Chapter Summaries

Plot and events

• While traveling south, Lin Jun reads the Heart-Seeking Jade Slip that True Person Jade Frost gave him. It contains the dying, increasingly frantic account of True Person Haoran’s failed Ascension Ritual.
• Haoran’s memories show him attacking a vast, ape-like hand that emerges from behind a curtain of light. A voice tells him, “You have not passed. Go back,” and the hand flings him away. Lin Jun suspects the curtain conceals the real Demon Kingdom, and the scene resembles an encounter previously described by Yuan Chong.
• Lin Jun questions General Chen Yan about Ascension Rituals. Chen explains that the ritual site at the Land of Deathly Silence was placed by the Demon Kingdom and marked as its territory.
• At Deadwater’s Edge, the Sun Family learns that the giant ape is dead and people from Great Yin are approaching to investigate the Ascension Ritual. Recognizing Lin Jun in their portraits, Patriarch Sun Ye decides to abandon the family’s outer-ring islands and let Lin Jun and the Tianshuo Demon Sage clash, hoping the Sun Family can later profit from the conflict.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun gains a clearer, though still incomplete, glimpse of the Demon Kingdom and the dangers of Ascension. He remains curious about “Heaven Beyond Heaven” and probes Chen Yan for information.
• True Person Haoran, seen through his recorded memories, appears to have been shattered by the ritual’s failure. His breakdown casts doubt on whether he later recovered his sanity.
• Chen Yan treats Lin Jun with unusual deference, apparently misunderstanding who he is.
• Sun Ye proves cautious and opportunistic: rather than defend the family’s territory, he chooses retreat and plans to exploit the coming confrontation.
• Sun Ye’s clansman questions the decision, citing the Tianshuo Demon Sage’s invitation to enter the ritual site, but Sun Ye dismisses the risk and favors letting outsiders fight.

Significant themes

• The peril and limits of Ascension: Even a powerful cultivator like Haoran can be rejected and driven to madness.
• The unknown beyond the world: The Demon Kingdom—and the meaning of “Heaven Beyond Heaven”—remain mysterious and potentially unreachable.
• Opportunism amid conflict: Sun Ye would rather profit from others’ struggle than risk his family in it.

Plot points and events

• Lin Jun arrives at the abandoned Sun Family estate on Deadwater’s outskirts with Chen Yan and the other disciples. The family’s martial artists have fled, leaving scattered belongings and human remains behind.
• Huang Tu, a powerful crocodile demon, has seized the Sun Family’s territory and its share of the Ascension Ritual’s spoils. He has also ordered the remaining mortals killed and eaten.
• Huang Tu mistakes Lin Jun for one of Sun Ye’s people and boasts about his actions. Chen Yan warns Lin Jun that they are still recovering and should avoid a fight.
• Lin Jun asks whether Huang Tu ate the people. Huang Tu dismisses him as foolish, but Lin Jun refuses to leave.
• When Huang Tu reaches for his axe, Lin Jun pins it to the ground with one foot. He then turns the weapon’s force against Huang Tu, drives him into the earth, and strikes him again with the axe. The battle’s impact sends enormous waves across Deadwater and devastates the estate.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun shifts from quiet observation to decisive violence after seeing evidence of the slaughter. His restraint gives way to a direct response to Huang Tu’s cruelty.
• Chen Yan worries about Lin Jun’s injuries and initially hopes they can escape by correcting Huang Tu’s misunderstanding. He is surprised when Lin Jun chooses to confront the demon.
• Huang Tu is greedy and arrogant: he claims the Sun Family’s territory for himself and treats the surviving mortals as food. His confidence collapses once Lin Jun demonstrates his strength.
• Lin Jun and Huang Tu move from a brief exchange of questions and threats to a one-sided fight. Huang Tu’s dismissive attitude turns to fear as soon as his weapon is immobilized.

Significant themes

• Greed and predation: Huang Tu exploits the Sun Family’s disappearance to seize its share and treats human lives as something to consume.
• Cruelty and moral response: The human remains make the consequences of Huang Tu’s actions tangible and provoke Lin Jun’s retaliation.
• Power and misjudgment: Huang Tu assumes Lin Jun is weak and harmless; the reversal reveals how little he understands his opponent.
• The cost of violence: Lin Jun’s brief counterattack has effects far beyond the fighters, damaging the estate and disturbing the surrounding waters.

Key events

• Lin Jun effortlessly kills Demon Sage Huang Tu, then orders the disciples to deal with the lesser Demons and bury the bones. His display of power frightens both the disciples and the previously frenzied mortals back to their senses.
• After the scene is cleared, Lin Jun questions the survivors and learns how Deadwater is organized: humans, led by the Sun Family, occupy the outer area, while Demons inhabit the inner area.
• Demon Sage Tian Shuo coordinates the Demons and has found a way to open the failing Ascension Ritual. It is expected to be breached in three days, and he wants Deadwater’s factions to work together to overcome its trials. He promises rewards based on each faction’s contribution.
• The Sun Family’s warriors have mysteriously fled, leaving only unarmed family members behind. Chen Yan suspects a trap, but trusts that Lin Jun’s strength can overcome any scheme.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun remains calm and practical after his victory, treating Huang Tu as an insignificant opponent and turning immediately to cleanup and investigation.
• Chen Yan pieces together the situation and questions the Sun Family survivors. Though suspicious of the warriors’ disappearance, he has become so confident in Lin Jun that his concern quickly fades.
• The Sun Family survivors are intimidated by Lin Jun and answer his questions readily. They explain the local power structure, Tian Shuo’s plan, and their warriors’ unexplained departure.
• The disciples shift from awe to anxious obedience, realizing Lin Jun’s strength far exceeds what they had assumed.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming power and fear: Lin Jun’s strength restores order, even reversing the Demons’ effects on the mortals.
• Trust and confidence: Chen Yan’s growing faith in Lin Jun makes him dismiss the danger he himself suspects.
• Cooperation and self-interest: Tian Shuo’s proposed alliance is framed around contribution and rewards, while the Sun Family’s abandonment of its noncombatants highlights the separation between the powerful and ordinary people.

Plot points and events

• After saving the Sun Family’s mortals from demons, Lin Jun remains with them and is accepted as their clan leader. He plans to enter the Ascension Ritual under the Sun Family’s name, both to witness the Demon Kingdom’s fading glory and to pursue its treasures and demons.
• Lin Jun learns that the Sun Family is one of several human Lineages in the outskirts. Its neighbors, Li Feng and Tian Rong, arrive after waiting three days, worried that Huang Tu and his followers entered the Sun Family grounds and never came out.
• Mistaking Lin Jun for a demon, the visitors fear Sun Ye has been killed. The Sun Family’s old steward confirms Lin Jun is the acting clan leader and reveals that Huang Tu lies beneath a huge axe: Lin Jun killed him.
• Li Feng and Tian Rong explain that demons in the inner region may attack humans during the Ascension Ritual. They want the human Lineages to cooperate rather than enter separately. Lin Jun says little, but rises and tells them to lead the way, and Chen Yan follows.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun establishes authority over the Sun Family and calmly faces the visitors’ suspicion and alarm. His decision to go with them suggests he is willing to join their alliance, though he does not explicitly promise to do so.
• The Sun Family’s mortals transfer their loyalty from Sun Ye to Lin Jun, valuing the person who protects them over blood ties.
• Chen Yan has become firmly loyal to Lin Jun and supports him without question.
• Li Feng and Tian Rong approach seeking help, but are shaken by the discovery that Lin Jun has killed Huang Tu. They cautiously press him about the circumstances before presenting their proposal.
• The old steward publicly validates Lin Jun’s leadership and recounts Huang Tu’s death, while nearly revealing his resentment of Sun Ye.

Significant themes

• Loyalty through protection: In a dangerous world, people trust whoever keeps them alive, not necessarily their relatives or inherited leaders.
• Power and legitimacy: Lin Jun’s authority is accepted because of his actions, while the visitors reassess him after seeing evidence of his strength.
• Unstable cooperation: Humans and demons are bound by the Ascension Ritual’s rules, but distrust persists, making alliances necessary and fragile.
• Violence framed as self-defense: Lin Jun’s followers describe Huang Tu’s killing as defense, though the visitors find that explanation hard to accept.

• Key events: Lin Jun’s group reaches the inner perimeter of the Ascension Ritual, where Tian Shuo—the silver-white, three-horned Demon horse—leads the gathered Demons through the cracked curtain of light. He warns that outsiders have recently slipped in, prompting Chen Yan to worry that their disguise may be exposed. Inside, the ritual seems to be an empty expanse of light, but the Demons discover an invisible resistance they must force aside to advance.
• Lin Jun’s unusual advantage: Lin Jun encounters no resistance. The Demon Kingdom Secret Treasure at his chest beats increasingly hard, apparently protecting him from the obstacle. He hides this advantage and follows the others.
• Confrontation: The Ghost-Faced Spider Demon suspects Lin Jun is an outsider and blocks his path. Li Feng and Tian Rong try to explain that Lin Jun is the Sun Family’s acting head and urge him not to provoke the Demons. The Spider Demon knocks them aside, leaving them bloodied. Lin Jun immediately strikes back, denting the Spider Demon’s back, though its protective silk absorbs much of the blow.
• Character developments and interactions: Lin Jun remains quiet and conceals his secret, but responds to the Spider Demon’s aggression with decisive violence. Li Feng and Tian Rong act cautiously and try to protect him through diplomacy, while the Spider Demon uses its authority to threaten and exclude the humans. Tian Shuo, focused on reaching the ritual’s treasures, shows little interest in disputes between humans and Demons.
• Themes: The chapter highlights the clash between cooperation and self-interest: the Demons tolerate humans only while they remain useful, and the Spider Demon is willing to discard rules when treasure is at stake. It also contrasts appearances with hidden realities—the ritual looks empty but contains an unseen barrier, while Lin Jun’s secret treasure quietly gives him an advantage.

Plot points and events

• The Ghost-Faced Spider Demon attacks Lin Jun with steel spikes. Lin catches two barehanded, then withstands the rest of the assault; his skin is only briefly marked, while all eight of the Spider Demon’s legs break.
• Chen Yan offers to handle the other Demons, hoping to prove himself. The gathered Demons consider taking advantage of Lin’s apparent death, but his killing intent makes them back down.
• Tian Rong and Li Feng witness Lin’s strength and realize he is far more powerful than they had assumed. The terrified Spider Demon tries to stall, inwardly hoping for someone else to arrive before Lin finishes him.
• Outside the Ascension Ritual’s barrier, Zhou Wu and Zhao Gan arrive through a hidden gap. They reveal that Demons and humans conspired to open the ritual.
• Zhou Wu admits he sacrificed millions of people outside Great Yin to create this opportunity and intends to keep the prize for himself rather than share it with his sect. Zhao Gan says he killed the Flame Martial Hall disciples, though their ability to rise again made the task difficult.
• Zhao Gan refuses Zhou Wu’s offer to join the Yin Ruins Sect. The pair enter the ritual, and the gap closes behind them.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun demonstrates overwhelming strength and composure, shifting the Demons from opportunistic confidence to fear.
• Chen Yan seeks to prove his worth by taking on the lesser Demons.
• The Spider Demon changes from frenzied aggression to desperate bargaining and covertly hopes for rescue.
• Tian Rong and Li Feng revise their view of Lin, recognizing that his power far exceeds their expectations.
• Zhou Wu is revealed as ruthless and self-serving: he has committed mass murder for personal gain and conceals his plan from his sect.
• Zhao Gan is capable and mercenary but values his independence. He and Zhou Wu negotiate over the risks and rewards while remaining wary of each other.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Lin’s effortless resilience overturns the Demons’ assumptions and establishes the danger of underestimating him.
• Greed and opportunism: Both the Demons and Zhou Wu seek to profit from the ritual, though Zhou Wu’s ambition comes at a catastrophic human cost.
• Betrayal and hidden motives: The ritual’s opening involved a secret human–Demon alliance, and Zhou Wu plans to exclude his own sect from the gains.
• Independence versus allegiance: Zhao Gan rejects sect membership, preferring personal freedom despite the benefits Zhou Wu offers.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Wu and Zhao Gan enter the Ascension Ritual’s final region, where Lin Jun is chasing the badly injured Ghost-Faced Spider Demon.
• The Spider Demon begs them for help, reminding them of their deal. Zhou Wu refuses: he considers his bargain fulfilled and has no reason to save the demon.
• Zhou Wu orders Zhao Gan to ensure there are no witnesses, intent on keeping his acquisition of the Ritual’s treasure secret. Lin Jun kills the Spider Demon before they intervene.
• Zhou Wu praises Lin Jun and offers him a position in the Yin Ruins Sect, but recognizes him when he gets closer. Realizing Lin Jun could expose his secret, Zhou Wu decides he cannot let him leave.
• Zhou Wu threatens Lin Jun, assuming his prolonged fight has left him powerless. Lin Jun reveals he has been recovering his strength, then smashes the Ritual’s light barrier with a single palm strike.
• Zhou Wu narrowly avoids the blow and prepares to fight, confident that his sect’s standing and his own Martial Saint status will prevail.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Wu is calculating and ruthless: he treats the Spider Demon as expendable, plans to eliminate witnesses, and attempts to recruit Lin Jun before resorting to threats. His confidence falters when Lin Jun demonstrates unexpected strength.
• Lin Jun appears exhausted but has been regaining his strength. He remains silent through Zhou Wu’s offer and threat, then acts decisively, showing that his physical power is still formidable.
• Zhao Gan is ready to fight but grows uneasy around Lin Jun. He initially mistakes Lin Jun’s apparent weakness for genuine helplessness.
• Ghost-Faced Spider Demon dies bitterly, concluding that humans cannot be trusted.
• Zhou Wu’s proposed alliance with Lin Jun quickly turns hostile once he recognizes him and fears exposure. Meanwhile, the other demons stop fighting after the Spider Demon’s death, and Chen Yan hides his presence.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and mistrust: The Spider Demon’s final words reflect the chapter’s shifting alliances and Zhou Wu’s willingness to discard a former partner.
• Secrecy and self-preservation: Zhou Wu’s actions are driven by the need to conceal his claim to the Ritual’s treasure.
• Misjudging appearances: Lin Jun’s apparent exhaustion conceals his recovery and strength, while Zhou Wu’s assumptions lead him to underestimate his opponent.
• Power and entitlement: Zhou Wu expects his rank and influence to command obedience, but Lin Jun refuses to be intimidated.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Jun refuses Elder Zhou Wu’s offer to join the Yin Ruins Sect. He suspects it is a trap: he has killed one of the sect’s elders, knows Zhou Wu’s secret, and senses a disturbing amount of killing intent around him.
• Zhou Wu attacks with a Demon Kingdom flying sword that slows its target and mocks Lin Jun’s close-combat approach.
• The Ascension Ritual’s mysterious resistance grows stronger deeper inside its area. Lin Jun is unaffected, while the resistance gradually slows Zhou Wu’s sword. Lin Jun eventually grabs and restrains the weapon through sheer strength.
• Zhou Wu sends his Divine Soul out of his body, expecting to bypass the resistance and defeat Lin Jun. Lin Jun quickly kicks Zhou Wu’s body aside and seizes his exposed soul.
• As Lin Jun prepares to strike, Zhou Wu grabs his arm and attacks Lin Jun’s own soul. Lin Jun goes still, and the Ascension Ritual falls silent.
• Lin Jun soon regains awareness, leaving Zhou Wu terrified: his attack reveals that Lin Jun appears to have no Divine Soul at all. The chapter ends with Zhou Wu wondering what Lin Jun is.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun acts from both self-preservation and principle. He rejects Zhou Wu’s offer, condemns the elder’s apparent killing of ordinary people, and confidently relies on his formidable physical strength. His unnatural lack of a Divine Soul is revealed as a frightening mystery.
• Zhou Wu begins arrogant, confident that his treasure and cultivation make him untouchable. Lin Jun’s strength strips away that confidence, and Zhou Wu’s failed soul attack turns his contempt into panic.
• Zhao Gan recognizes the Ascension Ritual’s resistance and understands why Zhou Wu’s Divine Soul can bypass it, but he freezes when Lin Jun gains the upper hand.
• Li Feng and Tian Rong recover enough to consider what to do, then decide they are far too weak to join the fight. Chen Yan likewise wants to intervene but holds back, sensing he would be killed.
• Zhou Wu’s interactions with Lin Jun shift sharply from recruitment and taunting to desperate combat and fear; the onlookers can only watch the clash between vastly powerful fighters.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus true strength: Zhou Wu dismisses physical combat as inferior, but Lin Jun’s body-tempering proves decisive.
• Power and vulnerability: Zhou Wu’s advanced cultivation and Demon Weapon do not protect him once his strategy fails.
• Moral boundaries: Lin Jun’s hostility is fueled not only by danger to himself but by his belief that ordinary people must not be treated as disposable.
• The uncanny and unknown: Lin Jun’s apparent absence of a soul challenges what Zhou Wu believes possible, recasting Lin Jun as something beyond ordinary human or demon.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Wu rejects Lin Jun’s attempt to influence or recruit him, activates a life-saving formation, and returns to his body. He threatens Zhao Gan for his hesitation.
• Lin Jun attacks again. In the place cut off from heaven and earth, neither fighter can use their Dao Realm normally, but Lin Jun still outmatches Zhou Wu, destroying his robe and another of Zhou Wu’s treasures.
• Zhou Wu raises the Six Jia Mystic Life Formation for protection, but discovers that Lin Jun can control part of the Ascension Ritual through the Demon Kingdom Secret Treasure.
• Lin Jun intensifies the Ritual’s resistance, pinning Zhou Wu in place, then crushes him with a clenched fist. The humans and Demons nearby watch in shock as a Martial Saint dies.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun moves from fighting with weapons and physical force to wielding the Ascension Ritual itself. Though he does not fully understand this ability, he uses it decisively to kill Zhou Wu.
• Zhou Wu shifts from contempt and anger to disbelief and terror. His formations and strength cannot protect him from the Ritual’s resistance.
• Zhao Gan remains conflicted and does not attack Lin Jun in earnest, despite Zhou Wu’s warning. Lin Jun brushes aside his attempted strike.
• The Demons and other witnesses are stunned, having seen only Lin Jun gesture before Zhou Wu was crushed.

Significant themes

• Power beyond conventional strength: Lin Jun’s control of the Ritual defeats protections that would ordinarily resist a powerful martial artist.
• The unknown legacy of the Demon Kingdom: Zhou Wu’s fear reflects both the awe and ambition surrounding its mysterious power.
• A reversal of status: A newly ascended Martial Saint kills an elder from a major sect, upending expectations of who holds power.

Key plot points

• After Lin Jun crushes Yin Ruins Sect elder Zhou Wu, both the Demons and humans fear he may turn on them. Their escape is blocked by a light barrier, leaving them uneasy and dependent on him.
• Lin Jun senses that the newly connected Demon Kingdom Secret Treasure gives him control over an invisible force in the area.
• He questions Zhao Gan, whose human disguise had fooled even Zhou Wu. Zhao reveals he is a Demon from the ancient Slaughter Buddha Kingdom, where humans and Demons are said to live as equals. He serves Master Can Si by gathering intelligence and recruiting people.
• Zhao says Can Si possesses the blade of the Demon-Exalting Sword; its hilt was stolen by Quwu Demon Sage and later ended up with the Demon Exorcism Bureau. Lin Jun reveals that he has the hilt—and that he killed Qu Wu. Zhao urges him to join the Buddha Kingdom, but Lin Jun postpones any decision and intends to investigate it later.
• Lin Jun extracts Zhou Wu’s Dao Realm, pursuing the resources he needs to advance his unusual cultivation.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun remains guarded and pragmatic. He does not trust Zhao’s account at face value, questions why the Bureau knows nothing of the Buddha Kingdom, and wonders why Can Si has not used the sword blade to open the Jade Abode. Still, he is intrigued enough to investigate.
• Zhao Gan shifts from cautious deference to eager recruitment once he recognizes Lin Jun’s power and learns he has the sword hilt. He hopes Lin Jun will strengthen the Buddha Kingdom and earn him a reward.
• The humans and Demons react to Zhou Wu’s death with fear and uncertainty. Chen Yan, Li Feng, and Tian Rong regret having brought Lin Jun into their midst, realizing they badly underestimated him.

Significant themes

• Deception and hidden identity: Zhao Gan passes as human for centuries, while Lin Jun’s own Demonic nature is concealed within the Demon Exorcism Bureau.
• Uncertain loyalties: Human and Demon labels do not clearly determine allegiance; the Buddha Kingdom claims equality between them, while Lin Jun remains independent of either side.
• Power and caution: Lin Jun’s overwhelming strength makes others wary, but he approaches new claims and opportunities skeptically.
• Ambition and advancement: His extraction of Zhou Wu’s Dao Realm reflects his determination to progress quickly rather than wait for gradual gains.

Chapter Summary: “Want to Come Along?”

Plot Points and Events

• Lin Jun orders Zhao Gan to stand guard while he deals with the defeated Zhou Wu.
• He drains Zhou Wu’s body and extracts a single Dao Realm, though he is puzzled that one of the Six Peak True Persons possesses only one.
• Lin Jun successfully refines the Dao Realm, spending much of his remaining experience.
• He claims Zhou Wu’s Demon Kingdom Demon Weapon, discovering that the flying sword is primarily defensive rather than offensive.
• The sword can automatically block attacks and counterattack with Sword Qi. Lin Jun tests it against Zhao Gan, severing Zhao Gan’s transformed blade.
• Lin Jun proceeds toward the center of the Ascension Ritual, while the surrounding force prevents Zhao Gan from following.
• He reaches a vast plain covered in ancient bones and ruined weapons, revealing that countless members of the Demon Exorcism Bureau, the Yin Ruins Sect, other sects, and demons have died there.
• At the center, Lin Jun encounters Tian Shuo beside a pillar of light leading toward the heavens.
• Tian Shuo explains his lifelong obsession with returning to the Demon Kingdom and entering the true “Heaven Beyond Heaven.” He invites Lin Jun to accompany him.
• Lin Jun declines because he distrusts the unknown nature of the pillar and Tian Shuo’s goal.
• Tian Shuo enters the pillar and vanishes, apparently ascending. Moments later, his roasted horse corpse falls from the sky, revealing that Tian Shuo has died.

Character Developments

• Lin Jun: Demonstrates increasing power and pragmatism by refining Zhou Wu’s Dao Realm and weapon. He gains an important defensive artifact but remains cautious and skeptical of mysteries he does not understand. His refusal to follow Tian Shuo shows restraint and independence.
• Zhao Gan: Becomes increasingly awed and fearful of Lin Jun after witnessing Zhou Wu’s corpse disintegrate and seeing the flying sword effortlessly defeat him. His loyalty remains strong, though he is unable to accompany Lin Jun further.
• Tian Shuo: Reveals his centuries-long—or possibly even longer—fixation on the Demon Kingdom. His excitement and emotional confession expose both his sincere yearning and his obsession. His sudden death demonstrates the lethal danger of the ascension path.
• Tian Rong: Regrets entering the secret treasure after seeing Lin Jun’s overwhelming success and escape toward the ritual’s center.

Significant Themes

• Power and its consequences: Lin Jun’s strength allows him to overcome opponents and claim powerful treasures, but the mysterious realm remains dangerous even to someone as powerful as Tian Shuo.
• Obsession versus caution: Tian Shuo blindly pursues a lifelong dream, while Lin Jun refuses to risk himself without understanding the truth.
• The unknown and hidden danger: The pillar of light appears to offer transcendence, yet Tian Shuo’s death reveals that appearances can be deceptive.
• The cost of ambition: The mass grave surrounding the ritual and Tian Shuo’s fate suggest that countless beings have sacrificed themselves pursuing the Demon Kingdom.
• Trust and manipulation: Lin Jun questions why Tian Shuo deceived others into entering the ritual if he could have come alone, hinting that Tian Shuo’s motives may have been more complicated than he admitted.

Character Interactions

• Lin Jun dismisses Zhao Gan’s suggestion to kill the remaining demons and humans, showing his indifference toward unnecessary conflict.
• Zhao Gan attacks Lin Jun at his request, allowing Lin Jun to test the flying sword’s automatic defense and counterattack.
• Tian Shuo speaks nostalgically and emotionally to Lin Jun about his past and invites him to share his final journey.
• Lin Jun politely but firmly refuses, creating a contrast between Tian Shuo’s emotional obsession and Lin Jun’s guarded pragmatism.
• Tian Shuo’s apparent ascent—and immediate death—leaves Lin Jun questioning the true purpose and danger of the Ascension Ritual.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Jun discovers that Tian Shuo has died beside the Ascension Ritual’s pillar of light, apparently without a chance to resist. The pillar is dimming, and Lin Jun takes Tian Shuo’s corpse, expecting to find valuable Dao Realms.
• He finds Zhao Gan, the twelve Flame Martial Hall generals, and the other participants reduced to bones. He realizes that activating the ritual consumed their flesh and blood; without the Demon Kingdom Secret Treasure, he might have suffered the same fate.
• Lin Jun escapes Deadwater. Outside, Sun Ye, head of the Sun Family, demands a share of Lin Jun’s supposed spoils because Lin Jun used the family’s name to enter the ritual. Lin Jun refuses and effortlessly sends Sun Ye flying, then continues north as the Ascension Ritual collapses.
• Back in the Capital City, Lin Jun refines Tian Shuo’s corpse and gains two Dao Realms, bringing his total to six—enough to contend with a late-stage Saint Realm cultivator. The process uses up most of his accumulated experience points.
• Lin Jun plants the Ginseng Demon’s roots at the Nation Vein. Its vitality revives the Dao Seed Mother Tree, impressing Liu Yu.
• Liu Yu questions whether Dao Realms truly come from nature, suggesting they may have been made by humans or originated in the Demon Kingdom. Lin Jun recognizes the possibility but decides not to investigate further for now.
• A messenger summons Lin Jun to the General Directorate: monks have arrived at North Pass demanding that Great Yin return something. Lin Jun suspects they are from the Slaughter Buddha Kingdom.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun is shaken by the scale of the threat behind Tian Shuo’s death, but redirects his anxiety into becoming stronger. He remains practical, focused on survival and cultivation rather than pursuing mysteries he cannot yet act on. He also shows no patience for Sun Ye’s opportunism.
• Liu Yu has begun examining her family’s history and asking broader questions about Dao Realms and the world’s past, showing growing curiosity and independent thought.
• Sun Ye misreads Lin Jun’s weakened appearance as an opportunity to extort him. Lin Jun’s decisive response quickly ends the confrontation.
• Lin Jun’s exchanges with Liu Yu reveal that, despite his reluctance to speculate, he is beginning to see connections between Dao Realms and the Demon Kingdom.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: Lin Jun responds to fear by prioritizing strength and cultivation.
• Hidden costs and deception: The Ascension Ritual’s promise of rewards conceals a deadly price paid by its participants.
• Uncertain origins of power: Liu Yu’s questions challenge the assumption that Dao Realms are natural, hinting at a deeper connection between human cultivation and the Demon Kingdom.
• A widening mystery: The ritual’s collapse and the monks’ arrival suggest that forces beyond Lin Jun’s current understanding are moving into the open.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Jun is summoned urgently by Guan Cheng after returning from his previous mission. Military Commissioner Cang Jian has retreated to his coffin because his life is nearly over, while Yan Gong is already away.
• A group of monks has arrived in Yu Prefecture demanding the Demon-Exalting Sword Hilt, which Lin Jun possesses. Guan Cheng warns that refusing them could plunge the distant prefecture into chaos; the Yin Vein may not be enough to stop their leader, a Late-Stage Saint.
• Lin Jun refuses to surrender the hilt and decides to confront the monks. He believes his Six Paths Dao Realm strength, physical body, and the Yin Vein give him a chance against a powerful opponent. Guan Cheng urges him not to risk his life for Yu Prefecture.
• In Yu Prefecture, Zheng Wang anxiously waits for help, knowing the local Yin Vein is unlikely to defeat the monks’ leader. The monks have been cultivating at the Demon Affairs Prefecture while demanding the treasure.
• Saint Virtue arrives to claim that the agreed three-day waiting period has ended. Zheng Wang points out that a day remains by Great Yin’s reckoning, but Saint Virtue insists that three days have passed in the Buddha Kingdom—revealing a deliberate pretext to escalate matters. He threatens Zheng Wang, and the chapter ends as his aura surges.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun acts decisively and accepts responsibility for confronting the threat, showing confidence in his strength and commitment to keeping the sword hilt.
• Guan Cheng reveals deep concern for Great Yin’s weakening defenses. He respects Lin Jun’s judgment but fears the nation is relying too heavily on him.
• Zheng Wang is frightened and frustrated by the crisis, yet tries to defend Great Yin’s claim and buy time. He summons the Nation Vein’s Nine-Tail Fox for reassurance.
• Saint Virtue appears calm and sacred, but his manipulation of the deadline and explicit threat expose an aggressive, coercive intent.
• The exchanges between Guan Cheng and Lin Jun show the tension between protecting territory and preserving a vital defender; those between Zheng Wang and Saint Virtue turn a diplomatic demand into an imminent confrontation.

Significant themes

• A faltering state and overburdened heroes: Great Yin’s distant defenses are weak, leaving Lin Jun to shoulder responsibilities that should belong to the nation.
• Power and vulnerability: Even supernatural defenses such as the Yin Vein and Nation Vein may be inadequate against elite opponents.
• Coercion disguised as diplomacy: Saint Virtue’s altered interpretation of the deadline suggests the monks’ demand is a pretext rather than a good-faith negotiation.
• Loyalty and resolve: Lin Jun’s refusal to surrender the hilt reflects both personal conviction and his readiness to face danger for Great Yin.

Plot points and events

• Shengde, an immensely powerful monk, destroys the Demon Affairs Prefecture and demands that Great Yin surrender the Buddha Kingdom’s supposed “precious treasure”—the Demon-Exalting Sword. He claims Lin Jun stole it, though the sword is only a hilt and Yan Gong doubts it ever belonged to the Buddha Kingdom.
• Zheng Wang’s Yin Vein Avatar fights Shengde but is badly defeated. Shengde heals himself with vast quantities of Incense Power and declares that, if Great Yin will not surrender the treasure, he will take Yu Prefecture as compensation.
• Military Commissioner Yan Gong arrives and challenges Shengde, warning him not to bully the younger generation. Shengde reveals a terrifying technique: a giant Buddha surrounded by apparently living, chanting monks who generate exceptionally pure Incense Power.
• Shengde’s Buddha light instantly destroys Yan Gong’s ghostly forces and sets him ablaze. Yan Gong suppresses the fire, but his injuries leave him near death. As he admits that he still wants to live, a familiar voice tells him, “Then keep living.”

Character developments

• Zheng Wang shifts from stunned disbelief to grim acceptance of the danger. He recognizes that the crisis is beyond his strength and warns Yan Gong about Shengde’s ability to create Incense Power.
• Yan Gong stands up for Zheng Wang and confronts Shengde despite the overwhelming odds. Even as his life nears its end, he reveals a strong desire to survive.
• Shengde is shown to be ruthless and far more dangerous than a negotiator: he uses a disputed claim about the sword to justify attacking Great Yin and is willing to destroy an entire prefecture.

Character interactions

• Zheng Wang’s subordinates pull him from the ruins, urging him to retreat rather than die needlessly.
• Zheng Wang and the Yin Vein Avatar oppose Shengde, but the Avatar cannot overcome his superior power.
• Yan Gong intervenes on Zheng Wang’s behalf, attempting to redirect Shengde’s grievance toward Great Yin’s senior authorities. Their confrontation quickly turns into a one-sided battle.
• When Zheng Wang tries to catch the falling Yan Gong, Yan Gong pushes him away to protect him from the golden fire.

Significant themes

• The will to live: Yan Gong’s final admission that he does not want to die gives the chapter its central emotional note.
• Power and helplessness: Zheng Wang and Yan Gong both face an enemy whose abilities exceed their defenses.
• Duty and protection: Yan Gong risks himself to shield Zheng Wang and defend Great Yin.
• Pretext and aggression: Shengde’s questionable claim to the sword suggests that his demand may be a justification for conquest rather than a genuine attempt at negotiation.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Jun arrives during Yan Gong’s confrontation with the monk Shengde and offers Yan precious herbs. When Yan says his life is nearly over, Lin gives him a Mid-Saint Realm Ginseng Demon that can extend his lifespan. Yan agrees to share half with Cang Jian.
• Yan worries that Lin is giving away a rare life-saving treasure, but Lin points out that he is only twenty-three.
• Shengde does not attack. Although he intended to strike, an ominous sense of danger holds him back while Lin and Yan speak.
• Yan warns Lin about the enormous Buddha in the sky, whose power comes from incense offerings rather than the usual energy of heaven and earth.
• Ding Cheng of Flame Martial Hall arrives and explains that the monks’ “Buddha Kingdom in the Palm” contains real people in Small Worlds, made to chant and generate incense offerings. This gives the monks a new, difficult-to-counter source of power.
• Ding offers to help, but Lin declines, confident that he himself is already unusually unconventional.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun shows generosity toward Yan and Cang Jian, while remaining self-assured and unperturbed by the monks’ unfamiliar abilities.
• Yan Gong accepts the chance to live longer but remains concerned for Lin’s safety and wary of Shengde’s power.
• Shengde appears composed, yet his hesitation reveals that Lin’s arrival frightens or unsettles him.
• Ding Cheng presents Flame Martial Hall as kin to the Demon Exorcism Bureau and offers support. Yan stays guarded, leaving Lin to decide whether to trust him; Lin refuses his help.

Significant themes

• Life, age, and second chances: The Ginseng Demon gives Yan and Cang Jian more time—and potentially another chance to advance.
• New paths and unconventional power: The monks’ use of incense instead of conventional cultivation energy challenges established assumptions.
• Alliance and trust: Ding invokes shared history and brotherhood, but the Bureau’s reserve suggests that old ties do not guarantee trust.
• Confidence amid danger: Lin’s humor and self-belief contrast with the uncertainty surrounding the monks’ power.

Key plot points and events

• Shengde asks Lin Jun to decide whether to negotiate, but Lin attacks without warning, making clear he has no intention of surrendering the Demon-Exalting Sword Hilt.
• Shengde’s prayer beads fail to stop Lin’s Moon-Covering Blade, and Lin survives a coordinated attack: monks bind him with golden threads while a giant Buddha’s golden light sets him ablaze. His wounds heal faster than the flames can burn him.
• Shengde tries to bargain, then summons a towering, wrathful Buddha. Yan Gong realizes Shengde’s “Buddha Kingdom” is built on a secret world where captive people are forced to chant and supply Incense Power.
• Lin summons a phantom general powered by Worldly Momentum. Though it initially cannot overcome the Buddha, Lin reveals the Six Paths Dao Realm, unleashing a vast surge of power. The general cleaves the Buddha in two and grievously wounds Shengde.
• As Lin moves to finish Shengde, an unknown streak of light rushes toward him. Yan Gong, still weakened, recognizes that enemy reinforcements have arrived at a critical moment.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jun remains defiant and self-assured, refusing to negotiate or return the sword hilt. His rapid healing, mastery of Worldly Momentum, and possession of all six Dao paths reveal power far beyond what his apparent cultivation level suggests.
• Shengde shifts from confidence to wariness, then desperation. Lin’s resilience and hidden strength force him to bargain, but he ultimately relies on the Buddha and his captive followers before being badly defeated.
• Yan Gong warns Lin about the Buddha’s deadly light and is horrified by Shengde’s exploitation of people. He wants to assist but is too injured to intervene effectively.
• Ding Cheng initially expects Lin may be in danger, then recognizes that Lin has turned the fight around.

Significant themes

• Power and concealed strength: Lin repeatedly overturns expectations, revealing capabilities that exceed his apparent rank.
• Exploitation disguised as religion: Shengde’s Buddha Kingdom uses captive people as tools to generate Incense Power, exposing the cruelty behind its sacred image.
• Defiance and possession: Lin rejects Shengde’s claim to the sword hilt, asserting that having it is reason enough not to give it back.
• A precarious victory: Lin overwhelms Shengde, but the arrival of an unknown attacker leaves the outcome unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “When Did the Vortex Form?”

Key plot points and events

• Lin Jun kills the monk Shengde after blocking his attack with a flying sword. The weapon splits Shengde’s staff in two before returning to Lin Jun.
• An old nun arrives and orders Lin Jun to spare Shengde, but Lin Jun ignores her and kills him. He also reveals that he had already killed the monk’s four companions while speaking to her.
• The nun attacks Lin Jun in fury. He avoids her first strike, grabs her arm, and tears it off with overwhelming physical strength.
• The wounded nun unleashes the “Myriad Buddhas Ascend Heaven” and “Great Compassion Formation,” using golden needles, a massive formation, and numerous ordinary people transformed into Golden Body Arhats.
• Her formation traps Lin Jun beneath a pillar of golden light and subjects him to a powerful bolt of golden lightning.
• Lin Jun survives with only superficial wounds. He then begins repeating the nun’s commands—“Rise” and “Slay”—apparently turning her own technique against her.
• The chapter ends with the nun noticing that a vortex has formed in the clouds, suggesting Lin Jun is preparing a powerful counterattack.

Character developments

• Lin Jun is portrayed as brutally confident, physically dominant, and unconcerned with authority or threats. His flying sword and resilience reveal that he possesses unusually powerful abilities, possibly connected to a Demon Kingdom weapon.
• The old nun shifts from a seemingly benevolent figure into a vindictive and ruthless opponent. Her shock grows as Lin Jun withstands her strongest attack and imitates her techniques.
• Ding Cheng recognizes Lin Jun’s strength and offers assistance, though Lin Jun distrusts or ignores him. Ding Cheng also displays impressive movement skills and a perceptive understanding of the battle.
• Yan Gong condemns the nun’s use of ordinary people as weapons, revealing his moral opposition to her methods.

Significant themes

• Arrogance and retaliation: Both Lin Jun and the nun refuse to yield, turning the confrontation into a contest of pride.
• Power versus authority: Lin Jun refuses to obey the nun simply because she commands him, emphasizing strength over rank or religious status.
• Moral corruption: The nun’s use of innocent people as Golden Body Arhats contrasts with her benevolent appearance and exposes the darker side of her methods.
• Hidden power and reversal: The nun believes she has trapped and defeated Lin Jun, but his survival and control of the battlefield suggest that the apparent victim may have been preparing a counterattack all along.
• Mystery of Lin Jun’s weapon: The flying sword appears to possess extraordinary defensive capabilities, though its true nature remains uncertain.

Character interactions

• Lin Jun openly provokes the nun by refusing her order and informing her that he killed the other monks.
• Ding Cheng approaches Lin Jun with an offer of help but later retreats to observe alongside Yan Gong.
• Yan Gong and Ding Cheng discuss Lin Jun’s strength and the nun’s methods while maintaining distance from the fight.
• The nun’s techniques and commands are deliberately echoed by Lin Jun, transforming their confrontation into a psychological and martial challenge.

Chapter Summary: “Is That All?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Jun traps the old nun inside a powerful sword formation. His Demon Kingdom flying sword enters the vortex in Heaven, summoning a colossal sword that suppresses her movement.
• The nun attempts to resist by drawing on Incense Power from the surrounding Golden Arhats and from additional Buddha Kingdoms she possesses.
• Lin Jun reveals that the sword formation has two functions: suppression and execution. He uses the suppression stage to immobilize the nun while unleashing a gray-black Mystic Wind beneath her.
• The Mystic Wind slowly erodes the nun from the outside inward while the sword formation prevents her escape. Her prolonged screams horrify Ding Cheng and unsettle Yan Gong.
• After roughly fifteen minutes, the nun is completely destroyed. The Golden Arhats collapse, and Lin Jun discovers several Small Worlds left behind because they resisted the Mystic Wind.
• One Small World contains tens of thousands of living monks being used as sources of extremely pure Incense Power. Their existence shocks Yan Gong, who views them as victims reduced to living tools.
• The Golden Arhats are revealed to be empty shells: their bodies and souls remain, but their consciousness has been destroyed, leaving them capable only of chanting.
• Lin Jun decides to travel north toward the Buddha Kingdom containing the body of the Demon-Exalting Sword. He also declares his intention to exterminate the Can Si monks responsible for the Buddha Kingdom’s atrocities.

Character Developments

• Lin Jun: Demonstrates increased mastery of the Netherworld Slaughter Sword Formation and develops a new tactic combining suppression with Mystic Wind erosion. His methods are ruthless, but his anger is rooted in protecting humans and punishing those who exploit them. He remains determined to obtain the Demon-Exalting Sword.
• The old nun: Initially confident that she can escape the formation, she becomes increasingly desperate as Incense Power fails to free her. Her eventual destruction exposes the limits of her power against Lin Jun’s techniques.
• Yan Gong: Becomes more respectful and emotionally supportive of Lin Jun. He recognizes that Lin Jun’s humanity has not been corrupted by immense power, unlike the elites who treat ordinary people as inferior beings.
• Ding Cheng: Remains cautious and frightened, hiding behind Yan Gong during the nun’s torture. He is disturbed by both Lin Jun’s terrifying technique and the condition of the enslaved monks.
• The monks and Golden Arhats: Are portrayed as victims whose bodies, souls, and spiritual energy have been exploited by the Buddha Kingdom.

Significant Themes

• Power and humanity: The chapter questions whether overwhelming strength causes people to see ordinary humans as lesser beings. Yan Gong realizes that Lin Jun’s continued identification with humanity is unusual and valuable.
• Religious power turned into oppression: Incense Power, normally associated with faith, has been transformed into a tool of control and exploitation.
• Dehumanization and slavery: The monks are kept alive as sources of Incense Power, while the Golden Arhats are reduced to mindless shells. Their condition is presented as worse than death.
• Justice and brutality: Lin Jun’s punishment of the nun is cruel and terrifying, raising questions about whether extreme violence can be justified when confronting those who commit atrocities.
• Human compassion and moral identity: Despite his growing power, Lin Jun still responds to the suffering of ordinary people as a human would, suggesting that moral identity matters more than cultivation level.

Important Character Interactions

• The nun tries to challenge Lin Jun’s attack, but his silent, sustained techniques overwhelm her confidence.
• Yan Gong and Ding Cheng observe Lin Jun’s battle from the sidelines, with Ding Cheng visibly frightened and Yan Gong remaining wary of Lin Jun’s methods.
• After the battle, Lin Jun entrusts the Small World of enslaved monks to Yan Gong, who vows to determine whether they can be saved or, failing that, grant them a merciful death.
• Yan Gong questions Lin Jun’s next objective, and Lin Jun explains that he will pursue the Demon-Exalting Sword while also killing the Can Si monks. Yan Gong approves, seeing this decision as evidence that Lin Jun has preserved his humanity.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Jun extracts two Dao Realms from Shengde’s corpse and discovers that Shengde and the old nun were demons, earning him 400,000 experience points in total. However, their relatively low individual rewards suggest they may have been human–demon hybrids created through an unusual method.
• Since the old nun’s corpse was not preserved, Lin Jun cannot extract her Dao Realm. He plans to investigate the matter further after meeting the monk Can Si, whose Buddha Kingdom appears dangerous and mysterious.
• Yan Gong consumes part of the monk’s corpse to restore his vitality. Lin Jun gives him Shengde’s Buddha Kingdom Small World before traveling north.
• Ding Cheng accompanies Lin Jun, claiming that he wants to repay Lin Jun for saving his son, Ding Fengyang. He also warns Lin Jun about the newly established Demon Kingdoms in the north.
• During their journey, Ding Cheng reveals that Flame Martial Hall’s real objective is the Dao Seed Mother Tree, which they believe will die within three years. They do not know that Lin Jun has already extended its lifespan.
• Ding Cheng urges Lin Jun to visit Flame Martial Hall, admit fault, and apologize for killing members of their organization. He implies that Flame Martial Hall considers Lin Jun part of their broader faction and expects the Demon Exorcism Bureau eventually to be absorbed by Flame Martial Hall.
• Lin Jun challenges Ding Cheng about the supposed merger, but Ding Cheng bluntly admits that Flame Martial Hall intends to annex the Demon Exorcism Bureau.
• Meanwhile, in the Buddha Kingdom, Master Can Si learns through his broken prayer beads that Shengde and Sheng Zhi have died. He realizes that the person responsible is approaching the Buddha Kingdom.

Character Developments

• Lin Jun: Becomes increasingly suspicious of the origins of Shengde and Sheng Zhi, recognizing that their demonic nature may involve advanced hybridization rather than ordinary transformation. He also gains confirmation that Flame Martial Hall is pursuing the Dao Seed Mother Tree and intends to dominate the Demon Exorcism Bureau. Lin Jun remains wary and refuses to lower himself before Flame Martial Hall.
• Ding Cheng: Presents himself as an ally and grateful father, thanking Lin Jun for saving Ding Fengyang. However, he also serves as a messenger for Flame Martial Hall, warning Lin Jun that more powerful figures may come after him. His loyalty is divided between personal gratitude and organizational allegiance.
• Yan Gong: Recovers some of his strength by consuming the monk’s body and receives Shengde’s Buddha Kingdom Small World from Lin Jun.
• Master Can Si: Is revealed to be calm, powerful, and manipulative. Rather than fearing the deaths of Shengde and Sheng Zhi, he views the arrival of their killer as an opportunity to gain another powerful disciple.

Significant Themes

• Political domination and forced unity: Flame Martial Hall frames absorption of the Demon Exorcism Bureau as a natural merger, exposing the unequal power relationship beneath the rhetoric of cooperation.
• Hidden agendas and manipulation: Ding Cheng mixes genuine gratitude with an attempt to pressure Lin Jun, while Can Si appears to convert dangerous enemies into obedient disciples through unknown methods.
• The nature of demons: The unusual experience rewards raise questions about hybrid beings, artificial demonization, and the relationship between humans, demons, and religious power.
• Power and recruitment: The Buddha Kingdom does not merely eliminate powerful opponents; it converts them, turning former threats into assets. Lin Jun may now be viewed as Can Si’s next potential disciple.
• Strategic secrets: Lin Jun’s extension of the Dao Seed Mother Tree’s lifespan gives him information that Flame Martial Hall lacks, creating a major hidden advantage.

Character Interactions

• Yan Gong and Lin Jun cooperate after the battle, with Lin Jun giving him the Buddha Kingdom Small World.
• Ding Cheng travels with Lin Jun and alternates between friendly conversation, gratitude for Ding Fengyang’s rescue, political persuasion, and veiled threats.
• Lin Jun refuses to accept Flame Martial Hall’s authority and questions whether their proposed unity is truly a merger or an annexation.
• In the Buddha Kingdom, the fierce-faced monk reacts with shock to the deaths of Shengde and Sheng Zhi, but then understands Can Si’s intention: their killer is being treated as a potential new disciple rather than an enemy.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Jun and Ding Cheng travel north toward the hidden Buddha Kingdom. Ding Cheng struggles to keep up and repeatedly warns that the monks and their Small World may pose a serious threat.
• A group of monks appears, saying Master Can Si sent them to escort Lin Jun. Lin Jun follows without hesitation; when Ding Cheng asks whether he fears a trap, Lin Jun says he can escape by running.
• Lin Jun reflects that his six Dao Realms greatly strengthen his Dao Martial techniques. In particular, his Swift Mountain Waters gives him extraordinary speed.
• After three days, they reach a narrow gorge and enter the Buddha Kingdom: a vast, golden valley filled with statues, monasteries, and chanting monks.
• They learn that the entire kingdom is celebrating Can Si’s choice of a third disciple in a thousand years. Can Si, seated atop a giant Buddha statue, addresses Lin Jun as his disciple and claims he has been waiting for him. Lin Jun responds by drawing his Moon-Covering Blade.

Character developments

• Lin Jun remains bold and self-assured, trusting his speed as a way out of danger. His growing understanding of how Dao Realms enhance Dao Martial techniques strengthens his confidence.
• Ding Cheng is wary and practical, but follows Lin Jun partly out of loyalty and partly to secure future favor. His warnings show genuine concern, though he also sees the journey as an investment.
• Can Si emerges as a powerful, enigmatic figure whose declaration suggests a prior claim or plan involving Lin Jun.

Significant themes

• Power and confidence: Lin Jun’s exceptional abilities make him willing to enter situations others would avoid.
• Risk, ambition, and self-interest: Ding Cheng balances concern for Lin Jun with hopes of gaining influence through him.
• Hidden threats: The new Demon Kingdoms appear weak, but their deeper dangers remain concealed.
• Fate and control: Can Si’s announcement that Lin Jun is his disciple raises questions about whether Lin Jun’s path has been anticipated—or imposed—by others.

Character interactions

• Ding Cheng repeatedly tries to caution Lin Jun, while Lin Jun brushes aside the danger with confidence.
• The monks treat Lin Jun as an expected guest and lead him into the Buddha Kingdom without waiting for his consent.
• Can Si’s public declaration directly challenges Lin Jun’s autonomy; Lin Jun’s drawn blade signals resistance rather than acceptance.