Chapter Summary: “Hope for Immortality”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen regrets being unable to comprehend the true essence of the Nine Heaven-Cleaving Forms, an ultimate technique used by Great God Pangu to destroy the Chaos Demon Gods and create the Primordial World. He can only memorize the movements and visions, hoping to gain deeper insight through later study.
• He realizes that Divine Ability Clone No. 4 is in extreme danger inside the Sealing Grounds, located at the formation’s central hub. The Innate Black Lotus begins attacking the seal, sending terrifying demon qi toward the Pangu Statue.
• To protect his true body, Liu Yuanchen orders the clone to self-destruct. The clone disintegrates before the demon qi can consume it, though two damaged treasures—the black and gray beads—are destroyed.
• Liu Yuanchen’s true body survives on Coiled Dragon Mountain. He considers the mission worthwhile because he gained fragmented memories of Ju Yuan, a Witch Race expert, witnessed Pangu’s technique, and recorded more than a hundred sheets of powerful Witch Race formation patterns.
• He reconstructs the cave chambers from the Sealing Grounds and reproduces the Witch Patterns exactly, then summons the formation experts of the Eight Desolations Pavilion to study them.
• The elders recognize the patterns as extraordinarily profound and more advanced than the formation inheritance previously obtained from the Ancestral Shaman Statue. Liu Yuanchen explains their Netherworld origin while concealing the most sensitive details.
• The discussion also reveals the existence and long-term schemes of the Heaven-Restoration Sect, which has secretly pursued the Pangu Statue and Innate Black Lotus for tens of thousands of years.
• Liu Yuanchen later reveals that the Heaven-Restoration Sect gave him a complete Earth Immortal Path inheritance to win his trust. The inheritance includes the lost method for opening a complete Divine Spring.
• Azure Origin Pill King confirms that the inheritance is genuine and realizes it could extend his life by several thousand years, allowing him time to develop his Grotto-Heaven into a Minor World and potentially reach the Longevity Immortal Realm.
• The elders decide not to reveal the inheritance publicly. Instead, they plan to use its life-extending secrets to attract powerful Earth Immortal cultivators, exchange them for resources, and build a secret alliance around the Eight Desolations Pavilion.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen demonstrates caution and decisiveness by sacrificing his clone before the Innate Black Lotus can exploit it. He also shows growing strategic importance: he preserves rare Witch Race knowledge, recognizes its value, and plans how to use the Earth Immortal inheritance without exposing his faction to danger.
• He becomes increasingly valuable to the Eight Desolations Pavilion through his discoveries, especially the Witch formation patterns and complete Earth Immortal inheritance.
• Azure Origin Pill King gains renewed hope of immortality. The Divine Spring secret art may correct the greatest weakness in his cultivation path and greatly extend his lifespan.
• Zhang Lingxu remains protective and skeptical, carefully examining the Golden Book before allowing others to rely on it.
• Zhao Hong reacts enthusiastically to the Earth Immortal inheritance, hoping it will greatly improve his cultivation, though Zhang Lingxu dismisses his confidence.
• Mountain-Moving Venerable and the other formation experts are immediately absorbed in studying the Witch Patterns, emphasizing their immense value.
• Within the Heaven-Restoration Sect, the middle-aged deacon underestimates Liu Yuanchen and calls him useless, while Qiu Hai correctly recognizes his extraordinary potential and argues that he must be protected and cultivated.

Significant Themes

• Opportunity versus insufficient strength: Liu Yuanchen encounters priceless opportunities but lacks the cultivation needed to fully comprehend or exploit them.
• Survival through decisiveness: His willingness to sacrifice a clone prevents the demon qi from endangering his true body.
• Accumulation and delayed rewards: Even incomplete understanding of Pangu’s technique and the Witch formations may yield enormous benefits over time.
• Knowledge as strategic power: The formation patterns and Earth Immortal inheritance are more valuable than ordinary treasures because they can strengthen an entire faction and reshape Human Race cultivation.
• Hope for immortality: The complete Divine Spring method gives Azure Origin Pill King, and potentially many other Earth Immortal cultivators, a genuine path toward extended life and higher realms.
• Open power versus secret plotting: The chapter criticizes the Heaven-Restoration Sect for hiding in the shadows for too long, suggesting that powerful forces must eventually act openly to gain resources and influence.
• Alliance-building and factional rise: The Eight Desolations Pavilion seeks to turn Liu Yuanchen’s discoveries into political influence, resources, and leadership over the Earth Immortal cultivators.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen and the Innate Black Lotus clash indirectly when the demon qi attacks the Sealing Grounds, forcing him to destroy his clone.
• Qiu Hai challenges the deacon’s contempt for Liu Yuanchen, defending his potential and arguing that he should be cultivated rather than discarded.
• Liu Yuanchen presents the Witch formations to the Eight Desolations Pavilion’s elders, prompting the formation masters to study them intensely.
• Azure Origin Pill King questions Liu Yuanchen about the Witch Patterns and later confirms the Earth Immortal inheritance’s authenticity and importance.
• Zhao Hong eagerly claims interest in the Golden Book, but Zhang Lingxu rebukes him and takes responsibility for examining it.
• Liu Yuanchen and Azure Origin Pill King discuss the political danger of revealing the inheritance, leading to a plan to use it to form a powerful, discreet alliance and elevate the Eight Desolations Pavilion’s status.

Chapter Summary: “Nine Heaven-Cleaving Forms”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen reflects on how his grandmaster, Azure Origin Pill King, has used Witch Race inheritances to divert the Demon Race’s attention, generate substantial Spirit Stone profits, and attract powerful cultivators to Eight Desolations Pavilion.
• Liu presents Azure Origin Pill King with an Earth Immortal Path inheritance from the Heaven-Restoration Sect. It includes methods for extending the lifespans of aging Earth Immortal cultivators and accelerating the growth of their Grotto-Heavens into Minor Worlds.
• Azure Origin recognizes the inheritance’s enormous value, believing it could greatly improve his own chances of becoming a Longevity Immortal. He plans to have other Earth Immortal experts examine it for hidden dangers.
• Liu returns to the Netherworld while the Demon Cloud Eruption continues around the Demon Cloud Sea. His second divine ability clone remains trapped in Linhai City, while he creates a replacement for his fourth clone to manage Netherworld affairs.
• Inspired by visions of Pangu using the first eight forms of the Nine Heaven-Cleaving Forms to kill the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods, Liu attempts to recreate the technique.
• He discovers that he cannot form a true Heaven-Opening Axe and that merely copying the technique’s outward movements produces little power. However, when he imitates Pangu’s state of mind and momentum, the attack becomes dramatically stronger.
• After a year of constant practice, Liu develops his own imperfect version of the technique, informally a “Youth Edition Nine Heaven-Cleaving Forms.” His strongest strike can kill an early Soul Condensation Realm cultivator and may become even more powerful when combined with Heavenly Dao Authority.
• The Demon Cloud Eruption finally ends, but the Innate Black Lotus immediately begins its true assault on the Witch Race seal. A black pillar of light rises from the Demon Cloud Sea, releasing terrifying demon qi.
• The demon qi drives most surviving inhabitants of Linhai City insane, causing them to attack one another. Liu orders his clone to self-destruct, but a strand of Innate Demon Qi follows the connection back to his true body.
• Liu suppresses the demon qi within his Middle Dantian by combining the power of his Immortal Seed, the three Ancestor Witch phantoms, and his Misty Space Minor Divine Ability. The threat remains unresolved, however, and the chapter ends with the possibility that the Innate Black Lotus may break free and seize control of him.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen becomes more strategic and influential. His inheritances are now strengthening both his finances and his network of powerful allies, though he remains cautious about the Heaven-Restoration Sect’s possible schemes.
• He also makes major progress in combat. Rather than perfectly copying Pangu’s technique, he learns to extract its spirit and adapt it into a technique suited to his own level.
• Liu’s confidence grows after proving that disciplined practice can allow him to surpass the limits of his cultivation realm.
• Despite this progress, he recognizes his vulnerability before the Innate Black Lotus and its demon qi, reinforcing his awareness of the dangers surrounding him.
• Azure Origin Pill King gains renewed hope of reaching the Longevity Immortal Realm. His relationship with Liu remains supportive and cooperative, while his caution and experience help protect them from possible flaws in the inherited cultivation method.
• Divine Ability Clone No. 2 survives the Demon Cloud Eruption because of Commander Deng Zhenhai’s protection, but ultimately sacrifices itself when the Innate Demon Qi threatens to spread through its connection to Liu.

Significant Themes

• Inheritance and adaptation: Liu cannot reproduce Pangu’s original technique exactly, but by understanding its underlying spirit, he creates a powerful version of his own.
• Power versus cultivation level: The chapter emphasizes that insight, mentality, and technique can allow a cultivator to unleash strength beyond what their realm normally permits.
• Strategic alliances and resources: Inheritances are not merely cultivation manuals; they generate wealth, attract experts, and build long-term political support.
• The danger of hidden schemes: Liu and Azure Origin must balance the enormous benefits of the Heaven-Restoration Sect’s inheritance against the possibility of concealed traps.
• Life, longevity, and ambition: The Earth Immortal inheritance offers aging cultivators a chance to survive long enough to pursue transformation into Longevity Immortals.
• Suppression rather than resolution: Liu can contain the Innate Demon Qi but cannot eliminate it, creating an ongoing internal threat tied to the fate of the Witch Race seal.
• The legacy of Pangu: Pangu’s power serves as both inspiration and an almost unreachable standard, pushing Liu to develop his own path rather than rely on imitation alone.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu and Azure Origin discuss the value and risks of the Earth Immortal Path inheritance. Azure Origin reassures Liu that experts will jointly inspect it for hidden flaws.
• Liu’s success directly benefits Azure Origin, strengthening the grandmaster-disciple relationship and giving Azure Origin a realistic chance at longevity.
• Azure Origin’s recruitment and leadership of experts from Eight Desolations Pavilion demonstrate how his cooperation with Liu has expanded the Pavilion’s strength.
• Commander Deng Zhenhai indirectly protects Liu’s divine clone by placing it in a safer part of Linhai City.
• Liu’s true body relies on the combined power of the Immortal Seed and the three Ancestor Witch phantoms to restrain the Innate Demon Qi, highlighting his dependence on inherited and external forces while he continues to grow.

Chapter Summary: Moonwater Demon Lotus Advances

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen prepares for the possibility that the Innate Black Lotus beneath Demon Cloud Sea may break free and devastate the Netherworld. He orders the Eight Desolations Pavilion cultivators and everyone at Coiled Dragon Mountain to be ready to evacuate.
• He attempts to refine a strand of Innate Demon Qi using the Jumang Ancestral Shaman True Form Diagram and the Jumang Astral Condensation Formula, but the energy proves impossible to refine directly.
• By using his Heavenly Dao Domain, aided by the Heavenly Dao’s will to suppress the dangerous outsider energy, Liu Yuanchen separates a small portion of the Innate Demon Qi.
• He realizes that the Moonwater Demon Lotus, which has previously absorbed Demon Qi Black Lotuses, may be able to absorb and refine the Innate Demon Qi. He tests this theory with the separated fragment.
• The Moonwater Demon Lotus successfully consumes and refines the Demon Qi without being damaged. Liu Yuanchen strengthens it with the Jia Wood Withering-and-Flourishing Art to prevent corrosion.
• After three days, the entire strand of Innate Demon Qi is refined. The Moonwater Demon Lotus breaks through to the fifth tier, becoming a fifth-tier upper-grade spirit plant. Its lotus changes from four blooms and nine petals to six blooms and nine petals, advancing into a genuine second-grade lotus without producing seeds or undergoing withering.
• Liu Yuanchen concludes that the Moonwater Demon Lotus has begun to shed the influence of the Black Jade Lotus Platform and has instead been transformed by the Innate Black Lotus’s energy.
• Using his Merit Dharma Eye, he discovers that suppressing the enhanced Moonwater Demon Lotus generates more than ten times the previous amount of Merit power. This makes him consider obtaining or suppressing the Innate Black Lotus—and possibly dealing with the Black Lotus Holy Sect—as a route toward refining a Merit Spirit Treasure.
• He creates a new Divine Ability Clone No. 2 and sends it to monitor Demon Cloud Sea.
• Liu Yuanchen orders Xia Longting to return to the Yang Realm because the Netherworld may soon face a calamity. Xia Longting initially refuses, trusting that he can simply follow Liu Yuanchen if danger comes.
• At Demon Cloud Sea, twelve pillars of light form enormous Heaven-Opening Axe phantoms. The axes descend into the sea, disperse the demonic mist, destroy the demonic pillars, and stabilize the region.
• Liu Yuanchen determines that the Innate Black Lotus failed to break free and has exhausted the energy it accumulated over hundreds of years. Demon Cloud Sea should remain peaceful for the foreseeable future.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen becomes more cautious and strategic, prioritizing evacuation plans while investigating a way to neutralize the Innate Demon Qi. His ability to use Heavenly Dao Authority proves crucial.
• He demonstrates flexibility by abandoning direct refinement and exploiting the Moonwater Demon Lotus as an intermediary. His control over the lotus remains intact even after its transformation, strengthening his confidence in using it.
• His ambitions expand: he begins considering the potential Merit gained from suppressing the Innate Black Lotus and the possibility of refining a powerful Merit Spirit Treasure.
• Moonwater Demon Lotus undergoes a major evolution. It absorbs Innate Demon Qi, advances from fourth tier to fifth-tier upper grade, increases from a four-bloom to a six-bloom lotus, and gains a closer connection to the Innate Black Lotus lineage.
• Xia Longting continues to display his hedonistic and opportunistic nature, arranging to have two women brought into the Netherworld through a bargain with Yi Jiuding. He remains carefree even when warned of a possible calamity.
• The Heavenly Dao is shown to actively oppose the Innate Black Lotus, assisting Liu Yuanchen’s suppression of its energy.

Significant Themes

• Adaptation over brute force: Liu Yuanchen succeeds only after changing methods, using absorption rather than direct refinement.
• Dangerous power and controlled transformation: Innate Demon Qi is both a threat and a source of advancement, illustrating the risks of harnessing destructive forces.
• Suppression versus corruption: The Moonwater Demon Lotus becomes increasingly black and demonic in appearance, yet remains under Liu Yuanchen’s control, raising questions about whether power’s nature matters more than its wielder’s command.
• Merit and cosmic responsibility: Suppressing destructive entities produces Merit, linking protection of the world with personal cultivation and future treasures.
• Lineage and divergence: Liu Yuanchen distinguishes the Innate Black Lotus from the Black Jade Lotus Platform, suggesting that both descend from the Twelve-Petaled World-Ending Black Lotus but developed along different paths.
• Preparation against catastrophe: Even after the immediate crisis subsides, Liu Yuanchen continues monitoring Demon Cloud Sea and preparing for future danger.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen communicates with the Netherworld-based Eight Desolations Pavilion cultivators through a clone, directing them to prepare for evacuation.
• He relies on the Heavenly Dao’s authority while battling the Innate Demon Qi, effectively cooperating with the world’s will.
• Liu Yuanchen questions Xia Longting about the two women beside him, while Xia Lingkai explains that Xia Longting obtained them through a transaction involving Yi Jiuding.
• Liu Yuanchen reprimands Xia Longting indirectly by insisting that he return to the Yang Realm. Xia Longting responds casually, refusing to take the threat seriously.
• Liu Yuanchen’s clone observes the Heaven-Opening Axe manifestation at Demon Cloud Sea and interprets it as evidence that the Witch Race’s suppression has succeeded.

Chapter Summary: Grand Evolution Divine Tree Spirit Transformation

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• In a cave on Blackcloud Ridge, Qiu Hai and a peak Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator discuss the failed attempt to help the Innate Black Lotus break free from its seal in the Demon Cloud Sea.
• The cultivator blames Liu Yuanchen and Dao Lord Hongyuan for the failure, arguing that Liu’s inability to influence the Witch Ancestor Statue cost them their best opportunity. Qiu Hai warns him not to criticize Hongyuan openly because of the Dao Lord’s immense authority.
• With the Demon Cloud Sea crisis temporarily settled, Liu Yuanchen returns to a peaceful routine of alchemy and cultivation. His four Divine Ability Clones continue taking Blackcloud Ridge Authority and managing affairs in both the Yin-Yang Realms.
• Over ten years, Liu advances to the Late Spirit Platform Realm. His Spirit Platform expands to thirteen zhang, while the Dongyang Blessed Land grows beyond one hundred and twenty li in diameter.
• The Blessed Land’s Spirit Veins improve substantially, accelerating its transformation into the Dongyang Grotto-Heaven. Liu estimates that it may complete this advancement within fifty or sixty years.
• Because the Blessed Land is expanding faster than he can manage, Liu considers eventually relocating members of the Liu Family and other allied families there. He also plans to appoint gods, especially water gods, to help manage the land and its Spirit Fields.
• Several important spirit plants develop rapidly, including the Ginseng Fruit Tree, the Azurewater Spirit Peach Tree, the Seven-Treasure Gourd Vine, and two Grand Evolution Divine Trees.
• The larger Grand Evolution Divine Tree unexpectedly announces that it is ready to transform into a spirit. Liu initially finds this impossible because the tree is still relatively young and only Fifth Rank.
• The tree explains that it originated from a branch of the Grand Evolution Divine Mother Tree and inherited some of the mother tree’s blessings. It had previously been prevented from transforming by a Heavenly Dao restriction.
• Liu realizes that his earlier use of the Divine Ability Seed, which extracted the tree’s spiritual power and life force, accidentally weakened or broke that restriction. The Blessed Land and the nearby Spirit Root further accelerated the tree’s growth.
• Liu performs a Spirit-Transformation Secret Technique, sending a condensed spiritual “infant” into the tree. After several hours of intense energy absorption, the tree produces a powerful humanoid Wood Spirit.
• The new spirit appears as an old man in green robes, possessing strength comparable to a Soul Condensation Realm cultivator.
• Liu names him Liu Yan, combining the tree’s association with “Grand Evolution” and Liu’s own surname.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen becomes significantly stronger and more established. His cultivation advances, his Blessed Land rapidly approaches Grotto-Heaven status, and he begins planning how to govern a large internal domain rather than merely cultivate it.
• Liu also demonstrates increasing strategic foresight. He recognizes that Dao Soldiers alone will eventually be insufficient and considers building a population, appointing gods, and creating an organized faction within his future Grotto-Heaven.
• Qiu Hai shows caution and political awareness by immediately warning his companion against openly criticizing Dao Lord Hongyuan.
• The unnamed Heaven-Restoration Sect cultivator reveals resentment toward Hongyuan and frustration at the sect’s repeated failures. His anger also exposes internal racial and political tensions within the sect.
• The Grand Evolution Divine Tree develops from a powerful but restricted divine plant into a sentient Wood Spirit. Its intelligence, loyalty, and ability to potentially produce clones make it a valuable future helper in managing Liu’s Blessed Land.
• The new spirit, initially without a personal name, willingly accepts Liu’s name and surname, showing obedience and a desire to identify himself as Liu’s subordinate.

3. Significant Themes

• Power growth and cultivation: Liu’s advancement is reflected not only in his personal realm but also in the rapid development of the Dongyang Blessed Land.
• Creation and stewardship: The chapter shifts attention from acquiring power to managing and developing a growing world. Liu must eventually cultivate land, organize inhabitants, appoint divine officials, and establish a functioning society.
• Unexpected consequences of cultivation techniques: Liu’s earlier attempt to seize the tree’s Minor Divine Ability unintentionally helps remove the Heavenly Dao restriction and enables its transformation.
• Loyalty and hierarchy: The relationship between master and subordinate is emphasized through Liu Yan’s respectful conduct, his request for a name, and his acceptance of Liu’s surname.
• Political conflict within factions: The Heaven-Restoration Sect’s failed plans reveal tension between Human Race and Witch Race interests, as well as rivalry among powerful Dao Lords.
• The limits of individual strength: Even as Liu grows stronger, the expanding Blessed Land demonstrates that he will need allies, servants, gods, and organized populations to manage his increasing territory.

4. Character Interactions

• Qiu Hai restrains the angry middle-aged cultivator, reminding him that Dao Lord Hongyuan is too powerful to criticize recklessly.
• Liu observes and analyzes the growth of the spirit plants in his Blessed Land, especially the unusually fast-developing Grand Evolution Divine Trees.
• The Grand Evolution Divine Tree explains its origins and the cause of its delayed spirit transformation to Liu, allowing him to understand the consequences of his previous actions.
• Liu assists the tree’s transformation through the Spirit-Transformation Secret Technique.
• After becoming a Wood Spirit, the old man bows to Liu and asks for a name. Liu first names him Dayan, then grants him the surname Liu and renames him Liu Yan.
• Their interaction establishes Liu Yan as a powerful, loyal subordinate who may later help cultivate and manage the expanding Dongyang Blessed Land.

Chapter Summary: “Intelligence Master”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen formally names the newly awakened Wood Spirit of the Grand Evolution Divine Tree Liu Yan.
• He evaluates Liu Yan’s potential against the other Wood Spirits:
  • Xiao Yu has strong growth due to merging his true body and Spirit Body.
  • Dark Armor has the weakest potential.
  • Golden Armor has a strong foundation but limited growth because his bodies remain separate.
  • Qing Sha has considerable potential due to his fourth-grade Yin Baleful Wood body and inherited memories.
  • Liu Yan surpasses all of them, potentially reaching the eighth realm and possibly becoming a true Acquired Spirit Root if he comprehends a law.
• Liu Yan reveals his innate Minor Divine Ability: cloning. He can currently produce sixty-four clones, each at the Spirit Platform Realm, while his main body is at the Soul Condensation Realm.
• Although the clones can theoretically form a powerful array, they consume too much mana for Liu Yan to use effectively in battle.
• Liu Yan demonstrates a more valuable ability: his clones can merge into vegetation and hide within a plant’s life force, making them nearly impossible to detect.
• The clones can maintain contact with Liu Yan regardless of distance, cultivate through spirit plants, communicate with vegetation, and transmit information back to him.
• Liu Yuanchen realizes that Liu Yan can solve the major weaknesses of his existing Spirit-Plant Intelligence Network: the difficulty of cultivating Scout Spirit Plants and the overwhelming amount of unprocessed information.
• Liu Yan offers to analyze intelligence personally and promises to deliver useful information to Liu Yuanchen.
• Liu Yuanchen tests Liu Yan’s connection with the Grand Evolution Divine Tree’s mother tree. Liu Yan claims that his connection was weakened by Liu Yuanchen’s Divine Ability and severed entirely after he gained sentience.
• Liu Yan later senses an Azurewater Spirit Peach tree from dozens of miles away and experiences its surroundings as if the tree were his own eyes and ears.
• Liu Yuanchen concludes that Liu Yan can infiltrate enemy territories, cultivate Scout Spirit Plants, gather intelligence, analyze it, and transmit it remotely, making him an exceptionally valuable intelligence specialist.

Character Developments

• Liu Yan is established as extraordinarily talented, intelligent, loyal-seeming, and highly useful despite lacking combat strength. His true value lies in stealth, communication, infiltration, and analysis.
• Liu Yuanchen shifts from evaluating Liu Yan as a powerful Wood Spirit to recognizing him as a strategic asset capable of transforming his intelligence-gathering operations.
• Qing Sha is portrayed more negatively. Although intelligent and experienced, he is selfish and dishonest, having exaggerated losses and manipulated accounts, making him unsuitable for handling sensitive information.
• The contrast among the Wood Spirits becomes clearer: most are capable of simple tasks, but Liu Yan possesses the intelligence and inherited knowledge necessary for complex strategic work.

Significant Themes

• Potential versus immediate power: Liu Yan’s combat ability is limited, but his long-term potential and utility far exceed those of the other Wood Spirits.
• Information as power: Intelligence-gathering, surveillance, and analysis are presented as crucial advantages that may be more valuable than direct combat.
• Trust and loyalty: Liu Yuanchen carefully investigates whether Liu Yan remains connected to the mother tree and considers the danger of hidden outside control.
• Specialization and cooperation: Liu Yan’s abilities complement Liu Yuanchen’s existing Scout Spirit Plants, demonstrating how different powers can combine to overcome limitations.
• Growth and evolution: Gaining sentience allows Liu Yan to surpass the restrictions of an ordinary plant clone, suggesting that lifeforms may become more independent and powerful as their spiritual level rises.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen names and questions Liu Yan, testing his abilities and potential.
• Liu Yan demonstrates his cloning technique and explains its limitations and applications.
• Liu Yuanchen challenges Liu Yan’s loyalty by asking about his connection to the Grand Evolution Divine Tree’s mother tree.
• Liu Yuanchen orders Liu Yan to test his ability to sense the Azurewater Spirit Peach tree, confirming that Liu Yan can use vegetation as remote sensory points.
• The two agree that Liu Yan will manage and analyze intelligence gathered through Scout Spirit Plants, creating the foundation for a vast intelligence network that could eventually span the entire Origin Spirit Realm.

Chapter Summary: “Heavenly Punishment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen leaves Coiled Dragon Mountain for Blackcloud Ridge and brings Liu Yan out of Dongyang Blessed Land.
• He orders Liu Yan to send hidden clones to the nearby Demon Cloud Sea to cultivate scout spirit plants and gather intelligence. Liu Yan is also instructed to monitor a Heaven-Restoration Sect stronghold, but Liu Yuanchen repeatedly warns him not to act independently or expose himself.
• Liu Yuanchen inspects his growing control over Blackcloud Ridge. Thanks to years of using Spring Wind and Rain, his Heavenly Dao Domain Authority now covers more than five hundred miles, though this remains tiny compared with the mountain range’s immense size.
• Returning to Coiled Dragon Mountain, Liu Yuanchen observes that Coiled Dragon City has become extremely busy because Netherworld forces urgently need spiritual treasures containing yang energy. His various clones and organizations continue managing his businesses and territories smoothly.
• A sudden pillar of flame erupts from the Earthfire Chamber in the Yang Realm. Liu Yuanchen discovers that his junior brother, Meng Tieshan, is attempting to break through to the Spirit Platform Realm.
• To prevent the breakthrough from destroying Coiled Dragon Mountain and the nearby market, Liu Yuanchen uses the Earth Book and his mountain-god authority to transport Meng Tieshan to a desolate region nearly two hundred miles away.
• Meng Tieshan’s breakthrough manifests as a massive Zhurong Ancestor Witch phantom. When his spiritual energy begins to run short, Liu Yuanchen excavates a deep underground lava chamber so that Meng Tieshan can absorb abundant fire-aspected energy.
• With the help of the lava and a Firecloud, the Zhurong phantom grows enormously before merging back into Meng Tieshan. He successfully reaches the Early Spirit Platform Realm, with strength surpassing that of ordinary cultivators at the same level.
• Immediately afterward, dark clouds and blood-red lightning gather overhead. Although everyone initially assumes this is a Heavenly Tribulation, Zhang Lingxu identifies it as Heavenly Punishment.
• Liu Yuanchen uses the Merit Dharma Eye and discovers that Meng Tieshan is protected by substantial Merit, meaning the punishment is not caused by his personal actions. He realizes that Tieshan has inherited Karmic Force through his exceptionally pure Zhurong bloodline.
• The chapter ends as Heavenly Punishment is about to descend. Liu Yuanchen claims to possess a secret technique that may resolve it, but it will require a major expenditure of Merit and other resources.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Demonstrates increasing authority and strategic sophistication. He carefully expands his intelligence network, strengthens his control over Blackcloud Ridge, protects his territory, and uses his Earth Book and mountain-god abilities creatively to assist Meng Tieshan. He also takes responsibility for saving his junior brother despite the danger and cost.
• Liu Yan: Shows enthusiasm and loyalty but initially risks being overly proactive. Liu Yuanchen’s warnings reinforce the need for secrecy, discipline, and obedience. Liu Yan proves his usefulness by creating highly concealed Earth-Escape clones.
• Meng Tieshan: Completes his long-delayed breakthrough after rebuilding his foundation and inheriting the Zhurong Ancestor Witch legacy. His resulting Early Spirit Platform Realm cultivation and powerful physical body make him exceptionally formidable, but his bloodline also exposes him to inherited Karmic Force and Heavenly Punishment.
• Zhang Lingxu: Acts as a knowledgeable elder, correctly distinguishing Heavenly Punishment from ordinary Heavenly Tribulation and explaining the danger of intervening.
• Zhao Hong: Reveals deep affection and concern for Meng Tieshan. He is proud of both disciples’ breakthroughs but becomes desperate when Tieshan faces possible death.
• Liu Yuanchen’s clones and organizations: Continue operating efficiently, showing that his growing network of avatars and the Eight Desolations Pavilion can maintain order across both realms.

Significant Themes

• Power and responsibility: Liu Yuanchen’s expanding authority brings greater obligations. He must protect his territory, manage his organizations, and safeguard those close to him.
• The dangers of bloodline inheritance: Meng Tieshan inherits not only Zhurong’s power but also the ancient Karmic Force associated with Zhurong’s role in the destruction of Mount Buzhou.
• Merit versus Karmic Force: The chapter emphasizes the cosmic balance between Merit, which can protect and redeem, and Karmic Force, which attracts punishment. Liu Yuanchen concludes that Merit may be the only way to weaken or eliminate Tieshan’s Heavenly Punishment.
• Growth through preparation and adaptation: Liu Yuanchen’s ability to create a lava chamber at the crucial moment demonstrates the importance of resourcefulness during cultivation breakthroughs.
• Limits of control: Despite Liu Yuanchen’s immense abilities, he cannot simply interfere with Heavenly Punishment. The laws of Heaven impose consequences even on powerful cultivators.
• Inherited fate versus personal morality: Meng Tieshan is kind-hearted and free of personal Karmic Force, yet he is endangered by the sins and consequences attached to his ancestral bloodline.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen gives Liu Yan strict instructions about espionage, emphasizing obedience and caution.
• Liu Yuanchen reunites with Zhang Lingxu and Zhao Hong at the Earthfire Chamber, where they observe and protect Meng Tieshan’s breakthrough.
• Liu Yuanchen and Zhang Lingxu disagree only briefly about moving Tieshan, but Liu Yuanchen resolves the danger by using his mountain-god authority.
• Zhao Hong proudly claims that both his disciples’ breakthroughs make him the greatest teacher of the Human Race, prompting Zhang Lingxu to mock him for taking too much credit.
• When Heavenly Punishment appears, Zhao Hong begs Zhang Lingxu for help, but Zhang explains that intervention would only bring the punishment upon them as well.
• Liu Yuanchen reassures Zhao Hong that he may have a solution, leading Zhao Hong to offer all his resources and even his life to save Meng Tieshan.

Chapter Summary: “Merit Dissolves Heavenly Punishment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen explains that Merit can counteract Karmic Force, though Zhang Lingxu has never heard of it. Zhao Hong immediately offers his own Merit to save Meng Tieshan, refusing to worry about the loss.
• Using the Merit Secret Art, Liu Yuanchen extracts Merit from himself and Zhao Hong, forming golden lotuses above their heads. Their Merit is gradually transferred to Meng Tieshan.
• Heavenly Punishment strikes Meng Tieshan with scarlet lightning. He is badly injured, and another strike could kill or cripple him.
• The first transfer of Merit reduces Meng Tieshan’s Karmic Force by roughly twenty percent and weakens the Heavenly Punishment, but does not dispel it.
• Although Zhao Hong has already lost a significant portion of his Merit, Liu Yuanchen uses more of his own. His greater reserves come from past achievements, including saving the Myriad Demons Blessed Land, preventing a massacre, suppressing demons, and killing the Luochuan Dragon King.
• The second transfer greatly weakens the Karmic Force surrounding Meng Tieshan. The Heavenly Punishment clouds finally disperse, saving his life.
• The group discovers that Meng Tieshan has merely fallen asleep after surviving the ordeal, provoking Zhao Hong’s angry but relieved reaction.
• Liu Yuanchen explains the origin of Meng Tieshan’s punishment: his awakening Witch Race bloodline caused ancestral Karmic Force to erupt, triggering Heavenly Punishment.
• He reveals that the Witch, Dragon, and Phoenix Races bear ancestral Karmic Force because their ancestors caused immense destruction in the Primordial World.
• Liu Yuanchen warns that knowledge of Merit and its ability to counteract Heavenly Punishment must remain secret within their lineage.
• The group discusses ways to accumulate Merit, including spreading teachings, saving lives, restoring Spirit Veins, suppressing evil beings, becoming deities, and serving the common people.
• Zhao Hong enthusiastically considers killing beings with Karmic Force as the easiest way to gain Merit, though Liu Yuanchen points out that reforming or suppressing such beings may yield greater long-term benefits.
• To help Meng Tieshan repay his remaining Karmic Force, Zhao Hong proposes making him a deity or sending him to develop the frozen Northern Region, where he could melt the ice, restore land, and support mortal life.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen demonstrates his growing knowledge and resources. He acts decisively to save Meng Tieshan and willingly sacrifices some of his Merit, though he remains careful about preserving his long-term advantages.
• Zhao Hong reveals his generosity and deep concern for his disciple beneath his harsh words. He readily gives up Merit and secretly devises several ways for Meng Tieshan to earn more, despite repeatedly calling him rebellious and useless.
• Zhang Lingxu learns about Merit and Karmic Force for the first time. He realizes that his own sect activities have earned him considerable Merit and becomes more aware of its value for cultivation and future breakthroughs.
• Meng Tieshan survives the Heavenly Punishment but remains burdened by ancestral Karmic Force. His unusual ability to fall asleep immediately afterward adds comic relief to the crisis.
• The relationships among the three elders and Liu Yuanchen strengthen through cooperation, trust, and the shared decision to protect the secret of Merit.

Significant Themes

• Merit versus Karmic Force: Good deeds can offset the consequences of past destruction, but Merit is difficult to obtain and has many competing uses.
• Ancestral responsibility: Individuals and entire bloodlines may inherit the consequences of their ancestors’ actions, even if they themselves are kind or innocent.
• Sacrifice and protection: Liu Yuanchen and Zhao Hong willingly spend valuable Merit to save Meng Tieshan, showing that personal bonds can outweigh immediate cultivation benefits.
• Long-term cultivation strategy: Merit affects more than survival; it improves breakthroughs, aids comprehension, grants Heavenly Dao Authority, and reduces resistance when a Grotto-Heaven develops into a Minor World.
• Different approaches to gaining power: Liu Yuanchen favors careful planning and sustainable accumulation, while Zhao Hong prefers direct, violent solutions.
• Humor beneath danger: Zhao Hong’s exaggerated anger toward Meng Tieshan contrasts with his genuine concern, especially when he offers practical plans for Meng Tieshan’s future.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Hong immediately agrees to surrender Merit when Liu Yuanchen says it may save Meng Tieshan.
• Liu Yuanchen and Zhang Lingxu work alongside Zhao Hong during the rescue, watching anxiously as the Heavenly Punishment weakens.
• Afterward, Zhao Hong comically berates the unconscious Meng Tieshan for sleeping during a life-or-death event, while secretly expressing relief that he survived.
• Liu Yuanchen instructs both Zhao Hong and Zhang Lingxu to keep the knowledge of Merit secret, and they agree.
• Zhang Lingxu questions Liu Yuanchen about his own Merit and discovers that his past support contributed to Liu Yuanchen’s achievements.
• Zhao Hong eagerly asks how to obtain Merit, but his impatience and preference for killing evil beings contrast with Liu Yuanchen’s more measured recommendations.
• Liu Yuanchen recognizes that Zhao Hong’s harsh treatment of Meng Tieshan conceals genuine affection and responsibility.

Chapter Summary: Innate Gods-and-Devils Forging Method

Key Plot Points and Events

• Meng Tieshan undergoes a major breakthrough inside a lava lake. His body grows to twenty feet tall, his aura surges, and he absorbs enormous amounts of fire energy.
• His breakthrough summons the phantom of the Zhurong Ancestor Witch and triggers Heavenly Punishment, revealing that his Witch-Human bloodline carries significant karmic force.
• Liu Yuanchen, Zhao Hong, and Zhang Lingxu guard Meng Tieshan throughout the breakthrough, aware that the Demon Race and Divine Court may exploit his exposed Witch Race bloodline.
• After awakening, Meng Tieshan thanks his elders, and Liu Yuanchen explains that he saved him from Heavenly Punishment. Zhang Lingxu angrily criticizes Zhao Hong for failing to teach Meng Tieshan basic knowledge, leading to a humorous exchange in which Zhao Hong flees Zhang Lingxu’s slap.
• Liu Yuanchen advises Meng Tieshan to accumulate merit and reduce his karmic burden so future breakthroughs will not summon Heavenly Punishment.
• To give him a practical way to gain merit, Liu Yuanchen appoints Meng Tieshan as a sixth-rank Inspector Divine Officer of Dongyang Divine Prefecture. He is tasked with investigating deities who harm humans or collude with demons, though he must submit evidence rather than kill suspects outright.
• Zhao Hong suggests that Meng Tieshan establish a Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, as required by the Eight Desolations Pavilion’s usual cultivation path. Meng Tieshan refuses, believing he lacks the resources to develop one and choosing instead to focus on the Witch Race inheritance awakened during his breakthrough.
• Zhang Lingxu supports Meng Tieshan’s decision, emphasizing that the most important thing is choosing a path suited to oneself rather than following a rigid tradition.
• Liu Yuanchen returns to Netherworld Coiled Dragon Mountain, where he continues cultivating. He hopes to reach the Soul Condensation Realm so he can better wield the Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp.
• During meditation, the Immortal Seed activates and produces visions of the Ginseng Fruit Mother Tree and Grand Immortal Zhenyuan teaching the Dao.
• Zhenyuan finally reveals the advanced portion of the Withered Wood Longevity Art. However, Liu Yuanchen realizes that the teaching has been expanded into an entirely new method: the Innate Gods-and-Devils Forging Method.
• The method can reverse an acquired living being toward an innate state, granting it a foundation comparable to a Primordial God-Demon. It requires immense quantities of Innate Primordial Qi, the refinement of both soul and body, Innate Undying Radiance, and eventually a Lesser Thousandfold World.

Character Developments

• Meng Tieshan: His Witch Race bloodline becomes much stronger, physically transforming him into a giant and awakening part of his ancestral inheritance. He remains humble, straightforward, and obedient, but begins making an independent decision about his cultivation path by rejecting the Grotto-Heaven tradition.
• Liu Yuanchen: Demonstrates responsibility toward his junior brother by protecting him, solving his karmic problem, and assigning him a suitable official role. He also gains a potentially supreme cultivation method that may dramatically increase his future potential.
• Zhao Hong: Shows concern for Meng Tieshan but is reprimanded for neglecting his education. He continues trying to guide Meng Tieshan according to the Pavilion’s traditions.
• Zhang Lingxu: Acts as a strict but caring grandmaster. Despite criticizing Zhao Hong, he respects Meng Tieshan’s autonomy and encourages him to follow the path best suited to his nature.

Significant Themes

• Bloodline, karma, and destiny: Meng Tieshan’s Witch Race bloodline grants tremendous power but also carries karmic consequences that threaten his life during breakthroughs.
• Merit versus destructive power: Fire-based cultivators struggle to accumulate merit, highlighting how different powers and attributes are valued differently by the world’s karmic laws.
• Individual cultivation paths: Meng Tieshan rejects the standard Grotto-Heaven route in favor of the Witch Race inheritance, reinforcing the idea that cultivation should suit the individual rather than follow institutional expectations.
• Mentorship and familial loyalty: The elders protect Meng Tieshan, correct one another, and help him find a sustainable future.
• Innate potential versus acquired limitations: The new forging method seeks to overcome the low starting point of ordinary humans by granting them foundations comparable to Primordial God-Demons.
• The importance of foundations: The chapter stresses that decisions made during Soul Condensation—especially the use of Innate Primordial Qi—will determine the limits of one’s future cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen and Meng Tieshan share a supportive senior-junior relationship, with Liu Yuanchen protecting him and offering practical guidance.
• Zhao Hong and Zhang Lingxu engage in a comedic but revealing conflict: Zhang Lingxu scolds Zhao Hong for failing his disciple, while Zhao Hong avoids punishment.
• Meng Tieshan respectfully consults his elders but ultimately asserts his own judgment regarding his cultivation.
• Liu Yuanchen balances compassion with authority by creating an official position that lets Meng Tieshan gain merit while controlling his tendency toward excessive violence.
• Grand Immortal Zhenyuan’s spiritual teaching becomes a major turning point for Liu Yuanchen, providing the foundation for a path toward Primordial God-Demon-level potential.

Summary of Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's Divine Thought Incarnation

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The requirements for becoming a Primordial God-Demon are explained: A cultivator must be nurtured by at least a Lesser Thousandfold World, receive recognition of heaven and earth, and seize the world's natural fortune meant for its innate deity. Earth Immortal Path cultivators are uniquely suited because their grotto-heavens can grow into worlds, allowing them to transfer fortune onto themselves without incurring karmic punishment.
• The impossible scale of resources is revealed: Liu Yuanchen realizes that condensing a strand of Innate Undying Radiance requires millions of wisps of innate primordial qi—far more than collecting innate spirit objects could ever provide. He concludes that an innate spirit root is the sustainable solution.
• Zhenyuan's divine thought appears: After the sermon ends, the preaching scene transforms into a phantom of Grand Immortal Zhenyuan instead of dispersing. The avatar reveals he has a favor to ask.
• Zhenyuan's prophecy is disclosed: In the past, Gonggong and Zhurong's battle collapsed Mount Buzhou, destroying the Primordial World's potential and Zhenyuan's hope of sainthood. However, he had a flash of insight that a "junior of lowly origin" could help him attain sainthood in the future. Unable to divine who, he bestowed this inheritance to create karmic ties with that person—identified as Liu Yuanchen.
• The origins of Liu Yuanchen's treasures are revealed: The black soil is confirmed as breath soil (degraded from lack of innate energy), and the blackgold stone is revealed to be not merely a spatial barrier fragment, but the Buzhou Stone—formed from the spine of Great God Pangu and taken from the peak of Mount Buzhou. It is what allowed the Earth Book to grow so rapidly.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Contemplates the enormous gap between his current situation and the Primordial God-Demon path, showing his ambition combined with pragmatic resource management. He displays reverence and caution toward Zhenyuan, refraining from claiming discipleship without permission, yet demonstrates willingness to repay kindness unconditionally.
• Grand Immortal Zhenyuan: Reveals his deeper motivation—the divine thought was left specifically to solidify karmic ties with the person fated to help him. Despite his lofty status, he treats Liu Yuanchen with gentleness and respect, acknowledging humility before heavenly secrets.

3. Significant Themes

• World hierarchy and cultivation: The path to Primordial God-Demonhood depends entirely on the tier of the nurturing world, tying personal cultivation to the world's growth—a fundamental principle of the Earth Immortal Path.
• Primordial God-Demon superiority: The chapter extensively contrasts Primordial God-Demons (born with complete laws, starting near the peak of Dao) with the human Innate Dao Body (fast climbing but starting from the bottom). Liu Yuanchen's unique potential comes from possessing both simultaneously.
• Karmic ties and fate: Zhenyuan deliberately created connection through bestowing fortune, demonstrating how fate operates in the cultivation world—relationships predestined but requiring action to realize.
• Patience and eternity: With infinite lifespan via longevity cultivation, even impossibly slow progress becomes viable—time itself as a resource.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen and Zhenyuan's avatar: Liu Yuanchen bows in gratitude, but Zhenyuan's whisk lifts him and forbids further formalities, immediately shifting to an equal-footing request. Liu Yuanchen vows to repay kindness even through "mountains of knives and seas of fire," while Zhenyuan calmly notes his help may come in the distant future, unknown even to himself. Their exchange concludes with Liu Yuanchen's final questions about the breath soil and Buzhou Stone, which Zhenyuan answers warmly before his divine thought dissipates.

Chapter Summary: Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's Warning

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The Blackgold Stone origin revealed: The Blackgold Stone (fused into Dongyang Blessed Land's spatial barrier) was confirmed to be formed from Great God Pangu's spine, making it far more valuable than ordinary Blackgold Stone. The Earth Book and Blessed Land have greater potential than previously realized.
• The Origin Spirit Realm's true history: Grand Immortal Zhenyuan reveals that the Origin Spirit Realm did not accidentally separate from the Primordial World during the Witch-Demon War. It was deliberately orchestrated by the Witch Race and the Dragon/Phoenix/Qilin remnant races as a strategic retreat and contingency plan to preserve their bloodlines from extermination.
• Witch-Demon War reinterpreted: The war in the Origin Spirit Realm is not a continuation of the Primordial Witch-Demon War, but rather infighting among "deserters" fighting over unequal resource distribution.
• Path to the Primordial World: The Witch and Demon Races likely possess methods to return to the Primordial World, as leaving None behind would be foolish for races seeking survival. Liu Yuanchen realizes he must unite the Human Race to confront them.
• Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's warning: Liu Yuanchen is advised NOT to go to the Primordial World too early. If he does, the Primordial Heavenly Dao will suppress his Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, preventing it from developing its own Heavenly Dao Will and potentially seizing control of it entirely.
• Sea-Calming Pearl confirmed: Grand Immortal Zhenyuan confirms that the Dragon Race's Sea-Calming Pearl is likely one of the twelve missing Sea-Calming Pearls from the Primordial World (the other twenty-four are in Sage Tongtian's possession). It is a Mid-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Shows sharp reasoning by quickly deducing that the Witch and Demon Races might retain methods to return to the Primordial World. He understands the strategic necessity of unifying the Human Race and raising its overall strength before he can obtain those methods. He also grasps immediately why going to the Primordial World too early would be disastrous.
• Grand Immortal Zhenyuan: Reveals his own unrealized ambition—he once aspired to contend with Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi through his Earth Immortal Path but was suppressed by the Primordial Heavenly Dao's exploitation. This humanizes his character beyond the legendary figure. He also shows mentorship and genuine care for Liu Yuanchen's development.

3. Significant Themes

• World hierarchy and cultivation ceilings: Minor Thousandfold Worlds cannot nurture cultivators beyond the Longevity Immortal realm, forcing Liu Yuanchen to consider leaving to the Primordial World.
• Heavenly Dao politics: The Origin Spirit Realm's Heavenly Dao "owes a favor" to the Witch and Demon Races because they caused the realm's separation from the Primordial World—allowing it to birth its own Heavenly Dao Will. It therefore turns a blind eye to their Karmic Force.
• The danger of premature ascension: Going to the Primordial World too early means one's Grotto-Heaven becomes merely a tool for the Primordial World to extract Void Energy—permanently stunting its growth as a developing realm. Timing is everything.
• Strategic patience: Liu Yuanchen must wait until Dongyang Blessed Land grows to Minor Thousandfold World level and he becomes its Heavenly Dao Will before entering the Primordial World, ensuring he cannot be fully suppressed.
• Racial survival through scheming: Great races plan centuries ahead—the Witch Race and Dragon/Phoenix clans built escape routes before their defeat, showing the importance of contingency planning.

4. Character Interactions

• Mentor-student dynamic: Grand Immortal Zhenyuan tests Liu Yuanchen's understanding and expresses gratification at his quick comprehension ("You thought of that so quickly. Not bad indeed"). Liu Yuanchen humbly seeks guidance ("I ask Grand Immortal to enlighten me").
• Respectful distance: Liu Yuanchen avoids prying into Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's personal ambitions regarding Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi, recognizing that "a small fry should not pry into the affairs of great figures."
• The incarnation's departure: Zhenyuan's incarnation notes he is "merely a divine-sense incarnation" and cannot contact his true body, and will "dissipate so easily"—signaling this mentorship interaction may be finite.

Summary of Chapter: New Methods for Acquiring Innate Primordial Qi

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Reconsidering the Sea-Calming Pearl: Liu Yuanchen realizes that seizing the Sea-Calming Pearl from the dragon race is unrealistic due to their Longevity Immortals wielding the innate spirit treasure. Grand Immortal Zhenyuan counters that once Liu reaches the Longevity Immortal Realm, the Earth Book (though an acquired spirit treasure) can rival innate treasures if properly empowered, especially by imprinted topography.
• Problem of Innate Primordial Qi: Liu Yuanchen urgently needs innate primordial Qi for his cultivation breakthroughs and for refining spirit treasures, but lacks a stable, safe source.
• The Earth Book Solution: Zhenyuan explains that the Earth Book can extract energy from the earth, including innate primordial Qi. However, direct extraction incurs heavy karmic force (as the Witch Race nearly suffered).
• The Grotto-Heaven Exploit: Grotto-Heavens draw innate primordial Qi from chaos, and are viewed by the Heavenly Dao as affiliated worlds, not part of the great world itself. Extracting the Qi that a Grotto-Heaven stores for itself does not strip the great world's origin, thus incurring no karmic fallout.
• Dealing with Yang Energy: To enter the violent yang-energy-filled Netherworld Minor Grotto-Heaven, Zhenyuan tells Liu to use the Yin-Yang Spirit Flame from his Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp, or to imprint a yang vein onto the Earth Book, allowing it to absorb the raging yang energy.
• Unlocking the Earth Book's True Power: To make the Earth Book the "Earth Book of the Origin Spirit Realm," Liu must fuse a piece of Blackgold Stone (native to the Origin Spirit Realm) into the Earth Book, then imprint the true form of the Origin Spirit Realm's Ancestral Vein.
• Imparting Two Restrictions: Zhenyuan transmits the Qi-Locking Seal (prevents the great world from draining a Grotto-Heaven's innate Qi, but overuse incurs karmic force) and the Qi-Gathering Seal (gathers scattered innate Qi into the Earth Book or Grotto-Heaven; misuse can damage the Grotto-Heaven's foundation).
• Farewell and Final Advice: Zhenyuan's avatar dissolves. He tells Liu to visit his true body at the Five Villages Abbey in the Primordial World to potentially become a disciple, and warns him not to rely solely on the inheritances given to him—he must forge his own Dao to reach the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm.
• Gratitude: Liu Yuanchen performs the grand three-kneelings-and-nine-kowtows ceremony in thanks, reflecting on how Zhenyuan's guidance saved his life and cultivation journey.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Displays humility, strategic thinking, and deep reverence for his benefactor. He acknowledges that without Zhenyuan's inheritance, he would have died under the Chen Household's suppression. He is determined to eventually repay his debt by visiting the Primordial World.
• Grand Immortal Zhenyuan: Acts as a wise, generous, and caring mentor. Despite not formally taking Liu as a disciple, he imparts his final teachings out of goodwill, warns against dangerous pitfalls, and encourages Liu's independent growth.

3. Significant Themes

• Mentorship and Dao Transmission: The chapter emphasizes the sacred duty of passing down knowledge and the reciprocal gratitude owed by the student. Zhenyuan gives his final gifts to Liu, and Liu bows in formal reverence.
• Avoiding Karmic Force and Heavenly Punishment: There are rules to aid cultivation without incurring cosmic backlash. The Grotto-Heaven method is a "clever exploit" of the Heavenly Dao's categorization of worlds—a clever way to gain resources without committing cosmic theft.
• Independent Cultivation / Own Dao: Zhenyuan's final advice warns against becoming a copycat of another's inheritance. To reach the greatest heights (Da Luo Golden Immortal), a cultivator must develop their own unique Path.
• Resourcefulness over Direct Force: Rather than fighting the dragon race for the Sea-Calming Pearl, Liu can instead build his own Earth Book's power. Clever tools and tricks (like the Yang Vein imprint) solve problems that raw power cannot.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen ↔ Grand Immortal Zhenyuan (divine sense avatar): This is a teacher-student dialogue. Liu asks specific questions about obtaining innate Qi; Zhenyuan provides step-by-step solutions, corrects Liu's misconceptions, and shares two ancient restrictions. Their interaction is warm and respectful, with Zhenyuan teasing Liu for being slow to realize the Earth Book's potential. The interaction ends with Zhenyuan's final advice and Liu's emotional, theatrical display of gratitude (kowtowing after the avatar loses the strength to stop him).

Summary: Exploring the Minor Grotto-Heaven Again

Key Plot Points & Events

• Liu Yuanchen recalls Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's advice on upgrading his Earth Book into the Earth Book of the Origin Spirit Realm. This requires:
  • A piece of Blackgold Stone (obtainable from the Eight Desolations Pavilion treasury via his token).
  • Leaving the True Imprint of the Blackcloud Ridge Great Spirit Vein upon the Earth Book—a difficult, long-term process.
• He also plans to obtain Innate Primordial Qi from the Minor Grotto-Heaven beneath Blazing Sun Valley in the Netherworld, rather than from his own Dongyang Blessed Land.
• He dispatches Divine Ability Clone No. 2 (Early Spirit Platform Realm) to scout the Grotto-Heaven.
• The clone uses Mist Space to isolate the area, preventing yang qi from leaking out and attracting attention.
• He uses the Yin-Yang Spirit Flame (derived from the Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp) to absorb the violent yang qi. The flame forms white and black flood serpents that consume and refine the yang energy.
• Success: The clone enters the Grotto-Heaven safely. The absorbed yang qi transmits back to his true body, rapidly increasing his cultivation speed (estimates reaching Peak Spirit Platform in 30 years, Soul Condensation before age 150).
• The clone encounters White-Bone Soul-Devouring Flowers near a blood lake, which drain souls, forcing a detour.
• He arrives at a mountain range formed from a True Dragon's corpse. He notes the yang qi is extraordinarily violent and suspects a hidden yang-type treasure—possibly an Acquired Spirit Treasure—is responsible for sustaining the Grotto-Heaven's energy.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Shows strategic forethought by relying on his clone for a dangerous exploration while his true body remains safe. His cultivation progresses notably, and he demonstrates adaptability (using the Yin-Yang Spirit Flame in a new way). He is driven by both self-interest (treasure, cultivation, Innate Primordial Qi) and a sense of karmic debt to Grand Immortal Zhenyuan.

Significant Themes

• Resource Acquisition & Cultivation: The chapter emphasizes how exploration and unique environments (like the Grotto-Heaven) provide direct, tangible cultivation benefits.
• Risk vs. Reward: Using a clone showcases careful risk management; his plans (Mist Space, flame protection) highlight the importance of preparation.
• Yin-Yang Balance & Environment: The unique nature of a yang-filled Grotto-Heaven inside the Netherworld (a yin domain) is a central focus, highlighting cosmic and elemental forces.
• Karma & Repayment: Liu Yuanchen's motive to repay Zhenyuan's kindness shapes his long-term goals.

Character Interactions

• Grand Immortal Zhenyuan (mentioned/recollected): His prior advice and legacy drive Liu Yuanchen's current ambitions; Liu Yuanchen feels a karmic obligation.
• Pavilion Master (mentioned): His earlier gift of a token enables Liu Yuanchen to consider obtaining the Blackgold Stone.
• No direct dialogues with new characters in the current timeline; the interaction is primarily Liu Yuanchen's internal thoughts and his interaction with the Grotto-Heaven's environment and treasures.

Chapter Summary: Cause of the Minor Grotto-Heaven

Key Plot Points

1. Liu Yuanchen deduces that a spirit treasure must be hidden beneath the Blood Springs, since their yang qi is too dense for any ordinary heavenly treasure—even speculating it could rival an Innate Spirit Treasure.
2. He sends his clone into the Blood Spring to investigate, risking only a clone rather than his true body.
3. The Blood Spring contains turbid energy similar to the Luochuan Dragon King's blood sacrifice grounds, but with corpse qi and violent yang qi instead of life force—perfect nourishment for his Yin-Yang Spirit Flame.
4. Descending over a hundred zhang, the clone finds an underground stone chamber protected by an aqua-blue barrier, containing a cold Spirit Spring—an anomaly in such a yang-rich environment.
5. A black dragon emerges from the pool and swallows the clone, triggering a vision/illusion of the ancient past.
6. The vision reveals: the Witch Race and Demon Race's decisive battle in the early Netherworld. The Dragon Race deployed the Sea-Calming Pearl (Innate Spirit Treasure); the Phoenix Race used the Divine Pearl of Lihuo. The Witch Race's Twelve-Celestial Capital Gods and Fiends Formation shattered the Netherworld's Sun.
7. A wounded black dragon—along with the Sea-Calming Pearl—fell into a spatial rift, pursued by scattered sun fragments. He died there, his body fusing with the space over countless years.
8. The vision collapses; Liu Yuanchen realizes the Minor Grotto-Heaven was formed from fused spatial fragments that incorporated a fragment of the shattered Netherworld Sun, explaining its dense yang qi.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Demonstrates strategic caution (sacrificing clones instead of risking his true body); greed tempered by pragmatism regarding spirit treasures; grows more knowledgeable about the Netherworld's history through his vision.
• His Yin-Yang Spirit Flame (via the black/white Flood Serpents) receives perfect nourishment from the Blood Spring's dual energy composition.

Significant Themes

• Ancient history revealed: The Netherworld once had a sun, destroyed in the primordial Witch–Demon War.
• Spirit treasure power scale: Innate Spirit Treasures (Sea-Calming Pearl, Divine Pearl of Lihuo) can shatter worlds; even fragments have immense power.
• Risk vs. reward: Liu Yuanchen's calculated willingness to risk clones for potential power gains.

Character Interactions

• Mostly solitary exploration. The only "interaction" is via vision: observing the Witch Race defeating the Demon Race, and the unnamed black dragon's death with the Sea-Calming Pearl (likely connected to the Luochuan Dragon King lineage conceptually).
• No living characters converse; the chapter focuses on worldbuilding and revelation.

Chapter Summary: Replica Sea-Calming Pearl Acquired

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen deduces that the Minor Grotto-Heaven contains two major treasures:
  • A powerful sun fragment, capable of supplying endless pure yang and fire energy.
  • A Replica Sea-Calming Pearl, likely swallowed by the Black Dragon before its death.
• He investigates a cold pool near the Blood Springs, reasoning that the pearl’s sea-based power created a frigid region within the otherwise blazing grotto-heaven.
• His first attempt to explore the pool fails. The extreme ice-attribute cold freezes his clone, and his fire ability is too weak without sufficient fire spiritual energy.
• Liu Yuanchen devises a safer method: he places the Earth Book in a Blood Spring so it can absorb and preserve the spring’s yang and fire energy as a usable mark.
• Over five years, he cultivates inside the Minor Grotto-Heaven while the Earth Book drains the Blood Springs and absorbs much of the Black Dragon corpse’s remaining essence.
• The Earth Book develops:
  • A Blood Spring Mark, containing dense yang and fire energy.
  • A True Dragon Mark, filled with death energy extracted from the Black Dragon’s corpse.
• Using the stored fire energy, Liu Yuanchen sends a second clone into the cold pool. It reaches a vast chamber of hundred-thousand-year Profound Ice.
• After two years of burning through the thick ice platform, he uncovers a fist-sized sea-blue pearl.
• By sensing its water energy and suppressive power, Liu Yuanchen confirms that it is a Replica Sea-Calming Pearl. He takes possession of it and plans to refine it with the Innate Treasure-Nurturing Formula.

2. Character Development

• Liu Yuanchen demonstrates increasing strategic intelligence and caution. Rather than risking his main body or his junior brother, he uses clones and develops a method to borrow fire energy remotely.
• His understanding of the Earth Book expands: he learns to use it not only for cultivation and spiritual-vein absorption, but also to record energy sources and reproduce their power later.
• His cultivation advances significantly during the five-year period, with his Spirit Platform expanding from slightly over twenty zhang to more than fifty zhang.
• His potential combat strength rises sharply. Once he refines the Replica Sea-Calming Pearl and reaches the Soul Condensation Realm, he expects it to serve as a powerful trump card capable of seriously injuring Sixth Realm experts.
• Liu Yuanchen also gains a deeper understanding of the Black Dragon, realizing that it was not merely a water dragon but a rare Profound-Ice Dragon.

3. Significant Themes

• Resource accumulation and long-term planning: Liu Yuanchen turns the remains of a dead dragon and its environment into cultivation resources rather than relying only on direct combat.
• Caution balanced with ambition: He seeks powerful treasures but avoids unnecessary risks, using clones, remote energy transfer, and gradual refinement.
• Transformation of danger into opportunity: The violent sun fragment, Blood Springs, corpse, and freezing pool all initially pose threats, yet Liu Yuanchen converts them into energy, marks, and treasures.
• The value of preparation: His inability to withstand the cold initially becomes manageable only after years of cultivation and careful preparation through the Earth Book.
• Treasure inheritance and refinement: The chapter emphasizes that even a replica spirit treasure can possess extraordinary power, but its true value depends on the wielder’s cultivation and ability to refine it.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen has no major direct confrontation with other characters in this chapter. His primary “interactions” are with:
  • His divine ability clones, which he uses as extensions of his will to explore dangerous areas.
  • The Earth Book, which functions as a vital cultivation and energy-storage tool.
  • The remains and formations of the Black Dragon, whose corpse, Blood Springs, and Profound Ice continue affecting Liu Yuanchen long after its death.
• He briefly considers allowing his junior brother to help endure the cold but rejects the idea because the danger is too great.
• The chapter mainly focuses on Liu Yuanchen’s interaction with the grotto-heaven’s environment and his gradual conquest of its hidden treasures.

Chapter Summary: Yin-Yang Spirit Flame Takes Shape

Key Plot Points and Events

• After reaching the Soul Condensation Realm, Liu Yuanchen possesses enough strength to kill sixth-realm experts and is now considered a major force among the Human Race.
• His avatar discovers cracks in the hundred-thousand-year Profound Ice beneath the Sea-Calming Pearl. Among the broken fragments, Liu finds an unusually heavy piece that cannot be melted by his flames.
• Liu suspects the fragment is part of the Black Dragon’s shattered Dragon Pearl. He concludes that the frozen space may originally have existed inside the Dragon Pearl, where the Black Dragon hid the Sea-Calming Pearl to prevent the Witch Race from obtaining it.
• Liu successfully refines the intact Replica Sea-Calming Pearl. However, because his cultivation is insufficient, he cannot yet unleash the full might of the Acquired Spirit Treasure.
• He compares the newly obtained Sea-Calming Pearl with his other treasures:
  • The Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp is mostly intact but still lacks energy.
  • The Luochuan Dragon Pearl is severely damaged, though the Earth Book is slowly repairing it through Earth Vein nourishment.
• Liu realizes that the Minor Grotto-Heaven is extraordinarily valuable. It contains:
  • A Netherworld Sun Fragment producing endless high-grade yang qi.
  • The Black Dragon’s Profound Ice and possible Dragon Pearl remains.
  • Numerous mountains formed from the corpses of dragons, tigers, phoenixes, and other divine beasts.
  • Innate Primordial Qi that can strengthen his cultivation and accelerate the growth of Dongyang Blessed Land.
• He decides to move the entire Minor Grotto-Heaven into the Earth Book, as he previously did with Dongyang Blessed Land.
• Rather than immediately relocating it, Liu merges the Earth Book with the Grotto-Heaven’s spatial barrier and waits for it to record every Spirit Vein, especially the Main Spirit Vein derived from the Netherworld Sun Fragment.
• During the waiting period, he meditates atop the Black Dragon’s corpse and uses the surrounding energies, the Earth Book’s flood-dragon imprint, and the True Dragon Mark to nourish and evolve his Yin-Yang Spirit Flame.

Character Development

• Liu Yuanchen demonstrates increasing caution and strategic thinking. He chooses not to waste time extracting the failing Dragon Pearl, recognizing that the Sea-Calming Pearl and the Grotto-Heaven are more valuable.
• His understanding of treasures and ancient circumstances deepens as he reconstructs how the Black Dragon hid the Sea-Calming Pearl.
• He becomes increasingly focused on long-term resource accumulation, seeking to control the entire Minor Grotto-Heaven rather than merely harvest its individual treasures.
• After three years of cultivation, Liu’s Yin-Yang Spirit Flame completes its transformation:
  • The black and white flood-serpent forms grow dragon horns and four three-taloned claws.
  • They evolve into Flood Dragons, though they have not yet become True Dragons.
• The Yin-Yang Spirit Flame itself advances from an embryonic flame to a complete Spirit Flame. Its black flame now possesses powerful deathly energy, while its white flame can restore vitality, heal injuries, strengthen spirit plants, and improve longevity pills.

Significant Themes

• Accumulation and ownership of resources: Liu seeks not only individual treasures but entire realms, spirit veins, corpses, and sources of cultivation energy.
• Transformation through nourishment: The Yin-Yang Spirit Flame evolves by absorbing death qi, vitality, yang qi, fire energy, and other powerful essences.
• Balance between life and death: The black flame represents destruction and death, while the white flame embodies healing, growth, and vitality. Their completion reflects the successful fusion of opposing forces.
• Patience and preparation: Liu avoids reckless action, allowing the Earth Book time to map the Grotto-Heaven before attempting to move it.
• Inheritance and advancement: The Earth Book and Grand Immortal Zhenyuan’s techniques remain central to Liu’s ability to control and develop powerful realms.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu’s avatar works in coordination with his main body, retrieving the Sea-Calming Pearl and the mysterious Dragon Pearl fragment.
• Liu interacts with the Earth Book through spiritual techniques, using it to inspect treasures, repair the Luochuan Dragon Pearl, map Spirit Veins, and prepare to relocate the Minor Grotto-Heaven.
• The Yin-Yang Spirit Flame responds to Liu’s cultivation and the surrounding energies, eventually becoming a complete Spirit Flame under his guidance.
• The Black Dragon remains central to the chapter despite being dead: its corpse, Dragon Pearl, remains, and hidden treasures provide the resources driving Liu’s advancement.

Ending

After three years, the Earth Book records more than thirty Spirit Veins within the Minor Grotto-Heaven. Most are small veins formed from the corpses of Demon Race experts, but one powerful mark—containing intense yang and fire energy—is identified as the Main Spirit Vein derived from the Netherworld Sun Fragment. Liu is now close to taking complete control of the Minor Grotto-Heaven.

Chapter Summary: “Taking the Minor Grotto-Heaven”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen studies the structure of the Minor Grotto-Heaven and learns that its Main Spirit Vein, formed from a fragment of the Netherworld Sun, functions as the foundation of its growth. He recognizes that a world’s advanced spiritual structure would eventually develop into an Ancestral Vein containing Great Spirit Veins, Branch Spirit Veins, and Earth Veins.
• Because the Earth Book has absorbed the imprint of the Minor Grotto-Heaven’s Main Spirit Vein, Liu Yuanchen gains partial control over the grotto-heaven and can use Grand Immortal Zhenyuan’s Qi-Locking Seal and Qi-Gathering Seal.
• He sends a Divine Ability Clone underground to investigate the Main Spirit Vein. Protected by the Yin-Yang Spirit Flame and the Earth Book, the clone descends through increasingly dangerous lava and discovers the golden Sun Fragment at the grotto-heaven’s core.
• Liu Yuanchen realizes that the Sun Fragment contains immense yang qi, fire spiritual power, and thousands of strands of Innate Primordial Qi. However, forcibly taking it would likely destroy the entire Minor Grotto-Heaven, so he postpones claiming it until he reaches the Longevity Immortal realm.
• After dozens of failed attempts and more than ten days of effort, Liu Yuanchen successfully places a Qi-Locking Seal on the Sun Fragment. This drastically reduces the amount of Innate Primordial Qi extracted by the Origin Spirit Realm, preserving the grotto-heaven’s resources.
• He later condenses a Qi-Gathering Seal and integrates it into the Earth Book’s imprint of the Main Spirit Vein. Although this allows him to collect Innate Primordial Qi safely, the initial rate is far too slow—roughly one strand every ten years.
• Seeking a faster method, Liu Yuanchen realizes that the grotto-heaven lacks an Earth Vein. He uses the Earth Book to manifest an Earth Vein formed from the imprint connected to Yang-Realm Coiled Dragon Mountain and an Earth Baleful Pearl.
• The Earth Vein takes the form of a black flood dragon and attaches itself near the Sun Fragment. It begins drawing chaotic energy directly from the void, increasing the grotto-heaven’s production of Innate Primordial Qi to approximately one strand per year.
• Liu Yuanchen then uses the Earth Book to uproot and store the entire Minor Grotto-Heaven. It joins Dongyang Blessed Land and Luochuan Blessed Land as a third sphere within the Earth Book.
• The removal causes major tremors, cracks, and a burst of spiritual energy in Blazing Sun Valley, but Liu Yuanchen repairs the damage with his Gathering Qi into Stone Authority, concealing evidence of what happened.

Character Development

• Liu Yuanchen demonstrates greater confidence in his improved cultivation and treasures. Unlike his earlier investigation of the Blood Spring, he now trusts the combined defensive power of the Complete Yin-Yang Spirit Flame and the Earth Book.
• He becomes more strategic and cautious. Although the Sun Fragment is immensely valuable and could potentially help him forge an Innate Spirit Treasure, he refuses to seize it prematurely because doing so could destroy the grotto-heaven and incur severe consequences.
• His understanding of spiritual-world structures deepens. He shifts from merely acquiring resources to managing and cultivating an entire Grotto-Heaven as a long-term foundation.
• Liu Yuanchen also shows growing ingenuity: after recognizing that the Qi-Gathering Seal alone is insufficient, he identifies the missing Earth Vein as the key to improving the grotto-heaven’s productivity.
• By taking the Minor Grotto-Heaven into the Earth Book, he increases his control over it and protects it from outside interference.

Significant Themes

• Controlled use of power: Liu Yuanchen must balance his desire for Innate Primordial Qi against the danger of damaging the Minor Grotto-Heaven or disrupting the Origin Spirit Realm.
• Long-term cultivation and resource management: The chapter emphasizes that true advancement requires preserving and developing spiritual foundations rather than exhausting them for immediate gains.
• Growth and world-building: The addition of an Earth Vein transforms the Minor Grotto-Heaven from a slow, incomplete space into a developing world with greater potential.
• Caution before opportunity: The Sun Fragment represents immense power, but Liu Yuanchen understands that possessing a treasure does not mean he is currently capable of safely using it.
• Integration of treasures and cultivation: The Earth Book is no longer merely a defensive or record-keeping artifact; it becomes an active tool for controlling spiritual veins, collecting resources, and carrying entire realms.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen’s true body directs and supports his Divine Ability Clone throughout the dangerous descent, transmitting the Yin-Yang Spirit Flame and using the Earth Book to protect it.
• The clone interacts directly with the Main Spirit Vein and Sun Fragment, acting as Liu Yuanchen’s means of investigating and sealing the grotto-heaven’s core.
• Liu Yuanchen’s actions are shaped by the teachings of Grand Immortal Zhenyuan, whose Qi-Locking and Qi-Gathering Seals become central to the chapter.
• His relationship with the Earth Book evolves from simple ownership to active partnership: through it, he suppresses the Main Spirit Vein, inserts seals, creates an Earth Vein, and ultimately absorbs the entire Minor Grotto-Heaven.

Summary of Chapter: Planning for Life Soulstones

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After securing the Minor Grotto-Heaven (named Nether Sun Grotto-Heaven), Liu Yuanchen returns to Coiled Dragon Mountain and takes stock of his gains: the Acquired Spirit Treasure Sea-Calming Pearl, fully formed Yin-Yang Spirit Flame, and hidden hundred-thousand-year Black Ice in the Dragon-Shaped Mountain Range.
• He realizes the Grotto-Heaven can produce one wisp of Innate Primordial Qi per year—enough for his Soul Condensation breakthrough but still insufficient for higher realms, prompting him to plan searches for more Grotto-Heavens (e.g., in the Red Wasteland and near Golden Palanquin Mountain).
• To prepare for the Soul Condensation breakthrough, he decides to acquire Life Soulstones, better than Soul-Gathering Grass, for protecting the Life Soul during condensation.
• He sends an avatar to Eastern Plains City to visit the Eastern Plains Grand General, intending to trade for Life Soulstones and inquire about the Sky-Suspended Ghost City.
• Upon arrival, he meets You Guang (the official who originally ennobled him). You Guang is wary due to past threats from the Eight Desolations Pavilion but listens to Liu Yuanchen’s request to purchase rare Netherworld items.
• You Guang reveals that the Netherworld King has forbidden selling Life Soulstones, but Liu Yuanchen proposes an exchange of treasures from the Yang Realm. You Guang agrees to relay the matter to the Grand General.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Demonstrates strategic long-term planning, valuing resource accumulation for cultivation. He acts cautiously (using avatars instead of his main body), shows diplomatic skill, and adapts when faced with restrictions (offering trade instead).
• You Guang: Remains politically cautious and suspicious of Liu Yuanchen’s motives due to past conflicts, but is pragmatic enough to consider mutually beneficial arrangements.

3. Significant Themes

• Resource management and cultivation prep: The chapter heavily focuses on gathering rare materials (Innate Primordial Qi, Life Soulstones, Grotto-Heavens) to ensure a smooth breakthrough and future growth.
• Political navigating / diplomacy: Liu Yuanchen must maneuver within Netherworld laws and hierarchy, using trade and influence rather than force.
• Value of hidden knowledge: Ancient texts and prior investigation (e.g., corresponding Soulstone Veins, Grotto-Heavens) drive Liu Yuanchen’s decision-making.
• Caution and self-preservation: Using avatars for dangerous tasks underscores the perils of the Netherworld and Liu Yuanchen’s unwillingness to risk his main body.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen & Gate Officer: Brief, formal exchange; the officer enforces city rules (no flying) and arranges accommodation.
• Liu Yuanchen & You Guang: Tense but polite conversation. You Guang initially probes Liu Yuanchen’s true intentions; Liu Yuanchen downplays political motives and focuses on trade. The interaction ends with You Guang agreeing to pass the request up the chain, leaving the outcome pending.

Chapter Summary: The Eastern Plains Grand General’s Conditions

Key Plot Points and Events

• After speaking with You Guang, Liu Yuanchen realizes that the Netherworld King’s ban on selling Life Soulstones allows limited exceptions when valuable goods are offered in exchange.
• He explores Eastern Plains City in search of Innate Treasure Materials and spiritual herbs. Such materials are more common in the relatively young and less-devastated Netherworld than in the Yang Realm.
• In the Treasure Market, Liu Yuanchen reunites with the former shopkeeper of Azure Smoke Hall from Iron-Arm City, who has since been promoted to the Eastern Plains branch.
• Liu Yuanchen asks about resources for condensing the Seven Po Souls. The shopkeeper explains that demand is extremely high because both human cultivators and Ghost Cultivators require these spiritual herbs.
• Azure Smoke Hall possesses only two Smile-Face Fruits, spiritual treasures associated with the emotion of joy. Liu Yuanchen purchases both for ten million Netherworld Currency each and arranges for them to be delivered to Coiled Dragon City.
• You Guang then arrives and informs Liu Yuanchen that the Eastern Plains Grand General wishes to meet him.
• At the Grand General’s Residence, Liu Yuanchen meets the imposing Eastern Plains Grand General, who treats him with unusual courtesy because he has previously interacted with Liu’s master.
• Liu Yuanchen directly requests Life Soulstones to aid his breakthrough into the Soul Condensation Realm. The Grand General explains that selling them is officially forbidden because the Demon Race also needs them, but he is willing to arrange an exchange.
• The Grand General initially demands a Thousand-Longevity Flat Peach from the Yang Realm, an exceptionally rare treasure capable of extending a powerful cultivator’s lifespan by a thousand years.
• Liu Yuanchen rejects this as excessive and offers Hundred-Year Flat Peaches instead. The Grand General settles on a lower but still valuable price: thirty Hundred-Year Flat Peaches and ten drops of Flood Dragon Heartblood in exchange for ten jin of Life Soulstones.
• Liu Yuanchen pretends to struggle with the demand and attempts to negotiate away the Heartblood by offering twenty additional Hundred-Year Flat Peaches, but the Grand General refuses.
• Since Liu Yuanchen possesses Flood Dragon corpses and sufficient reserves of Heartblood, he accepts the deal and asks that the Life Soulstones be sent to Coiled Dragon City in exchange for the required materials.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen demonstrates increasing strategic confidence and political awareness. He understands how to exploit loopholes in the Netherworld’s restrictions without openly violating them.
• He also reveals himself to be a skilled negotiator, concealing his actual abundance of Flood Dragon Heartblood while pretending the Grand General’s demand is burdensome.
• His cultivation goals become clearer: he is preparing for the Soul Condensation Realm and carefully gathering resources to condense and protect his Seven Po Souls.
• The Azure Smoke Hall shopkeeper has advanced from a local branch manager to a prominent figure in Eastern Plains City, showing that his earlier dealings with Liu Yuanchen benefited him greatly.
• The Eastern Plains Grand General presents himself as a courteous elder and ally, but his initial demand for a Thousand-Longevity Flat Peach reveals that he is deliberately testing Liu Yuanchen’s resources and willingness to pay.
• You Guang continues to serve as the intermediary between Liu Yuanchen and the Grand General, helping facilitate the Life Soulstone negotiations.

Significant Themes

• Negotiation and exchange: Valuable cultivation resources are treated as political currency, and access to forbidden treasures depends on offering an equally valuable substitute.
• Scarcity and strategic resources: Life Soulstones, Innate Treasure Materials, and Seven Po Soul herbs are all limited resources whose value is determined by demand and availability.
• Political restrictions versus practical flexibility: Although the Netherworld King forbids Life Soulstone sales, powerful officials can still arrange private exchanges under the guise of personal transactions.
• Preparation and long-term cultivation: Liu Yuanchen’s search for spiritual herbs and Life Soulstones shows the importance of planning far ahead rather than relying solely on immediate breakthroughs.
• Reciprocal power and hidden advantages: Liu Yuanchen appears to be negotiating from a disadvantaged position, but his possession of Flood Dragon corpses and other treasures gives him considerable leverage.
• Cross-realm connections: The chapter emphasizes the different resources of the Yang Realm and Netherworld, as well as the difficulty of transporting or obtaining treasures across those boundaries.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen and You Guang: Their earlier conversation establishes that Life Soulstones may be obtained through valuable exchanges. You Guang later escorts Liu Yuanchen to the Grand General.
• Liu Yuanchen and the Azure Smoke Hall shopkeeper: Their prior business relationship creates mutual trust and familiarity. The shopkeeper offers specialized assistance and arranges delivery of the Smile-Face Fruits.
• Liu Yuanchen and the Eastern Plains Grand General: Their meeting combines courtesy, political maneuvering, and commercial negotiation. The Grand General addresses Liu as a nephew and invokes his relationship with Liu’s master, while Liu respectfully flatters him and openly states his needs.
• Liu Yuanchen and the Grand General during negotiations: The Grand General first asks for an impossible treasure, then reveals a more realistic demand. Liu counters with additional Hundred-Year Flat Peaches, but ultimately accepts the requirement for Flood Dragon Heartblood.
• By the end of the chapter, Liu Yuanchen secures a promise of ten jin of Life Soulstones, potentially enough to condense his Life Soul, in exchange for thirty Hundred-Year Flat Peaches and ten drops of Flood Dragon Heartblood.

Summary of the Chapter

1. Key Plot Points & Events

• Liu Yuanchen negotiates with the Eastern Plains Grand General, who agrees to provide ten jin of Life Soulstone after initially suspecting his price was too low.
• Liu asks about the Sky-Suspended Ghost City. The Grand General and You Guang react with stark terror, and You Guang even falls to the ground.
• The Grand General reveals that the Sky-Suspended Ghost City has appeared multiple times in the Netherworld, each time devouring yin souls and even killing sixth-realm experts and Grand Generals. Its last appearance over a thousand years ago near Eastern Plains City caused catastrophic losses.
• Liu shares his own experience in the Yang Realm (Savage Sandplain), where he entered the Ghost City and survived thanks to the Myriad Treasures Trading Association.
• The Grand General, unwilling to revisit traumatic memories, directs Liu to question You Guang.
• In the guesthouse, You Guang recounts the battle inside the Ghost City: an eerie night market, little ghosts, strange lifeforms, a deadly assault on the City Lord’s Manor, and a transformation at night into a slaughter.
• You Guang shows an Image-Recording Pearl depicting bizarre lifeforms: a golden-armored dragon-horned man, green-feathered Witch Race (Jumang lineage) soldiers, and hybrid creatures resembling the Demon Clouds controlled by the Black Lotus.
• Liu is puzzled: the Witch Race, Demon Race, and hybrid creatures—normally enemies—were fighting together. He speculates about the World-Ending Black Lotus but finds inconsistencies, concluding he must investigate further (likely using an avatar).

2. Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Demonstrates keen observation, prudence, and deductive reasoning. He connects the Ghost City’s behavior between the Yang Realm and Netherworld, analyzes possible culprits (Witch Race, Demon Race, Heaven-Restoration Sect, Black Lotus), and resolves to investigate cautiously without risking his true body.
• Eastern Plains Grand General: Shows signs of deep trauma and reluctance to discuss the Ghost City; his pragmatic nature is evident in his initial worry about overpaying, but he honors his word.
• You Guang: A veteran of the previous Ghost City incident, he is visibly shaken but willing to share details for Liu’s sake, providing crucial eyewitness testimony and an image recording.

3. Significant Themes

• Fear of the Unknown/Supernatural: The mere name of the Sky-Suspended Ghost City terrifies powerful experts, emphasizing its mysterious, deadly nature.
• Interconnected Realms: The Ghost City exists in both the Yang Realm and Netherworld, implying a shared underlying force controlling it.
• Unyielding Enigmas: Even with combined knowledge, the true origin and purpose of the Ghost City remain obscured, highlighting the limits of human understanding.
• Caution vs. Curiosity: Liu’s decision to use an avatar instead of his true body reflects the theme of measured risk-taking in the face of unknown dangers.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen & Grand General: A tense negotiation over the Life Soulstone, followed by Liu’s direct question that unsettles the Grand General. He answers reluctantly, then hands off the explanation to You Guang.
• Liu Yuanchen & You Guang: A more open exchange. You Guang serves as a reluctant informant, guided by respect for the Grand General’s directive. Liu actively probes for details, comparing his own experiences and later analyzing the image recording together with You Guang’s testimony.
  This chapter advances the overarching mystery of the Sky-Suspended Ghost City while deepening Liu Yuanchen’s cautious, investigative character.

Chapter Summary: Peak Spirit Platform Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen’s investigation into the Sky-Suspended Ghost City remains inconclusive. Although he obtained information from the Eastern Plains Grand General, the identity and power of the city’s controller became even more mysterious.
• He returned from Eastern Plains City to Coiled Dragon Mountain and later received the Life Soulstone he had traded for, though the Grand General refused to provide Innate Treasure Materials. Azure Smoke Hall also delivered two Smile-Face Fruits.
• With more than ten jin of Life Soulstone, Liu Yuanchen prepared for his eventual breakthrough to the Soul Condensation Realm. Because of his unusually powerful soul and many soul-nourishing treasures, he expects to require more resources than ordinary cultivators.
• Liu Yuanchen reflects on the dangerous balance of power in the Origin Spirit Realm. The Witch Race, Demon Race, Heaven-Restoration Sect, Black Lotus Holy Sect, and other ancient forces all possess strength surpassing that of the Human Race. Since the Human Race has produced no new Longevity Immortal in tens of thousands of years, he realizes that rapid personal growth is essential for survival.
• He enters seclusion for sixteen years. At age 136, his Spirit Platform finally reaches a diameter of 120 zhang, marking completion of the Peak Spirit Platform Realm.
• His rapid progress is largely attributed to the growth of the Nether Sun Grotto-Heaven. After being integrated with the Earth Book, it gains access to Earth Vein Baleful Intent, a stronger Earth Vein, and more efficient energy absorption from the void.
• The Nether Sun Grotto-Heaven expands from only several dozen li to more than two hundred li. Its Main Spirit Vein also grows dramatically, producing more high-rank spiritual energy and yang energy. This nourishment further accelerates Liu Yuanchen’s cultivation.
• Liu Yuanchen switches places with his Divine Ability Clone and visits his grandmaster, Zhang Lingxu, and great-grandmaster, the Azure Origin Pill King, at Dongyang Divine Prefecture.
• Zhang Lingxu successfully refines five pills but is told that his cultivation limits the pill-formation rate. He reveals that he has sensed the threshold of the Dao Embryo Realm and only lacks an opportunity to break through.
• Liu Yuanchen reveals that he has reached the Peak Spirit Platform Realm before age 140, shocking Zhang Lingxu. His cultivation speed far exceeds that of his grandmaster, who reached the same realm only after age 200.
• Concerned that outsiders may target Liu Yuanchen because of rumors about his connection to the Luochuan Dragon King, Zhang Lingxu and the Azure Origin Pill King warn him to remain cautious. Liu Yuanchen decides to stay on Coiled Dragon Mountain and use clones whenever he must travel.
• Zhang Lingxu gives Liu Yuanchen a rare Soul Refining Diagram. By using Soul Origin to draw upon it, Liu Yuanchen can purify and strengthen his soul. When an image remains on the diagram for fifteen minutes, his Soul Origin will meet the requirements for condensing a Life Soul.

Character Development

• Liu Yuanchen becomes much stronger and more cautious. Reaching the Peak Spirit Platform Realm ahead of schedule confirms his exceptional talent, but the unstable political situation forces him to prioritize secrecy and survival.
• He demonstrates strategic maturity by recognizing that his personal strength, rather than the Human Race’s overall position, may determine whether he can survive the coming conflicts.
• Zhang Lingxu is shown to be both astonished by Liu Yuanchen’s progress and concerned for his safety. His own impending breakthrough to the Dao Embryo Realm suggests that he is also approaching a major stage of growth.
• The Azure Origin Pill King reveals a protective and ruthless side. Though normally gentle, he is willing to eliminate powerful enemies who threaten Liu Yuanchen.

Significant Themes

• The necessity of strength in a chaotic world: Numerous ancient races and factions possess overwhelming power, leaving the Human Race vulnerable.
• Cultivation through foundations and resources: Liu Yuanchen’s advancement depends not only on personal talent but also on spiritual treasures, Life Soulstones, Soul Origin, and the growth of his Grotto-Heaven.
• Secrecy and survival: His rapid progress could attract hostile attention, so Liu Yuanchen chooses to hide his breakthroughs and rely on clones.
• Inheritance and factional power: Treasures such as the Soul Refining Diagram represent the deep foundations of ancient sects and demonstrate the disparity between major factions and the Human Race.
• Preparation before breakthrough: Rather than rushing into Soul Condensation, Liu Yuanchen focuses on strengthening his soul and purifying his Soul Origin to improve the quality and success of his Life Soul.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen trades with the Eastern Plains Grand General and receives the Life Soulstone, while Azure Smoke Hall provides additional cultivation resources.
• Zhang Lingxu and the Azure Origin Pill King discuss pill refinement and Zhang Lingxu’s potential Dao Embryo Realm breakthrough.
• Liu Yuanchen’s revelation of his cultivation shocks Zhang Lingxu and prompts concern about the attention his talent may attract.
• The Azure Origin Pill King expresses fierce support for Liu Yuanchen, revealing his willingness to confront enemies on his behalf.
• Zhang Lingxu advises Liu Yuanchen on preparing for Soul Condensation and entrusts him with the rare Soul Refining Diagram.