Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Buried with Full Honors After Death

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu arrives in the Yin Realm with no Yin Stones, since possessions from the Yang Realm cannot be brought over. He borrows ten Yin Stones from a frightened Human Race cultivator by demonstrating overwhelming physical strength, then uses five to enter Crow Ghost City.
• He explores the city and learns about Yin Realm customs, including Human Elixirs, snacks made from filthy objects that fall from the Yang Realm and retain traces of yang energy.
• Hoping to gather information, Chen Qiu listens to a storyteller recount his own legendary deeds: destroying the Evil Race, sinking the Evil Province Landmass, and later forming a Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul.
• The crowd is shocked that Chen Qiu has died and entered the Yin Realm. A recent Heavenly Dao Edict revealed that he forged a Merit Body using one hundred billion Merit Value, causing the Yin Realm to expect him to become a major force.
• Chen Qiu purchases a guide to the Yin Realm and learns that newcomers begin as yin souls, must gather resources to forge bodies, and can become either body-focused Ghost Cultivators or soul-focused Soul Cultivators.
• His Merit Body is revealed to be extraordinarily powerful, far stronger than ordinary Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivator bodies. Although many Yang Realm abilities and traits cannot be used in the Yin Realm, his physical strength remains overwhelming.
• Just as Chen Qiu prepares to leave Crow Ghost City and seek out the Demon Race, a Demon Race army attacks the city. Rather than avoiding them, Chen Qiu looks forward to fighting them, particularly hoping to encounter Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• The chapter ends by shifting to the former Fate Sect survivors. Their sect master and former disciple Qi Mei are hiding in Crow Ghost City. Qi Mei reveals that he has been waiting for Chen Qiu to arrive and begs the sect master to avenge the Fate Sect.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Demonstrates his intimidating physical power, resourcefulness, and confidence. He remains amused by how widely his reputation has spread, even in the Yin Realm, and quickly adapts to its rules. His powerful Merit Body gives him an enormous advantage, making him fearless in the face of the approaching Demon Race army.
• Human Race cultivator: Initially refuses to lend Chen Qiu money, but immediately becomes respectful and submissive after witnessing Chen Qiu’s strength. This highlights the social importance of power in the Yin Realm.
• Fate Sect sect master: Still carries resentment toward Chen Qiu for destroying his sect, but his fear of Chen Qiu’s arrival overwhelms his desire for revenge. He recognizes that Chen Qiu may be impossible to confront.
• Qi Mei: His past actions are revealed to have caused the Fate Sect’s destruction. He had attacked Chen Qiu after failing to recruit him, indirectly triggering the conflict. Despite this, he continues to portray himself as the victim and passionately demands revenge.
• Stall owner: Provides Chen Qiu with basic information about Yin Realm society and notices that Chen Qiu’s newly forged body may be an unusually powerful Merit Body.

Significant Themes

• Reputation beyond death: Chen Qiu’s fame follows him into the Yin Realm, where storytellers and ghosts already know his accomplishments. His identity and influence extend beyond his mortal life.
• Power and survival: Strength determines social status and safety. Even a minor display of power makes others obey Chen Qiu, while weaker newcomers must labor to obtain bodies and resources.
• The consequences of one’s actions: Qi Mei’s impulsive attempt to recruit and then attack Chen Qiu ultimately destroys the Fate Sect. His continued desire for revenge shows his refusal to accept responsibility.
• The difference between life and death: Death does not erase cultivation, grudges, or reputations. Former enemies reunite in the Yin Realm, and conflicts from the Yang Realm continue after death.
• Adaptation and inequality: The Yin Realm has its own economy, cultivation systems, dangers, and social structures. New arrivals begin with almost nothing, while those with exceptional Merit Value or prior cultivation possess major advantages.
• Humor amid danger: Chen Qiu reacts sarcastically to hearing endless stories about himself, while the absurdity of Human Elixirs and the Fate Sect master’s fear provide comic relief.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu intimidates the Human Race cultivator into lending him ten Yin Stones, turning the cultivator’s reluctance into exaggerated respect.
• He listens to the storyteller and indirectly hears how the Yin Realm interprets his achievements and death.
• Chen Qiu bargains with the stall owner and purchases a newcomer’s guide, learning the basic rules of Ghost and Soul Cultivation.
• The Fate Sect sect master and Qi Mei reunite in the Yin Realm. Their relationship is strained: the sect master still values Qi Mei but privately blames him for provoking Chen Qiu and causing the sect’s destruction.
• Qi Mei kneels before the sect master and demands vengeance, setting up a likely confrontation between Chen Qiu and the surviving Fate Sect members during the Demon Race invasion.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qi Mei and the Fate Sect Master devise a plan to avenge the destruction of the Fate Sect. Since they cannot defeat Chen Qiu themselves, they intend to lure him into a trap by spreading rumors about the Fate Sect and informing the Demon Race of his location.
• They negotiate with the Demon Race army surrounding Crow Ghost City. The demons agree to use Qi Mei’s slander to draw Chen Qiu out, while keeping the Fate Sect Master and another disciple as hostages.
• The Demon Race initially withdraws to summon reinforcements, believing Chen Qiu’s hundred-billion-Merit-Value body is too powerful for only a few Spirit Transformation cultivators to handle.
• In Crow Ghost City, Qi Mei bribes storytellers to falsely claim that Chen Qiu slaughtered the Fate Sect without provocation. A young newcomer exposes flaws in the story, pointing out the seven-day information gap between the Yang and Yin Realms and defending Chen Qiu as someone who only kills wicked people.
• Chen Qiu, disguised and seated beneath the stage, listens to the propaganda. He then reveals himself, kills Qi Mei instantly, frightens the storyteller, and leaves the city to confront the waiting Demon Race.
• Outside the city, Chen Qiu deliberately presents himself as bait. He calls out the Fate Sect Master and allows the demons to believe he is badly injured.
• Eight Demon Race Ghost Cultivators—five at Peak Spirit Transformation and three at early Spirit Transformation—surround him. Chen Qiu kills the weaker cultivators one by one while pretending that their attacks are severely wounding him.
• After four Spirit Transformation cultivators are killed, the remaining demons realize they cannot defeat Chen Qiu and call for reinforcements, though they continue surrounding him to prevent his escape.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Becomes increasingly confident in the overwhelming power of his hundred-billion-Merit-Value body. He demonstrates both physical dominance and strategic cunning, using deception to make stronger enemies underestimate him and attract even more powerful opponents.
• Qi Mei: His hatred and desire for revenge drive him into an elaborate but reckless scheme. Despite his confidence, he collapses in terror when Chen Qiu appears and is killed publicly.
• Fate Sect Master: Initially cautious, he becomes enthusiastic about Qi Mei’s plan and joins the attempt to use the Demon Race. His willingness to sacrifice the sect’s reputation and risk himself shows how deeply revenge has consumed him.
• Demon Race cultivators: Their greed over Chen Qiu’s Merit Body causes them to underestimate him. Even after witnessing his strength, they repeatedly attack because they hope to claim a larger share of the reward.
• Young Ghost Cultivator: Provides a rational counterargument to the propaganda and reveals that public information about Chen Qiu is outdated. His conversation with Chen Qiu highlights Chen Qiu’s reputation as a “Harm Exterminator,” though Chen Qiu dislikes the nickname.
• Crow Ghost City Lord: Prepares to defend the city against overwhelming odds, only to be confused when the Demon Race suddenly withdraws.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and self-destruction: Qi Mei and the Fate Sect Master allow hatred to override caution, leading them into a trap of their own making.
• Strategy and deception: Chen Qiu proves that the strongest strategist may be the person who enters the battlefield personally. He uses himself as bait and stages weakness to manipulate the enemy.
• Greed and overconfidence: The Demon Race’s desire to obtain Chen Qiu’s Merit Body repeatedly clouds its judgment and prevents it from retreating.
• Information gaps and misinformation: The seven-day delay between the Yang and Yin Realms allows false stories to spread, while Chen Qiu’s true cultivation remains unknown.
• Karma and irony: The Fate Sect, which once helped Chen Qiu rise, unintentionally creates another opportunity for him by bringing numerous powerful Demon Race cultivators directly to his location.
• Reputation versus reality: Chen Qiu is publicly portrayed as a ruthless murderer, but the young Ghost Cultivator argues that he only eliminates harmful people. The chapter contrasts propaganda with firsthand knowledge.

Important Character Interactions

• Qi Mei persuades the Fate Sect Master to revive their sect publicly and slander Chen Qiu.
• The Fate Sect delegation bargains with the Demon Race, offering Chen Qiu’s location in exchange for assistance with revenge.
• Chen Qiu quietly converses with the young Ghost Cultivator, questioning his logic while concealing his identity.
• Chen Qiu confronts Qi Mei onstage, kills him, and calmly identifies himself to the terrified storyteller.
• Chen Qiu openly challenges the Demon Race and calls for the Fate Sect Master, provoking the ambush.
• The Demon Race cultivators repeatedly attack Chen Qiu, believing him wounded, while he secretly kills them one after another and waits for stronger reinforcements.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Outside Crow Ghost City, Chen Qiu deliberately appears gravely wounded while facing several Peak Spirit Transformation Demon Race Ghost Cultivators.
• His Merit Body, forged from over a hundred billion Merit Value, is virtually impervious to their attacks. He pretends to cough blood and suffer injuries so the Demon Race will continue calling reinforcements.
• As wave after wave of Spirit Transformation Ghost Cultivators arrive, Chen Qiu allows them to attack before countering with devastating punches. Each assault results in multiple cultivators being reduced to bloody mist.
• Chen Qiu pretends that special attacks cost him hundreds of years of lifespan, convincing the Demon Race that he is nearing death. This encourages even more reinforcements to enter the battle.
• His cultivation rapidly rises from the First Level of Spirit Transformation to the Fourth Level, then eventually to the Eighth Level, reaching Eighth Level of the Spirit Transformation Realm, 70%.
• The Demon Race clan chief, a Void Refinement Realm Ghost Cultivator, finally arrives with dozens of Spirit Transformation cultivators. Even the chief’s attack only causes Chen Qiu pain rather than real injury.
• Chen Qiu stops pretending and annihilates the entire group. He kills the remaining Spirit Transformation cultivators and tears off the clan chief’s head.
• After the battle, Chen Qiu reveals his true strength by leaving with a steady posture, proving that his apparent weakness had been an elaborate deception.
• The trenches created by his body being blasted across the battlefield form the message: “Chen Qiu, Sect Master of the Mocking Heaven Sect, sends his greetings!” The Demon Race chief’s head serves as the exclamation mark.
• Observers realize the massacre will destabilize the Yin Realm and may lead to the Demon Race’s extermination unless it receives immediate reinforcements.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu demonstrates extraordinary physical defense, overwhelming combat power, tactical intelligence, and theatrical deception. He manipulates the Demon Race’s greed and confidence to gather them in one place.
• His strength and cultivation advance dramatically in a single day, making him increasingly dominant in the Yin Realm.
• Chen Qiu’s confidence and satisfaction grow as he realizes the Yin Realm offers an ideal opportunity for rapid cultivation.
• The Demon Race cultivators become increasingly greedy and reckless, repeatedly entering the battlefield despite witnessing their allies’ deaths.
• The Demon Race clan chief initially believes Chen Qiu is on the verge of death, but ends in terror when he realizes all his forces have been destroyed.
• The young man in Crow Ghost City shifts from concern and admiration to shock and awe after recognizing that Chen Qiu’s weakness was entirely staged.
• The Crow Ghost City Lord understands the broader political consequences and predicts major upheaval throughout the Yin Realm.

Significant Themes

• Deception and psychological warfare: Chen Qiu wins not only through strength but by controlling what his enemies believe about his condition.
• Greed and overconfidence: The Demon Race repeatedly sacrifices its members because of its desire to obtain Chen Qiu’s Merit Body.
• Power and rapid advancement: Chen Qiu’s slaughter fuels an astonishing breakthrough from the First to the Eighth Level of Spirit Transformation.
• Reputation and intimidation: His final message transforms the battle into a deliberate declaration of power, ensuring that his name and dominance spread throughout the Yin Realm.
• Performance versus reality: Chen Qiu’s apparent desperation contrasts sharply with his actual invulnerability, emphasizing how appearances can conceal overwhelming strength.
• Political upheaval: The destruction of the Demon Race’s high-level forces threatens to reshape the balance of power in the Yin Realm.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu taunts and manipulates the Demon Race cultivators by acting desperate and claiming that each powerful punch costs him part of his lifespan.
• The Demon Race cultivators coordinate attacks, argue over spoils, and repeatedly call for reinforcements, but their greed prevents them from recognizing the trap.
• The clan chief confronts Chen Qiu directly, only to discover that Chen Qiu has been unharmed and in control all along.
• Chen Qiu gives the clan chief a final formal greeting before killing him, turning the execution into a symbolic declaration from the Mocking Heaven Sect.
• The spectators on Crow Ghost City’s walls collectively witness the battle and react with growing admiration, fear, and disbelief.

Chapter Summary: “Chen Qiu’s Mother Came Back to Life Again?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the Demon Race’s defeat in the Yin Realm, the Crow Ghost City Lord realizes that the aftermath will be significant. He orders the words Chen Qiu left on the ground to be protected as a future landmark of Crow Ghost City.
• Chen Qiu searches for a way back to the Yang Realm and discovers a former Dwarf Race city abandoned after the Dwarf Race’s mass migration.
• He finds Dwarf Race cultivators using dried wells as portals between the Yin and Yang Realms. Disguising himself with a Transformation Token, Chen Qiu returns to the Dwarf Race’s main camp in the Yang Realm.
• He learns that the Yin Realm passage is naturally healing and will close permanently within a day, trapping anyone left behind. This confirms that the Dwarf Race’s access to the Yin Realm is disappearing.
• Chen Qiu realizes his “Buried with Full Honors After Death” trait caused a heavenly and earthly phenomenon when he entered the Yin Realm, effectively counting his passage as a death. This gives him progress toward the Milestone Mission requiring ten such phenomena.
• He also recognizes that repeatedly leaving and re-entering the Heavenly Dao Leaderboard may allow him to complete the mission requiring one hundred appearances on a leaderboard.
• Chen Qiu returns to first place on the Heavenly Dao Leaderboard, shocking the entire Mystic Heaven Continent. His revival proves that although he genuinely died—and was even buried by heaven and earth—he was able to return to life.
• Various major factions react in panic. Groups that had emerged after believing Chen Qiu dead quickly retreat, reseal their mountains, or reconsider their plans.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Demonstrates his resourcefulness by tracking the Dwarf Race, disguising himself, and exploiting the Yin–Yang passage. He gains a deeper understanding of how his unusual trait can help complete impossible Milestone Missions. His revival further establishes him as an unpredictable figure who can survive seemingly absolute death.
• Crow Ghost City Lord: Recognizes the symbolic importance of Chen Qiu’s legacy and immediately preserves the inscription he left behind.
• Fat Dragon, Ao Tian, and Scholar: Their anxiety over Chen Qiu’s disappearance turns into relief and excitement when he returns to the leaderboard. Their reactions emphasize their loyalty and faith in him.
• Xiao Yue: Her grief abruptly turns to stunned confusion when Chen Qiu’s name reappears. The Nine-Tailed Fox smugly implies that she understood Chen Qiu’s survival better than everyone else.
• Zhang Kui: His attempt to hide from Chen Qiu becomes futile. Believing Chen Qiu dead, he returns from hiding, only to flee again immediately after Chen Qiu’s revival.
• Buddhist Sect and Azure Mountain Palace Ancestors: Their plans against Chen Qiu are complicated by his resurrection. They begin worrying that even a successful scheme may not permanently eliminate him.
• Mystic Heaven Sect Master: Furious that his sect’s elders had ignored his suspicions, he orders the sect to hide again and declares that he will rule dictatorially rather than rely on votes.
• Dao Trigram Sect Master: Defends his divinations by explaining that Chen Qiu truly died; the mysterious part is how he revived. He considers using further divination to uncover the secret.

Significant Themes

• Death and resurrection: The chapter challenges the idea that death is final. Chen Qiu truly dies, yet returns, making even heavenly phenomena and perfect divinations insufficient to explain reality.
• The limits of prediction and certainty: The Dao Trigram Sect’s ten accurate divinations confirm Chen Qiu’s death, but they cannot account for his revival. The chapter suggests that Chen Qiu exists beyond ordinary laws and calculations.
• Resourcefulness and exploitation of rules: Chen Qiu turns his death-related trait into an advantage, using it to advance difficult Milestone Missions.
• Fear and political instability: Chen Qiu’s return causes powerful organizations to panic, retreat, and reevaluate their strategies.
• The absurdity of the Milestone Missions: The missions are portrayed as nearly impossible for ordinary cultivators, reinforcing Chen Qiu’s extraordinary status and the apparent unnaturalness of the system.
• Legacy and reputation: The inscription in Crow Ghost City and Chen Qiu’s return to the leaderboard show how quickly his actions become historical events and influence the wider world.

Important Character Interactions

• Dwarf Race cultivators discuss the closing Yin Realm passage, revealing the consequences of the realms separating again.
• Fat Dragon, Ao Tian, and Scholar celebrate Chen Qiu’s return, demonstrating their emotional attachment and confidence in him.
• The Devil Race patriarch reassures the group that the Dwarf Race had no hidden Void Refinement-level power capable of killing Chen Qiu.
• Xiao Yue and the Nine-Tailed Fox react differently to Chen Qiu’s revival: Xiao Yue is bewildered, while the fox acts smugly confident.
• The Buddhist Sect and Azure Mountain Palace ancestors debate whether Chen Qiu can truly be eliminated, revealing growing uncertainty about their plans.
• The Mystic Heaven Sect Master reprimands his elders and imposes authoritarian control after their earlier decision to emerge from hiding.
• The Dao Trigram Sect Master and another elder discuss conducting further divination, though the elder refuses to risk having his lifespan consumed.
• Multiple sects and clans—including the Mystic Heaven Sect, Qi Clan, Falling Blossom Valley, and Xuan Palace—announce that they will seal themselves away for another hundred years after Chen Qiu’s unexpected return.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Heavenly Dao announces Chen Qiu’s death and holds a continent-wide funeral. Snow falls across the Mystic Heaven Continent, transforming into blood-red roses, while mournful suona music echoes everywhere.
• Chen Qiu’s allies—including Fat Dragon, Ao Tian, Scholar, the Devil Race Chief, and Xiao Yue—are stunned because they had just celebrated his apparent resurrection.
• Zhang Kui, convinced Chen Qiu has finally died, turns back toward Auspicious Province, only to be confused again when Chen Qiu’s name reappears on the Heavenly Dao Leaderboard.
• Several major factions repeatedly change their plans in response to Chen Qiu’s apparent deaths and resurrections:
  • They first announce that they will emerge from seclusion.
  • After Chen Qiu “returns,” they announce that they will seal themselves away for a hundred years.
  • Eventually, they stop making announcements because the situation changes too quickly.
• Chen Qiu’s death edict and funeral phenomenon recur over a hundred times in one day, followed each time by his name reappearing on the leaderboard. The entire continent becomes numb, bewildered, and emotionally exhausted.
• In the Yin Realm, Heavenly Dao Edicts first praise Chen Qiu for possessing one hundred billion Merit Value and grant him a wisp of Yin Soul Fortune. Later edicts revoke even that reward, stating that nothing will be granted.
• Chen Qiu senses a terrifying Void Refinement Realm aura from the Dwarf Race, realizing they have discovered that their guarded Yin Realm entrance may be responsible for his repeated deaths and revivals. He immediately uses a prepared teleportation talisman to leave the Yin Realm.
• By the end, Chen Qiu’s name has become famous in both the Yang and Yin Realms. A faction proposes creating a “Resurrection Festival” to commemorate his more than one hundred resurrections in a single day.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu becomes an almost legendary figure through his bizarre cycle of dying and returning. His repeated resurrections elevate him to the undisputedly most famous person on the Mystic Heaven Continent.
• Fat Dragon, Ao Tian, Scholar, and the Devil Race Chief shift from excitement to grief and back again so often that they eventually sit together in confusion, questioning whether Chen Qiu has always been this unpredictable.
• Xiao Yue experiences the same emotional whiplash, celebrating Chen Qiu’s return before immediately witnessing another funeral announcement.
• Zhang Kui becomes increasingly frustrated and disoriented as he repeatedly changes direction, unable to determine whether Chen Qiu is alive or dead.
• The Mystic Heaven Sect Master abandons concern over Chen Qiu’s status and instead reflects on sect leadership. He begins to question the usefulness of his sect’s elder voting system and concludes that the authoritarian structure of Evil Demon sects may be more effective.
• The Buddhist Sect Patriarch loses confidence in his divinations and chess strategy. He continues insisting that his mysterious “hidden move” can deal with Chen Qiu, despite the Azure Mountain Palace Patriarch’s growing doubts.
• The Falling Blossom Valley Master becomes so overwhelmed by the events that he cannot even decide whether his faction should enter seclusion.
• The Heavenly Dao itself appears confused by Chen Qiu’s repeated resurrections, producing contradictory and increasingly absurd announcements.

Significant Themes

• Absurdity and satire: The chapter exaggerates the conventions of cultivation stories—heavenly funerals, prophetic edicts, hidden schemes, and factional maneuvering—until they become comical.
• The instability of certainty: No one can trust declarations of death, resurrection, prophecy, or divination anymore. Even Heaven’s announcements repeatedly prove unreliable.
• Fame through spectacle: Chen Qiu becomes famous not merely because of his strength, but because the entire world is forced to witness his impossible deaths and resurrections.
• Emotional exhaustion: Repeatedly switching between mourning and celebration leaves everyone numb, demonstrating how excessive tragedy can become ridiculous.
• Sect politics and leadership: The Mystic Heaven Sect Master’s reflections criticize bureaucratic decision-making and suggest that decisive leadership may be more practical than endless voting.
• Mortality and immortality: Chen Qiu’s ability to die and return turns death into a temporary inconvenience, mocking the usual finality of death in cultivation narratives.

Character Interactions

• Fat Dragon, Ao Tian, Scholar, and the Devil Race Chief repeatedly look to one another for explanations, eventually sitting together in shared bewilderment.
• Xiao Yue looks to her master for reassurance, but even her master is unable to explain Chen Qiu’s condition.
• The Buddhist Sect Patriarch and the Azure Mountain Palace Patriarch continue their tense exchange over divination, chess, and the Patriarch’s supposed hidden plan.
• The Mystic Heaven Sect First Elder reports Chen Qiu’s resurrection, but the sect master is more interested in restructuring the sect’s political system.
• The Falling Blossom Valley disciple cautiously asks whether the faction should still enter seclusion, revealing how Chen Qiu’s unstable status has paralyzed major powers.
• The chapter ends with the Azure Mountain Palace Patriarch privately questioning whether he should abandon the Buddhist Patriarch’s unreliable plan rather than share responsibility for its failure.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu returns to Devil Province after spending two days in the Yin Realm, having astonishingly advanced from the First to the Eighth Level of Spirit Transformation.
• His delayed tribulation clouds appear all at once, combining the Thunder Tribulations from several breakthroughs. Chen Qiu enters the Dwarf Race’s underground headquarters before the tribulation begins, using the lightning to disrupt the Dwarf army without personally killing too many enemies.
• Chen Qiu negotiates with the Devil Race patriarch: the Devil Race will launch an all-out assault on the Dwarf Race, while Chen Qiu handles the Spirit Transformation cultivators. The Devil Race receives the Dwarf Race’s wealth, while Chen Qiu and the Mocking Heaven Sect claim the Dwarf Nascent Souls.
• After surviving the massive Thunder Tribulation, Chen Qiu leads the attack. His Thirteenth-Grade Spirit Transformation Domain suppresses the Dwarf cultivators, while the Devil Race army overwhelms their forces.
• Chen Qiu reaches the Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation but stops fighting directly to avoid cultivation instability and possible deviation.
• The Mocking Heaven Sect disciples harvest the battlefield’s Nascent Souls and Golden Cores. Qu Gui, using concealment, illusions, and his new “Backstab” trait, becomes especially effective at assassinating wounded Dwarf Nascent Souls.
• Scholar collects Golden Cores with his flying sword, while Fat Dragon and Scholar discuss Fat Dragon’s rapid cultivation, weak offensive abilities, and powerful defensive potential.
• The battle lasts three days and three nights. The Dwarf Race is completely defeated, and its Void Refinement ancestor is killed after Chen Qiu suppresses him and the Devil Race ancestor exploits the opening.
• Chen Qiu returns toward Dragon Island to inspect the enormous gains from the Yin Realm and the war.
• The Devil Race patriarch mourns the end of the ancient conflict with the Dwarf Race and orders his forces to notify Chen Qiu before pursuing the remaining Dwarf fugitives into Quzhou.
• At the Quzhou-Jingzhou border, Jingzhou sects voluntarily surrender their claim to a newly discovered secret realm and apologize for past conflicts, acknowledging Quzhou as Chen Qiu’s unofficial territory.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu demonstrates an extraordinary breakthrough speed, reaching the Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation in only two days. Despite overwhelming strength, he becomes cautious about advancing further because his cultivation is becoming unstable.
• The Devil Race patriarch is revealed to be burdened by the death of his father, who failed the Void Refinement tribulation. He delays his own breakthrough until his son can stand independently, showing responsibility toward his race.
• Ao Tian similarly avoids attempting the dangerous Void Refinement breakthrough because the Dragon Race’s survival depends on preserving its remaining members. He gains hope from Fat Dragon and the coming generation of dragons.
• Fat Dragon has reached the Nascent Soul Peak Realm and worries that dual cultivation grants him cultivation but few offensive techniques. He ultimately recognizes that his exceptional defense and future dragon descendants may compensate for this weakness.
• Qu Gui develops from a former family elder into a highly effective battlefield assassin. His concealment abilities and “Backstab” trait allow him to kill wounded Nascent Souls before they can escape.
• Scholar continues to advance more slowly than Fat Dragon but enjoys his efficient sword-based killing and collection of Golden Cores.
• The Mocking Heaven Sect becomes more ruthless and coordinated in battle, maximizing its rewards by allowing the Devil Race to wound enemies before the disciples claim the Nascent Souls.

Significant Themes

• Power and danger of rapid advancement: Chen Qiu’s explosive growth provides enormous strength but also risks cultivation instability and hidden injuries.
• The cost of higher realms: The Void Refinement breakthrough is portrayed as an almost fatal gamble, with fewer than one in ten cultivators surviving the nine Soul-Reaping tribulations.
• Responsibility versus ambition: Both the Devil Race patriarch and Ao Tian postpone their breakthroughs because their races depend on them.
• War as opportunity: The Chaotic Era turns enemies into sources of cultivation resources, with every Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and powerful opponent carrying material value.
• The rise and fall of races: The Dwarf Race’s extinction contrasts with the Dragon Race’s impending revival through Fat Dragon and the coming dragon hatchlings.
• Reputation and deterrence: Chen Qiu’s strength transforms Quzhou into territory that other factions fear to challenge, even without formal ownership.
• Results over methods: Qu Gui’s success reflects Chen Qiu’s pragmatic leadership; effective results matter more than whether the tactics are honorable.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu negotiates directly with the Devil Race patriarch and establishes the division of spoils.
• The Devil Race patriarch and Ao Tian compare their reluctance to attempt the Void Refinement breakthrough, revealing shared fears and responsibilities.
• Fat Dragon and Scholar banter about dual cultivation, combat ability, and the Dragon Race’s future.
• Zhao Dezhu angrily confronts Qu Gui after Qu Gui steals a wounded Dwarf Nascent Soul he had nearly killed, highlighting the chaotic and competitive nature of the battlefield.
• The Devil Race patriarch honors the fallen Dwarf Race after its extermination, showing that decades of hostility have not erased his sense of history and loss.
• Jingzhou sect leaders approach Quzhou’s factions peacefully, apologize for previous grudges, and acknowledge Chen Qiu’s overwhelming influence.

Chapter Summary: “Supreme-Grade Trait!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Quzhou sect leaders are shocked when Chen Qiu sends them storage rings filled with Spirit Stones. They realize his influence over Quzhou’s sects is much deeper than expected, especially because they still possess tokens proving they bought Redemption Orders from the Mocking Heaven Sect.
• The Mocking Heaven Sect has grown dramatically stronger. Chen Qiu notes that Qu Gui and Fat Dragon have both reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm and are preparing to break through to Spirit Transformation.
• Chen Qiu gives Fat Dragon and Qu Gui spirit treasures to help them survive their Thunder Tribulations and asks them to choose their future Spirit Transformation Domains.
  • Fat Dragon chooses “Soul Reversal,” an auxiliary domain that strengthens him and improves his vitality.
  • Qu Gui chooses “Heaven and Earth as a Chessboard,” allowing him to move freely between 361 battlefield squares, complementing his concealment and assassination abilities.
• Chen Qiu reveals that he possesses a Prodigy Fortune treasure capable of creating an Eighth-Grade Spirit Transformation Domain. Qu Gui and Fat Dragon selflessly agree that Qu Gui should receive it because his assassination-focused domain will benefit more from a higher grade.
• Qu Gui and Fat Dragon undergo their Thunder Tribulations. Afterwards, Qu Gui gratefully offers to use his illusion skills to help disguise Fat Dragon’s Dragon Race appearance.
• Chen Qiu combines six Mid-Grade Heavenly Dao Wheels into two High-Grade Heavenly Dao Wheels but chooses to save them rather than immediately use them, hoping to eventually combine three High-Grade Wheels into a Supreme-Grade Wheel.
• Chen Qiu visits the Celestial Palace and observes that he now has nine statues commemorating his achievements. The newest statue, created from an awkward Dwarf Race-related achievement, looks unnaturally stiff but is still preferable to being depicted as a dwarf.
• He examines his Yin Realm rewards, including Fortune of the Yin Soul and Yin Emperor Fortune. These treasures are largely useless while he is alive in the Yang Realm but could make him extraordinarily powerful after death in the Yin Realm.
• Chen Qiu discovers that unused trait-selection opportunities can merge in groups of three, producing opportunities to select Supreme-Grade Traits. He realizes that this hidden mechanic explains why most cultivators never discover such traits.
• From his first Supreme-Grade selection, he chooses Exquisite-Grade Lightning Dharma Physique, which weakens Thunder Tribulations and strengthens his lightning spells every time he experiences thunder punishment.
• He rerolls another selection and obtains Quick Eyes, Quick Hands, which makes spellcasting faster and increases the power of instant-cast spells. This greatly enhances his Lightning-Channeling Art.
• Chen Qiu tests the improved technique and finds that his Thunder Dragons now reach targets almost instantly, giving him overwhelming initiative in battle.
• He celebrates by catching fish and holding a bonfire party for the Mocking Heaven Sect and Dragon Race members. Ao Tian invites performers from Quzhou, signaling that the Dragon Race is becoming confident enough to reveal itself gradually.
• Ao Tian drunkenly expresses eternal gratitude for Chen Qiu’s aid, declaring that the Dragon Race will soon rise again and promising never to refuse any request from Chen Qiu.
• Black Dragon watches the festivities from the sidelines, frustrated that he is still unable to assume human form and join the celebration.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Continues consolidating his power and influence. He becomes more strategic about saving high-level resources, discovers the Supreme-Grade Trait system, and further specializes in lightning-based combat. His confidence and dominance increase as his Lightning-Channeling Art becomes nearly impossible to evade.
• Qu Gui: Advances to the threshold of Spirit Transformation and confirms his identity as a stealth and assassination specialist. His humility and loyalty are emphasized when he yields the superior domain opportunity to Fat Dragon—though Fat Dragon ultimately insists Qu Gui take it.
• Fat Dragon: Demonstrates generosity and a lack of factional ambition by giving Qu Gui the Eighth-Grade domain. His impending breakthrough and potential improvements through “Soul Reversal” further establish him as an important future pillar of the sect.
• Ao Tian: Becomes increasingly optimistic about the Dragon Race’s future. His willingness to host outsiders on Dragon Island shows growing confidence, while his emotional drunken pledge reveals the depth of his gratitude toward Chen Qiu.
• Black Dragon: Remains immature and unable to transform, creating a humorous contrast with the rapidly developing strength of the others. He is eager to grow up and participate in the sect’s social life.

Significant Themes

• Power and institutional growth: The Mocking Heaven Sect has transformed from a group of Golden Core cultivators into a major force with multiple imminent Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• Loyalty and selflessness: Qu Gui and Fat Dragon refuse to compete selfishly for the superior domain, prioritizing what benefits the sect and each other.
• Hidden systems and accumulated rewards: Chen Qiu’s discovery that unused trait choices can merge reflects the importance of patience, preparation, and understanding the world’s underlying rules.
• Specialization and synergy: The new traits strengthen Chen Qiu’s existing lightning abilities rather than changing his path, showing how power grows through combining compatible abilities.
• Life, death, and long-term preparation: The Yin Realm treasures are useless in the present but could make Chen Qiu invincible after death, highlighting the story’s emphasis on planning across immense spans of time.
• The Dragon Race’s restoration: The peaceful bonfire gathering and Ao Tian’s confidence symbolize the Dragon Race’s gradual return from secrecy and decline.

Character Interactions

• Quzhou sect masters symbolically acknowledge Chen Qiu’s influence by wearing Mocking Heaven Sect tokens and agreeing to set aside past hostility.
• Chen Qiu personally advises Qu Gui and Fat Dragon about their Spirit Transformation paths and provides them with breakthrough treasures.
• Fat Dragon and Qu Gui cooperate rather than compete over the Eighth-Grade domain, revealing mutual respect and strong sect loyalty.
• Qu Gui offers to disguise Fat Dragon through advanced illusions, creating a humorous bond between the assassin-in-training and the Dragon Race elder.
• Chen Qiu and Ao Tian share a close brotherly relationship. Ao Tian offers an emotional vow of lifelong loyalty, while Chen Qiu gently manages his drunkenness.
• The bonfire party brings Mocking Heaven Sect disciples, Dragon Race members, and outside performers together, presenting an unusual scene of harmony and relaxation after prolonged cultivation and conflict.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• On Dragon Island, Mocking Heaven Sect disciples confront Qu Gui for stealing their kills during the Devil–Dwarf battlefield. Since Qu Gui has already reached the Spirit Transformation Realm, they cannot defeat him and instead demand compensation. He promises to take them somewhere entertaining.
• Chen Qiu reflects on the three remaining Milestone Missions: achieving All-Members Spirit Transformation, unifying the Mystic Heaven Continent, and completing “Dao Equals Heaven.” He believes all three will be accomplished once the Mocking Heaven Sect and Dragon Race have enough time to advance.
• Chen Qiu purchases the support-type Spirit Transformation Domain “Snow Gives Birth to All Things,” which enhances snow-element techniques and accelerates healing. He also considers obtaining another powerful Domain from the Sin Points Shop but lacks the enormous number of required points.
• He examines his new Exquisite-Grade Lightning Dharma Physique, which strengthens his body and lightning spells through repeated Thunder Tribulations. He anticipates that his future Void Refinement tribulation may involve eighteen Pale Tribulation Lightnings rather than the normal nine.
• While Chen Qiu is distracted, Ao Tian drunkenly proposes a marriage alliance between the Dragon Race and Mocking Heaven Sect. Chen Qiu initially misunderstands the proposal, but eventually supports Fat Dragon marrying one of Ao Tian’s daughters, despite the bizarre customs involved.
• Scholar asks permission to explore the Mystic Heaven Continent and search for opportunities in the newly appeared Heavenly Dao Secret Realms. Chen Qiu agrees and sends him away with his brother, advising them to use the Sect Elder Token if they encounter danger.
• Chen Qiu spends three days consolidating his rapidly advanced cultivation. Afterward, Ao Tian arrives in a panic: Black Dragon has disappeared.
• The two determine that Black Dragon likely entered the long-abandoned Dragon Palace, the ancient birthplace of the Dragon Race.
• Ao Tian explains that the Dragon Palace contains a deadly inheritance trial intended for Dragon Race prodigies. Successful participants immediately reach adulthood and receive powerful inheritances, but the death rate is extremely high.
• Black Dragon is considered an ordinary dragon rather than a prodigy, giving him an estimated 99% chance of death. His likely fate is especially horrific, involving unbearable torture before dying.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu remains pragmatic and strategic, planning the Mocking Heaven Sect’s long-term growth while strengthening his own Domains and preparing for future tribulations.
• He also shows increased emotional maturity and tolerance, accepting the strange marriage alliance as a means of strengthening ties between the Dragon Race and Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Ao Tian shifts from his usual comedic, carefree behavior to genuine anxiety and guilt over Black Dragon’s disappearance. His earlier neglect of Black Dragon during the celebration becomes a possible cause of the crisis.
• Fat Dragon surprisingly accepts the possibility of marrying into the Dragon Race and becomes enthusiastic about planning the ceremony.
• Scholar grows more independent and ambitious, seeking opportunities to improve his cultivation rather than relying solely on Chen Qiu’s protection.
• Black Dragon is revealed to be insecure and eager for recognition. Feeling ignored and frustrated that he cannot yet reach adulthood or take human form, he appears to have entered the Dragon Palace in an attempt to prove himself.

Significant Themes

• Time and preparation: Chen Qiu’s plans depend on allowing the sect and Dragon Race time to mature, while cultivation breakthroughs require consolidation and patience.
• Power and responsibility: Chen Qiu’s expanding strength brings both strategic advantages and greater danger, particularly through increasingly severe Heavenly Tribulations.
• Family and alliance: The marriage discussion highlights the political importance of bonds between the Mocking Heaven Sect and Dragon Race, even when cultural differences make the arrangement absurd.
• Neglect and recognition: Black Dragon’s disappearance suggests the emotional consequences of being overlooked, especially when he feels unable to keep pace with stronger companions.
• Inheritance and sacrifice: The Dragon Palace represents the dangerous expectation that young members must risk death to obtain power and restore their race’s former glory.

Character Interactions

• Qu Gui mocks the disciples who confront him, then offers to compensate them, turning hostility into reluctant cooperation.
• Ao Tian talks continuously with Chen Qiu before drunkenly proposing a marriage alliance. Chen Qiu corrects his misunderstanding of human customs and tries to redirect the proposal toward a more conventional arrangement.
• Fat Dragon eagerly joins the marriage discussion, while Chen Qiu attempts to prevent the increasingly bizarre plans from escalating.
• Chen Qiu supports Scholar’s journey and reassures him that the sect will rescue him if necessary.
• At the chapter’s conclusion, Ao Tian turns to Chen Qiu for help finding Black Dragon, and both realize that Black Dragon may have entered the deadly Dragon Palace inheritance.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

This chapter is a celebratory author’s note rather than a continuation of the novel’s plot. The author announces that the book has reached one million words, achieved within a month of becoming a paid work and after beginning premium publication at 170,000 words. The milestone is presented humorously as a “Heavenly Dao Edict,” declaring the author a peerless prodigy for accomplishing it so quickly.
The author had planned to take a day off after reaching one million words, but the book received its first recommendation at exactly that milestone, forcing the break to be postponed. He also reveals that the story is still less than one-fifth complete, suggesting a projected length of around five million words. His immediate goal is to surpass his previous record of 1.64 million words and eventually produce a long, complete novel.

Character Development

Although no fictional characters develop in this chapter, the author reflects on his own growth as a writer:

• He feels proud of his endurance and productivity.
• He believes his ability to control and structure long-form stories has improved.
• He acknowledges that mistakes, plot holes, and continuity issues are inevitable in an extremely long novel.
• He remains committed to improving and expects his next book to benefit from the experience gained here.
  The author also presents himself humorously as an underdog, emphasizing that he wrote one million words without receiving a recommendation while other writers received recommendations after only a few hundred thousand words.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance and achievement: Reaching one million words is treated as a major personal and professional milestone.
• Long-form storytelling: The author’s central ambition is to write a massive five-million-word novel while maintaining quality.
• Writer-reader relationship: He appreciates readers’ continued support, especially because subscriptions have not declined and readership is growing.
• Imperfection and forgiveness: The author asks readers to tolerate occasional errors and plot inconsistencies in such an extensive work.
• Humor and self-deprecation: Dramatic cultivation-novel language and exaggerated complaints make the milestone announcement playful and entertaining.
• Professional struggle: The lack of early recommendations highlights the uncertainty and difficulty of succeeding as an online author.

Character Interactions

The main interaction is between the author and his readers. He thanks them for continuing to read, asks them for monthly votes, and humorously pleads for understanding when errors appear. He also refers to his editor, who predicted the book would reach only two million words; the author vows to exceed that estimate and “slap” the editor metaphorically by reaching five million words. The chapter ends with gratitude, exaggerated bows, and a direct appeal for reader support.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu and Ao Tian realize they cannot locate or interrupt the Dragon Race Inheritance because Black Dragon took the Dragon Palace Token, and the Dragon Palace is constantly moving through the sea.
• The inheritance has a ninety-nine percent mortality rate, leaving Ao Tian convinced that Black Dragon may already be dead.
• Ao Tian reveals that he once found the Dragon Palace but was too afraid to attempt the inheritance himself. He admires Black Dragon’s courage, though he considers his decision reckless.
• Chen Qiu suggests that Black Dragon may have entered the inheritance to prove his worth after becoming unnecessary to the Dragon Race’s revival plans.
• The narrative shifts to the Dragon Palace, where Black Dragon is fighting the first of five inheritance trials. He must defeat a powerful adult dragon despite being severely injured.
• Black Dragon uses his Cloud-Hidden Dragon abilities to disappear within the mist and launch surprise attacks. He awakens the Cloudhide Dragon’s secret art, Dragon Venom, and poisons his own scales so that the adult dragon unknowingly contaminates its claws whenever it strikes him.
• The adult dragon repeatedly cuts away poisoned flesh from his face, unknowingly reinfecting himself until Black Dragon reveals the trap.
• Black Dragon succeeds in defeating the adult dragon but collapses from his own wounds and poison.
• The trial guardian heals him in the Dragon Immortal Spring, confirming that the first trial includes a recovery process.
• The guardian then forcibly removes all of Black Dragon’s remaining scales. This is the true purpose of the first trial: Bone-Shedding Rebirth, allowing stronger scales to grow in their place.

2. Character Developments

• Ao Tian is shown to possess genuine fatherly affection for Black Dragon, despite the Dragon Race’s usual indifference toward blood relationships. His despair reveals how deeply he fears losing his son.
• Ao Tian also confronts his own cowardice: unlike Black Dragon, he once refused to risk his life in the inheritance because he believed the Dragon Race depended on him.
• Chen Qiu demonstrates emotional insight, recognizing that Black Dragon’s reckless decision stems from a loss of purpose and self-worth after the Dragon Race no longer needed him as its successor.
• Black Dragon proves himself highly determined, cunning, and willing to stake his life on victory. He abandons his preference for straightforward combat and embraces stealth, poison, and deception—methods suited to his Cloud-Hidden Dragon bloodline.
• Black Dragon’s pride and desire to be acknowledged are central to his actions. Even while dying, he is pleased that he has defeated an adult dragon above his level.
• The trial guardian shifts from skepticism and mockery to admiration. He recognizes Black Dragon’s unusual intelligence, courage, and willingness to endure unimaginable pain.

3. Significant Themes

• The need for purpose and recognition: Black Dragon’s desperation comes from feeling useless after the Dragon Race gains other means of revival. His actions are an attempt to prove that he still has value.
• Courage versus responsibility: Ao Tian avoided the inheritance because he feared abandoning his responsibilities, while Black Dragon accepts the risk because he feels he has something to prove.
• Victory over conventional morality: Black Dragon learns that victory matters more than fighting “honorably.” Poison and assassination are not shameful if they are the natural strengths of his bloodline.
• Self-sacrifice and calculated risk: Black Dragon knowingly poisons himself and risks death to create even a small chance of defeating his stronger opponent.
• Destruction before rebirth: The first trial’s physical torment represents transformation. Black Dragon must lose his old scales—and endure immense suffering—before becoming stronger.
• Parental affection and misunderstanding: Ao Tian cares for Black Dragon but failed to recognize his emotional decline, showing how neglect can exist even alongside love.
• Nature versus imposed expectations: The guardian notes that dragons instinctively fear death, yet Black Dragon overcomes that instinct because something weighs on him more heavily than survival.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and Ao Tian: Chen Qiu quietly supports Ao Tian while explaining Black Dragon’s psychological state. Their conversation exposes Ao Tian’s hidden affection and guilt.
• Ao Tian and Black Dragon: Though Black Dragon is absent from their scene, Ao Tian’s grief and self-comparison reveal a complicated father-son relationship shaped by neglect, pressure, and genuine love.
• Black Dragon and the adult dragon: Their battle becomes both a physical confrontation and an argument over the proper methods of a Cloudhide Dragon. The guardian initially condemns poison and covert attacks, but Black Dragon proves that exploiting his bloodline is the correct path to victory.
• Black Dragon and the trial guardian: The guardian begins as an opponent and lecturer but becomes impressed by Black Dragon’s ingenuity. Despite appreciating him, the guardian still performs the painful scale-removal ritual without mercy because he believes true inheritance requires suffering.
• The guardian and past Dragon Race juniors: His memories contrast Black Dragon with previous challengers, who often relied on elders to plead for easier treatment. Black Dragon stands out because he faces the trial alone and refuses to withdraw.

Chapter Summary: “Actually, I Won the Bet!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Black Dragon awakens in a vitality-rich spring after surviving the inheritance trial. His shattered scales have regenerated, stronger than before.
• He learns that the trial was never about defeating the middle-aged guardian. It was about enduring the pain of having every dragon scale shattered. Because he endured it, he successfully inherits the Dragon Race’s legacy.
• The Black Dragon is told that he will become an adult, break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, and assume human form—but must remain for a month while the guardian guides him through the inheritance.
• He proudly explains that he intentionally revealed a trace of killing intent during their battle. By doing so, he tricked the guardian into defending only his eye rather than fully using Spirit Transformation cultivation. The Black Dragon proudly declares that he “won the bet.”
• The guardian tests the Black Dragon’s claim that he can conceal killing intent by placing him in an illusion. Even after suffering horrific family tragedies, the Black Dragon calmly kills those responsible without displaying killing intent—only sorrow.
• The guardian concludes that the Black Dragon is a naturally gifted assassin. Unlike cold-blooded killers, he genuinely bears goodwill toward others; he simply believes that people who deserve death should be killed. His lack of killing intent is interpreted as a form of deep self-deception.
• The guardian also discovers that the Black Dragon shows no lustful reaction even under illusionary temptation, humorously suggesting that he may be impotent.
• After a month, the Black Dragon returns to Dragon Island in human form, having reached Spirit Transformation.
• Meanwhile, Chen Qiu stabilizes his cultivation at the Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation and successfully produces a second Nascent Soul, allowing him to activate three Spirit Transformation Domains at once.
• Believing the Black Dragon dead after twenty days without news, Ao Tian prepares a funeral. The Dragon Race and Mocking Heaven Sect disciples gather on the beach around a grave bearing the Black Dragon’s name.
• The Black Dragon suddenly arrives and angrily mourns the red dried fish Ao Tian placed at the grave, believing they are the Red Fish Shoal, his friends. His behavior reveals himself to Ao Tian, who is overjoyed to discover that his son survived.
• After learning the fish were merely dyed dried fish bought elsewhere, the Black Dragon reconciles with his father.
• Ao Tian later confronts him about calling the “Hundred Phoenixes Returning to the Nest” domain cowardly and accusing him of using concern for the Dragon Race as an excuse to cling to life. The Black Dragon denies saying it and quickly escapes.
• Hurt by his son’s words, Ao Tian resolves to demonstrate his fighting spirit to the Black Dragon during their next trip to the Mystic Heaven Continent.

Character Developments

• Black Dragon: Proves himself exceptionally resilient, clever, and capable of strategic deception. He passes the inheritance trial, reaches Spirit Transformation, and becomes a rare natural assassin who can conceal killing intent without being emotionally cold. Despite his terrifying potential, he remains childish, impulsive, affectionate, and eager to show off his achievement.
• The middle-aged guardian: Initially underestimates the Black Dragon, assuming he is merely an immature and ordinary dragon. After testing him, the guardian recognizes him as an extraordinary talent and grants him the highest-grade inheritance.
• Ao Tian: Believes his son has died and briefly suppresses his grief while preparing the funeral. His overwhelming relief at Black Dragon’s return reveals his deep affection. However, Black Dragon’s criticism of his supposedly cowardly cultivation choice wounds his pride and makes him determined to prove himself.
• Chen Qiu: Advances significantly, reaching the Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation and gaining the ability to use three powerful domains simultaneously. He supports Ao Tian during the funeral and recognizes that Black Dragon is far more extraordinary than expected.
• Fat Dragon: Provides comic relief, joking that Black Dragon will have to call him “brother-in-law” if he marries Ao Tian’s daughter.

Significant Themes

• Endurance and qualification: True inheritance is earned through enduring suffering rather than simply overpowering an opponent.
• Cunning versus strength: Black Dragon succeeds not through superior cultivation but through psychological insight, tactical deception, and exploiting his opponent’s instincts.
• Goodwill and violence: The chapter explores the unusual idea that someone can kill without hatred or murderous intent, believing instead that the victim has earned death.
• Parental responsibility versus personal courage: Ao Tian values survival because the Dragon Race’s future depends on him, while Black Dragon interprets that caution as cowardice. Their conflict reflects the different burdens carried by a leader and his child.
• Misunderstanding and reconciliation: The funeral is built on the mistaken belief that Black Dragon is dead, but his dramatic return turns grief into comedy and reunites him with Ao Tian.
• The emergence of a flourishing age: Chen Qiu senses that exceptional prodigies are appearing in increasing numbers, suggesting that a new prosperous era may be approaching.

Important Character Interactions

• Black Dragon and the guardian: Their relationship shifts from combat and testing to mutual recognition. The guardian is impressed by Black Dragon’s ingenuity and agrees to personally train him.
• Black Dragon and Ao Tian: Their reunion is emotional but quickly becomes comedic because of the dried-fish misunderstanding. Their later argument exposes Black Dragon’s bluntness and Ao Tian’s wounded pride.
• Ao Tian and Chen Qiu: Chen Qiu comforts Ao Tian after Black Dragon’s criticism, explaining that Ao Tian’s cautious path is understandable because the Dragon Race’s survival rests on him.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon: They observe the failed funeral with deadpan humor, then leave while father and son reconcile.

Chapter Summary: “Five Hundred Spirit Transformation Domains!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Ao Tian leaves, the Black Dragon returns to Dragon Island in human form, having successfully reached the Spirit Transformation Realm through the Dragon Palace’s dangerous Dragon Race Inheritance.
• He proudly announces his achievement to Fat Dragon and the Mocking Heaven Sect disciples, but their subdued reactions disappoint him.
• Qu Gui enthusiastically listens as the Black Dragon recounts his trials, praising and exaggerating the dragon’s bravery and cleverness. His reactions restore the Black Dragon’s confidence and turn the retelling into a lively performance.
• The Black Dragon explains that Fat Dragon’s help in obtaining the Dragon Clan Bloodline Token allowed his Seventh-Grade Bloodline to rise to Eighth Grade, enabling him to awaken the Cloudhide Dragon secret art, Dragon Venom, during the inheritance.
• Grateful to Fat Dragon and fond of Qu Gui, the Black Dragon proposes that the three become sworn brothers. Despite complications caused by Fat Dragon’s position as an elder, his engagement to the Black Dragon’s sister, and Qu Gui’s age and rank, they agree to treat one another as eldest, second, and third brothers.
• The three perform a formal brotherhood oath beside the grave prepared for the Black Dragon, burn incense, drink wine, and embrace. Fat Dragon becomes the eldest brother, the Black Dragon the second, and Qu Gui the third.
• The Black Dragon suggests that they eventually stage a famous battle together, but Fat Dragon says this must wait until after the Dragon Race and Mocking Heaven Sect complete a year of closed-door cultivation.
• Before leaving to boast about his transformation to the Red Fish Shoal, the Black Dragon departs happily. Fat Dragon then jokingly forces Qu Gui to acknowledge him as “eldest brother,” revealing that Qu Gui has genuinely embraced the new relationship.

Character Developments

• Black Dragon: His transformation marks a major leap in power and maturity. He is proud, boastful, and eager for recognition, but also sincerely grateful to Fat Dragon. His proposal to become sworn brothers shows his growing attachment to both humans and his desire to formalize their bonds.
• Fat Dragon: Though initially exasperated by the Black Dragon’s excitement and Qu Gui’s exaggerated praise, he accepts the brotherhood sincerely. His solemn oath and later playful interaction with Qu Gui show both emotional warmth and a developing sense of camaraderie.
• Qu Gui: He proves himself an enthusiastic storyteller’s audience and an effective flatterer, boosting the Black Dragon’s pride. Although he claims to have been dragged into the oath, he quickly becomes excited about calling Fat Dragon “eldest brother,” suggesting he genuinely values the connection.
• Chen Qiu: Watching from afar, Chen Qiu remains amused by the lively scene. He also advances to the Eighth Level of Spirit Transformation and begins testing a new Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, demonstrating his continued growth and overwhelming combat ability.

Significant Themes

• Brotherhood and chosen bonds: The sworn-brother ceremony emphasizes loyalty, gratitude, mutual aid, and relationships formed beyond blood or species.
• Cultural misunderstandings: The characters humorously negotiate differences between Dragon Race customs and Human Race traditions, particularly marriage alliances, age-based hierarchy, and brotherhood rituals.
• Pride and recognition: The Black Dragon’s need for others to acknowledge his achievement drives much of the chapter’s comedy and reveals his youthful personality.
• Power and overwhelming strength: Chen Qiu’s trials highlight the enormous gap between ordinary cultivators and top-tier experts. His domains can erase entire groups of enemies before he even attacks directly.
• Risk versus convenience: Chen Qiu rejects the uncertain “Heaven’s Great Task” Trait in favor of the more predictable “Endless Abyss,” reflecting his preference for controlled, manageable risks.

Chen Qiu’s Secret Realm Trial

• Chen Qiu chooses the Endless Abyss Trait, entering a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm containing five stages of ghosts and monsters.
• In the first stage, more than a thousand Nascent Soul Peak Realm monsters emerge. His Thirteenth-Grade Spirit Transformation Domain, Three Thousand Thunder Motions, annihilates them without requiring movement or a direct spell.
• He chooses to enhance his Lightning-Channeling Art as the reward.
• The second stage produces over five hundred Early Spirit Transformation Realm monsters, each possessing a Spirit Transformation Domain.
• Chen Qiu opens the Heavenly Secrets Umbrella, unleashing wind, rain, lightning, and thunder. His domains—Infinite Spiritual Energy and Three Thousand Thunder Motions—crush all five hundred enemy domains through absolute suppression.
• He then releases countless enormous Thunder Dragons, destroying the monsters instantly in a spectacular display of destructive power known as Thunder Burial.

Chapter Summary: “You Truly Are Wise.”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu easily clears the second through fifth trials of the Solo Heavenly Dao Secret Realm:
  • Second trial: Five hundred Early Spirit Transformation ghostly creatures.
  • Third trial: One hundred Middle Spirit Transformation opponents.
  • Fourth trial: Fifty Late Spirit Transformation opponents.
  • Fifth trial: Thirty Peak Spirit Transformation opponents.
• Using his two Thirteenth-Grade Spirit Transformation Domains—Infinite Spiritual Energy and Three Thousand Thunder Motions—Chen Qiu annihilates every opponent with overwhelming ease.
• The secret realm’s rewards become increasingly disappointing and absurd:
  • A Nascent Soul-grade treasure, a one-day blue trait, or a Nascent Soul-grade talisman.
  • Chen Qiu chooses the one-day trait, gaining Soul-Shocking Life-Taker, which grants cultivation progress through frightening others but prevents all other cultivation methods for one day.
  • He strengthens one spell after the third trial.
  • He receives only one Lower-Grade Spirit Stone after the fourth trial, deliberately choosing the worst option to test whether the reward panel hides a secret. It does not.
  • The fifth trial grants him an unidentified token, which he stores in his Heavenly Dao Ring.
• After returning to Dragon Island, Chen Qiu remains suspicious that the secret realm’s strange difficulty and poor rewards conceal a larger purpose.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: His overwhelming combat strength is emphasized. He is essentially invincible against Spirit Transformation opponents, but becomes increasingly irritated by the secret realm’s unfair difficulty-to-reward ratio. He also gains three additional tiny Nascent Souls, bringing the total to four, though he cannot distinguish or name them.
• The Seventh Prince of Great Xia: He has grown dramatically stronger and can now defeat Golden Core Eighth Layer cultivators. He remains determined to defeat the Nascent Soul-level Sword Cultivator Puppet, reach the Mystic Heaven Continent, and make Chen Qiu and the Mocking Heaven Sect famous as his master and sect.
• The unnamed woman: She openly cares for the Seventh Prince, but he rejects her because she is only in the Early Golden Core Realm. His harsh words force her to confront his belief that strength—not beauty, affection, or status—is the true measure of worth.
• The Buddhist Sect Patriarch: He is revealed as a calculating strategist with multiple contingency plans against Chen Qiu. He has imprisoned Kong Ming as a potential bargaining chip and intends to apologize and surrender Kong Ming if Chen Qiu reaches Void Refinement, while relying on other schemes if Chen Qiu remains weaker.
• Fat Dragon: He is overwhelmed by nearly one hundred dragon hatchlings, who cling to him because their mothers remain asleep. The scene provides comic relief.
• Mocking Heaven Sect disciple: One of Chen Qiu’s disciples is preparing to undergo a Thunder Tribulation, giving Chen Qiu a reason to end his seclusion.

Significant Themes

• Power and superiority: The chapter repeatedly contrasts ordinary cultivators with Chen Qiu, whose domain techniques allow him to defeat impossible numbers of opponents. The Seventh Prince similarly believes strength is the foundation of dignity and value.
• The value—or lack thereof—of rewards: The secret realm’s bizarre rewards create suspicion and highlight Chen Qiu’s dissatisfaction with systems that demand immense effort while offering trivial compensation.
• Strength as identity: The Seventh Prince’s worldview is extreme: beauty and affection are meaningless without power. His rejection of the woman illustrates both his ruthless ambition and his distorted understanding of relationships.
• Strategy and contingency: The Buddhist Sect Patriarch’s conversation with the Azure Mountain Palace elder shows the political conflict surrounding Chen Qiu and the importance of preparing multiple escape routes.
• Cultivation and patience: Chen Qiu’s progress at the Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation is painfully slow, encouraging him to seek alternative benefits, such as tempering his body through Thunder Tribulations.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu interacts mainly with the secret realm’s reward panels, responding with sarcasm and suspicion to their increasingly ridiculous offerings.
• The Seventh Prince confronts the woman who cares for him, bluntly explaining that her weakness makes her worthless in his eyes while urging her to cultivate instead of seeking his affection.
• The Buddhist Sect Patriarch and the Azure Mountain Palace elder discuss Chen Qiu’s disappearance and the Patriarch’s layered plans to either eliminate Chen Qiu or appease him.
• Chen Qiu observes Fat Dragon struggling with the dragon hatchlings and quietly enjoys the spectacle.
• The chapter ends with Chen Qiu preparing to accompany a Mocking Heaven Sect disciple through a Thunder Tribulation, both to offer protection and to strengthen his own lightning-based physique and techniques.

Chapter Summary: “All-Members Spirit Transformation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu protects a trusted but unnamed Mocking Heaven Sect disciple during his breakthrough to Spirit Transformation. The resulting Thunder Tribulation is strengthened because Chen Qiu acts as a Dao protector, but it barely affects him.
• After returning to Dragon Island, Chen Qiu advances to the Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation and receives three Purple Traits:
  • God of Unorthodox Arts, focused on tea, wine, or herbs.
  • Heavenly Dao Pays the Bill, which refunds consumed Spirit Stones after one hundred years.
  • Divine Hand, which can generate future traits based on his desires.
• Chen Qiu chooses Divine Hand, considering it the most useful for his future breakthrough to Void Refinement. He also redraws one trait using Fortune Approaches, receiving the undesirable Soul-Shocking Life-Taker trait, which grants cultivation progress through frightening others but prevents all other methods of cultivation progress.
• He resumes secluded cultivation, consumes a Spirit Transformation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, and considers replacing his outdated cultivation technique.
• Over the following year, Chen Qiu’s cultivation reaches 21% at the Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation. His progress is slow without major opportunities, but the Mocking Heaven Sect disciples advance rapidly with the help of Nascent Soul cultivation pills.
• Nearly all Mocking Heaven Sect members reach Spirit Transformation. To complete the “All-Members Spirit Transformation” milestone, Chen Qiu removes the remaining weaker members—including servants, a restriction-breaking shopkeeper, and the Brown Bear mascots—from the sect by destroying their Life Tablets.
• The Heavenly Dao announces that Chen Qiu has completed the milestone, granting him a statue in the Celestial Palace and a Mid-Grade Heavenly Dao Wheel.
• This leaves only two Mystic Heaven Continent milestones: Unify Mystic Heaven and Dao Equals Heaven. The latter will be completed automatically after the former, meaning Chen Qiu mainly needs to reach Void Refinement and defeat the major powers of Central Province.
• Ao Tian then complains that the Dragon Race is being financially ruined by its rapidly growing population of more than three hundred dragon hatchlings. One hundred have already reached Spirit Transformation, but the cost of supporting their cultivation, Thunder Tribulations, Spirit-Gathering Arrays, and Spirit Transformation Domains is nearly exhausting the Dragon Clan’s treasury.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu remains calm, pragmatic, and focused on long-term advancement. He evaluates traits according to their usefulness rather than their rarity and treats the milestone system as his primary strategic objective.
• He demonstrates his willingness to make harsh administrative decisions by expelling all members who cannot reach Spirit Transformation, prioritizing completion of the sect milestone over personal loyalty.
• Scholar returns after obtaining a fortune and reaches Spirit Transformation Early Stage. He asks Chen Qiu for help obtaining a suitable Spirit Transformation Domain.
• Fat Dragon has become overwhelmed by his many children. His attempts to show affection have caused the hatchlings to compete violently for his attention.
• Ao Tian shifts from pride in the Dragon Race’s growing population to anxiety over its financial collapse. He sacrifices even his beloved Ten-Thousand-Year Coral Flower to support the hatchlings.
• Mocking Heaven Sect evolves into an elite faction composed almost entirely of Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• The dragon hatchlings become increasingly unruly, fighting over Fat Dragon’s attention and possessions.

Significant Themes

• Power and resource management: Advancement depends not only on cultivation but also on pills, Spirit Stones, domains, and other scarce resources.
• The cost of growth: The Mocking Heaven Sect’s success and the Dragon Race’s population boom both create heavy financial and logistical burdens.
• Pragmatism versus sentiment: Chen Qiu sacrifices weaker sect members for strategic progress, while Ao Tian’s emotional attachment to the hatchlings threatens the Dragon Race’s stability.
• Opportunity versus steady effort: Chen Qiu’s rapid past breakthroughs came from major opportunities, whereas ordinary secluded cultivation produces only gradual progress.
• Leadership and responsibility: Chen Qiu manages a sect pursuing continental supremacy, while Ao Tian struggles to sustain an unexpectedly large dragon population.
• Comedic chaos amid serious cultivation: The dragon hatchlings’ battles over a banana-leaf outfit and Fat Dragon’s attention provide comic relief against the chapter’s larger strategic developments.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu protects the unnamed Mocking Heaven Sect disciple during his tribulation and later praises him briefly.
• He welcomes Scholar back, offers to exchange a suitable Spirit Transformation Domain for him, and directs him to inspect the Merit Value Shop.
• Black Dragon and Qu Gui recognize Fat Dragon’s suffering but cannot help because the hatchlings only acknowledge Fat Dragon.
• Ao Tian enjoys the lively Dragon Island while Black Dragon and Qu Gui see the disorder as a disaster.
• Ao Tian later appeals to Chen Qiu for assistance, explaining that the dragon hatchlings’ cultivation expenses are exhausting the Dragon Clan’s wealth.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu discovers that both the Mocking Heaven Sect and the Dragon Race have nearly exhausted their resources after rapidly raising their members to Spirit Transformation. The Mocking Heaven Sect now possesses an army of disciples with Third-Grade Spirit Transformation Domains, while the Dragon Race has roughly one hundred adult Spirit Transformation dragons.
• To replenish their wealth, Chen Qiu and Ao Tian decide to exploit their newfound advantage on the Mystic Heaven Continent.
• A Heavenly Dao Edict announces the third stage of the “Under-Heaven Strife” version:
  • All Void Refinement cultivators are forcibly sent to the higher Vast Continent.
  • Spirit Transformation cultivators at the seventh level or above may travel there through a Central Province passage by paying one thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
• With every Void Refinement expert removed from the Mystic Heaven Continent, Chen Qiu realizes that he and his forces are effectively invincible. He begins a continent-wide campaign to “unify” Mystic Heaven by marking territories with the words “Under the jurisdiction of the Mocking Heaven Sect.”
• Chen Qiu visits major sects and races, using fruit baskets as a symbolic “courtesy gift” while demanding treasures and submission. Sects that resist risk destruction; those that cooperate surrender much or all of their wealth.
• The Buddhist Sect and Azure Mountain Palace immediately surrender. Their ancestors invent elaborate stories claiming Chen Qiu helped them in the past, offer fabricated evidence, and beg for mercy.
• Chen Qiu demands repayment:
  • Azure Mountain Palace offers everything in its treasury.
  • The Buddhist Sect eventually offers all its possessions as well.
  • He also orders the Buddhist ancestor to deal with a mortal whose dying wife had sought Chen Qiu’s aid, implying punishment for the sect’s mistreatment of ordinary people.
• After becoming impoverished and effectively losing their sects, the Buddhist and Azure Mountain Palace ancestors decide to travel together to the Vast Continent as Rogue Cultivators in search of a breakthrough to Void Refinement.
• Other powers surrender in similarly absurd ways. Falling Blossom Valley offers intelligence about hidden sects in Minor Worlds, while the Beast Taming Sect tries unsuccessfully to use a former connection between its disciple Xiao Yue and Chen Qiu to gain special treatment.
• The Mocking Heaven Sect’s influence spreads through Central Province and then across the entire Mystic Heaven Continent. What begins as a demand directed at sect gates gradually becomes a continent-wide inscription campaign, with the words “Under Mocking Heaven Sect jurisdiction” appearing on city entrances, shops, and households.
• The Devil Race cooperates after Chen Qiu presents the request as a minor favor, though its chief remains terrified of him.
• The Demon Race refuses to submit, believing its large number of powerful Spirit Transformation cultivators can resist Chen Qiu’s forces. Chen Qiu responds by personally activating three Thirteenth-Grade Spirit Transformation Domains:

Three Thousand Thunder Motions

Infinite Spiritual Energy

Snow Gives Birth to All Things

• These domains completely suppress the Demon Race’s cultivators, preventing them from activating their own domains. Chen Qiu then annihilates the gathered Demon Race forces with lightning, declaring them nothing more than ants.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu becomes increasingly dominant and confident. His goal remains personal strength and discovering the wider world, but he uses the Milestone Mission “Unify Mystic Heaven” as justification for an organized campaign of conquest and resource collection.
• He is shown to be pragmatic and terrifyingly powerful, but also capable of concern for ordinary people, particularly the mortal from Deathknell Town whose dying wife sought help.
• Ao Tian embraces the looting campaign enthusiastically and acts as Chen Qiu’s aggressive, opportunistic partner.
• The Buddhist Sect ancestor proves extremely shameless yet remarkably adaptable. His “contingency plans” are revealed to be elaborate methods of surrender, flattery, and scapegoating.
• The Azure Mountain Palace ancestor is equally willing to abandon dignity to survive. He quickly fabricates evidence of loyalty and offers up his sect’s wealth.
• The two former sect ancestors develop a reluctant bond after losing their organizations and agree to travel together to the Vast Continent.
• Fat Dragon acts as a confident representative of the Mocking Heaven Sect, while the Dragon Race’s sudden growth in numbers becomes a source of fear among other powers.
• The Falling Blossom Valley Master abandons his former defiance and betrays the hidden powers to protect his own sect.
• The Demon Race’s leader begins confident in his superior numbers but becomes horrified when Chen Qiu reveals the existence of Thirteenth-Grade Domains.

Significant Themes

• Absolute power and submission: Once the Void Refinement experts disappear, political resistance collapses. Even powerful sects choose surrender when faced with Chen Qiu’s overwhelming strength.
• Humor through shameless survival: The chapter satirizes sect leaders who abandon dignity, loyalty, and principles in order to live. Their exaggerated excuses and immediate betrayals create much of the chapter’s comedy.
• Expansion and forced unity: Chen Qiu’s “unification” is less a peaceful alliance than a campaign of intimidation, taxation, and symbolic occupation.
• Resource consumption and growth: The Mocking Heaven Sect and Dragon Race’s rapid advancement has emptied their foundations, motivating the conquest of the continent.
• The vastness of the cultivation world: The opening of the Vast Continent Passage reinforces Chen Qiu’s desire to grow stronger and explore realms beyond Mystic Heaven.
• Justice versus self-interest: Chen Qiu occasionally punishes corruption and protects mortals, but his broader campaign is driven by strength, wealth, and the completion of his mission.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and Ao Tian agree that they must raid the Mystic Heaven Continent to support their rapidly growing factions.
• The Buddhist and Azure Mountain ancestors compete to offer the most extravagant surrender, each trying to convince Chen Qiu that they are actually his benefactor.
• Their later conversation reveals mutual resentment, admiration, and helplessness as they mourn the loss of their sects while planning their future together.
• Falling Blossom Valley cooperates with Fat Dragon by offering intelligence on hidden sects, effectively trading information for survival.
• The Beast Taming Sect attempts to invoke Xiao Yue’s past contact with Chen Qiu, but Ao Tian dismisses their claim that merely holding hands constitutes a meaningful relationship.
• The Devil Race chief treats Chen Qiu’s fruit basket as a terrifying ultimatum despite Chen Qiu’s outwardly friendly manner.
• The Demon Race openly challenges Chen Qiu, leading to the chapter’s climactic confrontation and his devastating demonstration of power.

Chapter Summary: “Rainy Days Are Best for Killing.”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu unleashes a devastating attack during a thunderstorm, instantly killing nearly all of the Demon Race’s Spirit Transformation cultivators. Even the surviving Peak Spirit Transformation experts are quickly destroyed by his thunder dragons.
• The Demon Race’s remaining forces surrender, but Chen Qiu refuses to show mercy. He orders the Mocking Heaven Sect to carve “Under the jurisdiction of the Mocking Heaven Sect” throughout the Demon Race Forest, threatening to exterminate anyone who resists.
• Over the next seven days, the slogan is engraved across nearly every major region and faction of the Mystic Heaven Continent, including the Demon Race, Devil Race, Dragon Island, and remote territories. However, the “Unify Mystic Heaven” Milestone Mission remains incomplete because coverage has not yet reached 95%.
• Chen Qiu prepares to leave for the Second-Rank Vast Continent in one month. His cultivation has only reached 21% of the Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation after a year of cultivation, so he believes the Vast Continent offers better opportunities for advancement.
• The chapter shifts to the Vast Continent’s Mystic Heaven Province, where several characters from the Mystic Heaven Continent arrive:
  • A descendant of the Mocking Heaven Sect, the Liu Family patriarch, waits for Chen Qiu’s arrival, hoping the sect will save his family from the powerful Zhang Clan.
  • The Buddhist Sect Patriarch and Azure Mountain Palace Patriarch decide to hide and wait for Chen Qiu to create chaos before seeking opportunities themselves.
  • Zhang Kui arrives in Cloud City and begins establishing a new life as a formation master.
• The Beast Taming Sect’s former sect master, now living under the male identity of Wang Qi after using Yin-Yang Reversal, opens a spirit-beast shop with Xiao Yue and July Cat.
• Wang Qi unexpectedly reunites with Zhang Kui, an old companion and former traveling partner. Zhang Kui reveals their shared history and confesses that he has loved Wang Qi for six hundred years.
• The chapter ends with a major revelation: Wang Qi did not avoid Zhang Kui solely because of the public humiliation she suffered in the past. She avoided him because he forcibly slept with her during her emotional collapse—and because she had already used Yin-Yang Reversal before their relationship began, meaning Zhang Kui may have misunderstood the nature of their bond entirely.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu is portrayed as ruthlessly dominant and emotionally detached toward enemies. He views rain as ideal for killing because it washes away all traces of violence. His ambitions have expanded from controlling the Mystic Heaven Continent to seeking advancement and influence on the Vast Continent.
• Ao Tian becomes deeply fearful and respectful of Chen Qiu after witnessing his overwhelming strength. He recognizes that Chen Qiu is effectively invincible among Spirit Transformation cultivators and feels fortunate that the Dragon Race is his ally.
• Fat Dragon gains Chen Qiu’s approval for helping locate secluded factions and contributing to the rapid expansion of Mocking Heaven Sect’s influence.
• Zhang Kui is revealed to be extremely cautious, even paranoid, but also deeply loyal and emotionally devoted. Despite his infamous reputation as the top figure on the Sin Points Rankings, his actions toward Wang Qi were driven by his belief that he was protecting her.
• Wang Qi, formerly a kind-hearted female cultivator, has been profoundly scarred by public slander and by Zhang Kui’s coercive act. Her use of Yin-Yang Reversal symbolizes a radical transformation of identity and withdrawal from her former life.
• Xiao Yue shifts rapidly from melancholy over losing contact with Chen Qiu to fascination with the dramatic romance between her master and Zhang Kui.
• July Cat remains detached from cultivation and worldly concerns but becomes intensely interested in the gossip surrounding Zhang Kui and Wang Qi.

Significant Themes

• Absolute power and domination: Chen Qiu’s massacre demonstrates the gap between ordinary Spirit Transformation cultivators and his Twelfth-Grade Spirit Transformation Domain.
• Violence as purification: Chen Qiu’s belief that rain washes away blood and traces reflects his cold, almost aesthetic view of killing and eradication.
• Expansion and conquest: The repeated carving of Mocking Heaven Sect’s slogan turns territorial control into a visible symbol of political and spiritual domination.
• Survival over ambition: The former enemies’ decision to hide rather than seek immediate opportunities shows how Chen Qiu’s reputation has changed their understanding of cultivation: staying alive may eventually bring more rewards than taking risks.
• Trauma and reputation: Wang Qi’s past shows how public slander can destroy a person’s identity and Dao heart even when the accusations are false.
• Love, possession, and consent: Zhang Kui interprets his past actions as devotion and rescue, while Wang Qi experiences them as the reason she severed contact. Their reunion exposes the conflict between romantic idealization and personal autonomy.
• Identity and transformation: Wang Qi’s gender reversal reflects both literal transformation and an attempt to escape trauma, reputation, and the person she once was.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and Ao Tian: Ao Tian witnesses Chen Qiu’s massacre and realizes that alliance is the only safe relationship to maintain with him.
• Chen Qiu and the Mocking Heaven Sect: Chen Qiu commands the sect with absolute authority, turning his personal will into a continent-wide campaign of conquest.
• Liu Family patriarch and Chen Qiu: The patriarch waits for Chen Qiu as a potential savior because of an ancestral connection to the Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Buddhist Sect Patriarch and Azure Mountain Palace Patriarch: Their conversation reveals their shared fear of Chen Qiu and their decision to exploit the chaos he will likely cause.
• Zhang Kui and the Beast Taming Sect: Their reunion connects two powerful figures from the Mystic Heaven Continent and establishes Zhang Kui’s emotional history with Wang Qi.
• Zhang Kui and Wang Qi: Zhang Kui offers a passionate confession, while Wang Qi explains that his past “rescue” and forced intimacy were precisely why she rejected him.
• Xiao Yue and July Cat: Both become spectators to the unfolding emotional drama, providing a lighter, humorous contrast to the chapter’s violence and tragic backstory.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Beast Taming Sect Master reveals that six hundred years earlier, she had used the Yin-Yang Reversal technique to live as a woman. She fell in love with Zhang Kui, whom she believed to be a man.
• Zhang Kui then reveals that she was actually born female but disguised herself as a man after her family was massacred. Both women had unknowingly deceived each other while falling in love.
• After an awkward clarification involving Zhang Kui’s use of a jade dragon root, the two reconcile and embrace, confirming that their relationship has ultimately endured despite the deception.
• Xiao Yue realizes that Zhang Kui is now effectively her “martial mother,” while July Cat enjoys the scandal from beneath the table.
• In the Yin Realm, the Demon Race suddenly produces hundreds of Spirit Transformation cultivators and launches a counterattack, reversing the Human Race’s previous advantage.
• Chen Qiu receives Heavenly Dao rewards for completing all twelve Mystic Heaven Continent Milestone Missions. His accumulated Heavenly Dao Wheels fuse into a Supreme-Grade Heavenly Dao Wheel and a High-Grade Heavenly Dao Wheel.
• The completion of all twelve missions triggers a continent-wide phenomenon and grants Chen Qiu a strand of Mystic Heaven Fortune, which dramatically increases cultivation progress and raises him to 99% of the Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation.
• A lightning staircase appears, guiding Chen Qiu and his companions through a portal to the Second-Rank Vast Continent. Chen Qiu sends his companions into his Minor World to avoid attracting attention.
• Chen Qiu enters the Celestial Palace, where twelve statues commemorate his greatest achievements. He sits upon a throne formed from lightning, officially proving the title of King of Mystic Heaven.
• The Heavenly Dao announces his ascension throughout the Vast Continent, grants him Imperial Fortune, and forces all cultivators in Mystic Heaven Province to kneel and proclaim his rise.

Character Developments

• Wang Qi, the Beast Taming Sect Master, confronts the consequences of her centuries-long deception. Her confession reveals vulnerability, regret, and the depth of her original love for Zhang Kui.
• Zhang Kui removes her disguise and admits that she, too, had been hiding her true identity. Her relief at learning Wang Qi was originally male allows their relationship to become honest and mutual.
• Xiao Yue shifts from shock and confusion to acceptance, recognizing that her master and Zhang Kui are genuinely in love. She also realizes the political and personal advantages of gaining such a powerful martial mother.
• Chen Qiu completes his transformation from dominant cultivator of the Mystic Heaven Continent into a recognized legendary ruler. Although he understands the danger and responsibility of taking the throne, he accepts it because he believes no one else is worthy of ruling Mystic Heaven.

Significant Themes

• Truth beneath appearances: Both Zhang Kui and Wang Qi lived under false identities, yet their emotional bond remained genuine despite their mistaken assumptions.
• Love overcoming deception: Their relationship survives centuries of misunderstanding because their affection was based on trust, tenderness, and companionship rather than physical identity alone.
• The cost and glory of achievement: Chen Qiu’s accomplishments are publicly immortalized through statues, Heavenly Dao proclamations, and the Mystic Heaven Throne.
• Power and legitimacy: Chen Qiu does not merely inherit authority; he proves himself through overwhelming accomplishments and accepts the throne as a rightful consequence of his strength.
• Transition into a new era: His departure from the Mystic Heaven Continent and arrival in the Vast Continent marks the beginning of a larger stage, with new dangers, opportunities, and political challenges.

Character Interactions

• Wang Qi confesses her past and apologizes directly to Zhang Kui, while Zhang Kui responds by revealing her own secret.
• Zhang Kui and Wang Qi move from mutual shock and embarrassment to emotional reconciliation and embrace.
• Xiao Yue serves as the bewildered observer, questioning the situation and providing comic commentary, while July Cat silently indulges in the gossip.
• Chen Qiu interacts briefly with Ao Tian, Fat Dragon, and the others before leading them through the heavenly staircase.
• In the Celestial Palace, Chen Qiu symbolically confronts his own legacy through the statues depicting his past achievements, then claims the throne while the assembled cultivators kneel before him.

Chapter Summary: The Heavenly King’s Throne! Who Wouldn’t Want It?

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Heavenly Dao announces that Chen Qiu has become the first holder of the Mystic Heaven Throne, making him the Mystic Heaven King.
• The Vast Continent’s twelve provinces are revealed to correspond to twelve hidden thrones. Once all thrones are claimed and their holders remain seated for a year, the provinces will reopen and the Sole King competition will begin.
• The provinces are sealed, preventing cultivators from leaving. Anyone who kills a throne-holder can inherit the throne, while the throne-holder’s location is permanently exposed by a Heavenly Dao light.
• Throne benefits include:
  • Tenfold cultivation speed
  • A one-grade increase to the holder’s Spirit Transformation Domain
  • The special domain totem “Chicken-and-Dog Ascension”
  • An additional Spirit Transformation Domain Token
• Chen Qiu’s three Thirteenth-Grade Spirit Transformation Domains rise to Fourteenth Grade.
• Greedy cultivators surround the Celestial Palace, but many are killed instantly by twelve Heavenly Dao-created Early Void Refinement puppets guarding the entrance.
• As the first throne-holder, Chen Qiu receives special privileges:
  • Twelve Void Refinement puppets protect his palace.
  • Peak Spirit Transformation cultivators and stronger experts cannot enter for one month.
• Chen Qiu begins cultivating openly inside the palace, intending to break through to Peak Spirit Transformation and then Void Refinement before the protection period ends.
• His companions are released from his Minor World and panic over the fact that he has immediately made himself the enemy of an entire province.
• Across Mystic Heaven Province, factions gather intelligence on Chen Qiu and begin planning how to seize the throne.
• The Fate Sect investigates Chen Qiu through a former Mystic Heaven Continent cultivator. A silver-haired Supreme Elder learns of his extraordinary history: annihilating the Evil Race, possessing a Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation Domain, ranking first among Nascent Soul prodigies, and killing hundreds of powerful demon cultivators.
• The Supreme Elder abandons her own attempt to claim the throne and instead recruits the informant, the Cao Family Head, into the Fate Sect.
• In Cloud City, Zhang Kui and the Beast Taming Sect discuss Chen Qiu’s danger. July Cat suddenly remembers that Chen Qiu still possesses nearly two hundred billion Merit Value and a Merit Attack Token—enough to potentially devastate the entire province—then calmly returns to waiting for death.
• The Buddhist Sect patriarch and Azure Mountain Palace elder discuss the situation. The patriarch reveals that Chen Qiu may have emerged from a mysterious sealed Minor World on the Mystic Heaven Continent, suggesting that Chen Qiu’s origins and true strength are far more terrifying than anyone realizes.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu embraces the danger of claiming the throne. He believes retreating from a great opportunity would damage his Dao Heart, so he willingly becomes the target of the entire province.
• He remains calm and confident despite being surrounded, relying on the palace’s defenses and his ability to cultivate rapidly.
• Ao Tian, Fat Dragon, and Scholar are shocked by Chen Qiu’s “low-profile” strategy. Scholar is excited but terrified that his first battle on the Vast Continent may become a battle against the entire province.
• The Fate Sect Supreme Elder recognizes that Chen Qiu is an unprecedented prodigy and wisely gives up on directly competing for the throne.
• The Cao Family Head demonstrates extreme pragmatism, kneeling readily and accepting recruitment into the Fate Sect. His survival is attributed to his earlier willingness to cooperate with Chen Qiu.
• Zhang Kui is revealed to have a deeply one-sided history with Chen Qiu: she fears him intensely, although Chen Qiu does not even know who she is.
• July Cat remains comically fatalistic, repeatedly assuming she will die, but realizes she may possess crucial information about Chen Qiu’s devastating Merit Attack Token.
• The Buddhist Sect patriarch reveals himself to be highly cautious and perceptive. He believes Chen Qiu cannot easily be killed because of the mysterious seal connected to his origins, though he has also been withholding important information from his ally.

Significant Themes

• Power attracts danger: The throne provides immense advantages, but its holder becomes an unavoidable target for every ambitious cultivator.
• Courage versus restraint: Chen Qiu rejects conventional caution, believing that shrinking from opportunity would damage his Dao Heart.
• The value of intelligence: Factions immediately seek information about Chen Qiu, while the Buddhist Sect patriarch’s hidden discoveries suggest that understanding an opponent may matter more than raw strength.
• Pragmatism and survival: The Cao Family Head survives through submission and flexibility, contrasting with factions that resisted Chen Qiu and were destroyed.
• Hidden origins and overwhelming potential: Chen Qiu’s unexplained rise, mysterious sealed past, and extraordinary foundations imply that he may be connected to ancient or terrifying existences.
• Humor amid danger: The companions’ panic, July Cat’s resignation, and the patriarch’s stolen Buddhist robe provide comic relief against the looming provincial war.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu reassures Ao Tian, Fat Dragon, and Scholar that the palace is safe for a month and orders them to strengthen themselves.
• The Fate Sect Supreme Elder questions the Cao Family Head about Chen Qiu’s past, then recruits him after hearing his detailed account.
• Zhang Kui confesses her fear of Chen Qiu to the Beast Taming Sect master, who points out that Chen Qiu is unaware of her existence.
• July Cat silently realizes that Chen Qiu may possess enough Merit Value to destroy Mystic Heaven Province.
• The Buddhist Sect patriarch explains to the Azure Mountain Palace elder that the mysterious seal on the Mystic Heaven Continent implies Chen Qiu’s origins are far beyond ordinary cultivation.

Chapter Summary: “They’ll Win.”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Outside the Celestial Palace, the initial challengers are replaced by a far more powerful force: over twenty Void Refinement cultivators, led by four Peak Void Refinement experts.
• The leaders demand that Chen Qiu leave the palace and die before the month ends. They promise to preserve his yin soul, but threaten to destroy him completely if he resists.
• The four main leaders are identified:
  • The Sky Axe Sect’s sect master, a powerful body cultivator with the terrifying Hundredfold Gravity domain.
  • A Demon Race cultivator whose true body is a blade of grass and whose domain is Ashes Rekindled.
  • The Supreme Elder of the Female Sword Sect, who practices the Ruthless Sword.
  • The presiding abbot of the Buddhist Sect.
• Young Master Qi, a cruel third heir of a powerful Aristocratic Clan from another province, arrives with an extravagant carriage and nearly one hundred abused female attendants. He kills one attendant after discovering she is pregnant with his child.
• Young Master Qi explains that the Heavenly Dao Edict has trapped cultivators in their current provinces, but also created an opportunity to seize the Mystic Heaven Throne.
• He reveals a strategy to avoid the backlash from Chen Qiu’s enormous Merit Value: severely injure Chen Qiu, have another person kill him, then kill that person, repeatedly cycling ownership of the throne to obtain numerous Spirit Transformation Domain Tokens.
• The attackers settle down outside the palace to wait for the Celestial Palace Shackles to disappear after one month.
• Inside, Chen Qiu remains calm and continues cultivating. He intends to reach 100% progress in his current realm before the battle.
• Ao Tian prepares to undergo his Void Refinement tribulation, recognizing that Peak Spirit Transformation cultivation will be useless against the coming enemies. When Black Dragon asks whether they can win, Ao Tian bitterly answers, “They’ll win.”
• Chen Qiu, however, privately believes the attackers have underestimated him. He possesses numerous hidden trump cards, including Fortune, Nascent Souls, self-destruct traits, Spirit Transformation Domain Tokens, a powerful domain, and Merit Tokens.
• The chapter briefly shifts back to the Mystic Heaven Continent, which has become unusually peaceful after Chen Qiu’s departure. The inhabitants now regard ordinary violence as comparatively mild because Chen Qiu’s past actions lowered everyone’s moral expectations.
• Meiya, the woman once abused by Chen Qiu, struggles with her lingering fascination and trauma. She resolves to cultivate so she can meet him again, while her master jokingly suggests she instead fantasize about Chen Qiu returning for her.
• The injured Seventh Prince awakens in a remote town after being rescued from an avalanche by a mortal hunter, hinting that his survival may lead to future fortune.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Displays absolute composure and confidence despite being surrounded by overwhelming forces. He continues cultivating rather than responding to threats, convinced that his exceptional battle ability will allow him to defeat opponents who underestimate him.
• Ao Tian: Shows realism and paternal concern. Though he lacks confidence in victory, he is willing to risk undergoing the Void Refinement tribulation to contribute to the coming battle.
• Black Dragon: Worries about his father and considers seeking outside assistance through the Dragon Race, but accepts that the sealed provinces leave them dependent on their own strength.
• Young Master Qi: Is established as sadistic, arrogant, and ruthless. His mistreatment of his attendants demonstrates his cruelty, while his strategic understanding reveals that he is also calculating and dangerous.
• The four leading experts: Each is presented as a major regional power with unique abilities, reputations, and motives, emphasizing the scale of the threat facing Chen Qiu.
• Meiya: Though traumatized by Chen Qiu, she remains emotionally affected by him and interprets her experience as making ordinary relationships impossible. She chooses cultivation in the hope of meeting him again.
• Seventh Prince: Survives against the odds and begins a new stage of his story among mortals.

Significant Themes

• Overconfidence versus hidden strength: Nearly everyone assumes Chen Qiu is doomed because of his lower cultivation, but the chapter emphasizes that conventional estimates fail to account for his extraordinary techniques and accumulated resources.
• The cruelty of the cultivation world: Power determines morality. The attackers casually discuss killing, exploiting others, and manipulating the rules for profit, while Young Master Qi’s abuse highlights the extreme brutality of the world.
• Fate and opportunity: The Mystic Heaven Throne is treated as a rare opportunity, attracting ancient experts and outsiders alike. Characters repeatedly debate whether opportunity belongs to those who are “fated” to seize it.
• Moral normalization: Chen Qiu’s past atrocities have paradoxically made the Mystic Heaven Continent seem more peaceful. The narration satirizes how people redefine morality by comparing ordinary violence to something far worse.
• Isolation and self-reliance: Because the provinces are sealed, the characters cannot depend on outside allies. Ao Tian recognizes that survival must come from their own strength.
• The contrast between appearances and reality: Chen Qiu appears trapped and outmatched, while the surrounding experts appear victorious already. The chapter repeatedly hints that the real balance of power may be very different.

Character Interactions

• The attackers verbally pressure Chen Qiu, alternating between threats, mockery, moral condemnation, and false offers of survival.
• Young Master Qi clashes with the Sky Axe Sect’s sect master over whether an outsider has the right to pursue the Mystic Heaven Throne, then exposes the group’s plan to exploit Chen Qiu’s Merit Value.
• Young Master Qi insults the Female Sword Sect’s Supreme Elder, establishing his contempt for the other factions despite their shared goal.
• Ao Tian and Black Dragon discuss whether the Dragon Race could intervene, with Ao Tian explaining why outside help is impossible.
• Chen Qiu does not directly answer his enemies; his silent cultivation serves as a deliberate contrast to their threats and confidence.
• Meiya and her master discuss Chen Qiu’s lasting influence over Meiya’s emotions and expectations.
• The Seventh Prince begins a new relationship with the mortal hunter who rescued him, creating a hopeful counterpoint to the violence surrounding the Mystic Heaven Throne.

Chapter Summary: “Spirit Transformation Domain: Chicken-and-Dog Ascension!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Seventh Prince awakens severely wounded in Deathknell Town on the Mystic Heaven Continent. Mistaking him for a mortal, a Foundation Establishment hunter cares for him.
• After claiming to have lost his memories, the Seventh Prince triggers a strange, seemingly repeated sequence of events in Deathknell Town. He drives the hunter away with his Golden Core cultivation, then questions him outside town to learn about the Mystic Heaven Continent and his master, Chen Qiu.
• The chapter recounts how the Seventh Prince escaped the Great Xia Kingdom:
  • He cultivated to Golden Core Peak Great Perfection in just over a year.
  • He mastered the two-part Heavenly Sword technique based on Sword One’s teachings.
  • He entered the Human-Sword Unity realm and challenged a Nascent Soul sword cultivator puppet nine times.
  • After eight failures, he exploited a mysterious heavenly phenomenon on his ninth attempt, sacrificing nearly all his remaining lifespan to kill the puppet and leave Great Xia.
• The Seventh Prince learns that Chen Qiu has already become a legendary figure on the Mystic Heaven Continent, possessing immense achievements, including Peak Spirit Transformation cultivation, enormous Merit Value, and the power to destroy entire clans.
• He breaks through to a First-Grade Nascent Soul and travels through Quzhou, only to discover that the Mocking Heaven Sect and Chen Qiu are already famous everywhere. His original goal of spreading their reputation is unnecessary.
• In a teahouse, the Seventh Prince despairingly admits that Chen Qiu has already left for the Vast Continent. When other patrons mock him, he reveals his Mocking Heaven Sect token. Everyone immediately kneels in fear, giving him a new appreciation of the sect’s overwhelming reputation.
• His despair turns into determination. He resolves to reach Late Spirit Transformation, travel to the Vast Continent, and one day appear before Chen Qiu as a peerless sword cultivator.
• Back in Great Xia, the Fat City Lord and Flying Fish City Lord discuss the Seventh Prince’s success. They regret not following him but decide to wait until Chen Qiu has made the outside world safe.
• In the Vast Continent, Chen Qiu reaches Peak Spirit Transformation and prepares to break through to Void Refinement. His Merit Value has risen to four hundred billion, making him confident he can survive the tribulation.
• Chen Qiu uses two wisps of Mystic Heaven Fortune to strengthen his Lightning-Channeling Art and Three Thousand Thunder Motions Domain.
• He considers the power of Imperial Fortune, the future Celestial Palace Defense Battle, and the possibility of turning the Mystic Heaven Throne into a tangible growth-type treasure.
• Chen Qiu gives Zhao Dezhu the special Spirit Transformation Domain “Chicken-and-Dog Ascension,” which doubles the cultivation speed of every living being within its range.
• He realizes that multiple copies of this domain could potentially stack, creating an enormous cultivation-speed bonus. This makes him look forward to the coming struggle over the twelve thrones.

Character Developments

• The Seventh Prince grows from a frustrated, insecure disciple desperate for recognition into a determined survivor. His failed challenges and near-death escape force him to confront the vast gap between Golden Core and Nascent Soul.
• He initially feels crushed after learning that Chen Qiu has advanced far beyond him, but the Mocking Heaven Sect’s reputation restores his confidence. His ambition shifts from merely leaving Great Xia to pursuing Chen Qiu across the Vast Continent.
• Chen Qiu continues consolidating his power. He reaches Peak Spirit Transformation, improves his offensive abilities, and begins planning strategically for Void Refinement, the Celestial Palace Defense Battle, and the future throne conflict.
• Zhao Dezhu receives an important opportunity by obtaining “Chicken-and-Dog Ascension,” becoming the first apparent holder of a domain that can strengthen the entire faction.
• The Fat City Lord and Flying Fish City Lord remain cautious and self-aware, choosing survival and preparation over recklessly following the Seventh Prince.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance through failure: The Seventh Prince’s ninth attempt succeeds only after repeated defeats, emphasizing persistence and willingness to risk everything.
• The overwhelming gap between realms: His struggles against the Nascent Soul puppet reveal how difficult it is to cross the boundary between Golden Core and Nascent Soul.
• Living in the shadow of a legendary master: The Seventh Prince’s pride and insecurity stem from constantly comparing himself to Chen Qiu, whose achievements have become nearly impossible to match.
• Reputation and power: The Mocking Heaven Sect’s name alone inspires terror, showing how influence can become as powerful as personal cultivation.
• Strategic development: Chen Qiu increasingly relies not only on combat strength but also on treasures, domains, fortune, faction-building, and long-term planning.
• Collective advancement: “Chicken-and-Dog Ascension” introduces the idea that Chen Qiu’s faction can grow stronger as a group rather than relying solely on individual breakthroughs.

Character Interactions

• The hunter initially treats the Seventh Prince as a helpless mortal, but quickly becomes terrified after witnessing his cultivation and obeys his questioning.
• The Seventh Prince listens to the hunter’s account of Chen Qiu’s accomplishments, which deepens both his shock and his inferiority.
• In the teahouse, patrons mock the Seventh Prince until he reveals his Mocking Heaven Sect token; they immediately change their attitude and beg for forgiveness.
• The Fat City Lord and Flying Fish City Lord discuss the Seventh Prince’s escape and their own decision not to leave Great Xia.
• Chen Qiu silently bestows the Chicken-and-Dog Ascension domain on Zhao Dezhu, revealing his growing interest in strengthening the entire Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Chen Qiu observes the Void Refinement cultivators outside the Celestial Palace, regarding them as both potential threats and useful companions in the coming conflict.