervene.
• Shen Miaoyin is not present, but Su Shi’er addresses her as “Senior Sister Shen” and seeks to reach her; her role guarding the Nine-Pole Immortal Pillars is central to his mission.

Significant themes

• Resolve against fear and doubt: Su Shi’er refuses to retreat despite warnings about the danger and the powerful figures involved.
• Mind and spiritual discipline: His ability to protect his consciousness is as important as his combat strength.
• Force versus understanding: The guardian cannot simply be overcome by power; recognizing the formation’s nature and using the proper token opens the way.
• Human fragility before ancient forces: The immortal pillar’s immense presence underscores Su Shi’er’s insignificance in the face of a vast, old power.