Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yuechu fled Chang'an with Wu Shisan and White Elephant while Cloud-Dream Palace and the Nine Great Dao Sects pursued the Star Palace Records. As the chase continued, Xuan Yuanming secretly rejoined the demon army and considered how he might help Jiang Yuechu strike at the Little Heavenly General.

• Jiang Yuechu carried Wu Shisan and White Elephant away from Chang'an as they reflected on the overwhelming demons pursuing them.
• White Elephant asked how Jiang Yuechu had become so powerful, and she answered that she had been lucky.
• Jiang Yuechu said she would head somewhere with fewer people, while Wu Shisan and White Elephant worried that her energy would eventually run out.
• Xuan Yuanming slipped back into Cloud-Dream Palace's ranks after claiming he had hurried over when he sensed the Dao Painting's aura.
• Xuan Yuanming resolved to catch the Little Heavenly General off guard and create an opening for Jiang Yuechu.

Chapter Summary: “Ambush”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A massive three-faction procession advances through the sky: a dazzling golden light in front, Cloud-Dream Palace’s army of 100,000 demons behind it, and the Nine Great Dao Sects’ treasure ships following farther back.
• The spectacle terrifies ordinary people below, who mistake the forces for heavenly soldiers descending into the mortal world.
• The pursuit of the golden light—associated with the Dao Painting and Jiang Yuechu—has continued for three days without pause.
• The demon army begins to tire, with its formation spreading and weaker soldiers falling behind. Little Heavenly General orders the exhausted troops to stop following, reasoning that they are no longer necessary now that the Dao Painting’s aura is easy to track.
• As the surrounding generals disperse to deliver the order, Xuan Yuanming sees an opportunity to attack Little Heavenly General from behind.
• Pretending to report unusual information about the Dao Painting, Xuan Yuanming approaches within striking distance and launches a ruthless Dragon-Transforming Palm at Little Heavenly General’s back.
• The attack appears to succeed, but Little Heavenly General has already evaded it. He reappears several dozen feet away, completely unharmed, leaving Xuan Yuanming trapped and stunned.
• Little Heavenly General identifies Xuan Yuanming as the descendant of Xuan Shiming of the Southern Immortal Palace and questions why he would attack despite Cloud-Dream Palace being his greatest source of support.

Character Developments

• Little Heavenly General: Demonstrates exceptional vigilance and combat ability by detecting or anticipating Xuan Yuanming’s ambush. He remains calm and composed even after being attacked, revealing both confidence and considerable strength.
• Xuan Yuanming: Shows desperation and determination to help Jiang Yuechu. Though aware that attacking his superior is dangerous, he chooses to sacrifice his own safety to create an opening or buy her time. His plan relies on deception and a surprise strike, but he underestimates Little Heavenly General.
• Jiang Yuechu: Remains ahead of the pursuing forces in the golden light. Although she does not directly interact with the others in this chapter, Xuan Yuanming’s attack is intended to protect her and help her escape.
• The demon generals and soldiers: Their exhaustion highlights the physical limits of the massive army. The generals are relieved when Little Heavenly General permits the weaker soldiers to withdraw.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and scale: The armies’ passage transforms the sky and terrifies mortals, emphasizing the immense power of the cultivation factions compared with ordinary people.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Xuan Yuanming risks punishment and possible death to aid Jiang Yuechu, placing personal loyalty above his relationship with Cloud-Dream Palace.
• Deception and unpredictability: Xuan Yuanming disguises his intentions behind a respectful report, while Little Heavenly General’s effortless evasion suggests he is far more perceptive than expected.
• The gap between appearance and reality: Mortals view the procession as a divine descent, while the powerful figures involved see it merely as a pursuit and conflict. Likewise, Xuan Yuanming’s apparently successful strike is revealed to have been completely ineffective.

Character Interactions

• A Qianyuan Cave general warns Little Heavenly General that the three-day pursuit is exhausting the demon soldiers.
• Little Heavenly General orders the generals to dismiss the weaker troops, showing practical authority and concern for preserving useful forces.
• Xuan Yuanming uses a false report about the Dao Painting to approach Little Heavenly General and launches a surprise attack.
• After evading the Dragon-Transforming Palm, Little Heavenly General calmly confronts Xuan Yuanming, acknowledges his background, and demands an explanation for his betrayal.

Chapter Summary

• Xuan Yuanming’s defeat and final choice: After betraying Cloud-Dream Palace and attacking the Little Heavenly General, Xuan Yuanming is captured and awaits execution. The Little Heavenly General offers him a final chance to explain his betrayal, promising only to make his death—and the burden on his father—less humiliating. Xuan Yuanming accepts that he has lost and prepares to die, though he regrets the pain his death will cause his father. He also believes his decision was worthwhile because of the exceptional talent of the “girl” he chose to follow.
• Jiang Yuechu’s return revealed: Just before Xuan Yuanming is killed, Jiang Yuechu suddenly appears beside him. Xuan Yuanming calls her “Master,” immediately revealing the reason for his betrayal. The Little Heavenly General realizes that Xuan Yuanming, despite being raised and supported by Cloud-Dream Palace, has completely rejected it in favor of serving a human girl. This enrages him far more than Jiang Yuechu’s earlier insults.
• Conflict with the Cloud-Dream generals: Jiang Yuechu casually provokes the Little Heavenly General, telling him that he can “have his turn later.” Several Cloud-Dream generals attempt to attack her for her disrespect, but the Little Heavenly General stops them, ordering everyone to retreat so he can handle the matter himself. His words frame Jiang Yuechu and Xuan Yuanming’s actions as an act of “great rebellion” against the Dao and Cloud Dream’s authority.
• The Little Heavenly General unleashes his full power: Driven into fury, the Little Heavenly General summons his silver-black spear, the black-and-white Demon Palace representing the foundation of his Great Dao, and a massive imperial phantom wielding a matching weapon. The attack’s pressure devastates the surrounding sea of clouds and forces the other generals to flee. His response demonstrates that he is no longer merely punishing Xuan Yuanming but fighting with his full strength against Jiang Yuechu.
• Jiang Yuechu overturns the situation: Before the Little Heavenly General can complete his attack, a vast army-like manifestation of armored soldiers, flames, and killing intent emerges from the sky. It overwhelms and shatters the Demon Palace, violently sending the Little Heavenly General crashing downward. Jiang Yuechu remains standing in the sky, holding the Purple-Gold Spear. She declares that she had seen through his long-standing intimidation and was never truly afraid of him.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Xuan Yuanming shifts from defiance and regret to complete acceptance of death. His final thoughts show both filial guilt toward his father and unwavering faith in Jiang Yuechu’s extraordinary path.
• The Little Heavenly General is revealed as proud, authoritarian, and deeply devoted to Cloud-Dream Palace’s honor. His anger stems less from personal insult than from what he considers Xuan Yuanming’s betrayal of the institution that raised him. His confidence and overwhelming power are challenged when Jiang Yuechu defeats his ultimate technique.
• Jiang Yuechu displays calmness, boldness, and complete confidence. She treats the Little Heavenly General’s threats with mockery rather than fear, openly accepts Xuan Yuanming as her disciple or subordinate, and decisively proves her superiority.
• The Cloud-Dream generals initially act to defend their organization’s dignity but become frightened spectators once the Little Heavenly General orders them back and Jiang Yuechu’s power shatters his attack.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty versus personal conviction: Xuan Yuanming abandons the institution that raised him because he believes Jiang Yuechu represents a greater path to power and transcendence.
• Authority and rebellion: The Little Heavenly General views disobedience as an unforgivable crime against the Dao and Cloud Dream, while Jiang Yuechu rejects that authority entirely.
• Appearance versus true strength: The Little Heavenly General relies on a long-established image of intimidation and supremacy, but Jiang Yuechu exposes it as an act that no longer frightens her.
• Pride and reversal: The chapter builds toward the Little Heavenly General’s dramatic display of power, only to reverse the situation instantly and establish Jiang Yuechu’s overwhelming dominance.

Chapter Summary: “Battle the Little Heavenly General”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Little Heavenly General is revealed to have been overwhelmingly defeated and driven into a massive crater by Jiang Yuechu. His condition shocks the surrounding demon soldiers, Cloud-Dream generals, and the Nine Great Dao Sects, since he is regarded as an unrivaled prodigy of the Cloud Dream Main Palace.
• The accompanying generals debate whether to intervene. They fear both allowing the Little Heavenly General to be harmed and disobeying his explicit order that they withdraw.
• An elderly demon general from Grand Unity Peak decides they should obey the Little Heavenly General’s command and avoid interfering. The other generals retreat farther away, hoping he has a powerful counterattack prepared.
• Their confidence appears justified when a vast black-and-white Taiji diagram rises from the crater. Yin-yang energy and profound Dao intent fill the sky, signaling that the Little Heavenly General is unleashing an ancient and formidable technique.
• Jiang Yuechu immediately attacks again. She channels immense violet-gold power through her spear and summons the phantom of an enormous army, complete with weapons, horses, wind, fire, and overwhelming Killing Intent.
• The Little Heavenly General erupts from the crater rather than retreating. Furious at being humiliated, he launches the “Purple Sun Righteousness Spear,” an ultimate orthodox Mystic Sect technique formed from pure violet righteous qi.
• The two spear techniques clash in midair. Jiang Yuechu presses down with the strength of her ten Dao Chess pieces, while the Little Heavenly General relies on his Half-Step Painting Realm foundation and sixteen Dao Chess pieces.
• Their confrontation becomes a direct contest of power and foundations. Wind-fire spear light repeatedly shatters and reforms, while the Taiji diagram attempts to neutralize Jiang Yuechu’s attack.
• Although the Little Heavenly General recognizes Jiang Yuechu’s unusual mastery of both Cloud Dream and Southern Immortal Palace techniques, he remains contemptuous, believing her foundations cannot compare with his own.
• As the two fighters draw close, his anger and killing intent intensify. He begins to declare his superiority, but Jiang Yuechu suddenly makes an unexpected move before he can finish.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu is portrayed as calm, relentless, and overwhelmingly powerful. She maintains an expressionless composure while launching increasingly devastating attacks, demonstrating both technical versatility and immense combat strength.
• The Little Heavenly General suffers a major blow to his pride. His initial arrogance turns into fury and humiliation, driving him to unleash his full strength. Despite being wounded or forced underground, he remains confident in his superior cultivation and lineage.
• The demon generals reveal their fear and uncertainty. Their hesitation emphasizes the Little Heavenly General’s importance and dangerous temperament, while the old demon general’s cautious decision shows his political awareness and experience.
• The Little Heavenly General’s sixteen Dao Chess pieces and Half-Step Painting Realm foundation establish him as an exceptional prodigy, but Jiang Yuechu’s ten Dao Chess pieces and mastery of multiple supreme techniques allow her to challenge him directly.

Significant Themes

• Pride and humiliation: The Little Heavenly General cannot accept being knocked into the ground by Jiang Yuechu and interprets the attack as an intolerable insult.
• Power versus reputation: Although the Little Heavenly General is famed as an invincible prodigy, his reputation does not prevent Jiang Yuechu from overpowering him.
• Restraint and obedience: The demon generals’ refusal to intervene reflects the danger of authority and the consequences of acting against a superior’s command.
• Clash of cultivation foundations: The battle contrasts Jiang Yuechu’s unusual, seemingly rapidly accumulated abilities with the Little Heavenly General’s deeply established Half-Step Painting Realm foundation.
• Unpredictability in combat: Just as the Little Heavenly General prepares to reveal another advantage, Jiang Yuechu acts unexpectedly, reinforcing that his assumptions may be misleading.

Character Interactions

• The demon generals consult anxiously among themselves and ultimately defer to the elderly Grand Unity Peak general.
• The old general reassures them that the Little Heavenly General must have a plan, persuading them not to interfere.
• Jiang Yuechu and the Little Heavenly General interact primarily through combat. Their spear clash becomes both a physical contest and a confrontation between their pride, techniques, and competing claims to superiority.
• The Little Heavenly General attempts to assert dominance verbally, but Jiang Yuechu interrupts him with an unforeseen action, shifting the momentum and ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary: “Yin-Yang Fish”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu decisively turns the battle around by releasing one hand from her spear and striking the Little Heavenly General with a devastating Wind-Fire punch.
• Her Supreme Realm Wind-Fire True Form Art manifests a massive divine bird behind her, empowering the punch with intertwined azure and crimson flames.
• The blow severely injures and humiliates the Little Heavenly General, leaving him bleeding demon blood and furious that a human has overpowered him while he remains in human form.
• Wu Shisan and White Elephant witness the reversal in shock. White Elephant realizes Jiang Yuechu’s current strength surpasses even his memories of the peerless Mo Yang.
• Xuan Yuanming, a Cloud-Dream Palace general secretly loyal to Jiang Yuechu, appears beside them and explains the Little Heavenly General’s true nature: he is a Yin-Yang Fish, an ancient species innately connected to the Great Dao.
• Xuan Yuanming reveals that the Little Heavenly General’s human form suppresses roughly half of his power. To fight at full strength, he must reveal his true form.
• As the observers debate whether to flee, the Little Heavenly General begins releasing strange black-and-white qi from his body.
• At the same time, Lingxu Sect disciples, elders, and other members across the Nine Great Dao Sects begin suffering violent mental and physical reactions.
• The apparent Lingxu Sect members remember their true identities: they are manifestations of the Yin-Yang Fish’s “yin” aspect, while the Little Heavenly General’s body contains the “yang” aspect and has been suppressing Cloud Dream.
• Hundreds or thousands of these infiltrators transform into streaks of light and are forcibly drawn toward the Little Heavenly General.
• The chapter ends with the white-browed elder accusing or questioning Lingxu True Lord, asking whether he is also one of the hidden Yin-Yang Fish infiltrators.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates overwhelming combat ability, humiliating the Little Heavenly General and revealing that she may be much stronger than previously believed.
• The Little Heavenly General suffers a major blow to his pride and is forced toward revealing his true form. His hidden power becomes the central threat of the chapter.
• Wu Shisan shifts from confidence to disbelief and fear, repeatedly considering escape once he learns the enemy has only used half his strength.
• White Elephant reassesses Jiang Yuechu, realizing she exceeds the legendary figure he once admired. He also displays a more realistic understanding of their danger than Wu Shisan.
• Xuan Yuanming is established as a powerful Cloud-Dream general secretly allied with Jiang Yuechu. He provides crucial information about the enemy’s origins and abilities.
• Lingxu True Lord becomes deeply suspicious. The final exchange suggests he may know about—or even be connected to—the Yin-Yang Fish infiltration.
• The Lingxu Sect members are exposed as unwilling or dormant avatars rather than genuine disciples, radically changing the perceived structure of the Dao Sects.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deceptive appearances: The Little Heavenly General’s human form conceals half his actual power, while the infiltrators have hidden among the Dao Sects for years.
• Identity and false loyalty: The Lingxu Sect members believe they share sect bonds and a common history, only to discover that their identities were constructed or suppressed.
• Pride and humiliation: The Little Heavenly General’s defeat damages his arrogance, while Jiang Yuechu’s victory establishes her dominance.
• Ancient power and cosmic origins: The Yin-Yang Fish is presented as a primordial race born with the universe and naturally aligned with the Great Dao.
• Uncertainty beneath apparent victory: Although Jiang Yuechu is winning, the enemy’s unrevealed true form and widespread infiltration make the battle far from decided.
• Trust and betrayal: The revelation that an entire sect may consist of hidden agents raises doubts about who among the powerful figures is genuine.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu vs. the Little Heavenly General: Their direct clash shifts from apparent contest to Jiang Yuechu’s one-sided suppression, though the Little Heavenly General’s latent power remains threatening.
• Wu Shisan and White Elephant: They react differently to the crisis—Wu Shisan wants to flee, while White Elephant argues that escape is meaningless if Jiang Yuechu loses.
• Xuan Yuanming, Wu Shisan, and White Elephant: Xuan Yuanming reassures them that he is secretly allied with Jiang Yuechu, then explains the Little Heavenly General’s Yin-Yang Fish nature.
• Xu Liang and Senior Sister Gu: Their ordinary conversation is abruptly shattered when Senior Sister Gu’s hidden identity awakates, highlighting the terrifying reach of the infiltration.
• The white-browed elder and Lingxu True Lord: The chapter closes on a tense confrontation, with the elder questioning whether Lingxu True Lord is also part of the Yin-Yang Fish’s hidden network.

Chapter Summary: Yin-Yang Twin Painting

Key Plot Points and Events

• Aboard a cloudship, the Wusang Sect elder accuses the Jieqing Sect of being connected to demons after witnessing disciples, elders, and stewards of the Lingxu Sect disappear toward the Little Heavenly General.
• Lingxu True Lord reveals that he is not human. He was originally a strand of Yin Body split from a greater existence formed through yin and yang.
• He explains that his apparent life as a Dao cultivator—entering a sect, studying scripture, practicing swordsmanship, and fighting demons—was genuine from his perspective, but ultimately only a dreamlike existence created before he awakened to his true nature.
• His revelation causes the surrounding elders to treat him as an enemy. They also begin to suspect the Lingxu Sect and its members.
• The Lingxu Sect woman asks whether her sect master knew the truth. Lingxu True Lord confirms that the Sect Master was also originally a demon-like Yin Body, but awakened earlier and gained an opportunity connected to the Dao Painting.
• The true purpose of the Little Heavenly General is exposed: he does not merely seek to enter the Painting Realm. He intends to merge his Yin and Yang Bodies inside the Dao Painting, combining demonic power with the cultivation of the human Dao Sects.
• Lingxu True Lord’s body collapses into black qi and returns to the Little Heavenly General. As additional Yin Bodies return, the Little Heavenly General’s aura grows stronger and his appearance reflects the personalities and memories of the people he had inhabited.
• After absorbing Lingxu True Lord, the Little Heavenly General experiences the memories of being human and realizes what it feels like to live as a human cultivator. He explains his larger plan: the Yang Body ruled Cloud-Dream Palace and the demons, while the Yin Bodies infiltrated the Nine Great Dao Sects. Their simultaneous advancement would elevate Cloud-Dream Palace and force the Dao Sects to submit.

Character Developments

• Lingxu True Lord: Transitions from a respected Dao elder into a revealed Yin Body of the Little Heavenly General. He does not view his past actions entirely as deliberate deception, insisting that even the Yin Bodies were unaware of their true origins until awakening.
• The Little Heavenly General: Is revealed to be a composite being with a demonic Yang Body and numerous human-seeming Yin Bodies. Absorbing Lingxu True Lord grants him more memories, emotional complexity, and insight into humanity.
• The Lingxu Sect elder: Suffers a profound identity crisis. Her lifelong devotion to the human Dao, her defense of the sect, and her hatred of demons are shaken by the possibility that her fellow disciples and even her sect master were never truly human.
• The Wusang Sect elder and other Dao cultivators: Shift from suspicion to open hostility and fear as they recognize that the infiltration may extend across multiple major Dao Sects.

Significant Themes

• Identity and self-deception: The Yin Bodies genuinely experienced themselves as human cultivators, raising questions about whether their relationships, beliefs, and virtues were false simply because of their origins.
• The corruption of institutions: The Dao Sects, symbols of human orthodoxy, may have been infiltrated from within by demonic beings.
• Free will versus destiny: The Yin Bodies lived apparently independent lives, yet were ultimately drawn back to the Little Heavenly General as though returning to their predetermined source.
• The unity of yin and yang: The Little Heavenly General seeks to combine demonic and human cultivation, suggesting that true power lies in merging opposing forces rather than choosing one side.
• The fragility of personal history: The Lingxu elder’s entire life and sense of purpose are threatened by the discovery that the people and institution she served may have been part of a larger supernatural design.

Character Interactions

• The Wusang Sect elder openly confronts the Jieqing Sect and later accuses the Lingxu Sect of harboring similar secrets.
• Lingxu True Lord calmly explains his origins to the gathered elders, contrasting their fear and suspicion with his detached acceptance.
• The Lingxu Sect elder questions him about the sect master, seeking reassurance but instead learning that the sect’s highest authority may also have been a Yin Body.
• The other elders surround Lingxu True Lord as a dangerous enemy, while the Lingxu Sect elder is left emotionally paralyzed by the implications.
• After absorbing the returning Yin Bodies, the Little Heavenly General addresses the surviving cultivators and reveals the coordinated role of his Yang and Yin Bodies in controlling both the demon world and the human Dao Sects.

Chapter Summary: “Furious Slash at Yin and Yang”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu attacks the Little Heavenly General before he can finish boasting, striking him in the forehead with a jade-green staff and drawing demon blood.
• Enraged and humiliated, the Little Heavenly General reveals his true form: a gigantic Yin-Yang Fish composed of a black yin fish and a white yang fish.
• His transformation devastates the surrounding battlefield. The rotating Yin-Yang energies grind spiritual power apart, damage treasure ships, destroy formations, and seriously injure disciples from the Nine Great Dao Sects.
• The white-browed elder orders an immediate retreat, realizing that the Little Heavenly General’s power has surpassed what a normal Chessmaster Realm cultivator should possess.
• Xuan Yuanming flees with White Elephant and the old Daoist, recognizing that the battlefield has become a forbidden zone and that he currently cannot help Jiang Yuechu.
• The Little Heavenly General unleashes the Immortal Art “Yin-Yang Firmament Sweep,” condensing the surrounding Yin and Yang into a massive dharma seal capable of determining life and death across ten thousand li.
• Jiang Yuechu expends all of her accumulated Dao Cultivation, activating seven Immortal-Grade Dao Chess pieces and pushing her Wind-Fire True Form Art to its limit.
• Though the attack tears apart her flesh and exposes her bones, her Imperishability repairs her body repeatedly. She grabs the Yin-Yang dharma seal and forcibly drags it off course.
• The redirected seal crashes into a distant mountain range, destroying dozens of peaks instead of crushing the battlefield below.
• Using the force of the deflection, Jiang Yuechu lands on the black fish’s head, pierces its forehead scales, and begins brutally beating it with overwhelming physical strength.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates extraordinary courage, aggression, and physical endurance. Rather than retreating from the Little Heavenly General’s ultimate technique, she confronts it directly and forces it aside.
• Her calm demeanor gives way to a fierce, almost savage determination as she sacrifices her accumulated Dao Cultivation and repeatedly allows her body to be destroyed and restored.
• The Little Heavenly General shifts from arrogant confidence to rage, disbelief, and finally fear. His revelation of the Yin-Yang Fish form shows the terrifying extent of his power, but Jiang Yuechu’s ability to overpower and physically restrain his technique undermines his confidence.
• Xuan Yuanming is reduced to fleeing and protecting his companions, acknowledging that he lacks the strength to intervene despite understanding the danger facing the youth.
• The surrounding sect elders and disciples recognize that the battle has reached a level beyond ordinary cultivators, forcing them into desperate retreat.

Significant Themes

• Defiance against overwhelming power: Jiang Yuechu refuses to submit even when faced with an attack capable of destroying everything within ten thousand li.
• Physical strength versus grand techniques: The Little Heavenly General commands vast cosmic Yin-Yang power, while Jiang Yuechu counters through direct, brutal physical force.
• Sacrifice and endurance: Jiang Yuechu burns through all her Dao Cultivation and accepts unimaginable bodily damage to gain the advantage.
• Loss of control through anger: The Little Heavenly General’s fury prompts him to reveal his full power, but his rage also causes him to underestimate Jiang Yuechu and lose composure.
• The limits of realm and status: Although the Little Heavenly General is a divinely appointed Heavenly General, Jiang Yuechu’s strength challenges the hierarchy implied by his title.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu immediately attacks the Little Heavenly General, establishing their confrontation as personal and uncompromising.
• The Little Heavenly General addresses her by name for the first time, acknowledging her as a serious opponent while threatening her with his ultimate technique.
• Jiang Yuechu does not answer his provocation verbally; her response is to seize and redirect his dharma seal.
• The Little Heavenly General’s command for her to “let go” reveals his panic, while Jiang Yuechu’s command—“Come down”—asserts control over the battle.
• Their conflict culminates with Jiang Yuechu physically climbing onto his true form and striking him, reversing the expected relationship between divine attacker and mortal target.

Chapter Summary: “Dessert After the Meal”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu kills Little Heavenly General in a single devastating punch after he reveals his true Yin-Yang Fish form. The attack consumes tens of millions of years of Dao Cultivation but completely destroys the demon body.
• Although she gains over 4.7 million years of Dao Cultivation and records the previously unknown demon, Jiang Yuechu considers the victory somewhat wasteful because the powerful body leaves behind no physical remains to condense into high-grade Dao Chess.
• The spectators are stunned by the defeat. Little Heavenly General was regarded as the strongest figure below the Painting Realm and was connected to the Heavenly Court through his status as a future Heavenly General.
• Wu Shisan celebrates Jiang Yuechu’s victory, while Xuan Yuanming remains deeply disturbed by its implications. Little Heavenly General’s death may provoke the Heavenly Court, making the event far more serious than an ordinary battlefield victory.
• The Cloud-Dream Palace generals and hundred thousand demon soldiers panic and flee after realizing they cannot survive against Jiang Yuechu. The old demon general from Grand Unity Peak escapes first, abandoning his earlier confidence that Little Heavenly General had a hidden scheme.
• Jiang Yuechu pursues the fleeing army, treating the slaughter as “dessert after the meal” to compensate for the resources she spent defeating Little Heavenly General. Using her Purple-Gold Spear and Wind-Fire True Form Art, she massacres demons by the hundreds and thousands while collecting their bodies and Dao Cultivation.
• The surviving demons realize that fleeing within the Immortal-God Cave Abode is futile and begin calling for a retreat from the cave itself.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates overwhelming strength, defeating an enemy considered nearly unrivaled with one punch. Despite her victory, she remains practical and resource-conscious, immediately worrying about the lost value of Little Heavenly General’s body and seeking compensation through further kills.
• Little Heavenly General is revealed to be even more significant than most characters understood. His Heavenly General title derives from Heaven itself, and his potential ascension to the Painting Realm would have granted him a place in the Heavenly Court. His death therefore carries political and cosmic consequences.
• Xuan Yuanming shifts from escape and relief to anxiety. Though Jiang Yuechu’s victory saves him, he recognizes that killing someone protected by the Heavenly Court could bring disastrous repercussions.
• Wu Shisan remains enthusiastic and vindicated, having believed Jiang Yuechu possessed extraordinary hidden power. His excitement contrasts with Xuan Yuanming’s caution.
• The Cloud-Dream demons lose all confidence and discipline. Their commanders become terrified, and the army collapses into an uncontrolled retreat.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and hidden strength: Jiang Yuechu’s apparently petite form conceals force capable of destroying a Half-Step Painting Realm opponent instantly.
• Victory versus cost: Even a decisive triumph may be inefficient. Jiang Yuechu views the loss of Little Heavenly General’s valuable body as a material setback.
• Political consequences of power: Little Heavenly General’s death is not merely personal or military; it challenges the authority and influence of the Heavenly Court.
• Fear and the collapse of order: Once the army’s strongest figure falls, military hierarchy and morale disintegrate almost immediately.
• Pragmatism and cultivation resources: Jiang Yuechu treats battle as both survival and resource acquisition, turning the fleeing army into a means of recovering her losses.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu’s victory is witnessed by Wu Shisan and Xuan Yuanming, who react in opposite ways: Wu Shisan celebrates, while Xuan Yuanming fears the broader consequences.
• Wu Shisan reassures Xuan Yuanming that there is no need to keep fleeing, but Xuan Yuanming is too shocked to stop immediately.
• Jiang Yuechu’s gaze terrifies the Cloud-Dream generals, especially the old Grand Unity Peak demon general, who flees without attempting negotiation.
• The surviving demons respond collectively to Jiang Yuechu’s pursuit, shouting for retreat from the Immortal-God Cave Abode as her slaughter continues.

Jiang Yuechu slaughtered the fleeing demons, then rebuffed the Dao Sect elders’ attempt to claim the Dao Painting by striking down the Wusang elder. Elsewhere, demons and cultivators faced off outside the Immortal-God Cave Abode as a towering figure guarded the Jade Capital Dao-Seeking Painting.

• Jiang Yuechu let the demons escape through their vortexes while killing as many as she could, then gathered the fallen demons’ bodies.
• The Wusang elder urged the Nine Great Dao Sects to take custody of Jiang Yuechu’s Dao Painting, but the other elders doubted his proposal.
• Jiang Yuechu approached the Dao Sects’ flying ships, and the Wusang elder demanded that she hand over the painting.
• Jiang Yuechu struck the Wusang elder with her spear, and the other elders hastily praised her and declared the Dao Painting hers.
• At the Immortal-God Cave Abode, cultivators watched the demons, while a towering figure sat among the mountains before the Jade Capital Dao-Seeking Painting.

Chapter Summary: “The Little Heavenly General Is Dead?!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A powerful Painting-Realm Great Demon from Cloud-Dream Palace blocks the Immortal-God Cave Abode while a massive Dao Painting hangs above the desert, radiating overwhelming Dao power.
• The retreating Dao Sect cultivators are terrified by the demon’s strength. Because Painting-Realm beings stand far above ordinary cultivators, everyone realizes the conflict has escalated beyond a normal struggle between Chessmaster-Realm experts.
• The Dao Sect’s own Painting-Realm patriarchs have not appeared, causing speculation about their whereabouts and whether they are secretly preparing an ambush.
• Ripples appear at the cave abode’s entrance, suggesting that the struggle for the Dao Painting has ended and someone is about to emerge.
• Both the Dao Sect cultivators and Cloud-Dream demons gather at the exit, wary that the victorious side may be intercepted.
• A group of battered demons emerges from the cave abode. At first, Cloud-Dream Palace assumes this means the Little Heavenly General has defeated the humans and obtained the Dao Painting.
• Their celebration quickly turns to confusion when the demons emerge in disarray, without armor, and clearly fleeing from something terrifying.
• The Cloud-Dream receiving general searches for the Little Heavenly General but cannot find him.
• The old demon general, He Laoyao, reveals the shocking truth: the Little Heavenly General has been killed, and the Dao Painting has been taken by a human cultivator.
• The chapter ends with the previously composed Painting-Realm demon finally losing his calm, shrinking from his enormous form, and demanding a complete account of what happened.

Character Developments

• The towering Painting-Realm demon: Initially displays absolute confidence and disdain, ignoring the Dao Sect cultivators entirely. The Little Heavenly General’s death abruptly shatters this composure, revealing his shock, anger, and concern.
• The Little Heavenly General: Though absent from the chapter’s direct action, he is established as a Half-Step Painting-Realm powerhouse and Cloud-Dream Palace’s key combatant. His unexpected death radically changes the balance of power.
• He Laoyao: Returns from the cave abode traumatized and terrified. His panic and fragmented explanation emphasize how overwhelming and sudden the defeat was.
• Cloud-Dream Palace’s soldiers and generals: Their retreat changes them from confident victors into a routed force desperately fleeing an unknown pursuer.
• Dao Sect cultivators: They shift from despair over an apparent defeat to astonishment and renewed hope after learning that a human has killed the Little Heavenly General and secured the Dao Painting.

Significant Themes

• The overwhelming gap between realms: The Painting Realm is portrayed as a level almost comparable to gods, making lower-realm cultivators feel like insignificant dust.
• Pride and sudden reversal: Cloud-Dream Palace appears certain of victory, but its confidence collapses instantly when its champion is revealed to be dead.
• The fragility of power balances: The Dao Sects already fear Cloud-Dream Palace’s dominance; the Little Heavenly General’s death may either restore the balance or trigger an even more dangerous conflict.
• Mystery and hidden strength: The identity of the human who killed the Little Heavenly General is unknown, creating suspense about a previously concealed expert or an unexpected turn within the cave abode.
• Fear beneath outward confidence: Both sides maintain guarded positions and assume the other may be plotting. The demons’ apparent calm is revealed to have concealed deep caution, while the Painting-Realm demon’s indifference masks immense tension.

Character Interactions

• The Dao Sect cultivators observe the towering demon from a distance, fearing his power while wondering why their own Painting-Realm experts have not intervened.
• The demons and humans gather separately at the cave abode’s entrance, each side preparing to protect its returning forces from ambush.
• The Cloud-Dream receiving general confronts He Laoyao and demands to know the Little Heavenly General’s whereabouts.
• He Laoyao’s declaration that the Little Heavenly General is dead shocks both factions and transforms the atmosphere from presumed Cloud-Dream victory to widespread confusion.
• The towering demon then personally confronts He Laoyao, demanding every detail and signaling that the next stage of the conflict may be far more violent.

After Jiang Yuechu killed the Little Heavenly General, Lord Ji accepted the demon generals’ account and ordered the Cloud-Dream Palace forces to kill every human and seal the cave abode. Once the surviving Dao Sect cultivators fled, Xuan Yuanming warned Jiang Yuechu that the Heavenly Court itself might retaliate for the killing.

• He Laoyao and the other demon generals told Lord Ji that a white-robed woman in the Tenth Son Realm had killed the Little Heavenly General in his true form.
• Lord Ji ordered the demons to purge the humans in the area and seal the cave abode’s exit, then left for the Cloud-Dream Palace.
• The Dao Sect cultivators retreated as the Cloud-Dream Palace soldiers attacked them across the desert.
• Jiang Yuechu met up with Wu Shisan and the others, confirmed they were unharmed, and asked why Xuan Yuanming looked troubled.
• Xuan Yuanming explained that the Little Heavenly General was registered with the Heavenly Court and warned Jiang Yuechu that his death had defied its will.

Chapter Summary: “Can You Really Give It to Her?”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu questions Xuan Yuanming about the mysterious Heavenly Court, which she has encountered before in an illusion.
• Xuan Yuanming explains that the Heavenly Court supposedly governs the Nine Immortal Provinces from above the Nine Heavens. The Cloud-Dream Realm is merely a remote frontier under Cloud Province.
• He shares exaggerated rumors about Cloud Province’s prosperous heartland, where spiritual energy is so abundant that even children supposedly possess immense cultivation.
• Xuan Yuanming warns that the Heavenly Court will retaliate because the Little Heavenly General has been killed. Jiang Yuechu remains unconcerned, believing that she has already faced numerous powerful enemies and cannot live in constant fear.
• The conversation turns to the Dao Painting, or Star Palace Records, which White Elephant possesses. Everyone expects Jiang Yuechu to claim it, but she simply tells them to return to Chang’an.
• Xuan Yuanming, now fully accepting Jiang Yuechu as his master, warns White Elephant that he should voluntarily follow her and surrender the Dao Painting rather than force her to take it.
• After Jiang Yuechu and Xuan Yuanming leave, Wu Shisan encourages White Elephant to give her the Dao Painting, arguing that Jiang Yuechu is powerful, trustworthy, and perhaps the only person capable of protecting it.

2. Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates her composure, confidence, and independence. She refuses to be intimidated by the Heavenly Court and shows no greed or impatience regarding the Dao Painting.
• Xuan Yuanming shifts fully from an ambitious demon general to a loyal subordinate. Jiang Yuechu’s strength and conduct eliminate his remaining desire to control her Demon Palace, and he begins actively defending her interests.
• White Elephant becomes conflicted. He knows he cannot protect the Star Palace Records from Jiang Yuechu’s enemies—or perhaps from Jiang Yuechu herself—but hesitates because he fears that gaining the Dao Painting might cause her to abandon her intention to protect the world.
• Wu Shisan acts as a mediator and offers White Elephant a practical perspective: power is necessary in the current world, and Jiang Yuechu may be the best possible guardian for the Dao Painting.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and legitimacy: The chapter questions whether authority comes from lofty titles such as the Heavenly Court or from actual strength and capability.
• Rumor versus reality: Xuan Yuanming’s descriptions of the Heavenly Court and Cloud Province are likely exaggerated, emphasizing how distant powers become mythologized.
• Trust and responsibility: White Elephant must decide whether safeguarding the Dao Painting means keeping it hidden or entrusting it to someone powerful enough to use and protect it.
• Character over ambition: Jiang Yuechu’s refusal to seize the Dao Painting by force demonstrates restraint and magnanimity, influencing Xuan Yuanming’s loyalty.
• Strength as the final authority: Wu Shisan argues that in a dangerous world, ideals and possession mean little without the power to defend them.

4. Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Xuan Yuanming: Their discussion establishes the Heavenly Court’s immense reputation while highlighting Jiang Yuechu’s fearless attitude. Xuan Yuanming’s warning contrasts with her refusal to worry about future threats.
• Jiang Yuechu and White Elephant: Their brief interaction is defined by restraint. Rather than demand the Dao Painting, Jiang Yuechu simply leaves, surprising White Elephant and forcing him to reconsider his assumptions about her.
• Xuan Yuanming and White Elephant: Xuan Yuanming pressures White Elephant to recognize Jiang Yuechu’s authority and voluntarily submit the Dao Painting to her.
• Wu Shisan and White Elephant: Wu Shisan gently persuades White Elephant by emphasizing Jiang Yuechu’s character, overwhelming strength, and ability to protect the world from greater threats.

Chapter Summary: “Threefold Spirit Transformation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the old Daoist urges White Elephant to leave, White Elephant hesitates but ultimately follows him toward Chang’an.
• Jiang Yuechu returns to Chang’an with Xuan Yuanming but stops at a secluded cliff outside the city.
• She unloads the storage pouches taken from the demons defeated in the Immortal-God Cave Abode. Xuan Yuanming begins sorting the spoils, separating Spirit Art Realm artifacts, spirit artifacts, and Dao-Union Relics.
• Jiang Yuechu checks her remaining Dao Cultivation and finds that she has recovered to 83,279,315 years, easing her concern after spending tens of millions of years killing Little Heavenly General.
• Her system reveals that the defeated Yin-Yang Fish was specifically identified as “Yin-Yang Fish · Yang,” suggesting that a separate Yin body may still exist despite the creature being judged completely slain.
• The system grants her the divine ability Threefold Spirit Transformation, allowing her to consume Dao Cultivation to create a spirit body.
• Jiang Yuechu spends ten million years of Dao Cultivation to condense a small, featureless white spirit body resembling a miniature version of herself.
• Initially, the spirit body appears inert and useless. Jiang Yuechu experiments with it, stretching and reshaping it like soft clay, becoming increasingly frustrated.
• She realizes that the spirit body may be intended to merge with a demon body. She chooses her original Spirit-Grade Dao Chess piece, the Sword-Holding Toad, whose foundation has fallen behind her other Immortal-Grade pieces.
• The spirit body merges effortlessly into the toad. Its energy transforms dramatically, producing purple-gold radiance and strengthening the toad’s body, scales, spikes, eyes, flames, and sword.
• The Sword-Holding Toad is forcibly elevated from Spirit-Grade to Immortal-Grade. However, the transformation continues, and the energy deepens into an increasingly pure violet mass, leaving Jiang Yuechu stunned.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates both practical judgment and curiosity. Although she initially treats the new spirit body almost like a useless object, her experimentation leads to an important breakthrough.
• Her normally cold and composed demeanor briefly cracks into irritation and exasperation when the ten-million-year expenditure appears to have produced only an inert lump.
• She shows strong adaptability by inferring the spirit body’s intended function and applying it to the weakest of her Dao Chess pieces.
• Xuan Yuanming continues to support Jiang Yuechu in a logistical role, willingly sorting the spoils because he cannot contribute as much directly in combat.
• White Elephant remains conflicted about the old Daoist’s proposal or advice, but his decision to follow the Daoist shows reluctant cooperation.
• The Sword-Holding Toad undergoes a major upgrade, evolving from an outdated Spirit-Grade artifact into an Immortal-Grade combat entity.

Significant Themes

• Growth through adaptation: Jiang Yuechu’s ability to experiment and reason through an unexplained power allows her to unlock its true potential.
• Resource and foundation management: Dao Cultivation is treated as a precious but expendable resource, and Jiang Yuechu must balance enormous costs against permanent increases in strength.
• Transformation and renewal: The spirit body compensates for the weaknesses of an old demon body, demonstrating that existing weapons or companions can be revitalized rather than discarded.
• Hidden survival and uncertainty: The Yin-Yang Fish’s possible surviving Yin body introduces the idea that powerful aberrant beings may possess unusual life-saving mechanisms.
• Power beyond expectations: The Threefold Spirit Transformation appears to do more than create a spirit body; it may fundamentally alter and elevate the beings into which it is placed.

Character Interactions

• The old Daoist dismisses White Elephant’s hesitation and leaves for Chang’an, while White Elephant silently follows.
• Jiang Yuechu and Xuan Yuanming cooperate at the cliff: she oversees the treasure recovery while he performs the careful sorting.
• Jiang Yuechu interacts directly with the newly created spirit body, testing its nature through physical manipulation.
• She then merges the spirit body with the Sword-Holding Toad, creating a dramatic transformation and revealing the ability’s true purpose.

Jiang Yuechu used another ten million years of Dao Cultivation to raise the Sword-Holding Toad to Heavenly-Grade Dao Chess, causing a phenomenon that made heaven and earth bow. White Elephant then asked whether she could protect the world, and Jiang Yuechu answered that no one else could.

• Jiang Yuechu's first attempt to elevate the Sword-Holding Toad stalled at immortal-grade, and she decided to try again.
• Jiang Yuechu spent another ten million years of Dao Cultivation and pressed a spirit-body figure onto the immortal-grade Sword-Holding Toad.
• The Dao Chess reached Heavenly-Grade, and black light and celestial signs spread across the sky as heaven and earth bowed.
• The imperial High Ancestor, Zhao Zhongliu, Bai Yulou, Old Red Flood Dragon, Hu Cuihua, Wu Shisan, White Elephant, and Chang'an's citizens bowed toward the cliff.
• White Elephant rushed toward Jiang Yuechu and asked whether she could truly protect the world, and she replied that no one else could.

Chapter Summary: “Looks Like We’ve Struck It Rich”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After White Elephant asks whether Jiang Yuechu can bear the heavy responsibility before her, the two share a moment of mutual understanding. White Elephant’s long-held burden finally lifts, and he leaves to handle other matters before promising to return.
• Jiang Yuechu examines the transformation caused by White Elephant’s promotion to a Heavenly-Grade Dao Chess piece. Unlike Immortal-Grade pieces, which mainly strengthen the body and foundation, Heavenly-Grade pieces can also merge directly with cultivation techniques.
• When Jiang Yuechu activates the Wind-Fire True Form Art, its flames transform from crimson and azure into overwhelming ink-black fire, demonstrating the powerful enhancement of the Heavenly-Grade piece.
• The upgrade consumes a vast amount of Dao Cultivation. Jiang Yuechu has 63,279,315 years remaining, enough to upgrade only three more pieces if each costs twenty million years.
• She regrets that many demons and monsters escaped during the earlier battle, since capturing them would have provided more resources. Nevertheless, she plans to use the enemies’ possessions to create more Dao Chess pieces, first advancing her cultivation to the Sixteenth Son Realm.
• Xuan Yuanming is left stunned by what he has witnessed. Seeing a genuine Heavenly-Grade Dao Chess piece, something even his father never imagined, he privately concludes that he has “struck it rich.”
• The scene then shifts to the true headquarters of the Nine Great Dao Sects, located inside a magical Painted World.
• The Hundred Flowers Sect receives news that the Little Heavenly General has died, the Dao Painting has fallen into human hands, and Cloud-Dream Palace has deployed a Painting-Realm Great Demon to seal the Immortal-God Cave Abode and eliminate the surviving human cultivators.
• The sect elders urge the Hundred Flowers Sect Master to intervene and cooperate with the other Dao Sects to protect the person who obtained the Dao Painting, which could eventually create another human Painting-Realm cultivator.
• The sect master initially dismisses them and pretends to be tired, allowing the elders to leave. She then secretly summons the leaders of the other eight sects through jade communication plaques.
• The nine Painting-Realm leaders debate whether to act, but uncertainty over which sect’s disciple obtained the Dao Painting causes hesitation. The Hundred Flowers Sect Master finally loses her temper, accusing them of refusing to help simply because the treasure may not belong to their own sect.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates increased power and strategic ambition. She recognizes both the advantages and enormous cost of Heavenly-Grade Dao Chess pieces and begins planning how to maximize her remaining resources.
• White Elephant experiences emotional release after confirming Jiang Yuechu is capable of carrying the responsibility he feared. His departure suggests renewed trust and a future alliance.
• Xuan Yuanming shifts from observer to awed subordinate. His astonishment at Jiang Yuechu’s strength reinforces how extraordinary her achievements are.
• The Hundred Flowers Sect Master is revealed to be far less indifferent than she appears. Her initial dismissal is a façade; beneath it lies anger at the other sect leaders’ cowardice and factionalism.
• The other Dao Sect leaders appear cautious and politically self-interested, prioritizing uncertainty over immediately defending humanity’s potential future strength.

Significant Themes

• Power and sacrifice: Heavenly-Grade advancement grants extraordinary strength but requires enormous amounts of Dao Cultivation.
• Responsibility and inheritance: White Elephant entrusts Jiang Yuechu with a burden that may affect the future of the world.
• Resource management and ambition: Jiang Yuechu must carefully balance cultivation advancement, Dao Chess upgrades, and the limited resources gained from battle.
• Factionalism versus collective survival: The Nine Great Dao Sects hesitate to act because they do not know which sect benefits from the Dao Painting, revealing political self-interest during a crisis.
• Appearances versus reality: Both Jiang Yuechu’s rising power and the Hundred Flowers Sect Master’s attitude are initially misunderstood; her outward calm conceals decisive anger and concern.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and White Elephant: Their brief exchange establishes trust and shared recognition of a major responsibility.
• Jiang Yuechu and Xuan Yuanming: She sharply orders him to continue sorting the spoils, while he silently marvels at her miraculous strength.
• The Hundred Flowers Sect Master and her elders: The elders plead for intervention, but she dismisses them until their persistence exposes her concealed frustration.
• The nine Painting-Realm leaders: Their remote meeting reveals disagreement and hesitation over whether to rescue the Dao Painting’s holder.
• The Hundred Flowers Sect Master and the other sect leaders: She openly condemns their reluctance, challenging the legitimacy of the Nine Great Dao Sects and demanding that they prioritize humanity over sect interests.

Chapter Summary: Xuan Yuanming’s Fantasy

Key Plot Points and Events

• In a secret gathering, several elderly leaders of the human race discuss what should happen if the legendary Dao Painting is recovered. Rather than letting one person control it, they insist that it must be handed over to the nine sects for collective decision-making.
• The elders claim that the human race is in crisis and that whoever becomes the next Painting Realm expert must serve the greater good. However, their discussion reveals an underlying intention to control or pressure whoever obtains the Dao Painting.
• They dismiss the possibility that a rogue cultivator could acquire it, asserting that such a person should either surrender the treasure in exchange for protection or be taught to obey the “rules.”
• The Hundred Flowers Sect Master is disturbed by the elders’ indifference and political maneuvering. She would rather they openly argue than display the lifeless apathy of people whose passion and courage have been worn away by time.
• Several days later, on a cliff outside Chang’an, Xuan Yuanming finishes sorting through the enormous amount of loot taken from the demons. He categorizes spirit artifacts, pills, treasures, and other items.
• He discovers two valuable Dao-Union Relics, but no Spirit Art manuals or similarly important cultivation materials.
• Xuan Yuanming assumes that Jiang Yuechu has spent the past three days cultivating, stabilizing her newly formed Heavenly-Grade Dao Chess, or deducing a new technique. In reality, she has simply been sleeping on a stone because she finds it uncomfortable.
• Jiang Yuechu questions why the spoils are so limited despite the number of demon generals they defeated. Xuan Yuanming explains that most demon generals were rushing to join the Little Heavenly General and had little opportunity to search for relics.
• The army’s most valuable treasures were concentrated and entrusted to He Laoyao of Grand Unity Peak, a trusted associate of the Cloud Dream Main Palace and the Little Heavenly General.
• Jiang Yuechu realizes that the fleeing white-haired demon general she saw earlier was probably He Laoyao and regrets not pursuing him, since he likely carried most of the army’s wealth.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu is shown to possess extraordinary strength and composure after defeating a Half-Step Painting Realm Little Heavenly General and surviving the Yin-Yang Fish’s true form. However, the chapter humorously reveals that her apparent deep meditation was merely ordinary sleep.
• Her casual attitude and lack of concern for appearances contrast sharply with the immense power and legendary accomplishments others associate with her.
• Xuan Yuanming gains deeper admiration for Jiang Yuechu. He mistakes her sleep for intense cultivation and becomes inspired to examine his own lack of progress in the Thirteenth-Piece Chessmaster Realm.
• His reverence turns into comic embarrassment when he learns that Jiang Yuechu was not cultivating at all.
• The Hundred Flowers Sect Master is characterized as one of the few people still emotionally affected by the decline and stagnation of the old sect leaders. Her frustration shows that she retains a sense of urgency and concern for the human race.
• He Laoyao is established as a major off-screen figure: politically connected, trusted by the Little Heavenly General, and likely in possession of the demons’ most important treasures and Spirit Arts.

Significant Themes

• Institutional decay and hypocrisy: The elders speak of protecting the human race, but their discussion is largely about controlling and dividing the Dao Painting. Their calmness suggests political calculation rather than genuine selflessness.
• Power and legitimacy: The elders imply that only approved or “suitable” people deserve access to the Dao Painting, revealing an authoritarian belief that power must remain under established sect control.
• The loss of passion with age: The Hundred Flowers Sect Master sees the elders as spiritually exhausted and emotionally dead, emphasizing how time and prolonged crisis can erode conviction.
• Appearance versus reality: Jiang Yuechu’s supposedly profound cultivation is revealed to be sleep, while the elders’ claims of acting for the greater good conceal their desire for authority.
• Luck, strength, and preparation: The chapter highlights how valuable treasures depend not only on victory but also on timing and information. Jiang Yuechu’s group wins the battle but misses the enemy’s concentrated wealth because they do not know who possesses it.

Character Interactions

• The elders interact through restrained, formal discussion, avoiding direct confrontation while subtly asserting their sects’ claims over the Dao Painting.
• The Hundred Flowers Sect Master remains emotionally isolated from the other elders, who either ignore or deliberately disregard her dissatisfaction.
• Xuan Yuanming respectfully reports the spoils to Jiang Yuechu and explains the demons’ organizational structure and treasure distribution.
• Jiang Yuechu responds casually and pragmatically, questioning the poor haul and immediately identifying the likely culprit once she hears about He Laoyao.
• Their interaction combines Xuan Yuanming’s seriousness and admiration with Jiang Yuechu’s relaxed, blunt, and unexpectedly humorous personality.

Jiang Yuechu stayed inside the Immortal-God Cave Abode while Xuan Yuanming carried the Dao-Union Relics to Chang'an for the emperor of Great Tang. She raised two more Dao Chess pieces to Heavenly-Grade, bringing her total to three, then decided not to risk advancing another.

• Jiang Yuechu told Xuan Yuanming to deliver the Dao-Union Relics to the emperor of Great Tang in Chang'an and give him her name.
• Xuan Yuanming gathered the Storage Bags and flew toward Chang'an while Jiang Yuechu opened the first wooden box.
• Jiang Yuechu condensed the jade bracelet into an Immortal-Grade Dao Chess piece, then infused it with ten million years of Dao Cultivation to make it a Heavenly-Grade piece that empowered deceptive attacks.
• Jiang Yuechu raised the Sunset-Glow Heavenly Bead into a second Heavenly-Grade Dao Chess piece and tested its power, which let her move with tremendous speed.
• Jiang Yuechu counted three Heavenly-Grade Dao Chess pieces and chose not to advance another, fearing the world could not tolerate it.

Jiang Yuechu advanced the Yin-Yang Fish’s record to the Supreme Realm, gained the incomplete immortal art Yin-Yang Firmament Sweep, and tested its immense power over the Eastern Sea. The chapter ended with the Pure Yang Lineage’s Jade Capital Tower under siege-like pressure after Xuan Yang disappeared and its disciples suffered heavy losses.

• Jiang Yuechu spent over eighteen million years of Dao Cultivation to raise the Yin-Yang Fish’s record to the Supreme Realm and gained minor mastery of Yin-Yang Firmament Sweep.
• Jiang Yuechu traveled to the Eastern Sea and unleashed the immortal art, erasing a hundred li of ocean before the surrounding waters rushed back into the void.
• Jiang Yuechu considered the art’s immense energy cost, kept more than twenty-four million years of Dao Cultivation in reserve, and returned toward Chang'an.
• The Jade Capital Tower’s fortunes declined after Xuan Yang disappeared and unknown cultivators and demons entered the world.
• The Jade Capital Tower shut its gates and kept its sect-protecting formation active while its disciples patrolled in fear.

White Elephant returned to Jade Capital Tower to honor Mo Yang, but the elders mistook his visit for a threat and ordered him killed. He revealed a damaged Dao Painting that overwhelmed the disciples and shattered the sect-protecting formation.

• White Elephant arrived at Jade Capital Tower's mountain gate and said he had come to honor an old friend.
• White Elephant identified himself as Formless and named Mo Yang as the one he had come to honor.
• A red-robed elder recognized Formless as Mo Yang's former demon servant and ordered the disciples to execute him.
• White Elephant unfurled a damaged Dao Painting, whose starry power forced the disciples to their knees and destroyed the sect-protecting formation.
• The red-robed elder shouted for the disciples to kill White Elephant and seize the Dao Painting.

Chapter Summary: Mo Yang, Truly Gone

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jade Capital Tower is devastated almost instantly by the mere aura of the Dao Painting. Its protective formation collapses, its disciples are incapacitated, and its elders kneel in terror.
• White Elephant, disguised in a gray robe, passes unhindered through the ruined sect and travels to the remote cave where True Lord Mo Yang’s memorial tablet is kept.
• He burns spirit money before the tablet, intending only to perform a brief ritual, but Mo Yang’s spirit or lingering presence appears beside him.
• Mo Yang recalls how Jade Capital Tower once demanded that he surrender the Star Palace Records, accusing him of selfishness and demonic deviation when he refused.
• White Elephant admits that he knew Mo Yang had been wrongfully condemned but failed to defend him because he was afraid of death and of being unable to change anything.
• He confesses that his years of guarding the Star Palace Records were motivated less by true loyalty than by guilt.
• White Elephant tells Mo Yang about a powerful young woman—clearly someone he believes can accomplish what conventional “good people” cannot—and says he believes she can make proper use of the Records.
• Mo Yang encourages him to stop hiding and entrust the Records to her, explaining that he never wanted White Elephant to guard them for revenge or personal devotion, only to preserve them until they reached the right person.
• White Elephant asks for forgiveness. Mo Yang gently refuses to treat him as a child seeking permission, implicitly telling him that he has already been forgiven.
• White Elephant pours out the last of his wine at the mountain’s edge and leaves. Mo Yang accompanies him until the spirit finally disappears, marking his true departure.

Character Developments

• White Elephant: His outwardly formidable appearance contrasts with his deep fear, guilt, and emotional fragility. The destruction of Jade Capital Tower forces him to understand what Mo Yang endured. By confessing his failure and choosing to support the young woman, he finally moves from passive preservation to decisive action.
• True Lord Mo Yang: He is portrayed as gentle, forgiving, and clear-sighted even after death. He explains the principles behind his refusal to surrender the Star Palace Records and releases White Elephant from his guilt while reaffirming the purpose of his mission.
• Jade Capital Tower’s elders and disciples: Their terror and helplessness expose the sect’s weakness and hypocrisy. Their current demand for the Dao Painting echoes the same coercive arguments used against Mo Yang in the past.
• The unnamed young woman: Though absent, she becomes central to White Elephant’s future resolve. Her harsh and ruthless nature is presented as potentially necessary for accomplishing what the morally respectable sects could not.

Significant Themes

• Guilt versus genuine loyalty: White Elephant realizes that his claims of loyalty concealed fear and remorse.
• Courage and inaction: The chapter contrasts Mo Yang’s principled refusal with White Elephant’s failure to stand beside him.
• Institutional hypocrisy: Jade Capital Tower’s rhetoric about protecting orthodoxy and serving the sect repeats the same self-serving logic that led to Mo Yang’s condemnation.
• Forgiveness and release: Mo Yang does not punish White Elephant; instead, he helps him accept the past and act meaningfully in the present.
• The passing of an era: Mo Yang’s final disappearance symbolizes the closing of an old chapter and the transfer of responsibility to a new generation.

Character Interactions

• White Elephant and the Jade Capital Tower elders interact through intimidation: the elders attempt to assert authority, but the Dao Painting’s aura reduces them to terrified submission.
• White Elephant and Mo Yang share an intimate, emotionally painful farewell. Mo Yang confronts him about his past cowardice, while White Elephant openly confesses his remorse.
• Their conversation shifts from accusation to understanding, ending with Mo Yang’s quiet forgiveness and encouragement.
• The final image of Mo Yang walking beside White Elephant before vanishing emphasizes their enduring bond—and the moment White Elephant must finally continue alone.