Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Innate Demon God Era

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yang learns that the Grandmasters’ injuries are connected to the Heavenly Dao. Because Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, and the other Saints have fused with Primordial Purple Qi and become part of the Heavenly Dao, any damage to it also harms them.
• Luohou exploited this connection. Though sealed, he remained linked to the Heavenly Dao through the Demon Dao. When the Heavenly Dao developed a flaw, Hongjun and the Saints were injured, allowing Luohou to grow stronger and threaten to break free.
• The cause of the Heavenly Dao’s flaw remains unknown. The Grandmasters suspect it may be connected to the Chaos Demon Gods, possibly including the Burning Demon God’s escape from its seal.
• Laozi reveals the forgotten history of the Primordial World:
  • The earliest era was the Demon God Era, when surviving Chaos Demon Gods revived and remnants of Pangu’s flesh, blood, and bones formed the Pangu Clan.
  • The Chaos Demon Gods and Pangu Clan were natural enemies, leading to a great war. Many powerful Demon Gods could not be killed and were sealed instead.
  • In that era, Primordial Unity cultivators were reportedly common.
• The Innate Demon God Era followed. Many surviving entities possessed either the souls or bodies of Chaos Demon Gods, becoming Innate Demon Gods. At the same time, more incomplete Pangu remnants developed into powerful beings and continued opposing them.
• Numerous Demon Gods remain sealed throughout the Primordial World, including beneath the Undying Volcano, at the Four Extremities, beneath the Blood Sea, and inside secret realms.
• Chen Yang and Duobao realize that the Primordial World contains far more hidden dangers and ancient powers than they had imagined.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang becomes increasingly cautious and humble. He recognizes that his Half-Step Primordial Unity cultivation and powerful formations do not place him near the true peak of the Primordial World.
• Duobao shares Chen Yang’s shock and reevaluates his own strength, admitting that Half-Step Primordial Unity is not as extraordinary as he once believed.
• Laozi provides much of the historical explanation and admits that even he only recently learned the full truth about the Demon God Era.
• Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian clarify the relationship between the Heavenly Dao, the Saints, and Luohou, while also reassuring Chen Yang and Duobao that their rapid cultivation remains impressive.
• Chen Yang’s killing of the Burning Demon God is emphasized as proof that he still possesses exceptional ability despite the existence of even older and stronger beings.

Significant Themes

• Power and hidden hierarchies: Apparent strength is relative; even Half-Step Primordial Unity cultivators are insignificant compared with the ancient powers concealed in the world.
• Interdependence and risk: The Saints’ reliance on the Heavenly Dao grants them cultivation benefits but also makes them vulnerable when it is damaged.
• Buried history and forgotten threats: The Primordial World’s official or commonly known history conceals entire eras and countless sealed Demon Gods.
• Cycles of sealing and revival: Powerful beings that cannot be destroyed remain dormant, creating the possibility of future catastrophes.
• Humility and growth: Chen Yang and Duobao are forced to abandon their confidence and recognize the need for continued cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yang repeatedly questions the Grandmasters, driving the discussion about the Heavenly Dao and ancient history.
• Duobao reacts alongside him, voicing astonishment and confirming the seriousness of the revelations.
• Laozi explains the origins of the Demon God and Innate Demon God Eras, while Yuanshi and Tongtian add details about the Heavenly Dao and sealed entities.
• The Grandmasters reassure Chen Yang and Duobao that, despite the hidden ancient powers, their achievements remain remarkable.
• The group’s shared realization of the Primordial World’s depth creates a solemn, uneasy atmosphere and foreshadows future conflicts involving sealed Demon Gods.

Summary: “A Break in History”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yang and the Three Pure Ones discuss the aftermath of his battle with the Burning Demon God. Chen Yang admits that defeating it depended heavily on favorable circumstances and nearly caused his grandson to merge with the Dao.
• Tongtian acknowledges the terrifying power of Chen Yang’s formation, noting that even incomplete mastery of it could serve as a deterrent against future enemies.
• Chen Yang worries that ancient, powerful beings might imitate Dijun’s eldest son by sacrificing the Human Clan to unleash another Chaos Demon God. Laozi explains that the Heavenly Dao should prevent such acts, though loopholes may still be exploited.
• The conversation shifts to the history of the Primordial World. Tongtian reveals that there was an undocumented period known as the Savage Beast Era, creating a “break in history” because nearly all evidence of it was destroyed.
• The Savage Beast Era existed before the Myriad Tribes Era and was confirmed by Luohou, Hongjun, and the Burning Demon God. Hongjun and Luohou themselves were born during this period.
• The era contained three major races formed from the remnants of Chaos Demon Gods slain by Pangu:
  • Fierce Beast Clan: Largest bodies, brutal instincts, powerful physical strength, and the strongest combat ability.
  • Savage Beast Clan: Smaller and somewhat more intelligent, but still warlike and violent.
  • Divine Beast Clan: Smallest and comparatively weaker, but gifted with innate divine abilities; they became ancestors of many later races.
• Each race produced an emperor: Ditian, Emperor of the Fierce Beasts; Shen Ni, Emperor of the Savage Beasts; and Tian Ni, Emperor of the Divine Beasts.
• The three races fought for supremacy and carried out a massive purge of the Primordial World, killing nearly every other living being. The era ended in catastrophic warfare, after which all three races mysteriously disappeared without leaving any trace.
• Hongjun, Luohou, and other survivors had hidden in sealed secret realms. When they emerged, the three races were gone, and the Primordial World had been so thoroughly destroyed that even historical evidence had vanished.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang is shown as humble and self-aware, refusing to exaggerate his victory over the Burning Demon God. He also demonstrates growing concern for the safety of the Human Clan and the stability of the Primordial World.
• Tongtian acts as Chen Yang’s mentor, recognizing the strategic value of Chen Yang’s formation while also revealing previously unknown historical knowledge.
• Laozi provides a cautious and realistic assessment of the Heavenly Dao, acknowledging both its authority and the possibility that ancient beings might exploit weaknesses.
• Yuanshi Tianzun explains the origins and traits of the three beast races in detail.
• Duobao shares Chen Yang’s curiosity and shock, repeatedly questioning how such powerful races could disappear without a trace.

Significant Themes

• The danger of overwhelming power: The Burning Demon God and the potential release of other Chaos Demon Gods demonstrate how fragile the Primordial World remains.
• The limits of history and memory: Even an entire era can be erased when destruction is sufficiently vast, making historical knowledge incomplete and unreliable.
• Cycles of rise and destruction: The repeated emergence of three dominant races reflects the Primordial World’s apparent cycle of “Three Talents,” while also showing how rivalry can destroy an entire age.
• The consequences of slaughter: The Savage Beast Era was shaped by the violent remnants of the Chaos Demon Gods and ultimately consumed by endless warfare.
• Mystery and hidden forces: The unexplained disappearance of the three beast races suggests that deeper powers or unknown events may lie behind the historical gap.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yang respectfully consults Tongtian, Laozi, and Yuanshi about both present dangers and ancient history.
• Tongtian and Laozi respond to Chen Yang’s concerns about future Chaos Demon Gods, balancing reassurance with caution.
• Chen Yang and Duobao react with shared astonishment as the history of the Savage Beast Era unfolds.
• Yuanshi provides the principal explanation of the three races, while Laozi adds Luohou’s firsthand account of the era’s destruction.
• The group ends in stunned silence, united by the unresolved mystery of how the three terrifying races vanished completely.

Chapter Summary: “The Thousand-Year Term Has Arrived”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yang asks Tongtian about the origins of the Myriad Tribes Era. Tongtian explains that after the Savage/Barbaric Era, the Primordial World entered a long peaceful period in which Innate Lifeforms and remnants of Demon Gods gradually evolved into countless races.
• Laozi cautions Chen Yang and Duobao not to rely entirely on the explanations of others. They must investigate the Primordial World’s history and mysteries for themselves.
• The characters discuss whether another great calamity may occur. Tongtian says it is impossible to know, but everyone must remain vigilant.
• The devastating losses of the recent calamity are reviewed:
  • More than half—and later described as roughly eighty percent—of Jie Sect’s outer disciples perished.
  • Several Exposition Sect disciples, including Jiuliusun and Cihang Daoist, also died.
  • Many Human Clan martial artists and experts from other races were killed.
  • The Human Realm suffered comparatively little, with Xuandu surviving despite serious injuries.
• Yuanshi explains that the deceased disciples have entered Reincarnation. Their souls can eventually recover and return to Exposition Sect, though all their accumulated cultivation has been lost.
• Chen Yang promises to ask Pingxin to arrange the proper reincarnation of the deceased disciples.
• The group discusses the ancient powers and special races whose secrets were exposed during the calamity. The ancient monsters are restrained by the Heavenly Dao, but races that assisted the Demon Cultivators—especially the Phoenix Clan—must be warned.
• The connection between the Phoenix Clan, Dijun, and the rise of the Demon Race is revealed:
  • Phoenix Ancestor supported Dijun and may even have passed down his inheritance to him.
  • The Demon Race rose partly through the Phoenix Clan’s assistance.
  • Dijun’s power was built upon the destruction and resources of Penglai Purple Manor.
• Laozi recounts the fall of Penglai Purple Manor. Eastern Sovereign’s mysterious attempt to accomplish something “ominous” apparently brought disaster or backlash. His subordinates rebelled, Dijun led the Demon Race against him, and the Primordial World’s various forces divided the manor’s resources.
• A thousand years pass while Chen Yang discusses and verifies the calamity’s events with the Saints.
• When the thousand-year term arrives, Laozi brings Chen Yang and Duobao to Zixiao Palace. All the Saints, including Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, gather there.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang becomes more mature and willing to investigate the Primordial World’s history independently rather than accepting secondhand explanations. He also takes responsibility for helping the deceased disciples reincarnate properly.
• Duobao remains uninterested in ancient history and political mysteries, preferring to focus on cultivation, reinforcing his carefree and somewhat lazy personality.
• Tongtian shows grief over Jie Sect’s enormous losses but maintains a cautious, pragmatic attitude toward future calamities and hidden enemies.
• Yuanshi Tianzun demonstrates his protectiveness toward Exposition Sect while acknowledging that even powerful leaders could not save all their disciples.
• Laozi acts as a teacher and historian, explaining the hidden causes behind the rise and fall of major factions while warning that some mysteries are beyond their understanding.
• Dijun is portrayed as someone whose rise depended heavily on Phoenix Ancestor’s support and on exploiting Penglai Purple Manor’s collapse.
• The gathered Saints appear visibly weary after the calamity, emphasizing its lasting physical and emotional impact.

Significant Themes

• The cost of great calamities: Victory came at the price of enormous death and the loss of countless years of cultivation.
• Reincarnation and renewal: Death is not necessarily final, but returning to former strength requires immense time and effort.
• The hidden foundations of power: No faction rises independently; political strength is built through inherited legacies, alliances, support, and the remains of fallen powers.
• The cyclical rise and fall of civilizations: Penglai Purple Manor’s prosperity eventually declined, allowing the Demon Race to rise from its ruins.
• The limits of knowledge: Even the Saints cannot explain the ominous force behind Eastern Sovereign’s downfall, reinforcing the existence of deeper mysteries.
• Caution after victory: The end of one calamity does not guarantee peace, and old monsters, secret races, and hidden alliances remain potential threats.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yang and Duobao question Tongtian and Laozi about the Primordial World’s history, though Duobao quickly loses interest.
• Chen Yang discusses the casualties with Tongtian and Yuanshi, showing concern for the deceased disciples of both Jie Sect and Exposition Sect.
• Chen Yang offers to coordinate with Pingxin regarding the disciples’ reincarnation, earning the role of a responsible mediator.
• Chen Yang asks the Saints about the Phoenix Clan’s motives, prompting Yuanshi and Laozi to explain its connection to Dijun and the Demon Race.
• Duobao’s question about Penglai Purple Manor leads Laozi to reveal one of the chapter’s most important historical secrets.
• After a thousand years, Chen Yang and Duobao reunite with the other Saints at Zixiao Palace, where the fatigue of the recent war is apparent among them.

Chapter Summary: The Fortunes of the Two Sects Intertwined

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hongjun summons the saints to Zixiao Palace to address the aftermath of the great tribulation.
• He reveals that the Heavenly Dao contains an inherent flaw. Luohou exploited this weakness, seized part of the Heavenly Dao Origin, and became considerably stronger before being sealed again.
• Hongjun is more concerned that the Demon Sect remained hidden during the chaos, suggesting it may be preparing an even greater scheme.
• The saints discuss the ancient relationship between the Mystic Sect and the Demon Sect. Hongjun explains that neither side can completely destroy the other, since each naturally gives rise to and restrains the other.
• Because Luohou’s power has increased, the Demon Dao will inevitably grow stronger. The Mystic Sect must therefore strengthen itself while preventing Luohou from breaking his seal.
• Hongjun orders Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian to establish their own worlds in Chaos, remain there with their true bodies, reinforce Luohou’s seal, monitor demonic qi, and investigate the Heavenly Dao’s flaws. Their incarnations may continue acting in the Primordial World.
• Jieyin and Zhunti are instructed to reinforce the seal on Luohou’s Demon Dragon incarnation. After completing this task and settling the affairs of the Buddhist Sect, they must return to Chaos to assist Hongjun.
• Hongjun criticizes the Human Sect and Exposition Sect for their lack of development, contrasting them with the rapidly growing Jie Sect.
• He proposes that Chen Yang take control of all three teachings. Laozi formally transfers leadership of the Human Sect to Chen Yang, and Yuanshi follows by appointing him the second-generation leader of the Exposition Sect.
• Chen Yang is left stunned by his sudden elevation, becoming leader of the Jie Sect, Human Sect, and Exposition Sect.

Character Developments

• Hongjun becomes more openly concerned about the long-term consequences of Luohou’s strengthened Demon Dao and the hidden plans of the Demon Sect. He shifts the saints’ focus from the recent tribulation to sustained defense and investigation.
• Laozi demonstrates a willingness to reorganize the Mystic Sect for survival. Despite traditionally valuing calm and limited discipleship, he entrusts the Human Sect to Chen Yang because of Chen Yang’s proven ability.
• Yuanshi Tianzun reluctantly accepts that the Exposition Sect needs new leadership and ultimately gives Chen Yang authority over it.
• Tongtian and the Jie Sect receive recognition for their success in developing their teachings, making Chen Yang’s leadership model the example the other sects must follow.
• Jieyin and Zhunti are burdened with the difficult task of reconstructing the Demon Dragon’s seal. Zhunti is especially troubled by Chen Yang’s growing influence, fearing it will leave the Buddhist Sect with little room to develop.
• Chen Yang experiences a sudden and overwhelming rise in responsibility. Without seeking it, he becomes the central leader of the three Mystic teachings.

Significant Themes

• Balance between opposing forces: The Mystic Sect and Demon Sect are portrayed as eternal, mutually dependent opposites that cannot be permanently eradicated.
• The consequences of imbalance: Luohou’s seizure of Heavenly Dao Origin shifts the balance toward the Demon Dao and forces the Mystic Sect to respond.
• Duty versus personal preference: The saints must abandon ordinary affairs and remain in Chaos to fulfill their responsibilities, while Chen Yang must accept leadership he never expected.
• Institutional renewal and consolidation: The struggling Human and Exposition Sects must be unified under a capable leader to survive the coming conflict.
• Hidden threats and uncertainty: The Demon Sect’s silence is more alarming than open aggression, suggesting that the current crisis may only be the beginning.
• Fortune and authority: The fortunes of the Human, Exposition, and Jie Sects become intertwined through Chen Yang, creating a stronger united force but threatening the independence of other sects, especially Buddhism.

Important Character Interactions

• Hongjun and the saints: Hongjun explains the true danger behind the tribulation and assigns each saint new defensive responsibilities.
• Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian: They recognize the seriousness of the Demon Sect’s silence and agree that the Mystic Sect must grow stronger rather than attempt the impossible task of destroying its opposite.
• Hongjun with Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian: He commands them to station their true bodies in Chaos and guard Luohou’s seal, fundamentally changing how they will govern their sects.
• Hongjun with Jieyin and Zhunti: He entrusts them with reinforcing the Demon Dragon’s seal before requiring them to join the broader defense of Chaos.
• Laozi and Chen Yang: Laozi praises Chen Yang’s accomplishments and unexpectedly hands him leadership of the Human Sect.
• Yuanshi and Chen Yang: Yuanshi follows Laozi’s decision and appoints Chen Yang leader of the Exposition Sect.
• Zhunti and the others: Zhunti objects indirectly to the plan because Chen Yang’s growing control over the three teachings could severely restrict the Buddhist Sect’s future.
• Chen Yang’s reaction: He is bewildered and overwhelmed by the sudden transfer of two additional sect leadership positions.

Chapter Summary: “A Life of Toil”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yang unexpectedly becomes the leader of all three major teachings—the Human Sect, Exposition Sect, and Jie Sect—after Tongtian proposes reunifying them under one leader.
• Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun formally transfer leadership of their respective sects to Chen Yang, while Chen Yang vows to merge the Three Teachings, spread their doctrines, and restore their prosperity.
• The Three Pure Ones step down from their leadership roles to remain in Chaos with Dao Ancestor Hongjun, helping guard the Purple Cloud Seal and suppress Luohou and the Demon Dao.
• Hongjun assigns Nuwa responsibility for handling affairs in Chaos after Luohou is suppressed.
• Hongjun praises Chen Yang for fusing Formation Dao during the recent tribulation and destroying the Burning Demon God. He then tasks Chen Yang with preventing the Demon Sect from rising within the Primordial World.
• Chen Yang protests that the responsibilities are too difficult, but Hongjun promises support and offers him access to the Purple Cloud Blessed Land. Chen Yang immediately accepts the burden once he hears about the benefits.
• Hongjun reprimands Haotian for negligence during the Outworld Demon invasion. He orders Haotian to strengthen the Heavenly Court and announces that the Heaven Book, or Investiture List, will be used to appoint Star Deities and improve the court’s defenses.
• Chen Yang is also made responsible for handling the Investiture List, adding yet another major duty to his workload.
• After the meeting, Chen Yang visits the Purple Cloud Blessed Land with Haotian. With Hongjun’s permission, they harvest its abundant spirit fruits and resources for the Three Teachings and future cultivation.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang reluctantly accepts enormous authority despite preferring cultivation and a quiet life. His sense of responsibility ultimately overcomes his resistance, though he views himself as an unwilling “beast of burden.”
• Tongtian acts decisively to reunite the Three Teachings and subtly pressures Chen Yang to accept the leadership, motivated partly by guilt over their original separation.
• Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun demonstrate trust in Chen Yang by surrendering leadership of their sects and expressing confidence in his ability to develop them.
• Hongjun treats Chen Yang affectionately as a capable but mischievous subordinate, praising his achievements while continually assigning him more work.
• Haotian openly acknowledges his failure during the Outworld Demon invasion and is given a chance to improve the Heavenly Court.
• Nuwa accepts a demanding administrative role in Chaos, becoming responsible for maintaining order after the conflict with Luohou.

Significant Themes

• Duty versus personal desire: Chen Yang wants only to cultivate, but his abilities and reputation force him into increasingly important responsibilities.
• Unity and reconciliation: The reunification of the Human, Chan/Exposition, and Jie Teachings represents healing an old division and restoring shared fortune.
• The burden of power: Authority brings Chen Yang little personal satisfaction; instead, it creates obligations that interfere with his cultivation.
• Preparation against future threats: The chapter emphasizes that both the Primordial World and Chaos remain dangerous, with the Demon Dao and Demon Sect posing long-term threats.
• Resources and strategic development: The Purple Cloud Blessed Land’s spirit fruits and treasures symbolize the material foundation needed to strengthen the Three Teachings and Heavenly Court.

Character Interactions

• Tongtian persuades Chen Yang to accept leadership, while Duobao privately encourages him to recognize the emotional importance of reuniting the Three Teachings.
• Chen Yang formally promises Laozi and Yuanshi that he will make their sects flourish.
• Hongjun gives instructions to the major figures, balancing stern warnings with personal trust and playful familiarity, especially in his exchanges with Chen Yang.
• Chen Yang and Haotian contrast nostalgia with practicality: Haotian reminisces about the Purple Cloud Blessed Land, while Chen Yang urges him to focus on gathering its resources.
• The chapter closes with Chen Yang actively harvesting spirit fruits, showing that although he complains about his responsibilities, he is already acting to fulfill them.

Chapter Summary: Zixiao Cauldron

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the battle, Chen Yang, Haotian, and Duobao plunder the Purple Cloud Blessed Land for resources. They strip its spiritual fruits, treasure vaults, scripture repositories, pill-refining grounds, and artifact-refining materials.
• Chen Yang explains that these resources will not significantly improve his own cultivation, but will greatly strengthen the Human Clan and the Three Teachings, compensating for the enormous resources consumed during the previous battle.
• Chen Yang seeks out the artifact spirit of the Zixiao Cauldron, hoping to obtain its help. He argues that the cauldron can forge perfect treasures to carry the Three Corpses of Mystic Sect disciples, allowing them to advance much more rapidly.
• Chen Yang misleadingly claims that Hongjun has allowed him to choose anything within the blessed land, including the Zixiao Cauldron. Haotian reluctantly confirms the statement.
• Hongjun exposes Chen Yang’s deception but ultimately permits him to take the Zixiao Cauldron as a reward for his contributions during the great tribulation. The cauldron agrees to follow Chen Yang.
• Hongjun entrusts Chen Yang with the Investiture List and gives him authority over how the divine titles will be assigned. This signals that the Investiture of Gods process will proceed differently from its original course.
• Chen Yang and the Saints return to the Primordial World, while Hongjun orders the Saints to settle their affairs and return to Chaos to confront Luohou.
• In Kunlun, Chen Yang gathers the disciples of the Three Teachings while Laozi and the other Saints enter seclusion to recover.
• Several thousand years later, Chen Yang begins using the Zixiao Cauldron to strengthen his Three Corpses and help them reach the level required for his breakthrough into Primordial Unity.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang becomes increasingly bold, resourceful, and opportunistic. He openly loots the blessed land, manipulates Haotian into supporting his story, and successfully acquires the Zixiao Cauldron through a mixture of persuasion and audacity.
• His priorities expand beyond personal cultivation: he focuses on strengthening the Human Clan, the Three Teachings, and the Mystic Sect in preparation for the conflict with the Demon Sect.
• Haotian acts as the Lord of the Heavenly Court and begins gathering resources for his future subordinates. Although startled by Chen Yang’s methods, he cooperates when pressured.
• Duobao joins the looting and regrets not thinking of claiming the Zixiao Cauldron himself before Chen Yang.
• Hongjun demonstrates both authority and tolerance. He recognizes Chen Yang’s deception but approves the acquisition because it benefits the Mystic Sect and rewards Chen Yang’s achievements.
• The Zixiao Cauldron’s artifact spirit initially distrusts Chen Yang and resists leaving the blessed land, but ultimately accepts Hongjun’s command and becomes Chen Yang’s powerful new asset.
• Star Daoist, one of Chen Yang’s Three Corpses, reveals substantial progress. Through studying the stars and combining the incomplete Astral and Phoenix Formations, he has developed a new Star Formation and is approaching Half-Step Primordial Unity.

Significant Themes

• Resource accumulation and preparation for war: The large-scale plundering reflects the coming confrontation with Luohou and the Demon Sect. Strengthening allies and sect disciples is as important as Chen Yang’s own advancement.
• Ingenuity and opportunism: Chen Yang repeatedly uses cleverness, persuasion, and calculated deception to secure advantages, even within Hongjun’s domain.
• Collective strength versus individual power: Chen Yang’s greatest concern is enabling the Human Clan and Three Teachings to grow stronger, rather than simply increasing his own cultivation.
• The importance of artifacts in cultivation: The Zixiao Cauldron’s ability to forge or restore perfect treasures makes it central to the Three Corpses Severing Method and the future development of the Mystic Sect.
• Destiny being rewritten: By taking control of the Investiture List, Chen Yang gains the ability to alter the traditional Investiture of Gods War and its distribution of divine titles.
• The difficulty of reaching Primordial Unity: Chen Yang is already at Peak Half-Step Primordial Unity, but cannot break through until his Three Corpses catch up and can be fused with him.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yang and Haotian cooperate in looting the blessed land, though Haotian is drawn into Chen Yang’s deception regarding the Zixiao Cauldron.
• Chen Yang appeals to the cauldron’s sense of purpose by presenting its artifact-forging abilities as essential to the Mystic Sect’s survival and advancement.
• Hongjun confronts Chen Yang directly but ultimately validates his plan, turning the attempted deception into an officially sanctioned reward.
• Duobao witnesses Chen Yang’s success and reacts with admiration mixed with regret for failing to act first.
• Chen Yang later addresses his Three Corpses as the “True Self,” explaining that their insufficient cultivation is the final obstacle preventing his breakthrough. Star Daoist responds with loyalty and reports his progress toward Half-Step Primordial Unity.

Chapter Summary: “Step into the Limit as Soon as Possible”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yang and his incarnations discuss perfecting their respective formations to increase their cultivation quickly.
• Star Daoist reveals that Ziwei Star, traditionally believed to be the strongest and central star among the heavens, appears incomplete and unusually weak. This defect has disrupted the trajectories of the other stars and made the Astral Formation difficult to perfect.
• Yanhuang Daoist recalls a legend that Ziwei Star was formed from a bone in Pangu’s brow and represents wisdom. The group speculates that sealed Demon Gods or other ancient forces may have damaged it, though Chen Yang decides the cause is not immediately important.
• The Investiture List is discussed. Chen Yang explains that the appointed Star Deities must come from the Mystic Sect—specifically loyal disciples of the Human, Chan, and Jie Three Teachings—because the Heavenly Court will serve as the Mystic Sect’s orthodox foundation against the Demon Sect and Outworld Demons. Buddhist disciples cannot be appointed.
• The group shifts focus from investiture to cultivation. Chen Yang emphasizes that the Primordial World is increasingly dangerous and that he must reach the Primordial Unity Realm as soon as possible.
• Each incarnation outlines the formation needed to reach Half-Step Primordial Unity:
  • Star Daoist: Perfect and merge the Astral Formation.
  • Yanhuang Daoist: Comprehend and merge the Qilin Formation, Myriad Immortals Formation, and his own Primordial World Formation, potentially aided by Pangu Divine Bone.
  • Dao Path: Merge the All-Heaven Grand Formation, which is already contained within Chen Yang’s Ancestor Shaman Aspect.
• Chen Yang uses the Zixiao Cauldron over several centuries to reforge and strengthen the three incarnations. He adds divine materials and Pangu Divine Bone to improve their bodies and their ability to bear formations.
• Most of Chen Yang’s precious resources, including Black-Yellow Qi and Divine Bone, are consumed in the process, but the incarnations’ foundations and cultivation improve significantly.
• After the incarnations continue inscribing formations, Chen Yang enters the Zixiao Cauldron himself to have Elder Zi temper his body.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang: Becomes increasingly urgent and pragmatic. The appearance of the Burning Demon God convinces him that the Primordial World is far more dangerous than his past-life memories suggest. He accepts that he must strengthen both his incarnations and himself before attempting the Primordial Unity breakthrough.
• Star Daoist: Demonstrates deep understanding of the stars and identifies the hidden flaw in Ziwei Star. He remains committed to perfecting the Astral Formation despite the irregularities in the celestial system.
• Yanhuang Daoist: Shows confidence in his formation path and contributes knowledge about Ziwei Star’s ancient origins. He also recognizes the strategic importance of the Investiture List.
• Dao Path: Initially worries about the materials needed to inscribe the All-Heaven Grand Formation, but is relieved when Chen Yang explains that he can simply absorb the formation-bearing Ancestor Shaman Aspect.
• Elder Zi: Takes a more familiar role by asking Chen Yang to call him “Elder Zi.” He criticizes Chen Yang for repeatedly merging diverse and potentially incompatible materials into his body, foreshadowing a more disciplined tempering process.

Significant Themes

• Strength through internal formation: The Body-Forged Formation method allows the characters to inscribe formations within themselves, making formation mastery directly equivalent to cultivation advancement.
• Urgency and survival: The group recognizes that relying on clever formations alone is insufficient against the ancient Demon Gods, Demon Sect, and other Primordial World threats.
• Orthodoxy and loyalty: The Investiture List is not merely a tool for appointing deities; it establishes the Mystic Sect’s legitimate power structure and must therefore be restricted to loyal members of its Three Teachings.
• Imperfection in the cosmic order: Ziwei Star’s weakness suggests that even supposedly fundamental celestial structures may have been damaged or altered by ancient conflicts.
• Transformation versus accumulation: Elder Zi’s warning highlights the danger of indiscriminately merging powerful materials. True cultivation requires qualitative refinement, not simply collecting more external power.
• Interdependence of the original body and incarnations: Chen Yang’s progress depends on his incarnations reaching Half-Step Primordial Unity, while their advancement relies on his resources, guidance, and formation inheritance.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yang, Star Daoist, Yanhuang Daoist, and Dao Path cooperate closely, debating the nature of Ziwei Star and the requirements for creating the Astral Formation.
• Yanhuang and Dao Path question Chen Yang about the Investiture List, prompting him to clarify its political and sectarian restrictions.
• Chen Yang encourages each incarnation to pursue the formation best suited to him and promises to provide materials and refinement through the Zixiao Cauldron.
• Dao Path’s concern about formation materials is resolved when Chen Yang offers the Ancestor Shaman Aspect as a ready-made source of the All-Heaven Grand Formation.
• The incarnations accept Chen Yang’s authority as their core and agree to cultivate as rapidly as possible.
• The chapter ends with Chen Yang submitting to Elder Zi’s tempering, while Elder Zi reprimands him for overloading his body with miscellaneous powers.

Chapter Summary: “Tempering Himself”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yang reveals that he intends to inscribe the All-Heaven Grand Formation within his body, in addition to the Myriad Immortals Formation and Astral Formation. Elder Zi criticizes the plan as dangerously reckless but acknowledges that Chen Yang has few alternatives if he wants to advance in Formation Dao.
• Elder Zi agrees to help Chen Yang temper his body and remove impurities accumulated through cultivation.
• He explains that the Nine-Turn Profound Art is extremely difficult to complete. Reaching the Ninth Turn allows the body to attain the Physical Half-Step Primordial Unity realm, but advancing further requires achieving Nine-Nine Unification.
• Nine-Nine Unification supposedly requires absorbing a Chaos Divine Object, a process so dangerous that anyone who has not become a Chaos Lifeform could be consumed or erased by it.
• Elder Zi reveals that successfully completing this process could transform an Innate Lifeform into a Chaos Lifeform, potentially reaching at least the Half-Step Chaos Lifeform level. Several Saints—including Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, Tongtian, Jieyin, and Nuwa—have already reached that level through immense effort and Elder Zi’s master’s assistance.
• Chen Yang considers whether the source or flesh of a Chaos Demon God could replace a Chaos Divine Object. Elder Zi warns that most Demon God sources contain powerful Grand Daos that would corrupt Chen Yang’s foundation. Only the source of the Formation Dao Demon God might be suitable; the Burning Demon God’s source would instead damage his Formation Dao.
• Elder Zi uses the Burning Flame, derived from the Burning Demon God’s source, to cleanse Chen Yang’s body and temper his Formation Dao. Over several thousand years, impurities are burned away, formation patterns are refined, and Chen Yang’s Formation Dao source becomes purer and stronger.
• Later, a golden bell summons the disciples of the Three Teachings to the Jade Void Daoist Ground. Laozi announces that the Human, Chan, and Jie Teachings will reunite as one family, ending the divisions that had separated them.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Yang demonstrates ambition and willingness to pursue extremely dangerous cultivation paths. He becomes more aware of the limitations of the Nine-Turn Profound Art but remains interested because its completion could lead to extraordinary physical evolution.
• He shows caution and strategic thinking by questioning whether Chaos Demon God sources could help him reach Nine-Nine Unification, but accepts Elder Zi’s warning about the dangers.
• Chen Yang’s body and Formation Dao are significantly improved through Elder Zi’s tempering. His foundation becomes purer, and his formation power grows stronger.
• Elder Zi acts as Chen Yang’s mentor and protector. Though he considers Chen Yang reckless, he provides detailed knowledge about the Nine-Turn Profound Art and directly assists in refining Chen Yang’s body and Dao.
• Laozi appears solemn and emotional as he prepares to pass responsibility for the Three Teachings to their disciples. His speech reflects both pride in their accomplishments and awareness that a major era is ending.
• Duobao serves as the representative of the disciples, reporting that only those who died and entered Reincarnation are absent.

3. Significant Themes

• The danger and reward of extreme cultivation: Chen Yang’s path promises tremendous power but involves risks to his body, Dao, and foundation.
• Limits of inherited techniques: Even a supreme method like the Nine-Turn Profound Art has an almost impossible final stage, showing that powerful techniques often contain fundamental limitations.
• Purification and refinement: The burning of physical impurities and Dao source symbolizes Chen Yang’s gradual strengthening through suffering and destruction.
• Inheritance and succession: Laozi’s announcement marks the transfer of responsibility from the founders of the Three Teachings to the next generation.
• Unity after conflict: The Three Teachings reunite after years of division, with shared battles against the Demon Cultivators having transformed former rivals into allies and friends.
• The importance of compatibility in cultivation: Chen Yang cannot simply absorb any powerful source; the source must harmonize with his Formation Dao or it will destroy his foundation.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen Yang and Elder Zi engage in a mentor-student discussion about the risks and potential of the Nine-Turn Profound Art. Elder Zi repeatedly warns Chen Yang against reckless experimentation, while Chen Yang presses him for deeper explanations.
• Chen Yang respectfully accepts Elder Zi’s assistance in using the Burning Flame to temper both his body and Formation Dao.
• Elder Zi references Patriarch Hongjun and his master’s role in developing the Nine-Turn Profound Art, connecting Chen Yang’s cultivation to the wider history of the Mystic Sect.
• Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian gather together as leaders of the Three Teachings. Laozi speaks on behalf of all three and publicly declares their reunification.
• The disciples, including Chen Yang and Duobao, respond respectfully to Laozi’s announcement. Their shared experiences in the great calamity make them receptive to the idea of ending the divisions between the Three Teachings.

Chapter Summary: “Make the Three Teachings Flourish”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Laozi announces that the Human, Chan/Exposition, and Jie Teachings will unite as one family. The disciples publicly agree.
• Laozi steps down as leader of the Human Sect and appoints Chen Yang as his successor.
• Yuanshi Tianzun likewise relinquishes leadership of the Exposition Sect to Chen Yang. As a result, Chen Yang becomes the leader of all three sects, despite being originally a Jie Sect disciple.
• The disciples are shocked but ultimately accept the decision because of Chen Yang’s immense strength, achievements, and reputation.
• Chen Yang vows to expand the Three Teachings throughout the Primordial World, make them supreme sects, and compel all other sects to acknowledge their authority.
• Laozi gives Chen Yang the Heaven and Earth Black-Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, an extraordinarily powerful defensive Merit treasure capable of protecting him from nearly all techniques.
• Yuanshi Tianzun gives Chen Yang the Pangu Banner, the Exposition Sect’s supreme treasure, granting him overwhelming offensive power and the ability to punish enemies and suppress opposing Fortune.
• Tongtian, unable to offer a treasure comparable to the pagoda or banner, presents Chen Yang with a fragment of the Chaos Spirit Root known as the World Tree. Duobao explains that, despite its diminished grade, it remains an invaluable aid to cultivation.
• Powerful figures observing the ceremony are stunned by the Three Teachings’ transfer of authority and treasures to Chen Yang. Many suspect Laozi and Yuanshi are preparing for an approaching major event or crisis.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang rises from a Jie Sect disciple to the supreme leader of the united Three Teachings. His authority, influence, and resources increase dramatically.
• He demonstrates humility and gratitude when receiving the sect leadership and treasures, but confidently accepts the responsibility of expanding the Three Teachings.
• Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun show complete trust in Chen Yang by surrendering their positions and handing over their most important treasures. Their actions suggest they consider him the ideal successor and may be preparing for future danger.
• Tongtian continues to support Chen Yang, offering him an extraordinary Chaos treasure despite lacking an item comparable to the other two supreme treasures.
• Duobao reinforces his role as Chen Yang’s knowledgeable senior, explaining the immense value of the World Tree fragment.

Significant Themes

• Unity and consolidation of power: The three rival teachings formally become one family under a single leader.
• Inheritance and succession: Authority and foundational treasures pass from the older generation to Chen Yang, marking the transfer of the Three Teachings’ future to him.
• Trust in merit and capability: Chen Yang’s accomplishments and strength outweigh traditional seniority or sect origin.
• Preparation for upheaval: The leaders’ unusually generous actions and the observers’ suspicions foreshadow a major conflict or transformation.
• Power and responsibility: Chen Yang gains immense authority and formidable treasures, but also accepts the burden of making the Three Teachings flourish across the Primordial World.

Character Interactions

• Laozi and Yuanshi jointly declare Chen Yang their successor and encourage him to develop the Three Teachings without restraint.
• Chen Yang respectfully addresses the three founders as his grandmasters and promises to honor their trust.
• Laozi personally gifts Chen Yang the Xuanhuang Pagoda and explains that it will protect him in future endeavors.
• Yuanshi entrusts him with the Pangu Banner, emphasizing that it represents the dignity and authority of the united Three Teachings.
• Tongtian jokes about being unable to match his elder brothers’ gifts, then presents the World Tree fragment as his own treasured contribution.
• Duobao eagerly clarifies the fragment’s identity and value, helping Chen Yang understand the significance of Tongtian’s gift.

Chapter Summary: The Struggle Between the Saints and the Demons

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tongtian gives Chen Yang a fragment of the World Tree, a former Chaos Spirit Root. Although it has lost most of its divine power, its remaining Dao essence and material can be used to refine a powerful artifact capable of supporting Dao-proving.
• Chen Yang now possesses several extraordinary resources: the defensive Xuanhuang Pagoda, the offensive Pangu Banner, and the World Tree Fragment. His future cultivation and power appear exceptionally well supported.
• News spreads that Chen Yang has become the leader of the Three Teachings. Many cultivators hope he will recruit disciples, while others worry about how he will use his new authority.
• Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian bring Chen Yang into the sealed depths of Kunlun to transfer part of the Three Teachings’ foundation and responsibilities to him.
• The Three Pure Ones reveal that their upcoming journey to Zixiao is extremely dangerous. Their mission is connected to the seal restraining Luohou, but they are uncertain whether they will survive or return to the Primordial World.
• Chen Yang is told that Luohou’s Demon Sect is secretly active and that Luohou’s power has increased enough that he may be able to escape his seal.
• The conflict is revealed to be much larger than a confrontation between Hongjun and Luohou. Luohou has transformed part of the Heavenly Dao into the Demon Dao, which can create Primordial Demonic Qi and empower demons comparable to Saints.
• Tongtian explains that some apparent versions of him are actually demonic counterparts created through the Demon Dao. This clarifies the mysterious figure who killed Chang’er’s father while resembling Tongtian.
• The Three Pure Ones reveal their ancient connection to both Hongjun and Luohou. During the Myriad Tribes Era, they were disciples of both powerful figures and learned from both their teachings.
• When Hongjun and Luohou’s relationship deteriorated into open conflict, the Three Pure Ones were forced to choose between their two masters. Unable to betray either side, they used a secret Demon God technique to split their origins into two versions. One half retained Luohou’s legacy and followed him, while the other remained with Hongjun and became the Three Pure Ones known in the present.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang gains immense resources and formally assumes responsibility for the Three Teachings. His confidence is challenged as he learns the true scale of the crisis surrounding Luohou and the Demon Dao.
• Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian shift from mentors who can protect Chen Yang to elders preparing him to stand independently. Their willingness to disclose ancient secrets shows their trust in him and their awareness that they may not survive the coming conflict.
• Tongtian is revealed to have a demonic counterpart, making his history and identity more complicated than Chen Yang realized.
• The Three Pure Ones are shown to possess a divided origin and a painful history. Their allegiance to the Mystic Sect is not simple, since they once inherited both Hongjun’s and Luohou’s teachings.

Significant Themes

• Inheritance and responsibility: Chen Yang’s position is not merely an honor; he must preserve the Three Teachings if the Saints fail to return.
• The struggle between opposing Dao paths: The Heavenly Dao and Demon Dao are portrayed as vast systems capable of empowering entire factions, making the conflict a war between Saints and demons rather than a duel between two individuals.
• Divided identity and loyalty: The Three Pure Ones’ decision to split themselves reflects their inability to choose between two teachers and highlights the consequences of divided allegiance.
• Hidden history and revelation: Long-suppressed truths about the Three Pure Ones, Luohou, and the Demon Dao are gradually exposed, changing Chen Yang’s understanding of the world.
• Uncertainty and looming catastrophe: Even the Saints lack confidence in victory, creating a sense that the Primordial World may soon face a fundamental transformation.

Character Interactions

• Tongtian rewards Chen Yang with the World Tree Fragment, reinforcing their master-disciple relationship.
• The Three Pure Ones speak collectively with Chen Yang, treating him as someone mature and powerful enough to inherit the Three Teachings’ secrets.
• Chen Yang questions the elders directly, initially believing Hongjun and the Saints should be able to suppress Luohou. Their answers force him to recognize the crisis’s true magnitude.
• Tongtian personally clarifies the mystery of his demonic counterpart, while Laozi and Yuanshi provide the broader history of their shared discipleship under both Hongjun and Luohou.
• The conversation transforms Chen Yang’s role from a favored successor into the future defender of the Mystic Sect and the Primordial World.

Chapter Summary: The Demon Sect’s Temptation

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yang learns the shocking truth that the Three Pure Ones were originally connected to Luohou and once accepted him as their master.
• The Three Pure Ones had cultivated a secret technique derived from the Avatar Demon God’s Avatar Dao. This technique split their original existence into two fully independent sets of beings:
  • The Three Pure Ones, who joined the Heavenly Dao.
  • The Three Demons, who followed Luohou and entered the Demon Dao.
• The division weakened both sides’ aptitude, potential, and foundations. The Three Pure Ones only reached the Primordial Unity Realm with the help of Hongjun’s Primordial Purple Qi and the Heavenly Dao.
• The Three Demons—Supreme Heaven Demon, Primordial True Demon, and Tongtian Sword Demon—look identical to the Three Pure Ones and cultivate corresponding Great Daos.
• The balance between the Heavenly Dao and Demon Dao is revealed to be a conflict not only between Hongjun and Luohou, but also between the Three Pure Ones and Three Demons.
• Because Luohou recently devoured part of the Heavenly Dao Origin, the Demon Dao and its demons have grown stronger. The Three Demons may soon advance beyond their previous strength, making the coming conflict more dangerous.
• The Three Pure Ones explain that they and the Three Demons can potentially devour one another, since they originated from the same source. Such devouring would greatly increase the survivor’s cultivation, making them natural enemies.
• Chen Yang is warned that the Three Demons specialize in ideological temptation rather than direct violence. They previously attempted to corrupt Duobao, who nearly joined the Demon Sect before crippling himself and rebuilding his cultivation.
• The Three Demons are forbidden from using force against disciples of the Three Teachings. They may only attempt to convert them through their doctrines and influence.
• Chen Yang learns that only the Three Demons and Luohou’s Three Corpses have merged into the Demon Dao. Nuwa likely has not, though Laozi admits Luohou’s actions are difficult to predict.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang: Begins shocked and confused, then gradually understands the hidden relationship between the Heavenly and Demon Daos. He becomes more cautious after learning that the Three Demons may specifically target him because of his status as leader of the Three Teachings and a member of the Mystic Sect’s direct lineage.
• The Three Pure Ones: Reveal more of their history, including their weakened foundations, their rivalry with their demonic counterparts, and the danger posed by the strengthened Demon Dao. Their usually confident attitudes are replaced by seriousness and concern.
• Laozi: Explains the origins and consequences of the splitting technique and evaluates Supreme Heaven Demon as his personal counterpart. He emphasizes secrecy and caution.
• Yuanshi Tianzun: Clarifies the ideological conflict between the two factions and warns Chen Yang about the rules governing the Three Demons’ actions.
• Tongtian: Reveals the truth behind Duobao’s ruined cultivation and gives Chen Yang the most direct warning about demonic temptation. He also explains the opposing natures of his own Sword Dao and Tongtian Sword Demon’s Destruction-oriented Sword Dao.
• Duobao: Though absent, his past is recontextualized. His decision to abolish his cultivation was not due to excessive or mixed learning, but to escape the Demon Sect’s influence.

Significant Themes

• Division and duality: The Three Pure Ones and Three Demons are two halves born from the same source, embodying opposing paths of the same origins.
• Temptation versus force: The Demon Sect’s greatest threat is ideological corruption, not open attack. Resistance depends on spiritual resolve and loyalty to one’s chosen Dao.
• Balance between opposing powers: The Heavenly Dao and Demon Dao remain locked in mutual restraint, with every increase in one side directly affecting the other.
• Identity and mirrored enemies: The Three Demons resemble the Three Pure Ones and cultivate related Daos, making the conflict deeply personal and symbolic.
• Growth through devouring: The original splitting technique was not merely a method of division; it ultimately enabled beings to reunite, consume one another, and evolve.
• Secrecy and vigilance: Knowledge of the Three Demons is dangerous and must not be spread carelessly, while those targeted by the Demon Sect must remain constantly alert.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Yang questions the Three Pure Ones, prompting them to disclose their hidden history.
• Laozi explains the secret technique, the Three Demons’ existence, and the comparable strength of their counterparts.
• Yuanshi emphasizes the growing threat of the Demon Dao and establishes that ideological disputes cannot involve physical attacks on disciples.
• Tongtian warns Chen Yang about the Three Demons’ methods and reveals Duobao’s past encounter with Tongtian Sword Demon.
• Chen Yang accepts the warnings and promises to remain vigilant when dealing with the Demon Sect.

Chapter Summary: Kunlun Pool

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Three Pure Ones reveal that they were originally disciples of Luohou. When they severed ties with him, they used a secret technique to transform into the Three Pure Ones, while their counterparts became the Three Demons.
• Chen Yang learns that Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal’s belief that Tongtian killed his father was based on a misunderstanding: the killer was actually the Tongtian Sword Demon.
• Chen Yang questions the origins and nature of the Heavenly Dao. The Three Pure Ones admit that even after merging with it, they do not truly understand it. They theorize that it may be the collective will of living beings, faith, or a structure formed by countless complete Great Daos merging into a higher will.
• Chen Yang explains his ambition to develop a Human Dao from the Formation Spirit he created in the Human Realm. Since the Primordial World has the Three Talents—Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—he wonders whether separate Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Daos can exist.
• Tongtian tells him that creating a Human Dao would require gathering and combining numerous Great Daos. Chen Yang becomes inspired and decides to attempt transforming the Formation Spirit into a true Human Dao, potentially benefiting both the Human Clan and the Three Teachings.
• The Three Pure Ones lead Chen Yang into a hidden passage beneath Kunlun and bring him to its Coreland, the spiritual foundation of the Kunlun Range.
• Chen Yang discovers the Kunlun Pool, countless Dragon Veins, nine Ancestral Dragon Veins, immense spiritual energy, and fragments of the Creation Jade Butterfly.
• The Three Pure Ones explain Kunlun’s origins. It was formed from a fragment of Pangu’s cranial bone, while other parts of Pangu’s remains became the Purple Tenuity Star, the Ancestral Witch Hall, Jade Capital Mountain, and other sacred places and treasures.
• The Coreland’s Creation Jade Butterfly fragments contain many Great Daos, especially the Yin-Yang Great Dao, Astral Great Dao, and Sword Dao—the three paths cultivated by the Three Pure Ones.
• The Kunlun Pool itself is a supreme spirit treasure formed from Pangu’s bones. Its water contains the essence of Pangu’s physical body and Primordial Spirit, allowing one to strengthen the Primordial Spirit, improve wisdom and comprehension, and rapidly advance toward the Primordial Unity Realm.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang is intellectually curious and increasingly ambitious. His questions about the Heavenly Dao reveal his desire to understand the fundamental laws of existence, while his plan to create a Human Dao shows his willingness to pursue unprecedented paths.
• The Three Pure Ones become more open with Chen Yang, revealing secrets about their origins, Luohou, Pangu’s remains, the Heavenly Dao, and the foundations of their sects.
• Laozi is cautious and warns Chen Yang not to probe too deeply into Heavenly Dao taboos.
• Tongtian is more encouraging of Chen Yang’s unconventional ideas, praising his courage and accepting his plan to develop the Human Dao.
• Yuanshi Tianzun provides detailed explanations about Kunlun, the Creation Jade Butterfly, and the nature of the Kunlun Pool.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of forbidden knowledge: The Heavenly Dao remains mysterious even to those who have merged with it, suggesting that some truths are beyond ordinary cultivation and may carry severe consequences.
• Innovation versus tradition: Chen Yang’s attempt to create a Human Dao challenges established assumptions and reflects his willingness to explore paths that no one else has attempted.
• The legacy of Pangu: Pangu’s body, bones, and spirit continue to shape the Primordial World, becoming sacred lands, treasures, Dragon Veins, and sources of cultivation.
• The relationship between many Daos and higher existence: The Heavenly Dao may have formed through the convergence of countless Great Daos, implying that new supreme laws—such as a Human Dao—could potentially be constructed in the same way.
• Sacrifice and preservation: Although the Kunlun Pool is immensely powerful, it cannot be removed without destroying Kunlun itself, emphasizing the connection between power, responsibility, and maintaining foundational realms.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yang respectfully questions the Three Pure Ones, while they balance mentorship with caution.
• Laozi restrains Chen Yang’s curiosity about the Heavenly Dao, warning him about its taboos.
• Tongtian encourages Chen Yang’s bold theory regarding the Human Dao and treats him with affectionate approval.
• Yuanshi Tianzun corrects Chen Yang’s misconceptions about the origins of Kunlun, the Ancestral Witch Hall, and Jade Capital Mountain.
• The Three Pure Ones collectively reveal their cultivation history, explaining how the Creation Jade Butterfly’s three core Daos enabled them to survive and grow powerful during the dangerous Myriad Tribes Era.

Chapter Summary — Elixir Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yang learns that Kunlun Pool Water can greatly enhance a cultivator’s Primordial Spirit, aptitude, physical body, and overall innate foundation—potentially bringing them close to the level of the Three Pure Ones, descendants of Pangu.
• The Three Pure Ones entrust the Kunlun Pool Water to Chen Yang, warning him that only a few drops can be condensed each cosmic cycle and that it must not be wasted.
• Laozi explains that Chen Yang is being given access to this resource so he can rapidly strengthen the Three Teachings.
• The Three Pure Ones reveal that the Demon Sect and Demon Dao are steadily growing and are likely to make a major move against the Primordial World.
• The Three Teachings represent the orthodox lineage and Fortune of the Mystic Sect. Their success or destruction may directly influence the larger conflict between the Heavenly Dao and Demon Dao.
• Because the Saints will soon travel to Zixiao to assist the Heavenly Dao and will be unable to directly manage the Primordial World, Chen Yang is entrusted with defending and developing the Three Teachings.
• Chen Yang asks what other foundations the Three Teachings possess. Laozi then takes him to the Elixir Realm, a vast world formed entirely from elixirs.
• Laozi explains that he created the Elixir Realm over countless years by refining resources gathered during the Myriad Tribes Era. The realm now contains innumerable elixirs and continues producing more.
• Unlike Tongtian’s Sword Realm, which was formed from Sword Qi and the Sword Dao, the Elixir Realm is itself a special world-forming elixir.
• Laozi summons Chana, the Primordial Unity Divine Elixir who evolved into the master of the Elixir Realm. Chana is appointed to serve Chen Yang and refine medicines from spirit herbs and roots supplied by him.
• The chapter ends with Chen Yang asking whether every elixir refined by Laozi can eventually develop human form.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang recognizes the enormous responsibility he carries as leader of the Three Teachings. He moves from focusing primarily on personal cultivation to accepting his role in a cosmic conflict involving the fate of the Heavenly Dao.
• He demonstrates determination and loyalty, promising to strengthen the Three Teachings and oppose the Demon Sect without retreat.
• Chen Yang’s understanding of cultivation resources expands as he witnesses the terrifying power of the Kunlun Pool Water and the Elixir Realm.
• Laozi reveals himself not only as a supreme cultivator but also as a master of elixir refinement who has carefully preserved and developed a major foundation for the Human Sect.
• The Three Pure Ones show increasing trust in Chen Yang by handing over key inheritances and relying on him to manage the Primordial World in their absence.
• Chana is introduced as a sentient, Primordial Unity-level divine elixir and the caretaker of the Elixir Realm. He immediately accepts Chen Yang as his new master.

Significant Themes

• Inheritance and responsibility: The Three Pure Ones pass their resources and duties to Chen Yang, making him the successor responsible for preserving their lineage.
• The relationship between individual strength and larger destiny: Chen Yang’s cultivation is no longer merely personal; his growth and leadership may determine the fate of the Mystic Sect and Heavenly Dao.
• Preparation for inevitable conflict: The hidden rise of the Demon Sect creates an atmosphere of looming war, encouraging the Three Teachings to accumulate strength before open confrontation.
• The value of foundations and resources: Kunlun Pool Water, the Elixir Realm, and other hidden inheritances demonstrate that ancient sects rely on deep reserves accumulated across vast eras.
• Transformation and sentience: Both the Elixir Realm and Chana illustrate how powerful Dao insights and refined treasures can evolve into living worlds or intelligent beings.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yang respectfully questions Laozi about the Kunlun Pool Water and its potential, while Laozi explains its benefits and scarcity.
• Laozi and Yuanshi emphasize the strategic importance of the Three Teachings and warn Chen Yang that their victory or defeat could influence the Heavenly Dao–Demon Dao struggle.
• Tongtian speaks earnestly with Chen Yang, explaining that the Saints will be absent and that Chen Yang must protect the Primordial World when the Demon Sect emerges.
• Chen Yang pledges himself to the Three Pure Ones and accepts their trust.
• Laozi introduces Chen Yang to the Elixir Realm and Chana, formally transferring control of the realm to him.
• Chana respectfully acknowledges Chen Yang as the new master, establishing their future working relationship.

Chapter Summary: “A Special Cultivation System”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Laozi explains the origin of the Elixir Realm. He used the Alchemy Dao, Kunlun Pool Water, divine materials, Hollow Willow Tree branches, and the flesh and blood of Primordial Unity experts to refine Chana, the realm’s intelligent core.
• Chana was intelligent from birth, learned alchemy from Laozi, eventually took human form, and evolved into the vast Elixir Realm.
• The realm now nurtures countless pills. Some develop intelligence, cultivate, and transform into human or beast forms, though achieving human form requires rare ingredients and exceptional innate potential.
• Chana reveals that thirty-six pills in the Elixir Realm can currently take human form. Twelve possess Half-Step Primordial Unity cultivation while empowered by the realm and their masters’ Dao resonance. Millions of other pills can transform into powerful beasts.
• Laozi places Chana under Chen Yang’s command and gives Chen Yang a fragment of Chana’s True Spirit, allowing him to enter and control the Elixir Realm.
• Chen Yang realizes that the Elixir Realm can provide an immense supply of pills, solving the Three Teachings’ shortage of high-grade alchemy resources and greatly strengthening their lower-level disciples.
• Yuanshi Tianzun then takes Chen Yang to view the Exposition Sect’s foundation, initially revealing the Star Realm rather than the expected Treasure or Artifact Realm.
• Yuanshi explains that the Star Realm was created through his Astral Great Dao, years of studying the origins of stars, and the refinement of countless portions of Star Origin.
• The chapter ends with Yuanshi introducing the Star System, a cultivation method based on absorbing starlight, choosing a star, and eventually controlling it.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang becomes the formal master of the Elixir Realm and gains a powerful strategic resource for the Three Teachings. His excitement shows his growing awareness of organizational development, not merely personal cultivation.
• Chana is established as an intelligent, loyal realm spirit and a unique lifeform created through extraordinary alchemy. His explanation also reveals that pills possess varying degrees of cultivation potential.
• Laozi demonstrates trust in Chen Yang by transferring Chana’s obedience to him and entrusting him with the Elixir Realm.
• Yuanshi Tianzun is portrayed as an innovator who has created an entire cultivation system based on the Astral Great Dao.
• Tongtian provides comparisons between the Star Realm and his Sword Realm, clarifying the differences between their respective Dao-based foundations.

Significant Themes

• Alchemy as self-cultivation: The chapter presents alchemy as more than producing medicine; it can create intelligent life and even entire evolving worlds.
• Innate potential and resources: A pill’s ability to gain intelligence or take human form depends on both the quality of its ingredients and its cultivation, paralleling the importance of talent and resources among cultivators.
• Creation through the Dao: Laozi and Yuanshi have transformed their personal Daos into independent realms with unique lifeforms, resources, and cultivation functions.
• Power through infrastructure: Chen Yang’s strength comes not only from combat ability but also from controlling systems that can support and strengthen the entire Three Teachings.
• Limits of creation: Although the Star Realm contains countless stars, they cannot easily develop consciousness or take human form, showing that creating powerful entities requires more than simply supplying energy or materials.
• Specialized cultivation paths: The Star System offers an alternative to conventional cultivation by allowing practitioners to absorb starlight, develop Star Constitutions, and eventually control individual stars.

Character Interactions

• Laozi and Chen Yang discuss the nature and history of the Elixir Realm, with Chana correcting and expanding Chen Yang’s understanding of transformed pills.
• Laozi formally instructs Chana to obey Chen Yang, marking a transfer of authority between them.
• Chen Yang expresses his determination to use the Elixir Realm to expand the strength of the Three Teachings.
• Yuanshi teases Chen Yang’s assumption that the Exposition Sect’s foundation would be a Treasure Realm, then explains the purpose and origin of the Star Realm.
• Tongtian compares Yuanshi’s Star Realm with his own Sword Realm, helping Chen Yang understand how different Great Daos can produce distinct cultivation worlds.

Chapter Summary: Kunlun Treasure Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yuanshi Tianzun explains the Star System, a cultivation path based on absorbing starlight and condensing Star Cores that eventually resonate with celestial stars.
• The Star System has six stages:
  1. Star-Gathering Realm – absorbing starlight and forming a Star Constitution.
  2. Star River Realm – condensing Star Cores and developing rivers of stars.
  3. Starfield Realm – combining star maps into a Starfield.
  4. Star Realm – transforming the Starfield and star rivers into an Ancient Star.
  5. Natal Star – resonating with one of the 365 Ancient Stars.
  6. Star Origin – refining an Ancient Star’s origin and becoming one with it.
• Chen Yang recognizes that this progression mirrors the evolution of the heavens, from Ancient Stars to the countless stars currently filling the sky.
• Yuanshi reveals that he created the Star Realm to solve the Star System’s greatest initial difficulty: converting intangible starlight into usable energy and condensing it into a Star Core.
• Chen Yang promises to preserve and spread the Star System, especially because it can complement the Investiture List. Deities whose True Spirits merge with stars could continue cultivating instead of being permanently limited by depleted Star Origin.
• Yuanshi entrusts Chen Yang with both the Star Realm and the Star System as part of the Exposition Sect’s foundation.
• The group then arrives at the Kunlun Treasure Realm, an enormous realm filled with Spirit Treasures modeled after Hongjun’s Treasure Realm.
• Laozi and Tongtian contribute their stored Innate Spiritual Treasures to strengthen the realm. Their additions greatly improve the Treasure Realm’s potential.
• Yuanshi explains that, with enough high-grade treasures and artifact-refining resources, the Treasure Realm may eventually nurture an Emperor of Spirit Treasures. Chen Yang is charged with continuing to invest resources in its growth.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang demonstrates increasing understanding of major cultivation systems and recognizes the strategic value of the Star System. He accepts responsibility for preserving Yuanshi’s legacy and managing both the Star Realm and Treasure Realm.
• Yuanshi Tianzun is shown as a visionary creator who developed the Star System from the natural evolution of the heavens. He also entrusts Chen Yang with an important part of the Exposition Sect’s future.
• Laozi displays generosity and renewed commitment to Kunlun by returning many of the Human Sect’s Innate Spiritual Treasures to the Treasure Realm.
• Tongtian acknowledges his past role in Kunlun’s decline and contributes several hundred treasures to help restore the realm.
• The three ancient masters’ cooperation suggests a partial reconciliation after earlier divisions and conflicts.

Significant Themes

• Legacy and responsibility: Yuanshi passes the Star System and Treasure Realm to Chen Yang, emphasizing the duty of younger cultivators to preserve and expand ancient foundations.
• Cultivation through cosmic order: The Star System reflects the universe’s own evolution, linking personal cultivation with the formation of stars and celestial structures.
• Aptitude and specialization: Progress in the Star System depends heavily on talent, constitution, and the quality of one’s connection to an Ancient Star.
• Restoration and reconciliation: Laozi and Tongtian’s contributions help repair the consequences of past conflicts and restore Kunlun’s strength.
• Accumulation and transformation: Both cultivators and Spirit Treasures grow through gradual refinement, external resources, and the guidance of stronger foundations.
• Strategic compatibility: The Star System offers a solution to the Investiture List’s limitations, allowing invested deities to continue growing despite their True Spirits being tied to stars.

Character Interactions

• Yuanshi teaches Chen Yang the principles and stages of the Star System, while Chen Yang responds with respect and promises to promote it.
• Chen Yang and Yuanshi discuss how the Star System can support the Investiture List, showing their shared concern for the future of the Exposition Sect and its deities.
• Tongtian jokingly remarks on Chen Yang’s lack of surprise at the Treasure Realm, leading Chen Yang to mention his earlier experience in Hongjun’s Treasure Realm.
• Laozi and Tongtian openly contribute their treasures, with Tongtian also expressing regret over past events.
• Chen Yang avoids commenting on the older generation’s grievances but becomes the recipient of their collective expectations: he must nurture both the Star System and the Kunlun Treasure Realm.

Chapter Summary: “Conflict Between Sects”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In Kunlun’s Exposition Sect Treasure Realm, Chen Yang discusses the realm’s enormous potential with the Three Pure Ones.
• Laozi explains that, once fully evolved, the Treasure Realm could surpass the Sword Realm and Elixir Realm. Its spirit-treasure lifeforms would be powerful in combat, physically stable, and only slightly weakened after leaving the realm.
• Chen Yang admits that he lacks the resources needed to develop the Treasure Realm, the Human Sect’s Pill Realm, and the Jie Sect’s Sword Realm. His reserves were largely exhausted during the previous battle against the Demon Cultivators, especially after the Burning Demon God destroyed much of their wealth.
• Laozi points out that Chen Yang possesses the Burning Flame left behind by the Burning Demon God. Though Chen Yang refuses to sell it, Laozi emphasizes that it can temper his Great Dao Source, physical body, and Primordial Spirit, helping him advance toward the Primordial Unity Realm.
• The Three Pure Ones promise to transfer their accumulated resources to Chen Yang:
  • Laozi will give him the Human Sect’s stored resources.
  • Yuanshi Tianzun will hand over resources that are no longer useful to him after entering the Primordial Unity Realm.
  • Tongtian will provide resources and several resource treasure grounds, including secret realms that may contain the inheritances and wealth of ancient powers or Chaos Demon Gods.
• Tongtian also reveals the location of Eastern Sovereign’s treasure trove but warns Chen Yang not to seek it until he reaches the Primordial Unity Realm.
• The Three Pure Ones explain that their coming journey to Zixiao Palace is extremely dangerous and that they may not return. They are therefore arranging their resources and legacy in advance.
• Before departing, they warn Chen Yang that the Demon Dao is extraordinarily dangerous and may have been connected to Eastern Sovereign’s fall. Yuanshi also cautions him to remain wary of the Buddhist Sect.
• Years later, the Three Pure Ones leave for Zixiao Palace. Their departure marks a major transition for the Human, Exposition, and Jie Sects.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang demonstrates strategic foresight by recognizing the Treasure Realm’s potential and worrying about the immense resources required to develop it. He is also becoming increasingly responsible for the growth of the Three Teachings and their disciples.
• He shows restraint by refusing to sell the Burning Flame, understanding its greater value for his own cultivation. His goal of using it to reach the Primordial Unity Realm becomes more explicit.
• Chen Yang also grows more cautious and mature, recognizing the danger of Eastern Sovereign’s treasure, the Demon Dao, and possible Buddhist Sect hostility.
• Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian show their trust in Chen Yang by transferring their accumulated wealth and hidden resources to him. Their actions reveal both their confidence in his abilities and their concern that they may not survive the Zixiao Palace expedition.
• The Three Pure Ones begin relinquishing direct control over their sects, preparing Chen Yang and the next generation to carry on their legacies.

Significant Themes

• Resource scarcity and long-term development: Power and prosperity require enormous investment, and Chen Yang must balance the needs of multiple realms, sects, disciples, and the Human Clan.
• Inheritance and succession: The Three Pure Ones pass their resources, secret realms, and knowledge to Chen Yang, symbolizing the transfer of responsibility to a new generation.
• Preparation for impending danger: Their departure for Zixiao Palace and warnings about the Demon Dao create a sense of looming catastrophe.
• Hidden power and risk: Secret realms and Eastern Sovereign’s treasure promise enormous benefits but also contain potentially deadly dangers.
• Sect conflict and distrust: The chapter introduces the Buddhist Sect as a possible future rival, suggesting that the coming conflict will involve more than straightforward factional rivalry.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yang respectfully negotiates with the Three Pure Ones for resources, balancing humility with practical calculation.
• Laozi encourages Chen Yang to cultivate with the Burning Flame and reassures him that resources will be provided.
• Yuanshi supports the transfer of Exposition and other sect resources while warning Chen Yang about the Buddhist Sect.
• Tongtian offers the most concrete assistance, giving Chen Yang access to resource treasure grounds and the location of Eastern Sovereign’s hidden treasury, though he emphasizes the dangers involved.
• The emotional farewell between Chen Yang, the disciples, and the Three Pure Ones underscores the uncertainty surrounding their mission and the beginning of a new era for the Three Teachings.

Chapter Summary: “Founding Sects Independently”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yang establishes himself as the supreme authority over the united Three Teachings—the Human Sect, Exposition/Chan Sect, and Jie Sect.
• He announces that he will personally manage both the Human Sect and Exposition Sect, despite being most closely associated with the Jie Sect.
• Xuandu accepts Chen Yang’s leadership, prioritizing the prosperity and spread of the Human Sect’s teachings.
• Guangchengzi challenges Chen Yang’s authority, questioning whether Chen Yang understands the Exposition Sect, can manage all three sects, and will remain impartial.
• In response, Chen Yang adopts the Jie Sect’s organizational structure for all three teachings. He orders qualified disciples to establish independent sects rather than maintain the old centralized systems.
• When Guangchengzi protests that this may be an attempt to expel them, Chen Yang asserts his absolute authority and threatens expulsion and the loss of cultivation for anyone who resists.
• Chen Yang abolishes the distinction between the Human, Chan, and Jie Teachings. As a result, Daoist Randeng loses his position as Deputy Sect Master of the Exposition Sect.
• Guangchengzi is punished for opposing Chen Yang and is sent to cultivate in isolation until reaching the Half-Step Primordial Unity realm.
• Under Chen Yang’s direction, disciples such as Yuding True Person, Taiyi True Person, Randeng, Xuandu, and many other Exposition Sect disciples choose to found independent sects.
• Chen Yang orders all second-generation disciples of the Three Teachings to establish sects and spread their teachings throughout the Primordial World. Those who refuse may remain as elders.
• He introduces broad reforms: unified disciple, fortune, and cultivation systems; unrestricted recruitment of disciples; and a Ten Thousand Sects Grand Tournament held every three thousand years.
• Successful sects and their masters will receive rewards, while cultivators who reach the Great Luo Dao Fruit realm will gain one chance to use the Zixiao Cauldron to refine a personal Three Corpses Severing treasure.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang becomes increasingly authoritarian and politically dominant. He shifts from merely leading the Jie Sect to enforcing a complete restructuring of all Three Teachings.
• Xuandu demonstrates cooperation and loyalty, accepting Chen Yang’s leadership because he values the Human Sect’s future more than preserving its old structure.
• Guangchengzi emerges as Chen Yang’s main challenger. His suspicion and resistance result in humiliation and forced secluded cultivation.
• Daoist Randeng loses his authority and suppresses his anger out of fear, ultimately choosing to leave and establish an independent sect.
• Yuding True Person and Taiyi True Person pragmatically accept the new order and choose to found their own sects.
• Golden-Spirit Holy Mother openly follows Chen Yang’s command, taking Guangchengzi away without protest.
• The broader disciples of the Three Teachings become fearful of Chen Yang and comply with his reforms, largely because of his overwhelming strength and reputation for ruthless methods.

Significant Themes

• Centralized authority versus independence: Chen Yang unifies the Three Teachings while simultaneously encouraging individual disciples to establish independent sects.
• Fear as a tool of governance: Obedience is secured not through persuasion alone, but through threats of expulsion, punishment, and destruction of cultivation.
• Reform and institutional restructuring: The old sect divisions and leadership systems are replaced with a unified framework modeled on the Jie Sect.
• Factionalism and internal conflict: Chen Yang seeks to eliminate the infighting and faction-building that previously weakened the Exposition Sect.
• Expansion and meritocracy: Independent sects are encouraged to spread the Three Teachings, recruit widely, and compete through the Ten Thousand Sects Grand Tournament.
• Power redefining tradition: Seniority and established positions become secondary to Chen Yang’s authority and new organizational principles.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Yang and Xuandu share a cooperative exchange, with Xuandu pledging support and Chen Yang promising to revitalize the Human Sect.
• Chen Yang and Guangchengzi clash directly over the management of the Exposition Sect. Guangchengzi’s challenge leads to his punishment.
• Chen Yang intimidates the gathered disciples, including Randeng, forcing them to accept the unification of the Three Teachings.
• Chen Yang commands Golden-Spirit Holy Mother to remove Guangchengzi, demonstrating the new chain of authority.
• Chen Yang questions Randeng about his opposition, prompting Randeng to deny any objection and later surrender his deputy position.
• The disciples collectively respond to Chen Yang’s reforms by founding independent sects, motivated less by enthusiasm than by fear of remaining under his direct supervision.

Chapter Summary

• Zixiao Cauldron revealed: Chen Yang explains that the Zixiao Cauldron, forged by Hongjun and brought from Zixiao Palace, can restore treasures to their origins and transform acquired objects into innate treasures. This allows cultivators to reforge the spirit treasures supporting their Three Corpses, even after they have already severed them. The Three Teachings’ disciples are astonished and realize the cauldron can greatly strengthen their foundations.
• Reforms of the Three Teachings: Over the following years, Chen Yang’s reforms spread. Second-generation disciples of the Human, Chan, and Jie Teachings begin establishing their own sects and accepting disciples, while the Human and Exposition Sects adopt systems pioneered by the Jie Sect. The Three Teachings gradually move toward greater unity and organized development.
• Conflict over Chen Yang’s methods: Duobao worries that Chen Yang has acted too aggressively by subduing Guangchengzi, humiliating Exposition Sect disciples, and revealing the Zixiao Cauldron prematurely, potentially creating resentment among figures such as Yuding. Chen Yang replies that time is limited and he has no desire to engage in political maneuvering with weak but arrogant opponents. If necessary, he will compel them to cooperate.
• The looming Demon Sect threat: Chen Yang reveals that Hongjun warned him that the Heavenly Dao is engaged in a struggle against the Demon Dao, and that the Demon Sect will eventually rise and clash with the Mystic Sect in the Primordial World. Because the outcome is uncertain and Hongjun’s group may be trapped in Zixiao Palace, Chen Yang believes the Three Teachings must rapidly strengthen themselves. Duobao is shocked but accepts the necessity of Chen Yang’s forceful strategy.
• Future development plans: Chen Yang intends to use the Zixiao Cauldron to improve the Corpse Severing treasures of existing and future Quasi-Saints. He also plans to spread the Three Teachings’ broader Immortal Dao cultivation system throughout the Primordial World, while keeping their core techniques secret. This will expand the Three Teachings’ influence, attract talented rogue cultivators, and help unite forces such as the Human Clan, Heavenly Court, and Zixiao Palace factions against the future Demon Sect. Duobao agrees to follow Chen Yang’s arrangements.
• Results of the cauldron’s use: Several hundred years later, Jin Ling, Turtle-Spirit, Yuding, and other disciples emerge from Zixiao Hall after reforging their Three Corpse treasures. Their treasures are now more compatible with them, their foundations have deepened, and their cultivation has improved. Their Three Corpses also show signs of being able to fuse more easily in the future.
• Character interactions and development: Golden-Spirit Holy Mother and Wudang Holy Mother warmly thank Chen Yang for giving them access to the cauldron. Chen Yang responds modestly, emphasizing that they are family and that he will not forget his fellow disciples and elders. His relationships with the Three Teachings continue to improve as his reforms produce tangible benefits.
• Yuding’s new ambition: After reforging his Three Corpses, Yuding reveals that he intends to establish a sect. His Evil Corpse discovered Shushan, a blessed land formed from what seems to be a Sword Dao treasure. The entire region resembles a sword piercing the heavens and is saturated with Sword Dao power. Yuding plans to establish the Shushan Sect there, marking the beginning of a new Sword Dao lineage.

Chapter Summary: “Perfecting the Rules of the Three Teachings”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yuding True Person informs Chen Yang that he plans to establish the Shushan sect, later becoming known as Changmei Ancestor.
• Chen Yang approves the plan but advises Yuding to visit Golden Ao Island and study Jie Sect’s Sword Dao. Although Yuding belongs to Exposition Sect, Chen Yang emphasizes that the Three Teachings share one family and should exchange inheritances freely.
• Chen Yang settles the positions of the Three Teachings’ Quasi-Saints. Randeng is excluded from the Three Teachings’ resources because his cultivation follows a self-created Mystic Sect system rather than the Immortal Dao system of the Three Teachings.
• The Three Teachings announce a large-scale recruitment drive. Rogue Cultivators flock to Kunlun, influenced by Jie Sect’s previous reforms, generous resources, protection through reincarnation, and their trust in Chen Yang.
• Chen Yang visits the Elixir Realm to assess its production capacity. Chana explains that ordinary elixirs can be produced extremely quickly, but the current supply is still insufficient for the huge number of new disciples.
• Chen Yang orders more pill furnaces and raw materials to accelerate production and obtains several million trillion elixirs for immediate use.
• Recruitment expands rapidly, with more than sixty million outer sect disciples accepted. Chang’e, Zhang Daoling, and Qilin Son discuss the risks of accepting such enormous numbers and the strain on resources.
• Chen Yang’s newly perfected rules establish that disciples must complete assigned tasks within a certain period. Those who fail are expelled, and the resources invested in them are reclaimed.
• To support the expanding organization, the Qilin Clan offers resources and resource sites, while Chen Yang provides secret realms, over one million trillion elixirs, and countless spiritual treasures.

Character Developments

• Chen Yang demonstrates his role as the practical leader of the united Three Teachings. He promotes cooperation between sects, establishes disciplinary rules, plans large-scale resource production, and creates a sustainable system for growth.
• Yuding True Person begins moving toward his destiny as the founder of Shushan and the foremost inheritor of Sword Dao. His willingness to study Jie Sect’s teachings reflects growing unity among the Three Teachings.
• Randeng is revealed to be an outsider to the Three Teachings’ Immortal Dao system. Chen Yang treats him fairly but refuses to grant him sect benefits without proper affiliation.
• Chang’e shows confidence and administrative authority in managing recruitment. She understands Chen Yang’s broader strategy: outer disciples are not merely students but also a source of labor, resources, and future core disciples.
• Zhang Daoling is concerned about the dangers of uncontrolled recruitment and disciples exploiting the sect for resources.
• Qilin Son contributes practical solutions by securing support from the Qilin Clan and suggesting the use of resource sites and secret realms.

Significant Themes

• Unity among the Three Teachings: Chen Yang stresses that Humanity, Exposition, and Jie Sects should share knowledge and resources rather than compete rigidly.
• Institutional reform and sustainability: The chapter focuses on transforming the Three Teachings into an organized system with recruitment, assignments, rewards, punishments, and resource management.
• Discipline and accountability: New rules prevent disciples from taking resources without contributing. Benefits are tied to service, while failure results in expulsion and repayment.
• Mass organization and meritocracy: The outer sect becomes a vast foundation from which resources are gathered and talented core disciples are selected.
• Abundance versus scarcity: Despite Chen Yang’s enormous resources, the rapid expansion of the Three Teachings creates continuous pressure on elixirs, treasures, and cultivation materials.
• Integration of different Dao traditions: Yuding’s planned study of Jie Sect Sword Dao and Randeng’s exclusion highlight the importance of distinguishing between compatible shared inheritances and systems outside the Three Teachings.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yang and Yuding discuss Shushan’s founding and the legitimacy of Yuding studying Jie Sect Sword Dao.
• Chen Yang and Randeng’s relationship becomes more distant after Chen Yang determines that Randeng does not follow the Three Teachings’ Immortal Dao.
• Chen Yang consults Chana about the Elixir Realm’s production capacity and gives her concrete orders to increase output.
• Chang’e, Zhang Daoling, and Qilin Son debate the advantages and dangers of recruiting unlimited outer disciples. Their conversation clarifies the Three Teachings’ new economic and organizational model.
• The Qilin Son’s cooperation with Chang’e and Zhang Daoling reflects the broader alliance between the Three Teachings and the Qilin Clan.

Chapter Summary: “A Special Evolution”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yang reflects on the depletion of his resources. Much of his wealth was spent expanding and defending the Human Realm, forging the Grand Artifact—Great Wall, and investing in the Elixir Realm and Treasure Realm. The Burning Demon God’s destruction of the Demon Cultivators also eliminated the resources Chen Yang had hoped to plunder, though he gained a valuable remnant of the Grand Dao Flame in return.
• Chen Yang travels to the Kunlun Coreland with the Zixiao Cauldron and asks Elder Zi whether he can retrieve a Fragment of the Creation Jade Butterfly hidden within the Ancestral Dragon Vein.
• Elder Zi explains that the fragment has fused with the Dragon Vein and cannot be removed without damaging both the vein and the Kunlun Pool Water. He also reveals Kunlun’s history: Hongjun once discovered many Creation Jade Butterfly fragments there, taking away those he could and leaving behind fragments that had fused with spirit treasures, pool water, or dragon veins.
• Chen Yang learns that this history contributed to Hongjun accepting the Three Pure Ones as disciples, partly as compensation for karmic consequences.
• Abandoning the risky attempt to retrieve the fragment, Chen Yang chooses to cultivate in the Kunlun Pool Water, along with his three incarnations. The Zixiao Cauldron creates three formation-based incarnations to assist in cultivation.
• After several thousand years, Chen Yang awakens with a significantly refined cultivation foundation. The Kunlun Pool Water has tempered his Grand Dao Source, body, essence, energy, spirit, wisdom, and comprehension of formations.
• Chen Yang returns to the Human Realm with Elder Zi. He observes through Fortune that the Three Teachings’ recruitment and mission systems are progressing smoothly.
• At the Great Wall, Elder Zi is deeply impressed by the artifact’s enormous scale, its resemblance to an Ancestral Dragon Vein, and its fusion with the will and faith of the Human race.

Character Development

• Chen Yang demonstrates restraint and strategic judgment. Although he desires the Creation Jade Butterfly fragment for a future treasure and possibly his cultivation, he refuses to damage the Ancestral Dragon Vein or Kunlun Pool Water merely to obtain it.
• His cultivation undergoes a “special evolution” through prolonged exposure to Kunlun Pool Water. His body and spiritual foundation are strengthened, while his wisdom, Dao comprehension, formation abilities, and Grand Dao Source are all enhanced.
• Chen Yang also shows growing confidence in his accomplishments, particularly in the Great Wall, while remaining willing to seek Elder Zi’s knowledge.
• Elder Zi shifts from teasing Chen Yang to acting as a historical guide and adviser. He reveals important information about Kunlun, Hongjun, the Creation Jade Butterfly, and the Three Pure Ones. He also develops genuine admiration for Chen Yang’s Great Wall.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and resource management: Chen Yang’s vast resources have been consumed by the Human Realm’s development and defense, emphasizing the enormous cost of building power and security.
• Restraint versus ambition: Chen Yang wants the Creation Jade Butterfly fragment but rejects a destructive method of acquiring it, valuing long-term stability over immediate gain.
• Cultivation through external opportunity: Chen Yang recognizes that his own progress has slowed and relies on the extraordinary Kunlun Pool Water to strengthen his foundation.
• Karmic cause and effect: Hongjun’s discovery of the Jade Butterfly fragments and his acceptance of the Three Pure Ones are linked to compensation for past actions, highlighting the influence of karma.
• Collective power and civilization: The Great Wall embodies the Human race’s fortune, faith, and will, showing how Chen Yang’s personal achievement has become a collective defensive and spiritual symbol.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yang and Elder Zi engage in a familiar, teasing exchange, with Elder Zi criticizing Chen Yang for bringing him to Kunlun despite his superior knowledge of the region.
• Their discussion becomes serious as they debate the Creation Jade Butterfly fragment. Elder Zi warns Chen Yang against damaging the Ancestral Dragon Vein, while Chen Yang explains his desire to forge a powerful treasure.
• Chen Yang accepts Elder Zi’s advice and chooses cultivation instead of extraction.
• During their return to the Human Realm, Chen Yang confidently presents the Great Wall, and Elder Zi responds with rare solemn praise, recognizing it as one of the Primordial World’s greatest Grand Artifacts.