Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with the death of the mysterious “Human Emperor,” whose blood stains the starry sky after he is defeated during the Dao-Proving Tribulation.
• His fall causes the Great Dao to mourn, the Human Race to grieve, and another Dark Turmoil to erupt. Supreme Beings from the Restricted Areas awaken and begin devouring living beings.
• The Supreme Beings debate the fallen ruler’s strength. He had cultivated both the Lunar and Solar Immortal Scriptures, attempting to combine Yin and Yang, though he had not fully perfected either path or truly formed a Chaos Body.
• The Human Emperor was ultimately betrayed and fatally struck from behind by the Undying Heavenly Blade, apparently after provoking the Undying Heavenly Emperor and another powerful Supreme Being.
• Before dying, Tan Lin activates the All-Causes Soul Pearl, using its ability to preserve a fragment of his true soul through disintegration and reincarnation. However, the pearl is undercharged, leaving him trapped in a near-endless cycle of death and torment.
• After an immeasurable period, a moment of regret—his realization that he should not have been greedy—awakens his consciousness. He discovers that only a tiny remnant of his soul remains within the Soul Pearl, supported by three and a half crimson marks.
• Tan Lin recalls his three major lifetimes:
  1. In his first life, he cultivated the Lunar Scripture but failed to reach sainthood.
  2. In his second life, he cultivated the Solar Scripture and reached great heights but fell short of the Quasi-Emperor realm.
  3. In his third life, he was born with the Human King Battle Body, combined Lunar and Solar powers, became the Human Emperor, and led the Human Race to renewed strength.
• As Human Emperor, he defeated foreign races, established the Human Emperor Hall, and captured an Ancient Emperor’s daughter. His subordinates placed her in his bedchamber, leading to a romantic and distracting relationship.
• Eventually, Tan Lin recognized that this relationship and his comfortable imperial life were consuming valuable time. He released her and the Quasi-Emperor who repeatedly sought her return, though their karmic connection had already become deep.
• By age 3,000, Tan Lin had reached the peak of the Quasi-Emperor realm. His growing influence and the many causal ties created by his empire allowed him to recharge the Soul Pearl much faster.
• At age 3,600, with the Soul Pearl fully charged, he finally attempted Dao Attainment—the decision that led to his death and current regret.

Character Development

• Tan Lin is introduced as a powerful but flawed cultivator. His repeated reincarnations demonstrate perseverance, ingenuity, and an intense desire to overcome his limitations.
• Across his lives, he develops from an individual cultivator focused mainly on personal advancement into a leader who accepts responsibility for the Human Race.
• His third life reveals both his greatest achievements and weaknesses: he becomes a heroic Human Emperor but is also distracted by pleasure, attachment, and overconfidence.
• His present state as a barely surviving remnant soul establishes a tragic turning point. His regret suggests that his next life may be shaped by greater caution and determination.

Significant Themes

• Reincarnation and persistence: The Soul Pearl allows Tan Lin to preserve his soul, wisdom, and spiritual progress across lifetimes.
• The cost of ambition: Tan Lin’s desire to reach the highest realm drives him forward but also contributes to his downfall.
• Yin and Yang: The combination of Lunar and Solar powers symbolizes the pursuit of balance and ultimate transformation, though Tan Lin’s method remains imperfect.
• Human survival and leadership: The Human Race’s vulnerability to stronger species emphasizes the importance of unity, strength, and a capable leader.
• Karma and causal connections: Tan Lin’s actions—building an empire, helping people, and forming personal relationships—create causal ties that both empower him and bind him.
• The cruelty of the cultivation world: Even a near-emperor can be killed through betrayal, while powerful Supreme Beings exploit the deaths of others to initiate Dark Turmoil.

Character Interactions

• The Restricted Area Supreme Beings discuss and judge the Human Emperor’s strength, revealing their differing opinions about his achievement.
• Tan Lin’s conflict with the Undying Heavenly Emperor and the mysterious “Xiaoyao” figure culminates in his assassination during the Dao-Proving Tribulation.
• Tan Lin’s subordinates demonstrate loyalty but also recklessness by sending the captured Ancient Emperor’s daughter to him.
• His relationship with the Ancient Emperor’s daughter becomes a major emotional and karmic attachment, distracting him from cultivation before he eventually releases her.
• The Human Emperor’s connection with his soldiers, generals, and the wider Human Race transforms him from a solitary cultivator into a central figure of hope and protection.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After successfully passing the Dao-Proving Tribulation, Tan Lin was attacked at his weakest moment, before completing the Ultimate Leap and achieving Heavenly Heart Unification.
• Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable attempted to seize Tan Lin’s body. Tan Lin resisted and used the Soul Pearl, consuming some of its crimson energy to frighten Xiaoyao into retreating.
• Immediately afterward, the Undying Heavenly Emperor ambushed him and pierced the Origin of his vessel. Tan Lin was forced to activate the Soul Pearl again and undergo Disintegration Reincarnation to fake his death and escape.
• Tan Lin’s vessel, Dao Fruit, vital blood, Origin, primordial spirit fragments, and parts of his true soul were divided among the Undying Heavenly Emperor and other enemies. Because the Soul Pearl was nearly depleted, only a remnant of his true soul escaped with the Soul Pearl and his essential memories.
• Realizing that his incomplete soul could not complete the reincarnation process or preserve his identity, Tan Lin halted reincarnation altogether and remained dormant in the void.
• After an unknown period, the Soul Pearl awakened his remnant soul. Its accumulated Causal Points were suddenly compressed into a single Deep Crimson Light Point, transporting his awareness back into the outside world.
• Tan Lin discovered that he was attached to a bronze ring carried by a young girl, in what appeared to be the Ancient Era, amid the arrival of the Feathered Immortal Dynasty.
• The Soul Pearl had transformed, granting him [All-Cause Vision]. Through it, Tan Lin could perceive Causal Lines extending from himself and identify his approximate location: the Southern Region of the Eastern Wasteland on the Big Dipper.
• He detected important Causal Lines connected to the surviving Human Emperor Hall, the Sea of Reincarnation, the Outer Domain, and several Restricted Areas. The Human Emperor Hall still existed but appeared to have undergone significant changes.
• Tan Lin concluded that his immediate goals were to repair his remnant soul, accumulate more Causal Points, and eventually reincarnate safely.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: Becomes fully aware that his previous downfall resulted from greed and hesitation. He recognizes that he should perhaps have reincarnated immediately after Xiaoyao’s retreat, but could not abandon Dao Attainment when success was so close.
• His long isolation and experiences across three Lifetimes have strengthened his Dao Heart. Rather than succumb to despair, he calmly analyzes his condition and begins planning for survival and eventual revenge.
• Tan Lin also becomes more cautious and strategic. He understands that the Soul Pearl is his only reliable means of preservation and refuses to risk separating from it.
• Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable: Appears as the first major threat, attempting to seize Tan Lin’s body but retreating when confronted with the Soul Pearl’s power.
• Undying Heavenly Emperor: Revealed as the decisive enemy who launches the fatal ambush and likely obtains fragments of Tan Lin’s former power and soul.

Significant Themes

• The cost of ambition and hesitation: Tan Lin’s desire to complete Dao Attainment prevents him from choosing the safer path of immediate reincarnation, ultimately leading to his destruction.
• Regret and hindsight: He recognizes that past decisions cannot be changed, but accepts that dwelling on them is useless and focuses on future preparation.
• Survival through adaptability: Even after losing his body, cultivation, Dao Fruit, and most of his soul, Tan Lin survives by relying on the Soul Pearl and adjusting to its new abilities.
• Causality and karmic connections: The Soul Pearl’s powers emphasize how past relationships, institutions, enemies, and karma continue affecting Tan Lin even after death.
• Identity and reincarnation: Tan Lin’s incomplete soul threatens to produce a completely different person, showing that memory and the true soul are essential to maintaining identity across Lifetimes.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a near-Dao-Proving expert is helpless when attacked during a moment of weakness, reinforcing the danger of the Primordial Era and the need for constant caution.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin confronts Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable in a battle of possession and resistance, using the Soul Pearl to force him away.
• The retreat of Xiaoyao creates an opening for the Undying Heavenly Emperor, whose sudden ambush destroys Tan Lin’s vessel and scatters his soul and cultivation.
• Tan Lin’s former Human Emperor Hall remains indirectly connected to him through Causal Lines, suggesting that his legacy continues despite his death.
• His new circumstances place him near an unnamed young girl carrying the bronze ring, hinting at an important future relationship and possibly the beginning of his next chapter of influence.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tan Lin continues observing the outside world through the transformed All-Causes Soul Pearl. He realizes that its transformation has granted it additional functions and may provide him with greater protection during his vulnerable reincarnated state.
• During a violent storm in the Ancient Yan Kingdom, a poor old man, two villagers, and a young girl arrive at a Feathered Immortal Dynasty post station.
• The girl, Li Fan’s younger sister, begs to see her brother, who was supposedly recruited by the dynasty years earlier and recently reported dead. A soldier brutally drives her away, claiming that no body or compensation exists.
• A higher-ranking official orders the soldiers to give the girl a box containing a Divine Source. This is a calculated deception: the Divine Source is intended to attract cultivators and provoke conflict around the girl.
• The girl refuses to accept the treasure and continues begging to see her brother. The soldiers reveal that Li Fan’s body is gone and imply that his remains were sold or otherwise exploited after his death.
• The girl repeatedly attacks the post station’s protective barrier, being thrown back each time. She ignores the Divine Source lying in the mud, valuing the chance to see her brother above any wealth or cultivation treasure.
• Hidden cultivators nearby begin reacting to the Divine Source’s radiance, suggesting that violence and competition are about to erupt.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: Becomes increasingly aware of the All-Causes Soul Pearl’s new potential. His observations show that his survival depends heavily on understanding and utilizing its transformed abilities.
• Li Fan’s younger sister: Demonstrates extraordinary loyalty, persistence, and emotional strength. Despite abuse, injury, rain, and repeated rejection, she refuses to abandon her brother or be distracted by the Divine Source.
• The old man: Appears outwardly submissive toward the soldiers but is secretly involved in delivering the girl as part of someone else’s plan. He understands that the mission is likely a trap and feels guilty about abandoning the siblings.
• The white-plumed soldier: Represents the dynasty’s cruelty and arrogance. He treats ordinary villagers as worthless and uses violence to enforce social hierarchy.
• Hauge/the crimson-plumed soldier: Reveals more knowledge of Li Fan’s fate and the exploitation of recruited prodigies. Although he shows superficial pity, he remains callous and participates in the deception.
• Li Fan: Never appears directly, but his fate becomes clearer: he was taken with other prodigies to an azure planet, where their bodies and origins were drained. His remains were considered valuable only as objects for research or trade.

Significant Themes

• Human compassion versus material greed: The girl’s devotion to her brother contrasts sharply with the cultivators’ desire for the Divine Source and the dynasty’s commodification of human remains.
• Deception and manipulation: Powerful figures manufacture a situation in which a grieving child becomes bait for competing cultivators.
• Social injustice and power hierarchy: The soldiers’ treatment of the villagers shows how the weak are denied dignity, justice, and even the right to mourn.
• Family loyalty and grief: The girl’s refusal to accept the Divine Source emphasizes that emotional bonds matter more to her than wealth or supernatural power.
• Exploitation of the powerless: Li Fan and the other prodigies were used as resources, while his sister is now exploited for another scheme.
• Foreshadowing of conflict: The glowing Divine Source and the concealed cultivators’ growing interest indicate an impending struggle.

Character Interactions

• The girl repeatedly pleads with the soldiers to let her see Li Fan, while the white-plumed soldier responds with threats, insults, and physical violence.
• The old man attempts to placate the soldier and explain their situation, but the soldier dismisses his claims and accuses them of seeking compensation dishonestly.
• The crimson-plumed soldier gives the Divine Source to the girl while pretending to act out of pity, though the surrounding circumstances reveal that this is deliberate bait.
• The old man tries to lead the villagers away, but the girl refuses to leave without seeing her brother.
• Hauge mocks the girl’s request, kicks her aside, and seals the post station, directly confronting her desperate attempts to reach Li Fan.
• The hidden cultivators remain silent observers, but their attention shifts toward the abandoned Divine Source, creating tension between the girl’s personal tragedy and the greed of the surrounding cultivators.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The nameless young girl arrives at a guarded station during a violent rainstorm, desperate to see her brother’s body and confirm his death. The Feathered Immortal soldiers, led by Scarlet Feather Captain Hauge, mockingly prevent her from entering.
• Exhausted, starving, and wounded, the girl collapses in the mud. Her brother’s Bronze Ring and the food villagers gave her fall from her bundle.
• Inside the ring, Tan Lin’s remnant soul discovers that his connection to the girl is beginning to stabilize through the All-Causes Soul Pearl. A new causal line forms between them, and the girl’s accumulated Causal Points rapidly replenish the Soul Pearl’s power.
• The energy provided by the future Female Emperor strengthens Tan Lin’s remnant soul and helps him reconstruct an incomplete primordial spirit at Immortal Platform Level One. Though bodiless, he regains enough power to overwhelm Dragon Transformation cultivators and ordinary half-step Great Experts.
• Tan Lin then notices that several old causal connections—linked to the Restricted Area, the Central Plains, and Mars—are awakening. A branch line from the Restricted Area approaches him, suggesting that ancient enemies may still be monitoring his former Dao traces and using the Human Emperor Hall’s legacy as bait.
• Fearing discovery by figures such as Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable and the Undying Heavenly Emperor, Tan Lin cuts himself off from his former Dao traces. He decides not to communicate with the girl again, even if doing so might endanger her.
• A mysterious gray-robed Daoist enters the tea stall carrying a jade bottle. No one else notices him, but the girl can see him.
• The girl offers the Daoist a piece of Divine Source in exchange for instruction in cultivation. Impressed by her perception, intelligence, and survival instincts, he accepts the Divine Source and gives her a cultivation manual.
• The surrounding cultivators immediately attack, attempting to seize the Divine Source. The tea stall is destroyed as the chapter ends, with the attackers apparently being swiftly killed or severely injured.

2. Character Developments

• The young girl/Future Female Emperor: Her grief over her brother’s death develops into fierce hatred and determination. Despite being physically weak and possessing only a Mortal Body, she demonstrates remarkable intelligence, awareness, and decisiveness by recognizing the gray-robed Daoist and using the Divine Source to bargain for cultivation knowledge.
• Tan Lin: He regains a portion of his former strength and reconstructs an incomplete primordial spirit. However, his renewed power is balanced by caution: he realizes his past enemies may still be tracking him and chooses self-preservation over directly intervening in the girl’s crisis.
• The gray-robed Daoist: He is introduced as a mysterious and powerful figure, possibly connected to Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable or another hidden force. His ability to remain unnoticed and his interest in testing a “new method” on the girl suggest an important future role.
• The Feathered Immortal soldiers and surrounding cultivators: They embody cruelty, greed, and opportunism. The soldiers treat the girl’s suffering as entertainment, while the cultivators are willing to risk attacking a mysterious expert for the chance to obtain Divine Source.

3. Significant Themes

• Grief transformed into strength: The girl’s despair over losing her brother becomes the emotional foundation of her future path toward revenge and cultivation.
• Fate and causality: Tan Lin’s recovery depends on his causal connection with the girl, while ancient powers continue manipulating causal links connected to his past life.
• Survival through intelligence: Although physically powerless, the girl survives by observing carefully, identifying the one person who can help her, and turning a valuable object into a means of securing power.
• The danger of the past: Tan Lin’s former achievements and Dao traces remain sources of both strength and danger. His enemies’ continued surveillance forces him to sever ties with his former identity.
• Cruelty and predation: The chapter presents a world where the weak are mocked and exploited, and where even a child’s desperate attempt to obtain help immediately attracts violence from greedy cultivators.

4. Character Interactions

• The girl confronts the Feathered Immortal soldiers, who deny her access to her brother and treat her suffering as amusement.
• Tan Lin attempts to communicate with the girl through the Bronze Ring but realizes that their connection is still unstable. Their causal bond nevertheless begins nourishing his remnant soul.
• The girl meets the unseen gray-robed Daoist and offers him Divine Source in exchange for cultivation instruction. He recognizes her unusual perception and accepts the bargain.
• The cultivators attack the Daoist and the girl for the Divine Source, creating an abrupt confrontation that demonstrates the Daoist’s likely overwhelming power.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• A mysterious gray-robed Daoist effortlessly kills several cultivators who attack him, causing them to explode into blood mist. His overwhelming power terrifies everyone at the nearby Feathered Immortal Dynasty post station.
• The Daoist gives a poor village girl, nicknamed Nannan, a booklet called the Devouring Source Scripture, claiming that meeting her is fate and that she may follow the cultivation path described within it.
• Nannan begs him to help her see her missing or deceased brother, but the Daoist refuses. Though disappointed, she chooses to leave so that she can survive and wait for her brother’s possible return.
• Before she departs, the Daoist notices the bronze ring she carries—a keepsake from her brother—and forcibly examines it.
• The ring contains Tan Lin and the young Female Emperor’s hidden arrangements. Tan Lin uses the Soul Pearl’s Inverted All-Causes Vision to conceal all karmic traces, thoughts, and remnants of his soul. The Daoist inspects the ring extensively but discovers nothing.
• After Nannan leaves, the Daoist massacres everyone at the tea stall and post station, including Hauge, the Feathered Immortal Dynasty soldiers, and a powerful nobleman. Their blood essence is absorbed into his jade bottle.
• He examines a withered corpse in a coffin, an ancient first-generation Indestructible Golden Body, but dismisses it as nearly worthless because its bloodline and vitality have decayed.
• The Daoist leaves behind a modified version of the Devouring Source Scripture, intending to spread his experimental cultivation method throughout the starry sky rather than rely on a single test subject.
• He later kills several villagers traveling near Yaoguang Village, then secretly observes Nannan in an abandoned brick kiln and searches through her recent memories. Finding nothing suspicious, he disappears.
• The chapter ends with the Daoist appearing in the Human Emperor Hall’s territory and issuing a decree to its secluded Hall Master.

2. Character Developments

• The gray-robed Daoist is established as an immensely powerful, calculating, and cruel figure. His gentle manner toward Nannan contrasts sharply with his willingness to slaughter everyone else without hesitation. He treats people as disposable subjects in an experiment and plans to use the Devouring Source Scripture to test a new method across the universe.
• Nannan demonstrates emotional strength and resolve. Although desperate to see her brother, she understands the danger surrounding the Daoist and chooses survival over recklessly pleading further. Her innocence and determination make her valuable as the Daoist’s potential experimental subject.
• Tan Lin proves highly cautious and resourceful. Hidden inside the bronze ring, he successfully conceals his existence and karmic connections from the Daoist’s repeated inspection.
• The Feathered Immortal Dynasty figures are shown to be cowardly and powerless compared with the Daoist. Their former prestige no longer offers meaningful protection in the current era.
• The Daoist’s contempt for the decayed Indestructible Golden Body and the descendants of the old Heavenly Court reveals his harsh judgment of the decline of past great powers.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and helplessness: Ordinary cultivators, soldiers, nobles, and villagers are entirely powerless before a true supreme expert.
• Kindness masking cruelty: The Daoist’s benevolent appearance and soft words conceal a merciless nature, emphasizing the danger of judging people by appearances.
• Survival and sacrifice: Nannan’s decision to leave reflects the harsh choices required to survive in a world dominated by powerful cultivators.
• Experimentation and the treatment of life as a tool: The Daoist views Nannan, the scripture, and even entire populations as components in a grand cultivation experiment.
• Decline of former golden ages: References to the Primordial Era, the Heavenly Court, and the Feathered Immortal Dynasty highlight the fading of ancient glory and the instability of the current age.
• Concealment and karmic fate: Tan Lin’s hidden presence shows the importance of disguising one’s existence from powerful beings capable of examining memories, souls, and causal connections.

4. Character Interactions

• The Daoist confronts and annihilates the attacking cultivators, establishing his dominance over everyone at the tea stall.
• He speaks gently with Nannan, gives her the Devouring Source Scripture, and refuses her request to see her brother, creating a sharp contrast between their emotional exchange and his later brutality.
• He examines Nannan’s bronze ring while Tan Lin silently hides inside it, forming a tense unseen confrontation between two highly cautious forces.
• The Daoist later observes Nannan from a distance and searches her memories without her knowledge, further emphasizing the one-sided imbalance of power.
• He intimidates and kills Hauge, the post-station soldiers, and the Feathered Immortal Dynasty nobleman, demonstrating the collapse of their authority.
• Finally, he communicates indirectly with the Human Emperor Hall by issuing a decree to its Hall Master, suggesting that his plans extend beyond the village and post station into the wider cultivation world.

Chapter 6 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After escaping the gray-robed Daoist, Tan Lin ends his [Inverted All-Causes Vision] state, revealing that the technique had concealed his causal lines rather than erased them.
• The ability saved him from detection but consumed a large amount of his Deep Crimson Light Points, leaving the Soul Pearl’s energy greatly diminished.
• Tan Lin reflects on the destruction of his former soul. His main soul was shattered by the Undying Heavenly Blade, while only a remnant carrying the Soul Pearl survived. Other fragments have scattered throughout the world, sometimes becoming artifact spirits or intelligent creatures.
• The largest remaining soul fragment is believed to be within the Human Emperor Hall, which Tan Lin recognizes as a trap set by an old enemy. Nevertheless, retrieving it is essential to restoring himself. He decides to first gather the smaller fragments and eventually use Nannan’s help.
• Nannan, believing the ring spirit may have disappeared, becomes overwhelmed by memories of her brother and the harsh years she has spent alone. She cries, revealing that despite her maturity, she is still a vulnerable child.
• Tan Lin resumes speaking and harshly orders her to treat the whip wounds on her back. His apparent cruelty is deliberate: he wants to force her to grow stronger and deepen their causal connection.
• Nannan treats her injuries, then begins reading the Devouring Source Scripture by the fire. She struggles with the text because her education was incomplete, but her desire to cultivate is intense.
• Her wish to become powerful stems from losing her brother to the Feathered Immortal Dynasty and learning that weakness leaves people helpless. Though she was repeatedly judged to have no immortal affinity, she secretly pursued education and cultivation knowledge.
• Nannan eventually asks Tan Lin to accept her as a master and teach her to read. Tan Lin uses the opportunity to explain the difference between ordinary master-disciple relationships and cultivation mentorship.
• He questions her about the gray-robed Daoist, leading her to realize that the Daoist’s exchange of her Divine Source for the scripture was a transaction, not a genuine act of accepting a disciple.
• Tan Lin warns that the scripture contains malicious intentions and that hope can become deadly when it is actually poisoned bait. Nannan listens seriously, still determined to pursue cultivation.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: His priorities become clearer. He is focused on recovering his scattered soul fragments and sees Nannan as crucial to that goal. Although he appears cold and manipulative, he also protects her from the Daoist’s dangerous teachings and ensures she survives. He deliberately maintains emotional distance so she will depend on him and establish a stronger causal bond.
• Nannan: Her loneliness, grief, and resilience are emphasized. She has endured poverty, hunger, abuse, and rejection, yet retains a strong desire to learn and cultivate. She begins actively choosing Tan Lin as a teacher, marking the start of a deeper relationship.
• The gray-robed Daoist: Though absent, his influence remains significant. His exchange with Nannan is exposed as exploitative, and the scripture he gave her is implied to be dangerous.

Significant Themes

• Survival and strength: Nannan’s experiences teach her that dependence on others leaves her vulnerable, motivating her pursuit of power.
• Hope versus deception: The chapter distinguishes genuine opportunity from manipulation disguised as hope.
• Mentorship and control: Tan Lin’s proposed master-disciple relationship is partly protective and partly self-serving, as he intends to guide Nannan while using her for his own restoration.
• Trauma and premature maturity: Nannan has been forced to grow up through abandonment, poverty, and violence, but her grief reveals the child still beneath her hardened exterior.
• Identity and fragmentation: Tan Lin’s scattered soul mirrors his incomplete existence and creates his central long-term objective.
• Causality: Causal connections are both a supernatural mechanism and a means by which Tan Lin seeks to shape his relationship with Nannan.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin and Nannan’s relationship becomes more intimate and structured. She begins to regard him as a potential master, while he carefully guides her thoughts and encourages dependence on him.
• Tan Lin speaks harshly to provoke Nannan into caring for herself, but he also protects her from the gray-robed Daoist’s exploitative methods.
• Nannan’s innocent understanding of “master” and her fear of rejection contrast with Tan Lin’s calculated view of mentorship.
• Their conversation establishes the foundation for a future master-disciple bond, while also foreshadowing tension between Nannan’s sincere trust and Tan Lin’s hidden motives.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Tan Lin warns Nannan that the Devouring Source Scripture is not a genuine path to power but a cultivation trap designed for people with a Mortal Body and intense obsessions.
• He explains that the scripture allows rapid early progress by devouring the origins of others, but secretly plants shackles and Dao marks into the cultivator’s foundation.
• Once the practitioner matures, the creator of the method can harvest everything they have accumulated, turning them into a humanoid “great medicine.”
• Tan Lin suggests that the old Daoist who gave Nannan the scripture is likely one of the “gardeners” cultivating people as medicinal resources.
• Horrified, Nannan nearly loses all hope, but Tan Lin reassures her that the path of devouring itself is not necessarily evil. If its hidden traps are removed, she may be able to “turn poison into medicine” and create her own cultivation path.
• Tan Lin offers her a formal master-disciple contract: he will teach her powerful methods, help her understand the scripture, and guide her toward revenge against the Feathered Immortal Dynasty and its hidden backers. In return, she must help him restore his true soul.
• Nannan accepts despite the danger, formally swearing herself to him.
• Tan Lin reveals his true name and gives her the new name Li Qingjue, signifying a steadfast will and a clear, undimmed Dao heart.
• Their master-disciple bond strengthens their karmic connection, producing powerful crimson causal energy that begins nourishing Tan Lin’s Soul Pearl.
• Tan Lin announces that her first lesson will be an analysis of the Devouring Source Scripture’s poisonous foundation so she can eventually develop a safer Dao path.
• The chapter ends humorously when Qingjue admits she cannot read many of the scripture’s words, prompting Tan Lin to dismiss the problem confidently.

2. Character Developments

• Nannan/Li Qingjue: She moves from suspicion and fear to despair, then regains hope through determination. Her willingness to accept a dangerous but honest contract demonstrates her courage, intelligence, and unwavering desire for revenge and reunion with her brother.
• Tan Lin: He reveals himself as a calculating but responsible teacher. He deliberately frightens Nannan enough to sever her dependence on the poisonous scripture, then offers a realistic alternative. Though emotionally distant, he is careful not to crush her spirit and openly states the risks of their agreement.
• Their relationship: Their connection changes from a tenuous karmic manipulation into a formal master-disciple bond. Both understand that the relationship is transactional, yet the naming ceremony and Tan Lin’s solemn response suggest the beginnings of genuine responsibility and attachment.

3. Significant Themes

• Freedom versus manipulation: The Devouring Source Scripture appears to offer liberation but is actually a system for turning cultivators into resources for someone else.
• Creating one’s own path: Tan Lin emphasizes that “roads are made by people walking them,” suggesting that fate and inherited methods do not have to determine one’s destiny.
• Turning danger into opportunity: Even a poisonous or corrupted method may be transformed if its flaws are understood and controlled.
• Obsession and resilience: Nannan’s grief, hatred, and desire to find her brother both make her vulnerable and provide the strength necessary to continue.
• Mentorship as mutual exchange: Tan Lin’s teaching is not presented as pure charity; both master and disciple rely on each other, making their bond a dangerous but balanced alliance.
• Names and identity: Renaming Nannan as Li Qingjue marks her transition from a helpless child into a disciple with a defined purpose and future.

4. Character Interactions

• Tan Lin directly questions and educates Nannan about the scripture’s hidden purpose, guiding her through fear toward independent judgment.
• Nannan reacts emotionally but thoughtfully, demonstrating that she can grasp the danger even when she cannot understand every technical detail.
• Tan Lin offers her a clear choice rather than forcing obedience, and Nannan answers with a solemn oath.
• Their formal bowing and naming establish the master-disciple relationship, while the shared contract intertwines their karmic destinies.
• The final exchange, in which Qingjue confesses that she cannot read the scripture, lightens the otherwise grim chapter and highlights the practical difficulties awaiting their new partnership.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tan Lin reveals the true form of his remnant soul through the Bronze Ring. His phantom possesses an overwhelming imperial aura, astonishing Li Qingjue.
• To overcome Li Qingjue’s illiteracy, Tan Lin directly implants vast linguistic knowledge into her mind. This includes ordinary human writing as well as ancient divine scripts, demon runes, and sacrificial symbols, though the deeper knowledge is sealed for her future cultivation.
• The transfer causes Li Qingjue intense pain, but she endures it through sheer determination. Once recovered, she can read the Devouring Source Scripture perfectly.
• Tan Lin begins guiding her cultivation. He explains that, as someone with a pure Mortal Body, opening her Sea of Bitterness will be extraordinarily difficult.
• Li Qingjue quickly masters the basic meditation techniques and locates her Sea of Bitterness in only half an incense stick’s time, a speed that surprises Tan Lin and confirms her extraordinary talent.
• Despite her remarkable comprehension, she cannot open the Sea of Bitterness. Her Mortal Body resists the process completely, and prolonged effort leaves her physically and mentally exhausted.
• Tan Lin stops the cultivation attempt, explaining that relentless effort is not always effective. He then tells Li Qingjue that he will take her to see her brother one final time.
• Using the Soul Pearl’s concealment technique, All Causes Barrier, Tan Lin hides himself and Li Qingjue while flying to the Feathered Immortal Dynasty’s station.
• They discover that the station has been reinforced, its soldiers replaced, and its atmosphere transformed into one of intense killing intent. Li Qingjue’s brother’s coffin has been moved outside and is now surrounded by unfamiliar cultivators. Tan Lin notices that Zhou Jie is missing.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: Displays both immense power and careful restraint. He safely transfers knowledge to Li Qingjue, monitors whether his remnant soul has attracted unwanted attention, and adjusts her training according to her limits. Although stern and emotionally distant, he protects her and honors her wish to see her brother.
• Li Qingjue: Grows more devoted to Tan Lin after experiencing his instruction and concern. She proves exceptionally intelligent and resilient, mastering cultivation fundamentals almost instantly and enduring painful knowledge transfer and failed cultivation attempts without giving up.
• Li Qingjue’s brother: Remains absent and deceased, but his coffin becomes central to the chapter’s final mystery. His fate appears connected to the suspicious changes at the station.
• Zhou Jie: His unexplained absence raises concern and suggests that events at the station have changed significantly since the day before.

Significant Themes

• The teacher-disciple bond: Though Tan Lin initially frames their relationship as a transaction, his guidance and protection create genuine trust and affection in Li Qingjue.
• Perseverance against natural limitations: Li Qingjue’s talent allows her to learn rapidly, but her Mortal Body imposes severe limits. The chapter emphasizes that determination cannot always immediately overcome innate obstacles.
• Knowledge as power: Literacy is presented as the first foundation of cultivation. Tan Lin’s transmission gives Li Qingjue access not only to written language but eventually to ancient Dao-related knowledge.
• Hidden strength and caution: Tan Lin possesses overwhelming abilities but remains wary of attracting attention from powerful beings or triggering traces connected to his former life.
• Grief and farewell: Li Qingjue’s desire to see her brother’s corpse reflects her unresolved grief, while Tan Lin’s decision to help her demonstrates a growing sense of responsibility.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin’s stern instruction contrasts with Li Qingjue’s eagerness to please him. His rebuke when she loses focus reveals a strict but attentive teaching style.
• Li Qingjue begins calling him “Master” with genuine gratitude rather than mere obligation.
• Tan Lin reassures her indirectly through action rather than emotion, ending her painful training session and arranging her final meeting with her brother.
• Their journey to the station shows increasing trust: Li Qingjue follows Tan Lin’s guidance and consciously tries not to jeopardize the opportunity he has given her.
• The chapter ends with both silently observing the transformed station, setting up a confrontation or revelation involving the coffin, the unfamiliar cultivators, and Zhou Jie’s disappearance.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• A group from the Feathered Immortal Dynasty negotiates with Yuhang, a powerful young man from the Tyrant Blood Ancestral Star, over the remains of Li Fan, an Indestructible Golden Body.
• Yuhang expects to receive a nearly intact corpse as a gift for his father’s grand banquet, hoping to gain rewards such as the Fourth Divine Form or Great Accomplishment Precious Blood.
• When the coffin is opened, only extremely fragile, fleshless bones remain. The corpse’s origin, essence blood, and soul resonance have all disappeared.
• Although enraged and disappointed, Yuhang accepts the remains rather than abandon the transaction, ordering them to be transferred into a sealed bronze coffin.
• Li Qingjue secretly witnesses the exchange from above with her master, Tan Lin. She is devastated that her brother’s remains are being taken away for possible research or experimentation.
• When she begs Tan Lin to intervene, he refuses, explaining that his severely weakened state makes him incapable of confronting either group.
• The Feathered Immortal representative briefly senses that someone connected to Zhou Jie’s death may still be nearby, but finds nothing and leaves with Yuhang’s group aboard an ancient warship.
• Tan Lin takes Li Qingjue through the mountains instead of returning directly home, quietly gathering spirit herbs for her while reinforcing the lesson that the cultivation world is governed by cruelty and strength.

2. Character Developments

• Yuhang: Initially confident that the corpse will earn him prestige and rewards, he becomes furious when he discovers its ruined condition. However, he controls his temper and pragmatically accepts the remains, revealing ambition, restraint, and concern over his inferior Tyrant Blood compared with his elder brother’s.
• The seductive woman, Xin’er: She encourages Yuhang by imagining the rewards he might receive, but remains visibly shocked that he is willing to accept the nearly worthless-looking bones.
• The Feathered Immortal representative: He remains calm and manipulative throughout the negotiation, defending the corpse’s value while exploiting the nonrefundable deposit to pressure Yuhang into completing the deal.
• Li Qingjue: Her grief deepens from mourning her brother’s death to helpless horror at seeing his remains treated as an object for experimentation. Tan Lin’s refusal to help leaves her emotionally shattered and increasingly aware of her own weakness.
• Tan Lin: Though outwardly cold and harsh, he quietly gathers spirit herbs for Li Qingjue. His inability to protect her or retrieve Li Fan’s remains emphasizes his current weakness, while his brutal teachings aim to harden her resolve.

3. Significant Themes

• The cruelty of the cultivation world: The weak cannot protect even the bodies of their loved ones and may be treated as resources by stronger factions.
• Powerlessness and survival: Tan Lin’s refusal to act shows that moral outrage cannot overcome overwhelming differences in strength.
• The commodification of the dead: Li Fan’s remains are valued not as those of a person but as a rare specimen useful for research, inheritance, or cultivation.
• Ambition and status: Yuhang sees the corpse as a means to gain favor within his clan and compensate for his disadvantage in competing for powerful inheritances.
• Hidden care beneath harshness: Tan Lin’s cold words contrast with his quiet efforts to collect spirit herbs for his grieving disciple.

4. Character Interactions

• Yuhang and the Feathered Immortal representative: Their negotiation is tense and distrustful. Yuhang challenges the poor condition of the remains, while the representative calmly justifies the deal and refuses a refund.
• Yuhang and Xin’er: Their affectionate exchange reveals their close relationship, though Xin’er’s optimism clashes with Yuhang’s more realistic awareness of his position within the clan.
• Li Qingjue and Tan Lin: Li Qingjue pleads for intervention, but Tan Lin coldly refuses. His harsh explanation forces her to confront the brutal realities of cultivation.
• Tan Lin and Li Qingjue after the exchange: Tan Lin silently supports her by collecting spirit herbs, yet deliberately uses the experience to teach her that weakness leads to exploitation.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingjue becomes overwhelmed by grief, guilt, and insecurity after witnessing her brother’s remains being taken away. She mistakenly believes Tan Lin is deliberately distancing himself so she will not become dependent on him.
• She tells Tan Lin that she understands his intentions and promises to cultivate diligently so she can eventually become useful to him. Seeing her emotional collapse, Tan Lin puts her to sleep.
• Elsewhere, a powerful young man and his companions become stranded when their dark-purple warship’s stellar-transmission formation malfunctions. Repairing it will take more than three months, so they decide to travel to the Central Plains and borrow the Human Emperor Hall’s teleportation formation.
• The young man suspects that the formation failure was connected to their stay at the inn and possibly caused or arranged by the Feathered Immortal Dynasty.
• Li Qingjue awakens in the kiln cave after a long sleep and discovers that Tan Lin’s phantom is absent, though he has prepared a medicinal bath for her. She fears that she has angered or lost him.
• News spreads that the Human Emperor’s Legacy will emerge north of the Ancient Yan Kingdom. Major sects, holy lands, independent cultivators, and other forces rush to the Southern Region, creating great activity around the kiln cave.
• As cultivators pass nearby, they debate the history and unexplained longevity of the Human Emperor Hall, suggesting that it conceals a major secret.
• Tan Lin eventually speaks again, reassuring Li Qingjue that he was not angry. He explains that he had been studying their strengthened Causal Line and considering using a Deep Crimson Light Point to reforge his Past-Life Dao Fruit.
• He orders Li Qingjue to enter the medicinal bath and continue cultivating. Though the medicine causes intense pain, she endures it while Tan Lin guides her in stirring her Sea of Bitterness.

2. Character Developments

• Li Qingjue: Her grief and fear nearly overwhelm her, but she gains greater emotional maturity. She begins to understand that Tan Lin’s strictness is intended to make her independent and strong, not to reject her. Despite her pain, she obediently endures the medicinal bath and recommits herself to cultivation.
• Tan Lin: He remains outwardly stern and detached but shows careful concern for Li Qingjue by preparing the medicinal bath, monitoring her cultivation, and putting her to sleep when she reaches her emotional limit. He also continues investigating the Causal Line between them and planning his own advancement.
• The stranded young man: His anger and suspicion intensify after the warship malfunction. He displays formidable power through his three Divine Forms—True Phoenix, Qilin, and Chaos Divine Bell—and becomes increasingly wary of the Feathered Immortal Dynasty.
• The cultivation world: Numerous sects and cultivators are drawn into motion by rumors of the Human Emperor’s Legacy, creating a tense and unpredictable atmosphere.

3. Significant Themes

• Grief transformed into strength: Li Qingjue’s sorrow and resentment are presented not only as emotional burdens but also as possible fuel for breaking through her cultivation bottleneck.
• Strict mentorship and hidden care: Tan Lin’s severity conceals a protective and guiding role. His refusal to indulge Li Qingjue is meant to prevent dependence and help her master herself.
• Emotional control: The chapter emphasizes that emotions are “nourishment for cultivation,” but only when controlled rather than allowed to control the cultivator.
• Causality and destiny: Tan Lin’s strengthening Causal Line with Li Qingjue, along with his ability to accumulate Dao Fruits from multiple lives, reinforces the story’s interest in fate, past lives, and the consequences of spiritual connections.
• Secrets of history: The conflicting accounts of the Human Emperor’s death and the Human Emperor Hall’s survival hint at concealed truths surrounding ancient emperors, restricted areas, and forgotten legacies.
• Cultivation amid danger: Even a quiet medicinal treatment occurs under the threat of passing cultivators and a world-wide scramble for an ancient inheritance.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Qingjue emotionally confronts Tan Lin, explaining her belief that he is pushing her to become stronger by withholding affection. Tan Lin responds indirectly, allowing her to exhaust her emotions before putting her to sleep.
• After awakening, Li Qingjue apologizes to Tan Lin through the Bronze Ring, fearing that her outburst has driven him away. When he finally answers, he gently corrects her misunderstanding and resumes his strict instructional manner.
• Tan Lin guides Li Qingjue through the medicinal bath and gives her precise cultivation instructions, while she proves her resolve by enduring the pain without crying out.
• The young man and his Dao companion discuss the malfunctioning warship and the possibility of borrowing the Human Emperor Hall’s formation, revealing both their strategic partnership and his growing distrust of outside forces.
• Passing cultivators debate the Human Emperor Hall’s history, introducing the broader mystery that draws the entire cultivation world toward the Southern Region.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After failing several times, Li Qingjue finally opens her Sea of Bitterness during a painful medicinal-bath cultivation session.
• Tan Lin guides her through the process, ordering her to stabilize the newly formed sea eye and endure the pain for fifteen minutes. His remnant soul uses the Bronze Ring to protect her meridians without directly completing the breakthrough for her.
• By dawn, Li Qingjue successfully enters the threshold of the Sea of Reincarnation Secret Realm, though her Sea of Bitterness is extremely small, dim, and stagnant because of her Mortal Body.
• Tan Lin warns her that her poor innate foundation means she will require vastly more resources and effort than ordinary cultivators. He urges her to seek shortcuts rather than glorify suffering.
• He teaches her the Devouring Source Scripture, first removing its hidden dangers. Li Qingjue then develops several unusual insights of her own, which Tan Lin incorporates into an improved version of the technique while acknowledging that she must ultimately develop the future Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art herself.
• After realizing she is starving, Li Qingjue is told to find food and pack her belongings. Tan Lin orders her to travel north, where one fragment of his true soul is located.
• Li Qingjue leaves the cave with almost nothing: the Bronze Ring, the scripture, and an old set of clothes associated with her missing brother.
• She struggles through a sudden storm and barren wilderness while hungry, exhausted, and newly initiated into cultivation. When she nearly collapses and approaches a cliff, Tan Lin provokes her by questioning whether her hatred and desire for revenge are strong enough.
• His words rekindle her determination. Instead of risking a fall by forcing herself upright, she crawls toward safer ground.

Character Developments

• Li Qingjue demonstrates extraordinary endurance and resolve. Despite overwhelming pain, hunger, cold, exhaustion, and danger, she refuses to cry, beg, or abandon her goal of revenge and recovering her brother’s remains.
• Her breakthrough marks the first major step in transforming her from a powerless mortal into a cultivator.
• She begins to reveal strong independent talent through her spontaneous insights into the Devouring Source Scripture, suggesting that she may eventually create or perfect a powerful cultivation method.
• Tan Lin remains harsh and emotionally distant, but his actions reveal careful concern. He provides medicinal herbs, protects Li Qingjue’s meridians, corrects the scripture’s dangers, monitors her movements, and prevents her from walking off a cliff.
• Tan Lin also uses cruelty deliberately as a form of instruction, believing that pressure and provocation will sharpen her will and expose the limits of her determination.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance against innate limitations: Li Qingjue’s Mortal Body makes cultivation extraordinarily difficult, yet she refuses to accept it as a reason to give up.
• The cost of cultivation: Opening the Sea of Bitterness is portrayed as physically agonizing and fundamentally defiant of the natural order.
• Harsh mentorship: Tan Lin’s severe criticism masks practical guidance and protection. His method is to force Li Qingjue to become self-reliant rather than shelter her.
• Suffering versus wisdom: Tan Lin warns that enduring hardship for its own sake is foolish; true strength lies in using resources, finding opportunities, and taking efficient paths.
• Revenge and resilience: Li Qingjue’s hatred and desire to reclaim her brother’s remains fuel her advancement, but they also make her vulnerable to manipulation and emotional provocation.
• Emerging potential: Her original insights into the scripture hint that her future achievements may come not merely from following Tan Lin’s teachings, but from surpassing and reshaping them.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin guides Li Qingjue through her breakthrough, balancing precise instruction with detached criticism.
• Li Qingjue obeys him almost unquestioningly, treating his commands as authoritative, yet she also possesses an independent mind that produces ideas even he finds valuable.
• Their relationship develops as one of severe master and obedient but fiercely determined disciple. Tan Lin continually tests her, while Li Qingjue interprets even his insults as motivation and evidence of his expectations.
• The chapter emphasizes that although Tan Lin refuses to praise or openly comfort her, he quietly protects and prepares her for the dangerous path ahead.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• In a rain-soaked wilderness, Li Qingjue struggles to survive while Tan Lin watches over her as a remnant soul. Though he deliberately allows her to endure hardship, he secretly protects her from nearby venomous snakes.
• Tan Lin uses his All-Cause Vision to examine the causal lines connected to his past lives. He is alarmed to see that his causal connection with Li Qingjue has deepened into a nearly deep-crimson line, suggesting that their bond may eventually produce an extremely valuable Deep Crimson Light Point.
• Li Qingjue reaches a grove of wild fruit but initially cannot reach the higher branches. Tan Lin reminds her that she has already opened her Sea of Bitterness and can circulate a small amount of vital essence through her body to increase her strength.
• She succeeds in gathering fruit and, despite her hunger, first offers it to Tan Lin, momentarily forgetting that he is only a remnant soul. This deeply moves him and highlights her lingering kindness.
• After eating and recovering slightly, Li Qingjue gathers more food. Tan Lin instructs her to seek a mountain stream, warning that she will need fish, salt, and meat to survive—and that dangerous creatures or people may be present.
• At the stream, two starving, violent men ambush her and threaten to kill and eat her. Tan Lin urges her to remember her brother’s death and the cruelty of those who prey on the weak.
• Li Qingjue’s grief and hatred awaken her latent ruthlessness. Following Tan Lin’s tactical instructions, she dodges the men’s attacks, wounds the one-eyed bandit with a piece of broken porcelain, and survives despite being vastly outmatched.
• Tan Lin teaches her to concentrate her vital essence at one point, imagining it as a needle. She uses this technique to strike the one-eyed man beneath the armpit, temporarily paralyzing his arm, then cuts his throat and kills him.
• The second man, terrified by her unexpected strength and brutality, attempts to flee with his companion.

Character Developments

• Li Qingjue: Demonstrates increasing resilience, resourcefulness, and combat instinct. She begins to consciously use her cultivation rather than relying solely on physical endurance. Her compassion remains intact, shown by offering food to Tan Lin, but the trauma of her brother’s death increasingly transforms her into a ruthless survivor.
• Tan Lin: Continues acting as a harsh but attentive teacher. He pushes Li Qingjue toward independence and brutality while discreetly protecting her from fatal dangers. His emotional response to her offering him food reveals growing affection and concern.
• The empress’s potential: Li Qingjue’s ability to remain fierce despite starvation, fear, and physical weakness suggests the exceptional nature that may eventually define her as a powerful empress.

Significant Themes

• Hardship as cultivation: Physical suffering and life-threatening danger serve as training, forcing Li Qingjue to develop strength, judgment, and control.
• Kindness versus ruthlessness: Li Qingjue still possesses compassion, but survival requires her to embrace violence against those who would exploit her.
• Trauma and transformation: Her brother’s death becomes the emotional source of her ferocity, turning grief into the will to fight.
• Teacher and disciple bonds: Tan Lin’s severe guidance is balanced by hidden protection and emotional attachment.
• Fate and causality: The increasingly crimson causal line between Tan Lin and Li Qingjue suggests that their relationship will have major consequences in the future.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin repeatedly corrects and instructs Li Qingjue, teaching her to use her Sea of Bitterness, conserve resources, identify danger, and focus her attacks.
• Li Qingjue’s offer of fruit to Tan Lin creates a tender moment that contrasts with his cold teaching style.
• During the confrontation, Tan Lin guides her step by step—telling her when to dodge, where to strike, and how to focus her vital essence—while Li Qingjue turns his instruction into a deadly counterattack.
• The bandits’ predatory hostility exposes the same abuse of power that Li Qingjue has suffered from others, allowing her to confront both immediate danger and her broader hatred of the cruel world.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingjue kills the one-eyed man who attacked her, marking her first time taking a life. Although exhausted and shaken, she follows Tan Lin’s instructions to track down and kill the man’s remaining companion.
• Tan Lin orders her to search the bodies, collect supplies, catch fish, and make a fire, forcing her to prioritize survival over emotional hesitation.
• Over the next three or four months, Li Qingjue survives in the wilderness north of Ancient Yan Kingdom. She becomes increasingly skilled at hunting, tracking, using improvised weapons, and exploiting the bodies of dead cultivators.
• In the Vast Mountain Range, she kills several carrion crows and discovers the corpse of a cultivator with a faint Profound Dao Body bloodline. Following Tan Lin’s instructions, she extracts and refines the corpse’s origin source using the Devouring Source Scripture.
• Li has already refined seven origin sources during the past three months. Her mortal body has begun transforming, and her Bitter Sea is gradually becoming active and colorful. She is approaching the Life Spring Realm, where she will gain divine power and the ability to fly.
• The Southern Region is increasingly chaotic because of rumors surrounding the Human Emperor’s Legacy. Numerous outside forces and cultivators enter the area, while people die in secret throughout the region.
• Tan Lin alerts Li to a familiar dark-purple warship bearing the symbols of the Heaven’s Tyrant Bloodline. This is the ship that took away her brother and is connected to the people who desecrated and traded his remains.
• Li is overwhelmed by hatred and nearly loses control, but Tan Lin suppresses her emotions and warns that attacking now would be suicide. He reminds her that greater enemies, including the Feathered Immortal Dynasty, were responsible for her brother’s death.
• After regaining her composure, Li watches the warship disappear and begins to suspect that its occupants may have remained in the Southern Region rather than merely returning for the rumored legacy.
• Tan Lin detects karmic connections between himself and the people on the ship through his All-Cause Vision. The chapter ends as another strange phenomenon appears in the distant sky.

Character Development

• Li Qingjue: She changes from a frightened and inexperienced child into a capable, pragmatic survivor. Killing, tracking, scavenging, and cultivating through stolen origin sources gradually make her more ruthless and emotionally hardened. She accepts that the cultivation world is cruel and abandons her former moral hesitation about using the remains of enemies.
• Despite this growing ruthlessness, Li still retains deep emotional attachment to her brother. Seeing the warship causes her carefully built composure to collapse, revealing that grief and revenge remain her strongest motivations.
• She also demonstrates growing intelligence and judgment, analyzing the corpse’s condition, identifying its likely cultivation level, and drawing conclusions about the movements of the warship.
• Tan Lin: He continues to act as a severe, unemotional mentor. His harsh survival lessons push Li toward independence and strength, while his guidance prevents her from making reckless decisions. Beneath his cold methods, he shows concern by restraining her emotions and protecting her from certain death.

Significant Themes

• Survival versus morality: Li must abandon ordinary moral restrictions to survive in a world where others exploit corpses, kill for resources, and show no mercy.
• The cost of revenge: Her hatred gives her motivation, but it also threatens to overwhelm her judgment. Tan Lin teaches her to preserve hatred as a source of determination without allowing it to control her actions.
• Transformation through brutality: Li’s physical cultivation and emotional development progress together. The same violence that hardens her body and strengthens her Bitter Sea also reshapes her personality.
• Mastery through harsh instruction: Tan Lin’s cruel-seeming lessons are designed to teach discipline, caution, and strategic thinking rather than simple compassion or vengeance.
• The widening conflict: The Human Emperor’s Legacy draws increasingly powerful forces into the Southern Region, suggesting that Li’s personal revenge is becoming connected to a much larger struggle.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingjue and Tan Lin: Their relationship remains strict and instructional. Tan Lin gives blunt commands and challenges her hesitation, while Li gradually learns to trust his judgment. When she loses control upon seeing the warship, his intervention steadies her and reinforces the importance of patience.
• Li Qingjue and her enemies: Her encounters with the two men who attacked her establish her willingness to kill when necessary. Her later treatment of the dead cultivator shows that she now views enemies’ remains as potential sources of strength rather than objects deserving pity.
• Li Qingjue and the Heaven’s Tyrant Bloodline: Although she does not confront them directly, the passing warship reopens her trauma and establishes them as major targets in her future pursuit of vengeance.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A magnificent jade carriage from the Spring Autumn Pavilion arrives near the Vast Mountain Range, attracting widespread attention. The carriage is accompanied by fairy maidens, pulled by a Primordial-era Jade Qilin, and contains Goddess Gu Qingying, famed as the Big Dipper’s greatest beauty.
• Observers discuss Gu Qingying’s troubled past: she is the daughter of the former Heavenly Martial Holy Lord and entered the Spring Autumn Pavilion after her family’s collapse and her younger brother’s cultivation crisis. This history contributed to the long-standing hostility between the Heavenly Martial Holy Land and the Spring Autumn Pavilion.
• Gu Qingying’s seemingly lazy Cloud Leopard is revealed to be a Half-Saint. Unknown to everyone, it contains a fragment of Tan Lin’s remnant soul.
• Tan Lin explains the power of the All-Causes Soul Pearl, which allows him to control or retrieve fragments of his scattered soul. He has deliberately preserved the Cloud Leopard as a hidden pawn rather than absorbing it immediately, intending to use it to influence events around the mysterious Human Emperor’s Legacy.
• Tan Lin remotely commands the Cloud Leopard to disrupt the Tyrant Blood Warship. The warship’s formations malfunction, causing it to crash violently into the mountains and creating widespread panic.
• The crash sparks rumors that a Saint or Half-Saint from the Human Emperor Hall attacked the Tyrant Blood clan. These suspicions increase confusion and pressure on the Human Emperor Hall, whose suspicious absence from the scene is already attracting attention.
• Li Qingjue, hiding nearby, feels satisfaction at seeing the Tyrant Blood clan suffer, unaware of Tan Lin’s deeper manipulation.
• Gu Qingying realizes that her spirit pet caused the disturbance. She gently scolds the Cloud Leopard and personally goes to apologize to the Tyrant Blood group, offering them precious dates from the Spring Autumn Pavilion’s Fire Date Tree.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin demonstrates increasing strategic sophistication. Rather than directly reclaiming the Cloud Leopard’s soul fragment, he uses it as a covert agent to disrupt rival forces and manipulate public speculation.
• His broader objective becomes clearer: he intends to exploit scattered fragments of his soul hidden within the supposed legacy and the Human Emperor Hall while using controlled pawns to create disorder and protect himself.
• Gu Qingying is portrayed as both extraordinarily beautiful and dignified, but also responsible and considerate. Despite her status, she personally addresses the trouble caused by her spirit pet.
• The Cloud Leopard appears lazy and arrogant to outsiders, but secretly obeys Tan Lin’s commands. Its interaction with Gu Qingying shows its ability to feign innocence.
• Li Qingjue’s hatred toward the Tyrant Blood clan remains strong, and her brief satisfaction reveals her emotional investment in their conflict.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and hidden warfare: Tan Lin’s actions show that the true struggle is occurring through secret schemes and controlled agents rather than open combat.
• Appearances versus reality: The Cloud Leopard seems harmless and indolent but is actually a powerful Half-Saint and Tan Lin’s hidden pawn. Gu Qingying’s public apology also conceals the true cause of the attack.
• Political suspicion and rumor: The unexplained assault causes factions to blame the Human Emperor Hall, demonstrating how easily uncertainty can be weaponized.
• Strategic patience: Tan Lin values long-term gains over immediate power recovery, preserving his soul fragments as tools for future use.
• Beauty, status, and influence: Gu Qingying’s arrival commands universal attention, showing how reputation and appearance can influence events and intimidate others even before she acts.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin and the Cloud Leopard: Tan Lin communicates with it through the All-Causes Soul Pearl, remotely compelling it to sabotage the Tyrant Blood Warship.
• Gu Qingying and the Cloud Leopard: She treats the leopard as a disobedient but beloved spirit pet, scolding it gently and taking responsibility for its actions.
• Gu Qingying and the Tyrant Blood clan: She apologizes for the warship’s damage and offers eight rare Fire Tree Dates as compensation, temporarily easing the confrontation.
• Tan Lin and the Human Emperor Hall: Though they do not interact directly, Tan Lin deliberately frames the situation so suspicion falls on the Hall, testing whether it will continue to remain concealed.
• Li Qingjue and the Tyrant Blood clan: Li watches from hiding and takes pleasure in their misfortune, reinforcing the hostility between them.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gu Qingying appeases Cang Yuhang after her Half-Saint Cloud Leopard damages his warship. She apologizes personally and offers him a rare honey date, resolving the conflict and preserving Human Emperor Hall’s relationship with the Tyrant Body clan.
• Cang Yuhang is visibly captivated by Gu Qingying’s beauty and mysterious charm, though she treats him merely as a representative of his powerful clan. His Dao companion, Xin’er, notices his reaction and becomes wary.
• Other factions grow suspicious of Human Emperor Hall’s announcement regarding the Human Emperor’s Legacy. Months pass in the northern mountains without the legacy appearing, while unrest and bloodshed spread throughout the region.
• Despite the lack of results, major inheritances remain in the area, suggesting they possess secret information or believe the rumored legacy is genuine.
• In Human Emperor Hall’s Central Plains headquarters, the Hall Master confronts several Saints who failed in their duties and secretly helped release the Human Demon. He summons the Human Emperor Banner and kills them brutally, destroying their bodies and imprisoning their primordial spirits.
• The banner, infused with Lunar and Solar Holy Emperor power and the heroic spirits of countless Primordial Era soldiers, manifests overwhelming Imperial Dao might. Even Human Emperor Hall’s disciples instinctively kneel before it.
• The Hall Master reveals that the banner is connected to a sealed underground Divine Source containing Dongfang Taiyi, an imprisoned former figure associated with the Hall.
• Dongfang Taiyi accuses the Hall Master of betrayal, while the Hall Master argues that he acted out of necessity when Human Emperor Hall faced destruction at the end of the Primordial Era.
• The Hall Master reveals that Dongfang Taiyi once tried to imitate the ancient Human Emperor by cultivating both Lunar and Solar Holy Emperor techniques, eventually losing his humanity. He also implies that Dongfang Taiyi returned to purge the Hall’s “traitors,” creating an ideological conflict between them.
• After subduing the banner with Heaven-Suppressing Runes, the Hall Master locks it away, remarking that it is useful but should not behave like an Ultimate Imperial Weapon.

Character Developments

• Gu Qingying: Demonstrates political tact, emotional control, and supernatural charm. Her apology is less an admission of guilt than a calculated gesture to honor the Tyrant Body clan and prevent conflict.
• Cang Yuhang: His anger disappears almost instantly under Gu Qingying’s influence. His fascination with her reveals emotional vulnerability and foreshadows possible tension with Xin’er.
• Xin’er: Shows perceptiveness and jealousy, immediately recognizing that Gu Qingying is dangerous and that Cang Yuhang has been affected by her.
• The Hall Master: Emerges as ruthless, powerful, and deeply burdened by the past. He executes the disloyal Saints without hesitation but also reveals regret, loneliness, and uncertainty about the decisions he made during the Primordial Era.
• Dongfang Taiyi: Is presented as a former ally or authority who considers the Hall Master a traitor. His imprisonment and ideological disagreement with the Hall Master suggest a major unresolved historical conflict.
• The Human Emperor Banner: Functions almost like a sentient or semi-sentient imperial artifact, carrying the will and heroic spirits of ancient Human Race warriors while resisting the Hall Master’s control.

Significant Themes

• Political manipulation and diplomacy: Gu Qingying prevents a minor incident from becoming a factional conflict through charm and strategic courtesy.
• Power and legitimacy: The chapter questions who has the right to call someone a traitor or ruler. The Hall Master and Dongfang Taiyi each believe their actions were justified.
• The burden of history: Ancient conflicts continue shaping the present, especially through the Human Emperor Banner, sealed figures, and inherited legacies.
• Necessity versus morality: The Hall Master claims betrayal was unavoidable if Human Emperor Hall was to survive, but his justification does not erase the cost of his actions.
• The danger of overwhelming power: Cultivating or wielding forces associated with both Lunar and Solar Holy Emperors can produce immense strength but may also destroy one’s humanity.
• Appearance versus reality: Gu Qingying’s beauty conceals danger, while the Hall Master’s brutality hides deep regret and uncertainty.

Character Interactions

• Gu Qingying and Cang Yuhang: Their brief exchange neutralizes Cang’s anger, while her charm leaves him deeply affected. She remains emotionally detached, treating him primarily as a political connection.
• Cang Yuhang and Xin’er: Xin’er silently observes his fascination with Gu Qingying, establishing possible jealousy and relationship tension.
• Purple Feather cultivator and the black-gold-robed elder: They discuss the suspicious situation surrounding Human Emperor Hall and warn that the Hall will face widespread retaliation if the rumored legacy proves false.
• Hall Master and the condemned Saints: Their confrontation shows the Hall Master’s absolute authority and intolerance for betrayal.
• Hall Master and Dongfang Taiyi: Their exchange is largely one-sided but reveals a deep ideological and personal divide over survival, loyalty, and the meaning of treason.
• Hall Master and the Human Emperor Banner: The banner resists him, but he suppresses it with ancient runes, emphasizing both its extraordinary power and his continuing control over it.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens by clarifying the true origin of the Human Emperor’s “artifact of Dao Attainment.” It was originally only a battle banner used by the former Human King during wars against the Primordial Race. After the Human Emperor’s death, a fragment of his soul entered the banner, creating a powerful divine spirit and allowing it to gather the heroic spirits of fallen warriors.
• Under mounting pressure, Human Emperor Hall reveals the location of the Human Emperor’s ancient legacy. Cultivators from across Eastern Wasteland and the other regions gather, hoping to obtain the inheritance and gain insight into the Emperor’s Road.
• Thousands of cultivators join forces to attack the ancient restrictions. Although the restrictions have weakened since the Primordial Era, they endure seven days and nights of bombardment, demonstrating the Human Emperor’s extraordinary power.
• Once the restrictions break, an enormous fissure opens and releases vast amounts of auspicious energy. An ancient Immortal Palace emerges, radiating an unmistakable Imperial Dao aura.
• The palace suddenly crashes into the earth and activates a terrifying Quasi-Emperor Array Diagram. Its pressure forces nearly everyone present to kneel helplessly. After roughly the time needed to burn an incense stick, the pressure weakens, allowing cultivators to move toward the palace.
• Goddess Gu Qingying of Spring Autumn Pavilion remains outside, suspecting that the palace may be easier to enter than escape from. Other cultivators dismiss her caution and rush inside.
• Strange events continue: divine spirits vanish from various weapons and artifacts, damaging or destroying them. These incidents are connected to Tan Lin’s secret absorption of nearby soul fragments.
• A young Saint and chief elder of Heavenly Martial Holy Land approaches Gu Qingying, revealing that he was once her junior brother and urging her to return to the Holy Land. She ignores him, while her attendants force him to withdraw.
• Members of the Tyrant Blood Ancestral Star emerge from the ground after being nearly crushed by the array. Cang Yuhang is frustrated by their continued misfortune on Big Dipper.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: His remnant soul has recovered to approximately the level of an Immortal Third Realm primordial spirit by using the All-Causes Soul Pearl to absorb soul fragments drawn to the gathering. He learns that even this form of existence is temporary: without further advancement or reincarnation, he will eventually perish when his former lifespan limit is reached. He is also watching the legacy site closely because he knows its true history and realizes that it contains fragments of his former soul and memories rather than a genuine treasure inheritance.
• Goddess Gu Qingying: She is portrayed as calm, intelligent, and unusually cautious. Unlike the eager cultivators, she refuses to enter immediately, recognizing the danger hidden behind the palace’s Imperial aura. Her detached response to her former junior brother also shows emotional distance and independence from her former sect.
• The young Heavenly Martial Holy Land elder: He has become a Saint and retains deep concern for Gu Qingying. His appeal suggests lingering affection and regret over her departure from the Holy Land, but he lacks the authority to change her decision.
• Cang Yuhang: His anger and frustration deepen after the Tyrant Blood group suffers another humiliating setback. His companions are wary of provoking him, emphasizing his volatile temperament.
• The gathered cultivators: Their greed and excitement over the Human Emperor’s supposed legacy repeatedly make them underestimate hidden dangers.

Significant Themes

• The danger of appearances: What is presented as an imperial inheritance may actually be a trap or a relic with a different purpose. The “Immortal Palace” inspires greed, but its array nearly kills the assembled cultivators.
• The cost of immortality: Tan Lin’s recovery demonstrates that even a powerful remnant soul cannot escape the limits of lifespan and existence. Survival without true advancement is only temporary.
• Legacy and historical distortion: Later generations revere the Human Emperor’s remains without understanding their original function or history. The cultivators project their ambitions onto an ancient site whose true nature is known only to Tan Lin.
• Greed versus caution: Most cultivators rush toward the palace, while Gu Qingying’s restraint suggests that prudence may be more valuable than strength in the face of unknown dangers.
• The persistence of relationships: The former junior brother’s attempt to reclaim Gu Qingying shows that old bonds and unresolved feelings continue despite changes in status and allegiance.
• Power and reverence: The endurance of the ancient restrictions and the overwhelming Imperial Dao pressure reinforce the Human Emperor’s immense influence, even though he never completed the ultimate path to rulership.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin and his young disciple: Their causal connection accelerates the recovery of Tan Lin’s soul, showing that their relationship remains central even while he acts from concealment.
• Gu Qingying and the Heavenly Martial elder: He approaches her privately and asks her to return, but she deliberately refuses to acknowledge him. Her attendants intervene, making clear that she no longer accepts the Holy Land’s authority over her.
• Gu Qingying and the other cultivators: She warns indirectly through her decision to wait outside, but the Daoxuan Sect leader and independent cultivators mock her caution and proceed into the palace.
• Cang Yuhang and his companions: His severe mood after their defeat creates an atmosphere of tension, with even his Dao companion Xin’er avoiding casual conversation.
• The wider cultivation factions: The many sects, holy lands, ancient families, foreign races, and independent cultivators cooperate only temporarily to break the restrictions; their shared goal quickly gives way to competition for the supposed inheritance.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gu Qingying delays entering the Immortal Palace because her Cloud Leopard spirit pet, Qinghan, senses that it is not yet safe. Other cultivators, including Cang Yuhang, doubt the animal’s judgment.
• Their doubts are immediately disproved when cultivators attempting to fly directly into the palace are crushed into blood mist by a powerful defensive force.
• The survivors realize that the palace is likely connected to the Human Emperor’s ancient Weapon-Refining Grounds, once used as a military outpost and training site against the primordial races.
• Suspicion falls on the Human Emperor Hall because its members entered safely while other factions suffered casualties. A disguised Human Emperor Hall steward is captured and forced to reveal that the palace is actually a ten-story tower containing an internal world.
• Each floor corresponds to a different cultivation realm and contains trials designed to temper soldiers and generals. Entering through the lowest floor is safest, though cultivators may enter a matching floor directly.
• When the steward refuses to explain why Human Emperor Hall members were secretly preparing outside, an Ancient Demon attempts to search his memories. A restriction causes the steward’s Immortal Platform to explode, suggesting that Human Emperor Hall is pursuing a major hidden plan.
• As the factions hesitate outside the palace, a distant voice announces that the formation has been completed and implies that the truth will soon be revealed.

Character Developments

• Gu Qingying demonstrates trust in her Cloud Leopard and remains calm despite the skepticism of powerful cultivators. Her willingness to follow Qinghan’s instincts is validated.
• The Cloud Leopard/Qinghan is established as unusually perceptive and capable of sensing danger more accurately than experienced Saints and Great Saints.
• Cang Yuhang initially dismisses Qinghan’s abilities, but the palace’s defenses force him and the surrounding cultivators to reconsider their assumptions.
• The Human Emperor Hall steward is revealed to be a minor figure caught in a dangerous conspiracy. Though he initially resists interrogation, fear eventually makes him disclose the tower’s structure; a memory restriction prevents him from revealing more.
• The Ancient Demon and Flood Demon become leading voices in pressuring the Human Emperor Hall and intensifying suspicion among the factions.
• Li Qingjue confronts the painful possibility that reincarnation may not exist. Although shaken by her master’s ambiguous answer, she quickly regains composure and chooses to preserve hope.
• Tan Lin continues to guide Li Qingjue strictly but approvingly. He recognizes that, despite his severe instruction, she has developed independent thought, resilience, and strong spiritual talent.

Significant Themes

• Trusting instinct over conventional authority: Qinghan’s warning proves more reliable than the judgment of powerful cultivators.
• Hidden history and incomplete knowledge: Fragmented records make it difficult for the factions to understand the palace’s true origins and dangers.
• Suspicion and political intrigue: Human Emperor Hall’s secret preparations and protected memories suggest a concealed scheme, causing distrust among all factions.
• Trials as a path to growth: The tower was designed to test cultivators according to their realms, echoing the Human Emperor’s method of forging strength through hardship.
• Faith, belief, and reincarnation: Li Qingjue’s conversation with Tan Lin explores whether immortality and reincarnation depend on objective truth or personal belief.
• Strict guidance without suppressing individuality: Tan Lin’s teaching is severe, but Li Qingjue retains the ability to think independently and overcome emotional crises.

Important Character Interactions

• Gu Qingying explains Qinghan’s refusal to enter, prompting disbelief from Cang Yuhang and nearby cultivators.
• The Cloud Leopard’s warning is vindicated when the palace destroys those who enter improperly, shifting everyone’s attitude toward it.
• The Flood Demon accuses Human Emperor Hall of concealing information, leading to the capture and interrogation of its steward.
• The Ancient Demon’s attempt to extract the steward’s memories triggers the protective restriction and confirms the existence of a deeper Human Emperor Hall conspiracy.
• Li Qingjue asks Tan Lin whether immortals and reincarnation exist. His deliberately ambiguous response frightens her but ultimately encourages her to rely on her own judgment and maintain hope.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tan Lin encourages Li Qingjue to preserve her own doubts and independent judgment rather than treating his teachings as unquestionable truth. He tells her that, even if reincarnation does not exist, she may one day become powerful enough to create a reincarnation of her own.
• Inspired by this rare moment of warmth and equality, Li Qingjue decides to make an independent choice: she asks to enter the Immortal Palace’s Weapon-Refining Grounds, despite knowing that the area is extremely dangerous and difficult to escape.
• Tan Lin warns her that she may die and that he might not be able to protect or guide her after entering. Li Qingjue nevertheless insists that she will not regret her decision.
• Tan Lin agrees and secretly guides her toward the tower. Instead of using the known entrances, she travels through an underground river and enters the tower’s small world through a hidden route.
• The Spring Autumn Pavilion’s entry into the Immortal Palace reassures other cultivators, prompting a massive rush into the tower. Amid the chaos, no one notices Li Qingjue’s covert arrival.
• Li Qingjue reaches the lowest level of the Human Emperor’s Drill Ground, a desolate realm governed by distorted Primordial Era laws. The oppressive gravity and atmosphere immediately make movement difficult.
• Tan Lin detects the location of a fragment of his true soul, along with memories connected to his previous life, inside an underground palace. He leaves Li Qingjue temporarily so he can pursue it.
• Alone for the first time since becoming his disciple, Li Qingjue realizes that she has unconsciously viewed Tan Lin as a replacement for her deceased brother, relying on him for security and companionship.
• She overcomes her loneliness, conceals the traces of her entry, and continues into the dangerous terrain. She eventually reaches a strange stone forest containing alternating heat and cold energies.

Character Developments

• Li Qingjue: Demonstrates growing independence, resolve, and strategic awareness. Instead of passively following Tan Lin’s plans, she makes her own decision and accepts the associated risks. Her emotional dependence on Tan Lin is also revealed when his departure leaves her feeling abandoned, forcing her to confront the unresolved grief surrounding her brother.
• Tan Lin: Shows an unusual degree of gentleness and respect toward Li Qingjue, speaking to her as an equal and encouraging her to think independently. Despite this warmth, he returns to his usual emotionally distant manner and continues pursuing his own hidden objectives.
• Goddess Gu/Gu Qingying: Displays a tender attachment to the Cloud Leopard, treating it as she once treated her younger brother. Her behavior suggests that the leopard may serve as an emotional substitute for the brother she lost.
• Cloud Leopard: Though capable of human speech, it remains silent because speaking would destroy Gu Qingying’s emotional illusion. Its faint pity suggests that it understands her grief.

Significant Themes

• Independence versus obedience: Li Qingjue’s choice to enter the Weapon-Refining Grounds marks a transition from blindly following her master to thinking and acting for herself.
• Mentorship and equality: Tan Lin’s advice suggests that true discipleship requires questioning, reflection, and eventually surpassing one’s teacher.
• Loss and emotional substitution: Both Li Qingjue and Gu Qingying cope with the absence of loved ones by forming attachments to substitutes—Tan Lin in Li Qingjue’s case and the Cloud Leopard in Gu Qingying’s.
• Self-reliance and danger: Tan Lin’s departure forces Li Qingjue to face the hostile environment without his direct guidance, testing whether her strength truly belongs to her.
• Hidden plans and secrecy: The concealed entrance, Tan Lin’s soul-seeking mission, and Li Qingjue’s careful removal of her tracks emphasize the importance of deception and covert strategy.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin and Li Qingjue share a significant master-disciple exchange in which he encourages her ambition while warning her of death. She responds with firm loyalty but also asserts her own will.
• Goddess Gu interacts affectionately with the Cloud Leopard, whose silence protects her attachment to the memory of her brother.
• After Tan Lin leaves, Li Qingjue’s internal reflection reveals how deeply their relationship has affected her, even though his outward manner remains cold and strict.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingjue realizes that the aura surrounding the stone forest contains both Lunar and Solar power, matching the principles of the Yin-Yang Mill Scripture taught by her master.
• By circulating the miniature Yin-Yang Millstone in her Sea of Bitterness, she neutralizes the crushing pressure of the environment and recognizes that her cultivation method is uniquely suited to this place.
• Connecting her master’s knowledge, his familiarity with ancient secrets, and his mastery of both Lunar and Solar energies, Li Qingjue suspects that Tan Lin may actually be the legendary Human Emperor, the only person known to have cultivated both powers and attained the Dao.
• Before she can investigate further, a powerful two-horned primordial beast attacks her from the stone forest. Its cultivation is far above hers, leaving her little chance to escape, though she remains calm due to her harsh survival training.
• Six thousand li away, Tan Lin enters a hidden underground palace that once served as his cultivation retreat and secret base. The palace is protected by ancient formations and contains a carefully constructed environment of intertwined Lunar and Solar energies.
• Tan Lin reaches the inner hall and approaches a painting of the Ancient Emperor’s daughter, a woman with whom he shared a complicated past.
• The painting releases the remnant of the woman’s spiritual presence into Tan Lin. The fragment merges with him, greatly strengthening his Primordial Spirit to the level of a Great Saint.
• Tan Lin confirms that his recovered soul fragment has activated the external Profound Firmament Nine Truths Soul-Slaying Formation. He uses the Soul Pearl’s All-Cause Vision to examine the causal lines connected to the formation.
• The spirit of the painting asks Tan Lin to take her with him, introducing a new emotional and practical complication.

2. Character Developments

• Li Qingjue demonstrates major growth in both cultivation and insight. She is no longer an inexperienced girl; months of training and survival have made her alert, disciplined, and capable of analyzing danger under pressure.
• She begins to understand the extraordinary nature of her master and develops a deeper emotional concern for him, feeling sorrow over the weakened, translucent state of his remnant soul.
• Tan Lin recovers a significant portion of his former spiritual power, though he remains far below his peak because his original body, blood essence, and complete Primordial Spirit were destroyed or consumed by Supreme Beings.
• His reunion with the spirit of the Ancient Emperor’s daughter reveals a past marked by conflict, captivity, secret meetings, and eventual emotional entanglement. Despite the importance of this history, Tan Lin remains outwardly composed and focused on his immediate objective.
• The painting spirit shows signs of attachment and dependence, asking Tan Lin not to leave her behind.

3. Significant Themes

• Hidden identity and revelation: Li Qingjue’s discovery that her master may be the Human Emperor reframes everything she has learned about him.
• The persistence of the past: Tan Lin’s ancient relationships, memories, and unfinished consequences continue to affect him millions of years later.
• Power and loss: Tan Lin’s recovered Great Saint-level Primordial Spirit is impressive but emphasizes how much he has lost since his former peak.
• Mastery over fear: Li Qingjue’s ability to remain mentally clear while facing a vastly stronger beast reflects the value of harsh training and personal resilience.
• Causality and fate: The soul fragment’s recovery immediately triggers an ancient killing formation, suggesting that Tan Lin’s past actions remain bound to him through powerful causal connections.
• Loneliness and attachment: Both Li Qingjue’s concern for Tan Lin and the painting spirit’s plea to accompany him highlight the emotional bonds formed despite long periods of separation and isolation.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Qingjue’s relationship with Tan Lin deepens indirectly as she pieces together his possible identity and feels compassion for his damaged soul.
• Tan Lin interacts with the spirit of the Ancient Emperor’s daughter through the painting. Their exchange reflects their long and complicated history: he once suppressed and captured her, yet their relationship later became significant enough for her spiritual presence to remain with him for nearly a million years.
• The painting spirit’s request to leave with Tan Lin suggests that their relationship is not merely historical; she still seeks his protection and companionship.
• Li Qingjue’s confrontation with the primordial beast contrasts with Tan Lin’s exploration of the palace, showing the two characters facing separate dangers while moving toward the consequences of Tan Lin’s ancient past.

Chapter 20 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tan Lin realizes that the Human Emperor Hall’s formation is connected through countless causal lines to several Restricted Areas, including the Sea of Reincarnation, the Ancient Mine of Primordial Beginning, and Mars. The formation is being activated to locate him.
• He deduces that the formation was created by the ancient Supremes who once divided his Origin and blood essence. They suspect that Tan Lin may possess clues to an alternative path toward immortality and have been waiting for signs that he survived.
• Although Tan Lin knows the situation is a trap, he deliberately entered it because he needs to recover his remnant soul and prepare for reincarnation. However, the changes in his Soul Pearl give him an advantage the Supremes could not have anticipated.
• Using the Inverted All-Causes Vision, Tan Lin merges with crimson mist and completely erases his presence from the deity’s divine consciousness within the painting. The deity forgets not only their encounter but also the fragment of Tan Lin’s soul that had accompanied her for nearly a million years.
• Tan Lin remains physically present and begins considering whether to take the deity with him, while also preparing for his next reincarnation and planning to gather resources and treasures for his future rise.
• Outside the tower, Gong Xuan, master of the Human Emperor Hall, realizes that Tan Lin has taken the bait. He feels conflicted because Tan Lin was once a great leader of the Human Race and the founder of the Human Emperor Hall, but Gong Xuan believes he is powerless to oppose the Restricted-Area Supremes.
• Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable personally travels to the formation after sensing that the disturbance was unusually brief. His uncertainty suggests that Tan Lin’s escape has not been detected.
• The Faith Body of the Undying Heavenly Emperor is likewise troubled by Tan Lin’s apparent survival, though his true body is currently undergoing Nirvana on Mars.
• Meanwhile, Li Qingjue is surrounded by dozens of Divine Bridge Realm beasts and five powerful beasts at the Peak Other Shore realm. Already exhausted from killing a stronger enemy through sudden enlightenment, she is pushed to the brink of death.
• Her Yin-Yang Mill barrier and weapon are destroyed, but the crisis allows her to gain a deeper understanding of the Yin-Yang Mill Scripture. Her Life Spring produces new divine power, and she reconstructs the millstone with twice its previous strength.
• Even this breakthrough is insufficient against the overwhelming number of beasts. Just before Li Qingjue is killed, Goddess Gu arrives riding the Cloud Leopard. With the power of a Half-Saint, she annihilates more than a hundred beasts and takes notice of Li Qingjue’s exceptional talent.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: Demonstrates exceptional foresight, calmness, and mastery of causal and soul techniques. Though he knowingly enters a trap, he turns the formation against its creators and successfully hides his existence. His focus shifts toward reincarnation and rebuilding his strength in a new life.
• Gong Xuan: Reveals his conflicted feelings toward Tan Lin. He respects Tan Lin’s past contributions to humanity but has submitted to the Restricted-Area Supremes out of fear and a desire to survive.
• Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable: Shows caution and suspicion by personally investigating the formation’s strange fluctuation. His uncertainty indicates that even the formation’s creator cannot fully understand what happened.
• Li Qingjue: Grows significantly under extreme pressure. Despite her low cultivation and lack of experience, she kills an enemy above her realm, experiences another breakthrough, and reconstructs her shattered weapon. She also reveals insecurity about disappointing her master.
• Goddess Gu: Enters as a powerful and mysterious savior. She immediately recognizes Li Qingjue’s extraordinary potential and appears emotionally interested in the young cultivator.
• Undying Heavenly Emperor: His reaction shows that Tan Lin’s survival has become a serious concern even for the ancient Supremes.

Significant Themes

• Cunning versus raw power: Tan Lin survives not by confronting the Supremes directly but by exploiting gaps in their causal formation and using his unique Soul Pearl.
• The burden of the past: Tan Lin’s ancient enemies, former allies, and the institutions he founded still shape the present. Gong Xuan’s hesitation highlights the complicated legacy of Tan Lin’s former identity as the Human Emperor.
• Survival and sacrifice: Both Tan Lin and Li Qingjue accept extreme risks to continue on their paths. Tan Lin sacrifices his current existence for reincarnation, while Li Qingjue fights despite overwhelming odds.
• Growth through crisis: Li Qingjue’s breakthrough occurs only after her weapon is destroyed and her life is nearly lost, emphasizing cultivation through pressure and desperation.
• Fear of the Supremes: The Restricted-Area beings wield such authority that even powerful human cultivators are forced into submission, creating a world where survival often requires betrayal or obedience.
• Rebirth and renewal: Tan Lin’s plans for reincarnation introduce the possibility of a new beginning, while Li Qingjue’s breakthrough marks the beginning of her own rapid development.

Important Character Interactions

• Tan Lin and the deity in the painting remain connected despite her loss of memory, creating a tension between her forgotten bond with him and his decision about whether to bring her along.
• Gong Xuan’s relationship with Tan Lin is defined by former loyalty, admiration, and present helplessness.
• Gong Xuan and Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable interact at the formation’s core, with Gong Xuan reacting fearfully to the Supreme’s arrival.
• Li Qingjue’s battle with the beasts showcases her determination but also her emotional dependence on her master’s approval.
• Goddess Gu intervenes at the moment of Li Qingjue’s greatest danger, saves her from certain death, and recognizes her as an unusually gifted disciple or potential successor.