Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group, led by Shen Miaoyin, faces Zhao Mingyuan and the others at the exit of the Ten Mile Art Gallery.
• Sun Wenzhu attacks but is severely injured by Shen Miaoyin's sword energy, convincing everyone else to retreat.
• The group reaches the exit unopposed, but Su Shi'er warns Venerable Tianhong of an impending crisis.
• The remaining cultivators rush out, eager to leave, but the space at the exit ripples ominously.

Character Developments

• Shen Miaoyin displays immense strength, instilling fear and respect in her opponents.
• Sun Wenzhu shows cowardice and poor judgment, attacking rashly and getting injured.
• Su Shi'er demonstrates strategic thinking and caution, warning Venerable Tianhong about potential dangers.
• Venerable Tianhong initially shows relief and gratitude towards Su Shi'er but quickly regains his composure and vigilance.

Significant Themes

• Power dynamics and the fear of the strong (Shen Miaoyin's influence on the group).
• Cunning and deception (Su Shi'er's warnings about the Great Zhao Dynasty and the Demon Shadow Palace's plans).
• The consequences of underestimating opponents (Sun Wenzhu's injury).

Character Interactions

• Shen Miaoyin and Su Shi'er work together to protect the group, with Shen Miaoyin's strength being the primary deterrent.
• Su Shi'er and Venerable Tianhong communicate privately, sharing their concerns and strategizing.
• The remaining cultivators from the Three Sects show eagerness to leave, prioritizing their own safety over caution.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group is trapped in a Level Four remnant formation after being led astray by an illusion array.
• Zhao Mingyuan reveals his plan to use the Profound Yin Gale to kill everyone and bury their bodies in the Ten Mile Art Gallery.
• Su Shi'er sets up a teleportation array to help everyone escape.

Character Developments

• Zhao Mingyuan: Reveals his true colors, driven by resentment, anger, and greed.
• Su Shi'er: Demonstrates his strategic thinking and resourcefulness by setting up a teleportation array in advance.
• Venerable Tianhong: Shows calmness and understanding of the Profound Yin Gale's power.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and deception (Zhao Mingyuan's true intentions).
• Resourcefulness and adaptability (Su Shi'er's use of the teleportation array).
• Despair and hope (the cultivators' reactions to their situation).

Character Interactions

• Zhao Mingyuan and the cultivators: Zhao Mingyuan reveals his plan to kill everyone, causing fear and despair among the cultivators.
• Su Shi'er and the cultivators: Su Shi'er's teleportation array gives the cultivators hope for survival and escape.
• Venerable Tianhong and Su Shi'er: Venerable Tianhong acknowledges Su Shi'er's resourcefulness and strategic thinking.

Su Shi'er activated a Teleportation Array inside the Level Four Formation, allowing the Three Sects cultivators to escape the approaching Profound Yin Gale. Outside, Zhao Mingyuan and the Demon Shadow Palace argued over who had concealed the array, while Zhao began questioning his own formation masters.

• Su Shi'er warned that the Teleportation Array might lead the cultivators into another dangerous formation, but activated it as the Profound Yin Gale approached.
• The Teleportation Array engulfed the Three Sects cultivators in blue light, and they vanished from the formation.
• The formation masters told Zhao Mingyuan that the Three Sects cultivators had escaped after intense spatial fluctuations, prompting the Demon Shadow Palace to suspect the Great Zhao Dynasty.
• Zong Lu confronted Zhao Mingyuan, while Lin Wuyou reasoned that a Teleportation Array must have been hidden inside the formation.
• Elder Tian confirmed that a Teleportation Array had been activated, and Zhao Mingyuan demanded that his formation masters explain who had concealed it.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Mingyuan suspects the Great Zhao Dynasty, the Demon Shadow Palace, or the Three Sects of secretly setting up a teleportation array.
• Lin Wuyou suggests that cultivators from the Three Sects might have set up the array in advance, using the dead disciples as a cover.
• Zhao Mingyuan leads everyone to the teleportation array's location, with no one allowed to leave without permission until the array is activated.
• Over ten days pass, and the teleportation array completes its charging, ready to be activated.

Character Developments

• Zhao Mingyuan: Becomes increasingly suspicious and cautious, using the situation to his advantage.
• Lin Wuyou: Proves his cunning and manipulative nature, shifting blame onto others without revealing his own involvement.
• Zong Lu: Grows suspicious of Ning Yuanqi and Feng Heyu, leading to internal tension within the Demon Shadow Palace.
• Lin Qiao'er: Realizes Lin Wuyou's secret involvement in setting up the teleportation array, but keeps it hidden.

Significant Themes

• Suspicion and mistrust among the parties involved.
• Manipulation and deception as a means to an end.
• The power dynamics and political intrigue within the cultivation world.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Mingyuan and Lin Wuyou: Engage in a subtle power struggle, each trying to outmaneuver the other.
• Zong Lu and Ning Yuanqi/Feng Heyu: Become increasingly suspicious of each other, leading to tension within the Demon Shadow Palace.
• Lin Wuyou and Lin Qiao'er: Share a secret understanding, with Lin Qiao'er aware of Lin Wuyou's true intentions but keeping them hidden.

Zong Lu summoned a demonic bell that sealed the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm for a hundred years, trapping the missing Three Sects cultivators and threatening the Teleportation Array. Zhao Mingyuan recognized Zong Lu’s scheme and obstructed the Demon Shadow Palace’s formation masters, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Zong Lu accused someone among the gathered cultivators of hiding the Three Sects cultivators, then declared he would seal the area so they could not claim the supreme treasures.
• Zong Lu unleashed his demonic handbell, which gathered demonic qi into a huge bell and tore apart living creatures across a thousand-li radius.
• Ning Yuanqi and Feng Heyu privately judged the artifact dangerous but decided to continue their agreement while searching for the Devil Master.
• Zong Lu explained that the demonic bell would devour demonic qi for a hundred years and that they had to leave before the Teleportation Array lost its power.
• Zhao Mingyuan ordered the Great Zhao Dynasty’s formation masters to disrupt the Demon Shadow Palace’s efforts to activate the Teleportation Array, then accused Zong Lu of plotting to keep others out.

Su Shi'er and the others escaped the Great Zhao Dynasty’s killing move through a Teleportation Array, but found themselves trapped in an underground cavern with no safe route out. Su Shi'er suspected the damaged array was their only hope of escape.

• Zong Lu assured Zhao Mingyuan that returning to the secret realm would require the Phantom Star Sect’s Teleportation Array, and the two sects’ formation masters activated an array that sent them away.
• The demonic bell continued devouring demonic qi and life around the Teleportation Array in the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm.
• Su Shi'er and the others explored the underground cavern’s passageways and found that most ended in chambers or dead ends, while the only route to the outside led past a Water Demon Beast with early Nascent Soul Stage strength.
• The cultivators discovered that divine sense and true essence were severely suppressed in the cavern, Escape Talismans failed, and their attacks could not damage its walls.
• When Venerable Tianhong asked whether they were doomed to remain trapped, Su Shi'er pointed to the damaged Teleportation Array as their likeliest means of escape.

Shen Miaoyin explained that repairing the ancient Teleportation Array would take fifty to a hundred years, leaving the group with no practical way out except to wait. She summoned Su Shi'er into her secluded chamber, where he discovered her inheritance had left her in severe pain, and the chapter ended as he stepped inside.

• Shen Miaoyin identified the damaged array as an ancient Teleportation Array and estimated its repair would take fifty to a hundred years.
• Su Shi'er explained that deciphering the array's many patterns was essential to avoid a fatal teleportation accident.
• Shen Miaoyin ruled out building a new array, citing the contaminated secret realm, the likely shutdown of its existing array, and the scarcity of materials for a long-distance teleportation array.
• Su Shi'er urged the group to recover while Shen Miaoyin stabilized the inheritance's power, and Zen Master Shanfa helped calm their fears.
• Shen Miaoyin invited Su Shi'er into seclusion, and he found her struggling with severe pain from absorbing the inheritance as he entered her chamber.

Shen Miaoyin taught Su Shi'er a half-complete cultivation method and used her divine sense to guide his true essence through a healing technique. After half a year, Su Shi'er's damaged cultivation foundations were completely restored, and he had memorized the healing circuits.

• Shen Miaoyin clasped Su Shi'er's hands and taught him a cultivation method while struggling to control the inheritance power battering her.
• Su Shi'er activated the half-complete method to refine the surging spiritual energy, sending most of the resulting true essence back into Shen Miaoyin.
• Shen Miaoyin sent her divine sense into Su Shi'er's body and guided his true essence through lesser celestial circuits that healed his injuries and foundations.
• Su Shi'er memorized the healing technique and took Blood Essence Pills to strengthen its effects.
• Su Shi'er's damaged cultivation foundations were completely restored in half a year.

After seven years of practicing a joint cultivation technique with Shen Miaoyin, Su Shi'er recovered from his injuries and reached the peak of the early Golden Core stage. Shen Miaoyin explained that their method was not dual cultivation and revealed that the Meridian Washing Technique had healed his body.

• Su Shi'er reflected that surviving severe injuries had strengthened his body and focused on refining true essence after his foundation was restored.
• Over seven years in the secluded chamber, Shen Miaoyin supplied spiritual essence while Su Shi'er recovered and advanced to the peak of the early Golden Core stage.
• Shen Miaoyin stopped the flow of spiritual essence after stabilizing the inherited power within her and thanked Su Shi'er.
• Su Shi'er asked whether their practice was a transcendent dual cultivation technique, and Shen Miaoyin explained that true dual cultivation required them to open their hearts and merge their minds.
• Shen Miaoyin told Su Shi'er that they had used a joint cultivation technique to resolve the danger from the Inheritance Stone Statues' spiritual essence and that the Meridian Washing Technique had healed his injuries.

After cultivating together with Shen Miaoyin, Su Shi'er switched to the Lesser Heavenly Cycle Qi Embracing Art to strengthen himself before returning to the dangerous Muyun Prefecture. He began rapidly cultivating with spirit stones and pills, aiming to absorb the inheritance's power as soon as possible.

• Su Shi'er thanked Shen Miaoyin for teaching him the Meridian Washing Technique, and they acknowledged how they had supported each other.
• Shen Miaoyin said she would stabilize her cultivation and study the Ancient Teleportation Array to return everyone to Muyun Prefecture.
• After Shen Miaoyin left, Su Shi'er set up a protective array and considered the dangers awaiting him in Muyun Prefecture.
• Su Shi'er decided to switch to the Lesser Heavenly Cycle Qi Embracing Art because it would speed up his cultivation.
• Su Shi'er refined spirit stones in the Heaven and Earth Furnace, then swallowed supreme-grade cultivation pills and absorbed energy from top-grade spirit stones.

Su Shi'er used the Lesser Heavenly Cycle Qi Embracing Art to refine the power of the Inheritance Stone Statues, enduring huge losses of spiritual essence in exchange for rapid cultivation. After twenty years, he finished refining the inheritance power and reached the peak of the late Golden Core stage while the others in the cavern largely abandoned secluded cultivation.

• Su Shi'er reached the middle Golden Core stage after three years of cultivating with the Lesser Heavenly Cycle Qi Embracing Art, though its resource consumption depleted much of his reserves.
• Su Shi'er examined the Inheritance Stone Statues in his dantian and began absorbing the power of the half statue, using the cultivation art to refine the overwhelming spiritual essence.
• The inheritance power flooded Su Shi'er's body, forcing him to let most of its spiritual essence dissipate while he absorbed valuable cultivation insights into his Sea of Consciousness.
• Thirty years passed in the strange cavern, and most cultivators from the Golden Cicada Temple and Wuji Sect stopped cultivating after twenty years; Su Shi'er continued in seclusion.
• Su Shi'er finished refining the power of both Inheritance Stone Statues after twenty years and advanced from the middle Golden Core stage to the peak of the late Golden Core stage.

Su Shi'er discovered that combining One Person, Three Transformations with Spirit Gathering Body Condensation let his incarnations cultivate independently while he gathered their true essence, so he abandoned his plan to discard the art. After stabilizing his cultivation, he went to check on Shen Miaoyin and help with the Ancient Teleportation Array, where the other cultivators watched him with envy.

• Su Shi'er considered abolishing One Person, Three Transformations because it consumed too much true essence, but recalled how Lin Wuyou had been created through the art and Spirit Gathering Body Condensation.
• Su Shi'er used Spirit Gathering Body Condensation on his two incarnations, awakening their intelligence and confirming that he could control them while dividing his consciousness three ways.
• Su Shi'er directed one incarnation to cultivate the Lesser Heavenly Cycle Qi Embracing Art and the other to practice the Four Symbols Secret Art, then drew the first incarnation's true essence into his original body.
• Su Shi'er decided to keep One Person, Three Transformations and left his incarnations cultivating in the secluded chamber while he went to stabilize his late Golden Core cultivation and assist Shen Miaoyin with the Ancient Teleportation Array.
• Su Shi'er entered the main hall, where more than twenty cultivators exchanged insights and watched him with knowing, envious looks because he had shared a secluded chamber with Shen Miaoyin.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin work together to deduce an ancient teleportation array.
• Zen Master Shanfa, presumed to have become a mortal, is found to have re-cultivated his Golden Core.
• The ancient teleportation array is revealed to be a combination of two different formation styles.

Character Developments

• Su Shi'er demonstrates unique insights and unconventional thinking in formation deduction, complementing Shen Miaoyin's expertise.
• Shen Miaoyin starts to suspect Su Shi'er's One Person, Three Transformations cultivation method might be the source of his unique perspectives.

Significant Themes

• The complexity and variability of ancient formations.
• The importance of collaboration and different perspectives in problem-solving.
• The potential of Su Shi'er's cultivation method.

Character Interactions

• Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin work together, with Su Shi'er's unique ideas complementing Shen Miaoyin's deep understanding of formations.
• Su Shi'er's interactions with Zen Master Shanfa show his surprise and respect for the Zen Master's cultivation progress.
• Su Shi'er's interactions with his own avatars, though not physically present, are implied through his use of the One Person, Three Transformations ability.

After three more years of work, Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin completed their deductions of the Ancient Teleportation Array and began repairing it, but Shen Miaoyin said one crucial thing was still needed to activate it.

• Shen Miaoyin announced that she and Su Shi'er had completed their study of the Ancient Teleportation Array ahead of schedule.
• Shen Miaoyin credited Su Shi'er with helping them find new approaches, and said his talent in the Array Dao surpassed hers.
• Su Shi'er downplayed his contribution, while Venerable Tianhong teased the two about trading compliments.
• Shen Miaoyin explained that the cavern's growing pressure made leaving urgent and used a Void Illusory Glaze Stone to repair the array.
• Su Shi'er began tracing the completed formation patterns, and Shen Miaoyin said one crucial thing was still needed to activate the array.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group needs ten top-grade Spirit Stones to activate the ancient teleportation array.
• Some cultivators have a few top-grade Spirit Stones, but not enough.
• Venerable Tianhong, Zen Master Shanfa, and Xiao Muzi contribute their top-grade Spirit Stones, totaling five.
• Su Shi'er contributes five more top-grade Spirit Stones to make up the required ten.
• Venerable Tianhong offers to buy three of the top-grade Spirit Stones at a high price, which Su Shi'er accepts.
• Zen Master Shanfa and Xiao Muzi also buy three top-grade Spirit Stones each at the same price.

Character Developments

• Shen Miaoyin: Shows calmness and wisdom, guessing that Su Shi'er has more top-grade Spirit Stones.
• Su Shi'er: Reveals he has top-grade Spirit Stones, initially trying to keep it low-key, but eventually contributes five and sells three to Venerable Tianhong.
• Venerable Tianhong: Shows cunning and generosity, buying three top-grade Spirit Stones at a high price to help Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin, but also benefiting himself.
• Zen Master Shanfa and Xiao Muzi: Follow Venerable Tianhong's lead and also buy three top-grade Spirit Stones each.

Significant Themes

• Scarcity and Value of Top-Grade Spirit Stones: Top-grade Spirit Stones are rare and valuable, with one being equivalent to ten thousand low-grade Spirit Stones.
• Resourcefulness and Adaptability: Characters find ways to gather the required Spirit Stones, showing their resourcefulness and adaptability in a challenging situation.
• Generosity and Self-Interest: Characters balance generosity (helping others) with self-interest (benefiting themselves), as seen in Venerable Tianhong's actions.

Character Interactions

• Shen Miaoyin and Su Shi'er: Shen Miaoyin guesses Su Shi'er's possession of top-grade Spirit Stones, and Su Shi'er eventually confirms it.
• Venerable Tianhong and Su Shi'er: Venerable Tianhong buys top-grade Spirit Stones from Su Shi'er at a high price, benefiting both parties.
• Zen Master Shanfa and Xiao Muzi: They follow Venerable Tianhong's lead and also buy top-grade Spirit Stones from Su Shi'er.

Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin activated the Ancient Teleportation Array and discovered a beacon in the direction of Muyun Prefecture, apparently connected to the Yun Ge Sect. They chose to follow it, leaving the group set to teleport toward the Phantom Star Sect's sphere of influence.

• Su Shi'er accepted Spirit Stones from Venerable Tianhong and the others, considering whether trading could provide him with resources.
• Shen Miaoyin led the group onto the Ancient Teleportation Array, and Su Shi'er explained the danger of a random long-distance teleportation if it could not find a destination.
• Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin used ten top-grade Spirit Stones to activate the array and found two distant corresponding arrays, too far away for a safe direct teleport.
• Shen Miaoyin identified a faint beacon toward Muyun Prefecture, explaining that she had added the Yun Ge Sect Teleportation Array's beacon to the ancient array.
• Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin suspected that the beacon might be connected to Ren Yunzong and decided to follow it toward the Phantom Star Sect's sphere of influence.

Su Shi'er and the others escaped the flooded caves through the Teleportation Array and arrived in a dark, freezing place filled with vengeful spirits’ yin-aspected Spiritual Qi. Venerable Tianhong identified it as the Phantom Star Sect’s forbidden ground, the Sinful Dao, leaving the group alarmed and uncertain how to escape.

• A brawny, horned man arrived too late to catch Su Shi'er and the others, then waited beside the repaired Teleportation Array for a turtle to bring him top-grade Spirit Stones.
• Su Shi'er and the others emerged into darkness where cold and ghostly qi threatened them, and Zen Master Shanfa warned them not to absorb the yin-aspected Spiritual Qi.
• The yin-aspected Spiritual Qi drove Xiao Muzi’s blood demon into a frenzy, but Zen Master Shanfa, Su Shi'er, and Shen Miaoyin suppressed him until he sealed his cultivation with a sword seal.
• Xiao Muzi asked whether they had reached the Cang Mountain Forbidden Zone, but Su Shi'er ruled that out and asked Venerable Tianhong what he knew.
• Venerable Tianhong identified the place as the Sinful Dao within Phantom Star Sect territory, and two Phantom Star Sect cultivators feared they were doomed.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Sinful Path is revealed to be a place of malevolent energy sealed by the Phantom Star Sect, where great traitors and evildoers are exiled, with no one ever having escaped alive.
• A mysterious figure, later revealed to be Zhu Hanwei, appears with a World-Illuminating Lamp, offering to help the group leave the Sinful Path.
• Zhu Hanwei requests the 'Swastika' character Buddha Seal from Su Shi'er's Myriad Soul Banner to aid in their escape.

Character Developments

• Su Shi'er shows strong determination and resilience, encouraging the group to press forward despite their dire situation.
• Venerable Tianhong feels guilt and sorrow over Senior Brother Wan Jianyi's past incident.
• Zhu Hanwei remains mysterious and elusive, revealing only what is necessary.

Significant Themes

• Trust and deception: Zhu Hanwei's true identity and intentions are initially unknown, requiring the group to decide whether to trust him.
• Perseverance: Despite the grim circumstances, Su Shi'er encourages the group to keep moving forward.

Character Interactions

• Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin quickly deduce Zhu Hanwei's identity and work together to assess the situation.
• Venerable Tianhong shows concern for the group's well-being and feels responsible for their predicament.
• Zhu Hanwei remains distant and unreadable, providing only cryptic information.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Shi'er reveals the Myriad Soul Banner, causing shock and suspicion among the cultivators.
• Zen Master Shanfa recognizes the 'swastika' Buddha seal on the banner as one of the Eighteen Demon Subduing Seals.
• A shadowy figure claims the Buddha seal, using the Eighteen Demon Subduing Seals to separate it from the Myriad Soul Banner.
• The shadowy figure returns the Myriad Soul Banner to Su Shi'er and uses the World-Illuminating Lamp to mark the cultivators.

Character Developments

• Su Shi'er remains calm and composed, showing no fear or guilt regarding the Myriad Soul Banner.
• Zen Master Shanfa demonstrates his knowledge of Buddhist lore and his ability to read situations, attempting to convert Su Shi'er to Buddhism.
• The shadowy figure reveals his knowledge of the Eighteen Demon Subduing Seals and his ability to use them, implying a deep understanding of Buddhist arts.

Significant Themes

• Trust and suspicion: Su Shi'er's lack of trust in the shadowy figure is evident, while Zen Master Shanfa's attempts to convert Su Shi'er show his trust in the power of Buddhism.
• The power of knowledge: The shadowy figure's ability to use the Eighteen Demon Subduing Seals highlights the power of knowledge and understanding in the cultivation world.

Character Interactions

• Su Shi'er and Zen Master Shanfa: Their interaction revolves around Zen Master Shanfa's attempts to convert Su Shi'er to Buddhism, with Su Shi'er remaining noncommittal.
• Su Shi'er and the shadowy figure: Their interaction is tense, with Su Shi'er not fully trusting the shadowy figure and the latter not revealing his true intentions.
• Venerable Tianhong's action surprises both the cultivators and the shadowy figure, showing his fearlessness and disregard for his own safety.

Key Plot Points

• The group enters the Sinful Path, guided by a mysterious shadowy figure using a World-Illuminating Buddha Flame to protect them.
• The environment causes loss of senses and disorientation, with time itself becoming blurred.
• Su Shi'er encounters an illusion of his grandfather, causing emotional turmoil.

Character Developments

• Su Shi'er's determination is tested, and he faces his past and emotions.
• The shadowy figure's true intentions remain unclear.

Significant Themes

• The power of illusion and the mind over reality.
• The struggle between past emotions and present determination.

Character Interactions

• Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin discuss their caution and vigilance.
• Su Shi'er's internal struggle with his grandfather's illusion.