Ch. 521The Divine Mechanism Great Universe Immortal Art!
Key plot points and events
- White Candle Emperor Lord persuades Lingchuan Emperor and Emperor Lord Jiao Qi to prioritize killing or capturing Zhou Yan over searching the Immortal-Fall Battlefield for other treasures. They fear Zhou Yan’s rapid growth and recall a past cultivator who gained an Immortal Corpse, became an Ancient Immortal, and destroyed the powers that had once opposed him.
- The three Ziyang Immortal Palace leaders prepare an ambush, ordering their forces to seal the area. Lingchuan uses the Divine Mechanism Great Cosmos Immortal Art to locate Zhou Yan, but the art cannot find him—an unprecedented failure.
- Realizing Zhou Yan may have detected the attempt, they switch targets to the One Origin Patriarch and successfully transport their force to his location.
- Meanwhile, Chen Jichuan and the One Origin Patriarch are breaking into an Immortal-Corpse World containing two Ancient Immortal corpses. Chen uses his Insight and numerous clones to analyze the world and build layers of defensive formations.
- Chen senses someone trying to divine his location. Though his concealment holds, he fears the One Origin Patriarch and the others are more vulnerable. He tells them to leave and draw attention away while he continues opening the world.
- The group agrees and starts to flee—but Ziyang’s three Emperor Lords, ten Fourth-Realm True Immortals, and nine hundred Third-Realm True Immortals arrive before they can escape.
Character developments and interactions
- White Candle Emperor Lord proves the most aggressive of the three, arguing that Zhou Yan is too dangerous to let grow stronger. His ominous intuition helps convince the others.
- Emperor Lord Jiao Qi weighs the cost of using Immortal Arts but ultimately supports the plan; Lingchuan Emperor follows his senior companions’ decision and performs the locating art.
- Chen Jichuan/Zhou Yan remains difficult to detect, but recognizes that his companions’ safety may compromise his mission. He openly warns the One Origin Patriarch rather than abandoning them without explanation.
- The One Origin Patriarch trusts Chen’s judgment and promptly agrees to leave with the others. The Primordial Simplicity Patriarch, Fudan Zi, and Patriarch Zhengyuan accept the plan, recognizing they cannot challenge Chen for the corpses or protect themselves as effectively as he can.
Significant themes
- Power and the fear of future threats: The Ziyang leaders are willing to sacrifice their chance at other opportunities to prevent Zhou Yan from becoming an existential danger.
- Concealment versus pursuit: Chen’s layered methods defeat even an Immortal Art, yet the failed search pushes his enemies to target his companions instead.
- Trust and self-interest: Chen chooses to share the danger and the plan with the group; they respond with trust despite the immense value of the Immortal Corpses.
- Opportunity and risk: The group must choose between staying near a rare prize and retreating to avoid being trapped by overwhelming forces.