Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen, disguised as Lu Bufan, confronts Qin Ziyi, shocking the Thunder Clan. Although Lu Chen is only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, he dares to challenge Qin Ziyi, who has reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Qin Ziyi launches a powerful sword attack, but Lu Chen counters with his Five-Element Fist—Golden Dragon Surges from the Sea. His golden dragon fist collides head-on with the Chaotic Sword Light, producing a blinding explosion and revealing his astonishing combat strength.
• The battle’s radiance attracts several groups:
  • The Blissful Sect Master and his disciples decide to approach the Thunder Clan’s camp, hoping to exploit the situation if the Thunder Clan is weakened.
  • Shen Lian and members of the Artifact Refining Sect also move toward the camp while searching for Shen Li, whom Shen Lian considers a traitor.
• Shen Lian reveals that Shen Li killed his two half-brothers, unintentionally allowing Shen Lian—an illegitimate son with exceptional talent—to rise in status. Shen Lian now intends to capture Shen Li and torture him.
• Elsewhere, Qin Fan’s Avatar War Puppet has deceived the women of the Joyful Union Sect and lured them into Ten Thousand Souls Valley, a forbidden Extreme Yin Land.
• Yun Feiyan recognizes the danger of the valley. The women form a defensive formation, but they are soon surrounded by numerous eerie black shadows with scarlet eyes.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates that his true combat ability far exceeds what his Foundation Establishment cultivation suggests, successfully resisting Qin Ziyi’s devastating attack.
• Lei Ting and the Thunder Clan are stunned by Lu Chen’s strength, while Lei Yan secretly harbors hatred toward him but is forced to conceal it because she is too weak to confront him.
• Shen Li remains in danger as Shen Lian actively searches for him.
• Shen Lian emerges as an ambitious and vengeful figure. The deaths of his half-brothers have removed the obstacles preventing him from gaining recognition within the Artifact Refining Sect.
• Yun Feiyan proves knowledgeable and alert by identifying Ten Thousand Souls Valley, while Liu Fuyao takes a cautious leadership role when the group encounters the terrifying creatures.
• Qin Fan is revealed to be manipulating events from the shadows, deliberately placing the Joyful Union Sect in a deadly forbidden zone.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimated individuals: Lu Chen’s battle against a Nascent Soul expert challenges assumptions based solely on cultivation realm.
• Opportunity amid conflict: Several factions seek to exploit the Thunder Clan’s possible weakness rather than confront the danger directly.
• Betrayal, ambition, and revenge: Shen Lian’s rise depends on the deaths of his brothers, and his gratitude toward Shen Li is twisted into a desire for revenge.
• Deception and danger in the secret realm: Qin Fan’s trap emphasizes the treacherous nature of the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, where alliances and appearances cannot be trusted.
• Survival against overwhelming forces: The Joyful Union Sect faces a growing supernatural threat while trapped in an Extreme Yin forbidden land.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Qin Ziyi engage in a dramatic confrontation, with Lu Chen blocking Qin Ziyi’s sword attack.
• Lei Ting and the Thunder Clan watch Lu Chen’s battle in disbelief, while Lei Yan silently plans for a future opportunity against him.
• The Blissful Sect Master orders his disciples to approach the Thunder Clan’s encampment and potentially profit from the conflict.
• Shen Lian commands his followers to continue searching for Shen Li, then leads them toward the battle.
• Yun Feiyan and Liu Fuyao coordinate the Joyful Union Sect’s defense after recognizing the forbidden valley.
• The women of the Joyful Union Sect are forced into a desperate defensive formation as the black shadows surround them.

Chapter Summary: The Dao of Strength, One Force Subdues Ten Assemblies!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Night falls over Ten Thousand Souls Valley, an Extreme Yin Land filled with malevolent black shadows and terrifying souls. The women of the Joyful Union Sect remain trapped inside a protective formation, surrounded by dangerous entities.
• Qin Fan deliberately spreads news of their predicament, intending to lure Lu Chen—known publicly as Lu Bufan—into the valley so the Qin Household can ambush and kill him.
• The Qin Household holds Lu Chen responsible for the deaths of many of its elite descendants in the Thirteen Void Passes, as well as the deaths of two members of its Five Heroes. It has placed a bounty on Lu Bufan offering a Supreme Spirit Artifact.
• At the Thunder Clan encampment, Lu Chen battles Qin Ziyi. Despite being at the Foundation Establishment Realm, his recent breakthrough into the Extremity Realm allows him to contend with Qin Ziyi, a Nascent Soul cultivator.
• Qin Ziyi uses her powerful Azure Lotus Sword Art, creating six sword-body manifestations that form a massive Chaos Azure Lotus and trap Lu Chen inside.
• Lu Chen unleashes his Extreme-Breaking Power and manifests a gigantic figure formed from his aura and bloodline. Relying on overwhelming physical strength, he forces the lotus open and destroys it.
• Both combatants are seriously wounded. Qin Ziyi’s Chaos Sword pierces Lu Chen’s chest, while Lu Chen’s punch injures her severely. Qin Ziyi retreats using Sword-Body Unity.
• Lu Chen survives the chest wound because of his exceptionally tough body, though the invading Chaos Sword Qi remains troublesome.
• Before he can recover, another enemy suddenly arrives and attacks him, attempting to exploit his injuries. Lu Chen recognizes the attacker, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen/Lu Bufan: Demonstrates the extraordinary power of his Extremity Realm breakthrough. His body and Extreme-Breaking Power allow him to overcome a technique far beyond what his cultivation realm should withstand. He also proves capable of surviving a normally fatal wound.
• Qin Ziyi: Reveals the terrifying strength of her Chaos Sword techniques, including her Eighth Sword forged from Chaos Divine Iron. Although she wounds Lu Chen, she is also badly injured and forced to retreat.
• Qin Fan and the Qin Household: Their hatred of Lu Chen intensifies, and they resort to using the Joyful Union Sect as bait rather than confronting him directly.
• Joyful Union Sect women: Remain defensive and anxious as they face the sinister entities of Ten Thousand Souls Valley, with Liu Fuyao attempting to maintain order.

Significant Themes

• Strength overcoming technique: Lu Chen embodies the chapter’s central idea that overwhelming physical force can defeat even highly sophisticated and powerful techniques.
• The disparity between cultivation and combat power: Although Lu Chen’s cultivation is much lower than Qin Ziyi’s, his body, bloodline, and Extreme-Breaking Power allow him to fight on equal terms.
• Ambush and manipulation: The Qin Household exploits the trapped women to lure Lu Chen into a carefully prepared situation.
• Endurance and resilience: Lu Chen’s ability to survive Qin Ziyi’s Chaos Sword highlights the exceptional durability of his body.
• Rivalry and vengeance: The Qin Household’s losses fuel its determination to hunt Lu Chen, making their conflict increasingly personal.

Character Interactions

• Liu Fuyao, Qin Yurou, and Su Qingqing: Discuss the danger surrounding the formation, with Liu Fuyao organizing the women and Qin Yurou trying to reassure the others despite her own fear.
• Lu Chen and Qin Ziyi: Engage in a fierce, evenly matched battle. Their exchange showcases mutual recognition of one another’s strength, culminating in both suffering severe injuries.
• Lu Chen and the newly arrived attacker: Their confrontation begins immediately after Lu Chen’s battle with Qin Ziyi, with Lu Chen recognizing the enemy before the chapter ends.

Chapter Summary: “Don’t Show Off, or Lightning Will Strike You”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Fan arrives at the Thunder Clan’s encampment and finds Lu Chen—disguised as Lu Bufan—badly wounded after his battle with Qin Ziyi.
• Believing Lu Chen’s injuries have left him helpless, Qin Fan intends to kill him and gain revenge for the deaths of Qin Heng and another Qin brother.
• Qin Fan also hopes that killing Lu Chen will earn him the Qin Household head’s favor and help him claim the position of heir, since Qin Heng’s death removed his strongest rival.
• Lu Chen mocks Qin Fan’s confidence, insisting that his injuries are not serious enough to prevent him from fighting.
• Lei Ting defends Lu Chen, arguing that Qin Fan cannot kill a guest on Thunder Clan territory. Her sister, Lei Yan, urges the clan not to become involved, creating tension within the Thunder Clan.
• Shen Li, Tang Xiaoman, and Liu Yan’er also step forward to protect Lu Chen.
• Qin Fan reveals overwhelming power, releasing the aura of a Peak Golden Core cultivator and intimidating the surrounding disciples.
• Lei Ting confronts him, but she warns Lu Chen that the Qin Fan before them is only a War Puppet clone. Qin Fan’s true body has already reached the Nascent Soul Realm and cannot enter the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Despite his chest wound and the apparent danger, Lu Chen chooses to fight Qin Fan himself.
• Qin Fan launches a Sword Qi attack, but Lu Chen easily dodges it and suddenly appears before him, striking him in the face.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen/Lu Bufan: Demonstrates that his Limit-Breaking Physique allows him to continue fighting despite a severe wound from Qin Ziyi’s Chaos Sword Qi. His calm mockery and sudden speed show that he remains far stronger than Qin Fan expects.
• Qin Fan: Reveals himself as ambitious, arrogant, and opportunistic. He sees Lu Chen’s injuries as an easy path to revenge, political advancement, and the Qin Household heirship. His confidence begins to falter when Lu Chen effortlessly evades his attack.
• Lei Ting: Shows strong loyalty and protectiveness toward Lu Chen, openly opposing Qin Fan despite the political risk of angering the Qin Household. She also displays authority and combat power by confronting Qin Fan directly.
• Lei Yan: Takes a cautious, politically minded position, prioritizing the Thunder Clan’s safety over defending Lu Chen. Her disagreement with Lei Ting exposes division within the clan.
• Shen Li, Tang Xiaoman, and Liu Yan’er: Demonstrate their willingness to stand beside Lu Chen even against a much stronger opponent, reinforcing their loyalty and personal attachment to him.
• Qin Ziyi: Although absent, her previous battle with Lu Chen remains central. Her sword wound has not healed because Chaos Sword Qi still lingers in his body.

Significant Themes

• Arrogance and punishment: Qin Fan repeatedly boasts about his victory before securing it, while Lu Chen invokes the warning that “showing off” invites disaster. The chapter turns Qin Fan’s confidence into a source of irony.
• Hidden strength and misjudgment: Qin Fan assumes Lu Chen is nearly helpless because of his injury, but Lu Chen’s physical resilience and speed prove that appearances are deceptive.
• Loyalty versus political caution: Lei Ting and Lu Chen’s companions prioritize protecting him, while Lei Yan and the other Thunder Clan members fear the consequences of opposing the Qin Household.
• Ambition and opportunism: Qin Fan views revenge as a means to gain status and inherit the Qin Household, showing how personal grudges and political advancement are intertwined.
• Power hierarchies and hidden methods: The revelation that Qin Fan is using a War Puppet introduces a broader system in which powerful cultivators can project influence into restricted realms through alternate bodies.

Character Interactions

• Qin Fan threatens Lu Chen and dismisses his injuries, while Lu Chen responds with sarcasm and composure.
• Lei Ting confronts Qin Fan and claims the right to protect Lu Chen on Thunder Clan territory.
• Lei Yan challenges Lei Ting, arguing that defending Lu Chen could endanger the entire clan.
• Shen Li, Tang Xiaoman, and Liu Yan’er physically place themselves between Lu Chen and Qin Fan.
• Lei Ting explains Qin Fan’s War Puppet nature and warns Lu Chen about his true strength.
• The chapter ends with Lu Chen taking control of the confrontation by dodging Qin Fan’s attack and countering with a punch.

Chapter Summary: Dismantling Qin Fan’s Battle Puppet Clone

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Fan, believing Lu Bufan/Lu Chen to be weakened after Qin Ziyi’s attack, attempts to kill him.
• Lu Chen easily dodges Qin Fan’s sword and sends him flying with a single punch, shocking everyone present.
• Qin Fan unleashes the Qin family’s Mountains-and-Rivers Sword, but Lu Chen destroys the Sword Qi with another punch and severely damages him.
• It is revealed that Qin Fan is fighting through a powerful Battle Puppet Clone made from Superior Spirit Iron. Although the puppet can rapidly repair itself, Lu Chen remains overwhelmingly stronger.
• Qin Fan’s puppet attacks with transforming weapons and hidden projectiles, but Lu Chen counters every move and redirects the weapons back at him.
• Qin Fan attempts to flee, but Lu Chen pursues and catches him outside the valley.
• Lu Chen tears off the puppet’s arms and legs, then removes its head, completely dismantling it.
• To humiliate Qin Fan further, Lu Chen asks Lei Ting where the latrine is and throws the puppet’s head into the cesspit.
• Qin Fan, whose divine sense remains connected to the puppet, experiences the humiliation directly. Back in Void City, he vows to have someone else kill Lu Chen.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen/Lu Bufan: Demonstrates that his strength remains terrifying despite his injuries from Qin Ziyi. He is confident, mocking, and deliberately cruel toward Qin Fan, shifting from simply defeating him to humiliating him.
• Qin Fan: His arrogance collapses as his supposedly powerful Battle Puppet proves helpless against Lu Chen. His shock turns to rage and hatred, and he begins planning retaliation through other people.
• Lei Ting and the onlookers: Their disbelief at Lu Chen’s continued combat ability turns into astonishment as they witness him dismantle a Superior Spirit Iron puppet with his bare hands. Lei Ting also becomes an indirect participant in Qin Fan’s humiliation by leading Lu Chen to the latrine.
• Qin Ziyi: Though absent from the battle, her earlier attack is important because everyone assumes Lu Chen should still be weakened by it. His performance disproves that assumption.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming strength versus arrogance: Qin Fan underestimates Lu Chen and pays for his confidence.
• Humiliation and vengeance: The defeat is not merely physical; Lu Chen intentionally degrades Qin Fan, intensifying Qin Fan’s desire for revenge.
• Appearance versus reality: Lu Chen appears injured and weakened, but his actual combat power remains far beyond what others expect.
• Technology and cultivation: Qin Fan’s advanced Battle Puppet, capable of regeneration, weapon transformation, and hidden attacks, is rendered useless against superior martial strength.
• Escalating conflict: Qin Fan’s defeat does not end the rivalry; instead, it pushes him toward using outside forces against Lu Chen.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Qin Fan: Their confrontation moves from combat to psychological domination. Lu Chen repeatedly mocks Qin Fan’s weakness, compares him unfavorably to Qin Ziyi, and dismantles his puppet piece by piece.
• Lu Chen and Lei Ting: Lu Chen calmly asks Lei Ting for the location of a latrine, and she assists him despite initially being confused by the request.
• Qin Fan and the observers: Qin Fan’s defeat shocks everyone, especially because his Peak Golden Core-level puppet is effortlessly overpowered.
• Qin Fan and his puppet: Through the divine sense hidden in the puppet’s head, Qin Fan directly experiences its destruction and final humiliation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Fan’s Battle Puppet Clone is defeated by Lu Chen, who humiliates Qin Fan by throwing the puppet’s head into a latrine. Because the true body can sense the clone’s destruction, Qin Fan becomes furious.
• Qin Fan summons his hidden younger brother, Qin Hao, and orders him to enter the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm and kill Lu Bufan—Lu Chen’s current identity.
• Qin Hao possesses the rare Supreme Devouring Variant Spiritual Root, allowing him to absorb spiritual energy and even devour, replace, or refine away other people’s Spiritual Roots. His ability is so dangerous that his family has kept it secret.
• Qin Hao is currently at Peak Golden Core and is expected to break through to Nascent Soul within the secret realm, becoming nearly invincible among cultivators of the same realm.
• Li Yunsheng learns that Qin Hao has entered Void City but is not fooled by rumors that Lu Chen has been killed. She correctly assumes Lu Chen has once again disguised himself under a false identity.
• Since Li Yunsheng cannot personally enter the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm after reaching Nascent Soul, she gives Black Feather an extremely valuable Ascension Token, allowing her to enter and retrieve a specific item.
• Li Yunsheng also reveals a powerful Battle Puppet forged from Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron. It can wield Nascent Soul-level combat strength and is sent out under her control to test itself against the Qin Household.
• Meanwhile, the Qin Household attacks the Thunder Clan’s encampment and demands that Lu Bufan be handed over for allegedly murdering Qin Ziyi.
• Lu Chen is inside the encampment healing from Qin Ziyi’s sword strike. Although his injuries are not severe, the lingering Chaos Sword Qi in his meridians is impairing his strength.
• The Qin Household arrives with three Nascent Soul cultivators, while the Thunder Clan has only Lei Ting at the Half-Step Nascent Soul Realm, leaving Lu Chen and his allies facing an overwhelming threat.

Character Developments

• Qin Fan becomes increasingly vengeful and relies on Qin Hao as his hidden trump card against Lu Chen.
• Qin Hao is introduced as both extraordinarily talented and potentially dangerous because of his ability to steal and replace Spiritual Roots.
• Li Yunsheng demonstrates her intelligence, possessiveness, and extensive knowledge of Qin Fan’s family. She remains confident that Lu Chen is alive and has disguised himself again.
• Black Feather shows deep loyalty and gratitude toward Li Yunsheng, accepting the dangerous mission into the secret realm.
• Lu Chen is revealed to be weakened but still alive, continuing to conceal his true identity while recovering from his battle with Qin Ziyi.

Significant Themes

• Identity and deception: Lu Chen’s repeated disguises continue to frustrate his enemies, while Li Yunsheng recognizes his pattern.
• Hidden power and trump cards: Qin Hao, Li Yunsheng’s Ascension Token, and the powerful Battle Puppet all reveal that major factions are concealing decisive resources.
• Loyalty and obligation: Black Feather’s willingness to risk her life reflects her profound devotion to Li Yunsheng.
• Power imbalance and survival: The Qin Household’s superior forces create a crisis for the Thunder Clan and Lu Chen’s allies.
• Possession and jealousy: Li Yunsheng’s resentment toward Lu Chen’s relationships with the Joyful Union Sect reveals her increasingly possessive feelings for him.

Character Interactions

• Qin Fan orders Qin Hao to kill Lu Bufan, turning their brotherly relationship into a strategic alliance against Lu Chen.
• Li Yunsheng and Black Feather discuss Qin Hao’s movements and Lu Chen’s supposed death; Li Yunsheng reassures her that Lu Chen is merely hiding behind another identity.
• Li Yunsheng entrusts Black Feather with the Ascension Token and a mission in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• The Qin Household confronts the Thunder Clan, demanding Lu Bufan and escalating the conflict into a direct siege.
• Lu Chen remains separated from the confrontation while recovering, unaware—or at least not yet responding—to the full scale of the danger outside.

Summary of “Fight If You Must”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Qin Household surrounds the Thunder Clan’s valley, demanding that Lu Bufan be handed over for killing Qin Heng.
• Lei Ting refuses to surrender him and threatens Qin Ba with the Thunder Clan’s Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Evil-Slaying Formation.
• Qin Ba, one of the Qin Household’s Five Heroes, reveals that he has reached the Nascent Soul Realm, but he still hesitates to enter the Thunder Clan’s formation.
• Qin Liang, another of the Qin Household’s Five Heroes and a Nascent Soul cultivator, arrives with the formation disk of the Qin Household’s Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation.
• The Qin Household gains a major advantage: three Nascent Soul experts are present, while the Thunder Clan has none. Lu Chen, the strongest person inside the valley, is still recovering in seclusion.
• Alarmed Thunder Clan disciples urge Lei Ting to hand Lu Bufan over, fearing that the entire clan will be destroyed. Lei Yan especially challenges Lei Ting, partly because of his hostility toward her.
• Lei Ting rejects their demands, arguing that the Qin Household may kill them even if Lu Bufan is surrendered.
• Qin Liang activates the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation. Nine enormous fire dragons rise into the sky, each radiating power comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
• Lei Ting activates the Thunder Clan’s formation in response and orders everyone onto its central formation platform.
• Though reluctant, the Thunder Clan disciples join her because remaining outside would leave them defenseless.
• The chapter ends with both formations prepared for battle: Qin Liang commands the fire dragons, while thunderclouds gather above Lei Ting’s formation. Lei Ting defiantly declares that the Qin Household may fight if it dares.

Character Developments

• Lei Ting demonstrates courage, resolve, and leadership. Despite overwhelming pressure and internal dissent, she refuses to abandon Lu Bufan and takes responsibility for defending the valley.
• Qin Ba is shown as arrogant and aggressive, but his hesitation to enter the Thunder Clan’s formation reveals that he is not completely confident in his own strength.
• Qin Liang appears calm, calculating, and composed. His arrival with the Nine Dragons formation disk significantly shifts the balance of power in the Qin Household’s favor.
• Lei Yan openly undermines Lei Ting, using the crisis to challenge her authority. His fear and self-interest contrast sharply with Lei Ting’s determination.
• The Thunder Clan disciples initially panic and prioritize their own survival, but eventually follow Lei Ting when they realize that surrender may not save them.

Significant Themes

• Courage versus self-preservation: Lei Ting chooses to stand and fight despite the overwhelming odds, while many of her clansmen advocate surrender.
• Leadership and responsibility: Lei Ting’s decision forces her to protect both Lu Bufan and the people who oppose her.
• Power and intimidation: The two powerful formations symbolize the competing foundations of the Qin Household and Thunder Clan.
• Unity under threat: Internal disagreements within the Thunder Clan are temporarily set aside when the external danger becomes unavoidable.
• Honor and defiance: Lei Ting refuses to submit to the Qin Household, asserting that surrender would not guarantee survival.

Character Interactions

• Lei Ting and Qin Ba exchange threats, with Qin Ba demanding Lu Bufan and Lei Ting mocking his reluctance to enter the Thunder Clan’s formation.
• Qin Ba and Qin Liang interact as impatient and confident brothers; Qin Ba urges an immediate attack, while Qin Liang remains composed.
• Lei Yan and the Thunder Clan disciples pressure Lei Ting to surrender Lu Bufan, accusing her of endangering them.
• Lei Ting rebukes them, insisting that surrendering Lu Bufan would not necessarily spare their lives.
• Lei Ting ultimately commands the reluctant Thunder Clan members to join her formation, bringing them together for the impending confrontation.

Chapter Summary: The Qin Household Seeks to Establish Its Might

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Qin Household officially prepares to wage war against the Lei Household after a member of the Lei Household injures Qin Ziyi, the Qin clan’s treasured eldest young lady. Qin Fan’s War Puppet Avatar has already attacked the Thunder Clan’s camp and been destroyed.
• News of the conflict spreads across the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, drawing numerous powerful geniuses and heirs from major sects and aristocratic clans to observe.
• Qin Liang deliberately waits for prominent spectators to arrive before attacking. He intends not only to defeat Lei Ting but also to publicly humiliate the Lei Household and reaffirm the Qin Household’s regional dominance.
• The Qin Household deploys its Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation, placing three Nascent Soul Realm experts—Qin Liang, Qin Ba, and Sixth Uncle—inside its formation cores.
• Once fully activated, the formation produces nine enormous fire dragons and releases overwhelming pressure across the surrounding area. The spectators conclude that the Thunder Clan is almost certain to lose.
• Meanwhile, Lu Chen remains unaware of the impending battle because he is cultivating in seclusion. He uses five elemental inner cores and the Vermilion Bird Fruit’s Southern Bright Li Fire to attempt a breakthrough into the Golden Body Stage.
• Lu Chen suffers immense pain as his body is broken down and reforged, but he resolves to endure the process.
• The chapter ends as Qin Liang launches the Qin Household’s attack, invoking the formation technique “Fire Dragon Soars into the Sky, burn the heavens and boil the seas.”

Character Developments

• Qin Liang is revealed as calculating, prideful, and politically minded. He delays the attack until important witnesses arrive because he wants the victory to enhance the Qin Household’s reputation.
• Qin Ba is more direct and impatient, urging Qin Liang to act immediately rather than waiting for additional spectators.
• Lu Chen demonstrates determination and willingness to endure extreme suffering in pursuit of greater physical power. His cultivation goal is to build an Indestructible Body and eventually pursue strength-based Dao attainment.
• Qin Ziyi’s importance within the Qin Household is emphasized through the clan’s willingness to risk war over her injury.
• The Ultimate Sword Prodigy and the mysterious Supreme Goddess are introduced as exceptionally powerful observers, suggesting that major factions are closely monitoring the conflict.

Significant Themes

• Power and reputation: The Qin Household seeks to use the battle not merely to win but to publicly establish its authority and discourage future challenges.
• Aristocratic clan rivalry: The conflict demonstrates how ancient cultivation families possess immense foundations and treat insults against their heirs as matters of clan honor.
• Overwhelming force and confidence: The Qin side believes its three Nascent Soul experts and superior formation make victory inevitable.
• Cultivation through suffering: Lu Chen’s breakthrough highlights the theme of transforming pain and destruction into greater strength.
• Pride and underestimation: Qin Liang dismisses the Thunder Clan’s defensive formation and assumes the outcome is already decided, foreshadowing possible danger.

Character Interactions

• Qin Liang and Qin Ba disagree over timing: Qin Ba wants immediate action, while Qin Liang insists on waiting for influential spectators.
• Qin Liang commands Qin Ba and Sixth Uncle to take positions within the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation, coordinating the Qin Household’s assault.
• The various visiting geniuses and clan heirs observe and discuss the battle, especially the strength of the formations and the presence of renowned figures from the Ultimate Dao Sword Sect, Supreme Mountain, and other major powers.
• Lu Chen has no direct interaction with the battlefield in this chapter, remaining isolated in cultivation as the Qin Household begins its attack outside.

Chapter Summary: “At Last, the Battle Begins”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Qin Household begins its assault on the Thunder Clan, using the clan as a “sacrificial knife” to demonstrate Qin authority and intimidate the surrounding cultivation world.
• Qin Liang activates the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation, summoning nine enormous fire dragons that descend upon the Thunder Clan’s valley.
• In response, Lei Ting activates the Thunder Clan’s Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Evil-Slaying Formation. She stands at its central formation eye and merges with the formation, becoming a figure composed almost entirely of lightning.
• The Thunder Clan draws heavenly thunder into its formation, greatly increasing its power. However, the spectators recognize that it lacks a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, while the Qin formation is supported by three such experts.
• The nine fire dragons quickly destroy the valley’s outer defensive barrier and attack the Thunder Clan’s main formation platform.
• Although the Thunder Clan’s formation withstands the initial assault and heavenly thunder severely damages the fire dragons, Qin Liang’s formation restores them and continues its attack.
• A breach in the lightning barrier allows divine flames to burn one Thunder Clan disciple to death, reducing him to ashes and terrifying the others.
• Lei Ting responds furiously, summoning even greater heavenly thunder to repair the barrier and drive back the fire dragons.
• Qin Liang remains confident, believing the Qin Household has an overwhelming advantage. He declares that he will slowly crush the Thunder Clan and begins preparing a more serious attack.
• Meanwhile, Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman anxiously observe the battle. Since the Qin Household came for Lu Chen, their own survival depends on the Thunder Clan holding out.
• Tang Xiaoman reveals that she has requested aid from the Beast Taming Sect but is uncertain why her brother and the others have not yet arrived.

Character Developments

• Lei Ting demonstrates courage and determination despite being only at the Half-Step Nascent Soul Realm. She accepts that the Thunder Clan must fight to the death and personally anchors its strongest formation.
• Her anger intensifies after a clan disciple is killed, pushing her to draw down even more heavenly thunder and repair the formation.
• Qin Liang is shown as cruel, arrogant, and sadistic. Rather than simply defeating the Thunder Clan, he wants to prolong its despair and force its members to beg for mercy.
• Tang Xiaoman becomes increasingly anxious as she awaits reinforcements from the Beast Taming Sect, highlighting her concern for both her allies and her clan’s survival.
• Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman recognize that the battle is connected to Lu Chen and that they may be eliminated if the Qin Household wins.

Significant Themes

• Power imbalance and resistance: The Thunder Clan is heavily outmatched, yet continues fighting because surrender would only lead to destruction.
• Sacrifice for political authority: The Qin Household is using the Thunder Clan’s destruction to establish dominance over the wider cultivation world.
• Desperation versus arrogance: Lei Ting fights with determination and sacrifice, while Qin Liang treats the battle as entertainment because of his confidence in the Qin Household’s superiority.
• Formation-based warfare: The chapter emphasizes the immense destructive power of large-scale formations and the importance of cultivation level in controlling them.
• Hope under pressure: The possible arrival of the Beast Taming Sect represents the Thunder Clan’s only apparent chance of surviving the battle.

Character Interactions

• Qin Liang and the Thunder Clan: Qin Liang openly taunts and threatens them, while Lei Ting answers his assault by strengthening the Thunder Clan’s formation.
• Lei Ting and the Thunder Clan disciples: She leads and protects them through the formation, while their fear grows after one disciple is burned to death.
• Liu Yan’er and Tang Xiaoman: Liu questions Tang about reinforcements, while Tang anxiously admits that she does not know when her brother and the Beast Taming Sect will arrive.
• The Qin Household and Lu Chen’s allies: The battle is indirectly aimed at Lu Chen, placing Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman in danger as collateral targets.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Qin Household launches a full assault on the Thunder Clan’s stronghold in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• The Qin Household activates the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation, while Lei Ting leads the Thunder Clan in deploying the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Evil-Slaying Formation.
• The two formations clash directly, filling the valley with overwhelming flames and lightning. Lei Ting initially uses heavenly thunder to suppress the nine fire dragons.
• Qin Liang unexpectedly brings the entire Qin formation into the valley, forcing a head-on confrontation rather than relying on strategy or deception.
• The Qin formation gains the advantage because Qin Liang, Qin Ba, and their Sixth Uncle—three Nascent Soul Realm cultivators—are supporting it. Their formation can rapidly absorb spiritual energy and repair damaged formation patterns.
• Lei Ting’s formation begins to collapse more quickly because she is only at the Half-Step Nascent Soul Realm. The Thunder Clan’s defensive position becomes increasingly hopeless.
• The Qin Household’s advance destroys the valley entrance and melts the surrounding mountains. Qin Liang mocks the Thunder Clan’s formation and prepares to strike Lei Ting directly.
• Lei Ting realizes she can no longer resist and anxiously looks toward the area where Lu Chen is cultivating, wondering why he has not emerged.
• In seclusion, Lu Chen reaches a critical stage of physical cultivation. His flesh turns golden, while his bones transform from metallic to crystalline jade.
• Lu Chen approaches the Golden Body Stage, described as the realm of “golden flesh and jade bones”—an Indestructible Body associated with primordial-era Body Cultivators. He roars and attempts to complete the breakthrough.

Character Developments

• Lei Ting: Despite possessing the rare Supreme Thunder Spirit Root and considerable talent, she is overwhelmed by the Qin Household’s superior cultivation foundation. Her confidence gives way to panic as the formation collapses and her clan faces destruction.
• Qin Liang: Displays overwhelming confidence and aggression. He personally drives the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation into the valley, relying on absolute strength to crush the Thunder Clan.
• Qin Ba and the Qin Household’s Sixth Uncle: Their Nascent Soul Realm cultivation is essential to stabilizing and replenishing the Qin formation, giving the Qin Household a decisive advantage.
• Lu Chen: Makes a major breakthrough in body cultivation. His transformation into a golden-fleshed, jade-boned body suggests that he is about to gain extraordinary physical strength and durability.

Significant Themes

• Absolute strength versus individual talent: Lei Ting’s exceptional thunder aptitude cannot compensate for her lower cultivation realm and lack of powerful allies.
• Formation power and cultivation foundation: The battle demonstrates that formations depend not only on their design but also on the strength of the people controlling them.
• The lawless nature of the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm: Factions may eliminate one another without fear of formal retaliation, as long as the killing is not openly connected to them.
• The cruelty of survival and resource competition: The Thunder Clan is deliberately chosen as the Qin Household’s first target, emphasizing the ruthless politics of the secret realm.
• Transformation through cultivation: Lu Chen’s physical metamorphosis symbolizes the culmination of intense training and foreshadows a dramatic reversal in the battle.

Character Interactions

• Qin Liang directly challenges Lei Ting and the Thunder Clan through a forceful, open confrontation between their two formations.
• Lei Ting and Qin Liang represent opposing sides of the battle: Lei Ting desperately defends her clan, while Qin Liang confidently dismisses her resistance.
• The watching Supreme Divine Maiden and Ultimate Sword Prodigy comment on Lei Ting’s likely death, acknowledging her talent but accepting the brutal rules of the secret realm.
• Lei Ting’s repeated glance toward Lu Chen creates suspense, linking the collapsing battlefield with his imminent breakthrough and suggesting that his emergence may change the outcome.

Chapter Summary: “Do You Admit It?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen remains in seclusion inside the valley, attempting the crucial breakthrough to the Golden Body Stage.
• Outside, Sixth Uncle Qin urges Qin Liang and Qin Ba to stop wasting time and destroy the Thunder Clan’s defensive formation before events in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm unfold.
• The three Qin Household experts—Qin Liang, Qin Ba, and Sixth Uncle Qin—combine their Nascent Soul-level power to activate the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation.
• Their formation manifests nine enormous fire dragons and descends upon the Thunder Clan’s Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Formation.
• The attack destroys the Thunder Clan’s protective barrier, disperses its thunderclouds, collapses its runes, and severely injures or kills many Thunder Clan members.
• Lei Ting suffers serious injuries, while the remaining Thunder Clan cultivators lose their ability to fight. The Qin Household then lands on the ruined array platform and suppresses the survivors.
• Qin Ba demands that Lei Ting become his bed-warming maid, promising to spare her life if she submits.
• Lei Ting refuses, declaring that she would rather die than humiliate herself or disgrace the Thunder Clan. She attempts to self-destruct, but Qin Liang seals her dantian and prevents her from doing so.
• Qin Liang demands that Lei Ting reveal Lu Bufan’s location. When she refuses, he seizes a Thunder Clan member and kills him by snapping his neck, terrifying the remaining survivors.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Remains absent from the battle while risking everything in his breakthrough to the Golden Body Stage, creating tension over whether he will emerge in time.
• Lei Ting: Demonstrates courage, pride, and loyalty to the Thunder Clan. Even after being defeated and gravely injured, she refuses submission or betrayal and chooses death over humiliation.
• Qin Liang: Reveals himself as calculating, cruel, and domineering. He suppresses Lei Ting’s cultivation, mocks her resistance, and uses execution as a means of interrogation.
• Qin Ba: Displays arrogance and predatory lust, treating Lei Ting as a prize after the battle. His recent breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm has removed the restriction imposed by his Pure Yang Art.
• Sixth Uncle Qin: Acts as the impatient strategist, prioritizing speed because he believes a major event is imminent in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Thunder Clan members: Their confidence and defensive position collapse after the formation is destroyed; the survivors become terrified and helpless.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and helplessness: The Qin Household’s combined formation completely overwhelms the Thunder Clan, emphasizing the vast difference between their forces.
• Honor versus survival: Lei Ting’s refusal to become Qin Ba’s servant highlights her commitment to dignity and clan honor, even when survival is possible.
• Cruelty and tyranny: The Qin Household uses humiliation, coercion, and murder to dominate the defeated Thunder Clan.
• Loyalty and resistance: Lei Ting protects Lu Bufan and refuses to betray her allies despite torture and threats.
• Suspense and timing: Lu Chen’s secluded breakthrough contrasts with the rapidly worsening battle outside, suggesting his advancement may determine the conflict’s outcome.

Character Interactions

• Qin Liang and Qin Ba discuss the urgency of attacking, while Qin Ba openly expresses his desire to possess Lei Ting.
• The Qin trio jointly unleashes the formation against Lei Ting and her people, turning the battle decisively in their favor.
• Qin Ba humiliates Lei Ting by offering to spare her only if she becomes his bed-warming maid.
• Lei Ting rejects him defiantly and attempts suicide rather than submit.
• Qin Liang prevents her self-destruction, seals her cultivation, and asserts total control over her life.
• When Lei Ting refuses to reveal Lu Bufan’s whereabouts, Qin Liang kills another Thunder Clan member to intimidate her and the others.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Liang and his Qin Household forces capture the Thunder Clan and demand that Lei Ting reveal Lu Bufan’s whereabouts.
• Qin Liang threatens to execute Thunder Clan members one by one, while Qin Ba crudely declares his intention to make Lei Ting his bed-warming maid.
• Lei Ting refuses to betray Lu Bufan, even when Qin Liang kills her young cousin in front of her. She condemns him and vows revenge.
• Qin Liang claims he will spare the Thunder Clan if Lei Ting cooperates, but Lei Ting doubts his promise. The clan members, terrified, begin blaming and pressuring her to surrender Lu Bufan.
• Lei Yan reveals that Lu Bufan has friends hidden in the valley. Qin Liang orders Qin Fang and Qin Gan to capture Shen Li, Liu Yan’er, and Tang Xiaoman.
• Lu Chen’s presence remains undetected because the cultivation chamber is protected by a formation and the Yin-Yang Cauldron, which together conceal his aura.
• Qin Fang and Qin Gan confront the three guards arrogantly, but Liu Yan’er releases the Blissful Breeze poison. The two Qin disciples, along with Shen Li and Tang Xiaoman, collapse.
• Liu Yan’er administers an antidote to Shen Li and Tang Xiaoman, restoring them. She then humiliates Qin Fang by stepping on his face and mocking his earlier arrogance.

Character Developments

• Lei Ting: Demonstrates loyalty, courage, and self-sacrifice by refusing to reveal Lu Bufan’s location despite witnessing her cousin’s murder. Her grief and rage deepen her determination to resist the Qin Household.
• Qin Liang: Reveals himself as cruel, manipulative, and sadistic. He uses the Thunder Clan’s lives to pressure Lei Ting and takes pleasure in humiliating both her and the clan.
• Qin Ba: Shows himself to be lecherous and contemptuous, treating Lei Ting as a possession rather than an enemy worthy of respect.
• Lei Yan and the Thunder Clan members: Fear causes them to turn against Lei Ting and attempt to save themselves by revealing information about Lu Bufan’s companions.
• Liu Yan’er: Displays intelligence and tactical skill by using the Blissful Breeze to defeat stronger opponents. Her final act of stepping on Qin Fang’s face shows her confidence and willingness to retaliate against arrogance.
• Shen Li and Tang Xiaoman: Initially confront the Qin disciples defiantly but are temporarily incapacitated by the poison before being revived.
• Lu Chen/Lu Bufan: Remains hidden and protected while in seclusion, becoming the central figure around whom the conflict revolves.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty versus survival: Lei Ting must choose between protecting Lu Bufan and saving her clansmen, while the other Thunder Clan members prioritize their own lives.
• Tyranny and humiliation: The Qin Household relies on overwhelming power, threats, and degradation to control its enemies.
• Courage under pressure: Lei Ting’s refusal to surrender Lu Bufan highlights moral courage despite unbearable personal loss.
• Arrogance being punished: Qin Fang and Qin Gan’s confidence collapses when Liu Yan’er’s strategy defeats them, reinforcing the chapter’s contrast between empty superiority and practical ability.
• Protection and hidden strength: Lu Chen’s concealed cultivation and Liu Yan’er’s poison demonstrate that apparent weakness can conceal decisive power.

Character Interactions

• Qin Liang repeatedly threatens Lei Ting and uses the murder of her cousin to force her cooperation.
• Lei Yan and the Thunder Clan members plead with and accuse Lei Ting, creating tension between familial loyalty and allegiance to Lu Bufan.
• Qin Liang redirects his pursuit toward Lu Bufan’s companions after Lei Ting remains silent.
• Qin Fang and Qin Gan insult and threaten Shen Li, Liu Yan’er, and Tang Xiaoman, but Liu Yan’er reverses the power dynamic with her poison.
• The chapter ends with Liu Yan’er humiliating the fallen Qin Fang, directly answering the Qin disciples’ earlier arrogance.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yan’er ambushes Qin Fang and Qin Gan with Blissful Breeze, a poison capable of affecting even Nascent Soul cultivators. The two Golden Core cultivators lose their strength and fall from the sky.
• Liu Yan’er humiliates Qin Fang by stepping on his face, while Shen Li and Tang Xiaoman bind both Qin Household disciples as hostages.
• Qin Liang, a Nascent Soul ancestor of the Qin Household, arrives and overwhelms Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman with a casual wave of his hand. All three are injured, though Tang Xiaoman’s protective talismans lessen her wounds.
• Qin Liang recognizes Tang Xiaoman’s Beast Taming Sect techniques and senses a powerful bloodline within her. He becomes greedy, believing that seizing her bloodline might help him achieve immortality.
• He also takes an interest in Liu Yan’er’s beauty and intends to cripple her cultivation and force her into servitude.
• When Qin Liang moves to harm Liu Yan’er, Tang Xiaoman attacks him with countless beast phantoms. However, the enormous difference between Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivation allows Qin Liang to destroy her attack effortlessly and send her flying.

Character Developments

• Liu Yan’er demonstrates boldness and cunning by successfully ambushing and capturing two Qin Household elites. Her confidence collapses when confronted by Qin Liang’s overwhelming power, leaving her helpless and desperate.
• Shen Li remains courageous but is forced to recognize the limits of her strength. She wants to protect Liu Yan’er but cannot challenge Qin Liang.
• Tang Xiaoman reveals a fierce, protective personality. Despite knowing Qin Liang is far stronger, she attacks him to defend Liu Yan’er. Her dormant bloodline and Beast Taming Sect heritage are also exposed.
• Qin Fang and Qin Gan are shown to be arrogant and humiliated by their defeat. Their helplessness contrasts sharply with their earlier confidence.
• Qin Liang is cruel, domineering, and opportunistic. He views weaker cultivators as possessions and immediately becomes interested in exploiting Tang Xiaoman’s bloodline for his own advancement.

Significant Themes

• The danger of underestimating enemies: Liu Yan’er’s ambush succeeds against the younger Qin disciples, but their victory is overturned instantly by Qin Liang’s arrival.
• The vast power gap between realms: Qin Liang’s casual attacks completely overwhelm three Golden Core cultivators, emphasizing the difference between the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages.
• Courage versus overwhelming power: Tang Xiaoman’s defiance shows great bravery, but courage alone cannot overcome an immense cultivation disparity.
• Greed and exploitation: Qin Liang sees Tang Xiaoman’s bloodline and Liu Yan’er’s beauty as resources to possess, reflecting the predatory nature of powerful cultivators.
• Humiliation and reversal: The Qin Household’s disciples begin the scene as captors and oppressors but quickly become bound hostages, only for Qin Liang to reverse the situation and restore their advantage.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yan’er taunts and humiliates Qin Fang before ordering Shen Li and Tang Xiaoman to bind him and Qin Gan.
• Qin Fang and Qin Gan angrily insult Liu Yan’er and accuse her of acting shamelessly.
• Qin Liang scolds the captured Qin disciples for disgracing the Qin Household.
• Qin Liang threatens Liu Yan’er and attempts to cripple her cultivation, while Shen Li watches helplessly.
• Tang Xiaoman confronts Qin Liang to defend Liu Yan’er, verbally challenging him before launching an attack.
• Qin Liang dismisses Tang Xiaoman as an insignificant “mayfly,” destroys her attack, and leaves her badly injured.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Liang gains control of the valley through the Nine Dragons Heaven-Burning Grand Array, trapping Lei Ting and the three women—Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman.
• Overconfident in his power, Qin Liang declares that Liu Yan’er and Tang Xiaoman will become his female slaves, while he intends to kill Shen Li because he believes Shen Li is a man.
• Shen Li reveals that she is actually a woman disguised as a man. Her revelation excites Qin Liang, who sees the three women as trophies.
• Before Qin Liang can attack Shen Li, an unexpected voice comes from the nearby cultivation chamber.
• Qin Liang destroys the chamber, accidentally killing two Qin Household disciples who were trapped nearby.
• Lu Bufan emerges from seclusion and blocks Qin Liang’s attack. Their initial palm clash forces Qin Liang backward, surprising everyone present.
• Qin Liang recognizes Lu Bufan as the murderer of his elder brother, Qin Heng, and becomes eager to kill him for the reward and possible promotion within the Qin Household.
• Lu Bufan has just completed a major breakthrough into the Golden Body Stage. Though he appears to be only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, his physical body and vitality have become extraordinarily powerful.
• Confident in his new strength, Lu Bufan challenges the Nascent Soul Realm Qin Liang, declaring that his emergence from seclusion has placed Qin Liang in danger.

Character Developments

• Qin Liang becomes increasingly arrogant and cruel as he believes victory is certain. His obsession with humiliating beautiful, powerful women reveals his sadistic ambition. His confidence is shaken when Lu Bufan emerges, but he quickly becomes excited at the prospect of killing him.
• Shen Li reveals her true identity as a woman, exposing the effectiveness of her disguise. Her heroic, masculine bearing combined with her beauty makes her especially distinctive.
• Liu Yan’er and Tang Xiaoman remain horrified and powerless under Qin Liang’s control, but their despair turns to hope when Lu Bufan appears.
• Lu Bufan/Lu Chen completes his seclusion breakthrough into the Golden Body Stage. He gains immense physical resilience and confidence, choosing Qin Liang as a test of his newly enhanced combat ability.
• Lei Ting remains subdued beneath Qin Liang’s control, demonstrating the overwhelming power of the array and Qin Liang’s cultivation.

Significant Themes

• Power and domination: Qin Liang’s control of the valley allows him to decide who lives and dies, but his apparent absolute authority is overturned by Lu Bufan’s arrival.
• Arrogance before reversal: Qin Liang’s triumphal confidence sets up a dramatic reversal when Lu Bufan emerges at the critical moment.
• Hidden identities and appearances: Shen Li’s disguise conceals her gender, while Lu Bufan’s ordinary appearance hides the immense strength of his Golden Body Stage breakthrough.
• Strength beyond cultivation level: Although Lu Bufan appears to be at the Foundation Establishment Realm, his newly tempered body may allow him to challenge a much stronger Nascent Soul cultivator.
• Cruel ambition: Qin Liang’s desire to enslave renowned women and gain status within the Qin Household illustrates the corrupting effects of unchecked power and personal obsession.

Character Interactions

• Qin Liang verbally humiliates and threatens Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman, while they respond with fear and disgust.
• Shen Li defies Qin Liang by revealing her identity, unexpectedly changing his intention from execution to enslavement.
• Lu Bufan’s emergence interrupts Qin Liang’s abuse and immediately shifts the balance of power.
• Qin Liang recognizes Lu Bufan as Qin Heng’s killer and views their confrontation as an opportunity to gain the Qin Household’s favor.
• Liu Yan’er warns Lu Bufan to flee because Qin Liang is in the Nascent Soul Realm, unaware that Lu Bufan is far stronger than he appears.
• Lu Bufan responds to Qin Liang’s threat with open provocation, setting up the chapter’s impending battle.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen confronts Qin Liang, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator of the Qin Household, who boasts that he is stronger than his late elder brother, Qin Heng—the same man Lu Chen previously defeated and killed.
• Qin Liang attacks with a massive spiritual-energy palm, but Lu Chen breaks through it with a single punch, demonstrating overwhelming physical strength.
• Lu Chen closes the distance instantly and punches Qin Liang in the face, breaking his nose and knocking out a tooth. Qin Liang is humiliated and shocked that a supposed Foundation Establishment cultivator could injure him.
• Enraged, Qin Liang reveals his exceptional Supreme Fire Spiritual Root and summons a fire dragon from the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation.
• Lu Chen responds by unleashing a gigantic golden manifestation formed from his blood qi: the legendary Blood-Qi Dharma Form. It seizes the fire dragon, smashes it into the ground, repeatedly beats it apart, and absorbs its flames.
• Observers outside the valley identify Lu Chen’s technique as an ancient Body Cultivation divine ability. They are astonished that someone still possesses the supposedly lost Body Cultivation inheritance.
• Qin Liang attempts to summon another fire dragon, but Lu Chen’s Blood-Qi Dharma Form stomps him into the ground.
• Qin Ba, enraged at seeing his fourth brother injured, causes the entire Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation to descend upon the valley, intending to kill everyone inside.
• Lu Chen confronts the collapsing formation and prepares to shatter it with a full-powered punch, reinforced by another strike from his Blood-Qi Dharma Form.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Displays overwhelming confidence, speed, durability, and physical strength. He continues to conceal or surprise others with the true extent of his Body Cultivation. His Blood-Qi Dharma Form establishes him as an extraordinary and possibly unique practitioner.
• Qin Liang: Begins arrogant and dismissive, believing his Nascent Soul cultivation guarantees victory. After being physically humiliated and having his strongest fire attack destroyed, he becomes shocked, furious, and desperate.
• Qin Ba: Reveals his ruthlessness and willingness to sacrifice everyone in the valley to avenge Qin Liang, escalating the conflict from a personal duel to a potentially catastrophic attack.
• Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman: Initially fear Lu Chen will be overwhelmed, but become stunned spectators as he defeats Qin Liang and unleashes his powerful Body Cultivation ability.
• Outside observers: Their curiosity and shock intensify as they recognize Lu Chen’s technique as a lost ancient inheritance, raising questions about his identity and origins.

Significant Themes

• Strength beyond conventional cultivation: Lu Chen’s physical power allows him to challenge and overpower a Nascent Soul cultivator despite his apparent lower realm.
• Humiliation of arrogance: Qin Liang’s confidence in his realm and family status collapses when Lu Chen defeats him through raw physical force.
• The revival of lost traditions: The Blood-Qi Dharma Form suggests that ancient Body Cultivation, thought to be extinct, may have returned through Lu Chen.
• Escalation and destructive retaliation: Qin Liang’s defeat provokes Qin Ba into using a formation capable of destroying the entire valley, showing how pride and family loyalty fuel increasingly dangerous conflict.
• Hidden identity and potential: Lu Chen’s abilities continue to exceed what others believe possible, creating mystery around his true cultivation and heritage.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen openly taunts Qin Liang by comparing him to Qin Heng and challenging him to attack.
• Qin Liang responds with threats and a direct assault, but Lu Chen counters effortlessly and mocks his weakness.
• Lu Chen’s defeat of Qin Liang shocks his companions and the watching cultivators, changing their perception of him.
• Qin Ba’s furious intervention transforms the confrontation into a mass-threatening battle, forcing Lu Chen to defend the entire valley rather than merely defeat Qin Liang.

Chapter Summary: The Final Winner Is Me, Qin Ba!

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen absorbs the Five Elements Qi and the Southern Bright Li Fire from the Vermilion Bird Fruit, successfully breaking through to the Golden Body Stage.
• His immense blood qi forms a golden Blood-Qi Dharma Form, a rare achievement that establishes the foundation for proving the Dao through physical strength.
• Qin Ba, the second of the Qin Household’s Five Heroes, activates the enormous Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation with the help of Qin Sixth Uncle.
• The formation descends over the valley like a burning divine sun, crushing the terrain and forcing Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, Tang Xiaoman, and others to the ground.
• Qin Ba publicly seeks revenge for his dead brothers and aims to kill Lu Bufan, but privately sees Qin Liang’s death as an opportunity to secure the Qin Household heir position.
• Lu Chen refuses to submit and attacks the formation directly with his Golden-Body Dharma Form, shocking the spectators by scattering its flames and shaking the entire formation.
• Qin Ba increases the formation’s power, causing Lu Chen’s Dharma Form to collapse. Although Lu Chen’s strength can overpower a Nascent Soul cultivator, it is insufficient to break the formation alone.
• Rather than surrender, Lu Chen reveals that Qin Liang is still alive beneath the ground. He pulls the badly injured Qin Liang out, seizes him by the neck, and threatens to use him as a burial offering while confronting Qin Ba.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Chen/Lu Bufan: Reaches the Golden Body Stage and demonstrates extraordinary physical power. Though he cannot defeat the combined formation through brute force, he remains calm, resourceful, and defiant, using Qin Liang as leverage.
• Qin Ba: Appears enraged and vengeful, but is actually delighted by Qin Liang’s death because it improves his chances of becoming heir. His arrogance grows as he controls the formation, though Lu Chen’s resistance challenges his confidence.
• Qin Liang: Survives Lu Chen’s earlier attack but is severely injured and left helpless. His survival becomes a crucial strategic advantage for Lu Chen.
• Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman: Initially believe they are doomed under the formation’s pressure, but become shocked and encouraged when Lu Chen withstands and challenges it.
• The watching cultivators: Their view of Lu Bufan changes from curiosity to disbelief and awe after learning his identity and witnessing him shake the Qin Household’s powerful formation.

3. Significant Themes

• Physical strength and the path to sainthood: Lu Chen’s breakthrough symbolizes the immense potential of body cultivation and his foundation for achieving sainthood through the fleshly body.
• Defiance against overwhelming power: Lu Chen confronts a formation far stronger than himself rather than yielding, emphasizing courage and determination.
• Ambition and betrayal within family politics: Qin Ba’s supposed grief is largely a mask for his desire to eliminate rivals and claim the heirship.
• Reputation and hidden identity: The revelation that Lu Chen is the notorious Lu Bufan heightens the mystery surrounding his background and explains the Qin Household’s determination to kill him.
• Strategy over brute force: Lu Chen’s failed direct attack shows the limits of raw power, but his discovery that Qin Liang survived allows him to regain the initiative through cunning.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Chen vs. Qin Ba: Their central confrontation pits Lu Chen’s newly awakened physical power against Qin Ba’s formation-controlled flames. Qin Ba mocks him, while Lu Chen answers with resistance and a threat.
• Qin Ba and Qin Sixth Uncle: They cooperate to operate and strengthen the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation.
• Lu Chen and Qin Liang: Lu Chen captures the injured Qin Liang and uses him as a hostage and potential sacrifice against the Qin Household.
• Lu Chen and his allies: Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman are initially endangered by the formation but are heartened by Lu Chen’s unexpected strength.
• Lu Chen and the spectators: His battle reveals his identity as Lu Bufan and causes the watching cultivators—and even elite prodigies—to reassess his power and origins.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen is unable to break the Qin Household’s Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation, so he uses Qin Liang as a hostage.
• After rescuing Qin Liang from beneath his Golden-Body Dharma Form, Lu Chen threatens Qin Ba with his brother’s life and orders him to stop the formation.
• Qin Ba unexpectedly decides to kill Qin Liang himself, claiming that his crippled brother would be better off dead. His real goal is to eliminate both Lu Chen and Qin Liang, removing a rival for the Qin Household’s heir-apparent position.
• Qin Liang angrily insists that he has not been crippled, but Qin Ba shamelessly dismisses his protests as a final attempt to provoke him.
• Qin Liang’s loyal subordinates try to intervene and seize control of the formation, but they control only minor nodes. Qin Ba retains control of the central node.
• Qin Ba kills all of Qin Liang’s followers in an instant, destroying their bodies and souls. Their blood strengthens the killing formation.
• Furious and horrified, Qin Liang realizes that Qin Ba is willing to slaughter even his own family to secure power.
• Lu Chen moves Qin Liang, Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman away, but Qin Ba finally activates the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation at full power.
• The valley is engulfed in divine flames and crushed by the formation, leaving everyone outside convinced that Lu Chen and the others have been killed.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Remains calm and resourceful despite being trapped beneath an overwhelming formation. He recognizes Qin Ba’s ruthlessness and uses Qin Liang as leverage, though even he is surprised by Qin Ba’s willingness to sacrifice his own brother.
• Qin Ba: Reveals himself as calculating, ruthless, and politically ambitious beneath his crude exterior. He uses the appearance of brotherly concern to justify murdering Qin Liang, then kills Qin Liang’s loyal followers without hesitation.
• Qin Liang: Becomes both hostage and victim of the Qin family’s succession struggle. His anger and disbelief intensify as he realizes that his own brother intends to eliminate him.
• Sixth Uncle Qin: Recognizes that he has badly underestimated Qin Ba, whose hidden decisiveness and cruelty surpass his outwardly foolish appearance.
• Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman: Are overwhelmed by the terrifying situation and appear helpless as the formation descends.

Significant Themes

• Family betrayal and political rivalry: The Qin brothers’ conflict shows that blood ties mean little in the struggle for succession.
• Deception and appearances: Qin Ba’s rough, foolish image conceals a highly calculating and ruthless personality.
• Power and survival: Characters are willing to sacrifice relatives, loyal followers, and morality to gain authority or eliminate threats.
• Calm under overwhelming danger: Lu Chen’s composure contrasts sharply with the panic of those around him.
• The corruption of loyalty: Qin Liang’s followers are killed despite their devotion, emphasizing how powerless loyalty becomes against absolute power.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen directly confronts Qin Ba by holding Qin Liang hostage.
• Qin Ba and Qin Liang exchange hostile accusations, with Qin Ba pretending to mourn while secretly ordering his brother’s death.
• Qin Liang’s followers plead for his life and attempt to oppose Qin Ba, but they are brutally eliminated.
• Sixth Uncle Qin supports Qin Ba’s justification and helps frame Qin Liang’s death as an act of mercy.
• Lu Chen witnesses Qin Ba’s betrayal, comments on his shameless performance, and relocates the endangered group before the formation destroys the valley.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Qin Household activates the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation against Lu Bufan and the Thunder Clan’s base. Nine enormous fire dragons engulf the valley, melting the land and destroying the surrounding terrain.
• The battle appears to end in the Qin Household’s favor: the Thunder Clan’s base is wiped out, Lei Ting is captured alive, and Lu Bufan, Qin Liang, and the other trapped enemies are presumed dead.
• Qin Ba celebrates the victory, having eliminated Qin Liang—his strongest rival for the position of Qin Household heir—and greatly strengthened his standing.
• The destruction devastates the Thunder Clan’s thousand-year-old base and its spiritual-energy-rich terrestrial vein, shocking the watching factions and establishing the Qin Household’s dominance in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Shen Lian realizes that Shen Li was inside the destroyed valley. He fears that she has died, taking the Artifact Refining Sect’s mysterious Ancestral Founder Token with her. The token is tied to the sect’s survival and future, and Shen Lian is frustrated that his father values the token more than Shen Li’s life.
• The focus then shifts to Ten Thousand Souls Valley, where Liu Fuyao, Yun Feiyan, Su Qingqing, Jiang Yurou, and the other Joyful Union Sect fairies are trapped inside a defensive formation.
• Countless sinister black shadows and malignant spirits assault their barrier. The formation is rapidly weakening because the valley suppresses the absorption of spiritual energy, forcing Liu Fuyao and the others to consume their own vital essence to maintain it.
• Realizing their situation is desperate, Yun Feiyan sends a distress signal into the sky. Qin Hao, Qin Fan’s half-brother, sees the flare from outside the valley while waiting to ambush Lu Chen.

Character Developments

• Qin Ba gains confidence and ambition after his apparent victory. He views the battle as a turning point that may finally allow him to become the Qin Household’s heir.
• Shen Lian reveals concern over the Artifact Refining Sect’s Ancestral Founder Token, though his thoughts also expose the sect’s ruthless priorities and his conflicted feelings toward Shen Li. He remains unaware that Lu Chen was responsible for stealing the sect’s resources.
• Liu Fuyao is shown as the strongest member of the Joyful Union Sect group, using her Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root and Middle Golden Core cultivation to operate the defensive formation despite mounting exhaustion.
• Yun Feiyan becomes increasingly bitter toward Qin Fan, whom she blames for placing them in danger, but still takes action by sending the distress signal.
• Qin Hao is positioned as a new threat. He has been waiting outside Ten Thousand Souls Valley specifically to kill Lu Chen.

Significant Themes

• The overwhelming power of ancient clans: The Qin Household’s formation demonstrates the immense resources and destructive strength of an Ancient Desolate Aristocratic Clan.
• Ambition and succession struggles: Qin Ba’s triumph is driven not merely by victory but by his desire to eliminate rivals and secure the heir position.
• Ruthlessness and betrayal: The Qin Household’s destruction of the Thunder Clan, Shen Que’s disregard for Shen Li, and Qin Fan’s apparent plot against the Joyful Union Sect all highlight the brutal politics of the cultivation world.
• Survival against overwhelming forces: The Joyful Union Sect fairies face steadily worsening odds as their formation consumes their life force while they remain trapped in a forbidden region.
• Hidden identities and secrets: Shen Li’s concealed identity as a woman and the mystery surrounding the Ancestral Founder Token add to the chapter’s broader emphasis on concealed motives and unknown powers.

Character Interactions

• Qin Ba commands his subordinates to withdraw the formation after the battlefield is destroyed, while his followers hope to benefit from his possible rise to heir.
• Shen Lian internally reflects on Shen Li, his father’s orders, and the importance of the Ancestral Founder Token.
• Within Ten Thousand Souls Valley, Liu Fuyao leads the defense, while Su Qingqing reacts with alarm to the strength of the attacking spirits. Yun Feiyan condemns Qin Fan, and Jiang Yurou urges her senior sister to send a distress signal.
• The chapter ends with Qin Hao noticing the signal, creating suspense over whether help will arrive—or whether he will use the fairies’ distress to lure out and kill Lu Chen.

Chapter Summary: “Is This a Cross-Dressing Big Shot?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Hao, a Peak Golden Core cultivator with a Supreme Variant Spiritual Root, enters the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm intending to kill Lu Chen.
• Believing Lu Chen is still alive, Qin Hao sets a trap for the Joyful Union Sect’s fairies in Ten Thousand Souls Valley, hoping their distress will lure Lu Chen out.
• When Lu Chen fails to appear, Qin Hao begins suspecting that Lu Chen may truly have died in the Thirteen Void Passes.
• A distress signal erupts over Ten Thousand Souls Valley, attracting the attention of nearby cultivators. Although many pity the trapped women, none dare enter the dangerous valley to save them.
• Inside the valley, the Joyful Union Sect women struggle to maintain their defensive formation against countless red-eyed, black-shadowed creatures. The formation is weakening, frost is spreading, and the women realize they may not survive.
• Liu Fuyao rallies the despairing women, urging them to hold out until the very end. They consume medicinal pills and continue powering the formation.
• A veiled woman in black arrives outside the valley. Qin Hao mistakes her for Lu Chen disguised as a woman and attacks, deciding that it is safer to kill first and investigate later.
• The woman reveals extraordinary power by freezing everything within a hundred-zhang radius. Qin Hao escapes using the rare Void Shift divine ability.
• Qin Hao recognizes that the woman is connected to Li Yunsheng, the saintess of the Grand Void Immortal Sect, and identifies her as Li Yunsheng’s War Puppet Avatar rather than her true body.
• The chapter ends with the avatar launching another deadly wave of freezing energy at Qin Hao.

Character Developments

• Qin Hao: Demonstrates cunning, impatience, and confidence in setting traps. He is also reckless, attacking the mysterious woman without confirming her identity. His mastery of Void Shift reveals that he possesses an ability far beyond what is typical for a Peak Golden Core cultivator.
• Liu Fuyao: Acts as a strong leader, preventing the Joyful Union Sect women from surrendering to despair and inspiring them to continue resisting.
• Joyful Union Sect women: Despite fear and weakening strength, they show determination by repeatedly replenishing their energy and maintaining the defensive formation.
• Li Yunsheng’s War Puppet Avatar: Appears cold, composed, and overwhelmingly powerful. Her ability to control extreme frost immediately places her above ordinary cultivators and surprises Qin Hao.

Significant Themes

• Desperation and endurance: The trapped women continue fighting despite knowing the formation may soon collapse.
• Deception and mistaken identity: Qin Hao’s assumption that the veiled woman is Lu Chen creates a humorous but dangerous misunderstanding.
• Hidden power: The chapter emphasizes that appearances and cultivation realms can be misleading, especially through Qin Hao’s use of Void Shift and the avatar’s immense strength.
• Predation and opportunism: Qin Hao exploits the Joyful Union Sect’s predicament as bait, while outside cultivators value the women more as coveted beauties than as people in danger.
• Courage versus self-preservation: Although many cultivators hear the distress signal, fear prevents them from intervening.

Character Interactions

• Qin Hao and Lu Chen: Their rivalry drives the chapter, even though Lu Chen never appears. Qin Hao’s entire trap is designed to force Lu Chen into revealing himself.
• Liu Fuyao and the Joyful Union Sect women: Liu encourages and steadies the others when they begin to lose hope.
• Qin Hao and the veiled woman: Qin Hao mistakes her for Lu Chen, attacks her, and attempts to remove her veil. She responds by freezing him, forcing him to escape with Void Shift.
• Qin Hao and Li Yunsheng’s avatar: After recognizing her identity, Qin Hao taunts her by calling out her secretive actions. She remains emotionless and answers his provocation with a lethal frost attack.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Yunsheng’s Battle Puppet, forged from Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron and controlled by only a strand of her divine sense, overwhelms Qin Hao with its immense ice-based power.
• Qin Hao uses Void Shift to evade her attacks, then unleashes his fastest sword technique with the supreme-grade Dragon-Slaying Sword, believing he has cut the puppet in half.
• The Battle Puppet withstands the attack and catches Qin Hao by the neck. Li Yunsheng freezes and shatters him, but his body is revealed to have been replaced by a Death-Substitute Jade Talisman.
• Qin Hao escapes on his sword, furious at losing the precious talisman, and vows to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm so he can defeat Li Yunsheng.
• At the former grounds of the Thunder Clan, now transformed into a cooling lava lake after the Qin Household’s devastating attack, Duan Zhengde and Duan Ling’er arrive hoping to find valuable remnants.
• Lu Chen unexpectedly rises unharmed from the lava. Everyone had assumed he died when the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation destroyed the valley, making his survival extraordinarily surprising.
• Before the characters can fully react, an immortal proclamation announces the beginning of a new trial. All participants must return their Ascension Tokens, and those who complete the assigned mission may reclaim one and gain entry to Ascension City.

Character Developments

• Li Yunsheng demonstrates overwhelming strength and confidence through her Battle Puppet, proving that even a puppet controlled remotely can threaten or kill Qin Hao. She remains calm and dismissive after he escapes.
• Qin Hao suffers a major humiliation and loses a rare life-saving treasure. His confidence in his sword technique is shattered, and his frustration turns into a renewed determination to reach the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Lu Chen, previously believed to have been killed, reveals extraordinary resilience or a hidden means of survival. His completely unharmed appearance raises questions about his true abilities and identity.
• Duan Zhengde remains opportunistic, arriving to salvage treasures after the battle, but is stunned by Lu Chen’s survival.
• Duan Ling’er remains emotionally unreadable and offers little reaction, contrasting with her brother’s visible shock.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimated opponents: Qin Hao assumes the Battle Puppet is vulnerable because it is only a puppet, while Lu Chen’s survival likewise proves appearances can be misleading.
• Life-saving treasures and survival: The Death-Substitute Jade Talisman emphasizes the value of preparation and the lengths cultivators go to preserve their lives.
• Pride and humiliation: Qin Hao’s confidence in his supposedly unstoppable sword strike collapses, motivating him to seek greater power.
• The unpredictability of cultivation battles: Even overwhelming attacks and supposedly certain deaths do not guarantee victory.
• Escalating trials and competition: The immortal announcement shifts the story toward a new mission, with access to Ascension City serving as the next major objective.

Character Interactions

• Li Yunsheng’s Battle Puppet directly confronts Qin Hao, defeating him physically and forcing him to flee.
• Qin Hao angrily declares his intention to kill Li Yunsheng after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, establishing an ongoing rivalry.
• Duan Zhengde and Duan Ling’er encounter Lu Chen at the lava lake, with Duan Zhengde expressing disbelief at seeing someone presumed dead.
• Lu Chen lightly questions why Duan Zhengde has come, hinting that he recognizes the latter’s habit of seeking profit.
• The immortal proclamation interrupts their exchange and imposes a new challenge on everyone within the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.

Chapter Summary: “Who Can Come Save Us?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An enigmatic Immortal Shadow appears above the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, causing immortal spiritual energy to surge and many cultivators to show signs of breakthroughs.
• The Immortal Shadow distributes new missions directly into everyone’s minds. Unlike the earlier trials, these missions reward cultivators with Ascension Tokens.
• All previously held Ascension Tokens are collected, and Ascension City opens. However, entry now requires completing missions and obtaining new tokens.
• The highest-ranked missions include hunting the Ghost Lord in Ten Thousand Souls Valley, subduing a Fire Qilin, and hunting the Black Lake Demon Flood Dragon. The missions are extremely dangerous.
• Lu Chen reveals Shen Li, Tang Xiaoman, Liu Yan’er, and Qin Liang, whom he had secretly protected inside his Yin-Yang Space when the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation attacked.
• Lu Chen places the God-Slaying Forbidden Curse in Qin Liang’s Divine Aperture, making Qin Liang’s life dependent on Lu Chen’s will. He orders Qin Liang to bring Lei Ting to him and deal with Qin Ba and his Sixth Uncle.
• Qin Liang leaves as Lu Chen’s unwilling subordinate, secretly planning to become immortal through Ascension City and eventually escape the curse.
• Lu Chen learns from Duan Zhengde that the Joyful Union Sect, including Liu Fuyao and Yun Feiyan, is trapped in Ten Thousand Souls Valley.
• Realizing their situation is likely part of a deliberate trap, Lu Chen nevertheless decides to rescue them and immediately travels toward Ten Thousand Souls Valley.
• Meanwhile, the Joyful Union Sect’s defensive formation is close to collapsing under attacks from countless red-eyed black creatures. The trapped cultivators fear they will soon be slaughtered.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: His true identity and overwhelming abilities become increasingly clear. He possesses a small world, can protect others from catastrophic attacks, and controls Qin Liang through a deadly curse. Despite recognizing the danger of Ten Thousand Souls Valley, he confidently goes to save Liu Fuyao and Yun Feiyan.
• Liu Yan’er: She is still struggling to accept that the seemingly ordinary Lu Bufan is actually her powerful master, Lu Chen. Her awe grows after witnessing his small world and abilities, but she quickly accepts his command to join the rescue.
• Qin Liang: He becomes Lu Chen’s controlled servant. Though frightened and humiliated, he retains ambition and hopes that immortality will allow him to overcome the God-Slaying Forbidden Curse and reverse his situation.
• Duan Zhengde: After realizing that Lu Chen has subdued Qin Liang, Duan Zhengde becomes deeply fearful that Lu Chen may silence him. He tries to flee as soon as possible, revealing his nervous and cautious nature.
• Liu Fuyao and Yun Feiyan: They are placed in a desperate survival situation, trapped in Ten Thousand Souls Valley with their defenses nearly destroyed.

Significant Themes

• Power and control: Lu Chen’s control over Qin Liang demonstrates the vast gap between them and raises questions about whether Qin Liang still possesses genuine freedom.
• The pursuit of immortality: Ascension City and its missions intensify the cultivators’ desire for eternal life, encouraging them to risk everything for a chance at ascension.
• Hope amid despair: While most cultivators celebrate the opening of Ascension City, the Joyful Union Sect is isolated from that opportunity and faces imminent death. Lu Chen’s decision to rescue them restores a faint possibility of hope.
• Hidden identities and underestimated strength: Lu Chen’s ordinary appearance conceals extraordinary abilities, causing those around him to repeatedly misjudge him.
• Destiny versus personal agency: Qin Liang believes immortality may let him escape Lu Chen’s curse, while Lu Chen acts decisively rather than fearing the trap awaiting him.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen reunites with his disciples and Qin Liang, revealing that he saved them from the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation.
• Lu Chen commands Qin Liang to retrieve Lei Ting and settle matters with Qin Ba and his Sixth Uncle, establishing Qin Liang’s new subservient role.
• Duan Zhengde nervously interacts with Lu Chen after realizing Lu Chen knows his secret dealings with Qin Liang. Lu Chen teases him about his fear, while Duan Zhengde attempts to escape.
• Lu Chen questions Duan Zhengde about the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm and learns that the Joyful Union Sect is trapped in Ten Thousand Souls Valley.
• Liu Yan’er asks whether they will rescue the sect, and Lu Chen immediately confirms that they will, prompting her, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman to follow him.
• The chapter ends by contrasting Lu Chen’s determined rescue mission with the Joyful Union Sect’s desperate question: who will save them before their formation collapses?