Ch. 21A Thousand Years Pass, the Metal Element Formation

Chapter Summary: “A Thousand Years Pass, the Metal Element Formation”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang discusses his ambition to use acupoint diagrams based on various divine beasts to evolve their forms and unleash their innate abilities. The main obstacle is finding an energy source capable of replacing every type of divine beast blood essence.
  • Duobao suggests three possible substitutes:
    1. Chaos energy, though Chen Yang is currently too weak to control it.
    2. Chaos Demon God blood essence.
    3. Highly purified Human Clan blood essence containing many different racial bloodlines.
  • Duobao reprimands Chen Yang for neglecting cultivation while studying scriptures and divine abilities. He orders Chen Yang to temper his body and advance toward the Great Luo Realm before leaving Golden Ao Island.
  • Chen Yang resumes cultivation at Three Xiao Peak with Yunxiao. Their Five Elements and yin-yang circulation greatly benefit both of them.
  • Over the next thousand years, Chen Yang advances from the fifth level to the eighth level of the fifth turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art. He achieves this with Yunxiao’s help, large quantities of Nine-Nine Return-to-One Pills, the Nine-Nine Return-to-One Alchemy Formation, and the Fire Element Formation’s Great Sun True Fire.
  • Tongtian introduces challenge and promotion rules within the Jie Sect. Outer disciples may challenge core disciples, core disciples may challenge personal disciples, and so on, allowing successful challengers to gain higher status.
  • Later, Tongtian creates a special secret realm tournament for the outer disciples. The thirty-three survivors will become the remaining core disciples, intensifying competition throughout the sect.
  • After several thousand more years, Yunxiao reaches the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, cultivates the Nine-Turn Profound Art to the fourth turn, and develops numerous divine abilities. Qiongxiao and Bixiao, however, struggle to defend their core disciple positions against stronger challengers.
  • Chen Yang reaches the peak of the ninth level of the fifth turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art and successfully inscribes the Metal Element Formation in his lungs. His Middle Dantian world becomes more complete as the fire, earth, and metal elements are established.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: Becomes more disciplined in cultivation after Duobao’s warning. His knowledge, creativity, and mastery of formations continue to grow, while his physical body advances dramatically. He now possesses the Fire, Earth, and Metal Element Formations and moves closer to the Great Luo Realm.
  • Duobao: Acts as both mentor and disciplinarian, providing sophisticated ideas about Chen Yang’s battle formation while forcing him to prioritize cultivation.
  • Yunxiao: Deepens her cultivation through long-term cooperation with Chen Yang. She advances to the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm and becomes significantly stronger through the Nine-Turn Profound Art and additional combat techniques.
  • Qiongxiao and Bixiao: Become anxious as the new sect rules expose their core disciple positions to challenge. Unlike Yunxiao, they struggle to compete with the strongest outer disciples.
  • Tongtian: Demonstrates decisive leadership by implementing Chen Yang’s proposed competitive promotion system, reshaping the internal structure of the Jie Sect.

Significant Themes

  • Cultivation through cooperation: Chen Yang and Yunxiao’s mutual assistance allows both to progress more quickly than they could alone.
  • Knowledge versus practical advancement: Chen Yang’s vast study and creative potential are valuable, but Duobao emphasizes that theoretical understanding cannot replace physical cultivation.
  • Competition and unity: The Jie Sect’s challenge system promises stronger disciples and greater motivation, but it threatens the sect’s former sense of familial unity.
  • Transformation and synthesis: Chen Yang’s search for a universal substitute for divine beast blood essence reflects the broader theme of combining different powers into a unified system.
  • Patience and accumulation: Both Chen Yang and Yunxiao must rely on long-term cultivation, medicinal refinement, and accumulated knowledge rather than sudden breakthroughs.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Duobao: Duobao evaluates Chen Yang’s ambitious plans, offers possible solutions, and reprimands him for neglecting cultivation. Chen Yang accepts Duobao’s authority despite his eagerness to visit the Human Clan.
  • Chen Yang and Yunxiao: They cultivate together for thousands of years. Yunxiao assists with refining Chen Yang’s pills and tempering his body, while Chen Yang’s high-quality Five Elements energy helps improve her cultivation.
  • Chen Yang, Yunxiao, and the Three Xiao: Bixiao and Qiongxiao inform them of Tongtian’s new challenge rules, revealing the danger facing their core disciple positions.
  • Chen Yang and the Jie Sect: Although he did not expect his proposed promotion system to be adopted so quickly, Chen Yang observes its major effects as sect members become increasingly competitive.
  • Chen Yang and Duobao during the Metal Formation: Duobao watches approvingly as Chen Yang completes the Metal Element Formation and notes that the remaining Wood and Water formations should be easier to establish.

Ch. 22The Future Swordbearer, One-Tenth Fortune

Chapter Summary: The Future Swordbearer, One-Tenth Fortune

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang successfully advances to the Grand Unity True Immortal realm after inscribing the Metal-element formation of his Body-Forged Formation cultivation path.
  • Duobao explains that Chen Yang’s method allows him to bypass ordinary cultivation bottlenecks by inscribing formations, though the breakthroughs are especially dangerous. Chen must still stabilize his realm and build a strong foundation before attempting further advancement.
  • Chen asks permission to visit the Human Clan and complete the Human Pool, one of the Three Pools of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Duobao approves, since Chen can now protect himself and the Human Clan lies within Jie Sect territory.
  • Duobao provides Chen with numerous protective treasures, including:
    • The high-grade spirit treasure

Five Elements Pearl

  • A Puppet Substitute Talisman capable of taking one fatal attack
  • A Shangqing Divine Talisman containing a full-power strike from Chen’s grandmaster
  • A Taiji Escape Talisman that allows instant travel over immense distances
  • Several hundred years later, Chen leaves Golden Ao Island with Wudang Holy Mother and travels toward the Human Clan along the Eastern Sea Coast.
  • Wudang reveals that she is visiting the Human Clan to recruit promising individuals into the Jie Sect. Chen’s challenge and promotion systems have made the sect’s disciples more competitive, but have also left many tasks unattended.
  • Their conversation reveals the distribution of Jie Sect Fortune and Chen’s newly elevated status within the sect.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang grows from a sheltered disciple into a powerful Grand Unity True Immortal capable of traveling beyond Golden Ao Island. Although excited by his progress, he remains cautious and values his life, accepting Duobao’s warnings and protective gifts.
  • Chen also learns that he has been recognized as the Jie Sect’s future Swordbearer, a role connected to the Slaying Immortals Sword and the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords.
  • Duobao demonstrates deep concern for Chen’s safety by giving him an unusually large collection of life-saving treasures. His own past experience explains why he possesses them.
  • Wudang Holy Mother acts as both Chen’s escort and guide. She explains how Chen’s reforms have affected the sect and reveals information about his growing importance.
  • Chen begins to understand the broader political and organizational consequences of his ideas, particularly their effect on sect resources and Fortune.

Significant Themes

  • Power and responsibility: Chen’s rapid cultivation and new Fortune bring not only benefits but also the future duty of protecting the Jie Sect’s legacy.
  • Preparation versus recklessness: Though Chen’s breakthroughs are easy compared with those of other disciples, Duobao repeatedly emphasizes the dangers of rushing forward. The many protective treasures reinforce the importance of preparation.
  • Fortune and status: Chen unexpectedly receives one-tenth of the Jie Sect’s Fortune, placing him on the same level as a direct disciple despite being a third-generation disciple.
  • Institutional reform: Chen’s challenge and promotion systems strengthen the Jie Sect by encouraging competition and exposing weak or unsuitable outer disciples.
  • Leaving home and broadening horizons: Chen’s departure from Golden Ao Island marks an important step toward independence and greater involvement in the wider Primordial World.

Character Interactions

  • Chen and Duobao: Their master-disciple relationship is affectionate and trusting. Duobao praises Chen’s achievements, warns him against overconfidence, grants permission for the journey, and equips him thoroughly for danger.
  • Chen and Wudang Holy Mother: Wudang teases Chen about the disruption caused by his ideas but also acknowledges their benefits. She provides him with crucial information about the Jie Sect’s internal structure and his elevated position.
  • Chen and the wider Jie Sect: Although many developments occur offscreen, Chen’s reforms have mobilized the direct disciples and even affected the grandmaster’s ability to cultivate peacefully. His growing influence is becoming a major force within the sect.
    Overall, the chapter marks Chen Yang’s breakthrough into a higher realm, his first significant journey away from Golden Ao Island, and the revelation that he has already become a future pillar of the Jie Sect through his role as Swordbearer and his possession of one-tenth of its Fortune.

Ch. 23Human Clan Tribe, Creating Human Clan Script

Chapter Summary: Human Clan Tribe and the Creation of Human Clan Script

Key Plot Points and Events

  • After a hundred years, Chen Yang reaches the Eastern Sea Coast with increasingly complicated feelings. He separates from Wudang Holy Mother and decides to travel alone among the Human Clan.
  • He returns to a Human Clan tribe he once visited as a child. The tribe had sheltered and cared for him when he first took human form.
  • The tribe’s current chief, Sui Qing, recognizes Chen Yang as “Uncle Chen Yang.” Sui Qing is the descendant of the people Chen Yang once knew, but nearly all of Chen Yang’s old acquaintances have died over the passing tens of thousands of years.
  • Sui Qing explains that the tribe has prospered under the protection of the Jie Sect. He himself learned cultivation from a Jie Sect immortal, allowing him to become a Human Immortal and survive into the present.
  • Chen Yang feels guilty for being absent for so long, but Sui Qing reassures him that the tribe lived peacefully because of the indirect protection Chen Yang provided.
  • After observing the tribe for several years, Chen Yang decides that the Human Clan needs more than food and safety. He plans to improve its aptitude, intelligence, and cultural unity.
  • He uses the Human Pool, assisted by Xiao Chi’er, to purify the bodies and bloodlines of the tribe’s children. The pool removes impurities and enhances their natural aptitude.
  • Chen Yang reveals that he will not primarily teach the children cultivation. Instead, he will teach them to read and write and use them to spread a unified Human Clan script.
  • He explains that the script must not merely be invented; it must be accepted and disseminated throughout the Human Clan to become its true written language. Chen Yang believes his status as a member of the Human Clan and recognized disciple of the Three Teachings gives him the legitimacy that previous creators lacked.
  • The chapter ends with the children emerging from the pool with pure bodies, abundant vitality, spiritual energy, and the appearance of exceptionally gifted “immortal children.”

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: His return forces him to confront the passage of time, the deaths of those he once knew, and his emotional ties to the Human Clan. His guilt and sense of responsibility lead him to pursue broad reforms rather than merely visiting the tribe. He shifts from personal cultivation and observation toward becoming a teacher, cultural founder, and potential leader of humanity.
  • Sui Qing: Once a child whom Chen Yang named and cared about, Sui Qing is now an elderly but cultivated tribal chief. His survival symbolizes the continuity of Chen Yang’s connection to the tribe. He remains humble and deeply respectful while welcoming Chen Yang’s guidance.
  • Xiao Chi’er: She supports Chen Yang’s plan and eagerly assists by preparing the Human Pool, showing her loyalty and readiness to help with his larger ambitions.
  • The Human Clan children: They are transformed from ordinary children with mixed bloodlines and limited aptitudes into purified, spiritually gifted youths who may become the foundation for Chen Yang’s cultural project.

Significant Themes

  • The passage of time and mortality: Chen Yang returns to find that generations have passed and nearly everyone he knew has died, emphasizing the distance between immortals and ordinary humans.
  • Responsibility toward one’s origins: Although Chen Yang has advanced within the cultivation world, he still feels responsible for the Human Clan that once accepted and protected him.
  • Cultural identity and unity: The creation of a common Human Clan script represents the Human Clan’s effort to establish its own identity and distinguish itself among the races of the Primordial World.
  • Nature versus nurture and inherited limitations: By purifying bloodlines and improving aptitude, Chen Yang seeks to overcome the Human Clan’s mixed heritage and cultivation disadvantages.
  • Education as civilization-building: Chen Yang views literacy and shared writing as more important than simply teaching a few individuals cultivation. The children are intended to spread knowledge and unify humanity.
  • Legitimacy and recognition: Chen Yang understands that a script succeeds only when accepted by the wider community. His identity and affiliations with the Three Teachings may allow his creation to gain the recognition earlier attempts lacked.

Important Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Wudang Holy Mother: They part amicably, with Wudang Holy Mother encouraging him to contact her if trouble arises.
  • Chen Yang and Sui Qing: Their reunion is emotional and familial. They discuss the tribe’s history, the deaths of Sui Qing’s ancestors, and Chen Yang’s plans for the Human Clan. Chen Yang also promises to bring Sui Qing back to the Jie Sect.
  • Chen Yang and Xiao Chi’er: Chen Yang orders Xiao Chi’er to activate the Human Pool, and she responds enthusiastically, demonstrating their cooperative relationship.
  • Chen Yang and the children: Chen Yang positions himself as their benefactor and future educator, transforming them physically and intellectually so they can carry his vision of a unified Human Clan forward.

Ch. 24Vast Merit, the Human Clan's Teacher

Chapter Summary: Vast Merit, the Human Clan’s Teacher

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang begins formally educating three thousand Human Clan children. He creates the Human Clan Script, based on simplified Daoist writing and Human Clan concepts, and distributes copies of foundational texts such as the Thousand Character Classic, Hundred Family Surnames, and Standards for Being a Good Student and Child.
  • He uses the Hundred Family Surnames to organize and standardize the Human Clan’s previously chaotic naming customs.
  • Over several centuries, Chen Yang teaches the children literacy, writing, recordkeeping, basic moral instruction, and selected Three Teachings scriptures. He deliberately withholds more advanced knowledge, believing that giving the Human Clan too much too soon would weaken rather than help them.
  • Chen Yang emphasizes the principle: “As Heaven moves with vigor, a gentleman must strive unceasingly to strengthen himself.” He believes the Human Clan must develop through its own effort rather than becoming dependent on external assistance.
  • After centuries of instruction, Chen Yang sends his students throughout the Eastern Sea Coast to spread writing, standardized surnames, and the techniques for producing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
  • Chen Yang and his disciples travel from tribe to tribe, teaching literacy, encouraging recordkeeping, assigning surnames, and using Human Pool water to improve the aptitude of tribal children. Disciples remain behind in some tribes while others continue spreading the teachings elsewhere.
  • Over ten thousand years, the Human Clan gradually transforms. Writing, education, and accumulated records become the foundation of its civilization and future prosperity.
  • Chen Yang’s educational texts accumulate Merit and eventually transform into mid-grade spirit treasures. Because of his contributions, the Human Clan begins calling him the Human Clan’s Teacher.
  • When the Human Clan collectively acknowledges the Human Clan Script and recognizes Chen Yang’s identity, vast Merit, faith, and Human Clan Fortune gather around him.
  • This Fortune enables Chen Yang’s Nine-Turn Profound Art to break through to the sixth turn and the fifth level. He also enters a state of enlightenment, gaining deeper insight into Fortune and the Three Teachings.
  • During enlightenment, he develops the Water Element Formation and Wood Element Formation within his body. Water Lotus Seeds merge with his kidneys, wood element merges with his liver, and the formations join the Five Elements cycle within his Middle Dantian.

Character Development

  • Chen Yang evolves from a teacher providing basic instruction into the recognized spiritual and cultural founder of Human Clan civilization. His role shifts from personally educating children to building a system capable of educating and developing the entire race.
  • He demonstrates increasing wisdom and restraint by refusing to provide advanced knowledge that could create dependence or destabilize the Human Clan. Instead, he prioritizes self-reliance and gradual progress.
  • His long-term dedication earns him the Human Clan’s faith, Fortune, and recognition, directly advancing both his status and cultivation.
  • Sui Qing acts as a thoughtful companion who recalls Chen Yang’s teachings and helps articulate the principle that the Human Clan must rely on its own development.
  • The original three thousand students mature into adults and become teachers, recordkeepers, and missionaries who spread Chen Yang’s knowledge across the tribes.

Significant Themes

  • Education as the foundation of civilization: Literacy, standardized names, and written records allow the Human Clan to preserve knowledge and build upon the achievements of previous generations.
  • Self-reliance and gradual development: Chen Yang believes true strength must come through effort, struggle, and accumulated experience rather than being granted all at once.
  • The importance of recordkeeping: The Human Clan Script is valuable not merely for reading but for preserving history, problems, discoveries, and solutions, allowing civilization to develop continuously.
  • Civilization and cultural identity: Standardized surnames, writing, and tools help unite the scattered tribes into a more coherent Human Clan.
  • Merit, faith, and Fortune: Acts that benefit an entire race generate immense spiritual rewards. Chen Yang’s service brings him Merit, collective faith, Human Clan Fortune, and a major cultivation breakthrough.
  • Knowledge must be responsibly transmitted: The chapter stresses that wisdom includes knowing what not to teach. Chen Yang avoids overwhelming the Human Clan with advanced doctrines before it has developed the necessary foundation.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang teaches the three thousand children directly, guiding them through reading, writing, morality, and basic scripture.
  • He speaks with Sui Qing about the necessity of self-reliance, reinforcing his philosophy that the Human Clan must strengthen itself.
  • Chen Yang works alongside his disciples, who accompany him between tribes, learn his methods, remain behind as teachers, or establish new educational efforts independently.
  • Tribal leaders cooperate with Chen Yang and welcome his instruction, allowing their communities to receive writing, surnames, tools, and improved education.
  • The entire Human Clan eventually responds collectively, accepting the Human Clan Script and honoring Chen Yang as its teacher. Their shared recognition creates the Merit, faith, and Fortune that trigger his breakthrough.

Ch. 25Elementary Learning, Hongyun's Fall

Chapter Summary: “Elementary Learning, Hongyun’s Fall”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang completes a major breakthrough after ten thousand years of preaching the Dao. His Middle Dantian evolves into a small inner world, allowing him to advance from Grand Unity True Immortal through Profound Immortal and Golden Immortal realms, ultimately reaching Immortal Great Unity.
  • His breakthrough causes the Fortune of the Three Teachings—Human, Jie, and Exposition—to surge dramatically. Duobao learns from Tongtian that this increase is connected to Chen Yang’s creation of Human Clan Script.
  • Chen Yang’s writing is accepted by the Human Clan because of his pure Human Clan identity, his history of suffering alongside them, and his efforts to spread the script while symbolically bearing mountains on his back. His teaching embodies the Human Clan’s spirit of perseverance, especially through the maxim: “As heaven moves with vigor, a gentleman must strive unceasingly to strengthen himself.”
  • Chen Yang is formally honored as the Teacher of the Human Clan, a status comparable to Kunpeng’s position as Demon Teacher.
  • After stabilizing his cultivation, Chen Yang fuses the thirteen volumes of his educational and cultural works—including the Thousand Character Classic, Standards for Being a Good Student and Child, and Hundred Family Surnames—into a single supreme Merit spiritual treasure called Elementary Learning.
  • Elementary Learning possesses two major abilities:
    • Civilization Proliferation: It can perceive and examine future Human Clan texts, classics, secret arts, and cultural knowledge.
    • Human Clan Fortune: It carries five percent of the Human Clan’s Fortune.
  • Chen Yang also gains another five percent of Human Clan Fortune through his title as Teacher of the Human Clan. He chooses not to use his accumulated Merit to increase his cultivation, following his master’s teachings, and instead invests it into the Four Treasures of Scholarship, strengthening their wisdom-enhancing effects.
  • Several centuries later, Chen Yang emerges from seclusion and meets Wudang Holy Mother, who explains the immense consequences of his creation of Human Clan Script.
  • Wudang conveys three instructions from Chen Yang’s master:
    1. Chen Yang must temporarily avoid returning to Golden Ao Island.
    2. He should visit Immortal Zhenyuan at Longevity Mountain if possible.
    3. He must delay his breakthrough into the Daluo Realm and act cautiously.
  • Wudang reveals that the Jie Sect is undergoing internal problems. Duobao has become harsher toward the outer sect disciples, exposing divisions and prompting him to reorganize the sect.
  • The chapter ends with the revelation that Hongyun has fallen, deeply affecting Tongtian and Duobao. Chen Yang asks who caused his death.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: Reaches Immortal Great Unity, gains enormous Fortune, becomes the Teacher of the Human Clan, and creates Elementary Learning. His influence expands from individual cultivation to shaping an entire civilization. He also demonstrates restraint by refusing to use Merit to force further cultivation breakthroughs.
  • Tongtian: Shows pride in Chen Yang’s achievements and recognizes that his disciple has made an extraordinary contribution to both the Human Clan and the Three Teachings.
  • Duobao: Becomes aware of Chen Yang’s tremendous impact and feels gratified by his disciple’s success. However, he is also portrayed as increasingly severe and troubled while managing the Jie Sect.
  • Wudang Holy Mother: Acts as a messenger and advisor, explaining the political and cosmic significance of Chen Yang’s deeds while warning him about dangerous developments within the Jie Sect.
  • The Human Clan: Experiences rapid development over ten thousand years due to the introduction of writing, with its society and living conditions improving substantially.

Significant Themes

  • Civilization through knowledge: Writing becomes the foundation of Human Clan culture, education, technological development, and collective advancement.
  • Recognition and identity: Chen Yang is accepted as the Human Clan’s teacher because his identity and sacrifices align him authentically with the people he serves.
  • Merit and responsibility: Chen Yang’s achievements bring him immense Merit and Fortune, but he chooses to preserve and invest those benefits rather than use them selfishly for rapid cultivation.
  • The connection between individual actions and collective Fortune: A single person’s contribution to civilization strengthens not only himself but also the Three Teachings and the entire Human Clan.
  • Growing political danger: Chen Yang’s rise occurs alongside instability in the Jie Sect, suggesting that his achievements are entering a broader period of conflict and upheaval.
  • Loss and impending conflict: Hongyun’s death introduces a darker turn, leaving the chapter on a note of danger and unanswered questions.

Character Interactions

  • Tongtian and Duobao: Tongtian explains how Chen Yang’s script increased the Three Teachings’ Fortune and praises him as an exceptional disciple.
  • Chen Yang and the Human Clan: Through years of traveling among tribes, teaching script, and sharing in their struggles, Chen Yang earns their trust and becomes their recognized teacher.
  • Chen Yang and Wudang Holy Mother: Wudang informs him of the true significance of his accomplishments and delivers warnings from his master concerning his safety and future cultivation.
  • Chen Yang and the Jie Sect leadership: Though Chen Yang is absent in seclusion, his achievements affect the entire sect. The sect’s internal reorganization and the death of Hongyun create a tense backdrop for his return to wider affairs.

Ch. 26Primordial Spirit Formation Refinement, Miss Pingxin

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Wudang Holy Mother reveals that Hongyun’s death was likely connected to Kunpeng, Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, and Minghe, suggesting the incident was far more complicated than it appeared.
  • Chen Yang mourns Hongyun, who had once taught and supported him. Hongyun was ultimately surrounded and killed without even leaving behind a remnant soul.
  • Chen Yang’s existing hatred toward the Demon Race intensifies because of both Hongyun’s death and the Demon Race’s past slaughter of the Human Clan. He recognizes that his current strength is inadequate against the Primordial World’s great powers.
  • Determined to grow stronger, Chen Yang decides to take greater risks and focuses on formations, hoping the Daluo Realm will provide a path to catch up with the major experts.
  • During centuries of seclusion, he uses the Human Pool to gather the wisdom of the Human Clan while deducing the Earth-Fire-Wind-Water Formation. His insight leads him toward creating a Primordial Spirit Formation Refinement method, building upon his Body-Forged Formation method.
  • After leaving seclusion, Chen Yang observes the Human Clan’s prosperity and educational development. Children are taught literacy, and newborns receive marrow cleansing through Human Pool Water.
  • He encounters a mysterious woman in an academy teaching Human Clan children. Chen Yang recognizes that she is neither Human Clan nor Demon Race and learns that her name is Pingxin.
  • That night, Chen Yang confronts her and correctly identifies her as Houtu, one of the Ancestor Shamans. She explains that she has adopted the identity of Pingxin among the Human Clan.
  • Pingxin states that she has no hostility toward the Human Clan and has come to study the Great Path of Reincarnation by observing the Human Clan’s life cycles, growth, reproduction, aging, illness, and death.
  • The chapter ends with Chen Yang questioning how Houtu, traditionally associated with the Great Path of Earth, came to pursue Reincarnation.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: His grief over Hongyun transforms into deeper hatred and a stronger determination to cultivate. He becomes more willing to risk his life and place his hopes in powerful formations. His role as teacher and protector of the Human Clan is also reinforced.
  • Wudang Holy Mother: Acts as a concerned elder, warning Chen Yang not to act recklessly and encouraging him to reflect on Hongyun’s death.
  • Hongyun: Though absent, his influence is emphasized through Chen Yang’s memories of his mentorship and generosity. His mysterious death becomes a major source of Chen Yang’s motivation.
  • Pingxin/Houtu: Appears compassionate, calm, and deeply interested in the Human Clan. Her study of mortality and cyclical life suggests an evolving understanding of Reincarnation and a possible departure from her traditional Earth-based cultivation path.
  • Sui Qing: Continues to assist Chen Yang and help manage the tribe, reflecting the Human Clan’s growing organization and reverence for Chen Yang.

Significant Themes

  • Grief transformed into motivation: Hongyun’s death deepens Chen Yang’s hatred and fuels his determination to become stronger.
  • The limits of power: Chen Yang realizes that entering Immortal Great Unity is not enough to contend with the Primordial World’s true elites.
  • Risk and ambition in cultivation: His decision to gamble his life on formations reflects the dangerous lengths cultivators must go to advance.
  • Wisdom through collective knowledge: The Human Pool allows Chen Yang to draw upon the Human Clan’s shared wisdom, linking the development of his abilities to the growth of the entire race.
  • Civilization and education: The expanding tribe, literacy, and improved living conditions demonstrate the Human Clan’s gradual rise and Chen Yang’s influence as its teacher.
  • Life, death, and Reincarnation: Pingxin’s observations of the Human Clan introduce the chapter’s central philosophical idea: understanding Reincarnation through the recurring cycle of birth, aging, illness, death, and renewal.
  • Identity and transformation: Houtu’s use of the name Pingxin and her quiet integration into Human Clan society suggest a deliberate transformation of identity and purpose.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Wudang Holy Mother: They discuss Hongyun’s death, with Wudang offering warnings and leaving Chen Yang to draw his own conclusions.
  • Chen Yang and Sui Qing: Sui Qing explains the tribe’s educational and developmental progress. Together, they investigate Pingxin’s unusual presence, though Chen Yang prevents Sui Qing from acting rashly.
  • Chen Yang and Pingxin: Their nighttime conversation reveals Pingxin’s true identity. Chen Yang remains cautious and surprised, while Pingxin calmly reassures him that she bears no ill intent and is pursuing insight into Reincarnation.
  • Pingxin and the Human Clan: Though not originally Human, Pingxin has chosen to live among them and teach their children, demonstrating both her sympathy toward the race and her interest in its mortal life cycle.

Ch. 27Three Clans of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, Comprehending the Great Path of Reincarnation

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Pingxin explains that she possesses both the Great Path of Earth and the Great Path of Reincarnation. Although Earth is her dominant path, Reincarnation has existed within her bloodline since birth and was nurtured by the earth.
  • She describes reincarnation as the universal principle of cycles: life and death, youth and aging, the circulation of the Five Elements, and the return of all things to their origins.
  • Chen Yang realizes that this understanding explains why Houtu—Pingxin’s former identity—is destined to transform into Reincarnation.
  • Recognizing the immense value of the Great Path of Reincarnation, Chen Yang asks to learn from Pingxin. She willingly answers his questions, allowing him to study the path without abandoning his own Formation Dao.
  • Pingxin questions Chen Yang about the Human Clan and the Witch-Demon Tribes. He describes the Human Clan as ordinary but possessing limitless potential, while identifying the Demon Race, Wu Tribe, and Human Clan as the current Three Clans of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.
  • She reveals that similar Three-Clan cycles have occurred in previous eras: the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clans once represented Humanity, Heaven, and Earth, respectively, but were ultimately destroyed through conflict.
  • Pingxin suggests that the Witch-Demon conflict is destined to end in mutual ruin, though the Human Clan may survive in this era. She interprets the repetition of history as “the reincarnation of eras.”
  • Several decades pass with Pingxin living in the Human Realm, teaching children and studying birth, death, and the cycles of existence. Chen Yang repeatedly seeks her guidance and uses his wisdom-enhancing treasures to help deepen her comprehension.
  • When Pingxin finally decides to leave and travel through the Human Realm, Chen Yang joins her to continue studying reincarnation. He also carries the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Mountains to temper his body.
  • Pingxin agrees to teach him body-tempering methods as compensation for the wisdom Chen Yang has helped awaken within her.

2. Character Developments

  • Pingxin: Her understanding of reincarnation deepens from a personal Great Path into a universal law governing individuals, nature, civilizations, and entire historical eras. She becomes increasingly connected to the Human Realm and its cycles of life and death, foreshadowing her eventual transformation into Reincarnation.
  • Chen Yang: He recognizes the strategic and spiritual value of reincarnation while remaining committed to the Formation Dao. His curiosity, pragmatism, and willingness to learn lead him to follow Pingxin directly. He also continues strengthening his body and uses his treasures to improve both his own and Pingxin’s comprehension.
  • Their relationship: Chen Yang and Pingxin develop a cooperative teacher-student dynamic. Pingxin guides his cultivation, while Chen Yang indirectly strengthens her wisdom and understanding.

3. Significant Themes

  • Reincarnation as cyclical existence: Reincarnation is presented not merely as rebirth after death, but as the return and renewal inherent in life, nature, elemental forces, and history.
  • The unity of Earth and Reincarnation: Since the earth nurtures life and receives the dead, it naturally contains and gives rise to the principle of reincarnation.
  • The cyclical rise and fall of civilizations: The repeated destruction of the Three Clans suggests that history follows recurring patterns, though the Human Clan may possess the adaptability to break the cycle.
  • Potential versus power: The Wu and Demon Tribes possess overwhelming strength, while the Human Clan appears weak and ordinary. However, humanity’s inclusiveness and limitless potential may allow it to survive where stronger races fail.
  • Knowledge through cooperation: Chen Yang’s assistance enhances Pingxin’s wisdom, while her teachings expand his understanding, showing how cultivation can advance through mutual benefit.
  • Foreshadowing and destiny: Pingxin’s growing insight into reincarnation strongly hints at her future role in establishing the cycle of rebirth.

4. Character Interactions

  • Pingxin explains the nature of reincarnation while Chen Yang questions and records her insights, hoping to adapt them into Reincarnation Formation Arrays.
  • She tests his views on the Human Clan and the Witch-Demon Tribes, prompting him to acknowledge the likely destruction of both major races.
  • Chen Yang carefully avoids directly revealing Pingxin’s future transformation, while privately suspecting that her studies have a deeper purpose.
  • After decades together in the Human Realm, Chen Yang follows Pingxin on her travels. She accepts his presence and offers to teach him body tempering.
  • Their exchange becomes mutually beneficial: Pingxin provides guidance on reincarnation and physical cultivation, while Chen Yang uses his brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and Human Pool to strengthen her wisdom.

Ch. 28Six Paths Reincarnation Fist, Slaughter Immortals Sword Formation!

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • After Pingxin’s wisdom is enhanced, she makes rapid progress in comprehending the Great Path of Reincarnation.
  • Inspired by concepts from fantasy novels, Chen Yang proposes numerous reincarnation-based divine abilities, including the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist, Grand Reincarnation Art, Reincarnation Treasure Art, and Six Paths Reincarnation Method. Pingxin combines these ideas with her own understanding to create powerful Primordial World techniques.
  • Chen Yang and Pingxin begin deriving a Reincarnation Formation together.
  • Over several thousand years, they travel throughout the Eastern Sea Coast, disguising themselves and observing Human Clan tribes. Through witnessing birth, aging, death, and the continuation of generations, Chen Yang begins to gain genuine insights into reincarnation.
  • Pingxin explains the true origins and nature of the

Cosmic Star Formation

  • It was originally created by the Eastern Sovereign, not Dijun.
  • Dijun merely inherited and completed most of it.
  • Its power comes from gathering the remnants of Pangu’s Primordial Spirit within the stars.
  • The formation is theoretically equal to the Wu Tribe’s Twelve Capital Heavenly Gods Fiend Formation, which summons Pangu’s physical body, though Dijun’s version contains flaws.
  • Chen Yang realizes that inscribing the Cosmic Star Formation into his own Primordial Spirit would require transforming it into the form of Pangu’s Primordial Spirit, an undertaking so difficult that it could prevent him from reaching the Daluo Realm.
  • After several thousand years at the Immortal Great Unity Realm, Chen Yang decides to break through to the Daluo Realm. He and Pingxin find a Human Clan tribe, where Chen Yang enters seclusion while Pingxin protects him.
  • During the breakthrough, Chen Yang successfully inscribes the Slaughter Immortals Sword Formation into his body. Sword Qi, murderous intent, and Sword Dao power surge through his meridians and Primordial Spirit.
  • He completes the inscription, and a mysterious character representing “Slaughter” appears in his lower dantian.

2. Character Developments

  • Chen Yang gains deeper understanding of reincarnation through observing the Human Clan’s cycle of life and death. His relationship with Pingxin also becomes more trusting and intimate as they spend thousands of years traveling and discussing the Dao.
  • His ambitions remain expansive, but Pingxin’s explanation forces him to reconsider the practicality of evolving the Cosmic Star Formation through his Primordial Spirit.
  • Chen Yang advances from the Immortal Great Unity Realm toward the Daluo Realm by using his distinctive method of inscribing formations into his body.
  • Pingxin makes significant progress in reincarnation comprehension and becomes more open with Chen Yang, sharing knowledge about the Wu Tribe and the origins of major formations. She also acts as Chen Yang’s Dao guardian during his breakthrough.

3. Significant Themes

  • Reincarnation and the cycle of life: The Human Clan’s succession from birth to death becomes a living manifestation of reincarnation.
  • Accumulation and mastery: The chapter emphasizes that profound formations require immense foundations and cannot be created without years of knowledge and preparation.
  • Primordial Spirit versus physical body: The Cosmic Star Formation and the Twelve Capital Heavenly Gods Fiend Formation represent Pangu’s Primordial Spirit and body respectively, presenting them as equal but complementary forces.
  • Innovation through synthesis: Chen Yang adapts ideas from other sources and combines them with the laws of the Primordial World to create new abilities.
  • Cultivation through internal formation: Chen Yang’s method resembles the Wu Tribe’s innate cultivation, as he strengthens his internal Dao by engraving formations into his body.
  • Trust and companionship: Constant travel and Dao discussion gradually remove the barriers between Chen Yang and Pingxin.

4. Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Pingxin collaborate closely on reincarnation techniques and the Reincarnation Formation.
  • Their conversations become increasingly candid, with both revealing previously hidden thoughts and personal knowledge.
  • Pingxin serves as Chen Yang’s teacher regarding the origins and limitations of the Cosmic Star Formation, while Chen Yang offers imaginative concepts for new reincarnation abilities.
  • Before Chen Yang’s breakthrough, Pingxin agrees to protect him and use his wisdom-enhancing treasure to process her own insights.
  • After observing his breakthrough, Pingxin compares Chen Yang’s formation-based cultivation to the Wu Tribe’s natural Dao cultivation, recognizing the uniqueness of his path.

Ch. 29Chang Wei, Chang'e

Chapter Summary: “Chang Wei, Chang’e”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang completes the inscription of the Immortal-Execution Formation within his body, complementing the previously inscribed Immortal-Slaying Formation. The two formations greatly enhance his Sword Dao sharpness and cause the Immortal-Slaying Divine Sword to resonate with joy.
  • His cultivation breaks through to the Daluo Human Immortal Realm, while his physical body advances to the sixth turn, sixth layer of the Nine-Turn Profound Art.
  • Chen Yang undergoes his Thunder Tribulation on the Eastern Sea Coast. Due to his immense physical strength, Human Clan Fortune, and Merit, the tribulation poses little threat.
  • On Golden Ao Island, Tongtian and Duobao sense Chen Yang’s breakthrough through the reaction of the Immortal-Execution Sword. Tongtian praises Chen Yang’s progress and decides to send him the sword.
  • After Chen Yang survives the tribulation, the Immortal-Execution Sword flies to him. It recognizes and communicates harmoniously with the Immortal-Slaying Divine Sword before entering Chen Yang’s body.
  • Chen Yang and Pingxin continue traveling through the Human Realm, periodically settling in different tribes. They live among ordinary humans, teach children, and observe the Human Clan’s cycle of birth, aging, death, and renewal.
  • While Pingxin enters seclusion, Chen Yang remains in one tribe for nearly a century, teaching several generations of children.
  • He participates in the tribe’s coming-of-age baptism ceremony, in which sixteen-year-old children are purified with diluted Human Pool Water, improving their bloodlines, intelligence, and cultivation potential.
  • Chen Yang names the newly baptized children according to the tribe’s “Chang” surname, including Chang Shan, Chang Wei, and Chang Qing.
  • A young girl asks to be named Chang’e, after a beautiful woman from the tribe’s past. Chen Yang agrees and finally gives her the name at the ceremony.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang grows significantly stronger. His cultivation reaches the Daluo Human Immortal Realm, his physical body improves through Pingxin’s guidance, and he gains greater mastery of the Immortal-Slaying sword formations.
  • He becomes increasingly integrated into ordinary Human Clan life. Rather than merely observing humanity, he teaches children, helps preserve knowledge, and contributes to the purification and development of the Human Clan’s bloodline.
  • Chen Yang’s status within the Jie Sect rises. As the sect’s sword bearer and the inheritor of the Immortal-Slaying Formation, he is positioned to command the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords in the future.
  • Pingxin, secretly Houtu, continues guiding Chen Yang’s body cultivation while traveling with him. Her relationship with him is friendly and mutually trusting.
  • Tongtian shows strong support and affection for Chen Yang by sending him the Immortal-Execution Sword. He and Duobao recognize Chen Yang as an important figure connected to the fortunes of both the Human Clan and the Three Teachings.
  • The girl later named Chang’e is introduced as lively, admiring of her teacher, and eager to enter adulthood with a meaningful name.

Significant Themes

  • Growth through both cultivation and experience: Chen Yang’s advancement comes not only from supernatural opportunities but also from physical hardship, disciplined training, and his immersion in ordinary human life.
  • The cycle of generations and reincarnation: The Human Clan repeatedly experiences birth, aging, death, and renewal. Older generations sacrifice themselves to protect those who come after them, creating an ongoing cycle of continuity.
  • Preservation of civilization: Teaching literacy and assigning names allow Chen Yang to help establish knowledge, identity, and social order among the Human Clan.
  • Purification and evolution: The Baptism Pool symbolizes the gradual refinement of the Human Clan’s bloodline and wisdom. Chen Yang’s contributions help humanity develop over many generations.
  • Destiny versus coincidence: Chen Yang wonders whether the girl named Chang’e might be connected to the famous mythological Chang’e, but dismisses the thought because repeated names are common among the rapidly multiplying Human Clan.
  • The relationship between power and responsibility: Chen Yang’s growing strength is accompanied by increasing obligations to the Jie Sect, the Three Teachings, and the Human Clan.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Pingxin: Pingxin guards Chen Yang during his formation inscription, advises him to undergo his tribulation, and teaches him advanced body cultivation. Their travels show a close, cooperative relationship.
  • Tongtian and Duobao: They discuss Chen Yang’s breakthrough and physical progress. Duobao is surprised by how quickly Chen Yang has advanced, while Tongtian explains that Pingxin’s guidance and Chen Yang’s opportunities account for his growth.
  • Tongtian and Chen Yang: Though they do not meet directly in this chapter, Tongtian supports Chen Yang by sending him the Immortal-Execution Sword, affirming Chen Yang’s importance to the Jie Sect.
  • The two divine swords: The Immortal-Slaying and Immortal-Execution Swords interact like old companions, humming to one another before settling inside Chen Yang.
  • Chen Yang and the children: Chen Yang acts as teacher, mentor, and namer. His exchange with the girl who requests the name Chang’e is especially warm and personal, closing the chapter on a note of continuity between myth, memory, and the future.

Ch. 30Chang'e's Past-Life Memories, the Strange Divine Arrow

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chang’e, a young Human Clan girl, is baptized by Chen Yang and given her name. Unlike the other children, the baptism appears to awaken a special innate power within her, allowing spiritual energy to transform naturally into mana.
  • Several years later, Chang’e reaches the Human Immortal realm with astonishing speed using the basic cultivation technique Chen Yang taught her.
  • During her breakthrough, she awakens frightening fragments of memories from a previous life:
    • Her body was destroyed by intense flames.
    • A remnant of her soul was frozen and subjected to extreme cold.
    • She was apparently burned and refined into some kind of weapon.
  • Chen Yang concludes that Chang’e is likely the reincarnation of a powerful figure from the Primordial World. He gives her a stronger cultivation method capable of reaching the Heavenly Immortal realm.
  • Chang’e worries that recovering her past-life memories might cause her to cease being part of the Human Clan. Chen Yang reassures her that identity depends on whether she acknowledges the Human Clan.
  • More than a decade passes while Chen Yang continues teaching the tribe and protecting Pingxin as she studies the mysteries of Reincarnation.
  • Chang’e suddenly returns in panic, claiming that a demon is pursuing her with a bow and arrows.
  • Chen Yang’s deep hatred of the Demon Race is awakened, and he immediately takes Chang’e outside the tribe to confront the threat.
  • An arrow arrives from a distance, surrounded by an unusual aura and powerful killing intent, and flies directly toward Chang’e.

Character Developments

  • Chang’e: Evolves from an ordinary-looking tribal girl into an extraordinarily gifted cultivator. Her rapid advancement and past-life memories suggest that she is the reincarnation of a major ancient figure. Despite her terrifying memories, she remains emotionally dependent on Chen Yang and continues to regard him as her master.
  • Chen Yang: Initially treats Chang’e as one of many talented Human Clan members, but her cultivation speed and memories force him to reconsider her origins. He becomes protective of her and shows renewed hostility toward the Demon Race when she is threatened.
  • Pingxin: Remains immersed in enlightenment, using wisdom and divine insight to comprehend Reincarnation. Though she has little direct interaction in the chapter, Chen Yang continues to watch over and protect her.

Significant Themes

  • Reincarnation and identity: Chang’e’s memories raise questions about whether a person’s past life determines who they are in the present. Chen Yang emphasizes that her current identity as a Human Clan member depends on her present allegiance and acknowledgment.
  • Hidden origins and destiny: Chang’e’s unusual talent and fragmented memories imply a powerful, possibly mythological past, hinting that her future may be tied to major events.
  • Suffering and transformation: The memories of fire, ice, destruction, and weapon refinement suggest a past defined by torment and forced transformation.
  • Protection of the Human Clan: Chen Yang’s reaction to the pursuing demon reflects his enduring trauma and hatred from the Demon Race’s earlier massacre of humanity.
  • Teacher-disciple bonds: Although Chen Yang never formally accepts Chang’e as a disciple, she sincerely views him as her master, creating an informal but meaningful relationship.

Character Interactions

  • Chang’e respectfully thanks Chen Yang for naming her and later insists on calling him “Master,” despite his refusal to formally accept a disciple.
  • She confides in Chen Yang about her frightening memories and seeks his guidance regarding her identity and cultivation.
  • Chen Yang responds patiently, gives her a more advanced technique, and reassures her that awakening past-life memories will not sever her connection to the Human Clan.
  • When Chang’e is pursued, she turns to Chen Yang for protection. He responds immediately and prepares to confront the attacker.
  • The chapter ends with Chen Yang and Chang’e facing a mysterious arrow filled with killing intent, setting up the confrontation with the unknown archer or demon.

Ch. 31Five Emperors and Five Sovereigns Fist, High Shaman Houyi

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang catches an arrow flying toward him and recognizes it as one of High Shaman Houyi’s legendary Sun-Shooting Arrows.
  • Houyi arrives, believing Chen Yang has stolen the arrow. He attacks him without waiting for an explanation.
  • Chen Yang responds with his newly developed Five Emperors and Five Sovereigns Fist, a formation-based divine art combining the Five Elements, yin-yang principles, and the power of his internal organs.
  • Their fists collide with tremendous force, causing violent shockwaves, tsunamis, and destruction along the Eastern Sea Coast. Chen Yang is knocked back, while Houyi barely retreats.
  • Before they can fight again, Pingxin—also known as Ancestor Shaman Houtu—appears and stops the confrontation.
  • Houyi explains that the Sun-Shooting Arrow had mysteriously escaped him and flown toward Chang’e, leading him to believe that someone had stolen it.
  • The arrow is shown entangled around Chang’e, revealing that it was drawn to her rather than controlled by Chen Yang.
  • Pingxin explains that Chang’e’s former identity was likely Wangshu, the younger sister of Xihe. Wangshu’s Lunar Origin had been used, together with fragments of Pangu’s Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, to forge the ten Sun-Shooting Arrows.
  • This shared origin explains the arrow’s attraction to Chang’e and reveals the deeper connection between her and Houyi’s weapons.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang demonstrates his growing strength after entering the Daluo Realm and advancing his physical cultivation through the Nine-Turn Profound Art. Although inferior to Houyi physically, he is confident enough to challenge a High Shaman directly.
  • He reveals his original martial creation, the Five Emperors and Five Sovereigns Fist, showing his ability to merge formations and divine arts into a powerful new technique.
  • Houyi is portrayed as overwhelmingly strong, direct, and battle-loving. He initially reacts with anger but becomes impressed by Chen Yang’s resilience and unusual fist technique. Once the misunderstanding is exposed, he shows embarrassment and honesty.
  • Pingxin/Houtu acts as a calm mediator and knowledgeable authority. She recognizes the connection between Chang’e and the Sun-Shooting Arrows and reveals the history behind it.
  • Chang’e remains mostly silent, but the arrow’s attachment to her hints at the importance of her past identity as Wangshu.

Significant Themes

  • Misunderstanding and reconciliation: The conflict begins because Houyi assumes Chen Yang is a thief, but the truth reveals that the arrow acted independently.
  • Origins and reincarnation: Chang’e’s connection to Wangshu shows how past identities and ancient origins continue to influence the present.
  • Power and innovation: Chen Yang’s original fist technique reflects the combination of physical cultivation, formations, and creative understanding rather than reliance on inherited methods alone.
  • Yin-yang balance and cosmic opposition: Wangshu’s Lunar Origin was specifically used to counter Dijun and Taiyi’s Solar Origin, emphasizing the mutual restraint of lunar and solar forces.
  • Legacy and forgotten history: Pingxin notes that even powerful beings such as Wangshu can fade from memory, while their influence survives through artifacts and later events.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Houyi begin as opponents, with Houyi attacking over the supposed theft of his arrow. Their clash quickly turns into mutual recognition, as Houyi praises Chen Yang’s fist and Chen Yang refuses to back down despite being overpowered.
  • Pingxin’s arrival shifts the interaction from combat to explanation. Houyi respectfully addresses her as Ancestor Shaman Houtu, while Chen Yang recognizes her as Pingxin.
  • Pingxin questions Houyi, clarifies the misunderstanding, and explains Chang’e’s connection to the Sun-Shooting Arrows.
  • Houyi and Chen Yang both react with surprise as they learn that Chang’e’s past as Wangshu is the reason the arrow sought her out.

Ch. 32Tongtian: The Heavenly Secrets Are in Chaos

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Pingxin explains that Houyi’s Sun-Shooting Bow and arrows were refined with his heart’s blood, causing Houyi and the weapons to become spiritually connected. When Chang’e awakened her past-life memories as Wangshu and summoned the arrow fused with Wangshu’s Lunar Origin, the connection drew Houyi to her location, where the Demon Race ambushed and killed him.
  • Furious upon learning the truth, Houyi blames the Demon Race for relying on deceit rather than confronting the Wu Tribe directly. He initially wants to kill Chang’e because she served as the instrument of the conspiracy.
  • Pingxin stops Houyi, arguing that Chang’e is not responsible for the scheme and that killing her would be useless. She also reveals that Chang’e may eventually become a major threat to the Demon Race because of her connection to Wangshu and the Lunar Origin.
  • Chen Yang and Pingxin decide to leave Chang’e among the Human Clan, allowing her to grow safely and naturally while avoiding further interference in the dangerous conflict between the Wu and Demon races.
  • Houyi returns to the Wu Tribe with the Sun-Shooting Arrow, while Chen Yang and Pingxin take Chang’e back to a Human Clan settlement.
  • At Biyou Palace, Tongtian suddenly senses that the heavenly secrets have fallen into unprecedented disorder. He suspects that some unknown variable or major transformation has appeared within the wider conflict, though he cannot identify its source.
  • Chen Yang later questions Pingxin about Chang’e’s significance. Pingxin explains that Wangshu may have been killed by Dijun or Taiyi and that Chang’e’s eventual recovery of Wangshu’s cultivation could allow her to influence the Lunar Star, one of the core components of the Demon Race’s Cosmic Star Formation.
  • More than a decade later, Pingxin decides to return to the Wu Tribe after deepening her understanding of Reincarnation through her time among the Human Clan and her interaction with Chen Yang.
  • Chen Yang chooses to accompany her despite the political tension between the Wu Tribe and the Mystic Sect lineage. After several centuries of travel, they arrive at Mount Buzhou, where Chen Yang is overwhelmed by its immense antiquity, divine pressure, and connection to Pangu.

Character Developments

  • Houyi shifts from rage and a desire for revenge to restraint after Pingxin reminds him that Chang’e is an unwilling pawn. His understanding of the Demon Race’s plot deepens, though he remains suspicious of Chang’e’s future identity.
  • Chang’e becomes increasingly frightened and helpless after discovering that her existence and past life may be part of a Demon Race conspiracy. Her vulnerability contrasts with the enormous power and political danger associated with Wangshu’s reincarnation.
  • Pingxin demonstrates wisdom, emotional control, and political foresight. She protects Chang’e, recognizes her potential importance against the Demon Race, and gains greater insight into the path of Reincarnation during her time in the Human Realm.
  • Chen Yang grows more perceptive and curious. He begins to understand the hidden links among Wangshu, the Lunar Origin, and the Demon Race’s formation, while also becoming more willing to act independently of sect conventions.
  • Tongtian senses that the balance of the Primordial World is changing. His inability to identify the cause establishes an atmosphere of uncertainty and foreshadows future upheaval.

Significant Themes

  • Fate and manipulation: Chang’e’s life appears to have been shaped by an ancient conspiracy, raising questions about whether individuals can escape the purposes imposed upon them.
  • Identity and reincarnation: Pingxin insists that Chang’e and Wangshu should not automatically be treated as the same person, emphasizing the distinction between past-life origins and present identity.
  • Hidden power and political balance: Chang’e’s potential influence over the Lunar Star means that even a seemingly powerless figure can endanger an entire divine faction.
  • Revenge versus restraint: Houyi’s anger is understandable, but Pingxin argues that justice requires recognizing the difference between a conspirator and an unwilling tool.
  • Approaching upheaval: The chaos in the heavenly secrets suggests that unseen changes are occurring throughout the Primordial World.
  • The grandeur of the ancient world: Mount Buzhou represents Pangu’s enduring presence, overwhelming authority, and the immense scale of the Primordial World.

Character Interactions

  • Pingxin and Houyi: Pingxin explains Houyi’s death and prevents him from killing Chang’e, guiding him away from impulsive vengeance.
  • Houyi and Chang’e: Houyi views Chang’e as a dangerous link to Wangshu and the Demon Race plot, while Chang’e fears him as someone prepared to punish her for actions she never consciously chose.
  • Chen Yang and Pingxin: Their discussions reveal the deeper mystery surrounding Wangshu and Chang’e. Their growing trust culminates in Chen Yang choosing to accompany Pingxin to the Wu Tribe.
  • Tongtian and his disciples: Tongtian warns Duobao and the other disciples that the heavenly secrets have become unusually chaotic, creating concern about an unidentified future variable.
  • Chen Yang and Mount Buzhou: Chen Yang’s awe at the divine mountain highlights his growing appreciation of the Primordial World and its ancient history.

Ch. 33Zhurong, Ancestor Shaman; Body-Tempering Method

Chapter Summary: Zhurong, Ancestor Shaman; Body-Tempering Method

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Zhurong, the fiery Ancestor Shaman, arrives and greets Pingxin. He recognizes Chen Yang as the Human Clan’s teacher, Tongtian’s grand-disciple, and Duobao’s disciple.
  • Zhurong is astonished by Chen Yang’s frail appearance and nearly knocks him down with a casual pat, emphasizing the overwhelming physical strength of the Wu Tribe.
  • Zhurong explains that he came to gather forging materials for weapons needed by newly matured Human-Wu descendants.
  • A century later, Zhurong brings Chen Yang and Pingxin to a Wu Tribe settlement. Chen Yang witnesses the enormous Wu army training and fighting captured beasts and Demon Race members.
  • Chen Yang observes that the Wu Tribe naturally produces and gathers battlefield Killing Intent. This force strengthens their courage, absorbs the vitality of battle, and suppresses some of the Demon Race’s abilities.
  • Within the tribe, Wu warriors and High Shamans constantly engage in fierce combat to temper themselves. Chen Yang also sees Houyi and Xingtian, while the Ancestral Witch Hall remains sealed because the other Ancestor Witches have traveled through time.
  • Chen Yang explains that he wants to study the records left by the Eastern Sovereign because of his interest in Formation Dao, but he agrees to wait until the hall can be opened.
  • Over several centuries, Chen Yang studies forging under Zhurong and repeatedly fights Wu warriors. He seals his mana and relies solely on his body, but even after reaching the ninth level of the Sixth Turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art, he is badly defeated by High Shamans.
  • Chen Yang begins considering a dangerous method of strengthening his origin by inscribing formations directly within it.
  • He asks Pingxin about Wu body-tempering techniques and learns that each Wu bloodline possesses a naturally derived method connected to its Great Path.
  • Pingxin reveals her own Thick Earth Reincarnation Art, Zhurong’s Blazing Flame Forging Art, and Xingtian’s War God Art. Chen Yang then asks whether he can obtain these methods.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: Gains a deeper understanding of the Wu Tribe’s physical cultivation and warfare. His humility increases as he confronts the enormous gap between his own body and that of the Wu warriors. He also begins seeking a way to combine Formation Dao with body cultivation by inscribing formations into his origin.
  • Zhurong: Is established as a powerful, boisterous, and friendly figure. He treats Chen Yang warmly, teaches him forging, and encourages him to strengthen his body through combat.
  • Pingxin: Continues acting as Chen Yang’s guide and confidante. She notices his developing ideas, worries about the danger of his proposed experiment, and explains the origins of Wu cultivation.
  • Houyi and Xingtian: Their comments reinforce the superiority of Wu physical bodies. Xingtian serves as one of Chen Yang’s sparring partners and bluntly assesses the limits of the Nine-Turn Profound Art.

Significant Themes

  • Physical strength versus conventional cultivation: Chen Yang’s advanced cultivation is shown to be insufficient when mana and divine abilities are removed, highlighting the Wu Tribe’s exceptional specialization in body tempering.
  • Cultivation through battle: The Wu Tribe treats combat as both daily life and a method of advancement, with real injury and recovery forming part of their training.
  • Bloodline and Great Paths: Wu body-tempering arts arise naturally from each individual’s bloodline and associated Great Path, making them uniquely compatible with the cultivator.
  • Formation Dao and innovation: Chen Yang seeks to adapt formations into his own origin, showing his willingness to create new cultivation methods rather than simply follow established paths.
  • Collective power and battlefield Killing Intent: The Wu Tribe’s strength comes not only from individual bodies but also from their ability to generate a shared, self-sustaining force through their numbers and combat.

Character Interactions

  • Zhurong warmly teases Chen Yang about his physique, while Chen Yang respectfully acknowledges the vast difference between them.
  • Chen Yang and Zhurong develop a teacher-student-like relationship through forging lessons and physical training.
  • Chen Yang discusses the nature of Killing Intent with Zhurong and silently begins considering how it might relate to military formations.
  • Xingtian and Houyi repeatedly challenge Chen Yang’s assumptions about the strength of the Nine-Turn Profound Art.
  • Pingxin recognizes Chen Yang’s hidden thoughts and later cautions him against the danger of inscribing formations in his origin.
  • The chapter concludes with Chen Yang directly asking Pingxin for access to the Wu Tribe’s inherited body-tempering methods.

Ch. 34Battlefield Killing Formation, Killing Enemies with Killing Intent

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang asks Pingxin for access to Wu Tribe body-tempering techniques so he can create a cultivation method uniquely suited to himself, using the Nine-Turn Profound Art as a foundation.
  • Pingxin agrees to provide her own method and those of the High Shamans under her command. She suggests that Dijiang may eventually allow Chen Yang to study the other Ancestor Shamans’ techniques if he proves the value of his idea.
  • Chen Yang receives thousands of body-tempering methods from the Wu Tribe, including those of Ancestor Shamans, High Shamans, Little Shamans, and other Wu members. Rather than immediately synthesizing them, he focuses first on creating a Battlefield Killing Formation.
  • Through his Formation Dao comprehension, Chen Yang develops the Heaven-Covering Formation, an amplification formation whose power increases with the number and strength of its soldiers.
  • Chen Yang identifies the formation as an ideal gift to the Human Clan, since even physically weak humans could gain formidable power through unity and superior numbers.
  • Xingtian arrives after the formation is completed and agrees to test it with more than three thousand elite Wu Tribe warriors.
  • Once activated, the formation unites the soldiers’ minds and strength, gathers the battlefield’s killing intent, and absorbs the qi and blood of slain enemies to increase its power.
  • During a live test against beasts and Demon Race prisoners, Xingtian’s army overwhelms the enemy. The accumulated killing intent forms a battle-form phantom resembling Xingtian.
  • Xingtian and the phantom unleash a devastating axe strike that destroys the battlefield and several mountains, achieving power comparable to an Ancestor Shaman’s attack.
  • Impressed, Xingtian praises Chen Yang enthusiastically. Other High Shamans, including Houyi and Chiyou, ask to learn the formation and conduct their own tests.
  • Houyi’s formation-enhanced arrow pierces multiple mountain ranges, while Chiyou’s blade strike creates a massive abyss. The Wu Tribe becomes highly enthusiastic about the formation, though its testing causes many beasts to be slaughtered.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang demonstrates increasing ambition and creativity. He is no longer satisfied with merely mastering existing techniques and seeks to create both a personal body-tempering method and a revolutionary military formation.
  • Pingxin shows trust and support toward Chen Yang, acknowledging that his inventions have benefited her and expressing confidence that Dijiang may cooperate with him in the future.
  • Xingtian develops from a skeptical observer into an enthusiastic believer. After personally experiencing the formation’s unity and strength, he becomes deeply impressed by Chen Yang and treats him with exceptional warmth.
  • Houyi, Chiyou, and the other High Shamans become eager adopters of Chen Yang’s invention after witnessing its battlefield potential.

Significant Themes

  • Unity creates strength: The formation allows ordinary or individually weaker soldiers to combine their power into an overwhelming force.
  • Innovation versus inheritance: Chen Yang respects established techniques but seeks to transform and surpass them by creating methods suited to his own nature.
  • The military power of the Human Clan: The formation offers humanity a way to compensate for its physical weakness through organization, numbers, and coordinated power.
  • Killing intent as a source of power: Violence, battle experience, and the qi and blood of enemies are converted into increasingly destructive energy.
  • Power and morality: The formation’s effectiveness depends on slaughter, causing the Wu Tribe’s experiments to bring disaster upon the captive beasts and demons.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Pingxin discuss his plans for a unique body-tempering method, with Pingxin offering practical assistance and emotional encouragement.
  • Chen Yang explains the Battlefield Killing Formation to Xingtian, who initially questions its mystical claims but agrees to test it.
  • During the experiment, Chen Yang guides Xingtian and urges him to use the formation in actual combat rather than merely observe it.
  • After witnessing Xingtian’s Ancestor Shaman-level strike, Xingtian praises Chen Yang excitedly and nearly treats him as a sworn brother.
  • Houyi, Chiyou, and the other High Shamans approach Chen Yang for instruction, turning the formation into a shared Wu Tribe innovation.

Ch. 35Ancestral Witch Hall, Wu Tribe Treasure Vault

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Over several decades, Chen Yang studies and refines the warfare killing formations he developed. He concludes that these formations can absorb battlefield Killing Intent and enemy qi and blood, converting them into war clouds that strengthen the formations. The more enemies killed, the more powerful the formations become, allowing commanders to unleash attacks far beyond their personal strength.
  • Pingxin explains that the formations greatly benefit the Wu Tribe by compensating for their numerical disadvantage against the Demon Race. The formations strengthen lower-ranking Wu armies, potentially increasing the tribe’s overall military power by more than thirty percent.
  • Chen Yang realizes that the formations can also be adapted by other races, including the Human Clan, and argues that the Wu Tribe should develop more varieties while attempting to protect their methods from their enemies. Zhurong instead focuses on eventually using their advantages to destroy the Demon Race.
  • Several centuries pass as the formations spread throughout the Wu Tribe and Chen Yang continues experimenting with different races.
  • Chen Yang enters deep cultivation using an improved Nine-Nine Return-to-One Formation, now converted into a cultivation formation capable of refining resources into energy for the Nine-Turn Profound Art.
  • After repeated cycles of destruction and reconstruction, Chen Yang breaks through to the Seventh Turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art. His physical body consequently reaches the Daluo Realm, greatly increasing his strength and his ability to bear additional formations.
  • Rather than immediately inscribing more formations onto his body, Chen Yang decides to perfect his essence, qi, and spirit and eventually form the Three Flowers.
  • Pingxin informs him that Dijiang and the other Ancestor Shamans are nearing the end of their seclusion and grants Chen Yang access to the Ancestral Witch Hall.
  • Inside the hall, Chen Yang discovers an enormous inner world filled with boundless Killing Intent, vast quantities of Nine Heavens Divine Soil, and treasure halls containing spiritual treasures, spirit roots, and divine materials.
  • Pingxin explains that much of the Wu Tribe’s former treasury was traded to Eastern Sovereign in exchange for the Heavenly Capital Divine Baleful Formation, which was created using the power of the Twelve Ancestor Shamans. This explains why many shelves in the treasury are empty and how Eastern Sovereign’s Penglai Immortal Mansion developed so rapidly.
  • Chen Yang is offered the Ruyi Armor, an extremely rare Supreme Spiritual Treasure made from a complete set of high-grade armor treasures. He accepts it and plans to refine it later.
  • After examining the treasury, Chen Yang asks whether it contains complete sets of the Three Treasures of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

2. Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: Grows from an experimenter fascinated by battlefield formations into a major strategic asset for the Wu Tribe. His experiments reveal that warfare formations are broadly applicable, including to the Human Clan. His physical cultivation makes a major leap to the Seventh Turn, giving him Daluo-level bodily strength. Despite receiving permission to take treasures, he remains restrained and thoughtful rather than greedy.
  • Pingxin: Continues to act as Chen Yang’s guide and trusted companion. She recognizes the military value of his formations, informs him about the Wu Tribe’s history and resources, and encourages him to cultivate steadily.
  • Zhurong: Becomes openly appreciative of Chen Yang, even declaring him a brother because of the benefit his formations bring to the Wu Tribe. However, he remains aggressive and confident, preferring a direct future assault to eliminate the Demon Race.
  • Dijiang and the other Ancestor Shamans: Though mostly absent due to seclusion, their influence is evident through the Heavenly Capital Divine Baleful Formation and their decision to reward Chen Yang for his contributions.
  • Eastern Sovereign: Does not appear directly, but his past bargain with the Wu Tribe is revealed to have transferred most of their spiritual treasures and spirit roots to him, greatly strengthening his Penglai Immortal Mansion.

3. Significant Themes

  • Military innovation and strategic power: Chen Yang’s formations demonstrate how technology and organization can offset a severe numerical disadvantage.
  • The relationship between curiosity and unintended consequences: Chen Yang develops the formations out of curiosity rather than a deliberate desire to aid the Wu Tribe, yet they become crucial to the tribe’s survival.
  • Power through accumulation and transformation: Battlefield Killing Intent, enemy blood and qi, and cultivation resources are all transformed into greater strength.
  • Steady cultivation versus reckless advancement: Chen Yang chooses to consolidate his foundation and perfect his essence, qi, and spirit instead of immediately pursuing more formations.
  • Resource exchange and hidden costs: The Wu Tribe’s earlier trade with Eastern Sovereign gained them a powerful formation but cost them most of their accumulated treasures and spirit roots.
  • Responsibility and restraint: Although Chen Yang is invited to take whatever he wants, he remains cautious and does not abuse the Wu Tribe’s generosity.

4. Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Pingxin discuss the mechanics and military applications of warfare killing formations, with Pingxin emphasizing their importance against the Demon Race.
  • Zhurong warmly praises Chen Yang and declares him a brother, while Chen Yang responds modestly and focuses on improving the formations.
  • Pingxin advises Chen Yang to cultivate patiently after his Seventh Turn breakthrough and later escorts him through the Ancestral Witch Hall and treasure vault.
  • Pingxin explains the Wu Tribe’s former deal with Eastern Sovereign and recommends the Ruyi Armor, which Chen Yang accepts after recognizing its rarity.
  • The chapter ends with Chen Yang turning from individual treasures toward a more specific objective: locating complete sets of the Three Treasures of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

Ch. 36Three Flowers Crown the Head, the Human Clan in Peril

Chapter Summary: “Three Flowers Crown the Head, the Human Clan in Peril”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang decides to use the Three Cauldrons of Heaven, Earth, and Man to refine his Three Flowers of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, an important step after reaching the Daluo Realm.
  • With Pingxin’s guidance, he studies ancient texts in the Wu Tribe’s repository, including secret arts inherited from the dragon, phoenix, and qilin clans.
  • During cultivation, Chen Yang successfully condenses his Flower of Qi. It blooms with twelve petals, signifying a perfect and exceptionally powerful foundation. The spiritual energies within the Ancestral Witch Hall greatly assist him.
  • After centuries of cultivation, Chen Yang begins experiencing an ominous premonition. Because the Heavenly Dao is obscured by baleful energy, he cannot use divination to determine its cause.
  • Houyi informs him that the Sun-Shooting Arrow, which contains part of Chang’e’s former-life origin, has sensed a plea for help and flown away on its own.
  • Chen Yang concludes that Chang’e is likely in danger, possibly at the hands of the demon race, and immediately travels toward the Eastern Sea Coast.
  • Pingxin realizes that Chang’e’s situation could expose her connection to the demon race and provoke a larger conflict. She orders Houyi to alert Xingtian and the other Wu Tribe leaders to prepare for war.
  • At the Eastern Sea Coast, Chen Yang discovers that numerous Human Clan settlements have been massacred. Hundreds of millions of people have been killed, leaving behind ruins, bones, and land stained with demonic aura.
  • He eventually finds a surviving Human Clan group surrounded by demons. The elderly sacrifice themselves first to protect the adults, followed by the adults, youths, women, and children.
  • Enraged by the slaughter, Chen Yang unleashes the Slaying Immortals Sword and Immortal-Execution Sword, wiping out the demon horde with overwhelming sword qi.
  • He questions the demons about who awakened the intelligence of these recently transformed beast-demons, but they either do not know or are killed before answering.
  • After destroying every demon, Chen Yang ignores the survivors’ gratitude and continues following Chang’e’s aura.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang: His cultivation advances significantly with the perfect Flower of Qi, strengthening his future potential. His concern for Chang’e and the Human Clan reveals his loyalty and protective nature, while the massacre drives him into unprecedented fury and killing intent.
  • Pingxin: She acts as Chen Yang’s guide and cultivation companion, but also demonstrates strategic judgment by recognizing that Chang’e’s danger may trigger a war involving the demon race and the Wu Tribe.
  • Houyi: His bond with the Sun-Shooting Arrow allows him to detect Chang’e’s distress. He serves as the messenger who alerts Chen Yang and helps mobilize the Wu Tribe.
  • Chang’e: Though absent from the chapter’s direct events, her mysterious connection to the Sun-Shooting Arrow becomes central. Her apparent danger is the force that draws Chen Yang into the unfolding crisis.
  • The Human Clan: Their suffering and willingness to sacrifice themselves for one another highlight both their vulnerability and their remarkable unity under extreme persecution.

Significant Themes

  • Cultivation and foundation: The quality of the Three Flowers determines future potential, making Chen Yang’s twelve-petaled Flower of Qi a symbol of extraordinary promise.
  • Premonition and fate: Chen Yang’s unease demonstrates that powerful cultivators can sense disturbances even when the Heavenly Dao is too obscured for divination.
  • Racial persecution and survival: The demon massacre recalls earlier tragedies and shows that the Human Clan remains in grave danger despite its progress.
  • Rage and justice: Chen Yang’s overwhelming response reflects the destructive power of righteous anger and his hatred of the demons responsible for the slaughter.
  • Loyalty and sacrifice: The Human Clan’s elders and adults willingly give their lives to protect others, emphasizing collective courage and familial devotion.
  • Impending war: Chang’e’s crisis, the demon attacks, and the Wu Tribe’s preparations suggest that a larger conflict is about to erupt.

Character Interactions

  • Pingxin questions and supports Chen Yang’s cultivation plans, then helps him access ancient knowledge.
  • Chen Yang and Pingxin discuss his ominous premonition, though neither can identify its source.
  • Houyi informs Chen Yang about the Sun-Shooting Arrow’s unusual behavior and warns that the Human Clan may be endangered.
  • Pingxin orders Houyi to alert the Wu Tribe leaders and prepare for possible war.
  • Chen Yang confronts the demons, demanding to know who granted intelligence to the newly awakened beast-demons, but their fear and ignorance prevent him from learning the truth.
  • After rescuing the surviving humans, Chen Yang refuses celebration or praise and immediately continues his search for Chang’e.

Ch. 37Golden Crow Formation, Lunar Goddess

Chapter Summary: Golden Crow Formation, Lunar Goddess

Key Plot Points and Events

  • On the Eastern Sea Coast, Chang’e, Sui Qing, and a Jie Sect disciple confront Yue Chan, a jade toad born from the Lunar Star and a maid serving the Demon Empress Xihe. Yue Chan has been ordered to capture Wangshu’s reincarnation.
  • Yue Chan attacks after Sui Qing refuses to stand aside. Chen Yang arrives just in time, using the Slaying Immortals Sword and Immortal-Execution Sword to shatter her attack and scar her face.
  • Chen Yang orders Chang’e and the others to retreat while he fights Yue Chan. Chang’e warns him that Yue Chan is a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, far above his own Great Luo Earth Immortal cultivation.
  • Despite the disparity in realms, Chen Yang holds his own through his powerful physical body, superior swords, and exceptional divine abilities. Their battle devastates the surrounding landscape, destroying mountains and rivers and causing massive tsunamis.
  • Chen Yang unveils the Five-Element Firmament Formation, combining his understanding of the World in the Palm with the Five-Elements Grand Formation. The formation evolves into the Firmament Palm, a gigantic hand capable of suppressing stars and worlds.
  • Yue Chan transforms the Moon Essence Wheel into a phantom of the Lunar Star and launches overwhelming Lunar Star divine light. Chen Yang’s Firmament Palm destroys her attacks, captures the Moon Essence Wheel, and traps Yue Chan inside his palm-world.
  • Chen Yang activates the Golden Crow Formation, using ten Golden Crows formed from the Great Sun Origin to refine and kill Yue Chan.
  • Realizing she cannot escape, Yue Chan calls upon Xihe for help, sacrificing blood essence to awaken Xihe’s power within the Moon Essence Wheel. The artifact releases an aura far beyond the Great Luo Realm—clearly the power of a powerful Quasi-Saint—leaving Chen Yang’s Golden Crow Formation under threat.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang demonstrates his fierce hatred of those who have harmed the Human Clan. His rage drives him to fight an enemy much stronger than himself, and he reveals increasingly advanced techniques, including the Five-Element Firmament Formation and Golden Crow Formation.
  • Chen Yang’s combat strength is shown to exceed what his cultivation realm would suggest. His body, weapons, and mastery of formations allow him to contend evenly with Yue Chan despite her superior realm.
  • Chang’e remains loyal to Chen Yang and is relieved when he arrives, but she also feels guilty and distressed over an unresolved matter involving her master. She provides crucial information about Yue Chan and later warns Chen Yang about Xihe’s awakening power.
  • Sui Qing displays strong loyalty to the Human Clan and openly defies Yue Chan, celebrating Chen Yang’s arrival.
  • Yue Chan changes from arrogant confidence to alarm and desperation. Initially dismissing Chen Yang as an ant, she becomes shocked by his swordsmanship and divine abilities, then resorts to invoking Xihe when her own strength fails.
  • Xihe, though not physically present, emerges as a major threat through the aura and power stored in the Moon Essence Wheel.

Significant Themes

  • Revenge and protection: Chen Yang’s attack is motivated by Yue Chan’s persecution of the Human Clan, emphasizing his role as a defender and avenger.
  • Strength beyond cultivation realms: The battle highlights how weapons, physical power, formations, and divine comprehension can allow a lower-realm cultivator to challenge a vastly stronger opponent.
  • Human–Demon conflict: Yue Chan’s hostility toward the Human Clan and Chen Yang’s anger at the Demon Court deepen the ongoing conflict between the two races.
  • Inheritance and hidden power: The Moon Essence Wheel carries Xihe’s power, showing how powerful figures can influence events indirectly through artifacts and servants.
  • Sun and Moon opposition: Chen Yang’s Great Sun Origin and Golden Crow Formation directly oppose Yue Chan’s Lunar Star power, creating a symbolic and literal clash between solar and lunar forces.

Character Interactions

  • Sui Qing confronts Yue Chan verbally before being overwhelmed by her attack.
  • Chen Yang arrives as Chang’e and the others struggle, protects them, and promises to resolve the situation himself.
  • Chang’e identifies Yue Chan and cautions Chen Yang about her strength, later warning him that Xihe’s aura has awakened.
  • Chen Yang and Yue Chan exchange threats throughout their battle, each condemning the other’s faction.
  • Yue Chan’s confidence collapses as Chen Yang captures her artifact and traps her, forcing her to plead for Xihe’s assistance.
  • The chapter ends with Xihe’s Quasi-Saint aura erupting from the Moon Essence Wheel, setting up a far more dangerous confrontation.

Ch. 38Heavenly Empress Xihe, the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Xihe’s incarnation emerges from the Moon Essence Wheel, unleashing power far beyond the Daluo Realm. Her attack shatters Chen Yang’s Golden Crow Formation, Five Elements Formation, and World in the Palm, blasting him through several mountains.
  • Xihe focuses on Chang’e, whom she recognizes as the reincarnation of her former sister, Wangshu. Yue Chan reports that she found Wangshu but was obstructed by Jie Sect disciples.
  • Chang’e rejects her former identity and declares that she is now solely a member of the Human Clan. She refuses to return to Xihe or submit to her past.
  • When Xihe attempts to seize Chang’e, Chen Yang intervenes and cuts apart the stellar hand with the Slaying Immortals Sword and Immortal-Execution Sword.
  • Chang’e publicly acknowledges Chen Yang as her master, explaining that although his cultivation is limited, his wisdom and teachings qualify him as her teacher. She then vows to sever all ties with her previous life, even through countless reincarnations.
  • Chen Yang vows to protect Chang’e, driven by his hatred of the Demon Race after witnessing the destruction and slaughter inflicted upon the Eastern Sea Coast.
  • Chen Yang unleashes his internal and external sword formations, combining them into a colossal formation that produces terrifying destructive Sword Qi.
  • Xihe counters with the Moon Essence Wheel, transforming Lunar Star energy into countless blades. Their clash devastates the Eastern Sea Coast, destroying mountains, islands, oceans, and leaving massive abysses.
  • The battle escalates into the East Sea, where Chen Yang and Xihe’s incarnation fight to a near standstill. Chen Yang begins suffering damage from the burden of operating formations through his own body and realizes he must end the battle quickly.
  • On Golden Ao Island, Tongtian and several Jie Sect disciples observe the fight through the Mystic Light Mirror. Tongtian determines that the Demon Race has violated the established rules through renewed karmic slaughter.
  • Tongtian sends the remaining Immortal-Trapping Sword and Immortal-Severing Sword to Chen Yang, intending to warn the Demon Race and allow Xihe to become Chen Yang’s “stepping stone.”
  • The chapter ends as the two additional killing swords arrive in the midst of the battle, with Chen Yang immediately recognizing them.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang demonstrates a major increase in strength. Though still in the Daluo Realm, he can contend with an incarnation of Xihe, a powerful Demon Court figure whose strength surpasses ordinary Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals.
  • His motivation evolves from defending Chang’e to embodying the accumulated hatred of the Human Clan toward the Demon Race. His killing intent resonates with the two swords, causing them to become dark crimson and greatly amplifying their power.
  • Chen Yang’s path of formation-based cultivation proves extraordinarily powerful but physically dangerous, as his body begins to suffer from bearing the formations’ power.
  • Chang’e decisively rejects her former identity as Wangshu. Her oath to belong exclusively to the Human Clan establishes her emotional and spiritual commitment to her new life.
  • Chang’e’s relationship with Chen Yang deepens: she openly recognizes him as her master, while Chen Yang accepts responsibility for protecting her regardless of the danger.
  • Xihe is portrayed as proud, cold, and domineering. She regards Chang’e as property of the past and dismisses Chen Yang as an insignificant “ant,” underestimating his resolve and growing power.
  • Tongtian shows confidence in Chen Yang and deliberately supports his confrontation with Xihe, using the battle as both a test of Chen Yang and a warning to the Demon Race.

Significant Themes

  • Identity versus past allegiance: Chang’e’s struggle centers on whether she must remain Wangshu or can define herself as a new person belonging to the Human Clan.
  • Teacher-student bonds: Chang’e’s defense of Chen Yang as her master emphasizes that wisdom and spiritual guidance, rather than cultivation level alone, establish a teacher’s legitimacy.
  • Human-Demon hatred: Chen Yang’s rage reflects the broader historical conflict between the Human Clan and Demon Race, suggesting that ancient hatred survives even across reincarnation.
  • Defiance against overwhelming power: Chen Yang refuses to submit despite Xihe’s superior cultivation, demonstrating that determination, moral conviction, and specialized abilities can challenge seemingly invincible opponents.
  • Power and sacrifice: Chen Yang’s formation path grants him extraordinary strength but damages his body, highlighting the cost of pursuing power beyond one’s natural limits.
  • Political and karmic consequences: Tongtian’s intervention indicates that Xihe’s actions have violated larger rules between the major factions, turning Chen Yang’s personal battle into a conflict with broader consequences.

Important Character Interactions

  • Xihe and Chang’e: Their exchange reveals their former familial connection and Xihe’s desire to reclaim or control Wangshu. Chang’e rejects her entirely, creating a direct emotional and ideological confrontation.
  • Chen Yang and Chang’e: Chang’e calls Chen Yang her master and pledges loyalty to the Human Clan. Chen Yang responds by promising to protect her, solidifying their bond.
  • Chen Yang and Xihe: Their clash combines personal protection, Human-Demon enmity, and a contest between Chen Yang’s sword formations and Xihe’s Moon Essence Wheel.
  • Tongtian and Duobao: Duobao worries that Chen Yang is too weak to face Xihe, but Tongtian remains confident and explains that the Demon Race must be punished for breaking the rules.
  • Jie Sect disciples and Tongtian: The disciples are astonished by Chen Yang’s strength, while Tongtian’s decision to send the final two killing swords signals institutional support for Chen Yang’s battle.

Ch. 39The Might of Immortal Slaying, the Totem Cultivation Method

Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang unexpectedly manifests the Slaying Immortals Sword Formation using the four killing swords. Its immense Killing Intent shakes the entire Primordial World, attracting the attention of powerful figures such as Yuanshi and Laozi.
  • Though the formation places overwhelming pressure on Chen Yang’s body and mind, Tongtian’s energy temporarily sustains him.
  • Chen Yang launches the formation against Xihe’s avatar. Xihe burns the avatar and transforms the Moon Essence Wheel into a Lunar Star, but the sword formation cuts through and destroys it effortlessly.
  • Yue Chan begs Xihe for help, but Chen Yang kills her with a casual sweep of Sword Qi. He then eliminates the remaining Demon Race forces along the Eastern Sea Coast.
  • Chen Yang declares the Eastern Sea Coast forbidden territory for the Demon Race and vows that the Human-Demon enmity will eventually be repaid.
  • Exhausted from maintaining the sword formation, Chen Yang collapses and remains unconscious for one hundred years. After awakening, he reunites with his master, Duobao, who scolds him for his reckless behavior.
  • Ten thousand years later, while studying the Wu Tribe’s vast library, Chen Yang combines knowledge from numerous ancient sources with his own Body-Forged Formation, visualization, and faith-based techniques to create the Totem Cultivation Method.
  • Chen Yang begins experimenting on humans living in the Wu Tribe settlement. He converts visualization methods into formation patterns and tattoos them onto the body, allowing practitioners to absorb spiritual energy, temper their bodies, strengthen their Primordial Spirits, and comprehend Dao principles.
  • Over thousands of years, the system develops through both success and failure. Some practitioners grow rapidly and form increasingly powerful totems, while others die because their bodies cannot withstand overly powerful inscriptions.
  • Chen Yang also tests the method on human-Wu hybrids and members of the Wu Tribe. After refining the technique, he passes it on to the Human Clan and consults the High Shaman Houyi about whether it can benefit the Wu Tribe.

2. Character Developments

  • Chen Yang demonstrates extraordinary power by independently controlling the Slaying Immortals Sword Formation, placing him among the most dangerous figures in the Primordial World. However, the battle reveals the severe physical and mental costs of his strength.
  • His hatred of the Demon Race drives him to continue the massacre even after defeating Xihe’s avatar, showing both determination and ruthlessness.
  • Chen Yang shifts from a frontline warrior to an innovator and teacher. His creation of the Totem Cultivation Method reflects his growing scholarly ability and his desire to strengthen the Human Clan systematically.
  • Xihe is portrayed as shocked and helpless before Chen Yang’s power. Even her avatar’s ultimate defensive transformation into a Lunar Star cannot resist the sword formation.
  • Duobao remains a caring but exasperated master, reprimanding Chen Yang while watching over him during his recovery.
  • Houyi serves as a representative of the Wu Tribe’s cautious interest, questioning whether Chen Yang’s invention is genuinely suitable for their people.

3. Significant Themes

  • Power and its cost: The Slaying Immortals Sword Formation grants overwhelming destructive power, but Chen Yang nearly destroys his own body and mind using it.
  • Hatred and vengeance: Chen Yang’s hatred for the Demon Race fuels his persistence and shapes his declaration that humanity will eventually demand repayment.
  • Innovation through synthesis: The Totem Cultivation Method is created by combining traditions from different races, ancient civilizations, visualization arts, talismans, formations, and faith cultivation.
  • Sacrifice in pursuit of progress: The Human Clan accepts deaths during experimentation because improved cultivation offers hope for survival and strength.
  • Adaptation and accessibility: Chen Yang seeks to create a method ordinary humans can use, compensating for the difficulty of traditional Wu body-tempering techniques.
  • Knowledge as power: The Wu Tribe’s library becomes the foundation for a new cultivation system, emphasizing the importance of accumulated learning and cross-cultural knowledge.

4. Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang and Xihe clash directly, with Chen Yang’s sword formation completely overwhelming her avatar.
  • Yue Chan appeals to Xihe for protection, but Chen Yang kills her before aid can come.
  • The distant reactions of Yuanshi, Guangchengzi, and Laozi establish that Chen Yang’s feat is powerful enough to alarm or impress the highest-level cultivators.
  • Duobao reunites with Chen Yang after his century-long coma, balancing reprimand with concern.
  • Chen Yang works closely with Human Clan volunteers, human-Wu hybrids, and Wu Tribe members as they test and refine the Totem Cultivation Method.
  • Finally, Chen Yang discusses the method with Houyi, beginning a possible collaboration—or debate—over whether the new system can strengthen the Wu Tribe.

Ch. 40Ancestor Shaman Essence Blood, Pangu Primordial Spirit Dharma Form

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Yang introduces the Totem Cultivation Method to the Wu Tribe, explaining that their powerful bodies can endure formation inscriptions and that totems can strengthen both individuals and battle formations.
  • Using Xingtian’s essence blood, Chen Yang inscribes Xingtian’s battle stance onto the Little Shaman Zhan Tian, whose Great Path is also War. The inscription causes Zhan Tian’s fighting will and Great Path to surge, allowing him to break through from Little Shaman to Postnatal High Shaman.
  • Chen Yang explains that battle stances are physical manifestations of a cultivator’s Great Path, which is why the inscription is so effective.
  • The Totem Cultivation Method spreads throughout the Wu Tribe. Numerous Little Shamans break through into High Shamans, while Human-Wu advance into the Little Shaman realm, greatly raising the tribe’s overall strength.
  • Chen Yang suggests using Ancestor Shaman Essence Blood to inscribe the Ancestor Shamans’ battle stances onto ordinary Wu members. For the Ancestor Shamans themselves, he proposes inscribing Pangu’s stance, though their bodies may not yet be capable of bearing it.
  • Since the Ancestor Shamans remain in seclusion, Xingtian and others forge divine-material weapons and banners bearing their battle stances. The Wu Tribe gathers faith by having its members worship these objects, eventually creating twelve Ancestor Shaman Banners.
  • After tens of thousands of years, the Ancestor Shamans emerge from seclusion and learn of the Wu Tribe’s transformation. They are astonished by the widespread use of totems and the tribe’s rapid growth.
  • Dijiang agrees to allow the humans living among the Wu Tribe to return to the Human Clan. He also permits human cultivators and some Human-Wu to return, provided they are willing. The Wu Tribe helps protect the migrants.
  • During the intervening centuries, Chen Yang comprehends the Pangu Primordial Spirit Dharma Form, gains insight into the Three Thousand Laws, creates Three Thousand Minor Worlds, and undergoes a physical transformation after fusing with Ancestor Shaman Essence Blood.
  • Chen Yang spends several hundred years studying Buddhist teachings and discussing reincarnation with Pingxin. Before departing, Pingxin gives him a rudimentary formation method as a farewell gift and asks him to develop it further.
  • Chen Yang eventually returns to the Eastern Sea Coast with the final group of migrants. After a thousand years of travel, he reaches the Human Clan’s homeland and feels that he has finally returned home.
  • Sui Qing reports that the migrants have been successfully integrated: soldiers are training new armies, craftsmen are forging weapons, and laborers are contributing to production. The chapter ends with concerns about feeding and sustaining the rapidly expanding military forces.

Character Developments

  • Chen Yang becomes increasingly influential as both a cultivator and reformer. His Totem Cultivation Method revolutionizes Wu Tribe cultivation, while his study of Pangu, Buddhist teachings, reincarnation, and faith broadens his understanding of multiple paths.
  • Xingtian shifts from skepticism to enthusiastic support of Chen Yang’s method. He recognizes the value of using battle stances and helps create the Ancestor Shaman Banners.
  • Zhan Tian experiences a major breakthrough, becoming a High Shaman after receiving Xingtian’s battle-stance inscription.
  • Dijiang demonstrates goodwill toward the Human Clan by approving the return of the humans protected by the Wu Tribe. His stance reinforces the relationship between the two races.
  • Pingxin and Chen Yang develop a deeper intellectual and emotional bond through their discussions of reincarnation. Her farewell gift suggests continued trust and future collaboration.
  • Sui Qing shows competence in managing the returning population and organizing them according to their skills.

Significant Themes

  • Innovation and adaptation: Chen Yang’s new cultivation method transforms the Wu Tribe by applying formations to their naturally powerful bodies.
  • The connection between physical form and the Great Path: Battle stances are portrayed as visible manifestations of profound laws, allowing them to enhance others who share the same path.
  • Mutual aid between races: The Wu Tribe and Human Clan are presented as branches of a shared lineage, emphasizing cooperation despite their differences.
  • Faith and power: The creation of battle-stance weapons and banners explores how worship and faith might give spiritual objects independent life or greater power.
  • Homecoming and belonging: Chen Yang’s return to the Eastern Sea Coast carries emotional weight, especially after centuries spent among the Wu Tribe.
  • Growth and responsibility: The Human Clan’s increasing population and military strength bring new logistical problems, showing that advancement also creates burdens.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Yang works closely with Xingtian and Houyi to test and spread the Totem Cultivation Method.
  • His explanation of the method changes Xingtian’s understanding of why battle stances can strengthen other Wu cultivators.
  • Chen Yang and the Ancestor Shamans negotiate the return of the humans living within Wu territory, with Dijiang responding cooperatively and respectfully.
  • Chen Yang and Pingxin share a thoughtful farewell centered on reincarnation, future meetings, and the formation manual she gives him.
  • After Chen Yang’s return, Sui Qing updates him on the migrants’ settlement and raises the practical issue of feeding the Human Clan’s growing armies.
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