Ch. 1Primordial World, Body-Forged Formation

Chapter Summary: Primordial World, Body-Forged Formation

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang, a transmigrator from Earth and the transformed spirit of an innate grand formation, has cultivated for five hundred years in the Primordial World.
  • He reaches the True Immortal Realm, though he recognizes that this level is insignificant during the early Witch-Demon Tribulation and resolves to continue strengthening himself.
  • His long-dormant “golden finger” finally activates. The Mother Star Will grants him heaven-defying comprehension, allowing him to rapidly understand formations, laws, and divine abilities.
  • Through enhanced comprehension, Chen Yang masters portions of the Formation Dao, Destruction Dao, and Sword Dao, creating abilities such as:
    • The Origin-Destroying True Qi Barrier
    • The Great Destruction Divine Ability
    • The Heaven-Slaying Sword Formation
  • After emerging from seclusion, Chen Yang meets his master, Duobao Daoist, who recognizes his progress in the Formation Dao.
  • Duobao gives Chen Yang the Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram, obtained through the support of Lord Tongtian, and asks him to help arrange defensive formations on Golden Ao Island.
  • Duobao also informs him that, in one thousand years, the Jie Sect will participate in a Three Sects Tournament against the Human Sect and Exposition Sect. Chen Yang promises not to disappoint his master.
  • Chen Yang immediately enters seclusion to study the formation diagram. His enhanced comprehension allows him to simplify tens of thousands of formation models and create the All-Heavens Immortal-Destroying Grand Formation Formula.
  • This technique uses the body as the formation foundation and can eventually develop an Immortal-Slaying Sword Body. Chen Yang begins engraving the formation into his flesh and blood using his primordial spirit and essence blood.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang grows from a merely True Immortal cultivator into a remarkably powerful formation specialist. Although his realm remains unchanged, his mastery of multiple laws and divine abilities makes him capable of challenging Profound Immortal experts.
  • His unique cultivation path becomes clearer: rather than merely controlling formations externally, he practices body-forged formation, refining grand formations directly into his physical body.
  • His transmigrator advantage is revealed to be an extraordinary comprehension ability rather than a conventional system or treasure.
  • Duobao Daoist is portrayed as a protective, generous, and devoted master. He has supported Chen Yang’s cultivation for centuries and even secured the rare Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram for him.
  • Chen Yang’s gratitude and loyalty toward Duobao are emphasized, contrasting with the negative reputation Duobao may possess in later generations.

Significant Themes

  • Perseverance and cultivation: Chen Yang’s five hundred years of effort are rewarded, but reaching True Immortality only makes him aware of how far he still has to go.
  • Innate talent versus hard work: His origin as a formation spirit gives him exceptional affinity for the Formation Dao, while his long seclusion and disciplined study turn that talent into real strength.
  • Innovation in cultivation: Chen Yang develops a new path by merging his physical body with grand formations, creating techniques with no established precedent in the Primordial World.
  • Master-disciple loyalty: The bond between Chen Yang and Duobao is based on mutual trust, protection, generosity, and repayment of kindness.
  • Rising sect conflict: The upcoming Three Sects Tournament reflects the continuing rivalry between the Jie Sect, Human Sect, and Exposition Sect after the Three Pure Ones separated.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Duobao share a respectful and affectionate master-disciple relationship. Duobao advises him to remain cautious about the difficult, unexplored Formation Dao, while Chen Yang responds with humility and confidence.
  • Duobao entrusts Chen Yang with the Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram, demonstrating his faith in Chen Yang’s potential.
  • The planned tournament places Chen Yang indirectly within the larger conflict between Lord Tongtian’s Jie Sect and the other two sects, giving him an opportunity to prove himself and support his master’s ambitions.

Ch. 2Slaying Immortals Sword Art, the Slaying Immortals Sword Recognizes Its Master

Chapter Summary: Slaying Immortals Sword Art, the Slaying Immortals Sword Recognizes Its Master

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang completes the process of engraving the All-Heavens Immortal-Destroying Grand Formation onto his body. Each formation pattern requires him to break a bone and endure tremendous physical and spiritual pain, but the process greatly strengthens his body.
  • The formation patterns converge in his dantian to form the character “Slay.” When activated, they trigger an enormous surge of spiritual energy and Sword Qi.
  • Chen Yang’s cultivation advances dramatically from the late True Immortal stage through the Profound Immortal realm and into the Golden Immortal realm, eventually reaching the early stage.
  • The breakthrough’s Sword Dao resonance attracts the attention of Duobao Daoist, who recognizes the significance of Chen Yang’s transformation.
  • In Biyou Palace, Tongtian, the Shangqing Daoist, senses that the Slaying Immortals Sword has reacted to Chen Yang. He seals part of the sword’s power and sends it to Chen Yang.
  • The ancient Slaying Immortals Sword, one of the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords, arrives at Chen Yang’s cave and willingly allows him to wield it. Chen Yang instinctively comprehends its Sword Intent through the formation patterns engraved in his body.
  • Duobao explains that the sword is fated to belong to Chen Yang. Tongtian personally acknowledges him and instructs him to treat the sword well.
  • Afterward, Chen Yang continues cultivating for several hundred years. By contemplating the sword, he comprehends the laws of the Sword Dao and combines them with the Formation Dao to create the Slaying Immortals Sword Art.
  • Nearly a thousand years after beginning intermittent seclusion, Chen Yang reaches the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm and decides to leave cultivation temporarily to visit Duobao and explore more of the Jie Sect’s inheritance.
  • At the Shangqing Scripture Repository, Chen Yang discovers that the sect’s records are not organized books but rather scattered inscriptions on crystals, beast hides, bones, stones, and other materials.
  • By studying the repository’s inheritances, he comprehends the Mystic Tortoise True Martial Art, the laws of metal, and the Gengjin Slaying Immortals Sword Art, among other techniques.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang demonstrates extraordinary endurance and determination by enduring the destructive process of engraving the formation onto his body. His cultivation, physical strength, Formation Dao, and Sword Dao all advance together.
  • He becomes recognized as the chosen wielder of the Slaying Immortals Sword, marking a major elevation in status and potential within the Jie Sect.
  • Chen Yang’s ability to combine different Dao principles expands. He evolves from merely learning techniques to creating new arts, such as the Slaying Immortals Sword Art.
  • Duobao Daoist grows increasingly impressed and pleased with his disciple, openly supporting Chen Yang’s connection with the divine sword.
  • Tongtian shows unusual favor toward Chen Yang by granting him a portion of the Slaying Immortals Sword’s power, suggesting that Chen Yang’s destiny may be important.
  • Golden-Spirit Holy Mother and Turtle-Spirit Holy Mother recognize the significance of Tongtian granting such a supreme treasure to a third-generation disciple and infer that he must have a deeper reason.

Significant Themes

  • Pain and transformation: Chen Yang’s physical suffering becomes the means through which his body and cultivation are refined.
  • Fate and recognition: The Slaying Immortals Sword chooses Chen Yang willingly, emphasizing that supreme treasures recognize those with whom they share a destined connection.
  • Integration of different Dao paths: Chen Yang combines Formation Dao, Sword Dao, and later the laws of metal, showing that advancement comes from synthesis rather than isolated cultivation.
  • Mentorship and favor: Duobao’s encouragement and Tongtian’s bestowal of the sword demonstrate the importance of recognition by powerful masters.
  • Inheritance and discovery: The primitive and disorganized Scripture Repository reflects the ancient setting, while also showing that profound knowledge can exist in many forms beyond conventional texts.
  • Hidden destiny: Tongtian’s deliberate intervention and the reactions of senior Jie Sect disciples hint that Chen Yang’s rise may have consequences far beyond his personal cultivation.

Important Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Duobao: Duobao observes Chen Yang’s breakthrough, praises him, and reassures him that he should accept the Slaying Immortals Sword rather than hesitate.
  • Chen Yang and Tongtian: Chen Yang respectfully thanks Tongtian after receiving the sword. Tongtian gives him a brief but meaningful warning to care for it.
  • Tongtian and the Slaying Immortals Sword: Tongtian seals part of the sword’s power and sends it to Chen Yang after noticing its reaction to him.
  • Golden-Spirit Holy Mother and Turtle-Spirit Holy Mother: While playing chess, they discuss Tongtian’s decision and conclude that the gift must have a profound purpose.
  • Chen Yang and the Jie Sect inheritances: Through contemplation, Chen Yang absorbs the insights of senior disciples and converts them into new martial and Dao techniques.

Ch. 3Kunlun Mountain, Four Sects Tournament

Chapter Summary: Kunlun Mountain, Four Sects Tournament

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Sixty years pass while Chen Yang remains in enlightenment, focusing on divine abilities, spells, and offensive techniques.
  • Duobao awakens him, explaining that a thousand years have passed and the Three Sects Tournament is about to begin at Kunlun Mountain.
  • Chen Yang travels with Duobao to Biyou Palace, where the Jie Sect disciples gather. He formally greets many senior members, including Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao.
  • Tongtian arrives and leads the Jie Sect disciples to Kunlun Mountain, where the Exposition Sect is already waiting outside Yuxu Palace.
  • Guangchengzi welcomes the Jie Sect and reveals that the Western Sect has also been invited to participate, expanding the event into a tournament involving four sects.
  • The Sages gather at Kunlun, and for more than ten years their discussions of the Dao create powerful Dao sounds that the disciples use for cultivation.
  • When the golden bell rings, signaling the tournament’s beginning, the disciples assemble at Yuxu Square.
  • Duobao explains that Chen Yang will represent the Jie Sect because of his strength as a Golden Immortal. Duobao and the other senior direct disciples will not participate, since allowing Great Luo-level cultivators would undermine the tournament’s purpose.
  • Laozi announces the rules: each disciple receives a token and enters the world inside the spiritual treasure known as the Skyland Landscape Painting. Participants may search for opportunities or seize other contestants’ tokens; losing one’s token means immediate elimination.
  • Yuanshi adds that there will be only one winner, no secondary rankings, and no magical treasures may be used. The contestants must rely on their cultivation and divine abilities during the thousand-year competition.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang advances significantly through prolonged enlightenment and is now a powerful Golden Immortal, strong enough to represent the Jie Sect.
  • His standing within the Jie Sect improves. The disciples are familiar with him, respect his abilities, and pay special attention to him because Tongtian entrusted him with the Slaying Immortals Sword.
  • Duobao continues to act as the Jie Sect’s organizer and leader among the disciples. He shows confidence in Chen Yang but also places responsibility on him to secure a victory for the sect.
  • Tongtian remains dignified and authoritative, personally escorting the Jie Sect to Kunlun while leaving practical arrangements to Duobao.
  • Guangchengzi appears cordial and confident, welcoming the Jie Sect and revealing the Western Sect’s unexpected involvement.
  • The wider sect rivalry becomes more intense as disciples who would normally be allies may now be forced to compete against one another.

Significant Themes

  • Cultivation and preparation: Chen Yang’s decades of enlightenment demonstrate the importance of patience and long-term comprehension in gaining strength.
  • Sect honor and responsibility: Chen Yang is not participating solely for personal growth; he is expected to uphold the Jie Sect’s reputation and help Tongtian achieve a much-needed victory.
  • Competition among allies: The tournament’s rules transform fellow disciples and sect members into potential enemies, emphasizing how ambition can challenge loyalty.
  • Merit through personal ability: By banning magical treasures, the tournament tests participants’ true cultivation, combat skills, and divine abilities.
  • Influence of the Sages: The gathering of the five Sages and their Dao discussions creates an atmosphere of immense spiritual authority, while their rules determine the tournament’s harsh and consequential nature.

Character Interactions

  • Duobao guides Chen Yang throughout the journey, introducing him to important Jie Sect figures and explaining the significance of the tournament.
  • The Jie Sect disciples warmly welcome Chen Yang, treating him as a respected member of the wider sect family.
  • Guangchengzi and Duobao exchange polite but competitive remarks, reflecting the long-standing relationship and rivalry between the Jie and Exposition Sects.
  • The arrival of Jieyin and Zhunti confirms the Western Sect’s participation and raises the tournament’s importance.
  • Duobao encourages Chen Yang to accept the burden of representing the Jie Sect, while Chen Yang questions why stronger senior disciples will not participate.
  • The tournament’s rules create the possibility that disciples from the same sect—or even close acquaintances—may have to fight each other for the sole victory.

Ch. 4The Shameless Rabbit: Chen Yang Battles Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal

Chapter Summary: The Shameless Rabbit: Chen Yang Battles Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Laozi announces that the tournament will have only one victor, who will receive every reward. The first-place prize is the Skyland Landscape Painting, while the other Sages contribute exceptionally valuable treasures:
    • Yuanshi Tianzun offers Jianmu, a Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Root.
    • Tongtian offers a Water Lotus Seed descended from the Fortune Green Lotus.
    • Jieyin and Zhunti offer Golden Lotus Seeds and Golden Bodhi, respectively.
  • The enormous rewards immediately turn the participating disciples into rivals, with each viewing the others as potential enemies.
  • Laozi activates the Skyland Landscape Painting, transporting all contestants into its vast internal world.
  • Outside the painting, the Sages speculate about likely winners. Yuanshi favors Xuandu, but Laozi doubts Xuandu’s foundation is strong enough. Tongtian emphasizes that the result cannot be predicted because small changes can alter fate.
  • Inside the painting, Chen Yang appears beside a river. He quickly establishes a Five-Element Concealment Formation and spends several days studying the terrain while avoiding detection.
  • Chen Yang eventually senses the aura of the Upper Clear Sword Art and discovers Bixiao fighting Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal—both members of the Jie Sect.
  • Dingguang Immortal demands Bixiao’s token, claiming superiority. Bixiao resists and criticizes him for bullying her due to her lower cultivation.
  • The battle destroys Chen Yang’s concealment formation, exposing his presence. Dingguang Immortal then attempts to pressure Chen Yang into surrendering his token.
  • Bixiao defends Chen Yang, calling Dingguang Immortal shameless and urging Chen Yang to escape. Chen Yang refuses, choosing to confront Dingguang Immortal and prove his strength.
  • Chen Yang activates part of the Immortal-Slaying Formation within his body and attacks with the Slaying Immortals Sword Art.
  • Dingguang Immortal is shocked by Chen Yang’s mastery of the technique but responds with the Upper Clear Thunder Art.
  • Their sword energy and lightning collide repeatedly, devastating the surrounding mountains, river, and landscape. The chapter ends as both prepare for another fierce clash.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang demonstrates caution and strategic awareness by concealing himself, scouting the environment, and avoiding unnecessary battles. However, he also reveals a growing confidence and willingness to stand up to stronger opponents.
  • His mastery of the Slaying Immortals Sword Art surprises Dingguang Immortal and establishes that Chen Yang’s combat ability is far greater than his cultivation level suggests.
  • Bixiao is shown to be protective, straightforward, and honorable. Although she is fighting for herself, she refuses to allow Dingguang Immortal to exploit Chen Yang’s weaker cultivation.
  • Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal is portrayed as arrogant, opportunistic, and hypocritical. He disguises his attempt to seize Chen Yang’s token as concern for the Jie Sect, but his actions reveal a willingness to bully weaker disciples.
  • The Sages’ discussion outside the painting highlights their differing attitudes toward fate, prediction, and the contestants’ potential.

Significant Themes

  • Competition versus brotherhood: Although the disciples belong to the same sects, the single-winner rule encourages betrayal and conflict, as shown by Bixiao and Dingguang Immortal fighting each other.
  • Hidden strength and underestimated talent: Chen Yang’s relatively low cultivation conceals powerful swordsmanship, allowing him to challenge an opponent who assumes victory is guaranteed.
  • Honor versus hypocrisy: Bixiao openly defends fairness, while Dingguang Immortal uses righteous-sounding arguments to justify taking advantage of Chen Yang.
  • Fate and uncertainty: Tongtian stresses that the tournament’s outcome cannot be perfectly predicted because unexpected choices and changes can alter events.
  • The value of courage: Chen Yang’s decision to fight rather than surrender reflects his growing confidence and refusal to be intimidated by senior disciples.

Important Character Interactions

  • The Sages debate the likely winner and the limitations of prediction, revealing subtle disagreements among them.
  • Chen Yang discovers Bixiao and Dingguang Immortal fighting, creating tension within the Jie Sect.
  • Dingguang Immortal attempts to intimidate Chen Yang into surrendering his token.
  • Bixiao intervenes on Chen Yang’s behalf, condemning Dingguang Immortal’s behavior and urging Chen Yang to flee.
  • Chen Yang rejects Bixiao’s protection and directly challenges Dingguang Immortal.
  • Their verbal confrontation becomes a major battle between Slaying Immortals Sword Qi and the Upper Clear Thunder Art, ending on a cliffhanger as the duel intensifies.

Ch. 5Alchemy Dao Law, Brewing Pills with Formations

Chapter Summary: “Alchemy Dao Law, Brewing Pills with Formations”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang defeats Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal, who has transformed into a powerful Thunder Beast. The Thunder Beast’s lightning and destructive force clash with Chen Yang’s overwhelming Sword Qi.
  • Chen Yang reveals that he had secretly incorporated a sword formation into the battlefield. The formation surrounds and drowns the Thunder Beast, ultimately killing Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal and producing a token as proof of victory.
  • Bixiao praises Chen Yang’s achievement, while Laozi and Tongtian observe from outside. They recognize Chen Yang’s unusual cultivation path: using his body to forge formations and pursuing the Dao through formations.
  • Laozi comments that if Chen Yang can eventually integrate the Slaying Immortals Sword Formation into his body, he may become a true successor of the Formation Dao.
  • Within the painted world, Chen Yang and Bixiao discover a mist-shrouded valley protected by a Three Talents Formation. Chen Yang effortlessly passes through it because of the formations cultivated within his own body.
  • Deep inside the valley, they find numerous precious medicinal herbs, a spiritual spring, and a Four Symbols pill furnace. A Dao voice announces that refining a pill will grant them the art of pill refinement and the furnace.
  • Chen Yang admits that although he possesses theoretical knowledge of alchemy, he has never practiced it. He nevertheless begins experimenting, wasting large quantities of spirit herbs over several years.
  • Through repeated attempts, Chen Yang combines his Formation Dao with alchemy and develops a method he calls “brewing pills with formations.”
  • He constructs formations based on the Fire Element Formation, Wood Element Formation, Spirit-Gathering Formations, and tempering formations. These formations extract the essence from individual herbs before combining them in a fusion formation.
  • Chen Yang successfully refines a fourth-turn Nine-Nine Return-to-One Pill with four pill patterns and four layers of Dao charm.
  • The valley’s trial recognizes his success. Chen Yang receives the top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Four Symbols Furnace, while an eighth-turn Nine-Nine Return-to-One Pill appears in a sealed gourd as an additional reward.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: Demonstrates his growing mastery of Formation Dao and his creativity in applying it to new fields. His victory over the Thunder Beast confirms his combat strength, while his invention of formation-based alchemy establishes a new cultivation path. Though initially inexperienced in practical pill refinement, he learns through persistence and experimentation.
  • Bixiao: Becomes more openly impressed by Chen Yang and acts as his companion and assistant during the trial. Her excitement and astonishment emphasize how extraordinary Chen Yang’s accomplishments are.
  • Laozi and Tongtian: Recognize Chen Yang’s potential as a future successor of the Formation Dao. Their praise elevates the significance of his cultivation method.
  • Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal: Suffers a decisive defeat after transforming into the Thunder Beast. His immense power is ultimately overwhelmed by Chen Yang’s preparation and formation mastery.

Significant Themes

  • Innovation and ingenuity: Chen Yang does not merely follow established cultivation methods; he combines formations, combat, and alchemy to create entirely new techniques.
  • Persistence through failure: His years of failed experiments and wasted herbs demonstrate that breakthroughs require repeated attempts and patience.
  • The unity of different Dao paths: Formation Dao becomes the foundation for understanding and advancing Alchemy Dao, showing how one discipline can lead to another.
  • Preparation overcoming brute force: Chen Yang defeats the Thunder Beast not through raw strength alone, but by secretly arranging a formation and controlling the battlefield.
  • Recognition of talent and legacy: Laozi and Tongtian’s discussion frames Chen Yang’s achievements as potentially important to the future of the Formation Dao.

Important Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Bixiao develop greater trust as they explore the valley together. Bixiao initially explains the formation, but Chen Yang effortlessly breaks through it and leads her inside.
  • Bixiao questions Chen Yang about his alchemy skills and later supports him during his prolonged experimentation, bringing additional herbs after he exhausts the valley’s supplies.
  • Chen Yang’s success repeatedly amazes Bixiao, especially when the formation extracts medicinal essences and successfully produces a fourth-turn pill.
  • Laozi and Tongtian discuss Chen Yang’s accomplishments as observers, agreeing that his “Formation-Proving Dao” path is exceptionally promising.

Ch. 6Sword Qi Forms a Formation, Sword Across the Eight Desolations

Chapter Summary: Sword Qi Forms a Formation, Sword Across the Eight Desolations

Key Plot Points and Events

  • A century after obtaining the Nine-Nine Return-to-One Pill, Chen Yang completes his breakthrough into the fourth turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art. His body is destroyed and reconstructed during the process, greatly increasing his physical strength.
  • Bixiao guards Chen Yang throughout his cultivation. Laozi assures Duobao that Chen Yang’s safety will be protected during the assessment, even if he breaks through within the Landscape Painting.
  • After spending another decade consolidating his cultivation and learning Jie Sect divine abilities, Chen Yang and Bixiao leave their valley to search for other disciples and seize their tokens.
  • They discover a large battle between disciples of the Exposition Sect, Buddhist Sect, and Jie Sect. Guangchengzi is attacking Yunxiao and Qiongxiao, while Yuding True Person fights Zhao Gongming and Wuyun Immortal.
  • Bixiao joins her sisters against Guangchengzi. Chen Yang, however, first makes secret preparations before entering the battle.
  • Chen Yang reveals that he has already arranged an Immortal-Slaying Formation beneath the battlefield through his unique Body-Forged Formation method. The formation requires no visible setup and is activated once his opponents are already trapped.
  • The formation absorbs spiritual qi and transforms it into immense Immortal-Slaying Sword Qi. Chen Yang then unleashes his ultimate technique, “Sword Across the Eight Desolations.”
  • The trapped disciples unite to resist him, using their strongest techniques, including Yuding’s Heart Sword. Nevertheless, the sword formation overwhelms the battlefield, destroys the surrounding islands and restrictions, and sends Yuding and the others out of the Landscape Painting.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang grows dramatically stronger. His completed fourth-turn Nine-Turn Profound Art makes his physical body several times more powerful than before, to the point that he believes he could defeat Chang’er without relying on a formation.
  • He also demonstrates increasing tactical intelligence, using concealment and preparation to trap numerous powerful opponents before they realize a formation exists.
  • Chen Yang’s mastery of formations advances significantly. His Body-Forged Formation allows him to create and activate a large-scale sword formation without the usual visible arrangement process.
  • Bixiao remains protective and supportive of Chen Yang while maintaining a strong emotional connection to her sisters. She eagerly assists Yunxiao and Qiongxiao when Guangchengzi attacks them.
  • Guangchengzi displays hostility toward the Jie Sect and presses Yunxiao to surrender her token, revealing his confidence and aggressive attitude.
  • Yuding True Person is portrayed as a formidable rival, combining the Nine-Turn Profound Art with exceptional Sword Dao mastery and the Immortal-Slaying Sword. Despite this, he is ultimately unable to withstand Chen Yang’s formation.
  • Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao become integrated into Chen Yang’s sword formation after receiving Sword Qi seeds, allowing them to remain unharmed while others are targeted.

Significant Themes

  • Transformation through destruction: Chen Yang’s breakthrough requires his entire body to explode and be reconstructed, emphasizing rebirth and advancement through extreme destruction.
  • Preparation and strategy over brute force: Chen Yang defeats stronger groups not merely through cultivation, but by carefully arranging the battlefield and exploiting his enemies’ underestimation.
  • The overwhelming power of the sword: Sword Qi is presented as both a martial force and a living formation principle capable of drawing upon spiritual qi and cosmic killing intent.
  • Sect rivalry and cooperation: The battle reflects deep hostility between the Exposition and Jie Sects, while the threat of Chen Yang’s formation forces former opponents to cooperate.
  • Protection and loyalty: Bixiao’s immediate defense of her sisters contrasts with the ruthless competition for tokens, highlighting familial and sect loyalty amid the assessment.

Character Interactions

  • Bixiao and Chen Yang maintain a friendly, trusting relationship, with Bixiao guarding his breakthrough and encouraging him to defeat Chang’er if they meet again.
  • Bixiao joins Yunxiao and Qiongxiao to confront Guangchengzi after he attacks Yunxiao.
  • Guangchengzi attempts to intimidate Yunxiao into surrendering her token, but she refuses and insists that he take it by force.
  • Yuding challenges Zhao Gongming and Wuyun Immortal, who refuse to surrender and fight him directly.
  • Once Chen Yang activates the formation, the various sects temporarily cooperate. Yun Zhongzi, Medicine Master, Xuandu, and others recognize that no single person can survive the sword formation alone.
  • Chen Yang’s allies Bixiao, Qiongxiao, and Yunxiao are protected by the Sword Qi seeds within them, while the remaining disciples are engulfed by the formation and expelled from the Landscape Painting.

Ch. 7Ten Suns Across the Sky, Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang’s fused internal and external Immortal-Slaying Formations unleash overwhelming power, defeating Yuding and Guangchengzi’s side in the competition.
  • The attack severely damages both Chen Yang and the Skyland Landscape Painting. Chen Yang is left covered in wounds and blood, barely supported by the Slaying Immortals Sword.
  • Before collapsing, Chen Yang confirms his victory. Duobao is relieved but angry at his disciple’s reckless use of the formation.
  • Chen Yang remains unconscious for slightly more than half a year in Duobao’s cave abode within Yuxu Palace.
  • After waking, he learns that he has won the competition and will receive all promised rewards, including a Supreme-Grade Spiritual Root and Supreme Spiritual Treasure.
  • Laozi personally treats Chen Yang’s injuries with divine medicine, strengthening his body to the peak of the fourth turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art and bringing him close to the fifth turn.
  • Duobao gives Chen Yang the Five Elements Pearl, a high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure intended to help him refine the Five Qi after reaching the Great Unity Realm.
  • Several hundred years pass. Chen Yang cultivates and studies the Exposition Sect’s scriptures, further deepening his foundation.
  • Duobao then takes Chen Yang to Longevity Mountain to seek Ginseng Fruit from Immortal Zhenyuanzi, apparently following an instruction from their grandmaster.
  • During the journey, they witness the Ten Suns Across the Sky devastating the Primordial Wilderness. Chen Yang observes the destruction, while Duobao explains that Dijun likely does not know what the Demon Court’s crown princes are doing.
  • At Longevity Mountain, Duobao and Chen Yang are welcomed by Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun. Hongyun jokingly accuses Duobao of visiting to steal fruit, while Zhenyuanzi invites them inside.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: Demonstrates extraordinary combat ability and determination by risking his life to defeat stronger opponents. His victory earns recognition for the Jie Sect, improves his physical cultivation, and brings him closer to the Great Unity Realm. He also becomes more intellectually developed through years of studying Exposition Sect teachings.
  • Duobao: Shows deep concern for Chen Yang as both a strict and caring master. He reprimands Chen Yang for reckless cultivation but supports him, secures powerful treasures, and personally brings him to Zhenyuanzi for further advancement.
  • Laozi: Reveals his approval of Chen Yang’s performance by personally healing him and strengthening his physical body.
  • Hongyun: Appears warm, humorous, and familiar with Duobao, teasing him about stealing Ginseng Fruit.
  • Zhenyuanzi: Is presented as hospitable and respected, immediately welcoming Duobao and Chen Yang into Five Villages Temple.

Significant Themes

  • Risk and sacrifice for victory: Chen Yang’s triumph comes only because he is willing to use a dangerous technique that nearly destroys his body.
  • Mentorship and loyalty: Duobao’s relationship with Chen Yang combines discipline, protection, generosity, and genuine affection.
  • Recognition through achievement: Chen Yang’s victory earns him rewards, stronger foundations, and greater standing within the Jie Sect.
  • Cultivation and preparation: The chapter emphasizes long-term growth through bodily refinement, spiritual treasures, scriptural study, and preparation for the Great Unity Realm.
  • The consequences of unchecked power: The Ten Suns’ destruction illustrates the devastation caused when powerful beings act without restraint or awareness of the suffering below.
  • Myth becoming reality: Chen Yang recognizes the Ten Suns Across the Sky as a legendary event from mythology, but experiences it as a real catastrophe in the Primordial World.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Duobao share a close master-disciple bond: Chen Yang seeks his master’s approval, while Duobao alternates between anger, relief, and encouragement.
  • Yuding and the others acknowledge Chen Yang’s strength by conceding defeat wholeheartedly.
  • Chen Yang expresses gratitude toward Duobao for the Five Elements Pearl and the support he has received.
  • Duobao and Chen Yang discuss the Ten Suns and the limitations of Dijun’s ability to monitor the vast Primordial Wilderness.
  • At Longevity Mountain, Duobao reunites humorously with Hongyun, whose teasing suggests a long-standing friendship.
  • Zhenyuanzi acts as the gracious host, ending the chapter by welcoming Duobao and Chen Yang into the temple.

Ch. 8Ginseng Fruit, Great Unity Realm

Chapter Summary: Ginseng Fruit, Great Unity Realm

Plot Points and Events

  • Duobao and Chen Yang visit Five Villages Temple, where they are welcomed by Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun.
  • Hongyun jokingly pressures Zhenyuanzi into serving Ginseng Fruits, revealing the close and playful relationship among the three elders.
  • Duobao explains that Chen Yang has come to request branches from the Ginseng Fruit Tree and First-Generation Ginseng Fruits to assist with his breakthrough to the Great Unity Realm.
  • Chen Yang plans to fuse five Supreme-Grade Spiritual Roots corresponding to the Five Elements and form a Five-Elements Grand Formation inside his body.
  • Duobao proudly reveals Chen Yang’s unusual cultivation path: instead of focusing solely on Sword Dao, Chen Yang cultivates Formation Dao, integrating formations into his body and using the Slaying Immortals Sword Formation to generate powerful Sword Qi.
  • Zhenyuanzi agrees to help and provides several Ginseng Tree branches and three exceptionally valuable First-Generation Ginseng Fruits.
  • After eating one of the fruits, Chen Yang begins his breakthrough under the protection of Duobao, Zhenyuanzi, and Hongyun.
  • His spiritual qi circulates through his dantian, sword formation, and organs before forming the Middle Dantian, marking his successful advancement into the Great Unity Realm.
  • A Grand Unity Thunder Tribulation descends, but Chen Yang easily absorbs the lightning due to his powerful physical body and profound cultivation foundation.
  • While enduring the tribulation, Chen Yang becomes immersed in comprehending Dao and begins deriving a new cultivation method, realizing that he is witnessing the evolution of the Shangqing method into the Pure High Immortal Art.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang successfully breaks through into the Great Unity Realm. His exceptionally strong foundation allows him to withstand the breakthrough and thunder tribulation with ease.
  • His identity as a cultivator of the unprecedented Body-Forged Formation path becomes more openly known. Although Chen Yang dislikes having his abilities exposed, his achievements demonstrate the potential of this path.
  • Chen Yang’s comprehension deepens significantly as he begins independently deriving a cultivation method based on the Dao Script within his consciousness.
  • Duobao acts as a proud and supportive master, openly praising Chen Yang’s accomplishments and explaining his cultivation to Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun, despite Chen Yang’s embarrassment.
  • Zhenyuanzi shows generosity by giving Chen Yang extremely rare First-Generation Ginseng Fruits and personally guarding his breakthrough.
  • Hongyun remains playful and curious, teasing Zhenyuanzi while taking a serious interest in Chen Yang’s innovative cultivation path.

Significant Themes

  • Innovation in cultivation: Chen Yang follows a path no one else in the Primordial World appears to have attempted, fusing formations with his body.
  • Strong foundations over superficial power: His ability to effortlessly endure the thunder tribulation reflects the extraordinary depth of his physical body and cultivation.
  • Mentorship and support: Duobao’s pride and the elders’ assistance show the importance of powerful allies in Chen Yang’s development.
  • Hidden abilities versus recognition: Chen Yang prefers to conceal his trump cards, but his success and Duobao’s boasting increasingly expose his uniqueness.
  • Dao comprehension and creation: Chen Yang’s breakthrough is not merely an increase in power; it also leads to the birth of a new cultivation method derived from higher Dao principles.

Character Interactions

  • Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi exchange affectionate, humorous banter over the Ginseng Fruits, establishing their close friendship.
  • Duobao joins Hongyun in persuading Zhenyuanzi to provide the rare fruits, emphasizing Chen Yang’s importance and achievements.
  • Duobao proudly explains Chen Yang’s victories and cultivation method, while Chen Yang feels awkward at having his secrets revealed.
  • Hongyun attempts to examine Chen Yang, but the formations in Chen Yang’s body block his gaze; the Slaying Immortals Sword Formation reacts defensively.
  • Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun recognize the originality of Chen Yang’s path and confidently guard his breakthrough.
  • The chapter concludes with Chen Yang’s successful advancement and his realization that the Pure High Immortal Art is being formed through his comprehension of the Dao.

Ch. 9Four Treasures of Scholarship, Space Law

Chapter Summary: “Four Treasures of Scholarship, Space Law”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang awakens after a thousand-year breakthrough, discovering that he had been cultivating in a grassy area filled with spirit medicines.
  • He reveals that, after comprehending Lord Tongtian’s Pure High Immortal Art—also called the Heaven-Cutting Method—he derived a cultivation method uniquely suited to himself.
  • His comprehension produced the Five-Element Extinction Immortal Formation, which nurtures five imperial figures within his body and can eventually control the Five Elements, exterminate immortals, and slay gods.
  • Duobao explains that the Pure High Immortal Art adapts to an individual’s body, knowledge, and previous cultivation, but cannot fully merge the distinct wisdom contained in the Human Sect and Exposition Sect’s methods.
  • Chen Yang learns that he had already endured and passed the Thunder Tribulation required to enter the Great Unity Realm. Because his body absorbed the tribulation’s energy while he was immersed in Dao comprehension, he never realized it had occurred.
  • Over the following centuries, Chen Yang studies with Duobao, Hongyun, and Zhenyuanzi, asking questions about the Primordial World, cultivation systems, the Three Corpses Severing Method, and the Grand Dao.
  • He continues refining Five Elements formations and begins investigating whether spatial laws can be incorporated into cultivation and whether true spatial formations exist.
  • Zhenyuanzi explains that he gained a limited understanding of space through refining a Hollow Willow Branch, eventually creating the spatial divine ability Heaven in the Sleeve.
  • Zhenyuanzi also mentions Zhunti’s idea of “one flower, one world; one leaf, one Bodhi,” hinting at the future Buddhist divine ability Buddha Kingdom in the Palm.
  • Chen Yang summons his personally refined Four Treasures of Scholarship—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Combined with the Earth-Fire-Wind-Water Formation, they create a Literary Dao Painting Scroll.
  • The scroll enhances comprehension and wisdom for anyone beneath its influence, astonishing Duobao, Hongyun, and Zhenyuanzi.
  • With the scroll’s assistance, the group studies Heaven in the Sleeve and the Great Path of Space. Chen Yang gains an initial comprehension of Space Law, reaching 7%.

Character Development

  • Chen Yang grows from merely learning inherited techniques into an independent cultivator capable of deriving his own cultivation system. His Five-Element path becomes increasingly central to his identity.
  • His unusually powerful body and deep Dao immersion allow him to pass a major tribulation unknowingly, emphasizing his extraordinary talent and unconventional cultivation process.
  • Chen Yang becomes more intellectually ambitious, moving beyond formations into the mysteries of space and the possibility of creating independent spatial worlds.
  • His Four Treasures of Scholarship evolve from ordinary magical tools into rare wisdom-enhancing treasures, revealing Chen Yang’s talent for combining scholarship, formations, and cultivation.
  • Duobao acts as a patient mentor, clarifying the limits of different cultivation systems and helping Chen Yang understand the importance of the wisdom embedded in each great power’s method.
  • Zhenyuanzi shares his hard-won knowledge of spatial law and Heaven in the Sleeve, becoming an important guide in Chen Yang’s new area of study.
  • Hongyun is impressed by Chen Yang’s unusual achievements and encourages the group to take advantage of the Literary Dao Painting Scroll.

Significant Themes

  • Individualized cultivation: The Pure High Immortal Art is portrayed as a foundation that adapts to each cultivator rather than a rigid, universal technique.
  • The limits of synthesis: Even powerful cultivation systems cannot simply absorb all other methods, because each contains the unique wisdom and intent of its creator.
  • Talent and unconventional breakthroughs: Chen Yang’s unnoticed tribulation demonstrates that extraordinary physical strength and Dao comprehension can produce results outside normal expectations.
  • Knowledge as power: The Four Treasures show that scholarship, written classics, and accumulated wisdom can transform magical artifacts and directly enhance cultivation.
  • Creation through understanding: By listening to Zhenyuanzi’s explanation and combining knowledge with heightened wisdom, the characters begin moving toward the creation of new spatial divine abilities.
  • Inheritance and innovation: Existing techniques such as Heaven in the Sleeve may inspire later methods, while Chen Yang continually reshapes inherited knowledge into something uniquely his own.

Character Interactions

  • Duobao and Chen Yang discuss the nature of the Pure High Immortal Art, its adaptability, and why it cannot completely merge the methods of other sects.
  • Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi humorously comment on Chen Yang’s unnoticed tribulation, reinforcing both his eccentricity and exceptional strength.
  • Chen Yang repeatedly questions Zhenyuanzi about spatial law, Hollow Willow Branches, and Heaven in the Sleeve.
  • Chen Yang’s presentation of the Four Treasures initially alarms the others because wisdom-enhancing treasures are extraordinarily rare.
  • Hongyun, Duobao, and Zhenyuanzi then willingly participate in Chen Yang’s Literary Dao Painting Scroll, using its enhancement to study space together.
  • Zhenyuanzi openly explains Heaven in the Sleeve, while all four cultivators experience a surge of inspiration and begin comprehending the possibility of new spatial techniques.

Ch. 10Five-Element World, Houyi Shoots Down the Suns

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • During their long period of Dao discussion at Five Villages Temple, Hongyun, Duobao, and Zhenyuanzi each make breakthroughs in spatial techniques:
    • Hongyun creates the Great Void Art, an escape technique based on space that can eventually traverse the void.
    • Duobao develops the Void Hand Seal, though he cannot yet fully evolve his intended technique, Heaven in the Sleeve.
    • Zhenyuanzi transforms Heaven in the Sleeve into the World in the Palm, a divine ability that creates a miniature world within the user’s palm for attacking, suppressing, and defending.
  • Zhenyuanzi explains that World in the Palm has limitations: its world is formed by divine ability and cannot nurture living beings, making it incomplete.
  • Duobao shares his Void Hand Seal with the others. Inspired by both techniques, Chen Yang finally consolidates his understanding of Space Law and creates the prototype of Five-Element World.
  • Several centuries later, their discussions are interrupted by a tremendous explosion. Through Zhenyuanzi’s Mystic Light Mirror, they witness Houyi beginning to shoot down the Golden Crow suns.
  • Houyi kills one Golden Crow after another with arrows filled with killing intent, avenging his friend Kuafu and responding to the Golden Crows’ attacks.
  • The group realizes that the deaths of Dijun’s sons will likely reignite the war between the Wu and Demon Tribes.
  • Chen Yang asks how Houyi can kill Daluo-level Golden Crows so easily. Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun explain that Houyi combines:
    • The Great Path of Earth, which provides power from the land beneath him;
    • The Great Path of Time, which gives his arrows unmatched speed and temporal force;
    • Pangu-derived bow and arrows, refined through the Wu Tribe’s bloodline and capable of drawing upon Heaven and Earth’s killing intent and Pangu’s aura.
  • As another Golden Crow’s corpse falls near Longevity Mountain, Chen Yang begins considering whether the group can collect the bodies.

Character Developments

  • Hongyun successfully transforms his spatial insight into a practical escape art, demonstrating creativity and excitement over his achievement.
  • Duobao shows restraint and self-awareness, recognizing that his insufficient accumulation prevents him from fully developing Heaven in the Sleeve, but he still creates the powerful Void Hand Seal.
  • Zhenyuanzi displays deeper mastery and generosity by not only improving Heaven in the Sleeve but also solving its cultivation difficulty for others through World in the Palm.
  • Chen Yang initially feels embarrassed because he has not created a technique of his own, but his foundation gradually catches up. By integrating the others’ insights, he creates the prototype of Five-Element World, marking a significant step in his cultivation.
  • Houyi is portrayed as an exceptionally powerful and focused warrior. His grief and rage over Kuafu’s death drive him to slaughter the Golden Crows without hesitation.

Significant Themes

  • Accumulation and comprehension: True breakthroughs require both inspiration and a sufficient foundation. Chen Yang’s eventual success comes from refining accumulated understanding rather than forcing immediate results.
  • Innovation through collaboration: The characters’ willingness to share techniques allows new abilities to emerge, especially Chen Yang’s Five-Element World.
  • Limits of divine creation: World in the Palm demonstrates that creating a world through divine ability is powerful but imperfect, particularly because it cannot generate life.
  • Revenge and escalating conflict: Houyi’s killings transform a dispute between the Wu and Demon Tribes into a crisis that threatens to trigger another full-scale war.
  • The fusion of Dao and physical power: Houyi’s strength comes from combining laws, innate paths, his physical Wu Tribe heritage, and Pangu-derived weapons.

Character Interactions

  • Hongyun reassures Chen Yang that failing to create a technique is not a problem and directly transmits the Great Void Art to him.
  • Zhenyuanzi likewise shares World in the Palm with Chen Yang and the others, emphasizing open exchange of knowledge.
  • Duobao praises Zhenyuanzi’s technique but also points out its enormous potential if it could one day evolve into a true great world.
  • The three elders discuss the strengths and limitations of one another’s creations, creating the foundation for Chen Yang’s breakthrough.
  • While watching Houyi’s rampage, Hongyun, Zhenyuanzi, and Duobao explain his combat power to Chen Yang, correcting his impression that Houyi is killing the Golden Crows effortlessly.
  • Chen Yang’s final question about collecting the Golden Crow corpses hints at his practical and opportunistic nature amid the unfolding catastrophe.

Ch. 11War Between the Wu and Demon Clans, Forging the Five Elements

Chapter Summary: War Between the Wu and Demon Clans, Forging the Five Elements

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang asks to collect Golden Crow essence blood to support his cultivation of the Heavenly Stems Transformation and to inscribe a formation for forging the five elements. Duobao initially warns that disturbing the Golden Crow corpses could provoke Dijun, but agrees after realizing the blood can replace the Fusang Tree’s fire element.
  • Zhenyuanzi permits Chen Yang to collect the materials. Using the formation surrounding Longevity Mountain, he gathers the scattered Golden Crow corpses, flesh, and blood, reconstructing the bodies. Chen Yang takes only a limited amount of essence blood and flesh.
  • Dijun arrives in fury after learning that nine of his sons have been killed by Houyi. He attacks Houyi with a powerful imperial sword strike.
  • Houyi fights back with arrows infused with his essence blood, time Dao, baleful aura, and traces of Pangu’s will. Although he wounds or resists Dijun briefly, he is ultimately overwhelmed.
  • Houyi launches three final Sun-Shooting Divine Arrows, targeting Dijun, the surviving young Golden Crow, and Dijun’s sword. Dijun protects his son and destroys the arrows with sword techniques embodying the sun, moon, and stars.
  • Dijiang intervenes to protect Houyi, followed by Donghuang Taiyi and Zhu Jiuyin. The Wu and Demon Clans confront each other, creating the threat of another great war.
  • The conflict does not erupt into full-scale war. The Demon Clan is still weaker than the Wu Tribe, and Dijun understands that the time is not yet right to fight, especially with Hongjun’s appointed date still approaching.
  • Taiyi later comes to Longevity Mountain and retrieves the three Golden Crow corpses from Zhenyuanzi. He does not question or object to Chen Yang taking some essence blood.
  • After the crisis passes, the group resumes discussing the Dao. Chen Yang announces that he has gathered all the materials required to forge the five elements and plans to begin inscribing the formation at Longevity Mountain.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang becomes more proactive and ambitious in his cultivation. He carefully gathers only the materials he needs, showing restraint, and prepares to advance toward the Great Unity Realm by forging the five elements.
  • Duobao acts as a cautious mentor, balancing Chen Yang’s goals against the danger of provoking the Golden Crow Clan.
  • Zhenyuanzi demonstrates both authority and fairness. He permits the collection of the corpses because they fell near Longevity Mountain, while later returning the intact remains to Taiyi.
  • Dijun is shown as both a grieving father and a powerful ruler. His rage over the deaths of nine sons drives him to attack Houyi, but his judgment prevents him from beginning a premature war.
  • Houyi displays extraordinary courage and determination. Though badly outmatched, he continues fighting and is willing to burn his essence blood in an attempt to avenge the Wu Tribe and his fallen brother.
  • Dijiang, Zhu Jiuyin, and Donghuang Taiyi reinforce the growing division between the two clans, each defending their side and preparing for eventual conflict.
  • Hongyun remains curious and supportive of Chen Yang, encouraging him to conduct the five-element forging before the assembled experts.

Significant Themes

  • Revenge and escalating hatred: The deaths of the Golden Crow princes deepen the longstanding hostility between the Wu and Demon Clans, even though open war is postponed.
  • Consequences of arrogance: The young Golden Crows’ interference in Wu territory and killing of a High Shaman directly leads to their destruction.
  • Restraint amid overwhelming power: Both sides possess enough strength to cause catastrophic destruction, but political circumstances and strategic judgment prevent immediate war.
  • Mentorship and cultivation: Chen Yang’s progress reflects the importance of guidance, rare materials, and the support of powerful elders.
  • Order versus personal emotion: Dijun’s grief demands retaliation, but his position as Heavenly Emperor requires him to consider the larger balance between the clans.
  • Transformation and creation: The Golden Crow essence blood, itself linked to the Fusang Tree, becomes a key ingredient in Chen Yang’s attempt to forge the five elemental energies.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang consults Duobao about using Golden Crow essence blood, while Duobao seeks Zhenyuanzi’s approval.
  • Zhenyuanzi protects the interests of Longevity Mountain, gathers the scattered remains, and later returns the corpses to Taiyi.
  • Dijun and Houyi exchange accusations and engage in a violent duel centered on vengeance for their respective clans.
  • Dijiang intervenes when Dijun attempts to kill Houyi, while Zhu Jiuyin argues that the Golden Crow princes deserved punishment.
  • Taiyi recovers his nephews’ corpses from Zhenyuanzi, maintaining a restrained and respectful relationship rather than challenging Chen Yang’s collection of materials.
  • Hongyun and the others encourage Chen Yang to begin forging the five elements under their supervision.

Ch. 12Fire Element Formation, Burning the Bloodline

Chapter Summary: Fire Element Formation, Burning the Bloodline

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang comprehends the Fire Element Formation, derived from combining the Five Elements Formation with Zhenyuanzi’s spatial technique, World in the Palm.
  • He chooses to refine the Golden Crow blood essence into his heart as the foundation for the Fire Element Formation. The essence, previously purified by Duobao, is closely connected to the Fusang Tree.
  • The process is extremely painful: Golden flames consume Chen Yang’s body, while the formation is engraved into his heart under the guidance of his primordial spirit.
  • His heart gradually forms the image of a Three-Legged Golden Crow, which circulates through his blood and tempers his body, bones, and flesh. The Great Sun True Fire burns away impurities from his bloodline.
  • After several centuries, the Golden Crow transforms into a great sun and eventually becomes a Fusang Tree within Chen Yang’s heart, forming a miniature internal world.
  • His Middle Dantian also begins evolving from chaos toward a small world. Chen Yang realizes that completing all five elemental formations may allow it to become a complete internal world.
  • Chen Yang successfully stabilizes his breakthrough, advancing from the Great Unity Human Immortal realm to the Great Unity Earth Immortal realm.
  • After roughly a thousand years at Longevity Mountain, Duobao and Chen Yang leave. Duobao takes him on a long journey across the Primordial Wilderness, exposing him to its wonders, dangers, and widespread slaughter.
  • Concluding that the wilderness is too dangerous for his current cultivation, Chen Yang returns with Duobao to Golden Ao Island. Duobao instructs him to remain in seclusion until reaching the Great Luo realm.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang becomes more powerful both physically and spiritually. His bloodline impurities are completely purged, his body is strengthened by the Great Sun True Fire, and his cultivation advances substantially.
  • He demonstrates increasing creativity by transforming World in the Palm into a formation and integrating it into the Five Elements Formation, creating the Five Elements Spatial Formation.
  • Chen Yang becomes more cautious and mature after witnessing the dangers of the Primordial Wilderness, deciding not to travel independently until his cultivation is higher.
  • Duobao continues to act as a protective mentor, teaching Chen Yang during their journey and ultimately directing him to focus on cultivation rather than reckless exploration.
  • Zhenyuanzi quickly recognizes the spatial principles hidden in Chen Yang’s formation and understands his plan to create a small world within his body.
  • Hongyun remains supportive and humorous, though his uncertainty about becoming a Saint foreshadows possible future difficulties.
  • Chen Yang subtly warns Hongyun to be careful, hinting at the danger of a future ambush, but cannot openly explain the reason.

Significant Themes

  • Transformation through suffering: Chen Yang’s painful refinement of the Golden Crow essence symbolizes growth through endurance and sacrifice.
  • Internal world-building: The chapter develops the idea of creating a miniature universe inside Chen Yang’s body by combining the Five Elements with spatial Dao.
  • Purification and strengthening: The Fire Element Formation does more than increase offensive power; it purifies Chen Yang’s bloodline, improves his vital essence, and reinforces his physical foundation.
  • Mentorship and inheritance: Duobao’s guidance and Zhenyuanzi’s influence shape Chen Yang’s cultivation path, showing the importance of learning from powerful predecessors.
  • Power versus danger: Although the Primordial Wilderness is majestic, it is also filled with violence and threats, reinforcing that cultivation strength is necessary for survival.
  • Foreshadowing: Hongyun’s unresolved path toward Sainthood and Chen Yang’s warning suggest future conflict and possible tragedy.

Important Character Interactions

  • Duobao, Hongyun, and Zhenyuanzi observe and discuss Chen Yang’s formation-building process, praising its originality and potential.
  • Zhenyuanzi identifies the spatial nature of Chen Yang’s formation, while Chen Yang admits that he adapted World in the Palm into it.
  • Duobao and Hongyun discuss Hongyun’s difficulty in finding a path to Sainthood.
  • Chen Yang privately attempts to warn Hongyun about potential danger, but his low cultivation prevents the warning from being taken seriously.
  • Duobao and Chen Yang’s final exchange establishes Chen Yang’s next goal: remain on Golden Ao Island and cultivate until reaching the Great Luo realm.

Ch. 13Three Immortal Islands, Refining the Wood Element Formation

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • A thousand years pass while Chen Yang remains in cultivation, refining the spiritual treasures obtained from Laozi and strengthening his physical body.
  • He successfully refines the Skyland Landscape Painting, gaining a sense of its immense internal space and the mysteries of the Great Thousand World.
  • He also completely refines the Four Symbols Furnace, allowing him to control the Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water powers within it.
  • Chen Yang breaks through to the Fifth Turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art by consuming a golden pill. His body is destroyed and reforged under the power of the Great Sun True Fire, resulting in a tremendous increase in physical strength.
  • While copying books in the library, Chen Yang is found by the Three Xiao—Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao—who invite him to the Three Immortal Islands.
  • At the Three Immortal Islands, the sisters thank Chen Yang for helping them during the Three Sects Tournament. They also ask him to assist in breaking a mysterious formation guarding a hidden opportunity in the East Sea. The opportunity appears once every three thousand years, and its next appearance is three hundred years away.
  • Chen Yang agrees and uses the intervening time to prepare for another breakthrough, intending to enter the Supreme Unity Heavenly Immortal Realm.
  • The Three Xiao provide him with a place to cultivate and promise to protect him during his breakthrough.
  • Chen Yang begins refining the Ginseng Fruit Tree branch and Ginseng Fruit into his body. Using the principle that “fire gives birth to earth,” he starts inscribing the Earth Element Grand Formation in his spleen, complementing his existing Fire Element Formation.

2. Character Developments

  • Chen Yang grows enormously stronger. His Fifth Turn breakthrough perfects and strengthens his body, while the Great Sun True Fire continues to purify his flesh, bones, blood, and Sword Essence.
  • His mastery of formations continues to advance. His abilities are now strong enough that the Three Xiao believe he can overcome a formation they have been unable to breach.
  • Chen Yang demonstrates confidence in his cultivation foundation, explaining that his breakthroughs are not reckless but the result of exceptionally deep accumulation.
  • Yunxiao remains calm, gentle, and thoughtful. She sincerely appreciates Chen Yang’s aid and worries that his rapid cultivation may compromise his foundation.
  • Bixiao retains her lively, impulsive personality, openly complaining that Chen Yang disappeared and playfully attempting to bring him to the Three Immortal Islands.
  • Qiongxiao is warm and sincere, emphasizing the sisters’ gratitude and supporting their request for Chen Yang’s assistance.

3. Significant Themes

  • Rebirth through destruction: The Fifth Turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art requires Chen Yang’s body to melt away and be reforged, reflecting cultivation as a cycle of destruction and renewal.
  • Accumulation versus rapid advancement: Yunxiao warns Chen Yang about advancing too quickly, while Chen Yang insists that his foundation is already sufficiently profound. The chapter explores the risks and rewards of extraordinary growth.
  • The Five Elements and internal transformation: Chen Yang’s Fire Element Formation produces Great Sun True Fire, which then gives birth to the Earth Element Formation. His cultivation increasingly depends on integrating elemental powers into his body.
  • Friendship and mutual support: The Three Xiao’s relationship with Chen Yang shifts from gratitude for past assistance to genuine companionship and cooperation.
  • Balance between duty and rest: Bixiao’s insistence that Chen Yang leave the library reflects the idea that cultivation and work must be balanced with social connection and enjoyment.

4. Character Interactions

  • Bixiao teasingly reproaches Chen Yang for returning to the Jie Sect without informing them, while Yunxiao explains the sisters’ gratitude and Qiongxiao reinforces their desire to repay him.
  • The sisters invite Chen Yang to stay at the Three Immortal Islands, creating a warm but potentially ambiguous closeness that Chen Yang notices and treats cautiously.
  • Yunxiao acts as the mature mediator, clarifying Bixiao’s playful behavior and offering Chen Yang a continuing welcome.
  • During Chen Yang’s preparation for breakthrough, Yunxiao and her sisters support him by providing a secluded cultivation site and promising to protect him.
  • The chapter ends with Chen Yang beginning the Earth Element Formation, marking the next stage of both his cultivation and his relationship with the Three Xiao.

Ch. 14Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, Eastern Sovereign's Treasure

Chapter Summary: Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, Eastern Sovereign’s Treasure

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Bixiao and Qiongxiao observe Chen Yang refining the earth element using branches and a first-generation Ginseng Fruit from the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
  • They realize Chen Yang may be assembling a complete set of Supreme-Grade Five Elements spiritual roots, comparable to Duobao’s powerful Five Elements foundation.
  • During the refinement, Chen Yang’s body gradually transforms into stone, purifying and strengthening his physical form. His Middle Dantian develops an earthy-brown continent beneath a great sun, beginning its evolution into a small inner world.
  • After more than two hundred years, Chen Yang awakens, survives his lightning tribulation, and stabilizes his Heavenly Immortal Realm of Great Unity cultivation.
  • Yunxiao congratulates him, acknowledging that he has already surpassed many second-generation disciples, though Chen Yang remains humble about his strength.
  • The Three Xiaos take Chen Yang to a location in the East Sea to investigate a mysterious opportunity that appears only once every three thousand years and lasts for just three days.
  • The opportunity is not hidden on an island but within a special auspicious cloud protected by a powerful formation.
  • Chen Yang studies the formation and recognizes its Nine-Bend transformations, dragon aura, and water-element nature. His insight reveals that it is the predecessor of the Nine-Bend Yellow River Grand Formation.
  • He identifies it as the Nine-Bend Nine-Dragon Formation, possibly created by the Eastern Sovereign, raising the possibility that the cloud conceals the Eastern Sovereign’s treasure.
  • Chen Yang sends a message to Duobao requesting potential assistance, then spends two days merging with and deciphering the formation.
  • With the auspicious cloud about to disappear, Chen Yang successfully enters the formation and pulls Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao inside with him.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: Advances into and stabilizes the Heavenly Immortal Realm of Great Unity. His body and inner world become stronger through the earth-element refinement. His growing mastery of formations allows him to recognize and penetrate an ancient formation.
  • Yunxiao: Continues to display maturity, strength, and restraint. She rejects the idea of asking Chen Yang for spiritual materials but becomes open to Qiongxiao’s proposal of dual cultivation to strengthen both their Five Elements.
  • Qiongxiao: Shows strategic insight by suggesting that Yunxiao and Chen Yang combine their complementary Five Elements through dual refinement, potentially creating Yin-Yang Five Elements.
  • Bixiao: Remains enthusiastic and outspoken, admiring Chen Yang’s potential and eagerly anticipating the mysterious opportunity.
  • The Three Xiaos: Their trust in Chen Yang increases as they rely on his formation expertise to enter an opportunity they previously could not access.

Significant Themes

  • The importance of foundations: Strength in the Great Unity Realm depends heavily on the quality of the Five Elements condensed by a cultivator.
  • Transformation and inner-world creation: Chen Yang’s elemental refinement not only strengthens his body but also causes his Middle Dantian to evolve toward a complete small world.
  • Rare opportunities and timing: The auspicious cloud’s appearance every three thousand years and disappearance after three days creates urgency and emphasizes the fleeting nature of cultivation opportunities.
  • Inheritance and hidden history: The formation’s connection to the Eastern Sovereign hints at an ancient legacy and potentially dangerous treasure.
  • Cooperation and mutual benefit: The characters combine their strengths—Chen Yang’s formation abilities and the Three Xiaos’ knowledge of clouds—to pursue the opportunity.

Character Interactions

  • Bixiao and Qiongxiao discuss Chen Yang’s extraordinary Five Elements potential while Yunxiao defends his achievements as the result of talent and opportunity rather than something to exploit.
  • Qiongxiao proposes dual refinement between Yunxiao and Chen Yang, emphasizing their complementary elements and yin-yang balance. Yunxiao seriously considers the idea and agrees to ask Chen Yang.
  • Yunxiao and Chen Yang exchange respectful remarks after his breakthrough, with Chen Yang remaining modest despite his rapid progress.
  • The Three Xiaos explain the cloud-based opportunity and its three-day limit to Chen Yang, placing their hopes in his ability to break the formation.
  • Chen Yang warns them about the possible Eastern Sovereign connection and takes precautions by informing his master before leading them into the disappearing auspicious cloud.

Ch. 15Enlightenment Tea Tree, Six-Eared Macaque

Chapter Summary: Enlightenment Tea Tree, Six-Eared Macaque

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang and the Three Xiao enter a beautiful island hidden within an ocean of clouds. Nearly eighty percent of the island is covered in medicinal fields filled with countless spirit herbs.
  • Suspecting that the island is connected to pill refinement, Chen Yang leads the group toward its central mountain, the only prominent feature on the otherwise flat island.
  • Chen Yang breaks a simple fog formation and reveals a garden marked “Penglai Medicinal Garden,” confirming that the opportunity is connected to the Penglai Immortal Mansion.
  • Inside the garden, the group discovers an abundance of rare and extinct spirit herbs. Chen Yang stores the herbs and medicinal fields inside the Skyland Landscape Painting/Firmament Diagram for safekeeping.
  • They discover two Supreme-Grade Spiritual Roots:
    • The Enlightenment Tea Tree, whose leaves contain unique Dao patterns and can aid enlightenment.
    • The Astral Divine Tree, which produces 365 Star Fruits and may contain or conceal the legendary Astral Formation.
  • Chen Yang collects both spirit roots, considering the discovery of either one alone sufficient to make the expedition worthwhile.
  • At the center of the garden, they find an ancient medicinal furnace and a palace. The furnace appears to be an Innate Spiritual Treasure.
  • When Chen Yang attempts to take the furnace, the garden suddenly changes from a place of vitality into one filled with overwhelming murderous intent.
  • A metal staff attacks Chen Yang. He blocks it with the Slaying Immortals Sword but is badly driven backward, injured, and shocked by the attacker’s immense strength.
  • The attacker reveals himself as the Six-Eared Macaque, one of the Four Chaos Monkeys. His hostile gaze suggests a deep personal hatred toward Chen Yang.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang demonstrates confidence in his formation knowledge by easily breaking the fog formation. His excitement grows as he obtains two supreme spiritual roots and numerous rare herbs.
  • His caution remains evident: he stores valuable treasures immediately rather than risking their destruction in a later battle.
  • Despite possessing the fifth turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art and exceptional physical strength, Chen Yang is overwhelmed by the Six-Eared Macaque’s first strike. This establishes the macaque as an extremely dangerous opponent.
  • Yunxiao acts as the group’s cautious adviser, warning everyone to remain alert and recognizing both the value of the spirit roots and the danger surrounding the pill furnace.
  • Bixiao provides enthusiastic reactions, initially worrying that the opportunity might offer only pill-refinement resources, then celebrating the discovery of the two supreme spiritual roots.
  • The discovery of the Six-Eared Macaque abruptly changes the group’s mood from triumph and excitement to danger and uncertainty.

Significant Themes

  • Fortune and opportunity: The Penglai Medicinal Garden contains treasures of extraordinary rarity, reinforcing the idea that great risks can yield immense rewards.
  • Wealth of ancient immortals: The two Supreme-Grade Spiritual Roots suggest the tremendous resources once possessed by the Penglai Immortal Mansion.
  • Greed versus caution: Although the group is eager to seize treasures, Yunxiao and Chen Yang recognize that valuable opportunities may conceal deadly traps.
  • Power and vulnerability: Chen Yang’s considerable strength proves insufficient against the Six-Eared Macaque, emphasizing that even powerful cultivators can quickly become endangered.
  • Hidden danger beneath beauty: The garden’s life-giving atmosphere and abundance of spiritual treasures conceal an ambush, contrasting creation and vitality with sudden violence.
  • Unexplained hostility: The Six-Eared Macaque’s apparent hatred toward Chen Yang introduces a mystery involving their connection or a past grievance.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Yunxiao cooperate closely, with Yunxiao identifying the potential value of the spirit roots and urging Chen Yang to secure them.
  • Bixiao openly discusses the group’s discoveries and shares in Chen Yang’s excitement over their unexpected fortune.
  • The Three Xiao support Chen Yang after the staff strike, showing their unity and concern for him.
  • Chen Yang responds directly to the attacker, drawing the Slaying Immortals Sword and confronting the Six-Eared Macaque.
  • The chapter ends with the group facing the hostile macaque, whose identity and inexplicable hatred create the central conflict for the next stage of the story.

Ch. 16Great Sun Essence, World in the Palm

Chapter Summary: Great Sun Essence, World in the Palm

Key Plot Points and Events

  • The Six-Eared Macaque attacks Chen Yang after sensing the Great Sun Origin within him, mistaking him for or associating him with Dijun. Despite Chen Yang’s attempts to explain that he is not Dijun, the macaque refuses to listen.
  • Chen Yang first uses the Slaying Immortals Sword Art, but the macaque effortlessly destroys both the Sword Qi and its killing intent with his overwhelming battle intent.
  • Chen Yang activates the Slaying Immortals Sword Formation, drawing spiritual energy from heaven and earth to strengthen his attack. However, the macaque destroys this even more powerful assault with a single sweep of his iron staff.
  • Shocked by the failure of his formations, Chen Yang realizes that the macaque’s cultivation is far beyond the Great Unity Realm—likely at the level of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.
  • Seeking greater strength, Chen Yang asks Yunxiao to use their previously practiced joint-cultivation method. Their five-element energies circulate between them, harmonizing yin and yang and strengthening Chen Yang’s internal formations.
  • Chen Yang unleashes Grand Five-Elements Formation: World in the Palm, creating a massive world within a giant palm. The world contains manifestations of the five spiritual roots: a Fusang Tree and great sun for fire, a Ginseng Fruit Tree for earth, a Bodhi Tree and golden lotus for metal, a water lotus for water, and a Jianmu Tree for wood.
  • The Six-Eared Macaque counters with his As-You-Will Iron Staff, enlarging it until it resembles Mount Buzhou. The clash devastates the island, destroying many medicinal fields and spiritual herbs.
  • Chen Yang struggles to maintain the World in the Palm and begins vomiting blood. Bixiao and Qiongxiao channel their mana into Yunxiao, who transfers it to Chen Yang, reinforcing his divine ability.
  • Still unable to fully suppress the macaque, Chen Yang radically transforms the formation. He merges all five elements into the fire element, creating a massive Great Sun World filled with Great Sun True Fire, intending to refine the Six-Eared Macaque.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: His confidence in formations is shaken after the Six-Eared Macaque effortlessly breaks his strongest sword techniques. Nevertheless, he quickly regains his resolve and adapts, combining joint cultivation, the five elements, and Great Sun Origin to create a more powerful attack.
  • Six-Eared Macaque: He is revealed to possess terrifying combat power, far exceeding Chen Yang’s expectations. His battle intent can directly overwhelm and destroy powerful Sword Qi, while his iron staff carries enough force to threaten an entire evolved world.
  • Yunxiao: She demonstrates trust and cooperation by immediately supporting Chen Yang through their joint cultivation method, becoming the main conduit for strengthening his power.
  • Bixiao and Qiongxiao: They contribute their mana without hesitation when Chen Yang is injured, showing loyalty and teamwork in the face of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.

Significant Themes

  • Overwhelming strength versus ingenuity: Chen Yang cannot defeat the macaque through direct attacks, forcing him to continually develop new strategies.
  • Adaptation under pressure: Rather than surrender after his sword formation fails, Chen Yang changes tactics and transforms his five-element world into a Great Sun World.
  • Cooperation and shared power: The joint cultivation between Chen Yang and Yunxiao, later reinforced by Bixiao and Qiongxiao, emphasizes the importance of trust and collective strength.
  • Limits of confidence: Chen Yang’s belief that formations can challenge opponents above his level is severely tested, reminding him that some enemies exist far beyond conventional methods.
  • Destruction caused by conflict: The battle damages the island and destroys valuable spiritual herbs, highlighting the high cost of the confrontation.

Character Interactions

  • The Six-Eared Macaque repeatedly calls Chen Yang a “scoundrel” and attacks him because of his perceived connection to Dijun.
  • Chen Yang attempts to reason with the macaque but is forced into combat when the monkey refuses to believe him.
  • Chen Yang directs Yunxiao to assist him through their joint cultivation technique, and she willingly follows his instructions.
  • Bixiao and Qiongxiao respond to Yunxiao’s concern for Chen Yang by transferring their mana through her to strengthen him.
  • Despite the combined support of the three sisters, Chen Yang remains the primary combatant, bearing the burden of sustaining the World in the Palm and confronting the macaque directly.

Ch. 17A Powerful Physical Body, Eastern Sovereign's Backup Plan

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang traps the Six-Eared Macaque inside his transformed Golden Crow Formation, using ten Great Suns and Great Sun True Fire to burn him within the World in the Palm.
  • Despite years of refining, the Six-Eared Macaque survives and grows increasingly ferocious. He eventually unleashes his Heavenly Dharma Form, shattering one of the Great Suns with a single strike and injuring Chen Yang.
  • Duobao arrives just in time, restores Chen Yang’s depleted strength, and takes over the battle. He reveals that the Six-Eared Macaque’s cultivation surpasses even his own.
  • Duobao suppresses the Six-Eared Macaque and explains that the monkey is no longer truly alive. When Penglai was destroyed, his physical life ended, leaving only an obsession attached to the As-You-Will Iron Staff.
  • The Six-Eared Macaque refuses to accept Penglai’s destruction and attacks Duobao, but Duobao erases his remaining obsession. The weapon spirit of the iron staff mourns its master before extinguishing itself.
  • Duobao gives the now-spiritless weapon to Chen Yang and explains the Six-Eared Macaque’s origins: he was an incarnation of the Chaos Demon Ape, blessed with exceptional aptitude and the ability to eavesdrop on heavenly sermons.
  • The group explores the palace the Six-Eared Macaque had protected. Inside, they discover his heavily damaged corpse, still radiating immense physical power, battlefield Killing Intent, and lingering majesty.
  • Duobao explains that the Eastern Sovereign created a body-tempering technique for the Six-Eared Macaque, allowing his physical cultivation to approach the Half-Step Primordial Unity realm.
  • He further explains the reincarnation cycle of the Four Chaos Monkeys. Though they can be reborn, each new generation has no memories or inheritance from the previous one.
  • Chen Yang decides to preserve the corpse and blood essence so that, after tens of thousands of years, he can help cultivate a new Six-Eared Macaque and potentially subdue it.
  • Just as Chen Yang prepares to store the corpse, a powerful golden aura emerges from within it. Duobao recognizes the aura as extraordinary, and Chen Yang suspects it may belong to the Eastern Sovereign.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang learns the limits of his current strength. His Golden Crow Formation is powerful enough to restrain a Quasi-Saint-level enemy for years, but he cannot defeat the Six-Eared Macaque alone. The experience makes him more cautious while also increasing his desire to acquire powerful allies.
  • Duobao demonstrates overwhelming superiority over the weakened Six-Eared Macaque. He acts as both Chen Yang’s protector and teacher, revealing forbidden history and guiding the group toward the palace’s hidden opportunity.
  • Six-Eared Macaque is revealed as a tragic remnant rather than a living being. His pride, loyalty to Penglai, and refusal to accept its destruction persist even after death, ultimately causing him to cling to his final obsession.
  • Yunxiao feels responsible for leading Chen Yang into danger. Duobao reassures her that the incident was accidental and that the ordeal served as a valuable lesson for Chen Yang.
  • The As-You-Will Iron Staff’s weapon spirit displays deep loyalty, choosing to die after its master’s obsession is erased rather than continue without him.
  • The Eastern Sovereign becomes increasingly important. His past connection to the Six-Eared Macaque, his creation of the monkey’s body-tempering technique, and the mysterious golden aura suggest that his influence remains active within the corpse.

Significant Themes

  • Death, obsession, and release: The Six-Eared Macaque’s lingering existence shows how powerful attachments can preserve a fragment of life, while Duobao’s intervention finally frees him.
  • Loyalty and tragedy: The monkey’s refusal to accept Penglai’s destruction and the weapon spirit’s self-destruction emphasize devotion even beyond death.
  • Reincarnation and identity: Although the Four Chaos Monkeys can be reborn, each incarnation is an entirely new individual, raising questions about whether continuity depends on memory, essence, or origin.
  • The limits of power: Chen Yang’s prolonged struggle against the Macaque demonstrates that raw endurance and powerful formations are still insufficient against beings of a higher realm.
  • Inheritance and opportunity: The corpse, blood essence, weapon, and mysterious aura represent potential sources of power and knowledge for Chen Yang’s future cultivation.
  • Unresolved ancient history: Penglai’s destruction and the Eastern Sovereign’s role remain mysterious, suggesting that the palace and the Macaque’s body conceal a larger secret.

Important Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and the Six-Eared Macaque clash through the Golden Crow Formation, with the Macaque taunting Chen Yang and repeatedly resisting his refining flames.
  • Duobao rescues Chen Yang, criticizes the group’s recklessness, and then confronts the Macaque directly.
  • Duobao and the Six-Eared Macaque exchange hostile words about Penglai before Duobao suppresses him and erases his final obsession.
  • Duobao comforts Yunxiao, telling her not to blame herself and framing the battle as a necessary lesson for Chen Yang.
  • Duobao teaches Chen Yang and the Three Xiao about the Six-Eared Macaque’s origins, reincarnation, physical cultivation, and connection to the Eastern Sovereign.
  • Chen Yang and Duobao agree to preserve the Macaque’s corpse and blood essence in hopes of guiding the birth of a future incarnation.
  • The chapter ends with Chen Yang and Duobao confronting the possibility that a remnant of the Eastern Sovereign is hidden within the Macaque’s body.

Ch. 18Human Pool Pool

Chapter Summary: “Human Pool Pool”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang and the Three Xiao discover that the palace contains a strand of the Eastern Sovereign’s origin. Duobao identifies it as a potentially enormous opportunity and takes responsibility for safeguarding it.
  • The group searches the palace and finds numerous treasures, including rare spiritual fruits, cultivation resources, books, and several spiritual treasures:
    • Two-Aspects Furnace, a high-grade alchemy furnace.
    • Wind-Thunder Sword, a high-grade Innate spirit sword given to Yunxiao.
    • Nine-Bend Yellow River Diagram, a mid-grade formation treasure.
    • Hibiscus Garden, a mid-grade spiritual treasure whose true form is the entire garden.
  • Chen Yang senses a mysterious summons from a pool and obtains the Human Pool, one of the legendary Three Pools of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. The treasure recognizes him as its master and indicates that more treasures are hidden within the palace.
  • The group thoroughly searches the secret realm, collects its treasures, medicinal fields, spiritual herbs, and extensive Penglai texts. Chen Yang intends to translate and study the texts using the Four Treasures of Scholarship.
  • Chen Yang spends several years partially refining the Hibiscus Garden, allowing him to take it away, and transfers its medicinal resources into the Firmament Diagram.
  • After returning to the Jie Sect, Duobao leaves to report the discovery of Eastern Sovereign’s origin to their Grandmaster. Chen Yang and the Three Xiao divide their gains, with Chen Yang receiving the medicinal herbs because he can refine pills.
  • Chen Yang spends several hundred years fully refining the Human Pool. He concludes that it is especially compatible with the Human Clan and begins considering a future visit there.
  • The Human Pool’s artifact spirit appears as a sleepy young girl. Chen Yang names her Xiao Chi’er and learns that she possesses three primary abilities: purifying energy, accommodating all energy, and increasing wisdom.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang demonstrates increasing confidence and resourcefulness. He recognizes the value of the Penglai texts, knows he can translate them, and successfully claims and refines the Human Pool.
  • His connection to the Human Clan becomes more significant through the Human Pool, suggesting that his future path may involve directly interacting with or helping the Human Clan.
  • Chen Yang also shows a practical, scholarly side by collecting books and medicinal herbs for later study and pill refinement.
  • Duobao acts as the responsible senior figure, preserving the Eastern Sovereign’s origin and reporting the discovery to the Jie Sect’s Grandmaster.
  • Yunxiao receives the Wind-Thunder Sword, while the Three Xiao assist Chen Yang in searching for and dividing the treasures.
  • Xiao Chi’er, the Human Pool’s artifact spirit, is introduced as a young, loyal but comically lazy girl whose personality reflects certain traits of the Human Clan.

Significant Themes

  • Inheritance and revival: The strand of Eastern Sovereign’s origin raises the possibility that Eastern Sovereign might one day be revived, while Six-Eared Macaque’s past actions are reinterpreted as protection of this legacy.
  • Opportunity and destiny: Chen Yang’s spontaneous connection with the Human Pool suggests that important treasures and inheritances are drawn to those suited to them.
  • Knowledge as power: The Penglai books represent an intellectual inheritance. Chen Yang’s ability to translate them makes ancient knowledge accessible and potentially valuable to the Jie Sect.
  • Human Clan affinity: The Human Pool’s abilities and Chen Yang’s compatibility with it establish a deeper link between him and the Human Dao.
  • Treasure acquisition and cultivation: The chapter emphasizes refining, distributing, and making practical use of powerful treasures rather than merely collecting them.
  • Humor amid grandeur: Xiao Chi’er’s sleepiness and Chen Yang’s exasperation provide comic relief against the otherwise serious revelations involving Eastern Sovereign and supreme treasures.

Character Interactions

  • Duobao and the group: Duobao explains the significance of Eastern Sovereign’s origin and takes charge of it, while the others respect his judgment.
  • Chen Yang and the Three Xiao: They cooperate closely in exploring the palace, identifying treasures, and dividing their gains.
  • Chen Yang and Bixiao: Bixiao explains the history of the Three Pools and doubts the usefulness of the Penglai books, prompting Chen Yang to reveal his translation ability.
  • Chen Yang and Duobao: Chen Yang asks for time to refine the Hibiscus Garden, and Duobao permits it while urging him to proceed quickly.
  • Chen Yang and Xiao Chi’er: Their first interaction establishes a playful master-and-artifact-spirit relationship. Chen Yang is surprised by her laziness, while Xiao Chi’er casually explains her abilities and her connection to Human Clan traits.

Ch. 19Mystic Sect Fortune, Six-Eared Essence Blood

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Several hundred years pass, during which Chen Yang reaches the peak of the Supreme Unity Heavenly Immortal realm. Dabao Peak is transformed from a crude weapon-refining site into a beautiful residence, with Yunxiao’s Hibiscus Garden integrated into it.
  • Chen Yang spends time drinking Enlightenment Tea with Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao. Their conversation reveals that Chen Yang and Yunxiao have been cultivating through a five-elements-based joint cultivation method, greatly accelerating Yunxiao’s progress to the Supreme Unity Profound Immortal realm.
  • Duobao returns after nearly a thousand years and visits Dabao Peak. He recognizes the Enlightenment Tea and explains its connection to the legendary Enlightenment Tea Tree, once associated with the Eastern Sovereign.
  • Duobao brings serious news: after the Eastern Sovereign’s Origin was presented to Chen Yang’s grandmaster, it revealed fragmented information about various treasures, including clues related to the Eastern Sovereign’s Treasure. Although its location remains unknown, Chen Yang is promised a share because his actions made the discovery possible.
  • Chen Yang’s grandmaster intends to reward him not with more treasures, but by establishing him as a fourth-generation disciple of the Mystic Sect once he reaches the Daluo Realm. This would grant him access to the Mystic Sect’s immense fortune and greatly strengthen his future opportunities.
  • Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao are announced as the first three of thirty-six new Interception Sect core disciples. They will receive a portion of the sect’s fortune, treatment comparable to personal disciples, and permission to choose a rare treasure from the sect treasury.
  • After the sisters return to the Three Immortal Islands, Duobao gives Chen Yang a Wind Spirit Stone containing the pure essence blood of the Six-Eared Macaque. The stone will gradually absorb the macaque’s foundational vital breath and eventually give birth to a new Six-Eared Macaque.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang continues to grow rapidly, reaching the peak of the Supreme Unity Heavenly Immortal realm. He becomes increasingly aware that his success is tied not only to cultivation and treasures but also to the fortune granted by the Three Teachings.
  • Yunxiao advances to the Supreme Unity Profound Immortal realm through her five-elements cultivation connection with Chen Yang. She remains composed and modest, accepting her promotion as a core disciple while recognizing Chen Yang’s greater potential.
  • Qiongxiao is shown as bold and mischievous, openly suggesting deeper dual cultivation with Chen Yang and taking credit for devising the five-elements cultivation method.
  • Bixiao remains cheerful and playful, teasing Chen Yang while enjoying the peaceful gathering.
  • Duobao returns as a knowledgeable and authoritative mentor. He clarifies the truth behind rumors, explains the significance of sect fortune, and arranges Chen Yang’s opportunity to revive the Six-Eared Macaque.
  • Chen Yang’s grandmaster is established as highly supportive, rewarding Chen Yang and the three sisters with status, fortune, and future opportunities rather than merely material treasures.

Significant Themes

  • Fortune and destiny: Chen Yang’s repeated breakthroughs and acquisition of treasures are attributed to the fortune of the Three Teachings. The chapter emphasizes that sect fortune can be more valuable than individual treasures.
  • Accumulation over time: Centuries of cultivation produce major improvements, showing the importance of patience and long-term progress in the cultivation world.
  • Truth versus rumor: Duobao explains how incomplete information in the vast Primordial World becomes exaggerated into legends, as seen with the Enlightenment Tea Tree.
  • Recognition and status: Chen Yang’s possible elevation to a Mystic Sect disciple and the sisters’ appointment as core disciples show the increasing recognition of their achievements.
  • Rebirth and continuity: The Six-Eared Macaque’s essence blood surviving in a spiritual stone introduces the idea that life and inheritance can continue through alternate vessels.
  • Cooperation and mutual cultivation: Chen Yang and Yunxiao’s shared cultivation benefits both parties, while the sisters’ bonds with Chen Yang strengthen through trust and collaboration.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and the three sisters share a relaxed, intimate tea gathering, mixing cultivation discussion with playful banter.
  • Qiongxiao openly proposes future dual cultivation with Chen Yang, while Yunxiao reacts with shy embarrassment but accepts the arrangement.
  • Duobao affectionately scolds Chen Yang for enjoying himself, then shifts into a serious discussion about the Eastern Sovereign’s Origin and future rewards.
  • Chen Yang shows concern for the sisters by asking what rewards they will receive, prompting Duobao to reveal their promotion as core disciples.
  • Duobao and Chen Yang discuss the mechanics of the Six-Eared Macaque’s rebirth, with Chen Yang deducing that the Wind Spirit Stone was chosen because of the macaque’s affinity with wind.

Ch. 20Battle Formation, Battle-Saint Art

Chapter Summary: “Battle Formation, Battle-Saint Art”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang discusses the Four Chaos Monkeys with Duobao, identifying the Six-Eared Macaque with the wind attribute and concluding that wind-aligned spiritual materials would be most suitable for him.
  • Chen Yang proposes a challenge-and-promotion system for the Jie Sect:
    • Outer disciples could challenge core disciples.
    • Core disciples could challenge personal disciples.
    • Even lineal disciples could potentially lose their status if defeated.
  • Duobao approves of the idea in principle, believing it could motivate Jie Sect disciples, improve the sect’s overall strength, and eliminate weak or untrustworthy members. He agrees to suggest it to Tongtian.
  • Chen Yang returns to cultivation for a thousand years. During this period, he:
    • Tempers his body and stabilizes his cultivation.
    • Studies and copies Jie Sect scriptures.
    • Translates Penglai classics using the Four Treasures of Scholarship.
    • Learns that Penglai’s cultivation system differs fundamentally from the Immortal Dao system.
    • Refines the spiritual treasures he obtained, especially the Six-Eared Macaque’s As-You-Will Iron Staff.
  • Chen Yang studies the Iron Staff’s transformation ability and its method of absorbing the imprints and formation patterns of other spiritual treasures.
  • Using this knowledge, he develops a new divine ability called Battle Formation.
  • Battle Formation allows him to use formations to manifest spiritual treasures such as the Green Peace Sword, the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords, Duobao Tower, Pangu Banner, and the Taiji Diagram, reproducing some of their power.
  • Chen Yang hopes to expand the technique by incorporating the transformations and innate abilities of divine beasts, ultimately creating a complete set of Nine Primordial Formations.
  • After several more years of experimentation, he demonstrates Battle Formation to Duobao. Duobao praises it and notes that it is especially well suited to artifact refiners.
  • Chen Yang reveals that Battle Formation is still incomplete. His ultimate vision is for it to manifest not only spiritual treasures, but also divine beasts and their innate divine abilities.

2. Character Developments

  • Chen Yang becomes increasingly invested in the Jie Sect’s future. Having benefited from the sect’s Fortune, he feels responsible for strengthening it before the future Investiture of Gods War.
  • He displays growing strategic and organizational insight by proposing a promotion system designed to encourage competition and remove potential traitors, particularly Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal.
  • His cultivation and scholarship advance significantly as he studies both Jie Sect and Penglai knowledge.
  • Chen Yang’s understanding of artifact origins, formations, and transformation techniques allows him to create an original combat art rather than merely imitate existing abilities.
  • Duobao continues to act as Chen Yang’s mentor, offering practical guidance while recognizing Chen Yang’s unusual talent and ambition.
  • Duobao is especially impressed by Battle Formation because his identity as an artifact refiner gives him access to a wide variety of spiritual treasures that the technique can reproduce.

3. Significant Themes

  • Strengthening institutions through competition: Chen Yang believes structured challenges can motivate disciples, expose weakness, and improve the Jie Sect as a whole.
  • Loyalty and foresight: His concern over the Jie Sect’s eventual destruction shows his awareness of future events and his desire to alter that fate.
  • Synthesis of different cultivation systems: Chen Yang combines Jie Sect formations, Penglai knowledge, the As-You-Will Iron Staff’s abilities, and the principles of the Battle-Saint Art.
  • Creation rather than imitation: Although Battle Formation draws on existing techniques and treasures, Chen Yang transforms them into a new art suited to the Primordial World.
  • Potential through accumulation: The power of Battle Formation depends on how many spiritual treasures and divine-beast abilities Chen Yang can study and integrate.
  • The relationship between knowledge and power: Translation, analysis, and understanding of artifacts are shown to be just as important as raw cultivation.

4. Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Duobao have a close, trusting master-disciple relationship. Chen Yang freely presents both his political ideas and his experimental techniques.
  • Duobao initially teases Chen Yang about his motives but ultimately recognizes the value of his promotion-system proposal.
  • Chen Yang respects Duobao’s authority but also confidently offers ideas that could reshape the entire Jie Sect.
  • When Chen Yang teaches Duobao Battle Formation, Duobao responds with genuine admiration and immediately considers how the technique complements his own artifact-refining expertise.
  • Their exchange ends with Chen Yang outlining his more ambitious vision, establishing that Battle Formation is only the beginning of his broader plan to create the Nine Primordial Formations.
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