Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “So Many People—Are We Going to Conquer the Eastern Domain?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming uses the Imperial Son Token for the first time to request help from the Jiang Clan, ordering support against several Lesser Saints.
• The token opens a teleportation passage, through which an overwhelming force arrives: approximately one hundred Lesser Saints and ten Greater Saints.
• The assembled cultivators formally greet Jiang Ming as the Imperial Son, shocking everyone on Eastern Extremity Island—especially Zhao Dezhu, the island’s only Saint Realm cultivator.
• Jiang Ming orders the Saints to divide into five teams and eliminate the ruling families of five hostile cities, while sparing the cities themselves.
• The five-city alliance is destroyed almost instantly under the Saints’ overwhelming strength. Blade Shadow and his companions use the opportunity to counterattack and return safely to Tianhai City.
• Jiang Ming distributes the conquered territories:
  • Tianhai City is given to Glazed City.
  • The other four cities are awarded to the Yue Family, which Jiang Ming declares part of his Imperial Clan because Yue Wu serves him.
• Blade Shadow brings in Luna, the Pirate King, whom he captured while fleeing. Jiang Ming questions her about who ordered the robbery of the Yue Family’s goods. After initially refusing to speak, Luna gives in when threatened with death, though the chapter implies she is ultimately killed.
• Jiang Ming prepares to travel to Emperor Ye City the following day to assist the declining Ye Clan.
• Despite having more than a hundred Lesser Saints and ten Greater Saints, Jiang Ming recognizes that this force alone may not decide the conflict. The Ye Clan still has five Peak Saints and four Half-Step Peak Saints, while the Anti-Imperial Alliance likely possesses comparable strength. Jiang Lingtian may need to intervene personally.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming discovers the true power of his Imperial Son status and gains confidence in commanding the Jiang Clan’s forces. He remains casual and humorous despite possessing enough power to reshape the Eastern Domain.
• He also demonstrates authority and generosity by granting conquered territories to his allies, particularly the Yue Family.
• Yue Wu becomes increasingly aware of the immense gap between Jiang Ming’s status and her own. She feels unworthy of serving him, but Jiang Ming reassures her indirectly by elevating her family.
• The Yue Family, represented by Yue Wuliang, gains enormous political and material benefits. Control of four cities may allow Yue Wuliang to reach the Saint Realm.
• Blade Shadow continues to act as Jiang Ming’s loyal and ruthless subordinate, dealing harshly with Luna and carrying out Jiang Ming’s orders without hesitation.
• Luna, once a feared Pirate King, is reduced to helplessness before the Saints and is forced to reveal information to save herself.
• Jiang Lingtian remains a powerful off-screen authority whose arrival may be necessary to break the stalemate surrounding the Ye Clan.

Significant Themes

• The overwhelming power of inherited status: Jiang Ming’s Imperial Son Token transforms him from an individual with limited direct power into the commander of an enormous Saint-level force.
• Family and clan loyalty: Jiang Ming views the summoned Saints not as ordinary subordinates but as members of his extended family. This contrasts with the more hierarchical way others perceive them.
• Power and political redistribution: Rather than simply destroying the conquered cities, Jiang Ming reallocates their resources to strengthen allies and expand his faction’s influence.
• Humor amid overwhelming violence: Jiang Ming treats an army of Saints almost casually, joking that they resemble a gang and teasing Yue Wu, even as their arrival threatens to shake the entire island.
• The limits of strength: Although Jiang Ming’s forces appear invincible against the five-city alliance, the larger conflict involving the Ye Clan and Anti-Imperial Alliance remains much more dangerous and balanced.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming commands the assembled Saints, who respond with absolute obedience and publicly acknowledge him as Imperial Son.
• He comforts Little Fish by explaining that the Saints are not merely his subordinates but their shared Jiang Clan family.
• Jiang Ming notices Yue Wu’s awe and insecurity, teasing her when she is lost in thought.
• He protects and elevates the Yue Family by publicly declaring it part of his Imperial Clan, preventing others from challenging its claim to the four cities.
• Jiang Ming humorously suggests that Blade Shadow marry Luna, but Blade Shadow dismisses the idea and treats Luna harshly.
• Luna’s resistance during questioning collapses under the threat of execution, revealing the brutal power dynamics surrounding Jiang Ming’s faction.
• Jiang Ming and Blade Shadow then turn their attention toward the coming campaign at Emperor Ye City, setting up the next major conflict.

Chapter Summary: Emperor Ye City

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming leads more than a hundred Saints of the Jiang Clan to Emperor Ye City, where they are admitted by Ye Wu, the city’s Third Commander, after identifying themselves.
• Ye Wu learns that Jiang Ming has come to see Ye Lingyao, his betrothed. Jiang Ming orders Ye Lingyao to come immediately rather than waiting for formal arrangements.
• The Ye Clan deliberately ignores Jiang Ming for an entire day. Ye Tian, Ye Lingyao’s older brother and the Ye Clan’s Imperial Son, intercepts the message and orders the clan to leave Jiang Ming waiting.
• The next day, angered by the insult, Jiang Ming commands his followers to release their Saintly pressure across the city. Many buildings collapse and the residents are pinned down, though no one is killed.
• The Ye Clan mobilizes several hundred Saints and surrounds the Jiang Clan. The First Elder intervenes and attempts to resolve the conflict by offering to send Jiang Ming into the Emperor Ye Realm.
• Jiang Ming rejects the compromise, demanding that the Ye Clan’s Imperial Son come to him personally. He threatens that the Ye Clan’s Imperial Clan will otherwise “become history.”
• Furious at the insult, Ye Tian goes to confront Jiang Ming. The Ye Clan believes Ye Tian is powerful enough to defeat Jiang Ming, while the First Elder privately worries about Ye Tian’s safety instead.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming demonstrates overwhelming confidence, authority, and intolerance for disrespect. Rather than immediately attacking, he initially waits patiently, but once provoked, he responds with a calculated show of force.
• Ye Wu is intimidated by Jiang Ming’s aura despite Jiang Ming’s lower cultivation level and quickly obeys his commands.
• Ye Tian is established as arrogant, protective of his sister, and openly hostile toward Jiang Ming. He deliberately humiliates his sister’s betrothed and decides to confront him personally.
• Ye Ming and Jia Bing support Ye Tian’s actions because they believe the rumors portraying Jiang Ming as violent and dangerous. Their concern for Lingyao reveals their distrust of the Jiang Clan.
• The First Elder acts as the main voice of restraint within the Ye Clan, recognizing the danger of provoking Jiang Ming and attempting to negotiate.
• The Jiang Clan followers are fiercely loyal to Jiang Ming and eagerly support his aggressive response, enjoying the opportunity to challenge another powerful clan.

Significant Themes

• Pride and face: Both clans interpret the incident as a matter of honor. The Ye Clan’s refusal to receive Jiang Ming is meant to assert superiority, while Jiang Ming responds by publicly humiliating the city.
• Power versus reputation: Although Jiang Ming is only at the Tribulation Transcendence realm, his authority, aura, and backing by numerous Saints make him far more threatening than the Ye Clan expects.
• Family protection and prejudice: Ye Tian and his parents assume Jiang Ming is a violent “demon” based on rumors and attempt to protect Lingyao by obstructing the marriage.
• Decline and arrogance: The Ye Clan is described as a fallen Imperial Clan, yet its members continue to act proudly. Jiang Ming sees their behavior as an overestimation of their former status.
• Escalation through misjudgment: The Ye Clan believes Ye Tian can teach Jiang Ming a lesson, while the First Elder correctly suspects that Jiang Ming may be the greater danger.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Ye Wu: Ye Wu welcomes Jiang Ming after learning he is from the Jiang Clan, but becomes nervous when Jiang Ming demands immediate access to Ye Lingyao.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao’s family: Though Lingyao never appears, her family’s opposition to Jiang Ming drives the conflict. Ye Tian intentionally prevents their meeting.
• Jiang Ming and the First Elder: The First Elder attempts diplomacy, but Jiang Ming refuses to compromise and demands personal accountability from Ye Tian or the Ye Clan.
• Jiang Ming and his followers: His followers enthusiastically obey his order to unleash their pressure, showing their loyalty and excitement at following his leadership.
• Ye Tian and the Jiang Clan: Ye Tian’s impending confrontation with Jiang Ming sets up the chapter’s central conflict, with both sides convinced the other has underestimated them.

Chapter Summary: “Breaking Off the Engagement?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming confronts Ye Tian, the current Imperial Son of the Ye Clan, after Ye Tian objects to Jiang Ming’s relationship with Ye Lingyao.
• Ye Tian attacks but is effortlessly defeated and slapped down by Jiang Ming. Jiang Ming reveals that he will spare Ye Tian because he is supposed to become his future brother-in-law, but demands that Ye Lingyao be brought to him.
• Ye Tian retreats, shocked that Jiang Ming has already reached the Tribulation Transcendence Realm despite being younger and having fewer resources than Ye Tian.
• Jiang Ming’s maternal grandparents arrive unexpectedly and attempt to take him to the Emperor Ye Realm. Although they claim familial authority, Jiang Ming resists because they had previously ignored his family and had treated his parents’ relationship as a matter of profit.
• When the grandparents forcibly seize Jiang Ming, the ten Greater Saints intervene. Grandmother even uses Jiang Ming as a shield against their attacks, enraging him.
• Jiang Lingtian’s overwhelming aura forces the grandparents to retreat. Jiang Ming orders the ten Greater Saints to escort them out, choosing not to harm them because they are his mother’s parents.
• Ye Tian later returns with a message from his father: the Ye Clan will not directly cancel the ancestral marriage contract, but Jiang Ming must complete a challenge and obtain their approval before seeing Ye Lingyao.
• Jiang Ming rejects the condition and grabs Ye Tian by the neck, intending to kill him.
• The Great Elder intervenes, but Jiang Ming orders the ten Greater Saints to kill him. They overwhelm and destroy the Great Elder’s body and soul.
• Ye Ming, the Ye Clan Patriarch, projects himself through a Saint Realm technique and attacks Jiang Ming to protect Ye Tian. He condemns Jiang Ming as too bloodthirsty to marry Ye Lingyao.
• Ye Ming formally attempts to break off the engagement, but Jiang Ming rejects his authority and mocks the Ye Clan’s weakness.
• Jiang Ming takes out his Imperial Son Token, causing a spatial passage to form within Emperor Ye City, signaling that he is preparing to escalate the confrontation.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Displays overwhelming strength, confidence, and increasing ruthlessness. He humiliates Ye Tian, executes the Great Elder, and refuses to accept the Ye Clan’s conditions or authority. However, he still restrains himself from harming his grandparents because of their blood relationship and Jiang Lingtian’s warning.
• Ye Tian: His arrogance collapses after discovering that Jiang Ming is vastly stronger. Although he continues to resist the engagement, he becomes fearful and repeatedly retreats from Jiang Ming.
• Ye Lingyao: Does not appear directly, but remains the center of the conflict. Her absence and the Ye Clan’s refusal to allow Jiang Ming to see her intensify the confrontation.
• Ye Ming: Emerges as a protective and authoritative patriarch who prioritizes the Ye Clan’s reputation and Ye Tian’s safety. He judges Jiang Ming’s violence as evidence that he is unfit for Lingyao and attempts to end the engagement.
• Jiang Ming’s grandparents: Their opportunistic past and selfish behavior are revealed. They attempt to assert family ties despite having neglected Jiang Ming’s family previously, but quickly retreat when confronted with Jiang Ming’s and Jiang Lingtian’s power.
• The Great Elder: His attempt to mediate fails, and his intervention results in his death when Jiang Ming decides that his interference has gone too far.

Significant Themes

• Power versus authority: Although the Ye Clan invokes ancestral contracts, family hierarchy, and patriarchal authority, Jiang Ming’s superior strength allows him to challenge all of them.
• Family loyalty and hypocrisy: Jiang Ming’s grandparents claim familial concern despite their history of valuing status and profit over genuine affection. Jiang Ming recognizes this hypocrisy but still honors the basic bond of blood.
• Pride and humiliation: Ye Tian’s title as Imperial Son proves meaningless against Jiang Ming’s strength, while the Ye Clan’s pride is repeatedly damaged by Jiang Ming’s insults and defiance.
• Protection and control: The Ye Clan presents its restrictions as protection for Ye Lingyao, but its actions also deny her agency and attempt to control her relationship.
• Restraint versus ruthlessness: Jiang Ming is capable of mercy toward family members, yet he responds to challenges with deadly force, raising questions about whether his violence is justified or whether it validates the Ye Clan’s accusations.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Ye Tian engage in a hostile exchange in which Jiang Ming repeatedly defeats and humiliates him, while Ye Tian insists that Jiang Ming cannot marry his sister.
• Jiang Ming’s grandparents attempt to use their familial relationship to control him, but their behavior only deepens his resentment.
• Jiang Lingtian privately reminds Jiang Ming not to harm his grandparents, tempering Jiang Ming’s anger.
• The ten Greater Saints act as Jiang Ming’s enforcers, driving away his grandparents and killing the Great Elder when ordered.
• Ye Ming and Jiang Ming directly clash over the engagement. Ye Ming condemns Jiang Ming’s character and declares the marriage contract terminated, while Jiang Ming refuses to recognize Ye Ming’s right to make that decision.

Chapter Summary: Ye Lingyao

Key Plot Points and Events

• A spatial passage opens in Emperor Ye City, bringing Jiang Lingtian—the Jiang Clan Chief and Jiang Ming’s father—along with hundreds of Jiang Clan Saints.
• Jiang Lingtian confronts Ye Ming, the Ye Clan Chief, over the mistreatment of Jiang Ming. The two Peak Saints battle in the sky.
• Despite both being Peak Saints, Jiang Lingtian overwhelmingly defeats Ye Ming in only ten exchanges, demonstrating that his strength is far beyond that of an ordinary Peak Saint. His possession of an Imperial Artifact further increases his advantage.
• After the battle, Jiang Lingtian leaves the handling of the dispute to Jiang Ming. Jiang Ming asks for Ye Lingyao to be brought before him.
• Ye Lingyao is carried in, appearing frail and near death. Jiang Ming uses his Golden Eyes to examine her and discovers a mass of black mist within her Dantian.
• The Ye Clan explains that the black mist is likely an incomplete Heavenly Dao Spirit, though its sinister nature leads them to call it an “Evil Spirit.” It has fused with Ye Lingyao and continuously consumes her life force and cultivation.
• The Ye Clan has been unable to remove the spirit without killing her. Ye Lingyao is expected to die within two years, possibly sooner if she breaks through to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm.
• Despite her weakened body, Ye Lingyao has cultivated unaided to the Peak Tenth Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm, surpassing even Ye Tian.
• Ye Lingyao recognizes Jiang Ming as her fiancé and innocently asks whether he can take her outside to play. Jiang Ming agrees.

Character Developments

• Jiang Lingtian: Shows strong paternal concern for Jiang Ming, arriving with overwhelming force to defend him. His battle with Ye Ming establishes him as an exceptionally powerful Peak Saint, possibly deserving the title of “Ultimate Saint.” He ultimately gives Jiang Ming authority over the situation rather than deciding everything himself.
• Jiang Ming: Gains the full backing of the Jiang Clan and responds with restraint despite his advantage. He chooses not to demand Ye Ming’s death and instead focuses on understanding Ye Lingyao’s condition. His Golden Eyes reveal the hidden source of her illness. He also shows immediate concern and emotional sympathy toward Ye Lingyao.
• Ye Ming: Initially assumes the Jiang Clan is only bluffing, but is forced to recognize the gap between himself and Jiang Lingtian. His helplessness regarding Ye Lingyao’s condition explains part of his earlier desire to end her engagement.
• Ye Lingyao: Revealed to be physically fragile but extraordinarily talented and innocent. She has endured painful cultivation while an Evil Spirit consumes her energy. Though aware that her life is nearing its end, she longs to leave the protected Ye Clan and experience the outside world.
• Ye Qingmei: Although she does not appear directly, she is indirectly responsible for Jiang Lingtian’s arrival, having pressured him to come and support Jiang Ming.

Significant Themes

• Family protection and loyalty: Jiang Lingtian’s arrival emphasizes the Jiang Clan’s willingness to defend its own, while Ye Lingyao’s parents and clan have devoted themselves to protecting her.
• Power and hierarchy: The battle illustrates that cultivation realms do not tell the whole story; even among Peak Saints, enormous differences in strength exist.
• Helplessness before fate: The Ye Clan possesses great power but cannot save Ye Lingyao from the spirit fused within her, highlighting the limits of worldly strength.
• Innocence amid suffering: Ye Lingyao remains cheerful and curious despite her terminal condition, contrasting sharply with the grief and fear of those around her.
• Freedom and the value of life: Having spent her life confined to the Spirit Realm, Ye Lingyao wishes to see the outside world before she dies.
• The danger of forbidden power: The Heavenly Dao Spirit, normally associated with supreme cosmic authority, appears as a predatory and corrupted force within Ye Lingyao.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Lingtian and Ye Ming engage in a tense confrontation that escalates into a brief but decisive battle.
• Jiang Lingtian defers to Jiang Ming regarding Ye Ming and the Ye Clan, demonstrating trust in his son’s judgment.
• Jiang Ming examines Ye Lingyao despite Ye Ming’s warning to show respect, creating tension between them.
• The Ye Clan reveals its inability to save Ye Lingyao, exposing its vulnerability despite its status as a major clan.
• Ye Lingyao warmly accepts Jiang Ming as her fiancé and asks him to take her out, while Jiang Ming responds kindly and agrees, beginning a more personal connection between them.

Chapter 65 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming takes Ye Lingyao away from the Ye Clan after she agrees to leave with him, despite Ye Ming and Ye Tian’s objections. The Jiang Clan prevents the Ye Clan from stopping them.
• Jiang Lingtian offers to bring Little Fish back to the Jiang Clan. Yue Wu is left frightened and largely ignored amid the powerful Saints.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao explore the devastated and nearly deserted Emperor Ye City. When Ye Lingyao becomes tired, they rest at an inn.
• Ye Lingyao accepts Jiang Ming as her fiancé and, after his prompting, shyly calls him “Husband.” She becomes increasingly comfortable leaning against and embracing him because his warmth eases her condition.
• Jiang Ming realizes that his Sunfire may suppress or counteract the Evil Spirit affecting Ye Lingyao.
• Finding Emperor Ye City too bleak, Jiang Ming takes Ye Lingyao east in his carriage to travel through the Eastern Domain, eventually reaching the Eastern Sea.
• Ye Lingyao excitedly plays in the water, but suddenly collapses into the sea. Her body becomes icy and trembles violently, apparently due to the Evil Spirit.
• Jiang Ming rescues her and surrounds them both with carefully controlled Sunfire. The warmth quickly calms her, confirming that his power can temporarily relieve her suffering.
• Back at the Ye Clan, Jiang Lingtian leaves several hundred Jiang Clan Saints behind to protect them. Ye Ming intends to warn him that the Demon Domain may be involved in the Eastern Domain’s upheaval, but Jiang Lingtian departs before hearing him.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Acts decisively and domineeringly in taking Ye Lingyao from the Ye Clan, but shows increasing care and attentiveness toward her. He monitors her health, comforts her, and discovers that his Sunfire can restrain the Evil Spirit.
• Ye Lingyao: Begins experiencing freedom outside the Ye Clan for the first time and reacts with childlike excitement to ordinary sights such as the city and sea. She quickly grows emotionally attached to Jiang Ming, trusting him completely and becoming comfortable calling him “Husband.”
• Ye Ming and Ye Tian: Remain worried and distressed by Ye Lingyao’s departure, but are unable to oppose the Jiang Clan. Ye Ming also recognizes the possible danger posed by the Demon Domain.
• Jiang Lingtian: Supports Jiang Ming’s relationship with Ye Lingyao and prioritizes his son’s wishes. He also protects the weakened Ye Clan by leaving powerful Saints behind.
• Little Fish and Yue Wu: Little Fish eagerly accepts Jiang Lingtian’s invitation to the Jiang Clan, while Yue Wu remains nervous and overlooked among the Saints.

Significant Themes

• Freedom and new experiences: Ye Lingyao finally leaves her secluded life and discovers the outside world through simple experiences such as sightseeing and playing in the sea.
• Protection and trust: Ye Lingyao places complete trust in Jiang Ming, while Jiang Ming begins taking responsibility for her safety and wellbeing.
• Warmth versus darkness: Jiang Ming’s Sunfire symbolically and literally counters the coldness and Evil Spirit afflicting Ye Lingyao.
• Political and supernatural danger: The Eastern Domain remains unstable, and hints suggest that the Demon Domain may be behind the wider upheaval.
• Family authority and marriage alliances: The old marriage pact becomes the basis for Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao’s rapidly developing bond, with Jiang Lingtian accepting the relationship.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming firmly leads Ye Lingyao away despite her family’s protests.
• Ye Lingyao and Jiang Ming grow physically and emotionally closer at the inn, where she rests against him and calls him “Husband.”
• Jiang Lingtian reassures Little Fish and later defends the Jiang Ming–Ye Lingyao relationship by emphasizing their existing marriage pact.
• At the sea, Jiang Ming saves Ye Lingyao from the water and uses Sunfire to calm her Evil Spirit, deepening their bond.

Chapter Summary: Immortal Spirit Island’s Hidden Immortal Village

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Ye Lingyao recovers from her emotional distress, Jiang Ming comforts her by touching her face and carrying her back to the carriage when she becomes tired.
• The pair arrives at Immortal Spirit Island, which is far less developed than Eastern Extremity Island and consists mainly of small villages.
• They enter Hidden Immortal Village, where Jiang Ming pays an old beggar a Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone after recognizing his request for money.
• Since Ye Lingyao is too weak to walk, Jiang Ming carries her on his back while searching for lodging.
• A villager refuses to host them, prompting Jiang Ming to force his way into the home. The resident, Blood Demon Old Thief, attacks him.
• Blood Demon Old Thief is revealed to be a notorious cultivator who was believed to have died a century earlier. He was infamous for murdering and consuming children to cultivate.
• Jiang Ming effortlessly defeats him using the golden dragon manifested from his Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Robe, instantly destroying the old thief’s overwhelming blood energy.
• The villagers are shocked by Jiang Ming’s power and flee rather than risk offending him.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao stay in Blood Demon Old Thief’s dilapidated house. Jiang Ming discovers a child’s corpse hidden in a jar and secretly cremates it so Ye Lingyao will not be frightened.
• He prepares defensive precautions around the house before resting while Ye Lingyao sleeps.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Continues to show tenderness and protectiveness toward Ye Lingyao, carrying her, arranging lodging, and concealing the disturbing corpse from her. At the same time, he remains decisive and ruthless toward evil, instantly killing Blood Demon Old Thief after being attacked.
• Ye Lingyao: Remains physically frail and easily fatigued, but becomes increasingly affectionate and emotionally attached to Jiang Ming. She openly praises him as handsome and powerful, grows shy around him, and appears embarrassed by her developing romantic feelings.
• Blood Demon Old Thief: His feared reputation is confirmed, though his confidence proves misplaced. Despite being a second-level Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, he is killed almost effortlessly by Jiang Ming.
• The villagers: They recognize Blood Demon Old Thief and fear Jiang Ming after witnessing his overwhelming strength, choosing to avoid further involvement.

Significant Themes

• Protection and care: Jiang Ming’s treatment of Ye Lingyao emphasizes his role as her protector, especially because of her weakened condition.
• Power and hidden strength: Jiang Ming’s casual victory over a notorious cultivator demonstrates the enormous gap between his abilities and those of ordinary experts.
• Justice against evil: Blood Demon Old Thief’s history of harming children contrasts with Jiang Ming’s decision to destroy him and properly dispose of the child’s remains.
• Growing affection: Ye Lingyao’s dependence, admiration, and shyness reveal her deepening feelings for Jiang Ming, while his teasing and gentle attention suggest increasing intimacy between them.
• Appearances versus reality: The humble village house conceals a monstrous criminal, while Jiang Ming’s young appearance hides extraordinary power.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming comforts Ye Lingyao physically, carries her, and responds warmly to her praise.
• Ye Lingyao openly calls Jiang Ming “Hubby,” admires his appearance and strength, and becomes bashful when he touches or teases her.
• Jiang Ming clashes with Blood Demon Old Thief after forcing entry into his home, ending the confrontation with a decisive attack.
• Afterward, Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao share a playful, domestic moment in the ruined house, with Jiang Ming teasing her before helping her fall asleep.

Chapter Summary: “Ancient Battlefield”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The villagers of Hidden Immortal Village secretly discuss Jiang Ming’s arrival. They recognize that he possesses Saint Realm techniques and decide to postpone their mysterious plan, fearing that he may discover their secrets.
• Jiang Ming learns that many outsiders have gathered because an Ancient Battlefield has appeared on Immortal Spirit Island. The battlefield is rumored to be the site of the final conflict during the Demon Domain’s invasion of the Heavenly Profound Continent.
• Jiang recalls the historical battle: the Jiang Clan aided the Ye Clan by using the supreme Imperial Artifact, the Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Mirror. The artifact trapped both armies, causing the deaths of several Jiang Clan Great Emperors and every Demon Great Emperor. The mirror was destroyed and lost afterward.
• Although the Ancient Battlefield is said to contain few valuable treasures and little remaining danger, Jiang Ming suspects that the rumors are unreliable. The battlefield’s true origins are also uncertain, with some claiming it was created by an Imperial Clan to test geniuses.
• Once the battlefield opens, Jiang Ming takes Ye Lingyao with him so she can see it. The entrance leads to a horrifying realm filled with a blood-red sky, a crimson moon, corpses, and bones.
• A powerful skeletal warrior and skeletal warhorse emerge from the bone-covered ground. The warrior carries a damaged Saint Artifact and possesses strength far beyond Jiang Ming’s current cultivation.
• Jiang Ming initially flees while carrying Ye Lingyao. After teasing her about relying on her background, he accidentally makes her cry, then comforts her while continuing to escape.
• When the skeletal warrior catches up, Jiang Ming finally retaliates. His Dragon-Pattern Blackgold Robe summons a golden dragon that destroys the skeleton instantly.
• Ye Lingyao is drawn toward the monster’s sinister green flames, which Jiang Ming suspects are connected to the Evil Spirit within her. He prevents her from approaching, then has the golden dragon swallow both the flames and the damaged Saint Artifact.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Displays caution and practicality rather than reckless confidence. Despite possessing powerful techniques and an impressive background, he admits when an opponent is too strong and chooses to retreat. He also shows a gentler, more protective side when comforting Ye Lingyao.
• Ye Lingyao: Reveals her sheltered upbringing, physical weakness, and fear of the battlefield’s brutal environment. Her dependence on Jiang Ming becomes more apparent, but she also shows curiosity and excitement at experiencing the outside world. Her attraction to the green flames hints at the continuing influence of the Evil Spirit.
• Hidden Immortal Village residents: Their fear of Jiang Ming grows, and they suspend their secret plan to avoid exposing themselves. Their hidden motives remain unresolved.

Significant Themes

• Buried history and lingering consequences: The Ancient Battlefield preserves the destruction caused by the Demon Domain’s invasion, while lost weapons and surviving remnants continue to affect the present.
• Appearance versus reality: The battlefield is advertised as a relatively safe source of lesser opportunities, but it still contains powerful enemies and dangerous secrets.
• Power and restraint: Jiang Ming’s strength is significant, but he understands its limits and emphasizes that status or background does not guarantee victory.
• Protection and dependence: Jiang Ming’s relationship with Ye Lingyao develops through his protection of her, while her weakness and reliance on him become increasingly clear.
• The danger of the Evil Spirit: Ye Lingyao’s desire for the green flames suggests that the Evil Spirit within her may be influencing her instincts and could become a greater threat.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming questions a frightened villager about the Ancient Battlefield and the rumors surrounding it.
• He casually teases Ye Lingyao about her hygiene, embarrassing her.
• While traveling to the battlefield, Ye Lingyao becomes shy and flustered when Jiang Ming holds her by the waist.
• Inside the battlefield, she clings to Jiang Ming in fear. He takes her hand and guides her forward.
• Jiang Ming’s mockery makes Ye Lingyao cry, forcing him to comfort her while fleeing.
• After defeating the skeleton, Jiang Ming stops Ye Lingyao from touching the dangerous green flames, reinforcing his protective role and her connection to the Evil Spirit.

Chapter Summary: Jiang Yuyi

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the green flames are absorbed, Ye Lingyao’s demeanor turns cold and sinister, revealing that the Evil Spirit’s influence over her is worsening. Jiang Ming snaps her out of it by striking her forehead, then continues traveling with her.
• Guided by a mysterious bloodline summons, Jiang Ming reaches a mountain within the Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Mirror. Numerous cultivators have gathered below because the mountain supposedly contains an extraordinary treasure, but an overwhelming repulsive force prevents anyone—even Tribulation Transcendence experts—from climbing it.
• Jiang Ming discovers that the mountain does not repel him. He carries Ye Lingyao to the summit, where they find ruined weapons and armor and encounter the remnant soul of Jiang Yuyi, an ancient Jiang Clan Great Emperor and master of spatial laws.
• Jiang Yuyi confirms that he is Jiang Ming’s ancestor and explains that only a remnant of his soul remains. He also teases Jiang Ming for his disrespect and jokes about his relationship with Ye Lingyao.
• Jiang Yuyi recognizes that Ye Lingyao carries the aura of a damaged Heavenly Dao Spirit and has likely become its host. He reveals that the Jiang Clan’s forbidden ground may contain a way to resolve her condition once Jiang Ming reaches the Saint Realm.
• Before disappearing, Jiang Yuyi teaches Jiang Ming the incantation needed to control the Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Mirror. The artifact can still wield the power of a Ninth-Layer Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, though its Spirit Realm is severely damaged and nearing collapse.
• After Jiang Yuyi’s remnant soul vanishes, the mountain’s repulsive force disappears. Other cultivators rush to the summit and demand the treasure, but one of them warns that Jiang Ming has a Sacred-Tier True Dragon protecting him.
• Jiang Ming tests the new incantation and takes control of the entire Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Mirror. He then manifests a gigantic hand that crushes the hostile cultivators into blood mist.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Demonstrates increasing mastery and confidence. His bloodline allows him to bypass the mountain’s defenses, and he gains control of a powerful Imperial Artifact. His irreverent attitude toward Jiang Yuyi contrasts with his genuine sadness when his ancestor disappears.
• Ye Lingyao: Shows signs of being increasingly affected by the Evil Spirit, briefly becoming sinister and emotionally altered. Despite this, she remains affectionate and dependent on Jiang Ming, while also defending and worrying over him.
• Jiang Yuyi: Is introduced as Jiang Ming’s ancient ancestor and a remnant of a former Great Emperor. Though boastful and harsh, he cares about the Jiang Clan and provides crucial information about Ye Lingyao and the clan’s forbidden ground.
• Relationship between Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao: Their playful husband-and-wife exchanges continue, with Jiang Ming carrying her through the mirror realm. Their bond is also noticed and teased by Jiang Yuyi.

Significant Themes

• Inheritance and bloodline: Jiang Ming’s Jiang Clan heritage grants him access to powers and secrets unavailable to other cultivators.
• Decline and survival: Jiang Yuyi’s death, the damaged Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Mirror, and the exhausted Spirit Realm emphasize the fading power of ancient legacies.
• Hidden destiny and future trials: The forbidden ground of the Jiang Clan is hinted to contain a solution to Ye Lingyao’s condition and possibly secrets connected to the disappearance of Great Emperors.
• Power and authority: Jiang Ming’s effortless control of the mountain and the mirror demonstrates the exceptional status of the Jiang Clan’s Imperial Son.
• Corruption and protection: Ye Lingyao’s struggle with the Evil Spirit and Heavenly Dao Spirit creates an ongoing threat, while Jiang Ming’s determination to protect her strengthens their emotional connection.

Chapter Summary: Ice Sage—Ice-Eyed Cloud-Winged Tiger

Key Plot Points and Events

• After obtaining the Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Mirror, Jiang Ming senses a powerful and unusual aura within it and travels toward its source with Ye Lingyao.
• He discovers that the mirror is filled with demon qi and that numerous demon beasts, including Fifth-Order Great Demons, are hunting human cultivators.
• Jiang Ming encounters the village chief of Hidden Immortal Village, accompanied by human cultivators who have apparently betrayed humanity and allied themselves with the Demon Race.
• The group is led by Ice Sage, an arrogant Sacred Beast known as the Ice-Eyed Cloud-Winged Tiger. Ice Sage transforms from a white winged tiger into a snow-white human youth and confronts Jiang Ming.
• Ice Sage dismisses Jiang Ming’s Golden Dragon soul as merely a remnant soul and challenges Jiang Ming to summon the powerful expert supposedly protecting him.
• While Ice Sage engages the dragon soul, the village chief and his followers attack Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao.
• Rather than fight several powerful Tribulation Transcendence cultivators directly, Jiang Ming activates the Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Mirror’s destructive power. The entire space collapses into nothingness, killing everyone inside except Ice Sage, who barely escapes.
• Ice Sage vows revenge, revealing that the Demon Race had infiltrated the Eastern Sea with plans to destroy its forces and eventually conquer the region.
• Back in the Eastern Sea, Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao decide to travel to the Northern Domain so she can see snow. Jiang Ming chooses to pass through White Emperor City and use its teleportation array.
• They travel in a carriage pulled by Cloud-Treading Deer and arrive at White Emperor City after several days.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming demonstrates tactical restraint and overwhelming control over the Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Mirror. Instead of directly confronting multiple high-level enemies, he destroys the entire battlefield and escapes with Ye Lingyao.
• He becomes increasingly protective and affectionate toward Ye Lingyao, indulging her wish to visit the snowy Northern Domain. He also remains determined to become a Saint and eventually rescue his first fiancée from a forbidden land.
• Ye Lingyao becomes more lively, cheerful, and adventurous as she travels with Jiang Ming. Her excitement about seeing snow and her playful affection toward him strengthen their romantic bond.
• Ice Sage is introduced as a powerful but arrogant Sacred Beast. Although confident in his strength, he is cautious about Jiang Ming’s unknown backing and becomes furious after his forces are annihilated.
• The Hidden Immortal Village chief and his companions are revealed as human collaborators with the Demon Race.

Significant Themes

• Humanity versus the Demon Race: The chapter highlights the ancient conflict between humans and demons, as well as the danger posed by human traitors who aid demonic forces.
• Power and bloodline inheritance: Sacred Beasts can naturally master powerful abilities through innate bloodline curse marks, contrasting with humanity’s need to comprehend laws to reach the Saint Realm.
• Strategic strength over direct confrontation: Jiang Ming’s decision to destroy the entire mirror demonstrates that intelligence and control of powerful artifacts can outweigh numerical superiority.
• Protection and companionship: Jiang Ming’s relationship with Ye Lingyao develops through mutual trust, affection, and his desire to protect her while giving her new experiences.
• Foreshadowing of future conflict: Ice Sage’s survival and vow of revenge establish a continuing threat, while Jiang Ming’s plan to become a Saint hints at future events involving the forbidden land and his fiancée.

Character Interactions

• Ye Lingyao notices Jiang Ming’s concern and playfully asks what is wrong; Jiang Ming teases her while reassuring her that the danger is not her responsibility.
• Jiang Ming verbally clashes with the Hidden Immortal Village chief and mocks the group for betraying humanity.
• Ice Sage and Jiang Ming exchange threats and test each other’s backgrounds, with Jiang Ming invoking the prestige of the Jiang Clan.
• During the attack, Jiang Ming prioritizes Ye Lingyao’s safety, carrying her away before unleashing the mirror’s destructive power.
• Afterward, Ye Lingyao reacts with excitement rather than fear, praises Jiang Ming, and asks where they will go next. Her request to see snow leads to their journey toward the Northern Domain.

Summary: “White Emperor City’s Sudden Upheaval”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao arrive at White Emperor City, which Ye Lingyao has never visited despite being part of the Ye Clan. The city is prosperous because it is open to outsiders and contains an important teleportation array.
• After paying to enter, they attempt to use the teleportation array. The flying vessel suddenly explodes, destroying the array and killing many travelers.
• The explosion causes a dangerous spatial phenomenon known as Interdomain, which rapidly expands and threatens to erase everything in its path. Jiang Ming narrowly escapes with Ye Lingyao.
• Ye Qingyu, White Emperor City’s lord, appears and suppresses the Interdomain with overwhelming spiritual power, saving the survivors and preventing a much greater disaster.
• Ye Qingyu recognizes Jiang Ming as his nephew and asks about Jiang Ming’s mother, Ye Qingmei. Their conversation reveals the siblings’ deep bond and Ye Qingyu’s resentment toward the broader Ye Clan.
• Ye Qingyu brings Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao to the City Lord’s Manor, warning that the Anti-Imperial Alliance may soon attack.
• The Alliance launches an assault with twenty Saint Realm experts—fifteen Lesser Saints and five Greater Saints—while White Emperor City has only Ye Qingyu and five Lesser Saints defending it.
• Despite appearing undermanned, the city is protected by Ye Qingyu’s hidden strength. Revealed to be a Peak Saint, he defeats all twenty attackers effortlessly, killing them before they can escape.
• Jiang Ming goes outside because he fears for Ye Qingyu’s safety, but Ye Qingyu assures him that his strength is far greater than Jiang Ming realized.

Character Developments

• Ye Lingyao grows increasingly affectionate and dependent on Jiang Ming. Jiang Ming’s Sunfire suppresses the Evil Spirit within her, allowing her to feel comfortable and happy around him.
• Ye Lingyao reveals her lack of concern for the Ye Clan’s political struggles. Because of her weak cultivation and limited remaining lifespan, she prioritizes spending her final days happily with Jiang Ming.
• Jiang Ming demonstrates quick reflexes and concern for both Ye Lingyao and Ye Qingyu. He initially underestimates Ye Qingyu but recognizes and respects his immense power after witnessing his victory.
• Ye Qingyu is established as a powerful and protective city lord. His actions show both his devotion to White Emperor City and his deep concern for his sister, Ye Qingmei.
• Ye Qingmei’s importance is developed indirectly through Ye Qingyu’s memories. The siblings endured neglect from their parents, and Ye Qingmei consistently cared for and sacrificed for him.

Significant Themes

• Family loyalty versus clan politics: Ye Qingyu dislikes the larger Ye Clan but remains devoted to his sister and committed to protecting White Emperor City.
• Love and companionship in the face of death: Ye Lingyao’s declining lifespan makes her value emotional happiness with Jiang Ming over political responsibility or personal safety.
• Hidden strength and underestimation: White Emperor City appears poorly defended, but its lord possesses power far beyond what others expect.
• Political conflict and impending war: The Anti-Imperial Alliance’s attack signals that the struggle against the Ye Clan or imperial forces is escalating.
• Protection and trust: Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao rely on one another, while Ye Qingyu protects the city and indirectly safeguards his family.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming teases Ye Lingyao about not knowing her own family’s city, while she warmly expresses how happy she is with him.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao face the teleportation disaster together, with Jiang Ming shielding and carrying her to safety.
• Ye Qingyu and Jiang Ming discuss Ye Qingmei, revealing their family history and strengthening their connection.
• Ye Lingyao worries about the coming attack and suggests leaving, but Jiang Ming chooses to remain in White Emperor City because the teleportation array is destroyed.
• Jiang Ming later goes to support Ye Qingyu during the assault, while Ye Qingyu reassures him that he is powerful enough to defeat the attackers alone.

Chapter Summary: “The Real Crisis”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ye Qingyu brings Jiang Ming, Ye Lingyao, and their companions back to the City Lord’s Manor in White Emperor City and questions their destination. Jiang Ming explains that they intended to travel to the Northern Domain to see the snow with Ye Lingyao.
• Because the teleportation array has been damaged and requires a Saint-ranked array master to repair, Ye Qingyu advises them to travel through Ghost City instead. He warns that tensions between the factions make the journey dangerous.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao arrive in Ghost City, a gloomy stronghold controlled by the Anti-Imperial Alliance, also known as the “Heroes Alliance.”
• When Jiang Ming asks how to use the city’s teleportation array, the guards become suspicious and accuse him and Ye Lingyao of being spies from the Ye Clan. They surround and attack them.
• Jiang Ming avoids fighting directly while protecting Ye Lingyao. His Golden Giant Dragon appears, but a Saint Realm expert named Longbrow blocks it.
• Jiang Ming summons Blade Shadow, or “Uncle Dao,” who battles Longbrow. The confrontation attracts Ghost City’s numerous Saint Realm experts.
• Greater Saint Lingyao arrives and recognizes Jiang Ming as the Jiang Clan’s Imperial Son. Rather than provoke a war with the Jiang or Ye Clans, he orders the guards to let Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao board the Spatial Ark.
• After they depart, Lingyao reprimands Longbrow for failing to understand Jiang Ming’s identity and warns him not to provoke powerful factions. He orders the alliance to monitor Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao and kill them if success is certain, preventing the Jiang Clan from gaining leverage.
• During the interdomain journey, Ye Lingyao realizes that Ghost City likely recognized her as the Ye Clan’s Imperial Daughter because of her marriage agreement with Jiang Ming.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Remains confident, sarcastic, and protective. He easily confronts Ghost City’s guards and relies on Blade Shadow rather than risking Ye Lingyao’s safety. His status as the Jiang Clan’s Imperial Son gives him considerable political protection.
• Ye Lingyao: Displays innocence and curiosity, asking whether Ghost City will recognize her. Though sheltered and physically delicate, she travels bravely with Jiang Ming and reacts playfully to their dangerous situation.
• Ye Qingyu: Shows concern for Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao but cannot accompany them because of the conflict involving the Ye Clan. He acknowledges his obligations to his clan despite personal complications.
• Blade Shadow/Uncle Dao: Demonstrates unwavering loyalty by immediately attacking Longbrow when Jiang Ming calls for him.
• Greater Saint Lingyao: Proves politically cautious and strategically intelligent. He prevents an unnecessary conflict with the Jiang and Ye Clans while secretly ordering preparations to eliminate the couple if possible.
• Longbrow: Acts rashly and fails to recognize the political danger of attacking Jiang Ming, earning a harsh reprimand from Lingyao.

Significant Themes

• Political power and factional tension: Individual strength matters, but noble identities and alliances are equally important. Ghost City backs down not because Jiang Ming is weak, but because attacking him could trigger conflict with major clans.
• Misunderstanding and hidden identities: Jiang Ming initially assumes Ye Lingyao’s identity will remain unknown, but their marriage agreement makes her connection to the Ye Clan easy to infer.
• Protection and companionship: Jiang Ming prioritizes Ye Lingyao’s safety throughout the confrontation, while she depends on him with complete trust.
• Caution versus recklessness: Greater Saint Lingyao’s restraint contrasts with Longbrow’s impulsive aggression, showing the importance of understanding the broader political situation.
• Factional propaganda: The competing names “Heroes Alliance” and “Anti-Imperial Alliance” highlight how opposing groups frame themselves as righteous while vilifying their enemies.

Character Interactions

• Ye Qingyu and Jiang Ming exchange teasing but cautious remarks about the damaged teleportation array and Jiang Ming’s journey.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao have a playful husband-and-wife dynamic, with her innocent questions contrasting with his exasperated responses.
• Jiang Ming clashes verbally with Ghost City’s guards before confronting them physically.
• Blade Shadow battles Longbrow on Jiang Ming’s behalf, while Greater Saint Lingyao intervenes to end the conflict.
• Lingyao’s conversation with Longbrow reveals Ghost City’s fear of provoking the Jiang and Ye Clans and establishes the threat against Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao after their departure.

Chapter Summary: Ice City of Frostbound Kingdom

Key Plot Points and Events

• Longbrow asks the Greater Saint whether they should attack the people aboard the Spatial Ark. The Greater Saint agrees but realizes that destroying the ark could also harm them, since they are aboard it as well.
• Inside a cave, Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao recover from another explosion of the Spatial Ark. Blade Shadow, revealed to be a wounded middle-aged man named Uncle Dao, is badly injured but insists that he can heal.
• Jiang Ming suspects the Anti-Imperial Alliance caused the explosion. He believes their failure to admit responsibility is irrelevant, since suspicion alone is sufficient to make them enemies.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao arrive in the Northern Domain and travel to Ice City, the capital of the Frostbound Kingdom, one of the region’s five major nations.
• Ye Lingyao enjoys playing in the snow but suddenly faints because of her fragile physical condition. Jiang Ming revives and warms her with flames, then decides to buy her suitable winter clothing.
• In a clothing shop, Jiang Ming discovers that Ice City uses gold coins rather than spirit stones. He pays with a Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone and buys all the cotton clothing in the store, dressing Ye Lingyao in so many layers that she resembles a “giant rice dumpling.”
• Jiang Ming observes that the Northern Domain is extremely poor in cultivation resources. Most residents are ordinary people, and even local cultivators generally possess only low cultivation levels.
• While walking through the city, Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao encounter Qi Xuexue, a young noblewoman riding in a carriage pulled by a second-rank White Tiger. She immediately proposes marriage to Jiang Ming and even tells him to divorce Ye Lingyao.
• Jiang Ming rejects her, explaining that he already has a fiancée. Qi Xuexue nevertheless announces that she will marry him someday before returning to her carriage.
• Jiang Ming comforts Ye Lingyao after noticing her discomfort and takes her to the Xuelai Inn to find lodging.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming remains calm and decisive after the Spatial Ark explosions. His suspicion of the Anti-Imperial Alliance shows his growing willingness to act based on strategic judgment rather than waiting for proof.
• He also displays a protective and affectionate side toward Ye Lingyao, immediately caring for her after she faints and prioritizing her warmth and comfort.
• Ye Lingyao is playful and excited by the snow, but her recurring weakness makes her physically vulnerable. She becomes slightly insecure when she feels she is burdening Jiang Ming, though his reassurance restores her happiness.
• Blade Shadow/Uncle Dao is revealed to be a middle-aged man beneath his disguise. Despite severe injuries, he remains loyal and reassures Jiang Ming that he can recover.
• Qi Xuexue is introduced as impulsive, bold, and sheltered. Her instant attraction to Jiang Ming leads her to make a reckless marriage proposal.
• Qi Xuexue’s elder sister, dressed in green, appears more restrained and realistic. She understands that family authority will likely prevent Qi Xuexue from pursuing Jiang Ming.

Significant Themes

• Protection and devotion: Jiang Ming’s actions toward Ye Lingyao emphasize his role as her protector and his genuine concern for her wellbeing.
• The contrast between cultivation and ordinary life: Ice City feels more like a mundane human city than the powerful regions Jiang Ming has previously visited. The use of gold coins, ordinary citizens, and everyday commerce highlights this difference.
• Regional inequality and poverty: The Northern Domain’s lack of spiritual resources has left most people unable to cultivate, making it significantly weaker and poorer than other domains.
• Suspicion and political conflict: The Spatial Ark incident deepens tensions between Jiang Ming and the Anti-Imperial Alliance, establishing a possible future confrontation.
• Romantic possessiveness and reassurance: Qi Xuexue’s interruption briefly makes Ye Lingyao uneasy, but Jiang Ming reaffirms their relationship and calms her.
• Humor amid danger: The chapter balances serious injuries and political threats with lighthearted moments, particularly Jiang Ming teasing Ye Lingyao about her excessive winter clothing and Qi Xuexue’s shameless proposal.

Character Interactions

• Longbrow and the Greater Saint discuss whether attacking the Spatial Ark is worth the risk, revealing the dangerous uncertainty surrounding the conflict.
• Jiang Ming reassures the wounded Uncle Dao and urges him to focus on healing.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao share affectionate, playful exchanges throughout their journey. He comforts her after she faints and after Qi Xuexue’s flirtation makes her unhappy.
• Jiang Ming negotiates with the clothing-shop owner, unintentionally startling him with the value of his Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone.
• Qi Xuexue boldly approaches Jiang Ming, proposes marriage, and challenges his relationship with Ye Lingyao, while her sister later tries to temper her enthusiasm.
• The chapter ends with Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao remaining together as they settle into the Xuelai Inn.

Chapter Summary:

Qi Manor

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao stay at an inn in Ice City. After Jiang Ming pays with a Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone, the innkeeper becomes noticeably interested in him.
• The next morning, they learn that the clothing shop they visited has been burned down. Jiang Ming senses that the shopkeeper, his wife, and their daughter were killed by sword wounds before the fire was set.
• Local residents reveal that such incidents are common in Ice City, where powerful nobles and officials routinely seize resources from ordinary people.
• Jiang Ming uses the Sacred Artifact Xuanyuan Mirror to reconstruct the events. The shopkeeper hid the spirit stone, but an armed man entered, murdered the entire family despite their pleas, stole the stone, and burned down the shop.
• Furious, Jiang Ming uses the Myriad-Mile Tracking technique to follow the killer’s aura.
• The trail leads to Qi Manor, where Chancellor Qi’s birthday celebration is taking place. Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao initially lack invitations, but Qi Xuexue recognizes Jiang Ming and brings them inside.
• Qi Xuexue openly declares that she wants to marry Jiang Ming and tells him to divorce Ye Lingyao. Her older sister, Qi Fengyu, scolds her and apologizes to Jiang Ming.
• Despite the distractions, Jiang Ming remains focused on locating the murderer.

2. Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: His anger at the innocent family’s murder reveals his strong sense of justice and unwillingness to tolerate abuse by the powerful. Though initially calm, he becomes determined to personally track down and punish the killer. His use of the Xuanyuan Mirror and tracking technique demonstrates his resourcefulness and powerful abilities.
• Ye Lingyao: She shows compassion for the murdered family and becomes visibly angry and saddened by their fate. She also displays jealousy when Qi Xuexue openly pursues Jiang Ming, revealing a more emotionally vulnerable side of her relationship with him.
• Qi Xuexue: She remains bold, impulsive, and openly infatuated with Jiang Ming. She disregards social propriety and confidently insists that she will marry him.
• Qi Fengyu: She is more disciplined and socially conscious than her younger sister. She reprimands Qi Xuexue’s behavior but still helps Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao enter the manor.

3. Significant Themes

• Corruption and abuse of power: Ice City is portrayed as a society where nobles and officials exploit commoners and kill them for valuable resources.
• The consequences of generosity: Jiang Ming’s gift to the clothing-shop family unintentionally attracts deadly attention, forcing him to confront the danger created by the city’s greed.
• Justice and retribution: Jiang Ming refuses to ignore the family’s murder and begins pursuing the killer directly.
• Moral decay and public helplessness: The townspeople know that such atrocities occur regularly but are too afraid to speak openly or intervene.
• Romantic rivalry and loyalty: Qi Xuexue’s aggressive pursuit of Jiang Ming contrasts with Ye Lingyao’s quieter but genuine attachment and jealousy.

4. Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming comforts Ye Lingyao after discovering the family’s deaths and reassures her that he will find the murderer.
• The couple discuss the suspicious innkeeper and react together to the tragedy, strengthening their shared resolve.
• Qi Xuexue flirts with Jiang Ming and challenges his marriage, while Ye Lingyao reacts with jealousy.
• Qi Fengyu interrupts and criticizes Qi Xuexue, then apologizes to Jiang Ming for her sister’s behavior.
• Jiang Ming maintains his focus despite the romantic interruption, continuing to track the murderer within Qi Manor.

Chapter Summary: “Return to Central Province”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao attend Prime Minister Qi’s birthday celebration at the Qi Family Hall in Ice City.
• Using the Xuanyuan Mirror, Jiang Ming identifies Qi Longwu as the man who murdered Old Wang and his family for a Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone.
• Jiang confronts Qi Longwu publicly and seizes him by the throat. Qi Longwu, despite being a Nascent Soul prodigy, is completely helpless against Jiang.
• Qi Xuexue defends her brother, arguing that Old Wang’s family were ordinary people and that the spirit stone would have been wasted on them.
• Prime Minister Qi appears and questions whether the deaths of a few commoners justify such a confrontation. His dismissive attitude further enrages Jiang.
• Jiang retrieves the stolen spirit stone and burns Qi Longwu to ashes with Sunfire.
• When Qi Xuexue attacks him in grief and anger, Jiang kicks her through several walls, leaving her fate uncertain.
• Prime Minister Qi orders his soldiers to attack. Jiang protects Ye Lingyao and annihilates the entire Qi Manor with a massive wave of Sunfire.
• After leaving Ice City, Jiang and Ye Lingyao travel to Snow Capital, the Northern Domain’s most prosperous city, to use its sole teleportation array.
• They choose to travel to Central Province, paying one hundred thousand Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones for the highest-class room on the Spatial Ark. Blade Shadow remains behind temporarily, able to cross the void independently.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Demonstrates overwhelming strength and a fierce sense of justice. He refuses to tolerate the murder of ordinary people for wealth and openly challenges the Northern Domain’s aristocracy. His destruction of the Qi Family shows both his immense power and his willingness to act decisively against corruption.
• Ye Lingyao: Initially participates in the confrontation but becomes disturbed by the widespread contempt nobles show toward commoners. Her sadness reveals her growing moral awareness and sympathy for ordinary people. She ultimately chooses to accompany Jiang to Central Province.
• Qi Longwu: Though celebrated as one of Ice City’s Twin Prodigies, he is exposed as cruel and arrogant. His cultivation and reputation prove meaningless against Jiang’s superior power.
• Qi Xuexue: Her affection for Jiang clashes with her loyalty to her family and class. She defends Qi Longwu and the nobles’ treatment of commoners, causing a sharp break between her and Jiang.
• Prime Minister Qi: Despite his high cultivation and political authority, he underestimates Jiang and reveals the moral decay of the ruling class through his indifference to mass murder.
• The Eldest Prince and Emperor: Their fearful reaction to Jiang’s power shows that even the highest authorities in Ice City recognize the danger he represents.

Significant Themes

• The value of human life: The chapter contrasts Jiang’s belief that every life matters with the nobles’ view that ordinary people are expendable.
• Class oppression and moral corruption: The Qi Family’s willingness to slaughter an entire family for one spirit stone symbolizes how poverty, lawlessness, and unchecked power have distorted the Northern Domain.
• Justice versus authority: Jiang refuses to submit to political status or cultivation rank, showing that moral justice can stand above institutional power.
• Power and restraint: The ruling class assumes strength grants the right to act without consequences, but Jiang turns that logic against them.
• Environmental and social decline: Jiang explains that the Northern Domain’s barrenness and lack of a dominant protector have allowed greed and cruelty to become normalized.
• Return and transition: The journey toward Central Province marks a shift away from the Northern Domain and prepares for the next stage of Jiang and Ye Lingyao’s travels.

Character Interactions

• Jiang and Ye Lingyao act as partners, with Jiang protecting her throughout the confrontation and responding seriously to her emotional reaction afterward.
• Jiang’s exchanges with Qi Longwu move quickly from accusation to execution, emphasizing the deep moral divide between them.
• Qi Xuexue’s defense of Qi Longwu transforms her relationship with Jiang from romantic interest into open conflict.
• Jiang and Prime Minister Qi engage in a clash between moral outrage and aristocratic indifference; neither yields, and Jiang ultimately destroys the Qi Family’s power base.
• The Eldest Prince and Emperor discuss Jiang only after he has departed, revealing their fear and respect for his uncertain, possibly Tribulation Realm-level strength.

Chapter Summary:

War Erupts in the Eastern Domain

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao arrive safely at Sealed Gate City in the Central Province aboard a Spatial Ark.
• A conceited young man named Li Gang insults the people of the Northern Domain and attempts to harass Ye Lingyao.
• Jiang Ming intervenes, seizes Li Gang’s hand, and tears off his arm when Li Gang refuses to back down.
• Li Gang summons his father, Wang Gang, who threatens Jiang Ming and demands the return of his son’s arm.
• Zhang Wei reveals Jiang Ming’s identity as the Jiang Clan’s Imperial Son, shocking Wang Gang and the surrounding Northern Domain travelers.
• Jiang Ming orders Li Gang and Wang Gang killed for offending and harassing Ye Lingyao. The Golden Giant Dragon appears and devours them.
• After arriving in Sealed Gate City, Ye Lingyao admires the prosperity of Central Province. However, Jiang Ming suddenly receives news that war has erupted in the Eastern Domain.
• The Anti-Imperial Alliance, supported by the Demon Race, has launched an assault on the Ye Clan. Several Ye Clan cities have fallen, and White Emperor City is under siege.
• Reinforcements from Emperor Ye City have been intercepted and destroyed, while the Ye Clan’s powerful experts are restrained by Greater Demon Saints.
• Because the Jiang Clan does not consider the Ye Clan worth risking its own forces to save, it had not planned to intervene.
• Seeing Ye Lingyao’s concern, Jiang Ming abandons the Central Province trip and returns with her to the Eastern Domain through the teleportation array.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming demonstrates his ruthless authority and absolute confidence as the Imperial Son. He reacts decisively to threats against Ye Lingyao and refuses to tolerate disrespect.
• Ye Lingyao becomes openly admiring and affectionate toward Jiang Ming after witnessing him defend her, calling him handsome and responding with lovestruck enthusiasm.
• Zhang Wei confirms his survival-oriented personality. Once he recognizes Jiang Ming’s status, he immediately submits and follows Jiang Ming’s orders without hesitation.
• Wang Gang shifts from arrogance to fear after learning Jiang Ming’s identity. Although he initially tries to protect Li Gang, he becomes helpless once Jiang Ming commands their deaths.
• Li Gang is exposed as a spoiled and abusive wastrel whose arrogance comes from family protection. His harassment of Ye Lingyao ultimately leads to his death.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: Jiang Ming’s Imperial Son status instantly overturns the balance of power, showing the overwhelming influence of the Imperial Clans.
• Protection and loyalty: Jiang Ming’s violent response to Li Gang’s harassment emphasizes his protectiveness toward Ye Lingyao and the seriousness of her status as his consort.
• Arrogance and consequences: Li Gang’s habitual abuse and reliance on his father cannot save him once he provokes someone far more powerful.
• Political pragmatism: Zhang Wei’s behavior reflects a world where survival depends on correctly judging power and attaching oneself to the strongest side.
• War and sacrifice: The chapter shifts from a personal confrontation to a large-scale conflict, highlighting the brutal strategic calculations of powerful clans and alliances.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao share a playful, affectionate relationship, beginning with her nervous concern over their journey and ending with her admiration after he defends her.
• Jiang Ming verbally clashes with Li Gang, physically punishes him, and later condemns both Li Gang and Wang Gang.
• Wang Gang attempts to intimidate Jiang Ming but is forced to plead for mercy after discovering his identity.
• Zhang Wei kneels before Jiang Ming, acknowledges him as Imperial Son, and becomes the intermediary carrying out his orders.
• The chapter ends with Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao choosing to return to the war-torn Eastern Domain rather than continue sightseeing in Central Province.

Chapter Summary: White Emperor Was Never in Danger

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming returns to White Emperor City with Ye Lingyao aboard the Spatial Ark, but the ark stops in the spatial passage because the area around the city has been sealed off.
• Ye Lingyao suffers another attack from the Evil Spirit within her. Jiang Ming suppresses it with Sunfire, though he realizes the Evil Spirit is becoming resistant and that his current strength may no longer be sufficient.
• The Ice Sage ambushes them in the sealed passage. Jiang Ming summons Blade Shadow and Spear Shadow to fight it, then escapes with Ye Lingyao aboard the Golden Giant Dragon.
• Upon arriving at White Emperor City, Jiang Ming discovers that the city is surrounded by roughly two hundred Saints and Demon Saints belonging to the Anti-Imperial Alliance.
• Saint Lingyao attempts to placate Jiang Ming over the earlier teleportation-array ambush, offering compensation and claiming Ghost City and the Ye Clan were victims as well. Jiang Ming openly rejects the explanation and insults the alliance for relying on the Demon Domain.
• Jiang Ming reveals that he has brought four hundred Saints as reinforcements. The attackers are suddenly outnumbered two to one.
• The Demon Saints retreat, causing the Anti-Imperial Alliance’s forces to panic and flee. With the enemy’s main support gone, White Emperor City, Jiang Ming’s forces, and Ye Qingyu destroy the remaining hundred Saints.
• After the battle, Jiang Ming hides in the City Lord’s Manor with the sleeping Ye Lingyao. Ye Qingyu warmly praises him and jokingly misunderstands Jiang Ming’s statement about being “gentle” with Lingyao, creating an awkward comedic exchange.

2. Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Becomes increasingly confident, calculating, and domineering. He relies on his Imperial Clan status as political leverage and deliberately allows the enemy to believe he is isolated before revealing his overwhelming reinforcements. His growing concern over Ye Lingyao’s illness is also evident.
• Ye Lingyao: Remains emotionally dependent on Jiang Ming and regrets having left White Emperor City earlier. Her Evil Spirit attack is more severe than before, suggesting her condition is worsening or that the Evil Spirit is strengthening.
• The Ice Sage: Continues pursuing Jiang Ming but is frustrated when Jiang Ming uses multiple powerful allies rather than fighting directly.
• Saint Lingyao: Tries to defend Ghost City and the Anti-Imperial Alliance, but loses confidence once Jiang Ming’s hidden army appears. His threats about the decline of the Imperial Clans are exposed as hollow.
• Ye Qingyu: Demonstrates overwhelming battlefield strength and a close relationship with Jiang Ming. His calling Jiang Ming “nephew” signals increased familial closeness, while his final misunderstanding adds humor.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and political backing: Jiang Ming emphasizes that survival in the world depends not only on personal strength but also on powerful allies and backing.
• Hidden strength and strategic deception: Jiang Ming allows the enemy to underestimate him before revealing four hundred Saints, turning a siege into a massacre.
• Imperial authority and declining power structures: The Anti-Imperial Alliance believes the lack of a present Great Emperor weakens the Imperial Clans, but Jiang Ming demonstrates that their influence and resources remain formidable.
• Loyalty and family alliances: The Jiang Clan, Ye Qingyu, and White Emperor City cooperate against the Anti-Imperial Alliance, showing the importance of political and familial bonds.
• The worsening Evil Spirit threat: Ye Lingyao’s illness is an unresolved danger, and the Evil Spirit’s resistance to Sunfire hints at future complications.
• Humor amid danger: The serious battle is followed by Ye Qingyu’s embarrassing misunderstanding, contrasting the chapter’s violent conflict with familial comedy.

4. Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming reassures Ye Lingyao during the spatial crisis and protects her when the Evil Spirit attacks.
• He and Ye Lingyao are confronted by the Ice Sage, who is forced to fight Jiang Ming’s summoned Saint-level companions while Jiang Ming escapes.
• Saint Lingyao attempts diplomatic conversation, but Jiang Ming responds with sarcasm and openly accuses Ghost City and its allies of responsibility for the ambush.
• Jiang Ming’s reinforcements completely reverse the battle, while Ye Qingyu takes advantage of the enemy’s weakened position to eliminate them.
• Ye Qingyu and Jiang Ming share a warmer uncle-nephew relationship after the battle, though their conversation ends in comic confusion over Jiang Ming’s care for the sleeping Ye Lingyao.

Chapter Summary: “Returning to the Village”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming finishes a night of cultivation and receives word from Ye Lingtian that he must return to the Imperial Clan for his Imperial Son Ceremony, coming-of-age ceremony, and engagement arrangements.
• He wakes Ye Lingyao and brings her with him, treating her affectionately and accepting their increasingly intimate relationship.
• Before returning to the Jiang Clan, Jiang Ming takes Ye Lingyao to the Emperor Ye Realm to find her brother, Ye Tian.
• Jiang Ming confronts Ye Tian in the Imperial Son Hall, destroys the entrance, and orders him to accompany them to the Jiang Clan Spirit Realm.
• Ye Tian refuses repeatedly, so Jiang Ming beats him into submission. Ye Tian eventually agrees, though Jiang Ming hits him once more “reflexively.”
• Ye Lingyao unexpectedly laughs at Ye Tian’s misfortune, revealing how strongly she now sides with Jiang Ming. Ye Tian is hurt by her change but also pleased to see her smiling again.
• Ye Qingyu declines to accompany them immediately because he must remain involved in the conflict between the Demon Domain and the declining Ye Clan.
• Jiang Ming, Ye Lingyao, and Ye Tian travel through Sealed Gate City to the Central Province Spirit Realm.
• Jiang Lingtian explains that although Jiang Ming was chosen as Imperial Son at birth, he must pass the clan’s coming-of-age challenges to gain the clansmen’s support and secure his future position as clan head.
• The chapter ends with Ye Tian sitting among Jiang Ming’s beautiful maidservants, privately worrying that Ye Lingyao may face difficulties because of Jiang Ming’s many female attendants.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Becomes more openly affectionate and possessive toward Ye Lingyao, calling her “Yao’er” and firmly declaring that she belongs with him. He remains domineering and violent toward opponents but shows increasing responsibility by trying to save and protect Ye Lingyao.
• Ye Lingyao: Grows emotionally attached to Jiang Ming and willingly follows him, calling him “husband” even before their formal engagement. She is obedient, affectionate, and increasingly detached from her former relationship with her brother, though her happiness and ability to smile appear to be returning.
• Ye Tian: Shifts from hostile resistance to reluctant submission after Jiang Ming physically forces him to cooperate. Despite feeling betrayed by Ye Lingyao’s closeness to Jiang Ming, he is touched by her renewed happiness and remains protective of her.
• Jiang Lingtian: Acts as a supportive elder toward Ye Lingyao and warns Jiang Ming about the serious political and familial consequences of failing the Imperial Son challenges.
• Ye Qingyu: Remains committed to his responsibilities as a Peak Saint and cannot yet leave the unstable conflict involving the Ye Clan and Demon Domain.

Significant Themes

• Possessive love and changing loyalties: Ye Lingyao’s allegiance has clearly shifted toward Jiang Ming, causing emotional pain for Ye Tian while strengthening her bond with Jiang Ming.
• Power and coercion: Jiang Ming routinely uses overwhelming force to achieve his goals, particularly in his treatment of Ye Tian.
• Family and responsibility: The Imperial Son title is not merely ceremonial; Jiang Ming must prove himself to the Jiang Clan to inherit leadership.
• Recovery through companionship: Ye Lingyao’s affection and visible happiness suggest that her relationship with Jiang Ming is helping her recover from the effects of the Evil Spirit.
• Political instability: The declining Ye Clan, the Anti-Imperial Alliance, and the conflict with the Demon Domain form the larger backdrop to the characters’ personal decisions.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao share a tender, increasingly couple-like relationship, with Jiang Ming waking her, patting her head, and taking her home.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Tian clash over Ye Lingyao’s loyalty and Ye Tian’s refusal to enter the Jiang Clan Spirit Realm.
• Ye Lingyao’s laughter at Ye Tian’s beating demonstrates her emotional alignment with Jiang Ming, though Ye Tian interprets her happiness with mixed pain and affection.
• Jiang Lingtian welcomes Ye Lingyao warmly and teases Jiang Ming about their closeness.
• Ye Tian’s final interaction with Jiang Ming’s maidservants highlights his concern that Jiang Ming’s lifestyle and many female companions could complicate Ye Lingyao’s future.

Chapter Summary: “Imperial Son Ceremony”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At sixteen, Jiang Ming undergoes the Jiang Clan’s coming-of-age ceremony, in which descendants carve their names onto the Imperial Artifact known as the World-Suppressing Stele.
• The stele ranks clan members according to their talent and strength. It also protects those who inscribe their names, suppressing outsiders near it—even Saint Realm experts.
• Two other youths undergo the ceremony:
  • Jiang Xiaoxue, the “Snow Princess” and one of the Ten Great Prodigies, ranks 21,396th despite possessing tenth-layer Nascent Soul cultivation.
  • Jiang Xuan, at the eighth layer of Nascent Soul, ranks an embarrassing 5,203,764th and faints from shock.
• Jiang Ming then inscribes his name. His achievement causes the weather to change and his name to shine gold. At the first layer of Tribulation Transcendence, he ranks third.
• The two people above him are the ancient ancestors Jiang Tongshen and Jiang Jiuhe, both legendary figures who reached extraordinary heights at young ages and whose deaths have never been confirmed.
• Jiang Ming’s father, Jiang Lingtian, proudly begins the Imperial Son Ceremony in the martial arena, inviting anyone to challenge Jiang Ming.
• Since Jiang Ming’s cultivation far exceeds that of the Ten Great Prodigies, no one initially dares to fight him. Jiang Ming provocatively suggests that they all attack him together.
• Encouraged by Ghost Shadow Jiang Huiyi, Illusory Exquisite Jiang Mei, and Confucian Scholar Jiang Haoran, all ten prodigies—including Jiang Xiaoxue—take the stage to challenge him as a group.
• The chapter ends with Jiang Ming calmly inviting all ten opponents to attack simultaneously.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming is revealed to be vastly stronger than expected. Although he is already the most powerful member of his generation, ranking third causes him to feel dissatisfied rather than proud. His confidence develops into open, almost playful arrogance.
• Jiang Xiaoxue experiences a rare moment of discouragement after ranking only in the twenty-thousands, showing that even a celebrated prodigy is humbled by the Jiang Clan’s immense historical talent. Despite this, she accepts Jiang Ming’s challenge and joins the battle.
• Jiang Xuan suffers a comic blow to his confidence when his extremely low ranking causes him to faint.
• Jiang Lingtian displays obvious pride in his son and takes pleasure in announcing the challenge ceremony.
• The Ten Great Prodigies are characterized through their titles, appearances, and abilities, but their willingness to unite shows both pride and determination to defend their standing.

Significant Themes

• Inherited legacy and pressure: The World-Suppressing Stele connects every generation to the achievements of the Jiang Clan’s ancestors, making personal accomplishment inseparable from family history.
• Extraordinary standards: Even elite prodigies rank poorly compared with the clan’s ancient geniuses, emphasizing the overwhelming scale of the Jiang Clan’s talent.
• Confidence versus arrogance: Jiang Ming’s strength gives him genuine confidence, but his invitation for all ten prodigies to attack him also raises the question of whether his confidence is becoming arrogance.
• Competition and tradition: The ceremony preserves an old clan custom while turning it into a public test of status and strength.
• The burden of legacy: Jiang Ming’s third-place ranking is objectively astonishing, yet he views it as insufficient because he is measured against legendary ancestors.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Jiang Xiaoxue: He courteously allows her to go first, while she later joins the collective challenge against him.
• Jiang Ming and Jiang Xuan: Jiang Ming gives Jiang Xuan the opportunity to act before him, indirectly highlighting the dramatic difference between their abilities.
• Ye Tian and the Jiang Clan member: Ye Tian learns about Jiang Xiaoxue and the Ten Great Prodigies, establishing his outsider perspective and interest in the Jiang Clan’s strongest young members.
• Jiang Ming and Jiang Lingtian: Jiang Lingtian openly celebrates his son’s ranking, while Jiang Ming remains focused on the ceremony and his next challenge.
• Jiang Ming and the Ten Great Prodigies: Their interaction shifts from hesitation to collective confrontation when Jiang Ming challenges them all to attack him together.

Chapter Summary: “One Against Ten”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming challenges the Imperial Clan’s ten prodigies, all of whom are at the Peak Tenth Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Confident in his overwhelming strength as a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, Jiang Ming tells them to attack first, warning that they may not get another chance.
• The prodigies launch a series of attacks:
  • Jiang Huiyi uses shadow techniques, creating a shadowy attacker from Jiang Ming’s own shadow.
  • Ice spikes and Jiang Kongzhen’s powerful lightning techniques are both effortlessly destroyed by Jiang Ming’s Sunfire.
  • Jiang Shang unleashes a sword strike approaching the First Layer of Tribulation Transcendence, but Jiang Ming catches and shatters it.
  • Jiang Luming attacks with his spear, yet Jiang Ming stops the weapon barehanded and sends both spear and wielder flying.
  • Jiang Yi transforms into Weak Water, exerting immense pressure on Jiang Ming. He counters with Sunfire but withdraws it before seriously injuring her.
  • Jiang Mei refuses to fight, using her seductive speech to excuse herself.
  • Jiang Fei attacks physically in his berserk form, but Jiang Ming defeats him with a single punch, though the force makes Jiang Ming take half a step back.
  • Jiang Li, Jiang Xiaoxue, and Jiang Haoran combine swordsmanship, ice techniques, and golden restricting characters. Their attacks briefly slow Jiang Ming but are ultimately destroyed by his Extreme Yang Fire.
• Jiang Ming finally retaliates with “Fiery Eyes,” a devastating golden beam of fire. Jiang Lingtian intervenes before the attack can seriously injure or kill the remaining prodigies.
• Jiang Ming insists that he controlled the attack and claims they will only need several months to recover, though their treatment depends on the Imperial Clan.
• The Imperial Son Hall ends, and spectators marvel at how completely Jiang Ming dominated the ten prodigies.
• Jiang Ming returns to his courtyard, where he reunites with Ye Lingyao and speaks with the women caring for her.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming demonstrates an enormous gap between his strength and that of the ten prodigies. He remains relaxed throughout the battle, allowing them to attack repeatedly without making a serious move until the end.
• His mastery of Sunfire and Extreme Yang Fire is emphasized: he can melt ice, neutralize lightning, overpower Weak Water, destroy magical restrictions, and restrain a sword cultivator without killing him.
• Jiang Ming shows precise control over his power. Although his attacks are devastating, he deliberately limits their effects and prevents Jiang Li and Jiang Yi from suffering fatal injuries.
• The ten prodigies begin the battle confident in their individual abilities but gradually realize that their pride and underestimation of Jiang Ming have left them helpless.
• Jiang Lingtian acts as the responsible authority figure, stepping in to prevent Jiang Ming’s final attack from becoming lethal and ordering the injured prodigies to receive treatment.
• Ye Lingyao appears to be settling into the Imperial Clan’s residence and feels comfortable with the women around her.
• Jiang Ming displays a gentler, protective side toward Ye Lingyao, emphasizing her poor health and instructing the maidservants to take good care of her.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and disparity: The battle establishes that Jiang Ming exists on an entirely different level from the renowned prodigies.
• Pride and misjudgment: The prodigies refuse to submit because of their pride, only to discover that their combined strength cannot meaningfully challenge Jiang Ming.
• Restraint versus destruction: Jiang Ming’s strength could easily cripple or kill his opponents, but he carefully controls his flames and attacks.
• Reputation and spectacle: The spectators’ shocked reactions reinforce Jiang Ming’s growing legend within the Imperial Clan.
• Protection and responsibility: Beneath Jiang Ming’s arrogance and teasing manner, he is attentive to Ye Lingyao’s health and protective of those under his care.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming taunts the ten prodigies by inviting them to attack first, creating a confident and almost playful atmosphere.
• He shows particular interest in Jiang Huiyi’s shadow ability and questions Jiang Luming’s decision to pursue the Spear Dao despite Jiang Ming’s father already mastering it.
• Jiang Yi warns Jiang Ming about the weight of her Weak Water, while Jiang Ming’s overwhelming fire nearly burns her away before he deliberately stops.
• Jiang Mei uses flirtatious language to avoid fighting, and Jiang Ming humorously remarks that he is unkind to “fair flowers.”
• Jiang Lingtian interrupts Jiang Ming’s final attack and reprimands him indirectly for nearly going too far.
• In the courtyard, Jiang Ming warmly reunites with Ye Lingyao, corrects her respectful description of the maidservants, and entrusts them with her care.

Chapter Summary: “Refining Lunar Yin Power”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming orders his shadow guards to forcibly extract Liu Qingqing’s Lunar Yin Power while she remains imprisoned and refuses to submit. The extraction kills her, and Jiang Ming coldly orders her body to be buried.
• He swallows and absorbs the dark-purple Lunar Yin Power, using his overwhelming Sun Power to suppress and consume it rather than harmonizing with it.
• The absorbed power transforms Jiang Ming’s Sun Power from crimson to gold-red, causing his Sunfire and eyes to undergo the same change. His breakthrough releases such a powerful aura that his room and door are destroyed.
• Jiang Ming decides that his next goal is reaching the Saint Realm, but first intends to deal with Ye Tian.
• He informs Ye Tian that he and Ye Lingyao will hold an engagement ceremony in ten days. Ye Tian reacts with shock and grief, insisting that Ye Lingyao could not truly marry Jiang Ming, but her silence confirms the engagement.
• Because tensions between the Ye Clan and Demon Race prevent Ye Ming and the others from attending, Jiang Ming chooses Jiang Domain as the venue and invites major powers from across the hundred domains.
• During the ten-day preparation period, Jiang Ming takes Ye Lingyao on a sightseeing trip through Central Province, traveling by carriage because of her frailty.
• In Jiang City, Jiang Ming explains the city’s unique status: it is the sole city of Jiang Domain, possesses immense resources gathered from the hundred domains, and grants residence to qualified individuals, Jiang Clan members, and those who marry into the clan.
• While visiting the Exiled Immortal Abode, Jiang Ming meets Lin Geng. Upon recognizing him as the Imperial Heir, Lin Geng immediately kneels, worships him, and eagerly offers himself as a subordinate.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Becomes even more ruthless and detached, showing no concern for Liu Qingqing’s death. His successful absorption of Lunar Yin Power greatly strengthens him and marks progress toward the Saint Realm. He also displays a softer, playful side with Ye Lingyao while remaining highly confident in his authority.
• Ye Lingyao: Is openly happy about marrying Jiang Ming and enjoys being pampered by him. Her excitement and curiosity are emphasized during their trip through Jiang City, though she remains physically frail.
• Ye Tian: Moves from disbelief to despair after realizing that Ye Lingyao genuinely intends to marry Jiang Ming. Despite his resentment, he is expected to attend the engagement ceremony.
• Liu Qingqing: Remains defiant until the end, refusing to submit, but is ultimately sacrificed for Jiang Ming’s cultivation.
• Lin Geng: Is introduced as an exaggeratedly reverent admirer of Jiang Ming. His immediate submission highlights the Imperial Heir’s overwhelming reputation and influence.

Significant Themes

• Power and ruthlessness: Jiang Ming treats people and even rare cultivation resources as tools, demonstrating the brutal hierarchy of the cultivation world.
• Transformation through consumption: Rather than achieving mutual growth by combining Yin and Yang powers, Jiang Ming forcibly devours Lunar Yin Power to evolve his own strength.
• Authority and status: Jiang Ming’s identity as Imperial Heir commands automatic obedience, as shown by Lin Geng’s worshipful reaction and the political importance of his engagement.
• Love and possession: Jiang Ming is affectionate toward Ye Lingyao, but his relationship with her exists alongside his domineering control and immense social power.
• Contrast between invincibility and ordinary life: Jiang Ming’s overwhelming strength destroys his room, yet he casually shifts to enjoying a sightseeing trip and joking about his loneliness at the peak.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming communicates coldly with the shadow guard while ordering Liu Qingqing’s death, contrasting sharply with his gentle treatment of Ye Lingyao.
• Ye Tian confronts both Jiang Ming and Ye Lingyao, but Ye Lingyao’s embarrassed silence confirms her feelings and leaves Ye Tian devastated.
• Jiang Ming comforts Ye Lingyao by taking her traveling and affectionately rubbing her head.
• Lin Geng’s encounter with Jiang Ming immediately turns into an act of worship, leaving Jiang Ming confused and mildly irritated while revealing how feared and revered he is in Jiang City.