Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: The Investiture Calamity Cycle Begins!!

Key Plot Points and Events

• For several yuanhui, the various powerhouses of the Primordial World wait to learn how the Heavenly Circumference Star God Offices will be contested. The two Dao-Proven Lunar Star Goddesses and the Sages deliberately withhold the method, preventing the process from descending into indiscriminate fighting.
• An auxiliary star suddenly erupts with light, revealing the Investiture of the Gods. A Middle Star Deity Office is claimed for the first time, while numerous Lower Star Deity positions have already been filled.
• The cultivators discover that claiming a Star God Office requires locating and refining the corresponding Heavenly Circumference Star Aura scattered throughout the Primordial Cosmos and the All Heavens and Myriad Realms.
• The three ranks of offices require different levels of Star Aura:
  • Lower Star Deity offices have no fixed number or cultivation requirement.
  • Middle Star Deity offices are limited to 10,800 and are primarily contested by Great Luo cultivators.
  • Upper Star Deity offices remain the most important and difficult positions.
• Names written on the Investiture initially appear pale gold and only become dazzling gold after remaining stable for a long period, indicating that the position has been securely established.
• Over ten yuanhui, millions of Lower Star Deity positions are filled, but only slightly more than one hundred Middle Star Deity offices are secured. After another twenty yuanhui, roughly one-third of the Middle Offices are occupied, while all Upper Offices remain vacant.
• Five yuanhui later, intense fighting over the Star Deity positions spreads across the Primordial Land, the Four Seas Archipelago, and other regions, causing widespread upheaval.
• A terrifying Calamity Fiend Aura finally rises throughout the cosmos. The major powers recognize this as the official beginning of the Calamity Cycle.

Character Developments

• Xi He demonstrates foresight and strategic restraint. She understands the importance of the Star God Offices and chooses not to reveal the Sun Star Lord and Lunar Star Lord positions prematurely.
• Chang Xi supports Xi He’s judgment, showing trust in her elder sister’s political and strategic decisions.
• Dan Jing’s importance is emphasized indirectly: his connection to the Sun Star Lord office makes that position especially significant.
• The Great Luo and lower-level cultivators shift from passive observation to active competition, gradually becoming embroiled in increasingly violent conflicts.
• The previously inactive powerhouses Beyond Great Luo remain patient observers, waiting until the Calamity Cycle formally begins before making major moves.

Significant Themes

• Strategic patience and hidden information: The delayed revelation of the contesting method allows the Lunar Star Goddesses to control the timing and preserve the value of the most important offices.
• Authority through refinement: Securing a Star God Office parallels a Sage refining Primordial Purple Qi to obtain a Sage Throne, highlighting the connection between power, legitimacy, and possession of fundamental cosmic resources.
• Escalation from order to chaos: The process begins as a structured competition based on refining Star Aura but gradually deteriorates into widespread conflict and upheaval.
• Power hierarchy: The different ranks of Star Deity Offices reinforce the hierarchy between Golden Immortals, Great Luo cultivators, and higher-level existences.
• The inevitability of calamity: Once the struggle becomes widespread enough, conflict generates the conditions for the Calamity Cycle, transforming individual contests into a cosmic-scale disaster.

Character Interactions

• Xi He and Chang Xi discuss when to release the Sun Star Lord and Lunar Star Lord offices. Xi He argues that the positions should remain concealed because of their immense importance, and Chang Xi agrees.
• The sisters jointly monitor the Investiture of the Gods and the distribution of Heavenly Circumference Star Aura.
• The broader interaction is between the various factions and cultivators, who initially observe one another cautiously but eventually compete violently for the limited Middle and Upper Star Deity positions.

Chapter Summary: Investiture Calamity Cycle—Late Stage

Key Plot Points and Events

• As the Investiture Calamity Cycle begins in earnest, Laozi observes the rising Calamity Fiend Aura and recognizes that prosperity and disaster are inevitably linked.
• The major Sage Traditions and powerful factions establish their strategies:
  • Laozi remains largely detached, allowing his disciples to pursue only the Star Deity positions they can obtain themselves.
  • Yuanshi realizes that the true conflict has begun and anticipates the involvement of powerhouses Beyond Great Luo.
  • Tongtian embraces the competition. His Interception Sect already possesses over twenty Middle Star Deity Offices, and he plans to secure Upper Star Deity Positions for his strongest disciples.
  • Jieyin and Zhunti decide not to compete aggressively for Upper Star Deity Positions, instead focusing on acquiring more Middle and Lower Star Deity Offices for the Western Sect.
  • Nuwa orders the Monster Religion and Demon Race to pursue only Middle and Lower positions, leaving the dangerous Upper positions to ancient divine beings and primordial powers.
  • Zhen Yuanzi, Di Jiang, and the other Ancestral Witches issue similar orders for the Human Religion and Witch Race, prioritizing the preservation of their strongest members over risky competition for Upper positions.
• Over the next ten yuanhui, increasingly powerful beings Beyond Great Luo enter the struggle. Upper Star Deity Positions are filled amid brutal battles, deaths, reincarnations, and the decline or extinction of powerful Innate Great Clans.
• Another twenty-odd yuanhui pass as countless Primordial Divine Beings, Great Luo cultivators, Taiyi Golden Immortals, Golden Immortals, and independent cultivators compete for Heavenly Circumference Star Aura.
• Nearly all Lower and Middle Star Deity Offices are claimed. All 10,800 Middle Star Deity Offices are occupied, while only a small number of Upper positions remain vacant, including the Sun Star Lord, Lunar Star Lord, Purple Forbidden Star Deity, and Great White Star Deity.
• The Investiture Endeavor and its resulting Calamity Cycle reach their most intense stage.

Character Developments

• Laozi is confirmed as detached and contemplative. He seeks only to encourage the Calamity Cycle’s development rather than personally compete for its rewards.
• Yuanshi becomes increasingly concerned as he recognizes the scale and danger of the coming conflict.
• Tongtian displays confidence and ambition, viewing the Calamity Cycle as an opportunity to strengthen the Interception Sect and elevate its most powerful disciples.
• Jieyin and Zhunti act pragmatically, choosing secure Middle and Lower positions while protecting their rare Beyond-Great-Luo disciples from the dangers of Upper positions.
• Nuwa, Zhen Yuanzi, Di Jiang, and the Ancestral Witches prioritize the long-term survival and strength of their factions over prestige, deliberately avoiding the most dangerous contests.

Significant Themes

• Fortune and calamity are inseparable: Great prosperity emerges alongside great destruction.
• Balance through rise and fall: Each new Upper Star Deity may require the deaths of powerful figures, the weakening of an ancient clan, or the rebirth of a fallen cultivator, while simultaneously causing another lineage to flourish.
• Strategic restraint versus ambition: Different factions reveal their values through whether they pursue risky Upper positions or settle for safer, more practical gains.
• The cost of power: The highest offices are not won without sacrifice, and even victory may mean death, reincarnation, or the collapse of an entire lineage.
• The shifting order of the Primordial Cosmos: Ancient independent powers and Innate Great Clans, rather than the established Sage Traditions, dominate the Upper Star Deity positions.

Character Interactions

• Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Jieyin, Zhunti, Nuwa, Zhen Yuanzi, and the Ancestral Witches do not meet directly in this chapter, but their contrasting decisions establish the major strategic divisions among the factions.
• Jieyin and Zhunti cooperate closely in planning the Western Sect’s participation.
• Nuwa communicates her policy through decrees to Fuxi and White Marsh.
• Zhen Yuanzi, Di Jiang, and the other Ancestral Witches jointly direct the Human Religion and Witch Race.
• The chapter primarily develops conflict through factional decisions and parallel reactions rather than direct confrontations.

Chapter Summary: “Kunpeng: I’m Done Competing!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Across the Primordial Cosmos, powerful Primordial Divine Beings battle over the final Upper Heavenly Star Qi and corresponding Upper Star Deity Positions.
• Fierce conflicts erupt in all four regions:
  • In the North Sea, reclusive experts fight over numerous Star Deity Positions, devastating countless heavens.
  • In the Southern Lands, more than a dozen experts battle over three strands of Upper Heavenly Star Qi.
  • In the Western Lands, three experts compete under Sage Zhunti’s protection, preventing collateral damage.
  • The Eastern Lands and East Sea become the fiercest battlefield, especially over the Sun Star Qi and Lunar Star Qi.
• The Sun Star Qi attracts dozens of powerful experts, while the Lunar Star Qi is contested by female Primordial Divine Beings. The Lunar Star Qi battle is particularly brutal, with combatants fighting to kill rather than merely force one another to retreat.
• The Taiji Diagram, deployed by a Sage, protects the Eastern Lands, East Sea, and related realms from being destroyed by the battles.
• From his palace in the Northern Dark Sea, Kunpeng observes the conflicts while holding the Violet Star Qi.
• After seeing the overwhelming competition and the terrible fate of those who temporarily obtain the Sun Star Qi, Kunpeng abandons his ambition to compete for the Sun Star Lord position.
• He chooses the Purple Forbidden Star Deity Position instead, deciding that it is safer and still powerful enough to improve his cultivation and protect him from the Two Western Sages.
• Kunpeng instantly refines the Violet Star Qi. His true name appears in the Purple Forbidden Star Deity Position within the Moon Goddess Palace.
• Xi He and Chang Xi discuss Kunpeng’s choice, recognizing that although the Purple Forbidden Star position is inferior to the Sun and Lunar positions, it remains one of the most important among the primary stars.
• Xi He concludes that Kunpeng acted out of fear and urgency, seeking protection from the unresolved consequences of losing the Sage Thrones at Violet Cloud Palace.

Character Developments

• Kunpeng: Shows caution and strategic maturity. Rather than recklessly pursuing the most prestigious position, he assesses the danger and withdraws from the competition at the right moment. By taking the Purple Forbidden Star Deity Position, he secures a potential path toward greater cultivation and protection.
• Xi He: Demonstrates insight into Kunpeng’s motives and understands the significance of his choice. She views his decision as hurried but sensible.
• Chang Xi: Initially surprised by Kunpeng’s choice but quickly recognizes its practicality and the high status of the Purple Forbidden Star.
• The competing Primordial Divine Beings: Their desperation and ruthlessness reveal the enormous value of the Upper Star Deity Positions, especially the Sun and Lunar positions.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism over ambition: Kunpeng abandons the most prestigious prizes when the risks become unreasonable, choosing survival and long-term advancement instead.
• The dangers of hidden strength: Numerous previously unknown experts emerge, showing that the Primordial Cosmos contains far more powerful figures than Kunpeng had realized.
• Survival in a ruthless world: The battles emphasize that power struggles among top cultivators can easily become fatal, particularly in the contest for the Lunar Star Qi.
• Consequences of past actions: Kunpeng’s fear of the Two Western Sages stems from his earlier role in the Sage Thrones dispute, demonstrating that old karmic debts continue to shape present decisions.
• Power and protection: The Purple Forbidden Star Deity Position offers not only cultivation benefits but also a degree of security against stronger enemies.

Character Interactions

• Kunpeng does not directly confront the other competitors; instead, he watches their battles and makes a calculated retreat.
• Xi He and Chang Xi discuss Kunpeng’s decision in the Moon Goddess Palace. Xi He interprets it as an anxious attempt to find protection, while Chang Xi acknowledges that the choice is strategically sound.
• The wider conflicts show indirect interactions among the Primordial Divine Beings, whose battles over the Star Qi reveal their rivalries, desperation, and differing levels of restraint.

Chapter Summary

• Kunpeng claims a Star Deity Position: After leaving his name on the Investiture of the Gods, Kunpeng becomes the Purple Forbidden Star Deity. Jieyin and Zhunti observe this from the Western Lands. Although Kunpeng fears their past karmic grudge, the two Sages dismiss it, believing he is too insignificant to threaten them and mocking his caution.
• The Star Deity positions are gradually filled: Over many Yuan Cycles, powerful cultivators claim the remaining Upper Star Deity positions, while numerous beings—both weak and exceptionally strong—take the more accessible Lower Star Deity positions. The chapter emphasizes that the Lower Star Deities are not all insignificant; some possess considerable strength despite their lower status.
• The final positions are assigned: After fifteen more Yuan Cycles, the Sun Star and Lunar Star undergo changes. Two reclusive innate deities are named as the Sun Star Lord and Lunar Star Lord, filling the last major vacancies. The Investiture of the Gods projection then disappears, signaling the end of the long Investiture Calamity Cycle. The tribulation aura across the Primordial World begins to fade after countless deaths and reincarnations.
• Expectation of the conferral ceremony: The newly appointed Star Gods and the Six Sages of the Mystic Gate expect a formal ceremony to confer their positions and bestow merit. Instead, a majestic Dharma manifestation appears throughout the Primordial World and the myriad realms. All knowledgeable cultivators, powerful experts, and Sages bow or kneel in reverence, though the exalted being’s true name remains ineffable and is addressed through different honorific titles.
• Dan Jing appears and asserts authority: The manifestation is revealed to be connected to Dan Jing, the great lord of the Sun Star and supreme authority over the Heavenly Circumference Star Gods. His gaze falls upon the newly appointed Star Gods, causing even peak experts and Kunpeng to straighten in fear and respect. Dan Jing then gives an enigmatic laugh.
• The Sages are punished: A second bell toll coincides with Dan Jing’s attack. All five Mystic Gate Sages other than Tongtian—Nuwa, Laozi, Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti—are struck by their existing Dao injuries and cough up blood, suffering severe setbacks. Tongtian avoids the immediate punishment because he is occupied helping his Interception Sect disciples compete for Star Deity positions. Dan Jing accuses the others of “slacking off” and declares that they “deserved a beating.”

Character Developments and Interactions

• Kunpeng gains an official and respectable position but remains intimidated by the Western Sages and especially by Dan Jing’s overwhelming authority.
• Jieyin and Zhunti display arrogance and confidence, viewing Kunpeng as harmless. Their assumption that they are free to bully weaker figures is undermined when Dan Jing punishes them.
• Dan Jing is established as a supreme, feared, and authoritative figure whose control over the Star Deities extends even to powerful experts and Sages.
• Tongtian is indirectly portrayed more favorably than the other Mystic Gate Sages because he is actively supporting his disciples rather than neglecting his responsibilities.
• The relationship between Dan Jing and the Sages is one of domination and correction: despite their Sage status, they remain vulnerable to his judgment and power.

Significant Themes

• Hierarchy and authority: Official titles and Sagehood do not guarantee independence; Dan Jing stands above the Star Gods and can discipline even Sages.
• Arrogance and misplaced confidence: Jieyin and Zhunti underestimate both Kunpeng and the consequences of their own complacency.
• Justice and accountability: The punishment suggests that powerful figures are still expected to fulfill their duties and cannot simply “slack off.”
• The end of an age: The filling of the Star Deity positions and disappearance of the Investiture projection mark the conclusion of the calamity cycle and the beginning of a new cosmic order.
• Strength beneath appearances: The Lower Star Deity positions may seem prestigious only in name, yet some holders are exceptionally powerful, challenging assumptions based solely on rank.

Key events

• After another beating from Dan Jing, the Six Sages recognize that they had neglected the Investiture Calamity: while Tongtian’s Interception Sect filled and exceeded its allotted divine positions, the other five Sages’ disciples filled none of their Upper Star Deity roles and few of their Middle Star Deity offices.
• Dan Jing strikes the Sages again with the Chaos Bell, condemning them for standing idle instead of protecting heaven and earth and its people.
• Asked whether they accept his punishment, all six bow and agree. They know refusing could cost them their hard-won Dao Fruits.
• Dan Jing assigns the Investiture Ceremony to the Mystic Gate Sages. He warns that if they mishandle it, he will confront their teacher, Dao Ancestor Hongjun, publicly.
• The Sages pledge obedience and decide to make the ceremony flawless, anxious that failure would bring humiliation not only on themselves but on their teacher.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing acts as judge and enforcer, holding the Sages accountable while giving them a chance to make amends. His threat to confront Hongjun shows his confidence and immense authority.
• The Six Sages accept responsibility and punishment. Their concern shifts from their own loss of face to the possibility of disgracing Hongjun and damaging their resolve in the Dao.
• Tongtian is implicitly distinguished from the others: his sect alone actively competed for the divine appointments.
• The Sages respond to Dan Jing with submission; meanwhile, powerful figures and cultivators across the world are stunned by his public challenge to Hongjun.

Significant themes

• Accountability and duty: The Sages are punished not merely for failing their followers, but for neglecting their responsibility to protect the world.
• Consequences of inaction: Their warnings against competing left their factions unprepared to fill the assigned positions.
• Hierarchy and power: Dan Jing’s standing as the Sages’ senior—and apparent ability to confront Hongjun—reshapes how observers understand the cosmic order.
• Honor and loyalty: The Sages’ determination to protect their teacher’s reputation becomes a stronger motivation than preserving their own pride.

Key plot points and events

• After punishing the Six Sages of the Mystic Gate, Dan Jing issues orders for the next phase of restoring the Heavenly Circumference Star Gods: rebuilding the stars and strengthening the Starry Sky’s foundations. Xi He and Chang Xi will lead, aided by the Star Gods and cultivators from across the Primordial World.
• The Star Gods and cultivators accept Dan Jing’s authority, recognizing him as the creator and effective lord of their office. His departure leaves everyone relieved, since even his allies find his presence overwhelming.
• Injured Laozi invites Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti to meet at Kunlun Mountain in a thousand years to plan the Investiture Ceremony. They agree. Laozi takes responsibility for organizing the Mystic Gate, recognizing that further delay could bring disgrace upon their whole order.
• Beneath the Fusang Divine Tree, Dan Jing meets Xi He and Chang Xi. He declines to lead the foundation-strengthening work, saying he has no need for its merit.
• Dan Jing presents them with the Heavenly Circumference Star Chart, an Acquired Merit Supreme Treasure he forged. He asks them to imprint their true spirits on it so it can merge into the Starry Sky’s foundations, while remaining available for them to wield against major threats.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing demonstrates decisive command over the Star Gods and confidence in delegating the work. He entrusts Xi He and Chang Xi with both leadership and access to a powerful treasure.
• Laozi shifts from his usual nonaction, taking on the burden of coordinating the sages under severe time pressure.
• Xi He and Chang Xi readily accept their role, but pause at Dan Jing’s request to bind themselves to the Star Chart, unsettled by his reference to future calamities. Their teasing disbelief at his claim not to value merit also reflects their familiar, affectionate rapport with him.
• The sages remain injured and must prepare the Investiture Ceremony within a thousand years, rather than taking the extended recovery time they might prefer.

Significant themes

• Authority and responsibility: Dan Jing’s leadership unifies the Starry Sky, while Laozi accepts responsibility for his own order.
• Power entrusted for protection: The Star Chart becomes part of the Starry Sky’s foundations but can still defend it—and potentially the wider world.
• Foreboding and urgency: Dan Jing’s warning about calamities, combined with the sages’ strict deadline, signals larger dangers ahead.

Key plot points and events

• Dan Jing warns Xi He and Chang Xi of an approaching great tribulation but admits he does not know what danger it will bring. He offers them the chance to leave their primordial-spirit imprints in the Heavenly Circumference Star Chart, granting them access to its power.
• The sisters accept, valuing the chance to wield the supreme treasure and the Heavenly Circumference Stellar Formation’s formidable killing power.
• Twenty thousand years later, the Six Sages of the Mystic Gate hold a grand Investiture Ceremony at Mount Buzhou, conferring titles on 365 Upper Star Deities and 10,800 Middle Star Deities. Xi He and Chang Xi take charge of the investiture.
• Dan Jing stays on the Sun Star, confident the sisters and the Star Gods will strengthen the Boundless Starry Sky’s foundations before he reforges the Heavenly Circumference Stars and completes the Triple Stellar Formation.
• He then visits Hongjun at the Violet Cloud Palace. The two sit down to play a game of Dao-spanning chess, and the palace doors close as they begin.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing shows caution beneath his usual confidence: he prepares for an uncertain crisis without claiming to know its nature. He trusts Xi He and Chang Xi with the Star Chart and leaves the ceremony’s practical work to them. His playful, irreverent familiarity with Hongjun contrasts with a brief hint of seriousness as he studies the chessboard.
• Xi He and Chang Xi are initially alarmed by Dan Jing’s warning, but accept his offer and agree to lead the investiture and help reinforce the starry sky.
• Hongjun calmly accepts Dan Jing’s invitation to play and makes the first move, suggesting their game—and its stakes—may reach beyond ordinary chess.
• The sisters tease Dan Jing for withholding information; he refuses to speculate and makes their choice to accept the Star Chart clear. Dan Jing and Hongjun interact with ease and familiarity, though the Dao-filled board gives their meeting a weightier undertone.

Significant themes

• Preparation amid uncertainty: Dan Jing acts against a coming threat despite not knowing its form.
• Trust and shared responsibility: Xi He and Chang Xi receive both power and an important role in strengthening the Boundless Starry Sky.
• Power built through cooperation: The Star Gods, sages, and cultivators contribute to a larger cosmic defense.
• Playfulness beside cosmic stakes: Dan Jing’s banter and casual manner sit alongside preparations for a great tribulation and a chess game involving time, space, karma, and the Great Daos.

Key plot points and events

• Dan Jing exits the Violet Cloud Palace after spending an immense stretch of time playing a game of strategy with Hongjun, though only an hour passes outside. Dan Jing wins by half a point.
• Both Dan Jing and Hongjun recognize that the contest gave them valuable insights. They return to cultivation, using the game’s lessons to strengthen their respective Dao paths.
• Ten origin cycles later, Xi He and Chang Xi oversee the Boundless Starry Sky’s growth. Even after all the resources from the Boundary Sea have been absorbed, the Starry Sky still needs more.
• Chang Xi orders every race in the Primordial World to continue supplying treasures, threatening punishment by the Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Daos for noncompliance. The gathered leaders and sages are alarmed and resentful.
• When the assembly hesitates, Chang Xi calls on Dan Jing to back her authority. He sends her the Primordial Measure Ruler and declares that her words carry his authority.
• Chang Xi makes the entire assembly bow to the ruler—and, after they comply and relax, cheekily orders them to bow a second time.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing emerges confident and satisfied with his contest against Hongjun, then returns to focused cultivation. His support for Chang Xi establishes her authority over the gathered powers.
• Hongjun accepts his narrow defeat with admiration and, like Dan Jing, turns the experience into a source of cultivation insight.
• Chang Xi shows herself to be decisive, politically shrewd, and playfully domineering. Rather than argue with the dissenters, she invokes Dan Jing’s backing and uses the ruler to enforce obedience.
• Xi He shares Chang Xi’s judgment that the Starry Sky still lacks sufficient resources, while Chang Xi takes the lead in issuing the demand.
• The sages and representatives of the races move from silent resistance to fearful compliance once Dan Jing’s symbol and authority appear.

Significant themes

• Cultivation through contest: Even a narrow loss can produce profound gains when participants learn from the experience.
• Authority and obedience: Dan Jing’s endorsement transforms Chang Xi’s demand into an order few dare challenge.
• Resource extraction and power: The Starry Sky’s expansion depends on imposing costs on the wider world, creating resentment among those expected to contribute.
• Comic intimidation: Chang Xi’s repeated demands for a bow turn political submission into a humorous display of her confidence and control.

Plot points and events

• After Chang Xi uses the Primordial Measure Ruler to make the assembled Sages, faction leaders, and Star Gods bow, Xi He stops her from doing it again and apologizes on her sister’s behalf.
• Xi He asks everyone to support the effort to strengthen the Boundless Starry Sky. Chang Xi then formally orders them to begin work, and the gathered powers comply.
• The sisters lead the transformation of the resources flowing into the Starry Sky, steadily reinforcing its foundations. The stronger Starry Sky lets the Heavenly Circumference Stellar Formation refine Chaos 30% faster.
• Seeing this concrete improvement, the participating races and factions become eager contributors, hoping to earn Heavenly Dao Merit and Human Dao Fortune. The wider Primordial World enters a frenzy of cooperation, though ordinary people remain largely unaware of the project.

Character developments and interactions

• Chang Xi remains playful and commanding: she enjoys using Dan Jing’s ruler to unsettle the assembly, then issues the order to get to work.
• Xi He acts as her diplomatic counterbalance, calming the crowd, preserving their dignity, and securing their support through a sincere appeal.
• The sisters’ affectionate, seamless teamwork is reaffirmed; they share a private smile over how effectively—and amusingly—they handled the gathering.
• The Sages and other leaders are wary of offending Chang Xi or Dan Jing, but Xi He’s tact gives them a dignified way to agree. Once the project shows results, caution gives way to enthusiasm.

Significant themes

• Coercion softened by diplomacy: Chang Xi’s authority compels compliance, while Xi He’s kindness makes cooperation easier to accept.
• Collective effort and shared reward: Vast contributions from powerful groups strengthen the Starry Sky, with the promise of merit and fortune motivating continued work.
• Hope for a safer future: A stronger formation may reduce Calamity Cycles, giving cultivators across the world a more secure path of cultivation.
• Unequal knowledge: Ordinary beings carry on with daily life, while higher-level cultivators understand the transformation underway and eagerly await Dan Jing’s role in it.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• After more than a hundred origin cycles of contributions from the major factions, Xi He and Chang Xi’s effort to strengthen the Boundless Starry Sky reaches its goal. The Heavenly Circumference Stellar Formation can now refine Chaos twice as efficiently, and the Starry Sky’s foundations are vastly stronger.
• Xi He thanks the assembled allies and proposes visiting Dan Jing on the Sun Star. The visiting experts politely decline and leave.
• Chang Xi orders the Heavenly Circumference Star Gods, led by Kunpeng, back to their posts to guard the Starry Sky.
• Xi He and Chang Xi find Dan Jing in deep dream cultivation beneath the Fusang Divine Tree. They wait quietly for ten thousand years until he awakens.
• Xi He asks how strong Dan Jing has become. He answers that, while the sisters were appointing the Star Gods, he visited the Violet Cloud Palace and fought Dao Ancestor Hongjun—an admission that shocks them.

Character developments and interactions

• Xi He remains gentle and courteous, thanking the helpers and approaching Dan Jing with warm curiosity.
• Chang Xi is more direct and commanding. She dismisses the Star Gods with a firm decree, earning the teasing comparison “Little Dan Jing.”
• Dan Jing remains placid and self-assured, even after revealing that he has fought Hongjun. His claim underscores the extraordinary level he has reached.
• The Star Gods obey Chang Xi without protest. The visiting experts, by contrast, avoid meeting Dan Jing, suggesting their awe and unease around him.
• Xi He and Chang Xi share a close, relaxed friendship with Dan Jing: they wait patiently for him and ask questions few others would dare to raise.

Significant themes

• Collective sacrifice and shared responsibility: The Starry Sky’s transformation depends on generations of contributions from powerful beings and factions.
• Duty and authority: Chang Xi’s command reflects the Star Gods’ disciplined role in protecting what has been built.
• Awe surrounding power: Even accomplished experts fear approaching Dan Jing, while the question of his strength fascinates the whole world.
• Humor amid grandeur: Chang Xi’s resemblance to Dan Jing and the visitors’ frantic reluctance to meet him lighten the chapter’s epic scale.

Plot points and events

• Xi He and Chang Xi learn that Dan Jing stormed Violet Cloud Palace and return unharmed. They admire his boldness, assuming his survival proves his strength.
• Dan Jing tries to brag about beating Hongjun by one stone in a contest of Dao attainment. The sisters aren’t initially interested, and Chang Xi correctly guesses he won because he wants to boast.
• To appease him, Xi He and Chang Xi praise him. Dan Jing happily boasts about his victory, then complains that competing over a board was no substitute for a real fight. He asks how they might provoke Hongjun into one.
• The sisters recognize that a genuine conflict between Dan Jing and Hongjun could destabilize the newly united Primordial Cosmos, so they avoid encouraging his idea.
• Xi He redirects the discussion to their next task: reforging the stars. The tribes have nearly exhausted their resources supporting the Starry Sky’s elevation. Dan Jing reveals he has already prepared the necessary materials and won’t ask the tribes for more.
• He announces that the work will begin immediately.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing is boastful, playful, and eager for combat. He wants recognition for his victory but is also dissatisfied with a peaceful contest. Despite his recklessness, he has planned ahead for the Starry Sky’s restoration.
• Xi He and Chang Xi tease Dan Jing affectionately and understand how to manage his pride. Their concern for the wider world leads them to steer him away from provoking Hongjun.
• The sisters’ easy banter with Dan Jing shows their close, friendly relationship: they undercut his boasting, then indulge it with praise.

Significant themes

• Friendship and teasing: The sisters’ mockery and flattery reflect their comfortable bond with Dan Jing.
• Power and responsibility: Dan Jing’s influence could draw many followers, making a feud with Hongjun dangerous for the whole world.
• Sacrifice and renewal: With the tribes’ resources depleted, Dan Jing takes responsibility for the next stage of the Starry Sky’s reconstruction, using materials from his own Remnant Corpse.

Key plot points and events

• Dan Jing tells Xi He and Chang Xi to return to the Lunar Star and watch what happens. They bring the Lunar Star Lord with them.
• He sends the Sun Star Lord outside the Sun Star three treasures: a Sun Star Banner, a Pure Yang Treasure Sword, and another supreme-grade innate treasure. He orders him to wait outside until the stars are reforged, after which he may establish a sanctuary in the Sun Star Domain.
• Dan Jing invokes the Chaos Bell and begins the next stage of the Heavenly Circumference Stars’ reconstruction. The bell’s power suppresses the stars’ existing form and shatters every star except the Sun and Lunar Stars, refining the rest into distinct masses of stellar essence.
• The watching Sages and other powerful beings realize the undertaking is extraordinarily risky. If Dan Jing fails, the Three Daos will restore the stars; if he succeeds, his standing may rise beyond anything they can imagine.

Character developments

• The Sun Star Lord’s anxiety disappears after Dan Jing’s gift and recognition. He sees the treasures as both practical rewards and a personal bond with Dan Jing.
• Dan Jing acts decisively and appears increasingly focused on an undertaking far greater than his earlier conflicts with the Sages.
• The Sages feel both resentment and unexpected gloom: though they disliked being bullied by Dan Jing, they fear that he has outgrown them and no longer considers them worth noticing.

Significant themes

• Ambition and risk: Dan Jing’s plan involves dismantling nearly the entire star system, with the Three Daos serving as a fallback.
• Power and changing status: Success could elevate Dan Jing far above the Sages and other cosmic figures.
• Recognition and belonging: The Sun Star Lord takes Dan Jing’s gifts as proof that he has earned a place near the Sun God.
• The paradox of rivalry: The Sages resent Dan Jing’s mistreatment, yet also mourn the possibility that they no longer matter to him.

Character interactions

• Xi He and Chang Xi show trust in Dan Jing by leaving the operation in his hands, while he reassures them.
• Dan Jing treats the Sun Star Lord formally but generously, granting him authority, treasures, and a future place in the Sun Star Domain.
• The Sages watch Dan Jing’s dramatic action from afar and privately reconsider their place in the cosmic hierarchy.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• A vast golden True Sea of the Great Dao appears over the Primordial Cosmos, containing the complete forms of countless Daos.
• Cultivators at different levels react in different ways: lower-level immortals gain sudden insight, while Great Luo cultivators recognize their own Daos. Those near the Dao-Proven Realm can see their Daos perfected—but cannot remember what they see, leaving them painfully close to enlightenment without being able to grasp it.
• Lord Dan Jing declares that his Dao is boundless and commands it to “open.” The True Sea ripples across the Primordial World and even reaches into Chaos.
• The sea unravels into countless light sources, each containing a flawless, complete Dao. They flow into the origins of the stars, including the Sun Star, Lunar Star, and the wider Starry Sky.
• The Chaos Bell protects the Primordial World as the unraveling causes upheaval.
• Greedy cultivators attempt to seize the Dao-light. Three supreme wills intervene, erasing them instantly. The Heavenly Circumference Star Gods remain safe because they never entertain the idea of taking any.
• The sages and other Dao-Proven experts realize that every light source represents a Dao refined beyond the Dao-Proven Realm, and conclude that Dan Jing’s achievement seems impossibly powerful.

Character developments and interactions

• Lord Dan Jing shifts from his usual apparent indifference to solemn authority, revealing the extraordinary reach and refinement of his Dao.
• Near-limit experts experience intense frustration: the perfected forms of their Daos are visible but impossible to retain.
• Greedy cultivators lose control of themselves when confronted with the chance to claim a complete Dao; their attempted grasping brings immediate destruction.
• The Heavenly Circumference Star Gods distinguish themselves through restraint, remaining clear-minded and untouched by greed.
• The sages, Xi He, and Chang Xi react with shock and incredulity, privately judging Dan Jing’s power to be so exceptional that it seems like “cheating.”
• The Chaos Bell acts as a protective force, while the Three Daos’ supreme wills enforce a strict boundary against stealing the Dao-light.

Significant themes

• Enlightenment and its limits: Seeing ultimate truth does not guarantee the ability to understand or retain it.
• Temptation and consequence: The prospect of sudden transcendence exposes greed, which is punished without hesitation.
• Power beyond mastery: Dan Jing’s Daos have advanced beyond complete mastery to a flawless, fully extended state.
• Cosmic order and protection: The Chaos Bell and the Three Daos preserve the world and regulate access to its fundamental forces.

Plot points and events

• Dan Jing uses vast quantities of refined, merit-infused Great Dao Origin to rebuild and strengthen the heavenly stars. The Sun and Lunar Stars flare with power, while Ziwei, Taibai, the Northern Dipper, and countless other stars gradually re-form.
• The Boundless Starry Sky is nourished alongside the stars. Both it and the heavenly circumference stars undergo seven successive sublimations over thousands of years, growing far beyond their previous foundations.
• Many cultivators regret failing to pursue Star Deity positions, especially the supposedly lesser Lower Star Deity Offices. The Investiture Ceremony has ended, its remaining stellar energy has dispersed, and gaining a position now requires the approval of Xi He and Chang Xi—an effectively inaccessible path for most.
• After the seventh sublimation, Dan Jing unexpectedly stops the flow of Great Dao Origin. Though the transformation ceases, observers can tell he has not reached his limit, leaving them wondering why he stopped.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing demonstrates astonishing power and resources, repeatedly accomplishing alone what the assembled factions could barely manage together. His earlier criticism of their incompetence now seems justified to the onlookers.
• The Sages, Xi He, Chang Xi, powerful cultivators, and participating factions move from shock at the repeated sublimations to numb disbelief. They compare Dan Jing’s effort with their own: collectively, they had nearly exhausted their resources just to complete the Starry Sky’s first sublimation.
• Cultivators who passed up Star Deity positions become bitterly regretful as they recognize the offices’ potential benefits and realize the opportunity has closed.

Significant themes

• Missed opportunities: Those who dismissed the lower-ranking offices discover too late that they could have offered a path to great advancement.
• Vast disparity in power and resources: Dan Jing’s effortless-seeming work dwarfs the combined contribution of the wider cultivation world.
• Merit and recognition: The chapter emphasizes the extraordinary merit such cosmic-scale acts may generate, even as the observers speculate about its consequences.
• Unexplained restraint: Dan Jing’s abrupt pause, despite his apparent capacity to continue, creates suspense about his reasons and the limits—or lack of limits—of his power.

Key plot points and events

• After the Primordial World’s stars and Starry Sky complete seven sublimations, Dan Jing senses something beyond the world and ends the process, judging seven rounds sufficient for the Primordial Cosmos to prosper. He curses an unseen “idiot” before disappearing from Chaos.
• Back in the Primordial World, Dan Jing retrieves the Heavenly Circumference Star Chart, the first Acquired Supreme Treasure ever refined there.
• He merges the chart with the Starry Sky and its stars, linking their powers while retaining the ability to remove it himself.
• Dan Jing reconstructs the Heavenly Circumference Stellar Formation. The stars, Star Chart, and the Star Deities’ banners combine into a Triple Formation.
• The formation draws in and refines Chaos, turning it into vital essence and Primordial Origin that nourish the Primordial World. All its inhabitants feel the world’s relief and renewed vitality.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing demonstrates his immense power and mastery over treasure-refining and formations. He decides when the sublimation must end, then equips the Starry Sky with a system capable of sustaining the world.
• Xi He and Chang Xi carefully sense the Star Chart’s new state. They can use its powers, but only Dan Jing can fully control or remove it.
• Sages, experts, and Star Deities watch Dan Jing’s work, recognizing the Star Chart’s importance and the formation’s impact.
• Dan Jing’s parting insult hints at an unseen conflict or powerful figure beyond the Primordial World.

Significant themes

• Balance and limits: Dan Jing halts the sublimation at seven stages, suggesting growth must be guided rather than endless.
• Interdependence: The stars, Star Chart, banners, and formation work together to protect and sustain the world.
• Cosmic renewal: Chaos, normally dangerous and inaccessible, becomes a source of nourishment when properly harnessed.
• Power and responsibility: Dan Jing’s extraordinary abilities are used to secure the Primordial World’s long-term prosperity.

Key plot points and events

• The Triple Heavenly Circumference Stellar Formation greatly strengthens the Primordial World. Its improved foundations increase the cosmos’s ability to withstand powerful cultivators, while easing restrictions on advancement and making it easier for Primordial Unity Golden Immortals to reach the Great Luo realm.
• Dan Jing decides the three formations are not truly “triple” while they remain separate. Using Words Made Law, he merges them into one formation, further increasing their refining power.
• After completing the work, Dan Jing bluntly demands payment from the Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Daos.
• The Heavenly Dao responds with a vast distribution of merit. Xi He and Chang Xi receive the largest share—sixty percent—while the Sages, other experts, and contributing factions divide the rest.
• Dan Jing initially appears to receive nothing. Instead, a golden divine wheel materializes before him: the Heavenly Dao Authority Divine Wheel, a supreme treasure formed from Heavenly Dao Merit.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing remains confident and irreverent, openly demanding compensation despite his immense power and accomplishments. His ability to merge the formations demonstrates that he is still seeking improvements beyond what others would consider sufficient.
• Xi He and Chang Xi benefit most from the project, receiving the majority of its merit.
• The gathered Sages and experts admire Dan Jing’s achievement, then become startled and intensely envious when his reward proves to be a unique treasure rather than ordinary merit.
• The Heavenly Dao’s response—its celebratory gong, the merit distribution, and the divine wheel—confirms its approval of the project.

Significant themes

• Collective progress: Strengthening the world benefits cultivators at every level, not just its most powerful figures.
• Merit and reward: Contributions are recognized through Heavenly Dao Merit, though Dan Jing’s reward takes an extraordinary form.
• Power and authority: The divine wheel appears to embody the Heavenly Dao’s complete authority, making it potentially greater than the Sages’ thrones and free of their constraints.
• Ambition and irreverence: Dan Jing’s boldness contrasts with the awe and envy of those around him.

Plot points and events

• After receiving the Heavenly Dao Authority Divine Wheel, Dan Jing is also rewarded with the Earthly Dao Authority Divine Wheel and then the Human Dao Authority Divine Wheel. The three wheels form layered halos behind him, marking him as the foremost contributor to the great undertaking.
• Dan Jing changes their colors—leaving the Heavenly wheel gold, turning the Earthly wheel dark gold, and making the Human wheel purple—because he prefers the more distinct appearance.
• With the Triple Heavenly Circumference Stellar Formation complete, the starry-sky project that lasted countless years officially ends.
• Cultivators rush into seclusion to take advantage of the Primordial World’s rapidly expanding and loosening laws. The Sages, Xi He, and Chang Xi are especially eager to apply what they learned from Dan Jing’s methods.
• The world also benefits beyond its powerful cultivators: ordinary beings find cultivation easier, and lifespans across the world begin increasing dramatically.
• Dan Jing returns to the Sun Star, settles beneath the Fusang Divine Tree, and invites Hongjun to visit, teasing that it is now Hongjun’s turn to come to him.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing receives the highest honors from all three Daos, but treats the spectacle casually, even adjusting the divine wheels’ colors for aesthetic reasons. His actions also reflect concern for ordinary beings, whose lives improve as a result of the world’s transformation.
• The Sages, Xi He, and Chang Xi shift from watching Dan Jing’s achievement to studying it as a practical lesson. They resolve to expand, merge, and transform their own Daos, recognizing that they can shape their paths rather than remain confined to them.
• Hongjun is not shown directly, but Dan Jing’s closing invitation playfully reverses their usual pattern of visits.

Significant themes

• Recognition and merit: The three Daos reward the person chiefly responsible for the undertaking, while other powerful figures receive only the heavenly merit already granted.
• Learning through observation: Even extraordinary cultivators can grow by studying another’s methods and adapting them to their own paths.
• Shared prosperity: The world’s improvement benefits ordinary beings as well as powerful cultivators, especially through easier cultivation and longer lives.
• Completion and renewal: The end of the great project becomes a new opportunity for cultivation and personal advancement.

Key plot points and events

• Dan Jing invites Hongjun to visit and greets him with teasing familiarity. Hongjun responds with unusual formality, calling him “Great Venerable,” a title Dan Jing is pleased to accept.
• The two share Fire Mulberry Immortal Brew. Hongjun initially seems reluctant, but drinks after noticing the three divine wheels behind Dan Jing.
• Dan Jing explains that the Triple Heavenly Circumference Stellar Formation is refining Chaos and strengthening the Primordial World. As the world develops, the heaven-earth-human three daos will grow more complete, eventually freeing Hongjun from his merger with the Heavenly Dao.
• Hongjun sincerely thanks Dan Jing, acknowledging that the formation’s effects could release him from the burden he accepted for the world and its inhabitants.
• Their conversation turns serious when Dan Jing asks about a mysterious, familiar gaze they both felt. He identifies its source as Yang Mei.
• Dan Jing then asks whether Yang Mei really struck Hongjun when Hongjun went into Chaos to establish Violet Cloud Palace. Hongjun admits they fought and says he was “a little outmatched.” Delighted by the confirmation, Dan Jing settles in to hear the full story.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing is playful, boastful, and eager to tease Hongjun, but also shows respect for Hongjun’s self-sacrifice. His confidence has grown with the power and insight he gained from creating the stellar formation.
• Hongjun remains composed and restrained, yet openly acknowledges Dan Jing’s achievement and thanks him sincerely. His admission about Yang Mei offers a rare glimpse of vulnerability.
• Their relationship combines Dan Jing’s irreverent familiarity with Hongjun’s formal courtesy. Dan Jing’s teasing gradually gives way to a serious discussion, then returns as his curiosity takes over.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and responsibility: Hongjun merged with the Heavenly Dao for the sake of the world and its living beings.
• Progress and liberation: The world’s growth may eventually allow Hongjun to escape that sacrifice.
• Power, status, and respect: Dan Jing insists on the distinction between “Great Venerable” and “Dao Ancestor,” while still honoring Hongjun’s responsibility and character.
• Humor amid grandeur: Formal titles, drinking etiquette, and Dan Jing’s eagerness to confirm the old Yang Mei story give the cosmic stakes a playful, personal tone.

Key plot points and events

• Dan Jing questions old Hongjun about his famous defeat by Yang Mei. Hongjun recounts it with self-serving phrasing, claiming Yang Mei fought unfairly and that he lost only through a moment’s carelessness.
• Dan Jing recognizes the account as an attempt to save face but politely lets Hongjun keep his dignity. He laughs at the old generation’s stories and reflects that the past cannot be changed.
• Hongjun imagines how overwhelmingly powerful Dan Jing would have been if he had existed in the early Primordial World, given his immense merit, heavenly favor, and treasures.
• Dan Jing proposes that he and Hongjun find Yang Mei in Chaos and beat him. Hongjun immediately refuses, warning that provoking Yang Mei could expose the Primordial World to immensely powerful surviving Chaos fiends.
• Hongjun explains that Pangu’s creation of the world did not necessarily kill the fiends who stood at the very pinnacle. Yang Mei can sense the Primordial World’s location, and targeting him could prompt him—or other ancient beings—to reveal or seek it.
• Dan Jing asks to hear more about the creation-era events. Hongjun assumes he is pretending ignorance, since he believes Dan Jing was once a supreme Chaos fiendgod. Dan Jing is privately frustrated that no one believes him.
• Though Hongjun says little more, Dan Jing infers that many of the strongest Chaos fiends survived Pangu’s world-making and may still pose a threat. The two therefore leave them undisturbed and prioritize the Primordial World’s peaceful development.

Character developments

• Dan Jing shows humor and social tact by allowing Hongjun to embellish his defeat, but also curiosity about the hidden history of creation. His reputation for mischief makes even his genuine questions seem suspect.
• Old Hongjun reveals a more human, prideful side through his face-saving account of losing to Yang Mei. He remains cautious and protective of the Primordial World, rejecting Dan Jing’s impulsive-sounding plan.
• Yang Mei is portrayed as a formidable and potentially dangerous figure whose connection to the Primordial World makes him a risky target.

Significant themes

• Pride and face-saving: Hongjun softens the account of his defeat, while Dan Jing chooses not to embarrass him.
• Reputation and credibility: Dan Jing’s history of teasing others means his truthful claims are often dismissed.
• Hidden history and uncertainty: The conventional story of Pangu defeating all Chaos fiends is incomplete; the strongest may have survived.
• Caution over bravado: Protecting the Primordial World matters more than settling a score.
• The contrast between past and present: The ancient era was full of titanic rivalries, while the current peaceful period calls for restraint and development.

Character interactions

• Dan Jing playfully draws out Hongjun’s account, then silently recognizes its embellishments while preserving his dignity.
• Hongjun imagines Dan Jing’s extraordinary status among the ancient powers, but distrusts his later claim of ignorance.
• Dan Jing proposes confronting Yang Mei; Hongjun counters with a warning about the danger to their world, and Dan Jing understands the risk from Hongjun’s explanation.

Key plot points and events

• Old Man Hongjun urges Dan Jing to wait before confronting powerful beings hidden in Chaos. He argues that another ascension of the Primordial World could strengthen the sages and help Xi He and Chang Xi reach perfection.
• Hongjun suggests they avoid a direct confrontation for now. Dan Jing takes this as an insult to his courage, asking whether he should back down from enemies who once hid while Axe Bro split heaven and earth.
• Dan Jing attacks Hongjun with the Chaos Bell. Hongjun counters with the Jade Disc of Creation, and their powers collide with enough force to threaten the Primordial World if allowed to escape their control.
• Dan Jing intensifies the Chaos Bell’s power and shatters the Jade Disc’s defense, striking Hongjun. Hongjun is briefly injured but quickly recovers, then thanks Dan Jing for holding back.
• Dan Jing dismisses Hongjun, who bows and leaves.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Jing remains proud, impulsive, and unwilling to tolerate advice that sounds like retreat. The clash also shows his overwhelming strength and that he deliberately limits the damage he could inflict.
• Old Man Hongjun is cautious and concerned for the Primordial World’s future. Though outmatched, he proves exceptionally powerful—only a little below Dan Jing—and accepts the attack without escalating the conflict.
• Their exchange shifts from strategic counsel to a personal contest of pride and strength. Dan Jing brushes off Hongjun’s reasoning, while Hongjun remains respectful even after being struck.

Significant themes

• Pride versus prudence: Dan Jing sees caution as cowardice, while Hongjun prioritizes protecting the world.
• Power and restraint: Their duel could have devastated the Primordial World, but both contain their forces; Dan Jing’s attack is forceful yet controlled.
• Different measures of strength: Hongjun’s resilience reflects the high level of their cultivation, where even severe injuries can be repaired unless a person’s Dao is destroyed.