Chapter Summaries

Qin Ziyi and Lu Chen fought in a fierce clash, with Lu Chen blocking her Heaven-Splitting Sword and Qin Ziyi breaking his blood-qi dharma form with Sword-Body Unity. The chapter ended as Qin Ziyi’s swift strike neared Lu Chen’s divine aperture, leaving him unable to dodge.

• Qin Ziyi slashed at Lu Chen with her Heaven-Splitting Sword, and Lu Chen summoned his blood-qi dharma form and used his Yin-Yang Dao Eyes to find the slash’s weak point.
• Lu Chen’s dharma form shattered Qin Ziyi’s Chaotic Sword Ray with a punch, then reached for her, but Qin Ziyi cut through its hand and destroyed it with Sword-Body Unity.
• Lu Chen caught Qin Ziyi’s descending sword rainbow between his palms, channeled its force into the ground, and hurled her away, suffering wounds that quickly healed.
• Lu Chen devoured the blood-qi from his destroyed dharma form as Qin Ziyi sped back and thrust a finger toward the divine aperture between his brows.
• Lu Chen realized Qin Ziyi’s strike was too swift to evade as her finger approached his divine aperture.

Chapter Summary: Joyful Union Sect’s Women Surrounded

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen is caught off guard when Qin Ziyi, a Nascent Soul Great Completion sword cultivator with an Innate Sword Body, launches an extremely fast attack. Her sword finger stops at his brow, capable of destroying his Divine Aperture and killing him instantly.
• Qin Ziyi interrogates Lu Chen about Lu Bufan and their relationship. Realizing he cannot evade or withstand her sword, Lu Chen pretends to surrender and agrees to lead her to Lu Bufan.
• Qin Ziyi seals Lu Chen’s cultivation by sending Sword Essence into his body and takes him prisoner. However, the Yin-Yang Cauldron within Lu Chen secretly devours the sealing Sword Essence, meaning his cultivation has not truly been suppressed.
• After Qin Ziyi leaves with Lu Chen, the Joyful Union Sect’s female disciples, along with Shen Li, Liu Yan’er, Lei Ting, and Tang Xiaoman, arrive at the devastated battlefield. The collapsed mountain and lingering Sword Intent reveal that an immense battle occurred.
• The women assume Lu Chen could not possibly have fought Qin Ziyi evenly, believing another hidden expert must have battled her. Shen Li uses the Artifact Refining Sect’s Ancestral Founder Token to track Lu Chen through the resonance between the two tokens.
• Before they can leave, Shen Lian and other Artifact Refining Sect members ambush and surround them. Shen Lian demands Shen Li surrender the Ancestral Founder Token, hoping to use it to gain recognition within the Artifact Refining Sect.
• The Joyful Union Sect refuses to yield. Yun Feiyan and Jiang Yurou confront Shen Lian, emphasizing the long-standing hostility between the two sects.
• The Black Tortoise Sect then arrives, led by a refined young man suspected to be the mysterious Black Tortoise Saint Son. The Joyful Union Sect’s group is now surrounded by both enemy factions.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Recognizes the gap between his combat ability and Qin Ziyi’s sword speed. He learns that his greatest vulnerability is not strength but being unable to react before her sword strikes. Despite being captured, he remains composed and secretly relies on the Yin-Yang Cauldron to nullify Qin Ziyi’s sealing technique.
• Qin Ziyi: Demonstrates overwhelming speed and precision, confirming her status as a formidable sword cultivator. Though impressed by Lu Chen’s powerful body cultivation and rare ability to form a Dharma Form through vital energy and blood, she remains ruthless and determined to interrogate him.
• Shen Li: Shows determination by refusing to surrender the Ancestral Founder Token. She also becomes essential to locating Lu Chen through the token’s connection.
• Shen Lian: Reveals deep resentment over his illegitimate status and years of humiliation. He sees the Ancestral Founder Token as his opportunity to restore his standing and prove himself to the Artifact Refining Sect.
• Yun Feiyan and Jiang Yurou: Defend Shen Li and openly challenge Shen Lian, demonstrating the Joyful Union Sect’s unity and unwillingness to submit to its former enemy.

Significant Themes

• Speed versus strength: Lu Chen’s formidable physical power is rendered ineffective against Qin Ziyi’s lightning-fast sword technique, highlighting how specialized combat abilities can determine victory.
• Hidden advantages and deception: Lu Chen disguises his continued ability to cultivate, while Qin Ziyi mistakenly believes her seal has worked.
• Loyalty and sect rivalry: The Joyful Union Sect protects its members despite the danger, while the conflict with the Artifact Refining Sect continues to escalate.
• Ambition and recognition: Shen Lian’s pursuit of the Ancestral Founder Token reflects his desire to overcome the stigma of illegitimacy and gain acceptance.
• The dangers of underestimation: The women underestimate Lu Chen’s capabilities, while Shen Lian underestimates the Joyful Union Sect’s willingness to fight.

Character Interactions

• Qin Ziyi interrogates and captures Lu Chen, while Lu Chen deceives her about the effectiveness of her seal.
• Shen Li attempts to lead the women toward Lu Chen, but Shen Lian confronts her and demands the Ancestral Founder Token.
• Yun Feiyan and Jiang Yurou intervene on Shen Li’s behalf, turning the confrontation into a sect-wide conflict.
• The arrival of the Black Tortoise Sect transforms the standoff into a dangerous three-sided confrontation, leaving the Joyful Union Sect surrounded and outnumbered.

Chapter Summary: “Do You Still Think You Have Us in the Bag?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Holy Sons of three major sects—Xuan Jingxian of the Black Tortoise Sect, Shen Lian of the Artifact Refining Sect, and Lei Dong of the Sacred Pill Sect—arrive with their disciples and surround Liu Fuyao, Yun Feiyan, and the other women of the Joyful Union Sect.
• Believing their superior cultivation and numbers guarantee victory, the three men arrogantly begin dividing the women among themselves. Xuan Jingxian claims Liu Fuyao, while Shen Lian shows particular interest in Shen Li and Yun Feiyan because Shen Li possesses the Artifact Refining Sect’s lost Ancestral Founder Token.
• Lei Dong behaves crudely and threatens to assault the women, provoking their anger. When Qin Xue and Su Qingqing condemn him, he attacks Su Qingqing with five strands of destructive lightning.
• Liu Fuyao intervenes, cutting apart Lei Dong’s lightning with her sword and protecting Su Qingqing.
• Xuan Jingxian then releases the intimidating pressure of his Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivation, overwhelming Liu Fuyao and making it clear that she is vastly outmatched in her normal state.
• Forced into a desperate situation, Liu Fuyao activates the Joyful Union Sect’s forbidden Blood-Burning Limit-Breaking Art, a secret technique of the Path of Severed Emotions. Her hair turns white as her cultivation and power surge beyond their normal limits.
• Though the technique will severely damage her vitality once it ends, Liu Fuyao gains enough strength to confront Xuan Jingxian and defiantly asks whether he still believes victory is certain.

Character Developments

• Liu Fuyao demonstrates courage and protectiveness by saving Su Qingqing despite facing a much stronger opponent. Her decision to use the dangerous secret art shows her willingness to sacrifice herself rather than surrender.
• Xuan Jingxian is established as arrogant, powerful, and predatory. His Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivation gives him confidence, but his certainty may be challenged by Liu Fuyao’s transformation.
• Lei Dong is portrayed as vulgar, abusive, and easily provoked. His threatening behavior exposes his lack of dignity despite his status as a Sacred Pill Sect Holy Son.
• Shen Lian is driven by greed and ambition, focusing on obtaining the Ancestral Founder Token and the immortal opportunity in Ascension City.
• Lei Ting, secretly present among the women, remains calm and conceals her true Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivation. Her hidden strength creates a major strategic advantage for the Joyful Union Sect’s side.
• The women of the Joyful Union Sect shift from anger and alarm to cautious hope as Liu Fuyao unleashes her forbidden technique.

Significant Themes

• Arrogance versus hidden strength: The three Holy Sons assume victory because of their cultivation and numbers, unaware that Lei Ting is among their opponents and that Liu Fuyao can temporarily exceed her limits.
• Sacrifice for resistance: Liu Fuyao’s technique illustrates the severe price of defying oppression and refusing to surrender.
• Objectification and abuse of power: The men’s attempt to claim the women as prizes highlights their entitlement and moral corruption.
• Dignity and defiance: The Joyful Union Sect women refuse to submit quietly, even when faced with overwhelming pressure.
• Hidden identities and reversals: Lei Ting’s concealed presence and Liu Fuyao’s sudden power-up foreshadow a reversal of the attackers’ presumed advantage.

Character Interactions

• Xuan Jingxian openly claims Liu Fuyao and attempts to intimidate her with his superior cultivation.
• Lei Dong insults and threatens Qin Xue and Su Qingqing, leading Su Qingqing to denounce him and Liu Fuyao to defend her.
• Shen Lian focuses on Shen Li because of the Ancestral Founder Token, linking the confrontation to the Artifact Refining Sect’s lost treasure.
• Lei Ting silently observes Lei Dong with contempt, while Shen Li, Tang Xiaoman, and Liu Yan’er know her true identity and remain confident in her presence.
• The chapter ends with Liu Fuyao confronting Xuan Jingxian after activating her forbidden technique, turning the encounter from an apparently one-sided ambush into an uncertain battle.

Chapter Summary: “Villain: Why Bring Suffering Upon Yourselves?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Joyful Union Sect is overwhelmed when the Black Tortoise Sect’s Holy Son, Xuan Jingxian, reveals that he is a Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivator.
• To fight him, Liu Fuyao uses the Supreme Severed Emotions Path’s secret art, forcibly raising her cultivation to the Peak Golden Core realm. The technique turns her black hair white and strips away nearly all emotion, making her cold and seemingly inhuman.
• Xuan Jingxian reveals that he is targeting Liu Fuyao because she knows the location of a hidden realm containing a Nascent Soul Fruit, a treasure capable of helping him break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Liu Fuyao attacks first. Her speed and sword techniques allow her to surround Xuan Jingxian with afterimages and nearly strike him from behind.
• However, Xuan Jingxian’s Black Tortoise True Art produces a powerful defensive phantom that blocks most attacks. His hidden Dragon-Scale Armor also prevents Liu Fuyao’s sword from penetrating his body.
• Xuan Jingxian retaliates with the previously unknown Black Tortoise Hammer, creating a massive crater and injuring Liu Fuyao despite her evasion.
• The Joyful Union Sect’s women attack together, but Xuan Jingxian effortlessly repels them all, injuring and scattering Yun Feiyan, Jiang Yurou, Qin Xue, Su Qingqing, and the others.
• Lei Dong mocks the defeated women and challenges the remaining observers—Shen Li, Tang Xiaoman, Liu Yan’er, and Lei Ting—to kneel and crawl toward him. Lei Ting responds with a confident smile, suggesting the situation may not be as simple as he believes.

Character Developments

• Liu Fuyao sacrifices her emotions and changes drastically through the Supreme Emotionlessness technique. Her power and speed increase, but she loses the warmth and humanity recognized by her fellow disciples.
• Xuan Jingxian is established as an exceptionally powerful and well-prepared opponent. Besides his Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivation, he possesses the Black Tortoise True Art, Dragon-Scale Armor, and Black Tortoise Hammer.
• Yun Feiyan demonstrates loyalty and courage by ordering a coordinated attack after Liu Fuyao is injured, but she and the other disciples are quickly defeated.
• Lei Dong becomes increasingly arrogant, openly humiliating the Joyful Union Sect and assuming that Shen Li, Tang Xiaoman, Liu Yan’er, and Lei Ting are too frightened to intervene.
• Lei Ting remains calm and defiant, implying that she may possess greater confidence or hidden strength than Lei Dong expects.

Significant Themes

• The cost of power: Liu Fuyao’s secret art grants her strength at the price of her emotions and identity.
• Emotion versus detachment: The Supreme Severed Emotions Path suggests that abandoning love and feeling can lead to overwhelming power, while also raising questions about whether such power is worth becoming emotionally empty.
• Preparation and hidden strength: Xuan Jingxian’s concealed armor and undisclosed weapon demonstrate how hidden advantages can determine the outcome of a battle.
• Arrogance before reversal: Lei Dong’s mockery and confidence foreshadow a likely change in the situation, especially given Lei Ting’s composed reaction.
• Unity against overwhelming force: The Joyful Union Sect members fight together despite knowing they are outmatched, emphasizing loyalty and solidarity.

Character Interactions

• Liu Fuyao and Xuan Jingxian engage in a direct duel, with her emotionless swordsmanship repeatedly testing his defenses.
• Yun Feiyan and the Joyful Union Sect disciples rally behind Liu Fuyao, launching a collective attack after seeing her injured.
• Xuan Jingxian dismisses and defeats the entire group, reinforcing the gap between Half-Step Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators.
• Lei Dong taunts the fallen women and provokes Shen Li, Tang Xiaoman, Liu Yan’er, and Lei Ting, while Lei Ting’s smile signals that his assumptions may soon be challenged.

Chapter Summary: “You Dog Men!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuan Jingxian of the Black Tortoise Sect, Lei Dong of the Sacred Pill Sect, and Shen Lian of the Artifact Refining Sect believe they have completely subdued Lei Ting, Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman.
• Lei Dong arrogantly orders the four women to “roll over,” confident that his Great Perfection Golden Core cultivation and Supreme Thunder Spirit Root make him invincible.
• The Joyful Union Sect’s disciples are badly injured, while their Holy Maiden, Liu Fuyao, confronts Xuan Jingxian.
• Liu Fuyao activates the Supreme Severed Emotions Path, entering an emotionless and terrifyingly focused state. Despite being injured, she launches a powerful sword attack against Xuan Jingxian.
• Xuan Jingxian blocks her initial sword strike with the Black Tortoise Hammer, but the attack is revealed to be a feint. Liu Fuyao appears behind him and pierces through his Black Tortoise True Body and Dragon-Scale Armor, severely injuring him.
• Furious, Xuan Jingxian retaliates with the Black Tortoise Divine Fist, destroying Liu Fuyao’s Sword Shield and sending her flying.
• He then removes and breaks her life-bound sword with his bare hands, causing her further internal injury.
• Xuan Jingxian responds with cruel threats against Liu Fuyao and orders his allies to capture all the women so they can abuse them.
• Having observed the situation from the sidelines, Lei Ting finally decides to intervene, condemning the men as “dog men.”

Character Developments

• Liu Fuyao: Demonstrates the frightening power of the Supreme Severed Emotions Path. Her emotions are completely suppressed, allowing her to fight with absolute clarity and execute a clever feint. Though she successfully wounds Xuan Jingxian, she is ultimately overwhelmed and suffers serious injuries, including the destruction of her life-bound sword.
• Xuan Jingxian: Initially appears confident in his overwhelming defense and strength, but Liu Fuyao’s attack exposes his vulnerability. His shock turns into rage and cruelty, revealing his brutal and depraved nature.
• Lei Dong: Remains arrogant and dismissive, relying on his superior cultivation and special lightning talent. He underestimates the women and fails to recognize the danger of the situation.
• Lei Ting: Has remained calm and observant while the others fought. Her decision to act suggests that she possesses hidden strength and has been deliberately waiting for the right moment.
• Yun Feiyan and the other Joyful Union Sect disciples: Become increasingly fearful as Liu Fuyao is injured, realizing that their survival depends on outside intervention.

Significant Themes

• Arrogance and misjudgment: The male cultivators assume victory because of their cultivation levels and prestigious backgrounds, failing to recognize their opponents’ abilities.
• Strength versus strategy: Liu Fuyao cannot overpower Xuan Jingxian directly, but her feint and sudden rear attack allow her to break through his defenses.
• The corruption of “righteous” sects: Although Xuan Jingxian, Lei Dong, and Shen Lian come from respected sects, their threats and behavior are more vicious than those associated with demonic cultivators.
• Emotional suppression and power: Liu Fuyao’s severed emotions make her calm and deadly, but the path also isolates her and contributes to her seemingly inhuman composure amid extreme danger.
• Humiliation and resistance: Xuan Jingxian attempts to reduce the women to objects of sexual violence, while their resistance—especially Liu Fuyao’s attack and Lei Ting’s impending intervention—challenges his assumed dominance.

Character Interactions

• Lei Dong taunts and commands Lei Ting, Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Tang Xiaoman, while they mock his overconfidence.
• Liu Fuyao and Xuan Jingxian engage in a fierce duel in which her tactical swordplay briefly pierces his defenses.
• Yun Feiyan worries over Liu Fuyao after she is injured, reflecting the bond among the Joyful Union Sect disciples.
• Xuan Jingxian’s threats horrify the women and expose the predatory nature of his group.
• Lei Ting finally speaks up after watching events unfold, setting up her confrontation with the three arrogant Holy Sons and Shen Lian.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lei Dong, the arrogant Holy Son of the Sacred Pill Sect, attempts to remove the veil of a mysterious woman, Lei Ting.
• Lei Ting defeats him with two punches, shattering his Golden Core and breaking his spine. She then grabs and humiliates him in front of the gathered cultivators.
• Xuan Jingxian and Shen Lian refuse to help Lei Dong, revealing their selfishness and lack of loyalty.
• Lei Ting reveals her identity. The crowd is shocked because she had supposedly been defeated and captured by Qin Ba during the Thunder Clan battle.
• Recognized as a Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivator with a Supreme Thunder Spirit Root, Lei Ting becomes the turning point in the crisis. The women of the Joyful Union Sect, including Yun Feiyan, Qin Xue, and Su Qingqing, are relieved to discover she is on their side.
• Lei Dong tries to threaten Lei Ting with the authority of the Sacred Pill Sect, but she kills him by crushing his neck. Because his Golden Core had already been destroyed, he cannot escape through his soul consciousness.
• The Sacred Pill Sect disciples attack to avenge him, but Lei Ting annihilates them with lightning.
• Lei Ting then openly provokes Xuan Jingxian, challenging him to fight. Xuan Jingxian responds with rage and threats, while Tang Xiaoman further mocks him.
• As Lei Ting and Xuan Jingxian begin their battle, the narrative shifts to Qin Ziyi, who is dragging Lu Chen toward a dark cave where Lu Bufan is hiding.
• Lu Chen’s cultivation has secretly recovered after the Sword Essence sealing it was consumed by the Yin-Yang Cauldron. He conceals this fact while allowing Qin Ziyi to believe she has control over him.

Character Developments

• Lei Ting: Revealed as overwhelmingly powerful, ruthless, and confident. She decisively protects the group and shows no hesitation in killing enemies who threaten or insult her.
• Lei Dong: Falls from arrogance to terror and helplessness. His contempt for Lei Ting leads directly to his death, emphasizing the consequences of underestimating others.
• Xuan Jingxian: His opportunism is exposed when he dismisses Lei Dong after the latter is defeated. His pride is then provoked by Lei Ting’s contempt, setting up a major confrontation.
• Shen Lian: Remains silent and detached, allowing Lei Dong to face his fate rather than risking himself.
• Liu Fuyao: Despite the group’s near-death escape, she remains emotionally distant. She focuses only on healing after Xuan Jingxian destroys her bonded flying sword.
• Lu Chen: Secretly regains his cultivation and begins plotting against Qin Ziyi while pretending to remain powerless.
• Qin Ziyi: Believes she is successfully controlling Lu Chen and leading him to Lu Bufan, unaware that the balance of power may already have shifted against her.

Significant Themes

• Underestimating opponents: Lei Dong’s arrogance and Xuan Jingxian’s dismissiveness lead them to misjudge Lei Ting’s strength.
• Power and reversal: The chapter repeatedly turns apparent defeat into victory, particularly through Lei Ting’s arrival and Lu Chen’s secret recovery.
• Self-interest and betrayal: Xuan Jingxian and Shen Lian abandon Lei Dong when he becomes vulnerable, showing that their alliances are conditional.
• Justice and vengeance: Lei Ting punishes Lei Dong and his followers for their arrogance and cruelty, while the coming confrontation suggests further retribution.
• Hidden strength and deception: Lei Ting’s concealed identity and Lu Chen’s hidden cultivation both demonstrate the danger of judging people by appearances.

Character Interactions

• Lei Ting humiliates and kills Lei Dong after he attempts to violate her privacy and threatens her.
• The Sacred Pill Sect disciples hesitate to attack while Lei Dong is held hostage, then die when they attempt revenge.
• Xuan Jingxian and Shen Lian distance themselves from Lei Dong, revealing their lack of loyalty.
• Lei Ting and Xuan Jingxian exchange escalating insults before beginning their battle.
• Tang Xiaoman supports Lei Ting and openly mocks Xuan Jingxian, further inflaming his anger.
• Qin Ziyi and Lu Chen travel together toward Lu Bufan’s hiding place, but Lu Chen secretly regains his strength and anticipates Qin Ziyi’s impending misfortune.

Chapter Summary: “Despicable, Shameless Ambush”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen brings Qin Ziyi to a mysterious cave previously discovered by the Joyful Union Sect. The cave is believed to shelter a powerful ferocious beast, though it may also contain rare treasures.
• Lu’s real purpose is not to have the beast attack Qin Ziyi, but to delay her while the Yin-Yang Cauldron secretly refines the Sword Essence she had implanted in him. By this point, Lu Chen has fully recovered his cultivation, though he pretends to remain injured and vulnerable.
• Qin Ziyi, confident in her overwhelming cultivation as a Nascent Soul Great Completion expert, forcibly takes Lu Chen into the cave after hearing a scream from its depths.
• Meanwhile, Lei Ting battles Shen Lian and Xuan Jingxian. Shen Lian reveals himself to be a Peak Golden Core cultivator wearing the Artifact Refining Sect’s supreme treasure, the Ten Absolutes Battle Armor.
• The armor protects Shen Lian completely and greatly increases his combat strength. He manages to withstand Lei Ting’s powerful punch, though she initially sends him staggering backward.
• Xuan Jingxian attacks Lei Ting with the Black Tortoise Hammer, but she easily repels him with lightning.
• Shen Lian then launches concealed Armor-Piercing Divine Needles coated with poison capable of killing Nascent Soul cultivators. The needles penetrate Lei Ting’s lightning defense and strike her body.
• Believing Lei Ting is doomed, the Joyful Union Sect women fall into despair. Xuan Jingxian recovers and prepares to continue fighting.
• Liu Fuyao’s Supreme Severing Emotions Secret Art expires, leaving her physically weakened. Since her life-bound sword has also been broken, her sword cultivation is severely damaged and she can no longer escape.
• Shen Lian arrogantly suggests that he and Xuan Jingxian take the women captive, ending the chapter on a threatening cliffhanger.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates patience, strategic thinking, and concealment. He has already recovered from Qin Ziyi’s attack but hides this fact in order to stall her and potentially turn the situation to his advantage.
• Qin Ziyi: Remains confident and aggressive, relying on her superior cultivation and speed. She shows no fear of the cave’s rumored beast and immediately takes control of the situation.
• Shen Lian: Reveals himself as a cunning and ruthless fighter. Rather than relying solely on cultivation or open combat, he uses powerful armor, hidden weapons, and poison. His willingness to use any method to win exposes his shameless nature.
• Lei Ting: Displays immense strength and battle confidence, overpowering both opponents in direct exchanges. However, Shen Lian’s unexpected ambush places her in serious danger.
• Xuan Jingxian: Proves resilient after being thrown aside by Lei Ting and quickly returns to the battle. His continued presence adds to the threat facing the Joyful Union Sect.
• Liu Fuyao: Suffers a major setback. The end of her secret technique and the destruction of her life-bound sword leave her severely weakened and unable to flee.
• Shen Li and the Joyful Union Sect women: Are shocked by Shen Lian’s hidden strength and horrified by his methods, becoming increasingly desperate as Lei Ting appears to be defeated.

3. Significant Themes

• Cunning versus honor: Shen Lian embodies the idea that victory matters more than fairness, using concealed weapons and poison despite possessing considerable strength already.
• Hidden strength and deception: Lu Chen conceals his recovery, while Shen Lian hides both his true cultivation and the weapons built into his armor.
• Power and vulnerability: Even powerful cultivators can be endangered by surprise attacks, specialized weapons, or poison.
• Desperation and survival: The battle emphasizes the brutal rule that survival in the secret realm may require abandoning conventional morality.
• Consequences of overconfidence: Qin Ziyi enters the cave without hesitation, while Lei Ting’s confidence leaves her unprepared for Shen Lian’s ambush.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Qin Ziyi maintain a tense, adversarial relationship. She threatens him and forces him into the cave, while he quietly manipulates events to buy time.
• Lei Ting initially dominates Shen Lian and Xuan Jingxian, treating their attacks with confidence. Shen Lian counters her strength with armor-piercing needles and poison.
• Shen Lian and Xuan Jingxian cooperate effectively: Shen Lian provides the decisive ambush while Xuan Jingxian resumes the frontal assault.
• Shen Lian’s behavior provokes outrage from Shen Li, Tang Xiaoman, Liu Yan’er, Yun Feiyan, and the other women, who condemn him for disgracing the Artifact Refining Sect.
• Shen Lian responds dismissively, openly declaring that winning is all that matters, then further humiliates and threatens the women with his crude proposal to Xuan Jingxian.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Lian ambushes Lei Ting with Armor-Piercing Divine Needles coated in poison potent enough to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, the needles fail to harm her; she effortlessly shakes them from her body.
• Shen Lian attacks again with the Heavenly Sword and Ultimate Blade, while his Ten Absolutes Battle Armor withstands Lei Ting’s summoned heavenly lightning. Lei Ting uses her lightning movement technique to evade his devastating slash.
• Xuan Jingxian joins the battle by throwing the Black Tortoise Hammer at Lei Ting, but she dodges and appears behind him, striking him hard enough to make him crash face-first into the ground.
• Already injured by Liu Fuyao, Xuan Jingxian realizes he cannot win and abandons his disciples, fleeing alone. Shen Lian also orders a retreat after recognizing Lei Ting’s overwhelming speed and power.
• Yun Feiyan leads the Joyful Union Sect women in attacking the fleeing Black Tortoise Sect and Artifact Refining Sect disciples. Tang Xiaoman summons powerful beast phantoms, while Liu Yan’er unleashes countless invisible wind blades. The enemy disciples are completely slaughtered.
• Lei Ting pursues Shen Lian, while Liu Fuyao leaves to retrieve the Nascent Soul Fruit. The women hope that obtaining it will allow Liu Fuyao to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm and strengthen their position in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Elsewhere, Qin Ziyi carries the injured Lu Chen through a cave. They discover a mutilated corpse and realize that a powerful savage beast is nearby.
• Following a scream, they enter a vast cavern and find several people battling two powerful flood dragons—one white and one black. Lu Chen senses Yin-Yang Essence within them and suspects they are the legendary Yin-Yang Flood Dragons guarding a mysterious exotic flower.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Lei Ting is revealed to be far more formidable than expected. She is immune to Shen Lian’s deadly poison, easily withstands the Armor-Piercing Needles, evades his attacks, and defeats Xuan Jingxian with a single punch.
• Shen Lian shifts from confident attacker to reluctant fugitive after realizing that Lei Ting cannot be injured easily. Despite his anger at Xuan Jingxian’s cowardly retreat and the massacre of his allies, he chooses survival.
• Xuan Jingxian suffers a humiliating defeat and exposes his lack of loyalty by abandoning his disciples. His earlier injuries make continued combat impossible.
• Yun Feiyan takes command of the Joyful Union Sect forces and leads the counterattack decisively.
• Tang Xiaoman demonstrates the terrifying power of the Myriad Beasts Profound Art, using beast phantoms to tear enemies apart.
• Liu Yan’er displays equally devastating control over wind blades, annihilating large numbers of opponents.
• Liu Fuyao prioritizes obtaining the Nascent Soul Fruit, recognizing that a breakthrough is essential for the group’s survival and stability.
• Qin Ziyi continues protecting the injured Lu Chen, while Lu Chen’s perception of Yin-Yang Essence allows them to identify the significance of the flood dragons.

Significant Themes

• Strength and hidden power: Lei Ting’s effortless resistance to poison and powerful attacks overturns everyone’s expectations.
• Loyalty versus self-preservation: Xuan Jingxian abandons his followers, contrasting with the Joyful Union Sect’s coordinated defense and Qin Ziyi’s protection of Lu Chen.
• The brutality of cultivation conflict: Once battle begins, the sects show no mercy, and weaker disciples are quickly slaughtered.
• The importance of advancement: The Nascent Soul Fruit represents the next crucial step in Liu Fuyao’s cultivation and the group’s ability to survive.
• Mystery and opportunity: The Yin-Yang Flood Dragons and the exotic flower introduce a new danger and potentially valuable treasure, setting up the next major conflict.

Chapter Summary: “Nascent Soul Fruit!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Ziyi drags Lu Chen into a vast underground chamber illuminated by Blazing Sun Pearls, which create a day-and-night cycle underground.
• At the center of the chamber is a lake containing a mysterious flower, guarded by a pair of powerful Yin-Yang Flood Dragons.
• Several Golden Core cultivators from the Donglai Sword Sect are battling the flood dragons. Their incomplete Donglai Seven Absolutes Sword Formation quickly collapses:
  • One cultivator is gravely wounded.
  • Donglai Yijian is knocked down and injured.
  • One disciple is swallowed, while the remaining two are torn apart as they attempt to flee.
• Qin Ziyi realizes the flood dragons contain valuable Yin-Yang Beast Cores and suspects the flower they guard is an extraordinary treasure. She prepares to fight them and seize both treasures.
• Qin Ziyi discovers that Lu Chen is the Joyful Union Sect’s famous male inner disciple and questions him about Lu Bufan. Lu denies knowing anything, while Donglai Yijian confirms that he has never heard of Lu Bufan.
• Meanwhile, Liu Fuyao enters a hidden valley known to contain a Nascent Soul Fruit. Desperate to advance beyond the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Realm, she intends to use the fruit to force a breakthrough.
• She finds the fruit growing from a small tree rooted in a massive piece of Scarlet Blood Spirit Jade. Just as she is about to take it, an unknown person appears behind her, laughing and thanking her for leading the way.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Remains calm and deceptive despite pretending that Qin Ziyi has sealed his cultivation. He uses innocence and verbal sparring to avoid revealing what he knows.
• Qin Ziyi: Reveals her powerful Supreme Chaos Spiritual Root and her ability to absorb and refine spiritual energy. She sees the Yin-Yang Flood Dragons and their cores as a major opportunity to increase her cultivation. She also becomes aware of Lu Chen’s identity and his connection to Qin Fan.
• Donglai Yijian: Suffers humiliation and injury in front of Lu Chen, his romantic rival. His emotional distraction contributes to his defeat, intensifying his resentment toward Lu Chen.
• Liu Fuyao: Shows impatience and desperation for greater strength. Frustrated by her vulnerability despite her Golden Core cultivation, she risks attempting an early breakthrough with the Nascent Soul Fruit.
• The Donglai Sword Sect disciples: Their failure demonstrates the overwhelming strength of the flood dragons and the danger of the secret realm.

Significant Themes

• Pursuit of power and opportunity: Both Qin Ziyi and Liu Fuyao view rare treasures as chances to dramatically increase their cultivation.
• Danger within the secret realm: Powerful treasures are protected by equally dangerous guardians, and even elite cultivators can be killed quickly.
• Humiliation and rivalry: Donglai Yijian’s embarrassment before Lu Chen highlights his personal resentment and emotional weakness.
• Deception and hidden motives: Lu Chen conceals his true condition, while Qin Ziyi and the unknown newcomer pursue their own agendas.
• Desperation versus preparation: Liu Fuyao’s willingness to force a breakthrough contrasts with the risks of acting before she is fully ready.

Important Character Interactions

• Qin Ziyi and Lu Chen: Qin Ziyi treats Lu Chen as a captive and interrogates him about Lu Bufan, while Lu Chen pretends to be helpless and responds evasively.
• Lu Chen and Donglai Yijian: Donglai mocks Lu Chen after seeing him thrown to the ground, but Lu Chen retaliates by implying that Donglai’s romantic failure is his own fault.
• Qin Ziyi and Donglai Yijian: Qin questions him about Lu Bufan after the sword formation collapses; Donglai denies knowing the person.
• Qin Ziyi and the Yin-Yang Flood Dragons: Qin recognizes their value and prepares to fight them for their beast cores and the mysterious flower.
• Liu Fuyao and the unknown intruder: Just as Liu is about to claim the Nascent Soul Fruit, an unidentified figure reveals that they have followed her there, setting up a confrontation.

Chapter Summary: Demon Palace Descends, Immortal and Demon Face Off!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Fuyao reaches the crimson mountain intending to harvest the Nascent Soul Fruit, unaware that Su Mei and Lin Yue have followed her.
• Su Mei, a traitor to the Joyful Union Sect, reveals that she and Lin Yue informed Xuan Jingxian, Shen Lian, and Lei Dong of Liu Fuyao’s connection to the fruit.
• Before fighting them, Liu Fuyao suddenly uses the opportunity to seize the Nascent Soul Fruit and flee.
• Xiao Rufeng, now unexpectedly advanced from the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm, intercepts her with a powerful giant-hand technique and takes the fruit for himself.
• Su Mei and Lin Yue flee after Xiao Rufeng releases his overwhelming pressure. Liu Fuyao remains behind, silently watching the fruit.
• Before Xiao Rufeng can confront Liu Fuyao, the sky splits open and a huge amount of demonic qi pours into the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• A gigantic Demon Palace forces its way through the spatial fissure, crushing mountains as it descends. Its demonic aura corrupts nearby animals, transforming them into savage Magic Beasts that attack cultivators throughout the area.
• Yelu Hong emerges from the Demon Palace, proving that the Demon Sect has found a way to enter the secret realm.
• An Immortal Shadow appears from Ascension City and repairs the spatial rift, sealing the breach.
• A demonic figure then emerges from the Demon Palace, leading to a dramatic confrontation between an immortal and a demon in the sky.

Character Developments

• Liu Fuyao remains cold and emotionally detached, consistent with her cultivation of the Path of Severed Emotions. Despite being wounded and having lost her natal flying sword, she remains decisive and resourceful, successfully obtaining the fruit before being stopped by Xiao Rufeng.
• Su Mei and Lin Yue are revealed as calculating traitors who manipulate others to locate the Nascent Soul Fruit. Their confidence collapses immediately when Xiao Rufeng appears, forcing them to retreat.
• Xiao Rufeng demonstrates a major increase in power by reaching the Nascent Soul Realm. He is arrogant and dismissive, but his motivation for claiming the fruit is partly protective: he intends to give it to his younger sister, who has been unable to break through.
• Yelu Hong becomes a key figure in the widening conflict, as her appearance confirms the Demon Sect’s unprecedented intrusion into the secret realm.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and opportunism: Su Mei and Lin Yue exploit Liu Fuyao’s knowledge, while Xiao Rufeng takes advantage of the conflict to claim the fruit.
• Power and hierarchy: The chapter emphasizes the overwhelming gap between Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators, as Xiao Rufeng effortlessly captures Liu Fuyao and intimidates the others.
• Emotional detachment versus desire: Liu Fuyao’s apparent lack of emotion contrasts with everyone else’s greed, ambition, fear, or excitement over the Nascent Soul Fruit.
• Escalation from personal conflict to cosmic confrontation: The struggle over a single treasure is abruptly overshadowed by the arrival of the Demon Palace and the direct clash between immortal and demonic forces.
• The destabilization of the secret realm: The Demon Palace’s arrival breaches the boundaries of the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, corrupts living creatures, and threatens every cultivator present.

Character Interactions

• Liu Fuyao confronts Su Mei and Lin Yue over their betrayal, though she avoids a prolonged battle by taking the fruit and fleeing.
• Su Mei and Lin Yue attempt to intimidate Liu Fuyao but are immediately subdued by Xiao Rufeng’s superior cultivation.
• Xiao Rufeng treats Liu Fuyao and the others with contempt, ordering them to leave after claiming the fruit.
• Liu Fuyao’s silent fixation on the fruit suggests unresolved determination, while Xiao Rufeng interprets it as a challenge.
• The chapter ends with the immortal and demonic figures facing one another, setting up a much larger conflict that transcends the characters’ original struggle.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A powerful demon shatters the void and forces an enormous Demon Palace into the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, shocking all the cultivators inside.
• The Demon Palace’s arrival devastates the surrounding mountains. Demonic qi corrupts nearby creatures, transforming them into grotesque Demonic Beasts that attack in every direction.
• An ancient immortal and the demon confront each other across the realm. They reveal that they have been enemies for tens of millions of years and are finally prepared to settle their conflict.
• The demon announces, “Enter my demonic dao, and you too may ascend to heaven,” offering cultivators who join her Ten Thousand Demons Palace a Demonic Dao Fruit capable of greatly increasing their cultivation.
• Although many prodigies are tempted, none immediately accepts. Joining the demonic path would make them enemies of the entire immortal dao.
• The demon abruptly returns to the Demon Palace, where powerful demonic cultivators greet her as Her Majesty. A masked woman in black takes the throne, apparently the supreme leader of the demonic forces.
• Outside the secret realm, Spirit Transformation experts witness the Demon Palace’s arrival and realize that its master possesses power far beyond their own. They urgently summon their sect and clan ancestors, causing the Eastern Continent’s cultivation world to fall into chaos.
• Deep underground, Qin Ziyi continues battling the Yin-Yang Flood Dragons. Her powerful Chaos Sword Light repeatedly sends them crashing into the walls but cannot pierce their scales.
• Lu Chen recognizes that the Flood Dragons are likely Nascent Soul-level beasts and begins considering how to weaken and subdue them using the Beast Taming Sect’s Myriad Beasts Record.

Character Developments

• The demon/Her Majesty: Establishes herself as an overwhelmingly powerful and confident figure. She is unconcerned about the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm’s anti-demonic formations and openly challenges the immortal while attempting to recruit immortal cultivators.
• The immortal: Demonstrates fierce determination to protect or reclaim an unknown object in her possession. Despite the demon’s suggestion that their goals are similar, the immortal insists on resolving their conflict through strength.
• Qin Ziyi: Displays formidable combat ability, wielding Chaos Sword intent powerful enough to injure Lu Chen and repeatedly repel the Flood Dragons. Her battle highlights her strength and determination.
• Lu Chen: Remains cautious and opportunistic. While intrigued and alarmed by the demon’s arrival, he also focuses on the immediate possibility of taming the Flood Dragons and turning them into powerful allies.
• The major sect and clan leaders: Their confidence collapses upon witnessing the Demon Palace’s power. They recognize that only their hidden ancestors may be capable of responding to this crisis.

Significant Themes

• Conflict between immortal and demonic paths: The demon’s recruitment offer challenges the rigid division between immortal and demonic cultivation, raising the possibility that the two sides may share similar goals.
• Power beyond established limits: The Demon Palace’s ability to shatter the void reveals an existence far above the known Eastern Continent experts, emphasizing the vast gap between ordinary cultivators and supreme beings.
• Temptation versus loyalty: The Demonic Dao Fruit offers immense advancement, but accepting it would mean betraying the immortal dao and becoming a target of the entire cultivation world.
• Hidden ancient forces: The arrival of the demon suggests that the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm contains secrets and entities far more powerful than the current generation understands.
• Opportunity amid danger: Lu Chen’s interest in taming the Flood Dragons reflects his tendency to seek personal advantage even during a crisis.

Important Character Interactions

• The immortal and demon exchange threats while acknowledging their ancient rivalry and partially overlapping objectives.
• The demon addresses all prodigies in the realm, attempting to persuade them to abandon the immortal dao for her demonic path.
• The demonic cultivators demonstrate absolute submission to Her Majesty by kneeling before her in the Ten Thousand Demons Palace.
• Qin Ziyi battles the Yin-Yang Flood Dragons while Lu Chen observes, assesses their strength, and plans to exploit the fight to create beast-taming blood pacts.
• The leaders of the major powers react collectively to the threat, each preparing to awaken their sect or clan’s most powerful ancestor.

Chapter Summary: “The Strongest Aphrodisiac?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Demon Palace’s immense demonic aura triggers the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm’s forbidden laws. Terrifying thunderclouds gather overhead, threatening destruction across the realm.
• Prodigies from various factions retreat toward Ascension City, where an immortal light protects them and accelerates their cultivation. Several cultivators break through, including one who reaches Peak Golden Core.
• The Blissful Sect defects to the demonic path. Its sect master and disciples enter the Demon Palace seeking power.
• The mysterious figure within the palace grants them demonic energy. The Blissful Sect Master transforms her Golden Core into a Demon Core and breaks through to the Nascent Soul Realm, while Zhou Tianqi and the other disciples advance to the Demon Core Realm.
• Empowered by her new strength, the Blissful Sect Master vows revenge against Lu Bufan.
• Liu Fuyao leaves the Joyful Union Sect’s retreat and travels to a secret cave containing a rare spirit medicine. There, she unexpectedly encounters Lu Chen battling two Yin-Yang Flood Dragons alongside Qin Ziyi.
• Lu Chen is incapacitated, while Donglai Yijian is also trapped and begs Liu Fuyao to save him in exchange for a Ten-Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root, which can restore her white hair to black.
• Liu Fuyao forcibly takes the storage ring, retrieves the spirit medicine, and kills Donglai Yijian despite his threats and status as the chief senior disciple of the Donglai Sword Sect.
• The Yin-Yang Flood Dragons release a strange mist containing powerful Yin-Yang Essence. The mist causes Lu Chen, Liu Fuyao, and Qin Ziyi to lose control of their vital energy and awaken intense primal desire.

Character Developments

• Blissful Sect Master: Her ambition and resentment drive her to abandon the immortal path. The Demon Palace grants her a dramatic breakthrough to Nascent Soul, transforming her into a powerful demonic figure determined to take revenge.
• Zhou Tianqi and the Blissful Sect disciples: They are healed and greatly strengthened by demonic power, becoming Demon Core cultivators and reinforcing the Demon Sect’s forces.
• Liu Fuyao: Her white hair highlights the consequences of an earlier event and her vulnerability regarding her appearance. Despite her normally cold and restrained demeanor, she acts decisively and ruthlessly, robbing and killing Donglai Yijian without hesitation.
• Donglai Yijian: His arrogance and reliance on his sect’s authority prove fatal. He assumes Liu Fuyao can be manipulated through the promised spirit medicine, but she takes it by force and kills him.
• Lu Chen: He remains trapped and weakened while recognizing the danger posed by the dragons’ mist. His awareness of the situation contrasts with the others’ growing loss of control.
• Qin Ziyi: She is caught in the same battle and affected by the flood dragons’ aphrodisiac-like essence.

Significant Themes

• Power through corruption: The Demon Palace offers effortless breakthroughs, but its power transforms cultivators spiritually and physically, illustrating the dangers of abandoning one’s principles for strength.
• Ambition and revenge: The Blissful Sect’s defection is motivated by humiliation and resentment, while newfound power intensifies its desire for vengeance.
• Desperation and manipulation: Donglai Yijian attempts to exploit Liu Fuyao’s wish to restore her hair, but his arrogance leaves him unable to recognize that he has lost all leverage.
• Appearance and identity: Liu Fuyao’s white hair symbolizes change and perhaps suffering, while the Ten-Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root represents her desire to reclaim her former appearance.
• Loss of control: The flood dragons’ Yin-Yang Essence introduces a dangerous contrast to cultivation and willpower, forcing even powerful characters to confront overpowering physical instincts.

Important Character Interactions

• The Demon Palace’s unseen master rewards the Blissful Sect with demonic power, creating a master–servant relationship.
• The Blissful Sect Master openly vows revenge against Lu Bufan after receiving her breakthrough.
• Liu Fuyao and Lu Chen reunite unexpectedly in the secret cave, with Lu Chen questioning how she discovered the location.
• Donglai Yijian bargains with Liu Fuyao, but she turns the exchange into a robbery and executes him.
• Lu Chen warns of the mist’s danger as Liu Fuyao and Qin Ziyi begin succumbing to its effects, setting up a tense and potentially compromising confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Yin-Yang Flood Dragons, unable to defeat Qin Ziyi directly, release a powerful mist containing Yin-Yang Lovemaking Qi, an aphrodisiac far stronger than the Blissful Sect’s Blissful Breeze.
• Lu Chen recognizes the danger and tries to resist, but both Qin Ziyi and Liu Fuyao are heavily affected. Qin’s combat ability collapses, allowing the flood dragons to attack her.
• Lu Chen breaks free of Qin Ziyi’s earlier cultivation seal, defeats both dragons with two punches, and saves Qin. He then uses the Five Elements Heaven-Imprisoning Finger to seal her cultivation.
• The flood dragons retreat into the lake after being badly injured. Lu Chen abandons his attempt to retrieve the mysterious flower in the lake and instead tries to remove the three humans from the area.
• Under the influence of the aphrodisiac, Liu Fuyao throws herself at Lu Chen, while Qin Ziyi also loses control. Lu Chen ultimately succumbs, and the three spend an unspecified amount of time together.
• After waking, Qin Ziyi, filled with shame and rage, attempts to kill Lu Chen for taking her virginity. Before she can strike, Mo Xian’er appears, knocks away her sword, and pushes her back.
• Lu Chen is shocked to discover that Mo Xian’er has reached Nascent Soul Peak, despite previously being only at Peak Golden Core. She also appears inside the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, even though it is supposedly forbidden to demonic cultivators.
• Mo Xian’er tells Lu Chen to accompany her to meet her ancestor and reaches out to take him away.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates that Qin Ziyi’s seal cannot permanently restrain him and displays overwhelming physical strength by severely injuring the flood dragons. However, he is also shown to be vulnerable to the dragons’ aphrodisiac and becomes caught in a morally and emotionally chaotic situation.
• Qin Ziyi: Changes from an overpowering captor to a helpless victim after the aphrodisiac disrupts her cultivation. Her humiliation and anger intensify after her encounter with Lu Chen, leading her to attempt revenge.
• Liu Fuyao: The mist strips away her restraint, causing her to openly pursue Lu Chen. Her actions contribute to the escalating entanglement between the three characters.
• Mo Xian’er: Makes a dramatic entrance as Lu Chen’s rescuer. Her sudden advancement to Nascent Soul Peak and presence in the forbidden secret realm establish her as a more powerful and mysterious figure than previously believed.

Significant Themes

• Role reversal and retribution: Lu Chen turns the tables on Qin Ziyi, who had previously controlled and carried him; he now seals her cultivation and carries her away.
• Desire versus self-control: The aphrodisiac forces the characters to confront primal impulses, overwhelming even powerful cultivators and undermining their usual discipline.
• Power and vulnerability: Cultivation strength does not guarantee immunity, as Qin Ziyi and Lu Chen are both incapacitated by the flood dragons’ mist.
• Mystery and hidden power: Mo Xian’er’s astonishing breakthrough and unexplained entry into the secret realm suggest concealed abilities, plans, or assistance from her demonic sect.
• Humiliation and emotional conflict: Qin’s shame, Lu Chen’s alarm, and Liu Fuyao’s uncontrolled desire create tension that may shape their future relationships.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen saves Qin Ziyi from the flood dragons, then immediately seals and taunts her, reversing their previous power dynamic.
• Qin reacts with fury and humiliation, while Liu Fuyao actively embraces Lu Chen under the mist’s influence.
• Lu Chen becomes caught between the two women, whose combined presence overwhelms his resistance.
• Afterward, Qin attempts to kill Lu Chen, but Liu Fuyao tries to protect him.
• Mo Xian’er intervenes, saving Lu Chen and asserting control over the situation by ordering him to accompany her.

Chapter Summary: “Mo Xian’er Arrived”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After being forcibly taken by Liu Fuyao and Qin Ziyi, Lu Chen is nearly killed by Qin Ziyi when she wakes up, feels ashamed and enraged, and attacks him with her sword.
• Mo Xian’er, the Demon Sect’s Saintess, suddenly appears and saves Lu Chen. Her presence in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm shocks everyone, especially because demonic cultivators are normally unable to enter safely.
• Mo Xian’er reveals an extraordinary cultivation increase: with the help of her ancestor, she advanced from Peak Golden Core to Peak Nascent Soul in a single day.
• She tries to take Lu Chen to meet her ancestor, but Lu Chen evades her. When she attacks him with the Heavenly Demon Immortal-Seizing Hand, Qin Ziyi intervenes.
• Qin Ziyi and Mo Xian’er begin an intense battle between two Peak Nascent Soul cultivators, shaking the underground chamber.
• Lu Chen discovers that his dual cultivation with Liu Fuyao and Qin Ziyi has increased the Yin-Yang Essence in his cauldron to 13,500 strands, enough to restore the Failed Spirit Transformation Pill and potentially repair broken artifacts.
• While Qin Ziyi and Mo Xian’er fight, Liu Fuyao attempts to harvest the blooming Yin-Yang Joyful Union Lotus, hoping it will help her break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
• A powerful Yang flood dragon attacks Liu Fuyao, but Lu Chen saves her by suppressing the creature. He then easily defeats both the Yang and Yin flood dragons, revealing a major increase in his own strength.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Gains a vast amount of Yin-Yang Essence through dual cultivation and demonstrates that his physical and combat strength can now overwhelm Nascent Soul-level beasts. He becomes increasingly important as a source of cultivation and power for the women around him.
• Qin Ziyi: Breaks through to Peak Nascent Soul after her encounter with Lu Chen. Though initially furious and ashamed, she begins subconsciously wondering whether further dual cultivation with him could help her reach the Spirit Transformation Realm, revealing growing inner conflict and attraction.
• Liu Fuyao: Advances from Great Perfection Golden Core to Peak Golden Core, heals her injuries, and regains the emotions suppressed by her Ruthless Dao. This frustrates her because her pursuit of emotional detachment and the Supreme Forgetting of Emotions has been undermined. She also obtains the Yin-Yang Joyful Union Lotus.
• Mo Xian’er: Returns as a dramatically more powerful figure, now at Peak Nascent Soul. Her mysterious arrival and immediate attempt to take Lu Chen suggest that she has a specific purpose connected to her ancestor.

Significant Themes

• Power gained through dual cultivation: Lu Chen’s encounters with Qin Ziyi and Liu Fuyao produce enormous benefits, accelerating their cultivation and generating the Yin-Yang Essence needed for alchemy and artifact restoration.
• Conflict between emotion and cultivation: Liu Fuyao’s Ruthless Dao is disrupted as her emotions return, while Qin Ziyi struggles with shame, desire, and her unexpected dependence on Lu Chen’s power.
• Rapid transformation and hidden forces: Mo Xian’er’s incredible one-day breakthrough suggests the influence of powerful ancient beings and hints at larger schemes within the secret realm.
• Reversal of power relationships: Lu Chen, once vulnerable to Qin Ziyi, now possesses enough strength to defeat Nascent Soul-level monsters with ease.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Qin Ziyi: Their hostile relationship becomes complicated by the benefits Qin Ziyi gains from dual cultivation. She attacks him in anger but later considers using him to advance her cultivation.
• Lu Chen and Liu Fuyao: Their encounter restores Liu Fuyao’s emotions, heals her, strengthens her cultivation, and creates a large amount of Yin-Yang Essence. Lu Chen then saves her from the flood dragon attack.
• Lu Chen and Mo Xian’er: Mo Xian’er saves him and attempts to take him to her ancestor, but he distrusts or resists her. Their relationship is left unresolved.
• Qin Ziyi and Mo Xian’er: They immediately clash as representatives of opposing orthodox and demonic forces. Their battle is evenly matched and becomes the chapter’s central confrontation.
• Lu Chen and the flood dragons: Lu Chen effortlessly defeats both lake guardians, astonishing Liu Fuyao and confirming his rapidly growing combat power.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen easily defeats the two Nascent Soul–realm vicious flood dragons, sending them flying with a punch and a kick. His overwhelming strength shocks Liu Fuyao, who realizes he has far surpassed her.
• Liu Fuyao becomes deeply unwilling to accept that the man she once considered worthless is now stronger than her. She resolves to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm so she can regain superiority.
• Liu Fuyao attempts to escape the underground chamber with a strange flower or treasure in her storage ring. Lu Chen blocks her and demands that she leave it behind, claiming that he saved her from the flood dragons.
• Their confrontation reopens the wounds from their past. Lu Chen bitterly recalls how Liu Fuyao, after becoming a sect saintess with a Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root, rejected him, called him unworthy of the immortal path, and gave him a small pouch of spirit stones before abandoning him.
• Liu Fuyao insists that her cruelty was meant to protect him while she cultivated the Ruthless Dao. Lu Chen rejects this explanation, arguing that she humiliated and discarded him because she looked down on his Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root and lowly status.
• When Liu Fuyao realizes she cannot persuade him, she distracts him by suggesting that she may be pregnant after their recent Dual Cultivation. She then uses a Teleportation Talisman to escape.
• Lu Chen discovers that Dual Cultivation has unexpectedly advanced his Body Cultivation from the Golden Body Initial Stage to the Golden Body Mid Stage.
• He turns his attention back to the flood dragons, defeats them again, and uses the Beast-Taming Blood Seal to subdue both the Yin and Yang Flood Dragons. He stores them in his Beast-Taming Pouch.
• At the end of the chapter, a mysterious demonic figure appears and identifies Lu Chen as possessing a Five-Element Dao Body, claiming to have waited one hundred thousand years to find him. An immortal figure then appears behind Lu Chen, trapping him between the immortal and the demon.
• Lu Chen is horrified when he realizes he cannot move at all.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Displays overwhelming physical strength and growing confidence. His former humiliation has hardened into emotional detachment and a desire to make Liu Fuyao regret rejecting him. His Body Cultivation advances unexpectedly through Dual Cultivation, and he successfully subdues two powerful flood dragons.
• Liu Fuyao: Her pride is shaken when she realizes Lu Chen has surpassed her. Rather than accepting this, she becomes determined to advance further and restore her superiority. She also reveals vulnerability through regret, grievance, and desperation, ultimately resorting to deception and escape.
• The mysterious demon: Reveals that Lu Chen’s Five-Element Dao Body is extraordinarily significant and that he has been searching for someone like Lu Chen for an extremely long time.
• The mysterious immortal: Appears without explanation, creating an immediate supernatural threat and suggesting that Lu Chen is connected to a much larger immortal-demon conflict.

Significant Themes

• Reversal of status and fortune: Lu Chen, once dismissed as trash, has become stronger than the gifted saintess who rejected him.
• Resentment and revenge: Lu Chen’s actions are driven partly by his desire to make Liu Fuyao experience the humiliation and helplessness he once suffered.
• Pride and regret: Liu Fuyao cannot accept being surpassed, while her explanations reveal that pride and ambition shaped her cruel treatment of Lu Chen.
• Power through cultivation: Lu Chen’s physical cultivation proves unexpectedly formidable, challenging the assumption that spiritual talent alone determines one’s future.
• Fate and hidden potential: The demon’s recognition of Lu Chen’s Five-Element Dao Body suggests that his true destiny is far greater than anyone previously understood.
• Immortal-demon conflict: The ending expands the story from a personal confrontation into a larger supernatural struggle involving powerful immortal and demonic forces.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Liu Fuyao confront their broken relationship, with Lu Chen demanding the treasure and refusing to forgive her past rejection.
• Liu Fuyao attempts to justify abandoning him, but Lu Chen sees her explanation as self-serving and refuses to restore their former bond.
• Liu Fuyao manipulates Lu Chen by suggesting she may be carrying his child, allowing her to escape with a Teleportation Talisman.
• Lu Chen battles and subdues the Yin and Yang Flood Dragons, transforming them from enemies into potential allies or weapons.
• The chapter ends with Lu Chen caught between the newly arrived immortal and demon, setting up a major confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Heaven-and-Earth’s Great Secret”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An immensely powerful immortal projection and a demonic woman suddenly appear in the underground chamber, instantly freezing the entire area. Lu Chen, Qin Ziyi, and Mo Xian’er are rendered completely immobile, able to move only their eyes.
• The immortal recognizes Lu Chen as possessing an An Five Elements Dao Body, while the demonic woman identifies him as her target and declares that she will take him.
• The demon’s appearance shocks Lu Chen because demonic cultivators should be unable to enter the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm. The realm is protected by ancient demon-slaying restrictions that have destroyed even the strongest demonic overlords.
• The demonic woman attempts to control Lu Chen through her blood-red eyes, nearly stealing his consciousness. However, the Yin-Yang Cauldron in his dantian protects him and restores his awareness.
• Her demonic laughter also attacks Lu Chen’s soul, but the immortal’s voice counters it. Immortal and demonic forces clash within Lu Chen’s sea of consciousness, causing him great pain while simultaneously tempering his Divine Soul.
• The immortal and demon argue over ownership of the secret realm. The demon reveals that the realm has existed for more than one hundred thousand years and claims that neither of them is its true master.
• Their argument exposes a larger secret: the two beings may come from another place and are preparing to return there by opening the Heavenly Gate. The immortal has apparently been preparing for this for a hundred thousand years.
• The demon suddenly attacks, enveloping Lu Chen in demonic qi and taking him away. The immortal pursues her by shattering the void.
• Once the two supreme beings disappear, Qin Ziyi and Mo Xian’er regain their freedom and instinctively flee toward the exit.
• Outside, the immortal and demon battle in the sky as thunderclouds gather and devastating lightning tears through the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, terrifying all the cultivators within it.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Learns that his An Five Elements Dao Body is significant to both the immortal and the demon. His Yin-Yang Cauldron demonstrates its importance by resisting the demon’s soul-control technique. He also endures the simultaneous tempering effects of immortal and demonic power, potentially strengthening his Divine Soul.
• Qin Ziyi: Witnesses the overwhelming power of the immortal and demon. Her immediate decision to escape shows her awareness that she cannot participate in their confrontation.
• Mo Xian’er: Recognizes the demonic woman as the Old Ancestor of the Demon Sect, producing both shock and excitement. Like Qin Ziyi, she realizes that remaining near the battle is too dangerous.
• The Immortal Shadow: Reveals a strong interest in Lu Chen and refuses to let the demon take him. The immortal also appears deeply invested in opening the Heavenly Gate and returning to another realm or homeland.
• The Demon Woman: Displays overwhelming soul-controlling abilities and aggressively claims Lu Chen. Her knowledge of the secret realm’s history and the Heavenly Gate suggests a connection to its ancient origins.

Significant Themes

• The conflict between immortality and demonic power: Lu Chen becomes the battleground for opposing immortal and demonic forces.
• Hidden origins and ancient secrets: The secret realm’s true age and the existence of the Heavenly Gate suggest that its history is far older and more mysterious than known.
• Power beyond cultivation realms: Lu Chen, despite being only at the Golden Core Realm, becomes important to beings vastly beyond the Nascent Soul level.
• Protection versus possession: Both the immortal and demon seek control of Lu Chen, though their motives remain unclear.
• Transformation through conflict: The clash of immortal and demonic energies harms Lu Chen but also tempers and potentially strengthens his soul.

Important Character Interactions

• The immortal and demon engage in a tense verbal confrontation over Lu Chen and the ownership of the secret realm.
• The demon attempts to dominate Lu Chen through her eyes and demonic voice, while the immortal repeatedly protects him by dispelling her influence.
• The demon challenges the immortal’s claim to the realm, revealing their shared ancient history and their common goal of opening the Heavenly Gate.
• Qin Ziyi and Mo Xian’er, briefly united by circumstance, escape together after witnessing the confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A massive confrontation erupts above the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm between an Immortal Shadow and a Demon Shadow. Their battle plunges the realm into darkness and unleashes devastating thunder and lightning.
• A Demon Palace tears through the void and enters the realm despite its supposedly absolute prohibition against demonic cultivators. The palace blocks heavenly lightning, demonstrating that its master possesses power capable of resisting the realm’s laws.
• Demonic qi spreads from the Demon Palace, corrupting nearly half the realm, while Ascension City becomes the only area protected by powerful immortal light. Terrified cultivators flee toward the city for safety.
• The Immortal Shadow demands that the demon surrender Lu Chen, who is being held captive. The demon refuses, claiming that Lu Chen possesses the Five-Element Dao Body she has searched for over one hundred thousand years.
• During their exchange, the demon reveals the horrifying truth: the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm is a trap controlled by the female Immortal Emperor. Every 120 years, she lures cultivators from the Eastern Continent into the realm, allows some to gain apparent “immortal opportunities,” and then harvests their cultivation.
• Lu Chen realizes that Ascension City is not a blessed immortal city but a slaughterhouse. The cultivators who fought to enter it are destined to die, and this cycle is supposedly the final harvest.
• The demon disappears into the void with Lu Chen, while the Immortal Shadow does not pursue them and also vanishes.
• Lu Chen is transported to a dark hall, where he fears for the lives of Liu Fuyao, Yun Feiyan, Shen Li, Lei Ting, Liu Yan’er, Tang Xiaoman, and the other trapped cultivators.
• Mo Xian’er enters and reveals that she knows Lu Chen’s multiple identities—including Lu Bufan and the mysterious Pill King—leaving him shocked and suspicious that she has been monitoring him.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: His understanding of the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm is completely shattered. He learns that the realm’s “opportunities” are bait for a mass cultivation harvest and becomes desperate to save his companions.
• The Female Immortal Emperor: She is exposed as the true ruler behind the realm’s cycle and as an apparently ruthless figure who sacrifices entire generations of cultivators for her own purposes.
• The Demon Shadow: Though she is an enemy of the Immortal Emperor, she appears to possess knowledge of the realm’s secrets and may oppose or exploit the harvest for her own ends. She values Lu Chen because of his rare Five-Element Dao Body.
• Mo Xian’er: Her knowledge of Lu Chen’s hidden identities reveals that she is far more mysterious and powerful than previously understood. Her confident entrance suggests she has been observing him for a long time.
• Lu Chen’s Companions: Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, Lei Ting, and Tang Xiaoman witness Lu Chen’s capture but cannot understand the exchange between the immortal and demon. Their survival is placed in immediate danger.

Significant Themes

• Deception and false hope: The realm’s supposed immortal opportunities are revealed as bait designed to lure ambitious cultivators to their deaths.
• The corruption of authority: The Immortal Emperor, traditionally associated with supreme righteousness and transcendence, is presented as more ruthless than the demon.
• Hidden truths and shattered beliefs: Lu Chen and the cultivators discover that the foundations of their understanding of the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm are lies.
• Predestination versus resistance: The cultivators’ fates appear predetermined, but Lu Chen’s fear and determination suggest he may try to defy the established cycle.
• Ambiguous morality: The demon exposes the Immortal Emperor’s crimes, yet she is also self-interested and abducts Lu Chen for her own purposes.

Character Interactions

• The Immortal Shadow and Demon Shadow engage in a tense confrontation over Lu Chen. Their conversation reveals long-standing knowledge of each other and implies that both may originate from the same place.
• The demon openly condemns the Immortal Emperor for repeatedly harvesting the Eastern Continent’s cultivators, while the Immortal Emperor responds without emotion or denial.
• Lu Chen overhears their exchange through divine sense and reacts with disbelief and terror.
• After transporting Lu Chen to the dark hall, Mo Xian’er confronts him directly and confidently lists his hidden identities, setting up a new mystery about her motives and sources of knowledge.

Chapter Summary: “Mo Xian’er: I’m Going to Beat You Up!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the Demon Palace, Lu Chen is shocked when Mo Xian’er immediately exposes all three of his identities: the Mysterious Pill King, Lu Bufan, and the person who stole Qin Ziyi’s seven natal flying swords.
• Mo Xian’er reveals that the Demon Palace’s ancestor learned these secrets by silently reading Lu Chen’s memories after capturing him. The ancestor also helped unify the demonic forces and greatly increased Mo Xian’er’s cultivation.
• Having risen from the Golden Core Realm to Nascent Soul Peak, Mo Xian’er decides to take revenge on Lu Chen for humiliating her in Black Mountain Town.
• She openly declares that she only wants to beat him up. Lu Chen, uncertain why he was captured and wary of the powerful demon on the throne, nevertheless accepts her challenge.
• Mo Xian’er attacks with the Heavenly Demon Seizing Immortal Hand, but Lu Chen breaks free of its restraint and destroys the giant demonic hand with one punch.
• Lu Chen then strikes Mo Xian’er directly. Although she activates Dragon-Scale Body Protection, his punch sends her crashing into the hall wall and leaves blood at the corner of her mouth.
• Lu Chen concludes that Nascent Soul Peak is not especially impressive, but the Demon Palace’s ancestor recognizes his extraordinary strength and refers to him as possessing a Five-Element Dao Body.
• As more members of the Myriad Demons Sect enter the hall, Mo Xian’er summons a Nascent Soul Incarnation, escalating the confrontation.
• Meanwhile, Human Race cultivators gather outside Ascension City, believing its opportunities may allow them to enter the Immortal Ascension Road. Though excited, none dares enter first.
• A fat cultivator named Duan Zhengde boldly volunteers to enter the city, accompanied by a young girl.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Remains calm and defiant despite being captured by the Demon Palace. His confidence grows when he discovers that his Intermediate Golden Body Stage strength allows him to overpower Mo Xian’er, even though she has reached Nascent Soul Peak. His physical power and possible Five-Element Dao Body become increasingly significant.
• Mo Xian’er: Has undergone a dramatic cultivation breakthrough and now possesses Nascent Soul Peak strength. Despite her confidence and desire for revenge, she is shocked and angered when Lu Chen easily defeats her initial attack and wounds her.
• The Demon Palace’s Ancestor: Is portrayed as vastly powerful and mysterious. He can read memories without detection, unite the demonic path, and recognize the unusual nature of Lu Chen’s physique.
• Duan Zhengde: Is introduced as bold and reckless, willing to enter Ascension City when the other cultivators hesitate.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and reversal: Mo Xian’er intends to repay Lu Chen for their earlier conflict, but the situation quickly reverses when he proves stronger than expected.
• Hidden identities and secrets: Lu Chen’s multiple identities are no longer concealed from the Demon Palace, increasing the danger surrounding him.
• Power beyond cultivation level: Lu Chen’s Golden Core cultivation appears inferior to Mo Xian’er’s Nascent Soul Peak, yet his body-refining strength allows him to dominate her.
• Rising tension between humans and demons: The Demon Palace’s growing influence and the Human Race’s search for Ascension City’s fortunes suggest an impending conflict over power and opportunity.
• Courage versus hesitation: While the gathered cultivators fear entering Ascension City, Duan Zhengde distinguishes himself by acting first.

Character Interactions

• Mo Xian’er taunts Lu Chen about his exposed identities and challenges him to a fight.
• Lu Chen responds with sarcasm and refuses to show fear, turning her attack back against her.
• The ancestor observes the battle with interest and comments on Lu Chen’s unusual physique.
• The arrival of the Myriad Demons Sect master and its elders adds pressure to the confrontation.
• Duan Zhengde separates himself from the hesitant Human Race cultivators and prepares to enter Ascension City with the young girl following him.

Chapter Summary: “I’m Going to Beat You into Pulp Today”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Demon Palace descends upon the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, overwhelming its restrictive laws and splitting the realm into two regions: a demonic domain and an immortal territory.
• Major forces and experts gather outside Ascension City, including Qin Ba, Tang Longxiang, the Supreme Mountain holy maiden, the Ultimate Dao Sword Sect’s sword son, the Archaic Xiao Family, Donglai Yijian’s Helan Xue, the Grand Void Immortal Sect, and Qin Hao.
• Qin Hao is relieved because he believes Lu Chen has been killed by the Demon Palace’s master, though Liu Yan’er’s survival proves that Lu Chen is still alive.
• Lei Ting and Shen Li intend to rescue Lu Chen, but because the Demon Palace’s master is too powerful, they enter Ascension City in hopes of obtaining a major opportunity and increasing their strength.
• Ascension City opens, revealing gatekeeper statues holding perfectly intact Immortal Artifacts. The cultivators hesitate to enter until Duan Zhengde, the former swindler from Hehuan Town, boldly leads his younger sister inside.
• His entry triggers a rush. Cultivators fear he will seize all the treasures first, so they flood into the city.
• Within the City Lord’s Manor, a mysterious Immortal Shadow observes the entrants. She reveals that her Five Elements Heaven-Opening Formation has taken one hundred thousand years to complete and that Ascension City is part of a final “harvest.” Those who enter will not be able to leave.
• Meanwhile, Lu Chen battles Mo Xian’er inside the Demon Palace. Although Mo Xian’er summons her Nascent Soul Incarnation and uses the surrounding spiritual energy, Lu Chen’s body cultivation and five-element qi and blood allow him to overpower her.
• Lu Chen destroys part of her Nascent Soul Incarnation, sends her flying, and stomps her into the ground. Protected by the Dragon-Scale Demonic Armor, Mo Xian’er survives but is badly injured.
• Lu Chen prepares to stomp her again despite the Demon Palace master ordering him to stop.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates that his Golden Core cultivation conceals extraordinary physical strength. His body cultivation enables him to overcome a Nascent Soul Peak opponent, and his confidence and aggression become increasingly pronounced.
• Mo Xian’er: Initially believes her Nascent Soul Peak cultivation and ability to command heaven and earth make her superior. Lu Chen’s unexpected strength shatters that confidence, leaving her shocked and wounded.
• Qin Hao: Feels relieved by what he assumes is Lu Chen’s death, highlighting his continuing hostility toward Lu Chen and his satisfaction at seeing his rival eliminated.
• Lei Ting and Shen Li: Show loyalty to Lu Chen by seeking a way to grow stronger and rescue him rather than abandoning him.
• Liu Yan’er: Her continued survival indirectly confirms that Lu Chen remains alive because of the connection created by the God-Slaying Forbidden Curse.
• Duan Zhengde: Shifts from comic swindler to decisive opportunist, becoming the first cultivator to enter Ascension City and unintentionally setting off the mass charge.
• The Immortal Shadow: Is revealed as the mastermind behind Ascension City’s hidden danger, preparing to use the entering cultivators for a long-awaited final harvest.

Significant Themes

• Power beyond conventional cultivation: Lu Chen’s physical cultivation allows him to challenge someone at the Nascent Soul Peak despite possessing only Golden Core cultivation.
• Greed and risk: The promise of Immortal Artifacts, heavenly treasures, and cultivation manuals drives cultivators into a city that may become their tomb.
• Hidden conspiracies and sacrifice: Ascension City is not merely a place of opportunity; it is part of the Immortal Shadow’s massive formation and harvesting scheme.
• Loyalty and rivalry: Some characters seek to save Lu Chen, while others, such as Qin Hao, rejoice at the possibility of his death.
• Overconfidence versus reality: Mo Xian’er’s confidence in her realm and control over spiritual energy is overturned by Lu Chen’s raw strength.

Character Interactions

• The gathered cultivators compete psychologically, each waiting for someone else to risk entering Ascension City first.
• Duan Zhengde’s bold entrance pressures the hesitant crowd into following him.
• Lei Ting and Shen Li remain aligned in their goal of rescuing Lu Chen.
• Lu Chen and Mo Xian’er engage in a fierce battle, with Lu Chen mocking her reliance on spiritual energy and physically dominating her.
• The Demon Palace master attempts to intervene when Lu Chen is about to deliver another attack, but Lu Chen ignores the command, escalating the confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “The Harvest Begins”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen attempts to stomp Mo Xian’er, but the demoness on the throne immobilizes him with an invisible force.
• Once freed, Mo Xian’er retaliates with a powerful spinning kick, sending Lu Chen crashing into a pillar. She prepares to attack him again, but the demoness stops her.
• Lu Chen taunts Mo Xian’er, intensifying her anger, though she restrains herself because of the demoness’s orders.
• The demoness reveals a magical image of Ascension City, where numerous cultivators—including Yun Feiyan, Lei Ting, and Qin Ba—have entered.
• She explains that the city is a trap designed to use the cultivators as “nourishment.”
• Lu Chen realizes the danger and attempts to see through the demoness’s form with his Yin-Yang Dao Eyes, but even they cannot fully penetrate her concealment.
• The demoness hints that Lu Chen’s fate was decided long ago, leaving him frightened and confused.
• Inside Ascension City, the harvest begins. Immortal generals slaughter the invading cultivators, transforming their cultivation into energy that flows into the Five-Element Formation Disk.
• The formation activates, causing Ascension City to absorb the spiritual energy of the entire Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• The secret realm begins forcibly descending into the Eastern Continent. Its emergence tears apart the Summit of the Void, destroys palaces, sends the Bronze Immortal Gate flying, and causes massive casualties.
• While many cultivators are excited at the prospect of entering the secret realm, Lu Chen understands that Ascension City is a deadly trap.
• He becomes especially anxious because members of the Joyful Union Sect, including Yun Feiyan and Qin Xue, are inside the city. He also notices that Liu Fuyao and Qin Ziyi are absent.
• Mo Xian’er asks whether Lu Chen wants to save the Joyful Union Sect’s senior sisters and implies that she may know a way to help.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: His confidence is shaken by the demoness’s overwhelming power and cryptic statement about his predetermined fate. Despite recognizing the danger, he remains determined to save the people trapped in Ascension City.
• Mo Xian’er: She remains hot-tempered and prideful, attacking Lu Chen after being humiliated. However, she obeys the demoness and now appears willing—or at least able—to offer Lu Chen assistance.
• The Demoness: She demonstrates absolute control over both Lu Chen and Mo Xian’er. Her knowledge of Ascension City’s purpose and her familiarity with Lu Chen’s supposed destiny make her increasingly mysterious and threatening.
• The Immortal Shadow/Immortal Emperor: Though not directly present in the Demon Palace, the figure operating the Five-Element Formation Disk is shown to be harvesting the cultivators’ power to strengthen Ascension City.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and false hope: Ascension City’s promise of opportunity lures cultivators into a carefully prepared death trap.
• Powerlessness before higher beings: Lu Chen recognizes that ordinary strength and even his special vision are useless against beings at the level of the demoness and the Immortal Emperor.
• Predetermined fate versus free will: The demoness’s claim that Lu Chen’s ending was decided long ago raises questions about whether his choices can alter his destiny.
• Sacrifice and exploitation: The cultivators are reduced to fuel for a greater formation, emphasizing the brutal hierarchy of the cultivation world.
• Destruction accompanying opportunity: The Ancient Immortal Secret Realm’s emergence excites many cultivators, but it simultaneously causes widespread death and devastation.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Mo Xian’er clash physically and verbally, with Lu Chen mocking her strength after surviving her attack.
• The demoness repeatedly interrupts their conflict, effortlessly restraining both characters and asserting her authority.
• Lu Chen confronts the demoness about the meaning of the cultivators becoming “nourishment,” but receives only cryptic answers.
• After witnessing the massacre in Ascension City, Lu Chen and Mo Xian’er discuss the possibility of rescuing the Joyful Union Sect members, with Mo Xian’er suggesting that she may possess a solution.