Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Lin Yuan faces Xue Ehu in what is meant to be a friendly spar. Though Xue Ehu is a peak Golden Immortal, Lin Yuan is far stronger and defeats him quickly while holding back.
• Frustrated by Lin Yuan’s restraint, Xue Ehu accuses him of looking down on him and escalates the match with stronger sword attacks. Lin Yuan disarms and pins him, ending the duel.
• As Lin Yuan turns away, Xue Ehu secretly uses a Sword Talisman given by Daoxing Tianzun. It releases a powerful attack aimed at Lin Yuan’s primordial spirit, injuring him and causing his life lamp to dim.
• Xue Ehu prepares to attack again. Lin Yuan declares the spar over and confronts him for attempting to kill him.
• Lin Yuan overwhelms Xue Ehu, destroys the talisman, breaks his protective jade pendant, and kills him with the Qingxuan Sword.
• Xue Ehu’s true spirit is taken by the Investiture of the Gods. Lin Yuan warns the witnesses that he will show restraint in a proper duel, but not toward someone trying to kill him.
• Powerful elders arrive: Lin Yuan recognizes his master’s Supreme Purity aura, while Daoxing Tianzun arrives beside Xue Ehu’s body.

Character developments

• Lin Yuan shifts from controlled restraint to lethal resolve when Xue Ehu’s attack becomes an unmistakable assassination attempt. He remains composed afterward, framing his actions as a response to being targeted rather than a victory to celebrate.
• Xue Ehu moves from wounded pride and resentment to reckless violence. His attempt to exploit the spar and kill Lin Yuan ultimately costs him his life.
• Chen Yue tries to prevent the crisis and fears its consequences, but can only watch as Xue Ehu’s second attack makes the situation irreversible.

Significant themes

• Restraint versus self-defense: Lin Yuan distinguishes between sparring, where he holds back, and defending himself against a lethal attack.
• Pride and resentment: Xue Ehu’s anger at being outmatched fuels his escalation.
• Consequences and accountability: The chapter turns a friendly contest into a fatal confrontation once Xue Ehu deliberately attacks Lin Yuan’s life.
• Power and danger: The Sword Talisman shows how a powerful master’s gift can radically alter a duel—and make its user’s intentions impossible to excuse.

Character interactions

• Lin Yuan and Xue Ehu’s spar is defined by their unequal strength and Xue Ehu’s growing sense of humiliation.
• Chen Yue urges Xue Ehu to stop and later recognizes that the second attack proves deliberate intent.
• Lin Yuan confronts Xue Ehu directly, explaining that he had held back in the duel but would not tolerate an attempt on his life.
• The chapter ends with Lin Yuan’s master and Daoxing Tianzun arriving, setting up a confrontation between the two sides.

Plot and events

After Xue Ehu dies in the duel, Daoxing Tianzun arrives, grieving the deaths of both his disciples, Han Dulong and Xue Ehu. He initially confronts Lin Yuan, but Golden Spirit Holy Mother arrives and immediately checks her injured disciple before demanding to know who hurt him.
The broken Jade Clarity Sword Talisman and witnesses establish what happened: Lin Yuan had held back and turned away after disarming Xue Ehu. Xue Ehu then attacked him from behind with the talisman, striking Lin Yuan’s Primordial Spirit; when Lin Yuan survived, Xue Ehu attacked again. Lin Yuan killed him in response. Daoxing accepts that his disciple broke the rules and gives Lin Yuan a Spirit-Nourishing Pill to heal the injury. The matter is declared settled.
Before leaving with his disciples’ bodies, Daoxing warns Lin Yuan that his actions are changing the Karmic Tribulation and may draw more people into it. Lin Yuan admits he fears the consequences but says he cannot abandon his fellow disciples when they are in danger. Afterward, Jin Ling takes Lin Yuan back to heal, then teases him for being hit—and says he should have struck Xue Ehu harder.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Yuan remains committed to protecting his fellow disciples despite the growing risks of karma. He accepts responsibility for killing Xue Ehu, but the witnesses’ account makes clear it followed an attack meant to kill him.
• Golden Spirit Holy Mother is fiercely protective of Lin Yuan. She checks him repeatedly, confronts Daoxing over the unjust attack, and secures compensation for his injury. Her later teasing reveals a more affectionate, familiar side.
• Daoxing Tianzun begins in grief and anger, but does not blindly defend Xue Ehu once the evidence is clear. He acknowledges his disciple’s wrongdoing, compensates Lin Yuan, and warns him about the wider consequences of his choices.
• Xue Ehu’s grief over Han Dulong’s death has turned into reckless vengeance; his secret use of the talisman and second attack make his death a consequence of his own breach of the duel’s rules.
• Chen Yue and the witnesses provide a straightforward account that shifts the confrontation from Daoxing’s accusation to Jin Ling’s demand for justice. The other disciples’ restrained reactions—and eventual laughter at Jin Ling’s remark—underscore the easing tension.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: Xue Ehu’s status does not excuse his actions; even Daoxing accepts that he broke the rules.
• Protection and loyalty: Jin Ling defends her disciple, while Lin Yuan risks worsening his karmic burden to protect others.
• The cost of compassion: Lin Yuan knows his interventions may alter the tribulation, yet refuses to let fear dictate whether he helps those in danger.

Plot points and events

• After Han Dulong, Xue Ehu becomes the second Elucidation Sect disciple to enter the Investiture of the Gods. Unlike Han’s apparently freak accident, Xue’s death follows a clear chain of events: he publicly challenged Lin Yuan, secretly tried to kill him, and was killed when Lin fought back.
• Elucidation Sect disciples conclude that Lin is merciful toward fair opponents but will respond decisively to anyone who tries to kill him. They resolve not to use underhanded tactics against him.
• On Blue Star, researchers compare the altered fates of Xue Ehu and Han Dulong with historical records. They attribute the changes chiefly to Lin Yuan and note that Elucidation Sect’s karmic-trouble index has risen again. Lin’s status is updated to Dao Scion of the Interception Sect, while the sect’s probability of destruction has fallen below 100%.
• On Golden Turtle Island, Lin’s life lamp stabilizes. He recovers from his primordial-spirit injury with the help of Daoxing Tianzun’s pill and suffers no inner demons over killing Xue Ehu.
• Zhao Gongming visits with wine and praises Lin for not holding back. He reflects that the Interception Sect’s habit of worrying too much about conflict could let situations worsen and cost lives.
• Tongtian summons Lin for a private meeting and asks whether he would kill Xue Ehu again if given the chance.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Yuan is now understood as both a protector and a lethal opponent when threatened. He sees his actions as self-defense, not cruelty, and remains composed as he recovers.
• Chen Qingshan admits he would still have discouraged Lin from choosing the Interception Sect, given the deadly historical record at the time. However, Lin’s influence has made him reconsider applying old historical assumptions unchanged.
• Zhao Gongming supports decisive self-defense and suggests the Interception Sect’s excessive hesitation has sometimes made matters worse. His past is briefly alluded to, prompting Lin to tease him about the Nail-Head Seven-Arrows Book.
• Tongtian’s pointed question puts Lin’s judgment and principles at the center of the next encounter.

Significant themes

• Self-defense and responsibility: The chapter distinguishes mercy toward fair opponents from passivity in the face of attempted murder.
• Changing fate and history: Lin’s actions are disrupting established timelines and altering the sects’ expected futures.
• Reputation and perception: Lin’s image shifts from primarily a healer and rescuer to someone whose kindness does not mean weakness.
• The cost of hesitation: Zhao Gongming’s reflection suggests that avoiding conflict at all costs can lead to greater harm.

Lin Yuan convinced Tongtian to establish that Interception Sect disciples could strike back when opponents used killing moves, then learned Lü Yue’s plague campaign in West Qi was spreading to civilians. Lin Yuan traveled to inspect the Plague Formation and warned Lü Yue that expanding it would hasten his death.

• Lin Yuan told Tongtian that disciples should fight back if someone tried to kill them, and Tongtian announced the new rule across Golden Turtle Island.
• Duobao reported that Lü Yue and four disciples had infected West Qi’s forces and nearby towns with plague.
• Lin Yuan warned Tongtian that spreading plague among civilians would bring Lü Yue heavy karmic consequences, then set out with Qin Wan, Yao Bin, and two disciples under Jin Ling.
• At the Great Shang camp, Lin Yuan saw plague aura reaching mortal towns and detected Lü Yue as a high-value target with a fatal tribulation.
• Lin Yuan warned Lü Yue that the farther he spread the plague, the faster he would win and die.

Key plot points and events

• Lü Yue’s plague has devastated three West Qi camps, but its miasma has also spread into nearby towns, where civilians are falling ill.
• Lin Yuan warns Lü Yue that his apparent success is increasing his karmic burden. By harming people uninvolved in the war, Lü Yue is worsening the aura of tribulation around himself.
• Lin Yuan studies how the plague spreads and discovers that it is drawn into camps by dense concentrations of soldiers, their energy, and the army’s baleful force. The miasma drifting into towns is largely spillover.
• Lin Yuan argues that the plague is being used inefficiently: targeting commanders, cultivators, messengers, grain routes, and other military essentials could disrupt West Qi more effectively while reducing civilian casualties.
• Lü Yue agrees to test Lin Yuan’s approach. At Lin Yuan’s direction, he pulls the miasma back from a village. Lin Yuan observes that Lü Yue’s accumulating tribulation aura stops growing for a moment.

Character developments

• Lin Yuan demonstrates his unusual perception and practical strategic thinking, entering the plague cloud to study its movement and proposing a way to limit its harm.
• Lü Yue begins the chapter confident in the scale of his victory and dismissive of concerns about collateral damage. Lin Yuan’s explanation makes him reconsider both the plague’s military effectiveness and its karmic cost.
• Wen Zhong recognizes the tactical value of targeting the small number of people who keep an army functioning and supports Lin Yuan’s reasoning.
• Lü Yue’s disciples initially accept their master’s ruthless methods, but Zhou Xin becomes curious about whether plague can be directed selectively.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: A devastating weapon can harm innocents as well as enemies, and its user must face the consequences.
• Karma and moral cost: Success in battle may deepen a cultivator’s burden when civilians are caught in the harm.
• Efficiency versus indiscriminate force: Precision can achieve greater military impact with less collateral damage.
• Knowledge and adaptability: Lin Yuan’s careful observation challenges Lü Yue’s habitual approach and opens the possibility of changing how his plague works.

Character interactions

• Lin Yuan bluntly warns Lü Yue that his rapid victory may hasten his downfall; Lü Yue initially responds with amusement and defiance.
• Wen Zhong supports Lin Yuan by explaining how disrupting commanders and logistical personnel could throw West Qi’s forces into disarray.
• Lin Yuan challenges Lü Yue’s assumptions through questions and battlefield analysis rather than condemnation.
• Lü Yue ultimately accepts Lin Yuan’s proposed test, withdrawing the plague from the village as Lin Yuan watches for changes in its spread and karmic effects.

Key plot points

• After Lü Yue withdraws the plague aura from a village, he notices that the pressure of the Investiture of the Gods tribulation on his Primordial Spirit has eased slightly. Lin Yuan confirms that targeting ordinary civilians adds karmic burden without much battlefield benefit.
• Lin Yuan urges Lü Yue to stop spreading plague indiscriminately and instead incapacitate key personnel—such as grain handlers, formation signalers, scouts, and messengers—whose absence could disrupt West Qi’s army. Lü Yue accepts the advice and pulls plague aura back from several nearby towns, further reducing the tribulation pressure.
• Lin Yuan proposes making the plague activate only against specific targets. Qin Wan explains how formations might identify energy signatures; Yao Bin suggests combining a shared soul imprint with military baleful energy. Lü Yue realizes the plague could lie dormant until it encounters the right catalyst.
• Wen Zhong demonstrates that Great Shang and West Qi military banners carry distinguishable baleful energy. Lü Yue, his disciples, Qin Wan, and Yao Bin begin developing a targeting method.
• After a day’s work, they complete a three-layer formation: it identifies West Qi’s banner aura, senses the vitality of battle formations, then activates the plague. They plan to test it at dawn, though Lü Yue is eager to try it immediately.

Character developments and interactions

• Lü Yue shifts from valuing the plague’s broad reach to recognizing the dangers of indiscriminate use. Experiencing the reduction in tribulation firsthand makes him take Lin Yuan’s advice seriously. He becomes excited by the prospect of choosing his targets.
• Lin Yuan acts as a strategist, linking karma, military utility, plague arts, formations, and soul techniques. Rather than doing the technical work himself, he gives specialists a direction and lets them develop it.
• Wen Zhong contributes military expertise, identifying the army roles and signals most vulnerable to targeted disruption. He supports the plan but also feels some sympathy for West Qi’s coming troubles.
• Qin Wan and Yao Bin bring their respective knowledge of formations and souls to the design; Lü Yue and his disciples adapt it to the Plague Arts.

Significant themes

• Power constrained by consequences: Greater reach is not automatically an advantage; broad attacks can increase karmic burden while producing little lasting military gain.
• Precision over indiscriminate force: Disabling a few crucial links may be more effective than striking large numbers of ordinary soldiers.
• Collaborative problem-solving: The plan succeeds by combining different characters’ specialized knowledge.
• Practical results over moralizing: Lin Yuan persuades Lü Yue through tangible effects on both his tribulation burden and the battlefield.

Plot points and events

• Lü Yue tests a revised Plague Formation that releases a much weaker, more dispersed Plague Aura than the previous day’s indiscriminate outbreak.
• The aura slips through West Qi’s protective measures, initially passing ordinary soldiers unnoticed. Near an Army Flag, it gathers and infects the flag-bearer; it then affects messengers and other personnel essential to coordinating the army.
• The resulting delays and mismatched signals throw West Qi’s Left Camp into confusion. The plague also disrupts formation-directing Qi Practitioners, whose long exposure to Military Fiend Aura makes them especially vulnerable.
• West Qi moves its flags to limit the effect, but the remaining Battle Formation aura continues to trigger the plague. Wen Zhong waits for the disruption to deepen, then orders a focused Shang Army assault. Great Shang advances over twenty li before withdrawing rather than risking an overextended pursuit.
• Lü Yue recognizes that targeted plague can be more effective than a mass outbreak. He also notes that limiting the plague to military camps has stabilized the karmic consequences he is accumulating.
• Lü Yue proposes making the plague identify Chan Sect disciples specifically. Yao Bin suggests a second trigger based on primordial spirit and dharma power, with a stronger dose for those possessing Jade Clarity dharma power. The group is eager to develop it, though Qin Wan warns that modifying the formation will take work.

Character developments and interactions

• Lü Yue shifts from valuing the spectacle of a widespread plague to appreciating precision, and immediately looks for ways to target enemy disciples.
• Wen Zhong shows patience and strategic restraint: he waits until the disruption is substantial, exploits only the vulnerable flank, and stops the advance before it becomes risky. Lin Yuan lightly teases him for learning to wait.
• Lin Yuan observes the test and supports the more controlled approach, while quietly recognizing that the proposed refinement could make the plague even more dangerous.
• Yao Bin contributes the key idea of a two-stage recognition system; Qin Wan cautions that such a change cannot be made instantly.
• The exchange about Qin Wan’s frequently modified Ten Ultimate Formation ends with Lin Yuan suspecting that he was the one who revealed that habit.

Significant themes

• Precision over indiscriminate force: A weaker, targeted attack causes more strategic damage than a vast outbreak.
• Adaptation and counter-adaptation: West Qi responds to the new plague, while Lü Yue and his allies seek further refinements.
• The moral and karmic cost of warfare: Restricting harm to military targets stabilizes Lü Yue’s karmic burden, though the group’s next proposal raises the danger of escalation.

Lin Yuan helped Lü Yue refine the Five-Plague Formation into a weapon that targeted Jade Clarity cultivators and critical battlefield positions, disrupting West Qi despite its antidotes and defenses. As Great Shang exploited the resulting breakdowns, Yun Zhongzi arrived and recognized Lin Yuan’s hand in the formation.

• Lin Yuan advised Qin Wan, Yao Bin, Lü Yue, and his disciples as they completed a nine-layer Plague Formation that could identify Jade Clarity power and primordial spirit signatures.
• Lü Yue waited until West Qi had distributed its medicine and activated its defenses, then released the nearly invisible plague through the Five-Plague Formation Disk.
• West Qi’s Jade Clarity cultivators repeatedly fell ill whenever they used their dharma power, and the plague disrupted the people maintaining its cleansing formations and other key positions.
• Wen Zhong sent Great Shang troops to strike West Qi’s supply route, battle formation, and messenger camp, then withdraw before the enemy could pursue.
• West Qi’s commanders realized that the plague was targeting Jade Clarity cultivators and formation nodes, and they suspected Lin Yuan had modified it.
• Yun Zhongzi arrived above West Qi’s camp, recognized the Plague Formation’s design, and asked Lin Yuan whether he had modified it.

Yun Zhongzi countered Lü Yue’s Plague Formation while Lin Yuan and Qin Wan repeatedly altered its triggers. Yun Zhongzi then turned the plague aura’s connections back toward its casters, forcing Lin Yuan to ready the Qingxuan Sword as the plague surged toward Lü Yue and his disciples.

• Yun Zhongzi examined the sick soldiers and the Plague-Cleansing Formation, then identified how the dormant plague aura responded to specific energy signatures.
• Yun Zhongzi reduced the army flags’ fiend aura and covered jade clarity immortal light with blessed virtue pure aura, while Lin Yuan and Qin Wan changed the formation to target blood fiend aura and battle formation signatures.
• Yun Zhongzi suppressed the blood fiend aura with a Purifying Aura Formation, and Lin Yuan shifted the plague’s trigger to the West Qi soldiers’ armor.
• Yun Zhongzi traced the plague aura’s connections back to Lü Yue and his four disciples, then built a formation to reverse the plague along those threads.
• Yun Zhongzi activated the formation, sending the plague aura rushing toward Lü Yue, Zhou Xin, Li Qi, Zhu Tianlin, and Yang Wenhui, while Lin Yuan gripped the Qingxuan Sword.

Lin Yuan and Lü Yue rerouted the plague aura Yun Zhongzi’s formation was sending back, while Lin Yuan used fire to separate it from purifying energy. The diversion held, but stronger immortals began rising from West Qi’s camp, setting up a direct confrontation.

• Yun Zhongzi’s Plague-Cleansing Formation forced Lü Yue and his disciples to take back the plague aura they had released across West Qi.
• Lin Yuan ordered Qin Wan to open nine diversion routes, and Lü Yue redirected the returning plague into Wasteland Valley, Plague Banners, and the formation.
• When purifying energy tangled with the plague and threatened to destroy the routes, Lin Yuan used precise fire to separate the conflicting energies.
• Yun Zhongzi targeted the diversion routes, but Lin Yuan shifted the underground paths with the Thick Earth Sword while Lü Yue moved the Plague Banner.
• Stronger immortal auras rose from West Qi’s camp, and Lin Yuan warned Lü Yue that their enemies would attack in person; Lü Yue prepared to fight.

Lin Yuan helped Lü Yue and his four disciples turn the Five Plagues Formation into a coordinated fighting formation, forcing West Qi’s attackers to retreat. As the five learned not to chase enemies, Yun Zhongzi secretly altered the Plague-Cleansing Formation to mark all five, and Lin Yuan noticed a new threat beneath them.

• Lin Yuan stopped Zhou Xin, Li Qi, Zhu Tianlin, and Yang Wenhui from separating and arranged them around Lü Yue to fight as one formation.
• The five used overlapping Plague Arts to repel West Qi’s first two Taiyi attackers and then combined their power to send a golden seal flying.
• Lü Yue and his disciples held their positions through West Qi’s feints and attacks, while Wen Zhong and Qin Wan observed their increasingly effective teamwork.
• Lü Yue stopped himself from pursuing the retreating enemies when Lin Yuan called to him, and the tribulation aura tied to him faded further.
• Yun Zhongzi modified the Plague-Cleansing Formation to mark the five positions, and Lin Yuan sensed a new net beneath the Five Plagues Formation.

Lin Yuan helped Lü Yue and his disciples break Yun Zhongzi’s plague-cleansing formation, then persuaded Lü Yue to withdraw instead of spreading the plague further. The five Plague Immortals left the battlefield for Golden Turtle Island, and Lin Yuan’s fatal tribulation began to loosen.

• Yun Zhongzi bound Lü Yue and his four disciples with a formation that traced the plague aura linking them.
• Lin Yuan followed the formation lines to Yun Zhongzi’s white jade formation disk, then used Qin Wan’s flags and his twin swords to expose and damage it.
• Lin Yuan and Lü Yue sent plague aura back along the binding lines, while Yao Bin sent soul-dropping aura, forcing Yun Zhongzi to disperse the formation.
• Lü Yue, Lin Yuan, and Wen Zhong attacked the exposed formation disk with the Five Plagues, twin swords, and divine thunder, shattering it.
• Lin Yuan urged Lü Yue to withdraw; Lü Yue recalled the plague formation, and the five Plague Immortals departed for Golden Turtle Island.

Lü Yue left the West Qi front after learning to use his Plague Formation more precisely, and Lin Yuan gained a Myriad Plague Dao Body when Lü Yue’s destined death calamity was reversed. Back on Golden Turtle Island, Lin Yuan sensed a slight opening toward the Daluo Realm before receiving news that Luo Xuan and Liu Huan were heading down from Fire Dragon Island.

• At a farewell banquet, Lü Yue toasted Lin Yuan, acknowledged that his advice had changed how he used plague, and gave him a Plague Token.
• When Lü Yue’s death calamity dispersed, Lin Yuan inherited the Myriad Plague Dao Body and demonstrated that he could absorb, resist, and control Lü Yue’s plague energy.
• Several days later, Duobao brought Lü Yue and his four disciples to the Life Lamp Hall, where five lamps were lit for them.
• Lin Yuan noticed that Lü Yue’s karma tied to the Investiture of the Gods had dispersed and that his Taiyi Peak bottleneck had loosened slightly toward the Daluo Realm.
• Duobao delivered a message from Wen Zhong naming Luo Xuan and Liu Huan as the next people heading down from Fire Dragon Island.

Lin Yuan diverted Luo Xuan’s flames away from West Qi’s civilians and showed he could guide the fire dragons toward military targets. As Luo Xuan unleashed an even greater blaze, an enormous water net appeared to counter the fire, and the group prepared to face its unknown wielder.

• Lin Yuan traveled to West Qi with Holy Mother Huo Ling and Qin Wan after learning Luo Xuan was burning the city.
• Lin Yuan redirected the spreading flames away from residential districts and toward West Qi’s military stores and granary.
• Luo Xuan challenged Lin Yuan to demonstrate how he would burn the West Qi forces, and Lin Yuan guided five fire dragons toward military targets.
• Luo Xuan released a greater sea of fire, but a growing net of water began cooling the flames.
• Luo Xuan welcomed the unknown person countering his fire and prepared to confront them.

Princess Longji used the Mist Dew Universe Net to suppress Luo Xuan’s fire, but Lin Yuan found the net’s water channels and helped Luo Xuan break through them. Longji withdrew the net, and Li Jing and Nezha arrived, bringing Luo Xuan’s looming danger closer.

• Princess Longji spread the Mist Dew Universe Net over West Qi, forcing Luo Xuan’s fire dragons into a stalemate against the gathering moisture.
• Lin Yuan identified the net’s eight water nodes and severed underground water channels with the Thick Earth Sword.
• Lin Yuan directed Luo Xuan to attack weakened sections while Holy Mother Huo Ling disrupted Longji’s control, tearing gaps through the net.
• Princess Longji contracted the net and retreated, and Lin Yuan stopped Luo Xuan from pursuing her as his fatal tribulation eased.
• Li Jing arrived with the Golden Exquisite Pagoda, accompanied by Nezha on his Wind-Fire Wheels.

Li Jing, Nezha, and Princess Longji trapped Luo Xuan with the Exquisite Pagoda and their combined attacks, but Lin Yuan helped him break through the blockade. Nezha then struck Lin Yuan from behind with the Universe Ring, and Lin Yuan charged at him in response.

• Li Jing, Nezha, and Princess Longji coordinated their attacks to suppress Luo Xuan, while Holy Mother Huo Ling moved to counter Long Ji.
• Lin Yuan called out Nezha’s attacks so Luo Xuan could evade, and Qin Wan identified the Exquisite Pagoda’s anchor points.
• Lin Yuan advised Luo Xuan to draw his scattered flames into the Five Dragon Wheel, and Luo Xuan concentrated them into five red-gold fire dragons.
• Lin Yuan and Qin Wan identified a weak point in the pagoda’s light, and Luo Xuan broke through it with the Five Dragon Wheel.
• Nezha attacked Lin Yuan from behind with the Universe Ring, cracking his shoulder bone, and Lin Yuan charged at Nezha after acknowledging the hit.

Lin Yuan caught Nezha’s Universe Ring and hurled it back, then defeated him in a rapid exchange before withdrawing to tend his wounds. He turned his attention to Luo Xuan, whose fatal tribulation remained unresolved as the opposing side’s three methods closed in.

• Lin Yuan caught Nezha’s returning Universe Ring and struck him in the chest with it, then used his sword’s ringing and a blow to the Wind-Fire Wheels to knock Nezha into a crater.
• Lin Yuan used the Treasure-Dropping Coin to make Li Jing raise the Exquisite Pagoda, giving Luo Xuan an opening to attack with the Five Dragon Wheel.
• Nezha climbed out of the crater and challenged Lin Yuan to fight again, but Lin Yuan called their exchange even and warned him against another sneak attack.
• Holy Mother Huo Ling treated Lin Yuan’s cracked shoulder bone, and Lin Yuan stepped back while she took over the fight with Nezha.
• Lin Yuan warned Luo Xuan that the Mist Dew Universe Net, Exquisite Pagoda, and Nezha’s methods had all been deployed; Luo Xuan drew back his flames as Princess Longji tightened the net and Li Jing pressed the pagoda down.

Lin Yuan helped Luo Xuan escape the encirclement at West Qi, then inherited Luo Xuan’s innate fire virtue and sensed that the barrier at Taiyi Peak was close to breaking. Tongtian summoned Lin Yuan back to Golden Turtle Island as the Interception Sect’s fortune began to respond to his approach.

• Lin Yuan, Holy Mother Huo Ling, and Qin Wan helped Luo Xuan break through Long Ji’s net and Li Jing’s pagoda, allowing him to escape Nezha’s pursuit.
• Luo Xuan reunited with Lin Yuan and the others, reflected on how concentrating his fire had helped him escape, and realized that his Tribulation Aura had fallen.
• Lin Yuan successfully changed Luo Xuan’s predetermined death trajectory and inherited his innate fire virtue, which merged with Lin Yuan’s Innate Fire Spirit.
• Lin Yuan sensed the Daluo Realm growing closer as the barrier at Taiyi Peak trembled, though he said he still needed a little more progress.
• Tongtian summoned Lin Yuan back, and Lin Yuan, Huo Ling, and Luo Xuan flew toward Golden Turtle Island as the Interception Sect’s fortune began to respond.

Lin Yuan returned to Golden Turtle Island and prepared to enter seclusion in the Supreme Purity Grotto-Heaven to attempt the Daluo Realm. Surrounded by the Jie Sect members whose lives he had saved, he began gathering his many abilities into a path of his own, and the first faint phantom of a great dao flower appeared.

• Lin Yuan told Tongtian and the others that he had glimpsed the Daluo Realm threshold, and Zhao Gongming warned him that his many abilities made finding a personal core essential.
• Lin Yuan recounted his battle at West Qi, and Jin Ling examined his shoulder before approving that he had struck Nezha with the Universe Ring in return.
• Tongtian sent Lin Yuan to the Supreme Purity Grotto-Heaven, while Shiji, Biyun, the Four Sages of Nine-Dragon Island, Qin Wan, and many other Jie Sect members gave him gifts and came to guard his path.
• Lin Yuan accepted the crowd’s support, entered the grotto-heaven, and sat down with Qingxuan and Thick Earth before him.
• Lin Yuan began uniting his abilities into a single path, and the first faint phantom of a great dao flower emerged above his head.

Lin Yuan discovered that his many abilities were preventing him from forming a Great Dao Flower, then unified them through the Shangqing Immortal Method and stabilized his breakthrough. As the flower neared completion, the Daluo Causal Tribulation gathered above Golden Turtle Island.

• Lin Yuan failed three times to condense his Great Dao Flower because the many powers in his primordial spirit pulled in different directions.
• Zhao Gongming and the others observed Lin Yuan’s struggle, while Tongtian refused to give him a hint and told them he had to find his own way.
• Lin Yuan recalled past battles and realized he had always used every ability toward the same purpose: resolving the danger before him and keeping himself and his people alive.
• Lin Yuan brought his abilities into one circulation through the Shangqing Immortal Method, and his Great Dao Flower advanced steadily beyond its previous limit.
• As the flower reached ninety percent completion, Lin Yuan sensed the Daluo Causal Tribulation gathering, and Zhao Gongming recognized that his karmic ties were coming due.