Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Three Emperors Era”

Key plot points and events

• After Li Fan kills a Dark Supreme during the Dark Turmoil, he disappears into seclusion. Rumors spread that he suffered crippling Dao injuries, while other prodigies—including Demon Emperor Xue Yueqing and Six Ears—rise to prominence.
• Xue Yueqing undergoes the Dao-Proving Tribulation. After surviving it, he attempts the exceptionally dangerous feat of shattering the Heavenly Heart Imprint to surpass the Myriad Dao. He ultimately fails to break free of it, but merges with the imprint and becomes an Emperor.
• Xue Yueqing establishes the Demon Race Heavenly Court and brings stability and prosperity to the universe. Unlike in the original course of events, Little Rabbit is alive, and Xue Yueqing rules without falling into grief.
• A thousand years later, Six Ears achieves Alternative Enlightenment—a major Imperial Dao achievement, though not true Emperor Enlightenment—under Xue Yueqing’s suppression.
• At age six thousand, Li Fan reappears and undergoes his own Dao-Proving Tribulation. Having recovered from his wounds, he has cultivated the Chaos Scripture, awakened the Chaotic Body, and forged a path of Dao unique to himself.
• Li Fan proves his Dao and merges his Grand Dao Brand with the Heavenly Heart Imprint. His achievement makes him the second Emperor of the era, an unprecedented event. Alongside Xue Yueqing and Six Ears, his presence leaves other Quasi-Emperors convinced they have no chance to advance.

Character developments

• Li Fan: His apparent disappearance is revealed to have been a period of recovery and transformation, not defeat. He becomes a Chaotic Body and an Emperor, ultimately surpassing even Xue Yueqing in perceived power.
• Xue Yueqing: The former Snow Rabbit, now a Silver Dragon, demonstrates immense strength and ambition. Though he cannot shatter the Heavenly Heart Imprint, he becomes a powerful Emperor and a benevolent ruler.
• Six Ears: He returns to the story as a formidable contender, reaching Alternative Enlightenment and joining the era’s three great Imperial Dao forces.
• The Dark Supremes: They consider attacking Li Fan during his tribulation but remain afraid of the Demon Venerable, whose fate is still unknown.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and delayed reward: Li Fan’s costly victory over the Dark Supreme postpones his rise, but his hardship becomes part of a larger transformation.
• Ambition and its limits: Xue Yueqing dares to challenge the order of the Myriad Dao, but learns that even an Emperor may be unable to transcend it.
• Destiny and altered outcomes: Xue Yueqing’s survival of his loved one changes his future, allowing him to rule with vitality rather than despair.
• Power and fear: The Demon Venerable’s reputation continues to restrain the Dark Supremes even after tens of thousands of years of absence.
• An extraordinary age: Multiple Imperial Dao powers coexist, overturning expectations about who can prove the Dao and how many Emperors an era can produce.

Character interactions

• Xue Yueqing reunites with his old friend Six Ears as they head toward the battlefield, where they discover Li Fan has already killed the Dark Supreme.
• Xue Yueqing’s attempted challenge to the Heavenly Heart Imprint places him in conflict with ancient Emperor imprints, Immortal Medicine manifestations, and the forces of the Grand Dao.
• After Xue Yueqing becomes Emperor, he protects the world by swiftly killing powerful evildoers.
• Li Fan’s ascent is watched by Xue Yueqing, Six Ears, the Quasi-Emperors, and the Dark Supremes. The Dark Supremes’ fear of the absent Demon Venerable indirectly protects him during his tribulation.

Key plot points and events

• In the distant aftermath of a Golden Age, three emperors—Li Fan, Xue Yueqing, and the Six-Eared Macaque—share the world, whose Grand Dao Suppression ushers in an era of stagnation. The Demon Venerable has become a figure of history, and many doubt the old accounts of his power.
• A colossal burst of Immortal Light erupts from the Road to Immortality. A coffin emerges, revealing the supposedly vanished Demon Venerable, still alive after 280,000 years.
• The Demon Venerable leaves the Heaven-Burying Coffin and visibly rejuvenates, using Immortal Flame to return to a youthful state. He then waits in the Cosmic Frontier Wasteland.
• A spectacular celestial phenomenon gives way to a fearsome Immortal Ascension Tribulation. The Dark Supremes recognize its unprecedented Immortal Dao thunder, while Li Fan admits that his father’s writings never predicted such a trial.
• The Demon Venerable withstands successive waves of thunder, followed by attacks from thunder-formed Immortal Weapons, Immortal Spirits, and Immortal Medicines. He destroys them but is left gravely wounded.
• Just as observers think he may have survived the tribulation, a final challenge appears: a sacred-looking Dao Altar and guillotine that Li Ming recognizes as the Immortal-Slaying Guillotine. Thunderous chains seize him and drag him toward the altar. Crimson light swallows him, leaving his fate unknown.

Character developments

• Li Ming, the Demon Venerable, returns after immense ages and reveals that he has reached his Seventh Lifetime. Though rejuvenated and overwhelmingly powerful, his serious expression hints that he understands the danger awaiting him. He remains defiant throughout the tribulation, but the final guillotine presents a threat even he fears.
• Li Fan is now revered as the Chaos Heavenly Emperor. He cannot explain the unprecedented tribulation, underscoring that even the Demon Venerable’s own records do not account for it.
• Xue Yueqing and the Six-Eared Macaque remain powerful emperors, but their awe and uncertainty emphasize the gulf between them and Li Ming.

Significant themes

• The limits of knowledge: Even ancient records and living witnesses cannot explain the Immortal Ascension Tribulation.
• Immortality and its cost: Li Ming’s Seventh Lifetime brings renewed vitality, but the path toward immortality demands a devastating trial.
• Legend becoming reality: A figure dismissed by later generations as an unbelievable historical tale reappears before the world.
• The persistence of ambition: Despite the world’s barriers to immortality, the Demon Venerable continues to challenge its limits.

Character interactions

• Xue Yueqing and the Six-Eared Macaque seek Li Fan’s insight about the tribulation; he can offer no answer.
• Dark Supremes and cultivators watch Li Ming’s trial with mounting fear and hope, reassessing their understanding of his power.
• The chapter ends without resolution as the tribulation’s final weapon closes in on Li Ming.

Key plot points and events

• The Demon Venerable undergoes an unprecedented Immortal Ascension Tribulation. Immortal visions appear across the world, leading many to believe he has become immortal.
• When the visions vanish, a vast, lifeless corpse is found at the Cosmic Frontier Wasteland. The Dark Supremes suspect the Demon Venerable has died—but, remembering his history of deception, they also wonder whether the apparent death is a trap.
• The Heaven-Burying Coffin appears, now confirmed as an Immortal Weapon. It draws the corpse inside and disappears into the Chaos Sea, leaving the Demon Venerable’s fate unresolved. The world nonetheless celebrates his supposed ascension.
• Ten thousand years pass. Li Fan becomes the foremost of the three Imperial Sovereigns, while he, the Six-Eared Macaque, and Xue Yueqing deepen their understanding of the Dao through study and travels in the mortal world.
• Xue Yueqing and Little Rabbit have a son, who is born amid extraordinary omens. He can assume the form of a silver True Dragon, inheriting a powerful bloodline. Li Fan and the Macaque help establish his foundation, but Xue Yueqing seals him away so he can awaken in a future Golden Age and pursue true Emperor Enlightenment.
• Much later, after the Golden Age has ended and the Unmanifest Grand Dao era has begun, Li Fan consumes an Immortal Medicine to enter his Second Lifetime. At that moment, the Demon Venerable’s coffin bursts out of an abandoned Road to Immortality on Mars.

Character developments and interactions

• The Demon Venerable: His apparent death and burial deepen the mystery surrounding his attempt to become a Red Dust Immortal. His past reputation for trickery keeps the Dark Supremes from trusting what they see.
• The Dark Supremes: They move from hope to grief, then suspicion, and finally cautious resignation. They watch events rather than risk being lured into a trap.
• Li Fan: He grows into the leading Imperial Sovereign, surpassing the Heavenly Heart Imprint. He remains close to Xue Yueqing and the Macaque, sharing Dao discussions and journeys with them.
• Xue Yueqing and Little Rabbit: Their long-awaited child brings them great joy. Xue Yueqing later chooses to seal their son away, prioritizing his future potential over immediate cultivation.
• The Macaque: Though still unmarried, he is delighted by the child and affectionately holds him, calling for the baby to treat him as an uncle.
• The three Imperial Sovereigns: They cooperate to nurture the child, with Li Fan retrieving Immortal Medicine fruit to strengthen his foundation.

Significant themes

• The uncertain path to immortality: Even extraordinary power may not be enough to overcome the boundary between emperor and immortal.
• Appearance versus truth: The Demon Venerable’s corpse, the auspicious signs, and his history of deception make it impossible to know whether he succeeded or died.
• Time, legacy, and cultivation: Immortal Medicines, sealed generations, and the changing ages shape how characters pursue longevity and greatness.
• Nurture versus challenge: Xue Yueqing seals his gifted son not to protect him from mischief, but to reserve his growth for an era where worthy rivals can test him.
• Family and companionship: The child’s birth and the friends’ shared travels provide warmth amid the chapter’s vast, often perilous cultivation history.

Chapter Summary: Entering the Immortal Domain

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mars, near the Primordial Star Domain and the North Pole Sea Eye, erupts when the Heaven-Burying Coffin—previously associated with the Demon Venerable—bursts from a massive spatial rift and flies toward the Cosmic Frontier Wasteland.
• The coffin’s impact unexpectedly activates Mars’s supposedly false Road to Immortality. Immortal light floods the planet, rejuvenating aged cultivators and awakening powerful beings across the universe.
• The Dark Supremes are alarmed because the Road opens far earlier than expected and gives them little time to prepare. Most cannot restore themselves to peak condition, but several who possess Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixirs decide to gamble on entering.
• Demon Emperor Xue Yueqing, the Six-Eared Macaque, and Chaos Heavenly Emperor Li Fan enter the Road together. Four Dark Supremes later consume their elixirs, restore themselves, and follow them.
• Li Fan’s Immortal Weapons—the Heavenly Demonic Saber and the Myriad Souls Banner—lead the way, destroying Immortal Spirits and breaking through ruined sections of the Road.
• Li Fan’s Chaotic Body resonates with the damaged Grand Dao Laws, repairing the Road and confirming his belief that this path has opened specifically for him.
• The group reaches a shattered Immortal Gate and sees a genuine Immortal Domain beyond it. Although the world contains both immortal and destructive auras, Li Fan deduces that the destruction comes from battles and tribulations occurring within the Domain.
• Li Fan reveals that the Demon Venerable forcibly opened the Road ahead of time and warns that it will collapse soon. The group uses Origin Essence Blood to activate the Heavenly Gate.
• As the Road begins to collapse, Li Fan and the others rush through the Gate and undergo painful Immortal Dao baptisms, during which their original Grand Dao Laws are replaced by Immortal runes.
• All seven successfully complete the transformation and enter the true Immortal Domain, where they discover an abundant Longevity Substance.

Character Developments

• Li Fan: Moves decisively from planning to follow the Red Dust Immortal Transformation Path to choosing direct entry into the Immortal Domain. His Chaotic Body proves uniquely suited to repairing the Immortal Road, and he becomes the group’s leader and guide. He also gains stronger evidence that his father, the Demon Venerable, is still alive.
• Demon Emperor Xue Yueqing: Demonstrates resolve and faith in the Demon Venerable by immediately entering the Road. He trusts Li Fan and remains committed to reaching immortality alongside his friends.
• Six-Eared Macaque: Reveals possession of a hidden Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir inherited through his ancestor’s connection to Lingbao Tianzun. He risks everything to enter the Immortal Domain with Li Fan and Xue Yueqing.
• The four Dark Supremes: Initially cautious and suspicious, they eventually gamble their precious elixirs on the opportunity. Their decision proves successful, though they remain opportunistic outsiders rather than true allies.
• The Demon Venerable: Though absent, he becomes the chapter’s most influential figure. His coffin appears to have opened the Road, suggesting he is alive and may have deliberately created this opportunity for later generations.

Significant Themes

• Opportunity versus preparation: The Road opens unexpectedly, forcing ancient experts to act without the preparation they had planned for future Immortal Roads.
• Faith and trust: Xue Yueqing and the Macaque follow Li Fan because of their faith in the Demon Venerable and their long-standing friendship with Li Fan.
• The unknown power of the Demon Venerable: His actions overturn established deductions and reshape the fate of the entire era.
• Transformation and sacrifice: Entering the Immortal Domain requires risking precious elixirs, enduring painful baptisms, and abandoning one’s former Grand Dao Laws.
• Fate and individual destiny: Li Fan realizes that the damaged Road responds to his Chaotic Body, implying that the path may have opened specifically for him.
• Cooperation amid mistrust: Former enemies and rivals temporarily cooperate to survive the Road, but the Dark Supremes’ opportunism shows that shared goals do not erase underlying differences.

Character Interactions

• Li Fan, Xue Yueqing, and the Six-Eared Macaque act as close companions, entering the Road together and intending to return later to guide their sealed families toward immortality.
• The Dark Supremes watch the three current-era emperors from outside, waiting for them to scout the path before committing their elixirs.
• Once inside, the current-era emperors tolerate the Dark Supremes as temporary allies, recognizing that their strength will help overcome the Road’s dangers despite their lack of mutual affection.
• Li Fan takes command by interpreting the Immortal Domain’s condition, predicting the Heavenly Gate’s opening, and directing everyone to use Origin Essence Blood.
• The Heavenly Demonic Saber and Myriad Souls Banner function as the group’s vanguard and guardians, clearing the path and preventing interference during the final transformation.

Key events

• The Road to Immortality on Mars opens for a fleeting instant, then collapses. The Chaos Heavenly Emperor, Demon Emperor, Macaque Emperor, and four Dark Supremes enter the Immortal Domain. A worldwide spectacle confirms their ascent, leaving other Dark Supremes bitterly regretful that they hesitated.
• More than ten thousand years later, the Heaven-Burying Coffin arrives on Beidou Star. Its spirit says it has come to explore the Road to Immortality in the Southern Eastern Wasteland. The coffin smashes open a new passage and rushes inside.
• The Dark Supremes consider following but hesitate once again, while other cultivators risk approaching to gather the scattered Immortal Light.
• On the road, a mysterious bell rings. The Undying Heavenly Emperor appears, stops the coffin, and blasts its lid away. The coffin’s Weapon Deity awakens, and the two Immortal Weapons clash in a devastating battle.

Character developments and interactions

• The Dark Supremes’ earlier regret over missing the Martian opening turns into renewed indecision: even when another road appears, fear and uncertainty keep them from acting.
• The Undying Heavenly Emperor is revealed to have survived, undergone Nirvana, and advanced along the Red Dust Immortal Path. He appears more powerful than before, but his five-colored radiance is tinged with sinister darkness.
• The coffin’s spirit and the Heavenly Emperor confront one another directly. The Emperor seeks not only the Demon Venerable’s origin essence but also to kill him and claim a body for the mysterious Weird possessing him. The coffin resists through its awakened Weapon Deity.
• The Demon Venerable’s condition remains uncertain. His corpse is believed to be inside the coffin, but rumors persist that he may be undergoing a transformation rather than truly dead.

Significant themes

• The cost of hesitation: The Supremes repeatedly face rare chances at immortality but cannot overcome their fear of risk.
• Immortality and uncertainty: The roads inspire hope, yet even apparent ascension and legendary powers leave unanswered questions about life, death, and transformation.
• Power and hidden corruption: The Heavenly Emperor’s immense strength is accompanied by an eerie dark aura, suggesting that power may come at a dangerous price.
• A widening mystery: The coffin’s purpose, the Demon Venerable’s fate, and the Weird’s influence remain unresolved as a new conflict begins.

Chapter Summary: “Erasing the Weird and Capturing Undying”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Weird-possessed Undying Heavenly Emperor attacks the Heaven-Burying Coffin, believing the Demon Venerable is dead and intending to devour his Chaos Origin and Origin Essence Blood.
• After breaking open the coffin, he sees the Demon Venerable’s apparently lifeless body and assumes that the Immortal-Slaying Guillotine destroyed the Demon Venerable’s Primordial Spirit.
• The Demon Venerable suddenly revives, using mysterious Immortal Flames to reconstruct his Primordial Spirit. His resurrection shakes the Road to Immortality, suppresses the Myriad Dao, and convinces the world that he has successfully become immortal.
• The Demon Venerable reveals that he deliberately faked his death to lure out the Weird and its host, the Undying Heavenly Emperor.
• Recognizing the Weird’s presence within Undying Heavenly Emperor, the Demon Venerable confronts and condemns it. Although the Weird-possessed emperor’s power exceeds that of an ordinary True Immortal, the Demon Venerable effortlessly neutralizes his attack.
• Undying Heavenly Emperor attempts to escape into the Strange World through a dimensional passage. The Demon Venerable severs the passage, while the Heavenly Demonic Saber and Myriad Souls Banner block the emperor’s retreat.
• The Heavenly Demonic Saber cleaves through Undying Heavenly Emperor, and the Myriad Souls Banner devours his soul. The Demon Venerable then captures and suppresses the Weird creature inhabiting his body.
• Using the mysterious Bronze Mirror, the Demon Venerable erases the Weird. He refines the remaining dark runes into harmless gray runes, hoping they will grant him immunity to dark strange matter.
• Undying Heavenly Emperor’s soul becomes part of the Myriad Souls Banner, causing the Immortal Weapon to evolve further and manifesting a powerful Five-Colored Immortal Phoenix.
• The Dark Supremes realize that the legendary Undying Heavenly Emperor has been defeated and devoured.

Character Developments

• The Demon Venerable/Li Ming: Revealed to have survived the Immortal-Slaying Guillotine and successfully achieved immortality. He demonstrates overwhelming strength, strategic foresight, and complete confidence. His “death” was a calculated trap designed to eliminate the Weird. He also begins studying the Weird’s power and developing resistance to it.
• Undying Heavenly Emperor: Initially arrogant and confident that the Demon Venerable is dead, he plans to consume the Demon Venerable’s essence to gain a new life. His confidence collapses once the Demon Venerable revives, and he attempts to flee rather than continue fighting. He ultimately loses both his body and soul.
• The Weird: The hidden entity controlling Undying Heavenly Emperor is exposed. It realizes too late that the Demon Venerable’s supposed failure was bait. Its threats and pleas are ignored, and it is completely erased.
• The Dark Supremes and the wider world: They move from shock at the Undying Heavenly Emperor’s appearance, to awe at the Demon Venerable’s revival, and finally to disbelief at the emperor’s defeat.

Significant Themes

• Deception and strategic patience: The Demon Venerable’s apparent death is revealed as a long-prepared trap.
• True immortality and resurrection: His revival confirms that he overcame a catastrophe thought capable of destroying even his Primordial Spirit.
• The struggle against corruption: The Weird represents an invasive, destructive power, while the Demon Venerable’s cleansing of its runes suggests the possibility of resisting or neutralizing it.
• Arrogance versus humility: Undying Heavenly Emperor arrives expecting to consume a corpse but is instead captured and destroyed; his confidence cannot withstand the Demon Venerable’s superior preparation and strength.
• Transformation through conflict: The Myriad Souls Banner grows stronger by devouring the emperor, while the Demon Venerable gains potentially valuable immunity from refining the Weird’s power.

Important Character Interactions

• Demon Venerable and Undying Heavenly Emperor: Their confrontation shifts from the emperor’s attempted predation to the Demon Venerable’s effortless dominance. The Demon Venerable mocks him for fusing with the Weird and defeats him before he can escape.
• Demon Venerable and the Weird: The Weird recognizes that it was deliberately lured into a trap. The Demon Venerable dismisses both its threats and pleas before erasing it.
• Demon Venerable and his weapons: The Heavenly Demonic Saber and Myriad Souls Banner act in coordination with him, cutting off the escape route, destroying the emperor’s defenses, and devouring his soul.
• Undying Heavenly Emperor and the Dark Supremes: His appearance initially inspires fear and speculation, but his sudden defeat leaves the Dark Supremes stunned and forces them to acknowledge the Demon Venerable’s overwhelming supremacy.

Chapter Summary: “Smashing the Kunlun Immortal Bell”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Inside the Road to Immortality, the Demon Venerable defeats the Undying Heavenly Emperor, shattering his body and destroying his Grand Dao Imprint.
• The Undying Heavenly Emperor’s true form, a Five-Colored Immortal Phoenix, is refined into the Myriad Souls Banner along with his corpse. His death confirms the fall of a being who had survived for more than a million years.
• The Primordial Imperial Clans and other primordial races react with sorrow or mixed emotions because many revered the Undying Heavenly Emperor and descended from his former followers. Humanity and many other beings instead celebrate his death because of his history of devouring powerful figures and threatening the world.
• Li Ming collects the Undying Heavenly Emperor’s Five-Colored Origin and Origin Essence Blood. He concludes that the Heavenly Emperor’s fusion with the Weirdness made separation impossible, leaving death as the safest solution.
• Li Ming pursues the Kunlun Immortal Bell, which is trapped halfway through the Heavenly Gate—the barrier between this world and the Immortal Domain. The bell had attempted to enter the Immortal Domain but became caught between the laws of both realms.
• Responding to the bell’s plea for help, Li Ming frees it from the Heavenly Gate. However, the bell immediately attempts to flee, forcing Li Ming to capture and suppress its Weapon Deity.
• Li Ming studies and forcibly reproduces the bell’s profound Immortal Dao Runes before refining the Kunlun Immortal Bell.
• When Li Ming exits the Road to Immortality, the Kunlun Immortal Bell appears before the Dark Supremes of Beidou. Although they covet the legendary weapon, none dare challenge him.
• Li Ming leaves with the bell, while the Immortal Road Rift closes and the surrounding regions return to peace.

Character Developments

• Li Ming/Demon Venerable: His overwhelming power is emphasized. He kills the Undying Heavenly Emperor, withstands the collapse of the Road to Immortality, frees and then suppresses the Kunlun Immortal Bell, and gains another supreme Immortal Weapon. He is also shown to be analytical, studying the bell’s laws rather than merely taking it by force.
• Undying Heavenly Emperor: His long-standing image as an invincible hidden mastermind is destroyed. Once revered as a god and ancient leader, he ultimately becomes a soul within the Myriad Souls Banner after failing to defeat Li Ming.
• Kunlun Immortal Bell: Initially proud and evasive, the bell is revealed to be trapped and desperate. Though it asks Li Ming for aid, it betrays his assistance by attempting to escape, resulting in the suppression of its Weapon Deity.
• Dark Supremes: Their confidence and ambitions are shaken by the Undying Heavenly Emperor’s death and Li Ming’s dominance. They choose caution over confrontation, recognizing that provoking him would be suicidal.

Significant Themes

• The collapse of legends: Even ancient, seemingly immortal figures can fall. The Undying Heavenly Emperor’s death demonstrates that longevity and past glory do not guarantee survival.
• Power and fear: Li Ming’s reputation is so overwhelming that even the Dark Supremes refuse to investigate or challenge him directly.
• Betrayal and distrust: The Kunlun Immortal Bell’s attempt to flee after being rescued reinforces Li Ming’s belief that some beings cannot be trusted to repay kindness.
• The pursuit of immortality: The Road to Immortality and the Immortal Domain remain objects of obsession, but the chapter suggests that forcing entry without the proper time or conditions leads to disaster.
• Legacy and changing loyalties: The primordial races respect the Undying Heavenly Emperor’s historical achievements, yet many no longer feel bound to serve him. Later generations judge him according to his crimes and threats rather than his former glory.
• Knowledge through conquest: Li Ming does not merely seize power; he studies the Immortal Bell’s laws and incorporates their insights, combining brute strength with cultivation and understanding.

Character Interactions

• Li Ming and the Undying Heavenly Emperor: The Heavenly Emperor attempts to devour Li Ming’s body and seize his Chaos Origin and essence blood, but Li Ming reverses the situation and kills him.
• Li Ming and the Kunlun Immortal Bell: The bell requests Li Ming’s help escaping the Heavenly Gate, but tries to flee once freed. Li Ming captures and suppresses it, turning a reluctant artifact into his possession.
• Li Ming and the Dark Supremes: Li Ming briefly acknowledges them upon leaving Beidou but does not engage them. His indifferent attitude and overwhelming aura are enough to make them feel relieved when he departs.
• The wider races and the Undying Heavenly Emperor: Former followers mourn his death, while humanity and those harmed by his actions celebrate it, showing how differently his legacy is remembered.

Chapter Summary: “Emperor Huang Takes a Master”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Demon Venerable, revealed to be Li Ming, is confirmed to have survived the Immortal Ascension Tribulation and become a True Immortal. He also killed the hidden mastermind, the Undying Heavenly Emperor.
• His achievement shocks the cultivation world because he became immortal within the mortal realm without sealing himself away or relying on the legendary Nine-Lifetime Red Dust Transformation.
• Despite becoming immortal, Li Ming discovers that the mortal world cannot provide endless Longevity Substance. He is still slowly aging and must continue transforming through additional lifetimes before achieving true Mortal-World Ascension.
• The world enters another flourishing era. New emperors and countless prodigies arise, while the Ancient Starry Sky Road becomes a deadly battlefield.
• A mysterious and overwhelmingly powerful Quasi-Emperor massacres nearly all his competitors, including powerful bloodline heirs and other Quasi-Emperors. He later reveals himself as Emperor Huang, the sealed disciple of Emperor Zun.
• Emperor Huang visits Li Ming in Undying Mountain and asks for guidance on the Red Dust Immortal Path. Li Ming criticizes his arrogance and admits that Huang’s talent is inferior to Emperor Zun’s, but agrees to guide him.
• Li Ming advises Emperor Huang to first achieve Emperor Enlightenment before pursuing the more difficult path of mortal-world immortality. He also gives him an Immortal Medicine fruit.
• Emperor Huang disappears for several thousand years as new generations of prodigies emerge.
• He eventually reappears during a terrifying Dao-Proving Tribulation and begins the process of becoming the new emperor.
• Rather than merging normally with the Heavenly Heart Imprint, Emperor Huang attempts to shatter it and rise above the established Myriad Dao.
• He briefly succeeds in breaking the Heavenly Heart Imprint, triggering attacks from manifestations of Ancient Emperors, Immortal Spirits, Immortal Medicines, and the Primal Ten Evils.
• Emperor Huang ultimately cannot maintain his transcendence. After suffering severe injuries, he brands his Dao onto the Heavenly Heart Imprint and successfully becomes Emperor Huang.

Character Developments

• Li Ming/Demon Venerable: His status rises from legendary supreme cultivator to the only confirmed True Immortal in the mortal world. However, he remains aware of his limitations and understands that immortality here is incomplete. He becomes a teacher and guide, particularly toward those willing to test his theories of Red Dust Transformation.
• Emperor Huang: Introduced as a ruthless, arrogant, and extraordinarily powerful Quasi-Emperor, he has killed nearly every rival on the Ancient Starry Sky Road. Despite his relatively modest natural talent compared with legendary figures, his ambition and determination are exceptional. He seeks not merely Emperor Enlightenment but ultimately Mortal-World Ascension, and he displays remarkable courage by challenging the Heavenly Heart Imprint itself.
• Emperor Zun: Though absent and already in the Immortal Domain, his influence remains significant. His decision to seal Emperor Huang in the mortal world created the opportunity for Huang to emerge and pursue a different path.
• The cultivation world: Its reverence for Demon Venerable approaches religious faith. The emergence of Emperor Huang also gives the world a new figure to fear, resent, and eventually acknowledge.

Significant Themes

• The possibility of immortality: Li Ming’s success proves that immortality can be achieved within the mortal world, though his path remains difficult and essentially impossible to copy.
• Persistence and transformation: True immortality requires repeated transformation and continued cultivation rather than a single breakthrough.
• Ambition versus ability: Emperor Huang’s talent is not equal to that of the greatest figures, but his determination, brutality, and willingness to challenge established limits allow him to reach the imperial realm.
• The price of supremacy: The Ancient Starry Sky Road is portrayed as a path of bloodshed, where victory requires eliminating every rival.
• Transcending established laws: Emperor Huang’s attempt to destroy the Heavenly Heart Imprint symbolizes his desire to stand above the existing order rather than merely become part of it.
• Legacy and mentorship: Li Ming inherits the role of teacher, guiding Emperor Zun’s disciple and helping preserve the pursuit of Red Dust Immortality.

Character Interactions

• The major interaction is between Li Ming and Emperor Huang in Undying Mountain. Huang respectfully identifies himself as Emperor Zun’s disciple and requests instruction.
• Li Ming responds with blunt criticism, mocking the arrogance of the title “Emperor Huang” and stating that Huang’s talent is inferior to Emperor Zun’s.
• Despite this harsh assessment, Li Ming accepts Huang’s ambition, offers practical guidance, and expresses interest in one day conquering the Immortal Domain alongside him.
• Emperor Huang responds with humility and resolve, thanking Li Ming and promising to return after achieving Emperor Enlightenment.
• Their relationship develops into one of reluctant mentorship: Li Ming recognizes Huang’s limitations but respects his ambition, while Huang regards Li Ming as the ideal authority on the Red Dust Immortal Path.

Chapter Summary: New Primordial Emperor: Yuan Gu!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Emperor Huang achieves Emperor Enlightenment as Emperor Zun’s disciple and becomes the ruler of the era. He establishes the Divine Organization, modeled after the Ancient Heavenly Court, and governs peacefully for thirty thousand years.
• After Emperor Huang’s Dao dissolves, a new Golden Age begins. Numerous geniuses emerge through the Ancient Starry Sky Road, including Yuan Gu, the eighth-generation descendant of the Primordial Emperor.
• Yuan Gu rises rapidly, defeats countless opponents, achieves Emperor Enlightenment, and becomes known as the New Primordial Emperor. He rebuilds the Primordial Lake lineage and promotes peaceful coexistence among the myriad races.
• Yuan Gu survives for more than twenty-five thousand years in his Second Lifetime. Though the world believes he dies naturally, he has secretly faked his death.
• Shortly after his apparent death, three powerful Perfected Sacred Spirits attack the Primordial Emperor Lineage. They battle Yuan Gu’s three sons, who use the Old and Former Primordial Emperors’ gourds and the Primordial Emperor’s Extreme Dao Formation to resist them.
• The Sacred Spirits target the Primordial Emperor Ancestral Star, intending to destroy the lineage’s homeland. At the critical moment, Yuan Gu reappears and annihilates all three attackers with a single palm strike.
• Yuan Gu then traces the attackers to the Sacred Spirit Lineage’s hidden ancestral land within the Chaos Sea. He breaks through its defenses and battles its Supreme ancestor, who undergoes Extreme Sublimation.
• Yuan Gu ultimately destroys the Sacred Spirit Forbidden Zone, killing or defeating its Supreme and placing a new Ancient Emperor Supreme Imprint on his gourd.

Character Developments

• Emperor Huang: Establishes himself as a benevolent and powerful ruler, maintaining universal peace and protecting the world from emerging threats. His eventual Dao dissolution marks the end of his era.
• Demon Venerable: Remains almost completely absent from the world, becoming a mysterious mythic figure whose overwhelming power places him above even Emperor Huang.
• Yuan Gu: Develops from a surviving descendant of the Primordial Emperor into an invincible genius and Emperor. Unlike his ancestor’s legacy alone, he creates his own distinct Dao path and proves that he is still extraordinarily powerful even after apparently reaching the end of his life.
• Yuan Gu’s three sons: Though lacking exceptional talent and only reaching the Quasi-Emperor Realm, they demonstrate loyalty and courage by defending their lineage with the inherited Extreme Dao weapons.
• The Sacred Spirit Lineage: Revealed as arrogant, violent, and determined to exterminate the Primordial Emperor’s descendants. Their Supreme ancestor is shown to be powerful but ultimately unable to withstand Yuan Gu.

Significant Themes

• Legacy and renewal: Yuan Gu restores the fallen Primordial Emperor Lineage while becoming a new Emperor in his own right.
• The unpredictability of life and death: Yuan Gu’s apparent death is revealed to be a deception, overturning the world’s assumptions about his fate.
• Peace versus destruction: Both Emperor Huang and Yuan Gu promote coexistence, contrasting sharply with the Sacred Spirits’ desire to dominate and annihilate other races.
• Inherited power versus personal achievement: Yuan Gu inherits the Primordial Emperor’s weapons and lineage but also forges a unique Dao, proving that he is more than merely a successor.
• The arrogance of the Sacred Spirits: Their belief that they are Heaven’s favored children leads them to repeatedly provoke powerful enemies and ultimately brings about the destruction of their forbidden zone.
• The cyclical nature of the era: Each Emperor’s death opens another age of great contention, allowing new geniuses and conflicts to emerge.

Important Character Interactions

• The world compares Emperor Huang with his master, Emperor Zun, while recognizing that Demon Venerable remains superior to both.
• Yuan Gu’s sons rely on the inherited gourds and formations of the Primordial Emperor Lineage to fight the three Perfected Sacred Spirits.
• The three Sacred Spirits attempt to destroy Yuan Gu’s ancestral star and provoke his intervention.
• Yuan Gu reunites with his sons, reassures them through his overwhelming power, and then confronts the Sacred Spirit Supreme responsible for the attack.
• The confrontation escalates from a defense of the Primordial Emperor Lineage into a direct invasion of the Sacred Spirit Ancestral Land, ending with Yuan Gu’s decisive victory.

Chapter summary

Key plot points

• The New Primordial Emperor, Yuan Gu, reveals that he faked his death to draw out the Sacred Spirits who threatened his lineage. After killing those in the Sacred Spirit Forbidden Zone, he visits Li Ming, the Demon Venerable, to thank him for helping him achieve Emperor Enlightenment and teaching him the Red Dust Immortal Transformation Method.
• Li Ming reflects on the Dark Supremes’ role in the world’s decline and on how few can complete the difficult Red Dust Immortal path. He and Yuan Gu discuss a more accessible alternative: sending Supremes to the Strange World, where Longevity Substance may extend their lives. Yuan Gu suggests creating a Formation that periodically opens a passage there; Li Ming agrees to consider it.
• Li Ming visits the Underworld to examine the Ruins’ Daughter, whose corpse is slowly gaining vitality. He hopes to guide her Corpse Spirit Awakening and experiments with transforming her by infusing her with the Undying Heavenly Emperor’s Immortal Phoenix essence.
• Thousands of years later, Yuan Gu successfully transforms into a Sacred Spirit Stone Embryo, and his Grand Dao Suppression eventually disappears. A new Golden Age begins.
• The Light Emperor’s daughter becomes the Light Empress, wins the imperial contest, and revives the Light Race’s status. Although public rumor claims she sought revenge on Li Ming and was defeated, the truth is that she came to seek his guidance. Unable to rely on a Sacred Spirit transformation, she asks Li Ming to send her to the Strange World, where she can pursue longevity and cultivation.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ming increasingly views Dark Supremes as a danger to the world and seeks alternatives to their destructive pursuit of survival. He remains both a researcher—studying reincarnation and the Ruins’ Daughter—and a guide willing to help others find a way forward.
• Yuan Gu is grateful, respectful, and open to Li Ming’s counsel. His transformation into a Sacred Spirit Stone Embryo validates the path Li Ming taught him.
• The Ruins’ Daughter shows the first signs of renewed vitality, though whether her awakening will restore her identity remains uncertain.
• The Light Empress abandons any apparent vendetta and approaches Li Ming with trust and admiration. The chapter’s final flashback reveals that her formal request for “scriptures” was a brazen, flirtatious attempt to throw herself into his arms—much to Li Ming’s alarm, given that she is the daughter of an enemy he killed.
• The Light Race returns to its ancestral star and embraces coexistence, reflecting the Light Empress’s changed outlook.

Significant themes

• Finding alternatives to death: The Red Dust Immortal path is exceptionally difficult, so the Strange World offers another possible refuge for aging Emperors and Dark Supremes.
• Guidance over conflict: Li Ming’s influence comes not only from power but from offering knowledge and solutions to former or potential enemies.
• Life, death, and identity: The Ruins’ Daughter’s awakening raises the question of whether a revived being remains the person she once was.
• Reputation versus reality: Public accounts portray the Light Empress as seeking revenge, while the truth is that she sought instruction—and behaved far more personally than anyone would expect.

Plot points and events

• More than ten thousand years after the Light Empress’s departure, the Human Emperor Seal awakens in the Cosmic Frontier Wasteland. It has become an Immortal Weapon, and its aura suggests the long-dead Lunar Saint Emperor may still be connected to it.
• The Demon Venerable, Li Ming, arrives with three Immortal Weapons from the Undying Mountain. He reveals that he intends to free the Lunar Saint Emperor from the seal and revive him.
• At Li Ming’s urging, the Saint Emperor attacks from within while Li Ming shatters the seal. Li Ming’s Immortal Weapon gathers the fragments, and the Lunar Saint Emperor emerges reborn as an infant, healed and retaining his memories.
• Li Ming tells him that the Solar Saint Emperor may also be revived, and explains that the Lunar Saint Emperor’s return has taught him much. The Lunar Saint Emperor then resumes cultivation and sets out on the Ancient Starry Sky Road to attain Emperor Enlightenment anew.
• Later, a prodigy from Ziwei Star survives a Dao-Proving Tribulation and becomes a New Emperor. He is revealed to be the Lunar Saint Emperor, reborn with a Solar Divine Body. He has attained Emperor Enlightenment without merging with or shattering the Heavenly Heart Imprint.
• Rather than receive the universe’s homage, the Lunar Saint Emperor immediately visits Li Ming at the Undying Mountain to thank him. Li Ming praises his achievement and recommends the Sacred Spirit Transformation Method for his next transformation.

Character developments and interactions

• Lunar Saint Emperor: Returns from death through Li Ming’s intervention, starts life again as an infant, and rapidly cultivates back to Emperor status in a Solar Divine Body. He retains his memories, gratitude, and sense of duty.
• Li Ming, the Demon Venerable: Demonstrates extraordinary power and knowledge by reviving the Saint Emperor. He treats the act as a small effort, values what he learned from the process, and continues guiding the revived ruler.
• The Dark Supremes: Their initial astonishment turns to speculation about the Saint Emperor’s survival and the Demon Venerable’s role. The Demon Venerable’s arrival and the Immortal Weapons’ power leave them wary and awed.

Significant themes

• Rebirth and transformation: Even apparent death and the destruction of one’s body need not be final; the Saint Emperor returns in a new form and reaches his former heights again.
• Gratitude and loyalty: The Saint Emperor prioritizes thanking Li Ming over accepting public praise, honoring a debt he believes cannot be repaid.
• Legacy and continuity: Ziwei Star’s history and the Saint Emperors’ Dao imprints shape the rise of another Human Race powerhouse.
• The Human Race’s growing strength: Its repeated emergence of exceptional leaders amazes rival races, while the Saint Emperor’s second rise further deepens that legacy.

Chapter Summary

• The Lunar Saint Emperor seeks another life: Li Ming takes the resurrected Lunar Saint Emperor to the Undying Mountain, where he shows him the Boundless Heavenly Venerable’s slowly awakening Sacred Spirit Stone Embryo. Li Ming explains that transformation can take millions of years, though a faster method carries greater risks. After studying the method and the Boundless Heavenly Venerable’s example, the Lunar Saint Emperor believes he has a strong chance of succeeding.
• A life devoted to others: The Lunar Saint Emperor returns to Ziwei Star and reigns again. He borrows the Fusang and Moon Laurel divine trees to study their Solar and Lunar powers, then travels the world disguised as an ordinary person. He aids suffering humans and other beings, restores dying worlds, teaches scriptures, and shares powerful techniques. His compassion earns him enormous Faith Power, which he never uses for himself.
• The battle against his Divine Thought: Near the end of his long life, the Lunar Saint Emperor is attacked by a powerful, malicious embodiment of his severed evil thoughts and desires. The Divine Thought wants to devour him and take his place, using the Faith Power generated by the Emperor’s worshippers to claim immortality. Though old and nearly depleted, the Lunar Saint Emperor refuses to let the scourge survive. He draws on the Faith Power he had returned to the world and destroys his enemy. The victory briefly rejuvenates him, but he withdraws from public life afterward.
• The Lunar Saint Emperor’s transformation: He enters the Undying Mountain and, after more than three thousand years, becomes a Sacred Spirit Stone Embryo. The world mourns his apparent death, then learns that he is sleeping and may awaken after a million years.
• A new Golden Age and Emperor: Once the Lunar Saint Emperor’s Grand Dao traces disappear, the world’s vitality rebounds. Many prodigies and Quasi-Emperors emerge, but none achieves Emperor Enlightenment for a long time. At last, a Black Tortoise survives the Dao-Proving Tribulation and becomes the Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor.
• Li Ming’s view of the new Emperor: Li Ming recalls that the Black Tortoise is unusually gentle for a ruler of a Forbidden Zone. In the original history, he avoided Dark Turmoil and refused to devour living beings even when doing so might have saved his life. Li Ming believes he can help him. The Black Tortoise’s peaceful rule begins a period of harmony across the cosmos, and his race joins the Primordial Imperial Clans.

Character Developments and Themes

The Lunar Saint Emperor’s defining compassion remains unchanged after resurrection: he protects life even when doing so costs him dearly. His victory over his own corrupted impulses reinforces the chapter’s emphasis on self-mastery, moral responsibility, and service to others. Faith is presented not as a resource to exploit, but as kindness returned by those he helped.
The Black Tortoise offers a contrasting image of power: even among ancient rulers tempted to prolong their lives through mass slaughter, he chooses restraint and sleep. His story highlights conscience, peaceful coexistence, and the possibility of goodness within a violent world.

Key Character Interactions

Li Ming mentors the Lunar Saint Emperor, sharing knowledge and introducing him to the Boundless Heavenly Venerable’s transformation. The Lunar Saint Emperor, in turn, faces his own Divine Thought—a hostile reflection of the desires he had rejected. Later, Li Ming observes the Black Tortoise’s rise and recognizes a kindred commitment to protecting living beings.

Chapter Summary: “Ascend on an Auspicious Day”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor, despite having attained Emperor Enlightenment and lived through a Second Lifetime, cannot understand the Saint Spirit Transformation Method well enough to begin a Third Lifetime.
• With only a few thousand years left to live, he becomes increasingly anxious. He compares himself with the Demon Venerable, who has repeatedly transformed through the Red Dust Immortal Path and allegedly become a True Immortal.
• Abandoning his former pride, the Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor travels to Undying Mountain to seek the Demon Venerable’s guidance.
• His arrival shocks the cultivation world, since Undying Mountain is considered an extremely dangerous forbidden land and the Demon Venerable is feared as an invincible existence.
• Inside Undying Mountain, the Ancient Emperor witnesses the Demon Venerable’s Immortal Weapon, the Heaven-Burying Coffin, and is overwhelmed by the Demon Venerable’s power. He also becomes terrified by the nearby Myriad Souls Banner, which contains the remnants of more than a hundred Dark Supremes.
• The Demon Venerable explains that Red Dust Immortal Ascension requires nine transformations and repeated rebirths. However, the Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor admits that he cannot follow this method and asks whether he should instead cripple himself and enter a Forbidden Zone.
• The Myriad Souls Banner’s Weapon Deity ominously offers to let him enter the banner, claiming it can provide longevity, but the Ancient Emperor is horrified rather than reassured.
• The Demon Venerable reveals an alternative: a vast “Strange World” between the current universe and the Immortal Domain. It contains limited Longevity Substance, greater resources, and a better environment for Ancient Emperor Supremes to transform.
• Using the completed Chaos Grand Formation of Beidou Star, combined with formations and weapons from Ziwei Star, Ancient Emperor Supremes can forcibly open a passage to this Strange World.
• The Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor agrees to become the first to ascend through the formation, establishing a path for later Ancient Emperor Supremes who fail to pursue the Red Dust Immortal Path.
• The Demon Venerable encourages him, claiming that he has the potential to become an Immortal King and urging him to continue researching transformation in the Strange World.

Character Developments

• Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor: His pride and ambition collapse in the face of the Demon Venerable’s overwhelming strength and his own inability to achieve a Third Lifetime. He shifts from wanting to surpass the Demon Venerable, to merely matching him, and finally to humbly seeking help. He pragmatically accepts ascension to the Strange World rather than choosing self-slashing and becoming a Dark Supreme.
• Demon Venerable/Li Ming: He is portrayed as calm, immensely powerful, and far-sighted. Rather than simply instructing the Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor to follow an impossible path, he offers a practical alternative and creates a method that may benefit future Ancient Emperor Supremes.
• Myriad Souls Banner: Its Weapon Deity displays a sinister personality, speaking with the fused voices of countless dead Dark Supremes. Its terrifying presence emphasizes both the Demon Venerable’s power and the dangers of the path chosen by the Forbidden Zone Supremes.

Significant Themes

• Humility before true power: The Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor’s confidence is destroyed when he encounters the Demon Venerable’s incomprehensible strength.
• The difficulty of immortality: Even supreme cultivators may be unable to reproduce the achievements of legendary figures. Knowledge of the Red Dust Immortal Path does not guarantee the ability to walk it.
• Pragmatism versus pride: Instead of clinging to an unattainable ideal or becoming a Dark Supreme, the Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor chooses a realistic path toward longevity.
• Alternative routes to transcendence: The Strange World offers a middle ground between mortal cultivation and the extremely restrictive Road to Immortality.
• The Demon Venerable’s influence: His actions reshape the future of cultivation by providing Ancient Emperor Supremes with a new destination and a possible route to immortality.

Character Interactions

• The Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor approaches the Demon Venerable with extreme caution and formally requests guidance.
• The Demon Venerable explains the principles of the Nine-Life Transformation and reveals the existence of the Strange World.
• The Myriad Souls Banner’s Weapon Deity interrupts with a disturbing offer of “longevity,” frightening the Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor.
• After the Demon Venerable presents the Strange World as a superior alternative, the Ancient Emperor accepts the role of pioneer.
• The Demon Venerable ends the meeting by encouraging and praising him, reinforcing both their unequal status and the possibility that the Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor may eventually achieve greater cultivation.

Blood and Sin

Key plot points and events

• Li Ming proposes a second way for aging Ancient Emperor Supremes to survive: use a Formation to open a passage into the Strange World. He expects this to spare the world’s resources, since the Ascension Formation will draw in Chaos Essence and Longevity Substance from beyond the world.
• The Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor agrees to be the first to attempt the passage. After more than a thousand years of preparation, he entrusts his divine medicine to Li Ming and receives several rare Immortal Medicine fruits in return.
• Beidou Star’s five continents and the Formations on Ziwei Star combine their power to tear open the passage. The Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor enters the Strange World, and the energy drawn through the opening more than offsets what he takes with him.
• About a century later, his Grand Dao Imprint disappears from the Heavenly Heart Imprint. His departure creates an opening for others to pursue Emperor Enlightenment, and the Ancient Starry Sky Road reopens.
• A brutal monster then appears on the Road, killing countless challengers and fighting its way to the final pass. Identified as a creation of the long-dead Longevity Heavenly Venerable, it was forged from the Blood Souls of tens of millions as part of experiments involving longevity and the Chaotic Body.
• The monster attacks the Immortal Golden Body and the Tyrant Bloodline, two powerful Quasi-Emperors, and seeks their Origin Essence Blood to strengthen itself. Though the pair fight back, the monster overwhelms them. Li Ming senses the chaos and destruction surrounding it.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ming demonstrates foresight and pragmatism: he designs the ascension method to protect the world, lets the Formation prove itself rather than opening the passage by force, and rewards the Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor’s cooperation. He also promises to protect the Emperor’s descendants.
• The Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor shifts from concern about the world’s dwindling resources to trust in Li Ming’s plan. He prepares carefully, hands over his divine medicine, and becomes the first Ancient Emperor Supreme to ascend into the Strange World.
• The Immortal Golden Body and Tyrant Bloodline are presented as formidable rivals and potential sovereigns, but their clash with the monster exposes the threat’s exceptional power.
• The Longevity Heavenly Venerable, though long dead, is revealed through his creation as an ambitious and horrifying experimenter. The monster’s existence links his research to mass slaughter.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and stewardship: The Black Tortoise Ancient Emperor’s departure may benefit the wider world, while Li Ming’s Formation turns a personal escape into a resource for everyone.
• The cost of immortality: The Strange World offers Longevity Substance, but the monster’s creation shows the monstrous price that research into longevity can exact.
• A changing era and renewed opportunity: The Emperor’s departure frees the Grand Dao and allows new contenders to seek enlightenment.
• Order versus aberration: The monster’s disordered laws, blood-soaked existence, and constant rejection by heavenly punishment make it a stark violation of the world’s natural order.

Chapter Summary: The Birth of a New Corpse Emperor

Key Plot Points and Events

• Blood Soul, a terrifying monster created through the fusion of the blood of countless living beings, battles the wounded Quasi-Emperors of the Immortal Golden Body and Tyrant Bloodline.
• Using his cursed Blood Sin Path and overwhelming physical power, Blood Soul defeats and completely devours both opponents, shocking the assembled Quasi-Emperors.
• A Divine War breaks out among the remaining Quasi-Emperors competing for Emperor Enlightenment. Blood Soul kills them all and absorbs their Origin Essence Blood.
• Blood Soul triggers a Dao-Proving Tribulation but receives no recognition from Heaven or the Heavenly Heart Imprint. Instead, he faces an unprecedented catastrophe and becomes a mindless, bloodthirsty Chaos monster.
• The monster massacres entire life-bearing planets until Demon Venerable emerges from Undying Mountain and destroys it with a single palm strike.
• Li Ming concludes that Blood Soul may have been created by Dark Supremes attempting to artificially reproduce a Chaotic Body by merging the True Blood of all living beings. He bans this dangerous practice but supports the more legitimate path of cultivating both Lunar and Solar Scriptures to evolve toward Chaos.
• Ten thousand years later, a new flourishing age begins. A mysterious young woman triggers a Dao-Proving Tribulation and successfully attains Emperor Enlightenment.
• She is revealed to be Ruins’ Daughter, whose corpse Demon Venerable preserved and helped awaken through Corpse Spirit Awakening. Because of her special status, she becomes known as the Empress of the Ruins rather than the Corpse Emperor.
• The Empress of the Ruins avoids ruling or establishing an inheritance, but frequently visits Undying Mountain to discuss the Dao with Li Ming.
• Li Ming discovers that she possesses two Reincarnation Seals and an immense amount of death qi. He suggests several possible paths for her future: converting death qi into vitality, using Sacred Spirit Transformation, pursuing reincarnation, or entering the Strange World.
• Ruins’ Daughter instead plans to use Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold and the Undying Heavenly Emperor’s Phoenix Divine Blood to attempt a Phoenix Rebirth and live a new Lifetime.
• After leaving Li Ming, she returns to the Underworld, where she becomes its de facto fourth Imperial Sovereign. At fifteen thousand years old, she enters the twilight of her life and begins preparing for her rebirth.

Character Developments

• Blood Soul: Demonstrates power surpassing two legendary uncrowned emperors, but his artificial Chaos constitution proves unstable. After becoming a rampaging monster, he is ultimately destroyed by Demon Venerable.
• Li Ming/Demon Venerable: Acts as both protector and researcher. He studies artificial Chaos, Corpse Spirit Awakening, Reincarnation Seals, and longevity methods while maintaining his commitment to his own flawless Chaotic Body.
• Ruins’ Daughter/Empress of the Ruins: Returns from death as a corpse spirit, achieves Emperor Enlightenment, and develops an independent will and pride. Though grateful to Li Ming, she has complicated feelings toward him and seeks to transcend the influence of her Reincarnation Seals.
• Netherworld Venerable: Remains a feared but absent figure whose Reincarnation Seal research deeply alarms Ruins’ Daughter.
• The Dark Supremes: Their possible involvement in creating Blood Soul reveals their continued attempts to manipulate and reproduce the Chaotic Body.

Significant Themes

• Artificial versus natural evolution: The chapter contrasts Blood Soul’s forced fusion of myriad bloodlines with Li Ming’s naturally perfected Chaotic Body.
• The dangers of defying Heaven: Blood Soul reaches the Imperial Dao but is denied Heavenly recognition, showing the instability and consequences of unnatural cultivation.
• Death, rebirth, and identity: Ruins’ Daughter’s Corpse Spirit Awakening raises questions about whether a resurrected corpse is truly the same person as the original individual.
• Longevity and transcendence: Several paths are explored, including Reincarnation Seals, Phoenix Rebirth, Sacred Spirit Transformation, and the Strange World.
• Power and restraint: Li Ming possesses immense strength but uses it selectively—destroying the Chaos monster, banning dangerous experiments, and guiding rather than controlling Ruins’ Daughter.
• Attachment and complicated relationships: Ruins’ Daughter’s feelings toward Li Ming blend gratitude, reverence, dependence, and possible romantic attachment.

Important Character Interactions

• Blood Soul vs. Immortal Golden Body and Tyrant Bloodline: Blood Soul overwhelms and devours both, establishing his dominance.
• Demon Venerable vs. Blood Soul: Li Ming intervenes only after Blood Soul becomes a threat to countless living beings, killing him effortlessly.
• Li Ming and Ruins’ Daughter: Their Dao discussions reveal mutual respect and a complicated bond. Li Ming treats her as both a student and a unique research subject, while she views him as a protector, teacher, and possibly something more.
• Ruins’ Daughter and Netherworld Venerable: Though he is absent, his legacy terrifies her because of his ability to control and transform beings through Reincarnation Seals.
• Ruins’ Daughter and the Underworld: After attaining enlightenment, she returns to the Underworld and assumes the position of its fourth Imperial Sovereign, standing alongside its existing rulers.

Chapter Summary: “Dragon Maiden”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ming gives Ruins’ Daughter a drop of extremely pure Phoenix Origin Essence Blood, along with Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold, to help her attempt Nirvana and live a new Lifetime.
• After tens of thousands of years of preparation in the Underworld, Ruins’ Daughter begins her final transformation. Her body is burned down to black ash, while mysterious flames continue refining her for five thousand years.
• Life eventually emerges from the ashes. She first takes the form of a crimson Phoenix, whose phantom travels across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, before transforming back into Ruins’ Daughter. Her deathly energy disappears, and she successfully gains a new Lifetime.
• Ruins’ Daughter embraces Li Ming in gratitude, embarrassing the three Underworld Emperors, who leave the Underworld to avoid witnessing the couple’s intimacy.
• Twenty thousand years later, Ruins’ Daughter’s new Lifetime begins to decay. Her attempt to transform into a Sacred Spirit Stone Embryo fails, forcing her to enter the Strange World in search of another chance at survival. Her era as Empress of the Ruins comes to an end.
• More than ten thousand years afterward, a new golden age begins and the struggle for Emperor Enlightenment resumes.
• Human Demon Dongfang Taiyi rises to prominence by cultivating both Lunar and Solar techniques and devouring powerful beings from the Primordial Savage and Imperial Clans. His brutal actions make him the enemy of the entire universe.
• After Dongfang Taiyi consumes a clansman of the Myriad Dragon Nest, Dragon Maiden enters the world to avenge her people. She and the Human Demon engage in a devastating battle. Dragon Maiden wins, but Dongfang Taiyi survives and disappears.
• Dragon Maiden later undergoes an extraordinarily powerful Enlightenment Tribulation. She breaks free from the influence of the Myriad Dragon Emperor’s Grand Dao and the shackles of her bloodline, becoming the New Dragon Emperor, also known as the Myriad Dragon Empress.
• After attaining Emperor Enlightenment, Dragon Maiden visits the supposed tomb of Dongfang Taiyi. Li Ming appears before her, revealing that he was the mysterious senior who once saved and guided her.
• Dragon Maiden recognizes Li Ming as the legendary Demon Venerable and realizes that his guidance enabled her to forge an independent cultivation path.

Character Developments

• Ruins’ Daughter: Successfully completes the extremely dangerous Phoenix Nirvana, overcoming death and beginning a new Lifetime. She gains renewed vitality and a deeper understanding of the principle of “seeking life within death.”
• Li Ming/Demon Venerable: Continues acting as a guide and protector from the shadows. He assists Ruins’ Daughter’s transformation and indirectly changes Dragon Maiden’s fate by teaching her how to overcome her inherited bloodline limitations.
• Dongfang Taiyi/Human Demon: Becomes a terrifying Quasi-Emperor through relentless devouring and cultivation of Yin-Yang powers. His strength grows with every battle, but his cruelty isolates him from all other factions.
• Dragon Maiden/Myriad Dragon Empress: Evolves from a powerful but bloodline-bound successor of the Myriad Dragon Emperor into an independent New Emperor. She overcomes her inherited restrictions and establishes her own invincible path.
• The Three Underworld Emperors: Provide humorous commentary on Ruins’ Daughter’s embrace of Li Ming and retreat to avoid the awkward scene.

Significant Themes

• Rebirth through destruction: Ruins’ Daughter’s Nirvana illustrates that true transformation requires complete destruction before new life can emerge.
• The danger of immortality and renewal: Even after successfully gaining a new Lifetime, Ruins’ Daughter eventually faces decline again, showing that rebirth postpones death rather than eliminating it.
• Breaking free from inheritance: Dragon Maiden’s success depends on escaping the limitations imposed by her father’s bloodline and Grand Dao.
• The cost of power: Dongfang Taiyi’s strength comes from devouring others, but his brutality turns the entire universe against him.
• Hidden guidance and altered destiny: Li Ming’s interventions quietly change the fates of important figures, allowing Dragon Maiden to avoid the tragic path she might otherwise have followed.
• Cycles of eras: The end of Ruins’ Daughter’s age leads to a new golden age and a fresh contest for Emperor Enlightenment.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Ming and Ruins’ Daughter: Li Ming provides the resources and support for her Nirvana. After succeeding, Ruins’ Daughter embraces him in gratitude and affection.
• Ruins’ Daughter and the Underworld Emperors: Her intimate reunion with Li Ming causes Yama Emperor, Prison-Suppressing Emperor, and Underworld Emperor to flee in embarrassment.
• Dongfang Taiyi and Dragon Maiden: Their conflict begins as revenge for the Myriad Dragon Nest but becomes one of the greatest battles of the era. Dongfang Taiyi nearly eats Dragon Maiden, while she ultimately defeats him.
• Li Ming and Dragon Maiden: Li Ming previously rescued Dragon Maiden from Dongfang Taiyi and taught her how to sever her bloodline shackles. After her ascension, she finally realizes that her mysterious benefactor was the Demon Venerable.
• Li Ming and Dongfang Taiyi: Li Ming observes Dongfang Taiyi’s rise with surprise, recognizing him as an unusual genius capable of combining Lunar and Solar cultivation.

Chapter Summary: “Determined to Succeed”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dragon Maiden reunites with Li Ming, now revealed to be the legendary Demon Venerable. She respectfully thanks him for saving her life in the past and credits him with enabling her to become the Dragon Race’s new empress.
• After attaining Emperor Enlightenment, Dragon Maiden abandoned her former goal of revenge against Human Demon Dongfang Taiyi. Inspired by Li Ming’s immortality, she now focuses entirely on pursuing the Red Dust Immortal Path.
• Li Ming explains that her path as a True Dragon is fundamentally restricted by the laws of the mortal world. The world cannot produce genuine True Dragons like those of the Immortal Domain; even Myriad Dragon Emperor and Dragon Maiden are only “False True Dragons.”
• Dragon Maiden considers severing her dragon origin and cultivating as a human-like Dao Body, but Li Ming warns her not to attempt this recklessly. He advises her to continue transforming within the mortal world and pursue Red Dust Immortality.
• Li Ming clarifies that the shattered Immortal Domain still contains immense opportunities, including the possibility of evolving into a genuine True Dragon, but he himself intends to remain in the mortal world and complete his Nine-Lifetime Red Dust Immortal transformation.
• He invites Dragon Maiden to Undying Mountain and shows her his genuine Myriad Dragon Nest, which contains extraordinary dragon energy, the legendary True Dragon Elixir, countless dragon-shaped formations, and an ancient nest built from Dragon Wood.
• Dragon Maiden is overwhelmed by the nest’s power and realizes that a True Dragon comparable to a True Immortal may once have inhabited it. She becomes desperate to obtain it and attempts to seize it with her Extreme Dao Divine Might, but Li Ming effortlessly prevents her.
• Dragon Maiden then uses an innate Dragon Race ability that influences emotions, attempting to seduce or emotionally sway Li Ming into giving her the nest. Li Ming recognizes the technique, resists its effects, and realizes that she is deliberately exploiting her appearance and charm to negotiate for the treasure.

Character Developments

• Dragon Maiden: She has matured from a relatively passive figure into a determined and ambitious Emperor-level powerhouse. Her desire for revenge has been replaced by an obsessive pursuit of greater strength, transformation, and immortality. However, her composure collapses when she sees the True Dragon Nest, revealing both her deep attachment to her Dragon Race heritage and her willingness to use unconventional methods to obtain the opportunity.
• Li Ming/Demon Venerable: Li Ming is portrayed as vastly superior to Dragon Maiden, treating her former accomplishments as insignificant compared with his own strength. Nevertheless, he respects her talent and offers sincere guidance. His stable mentality and firm commitment to the Red Dust Immortal Path contrast with Dragon Maiden’s intense impatience.
• Myriad Dragon Emperor: Though absent, he remains an important influence. His decision to seal Dragon Maiden and his pursuit of immortality are questioned by her, highlighting the emotional and ideological distance between father and daughter.
• Other immortal and quasi-immortal figures: References to Xue Yueqing, Li Fan, the Six-Eared Macaque, and the Dark Supremes establish the broader competition surrounding immortality and the different paths available.

Significant Themes

• Determination and ambition: Dragon Maiden’s entire identity has shifted toward the goal of becoming immortal, even though the path is extraordinarily difficult.
• Limits imposed by the world: The mortal world’s laws prevent the Dragon Race from becoming genuine True Dragons, forcing Dragon Maiden to consider transformation and adaptation.
• Persistence versus recklessness: Li Ming advocates steady cultivation and warns against rashly severing Dragon Maiden’s origin, while Dragon Maiden repeatedly seeks shortcuts or extraordinary opportunities.
• Legacy and identity: Dragon Maiden struggles with whether to preserve her dragon nature or abandon it in order to advance. The True Dragon Nest intensifies her attachment to her lineage.
• Power and desire: The chapter contrasts Li Ming’s calm control with Dragon Maiden’s increasingly overwhelming desire for the nest. Her emotional influence technique introduces the idea of desire as a weapon.
• Changed destinies: Li Ming’s interventions have altered the fates of Dragon Maiden and Xue Yueqing, demonstrating how his presence reshapes the world compared with the original timeline.

Character Interactions

• Dragon Maiden expresses profound gratitude and reverence toward Li Ming, while he responds with calm authority and practical advice.
• They debate the viability of entering the Immortal Domain versus pursuing Red Dust Immortality in the mortal world.
• Li Ming acts as a mentor, warning Dragon Maiden about the dangers of destroying her own dragon origin and directing her toward gradual transformation.
• At the Myriad Dragon Nest, Dragon Maiden’s awe turns into possessiveness. After failing to take the nest by force, she attempts to persuade Li Ming through an innate emotional and seductive ability.
• Li Ming remains composed, sees through her strategy, and resists being controlled, though he openly observes and evaluates her attempt rather than immediately rejecting it.

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Dragon Maiden challenges Li Ming’s claim that he can resist the Dragon Race’s innate charm. Her use of the Human Desire Grand Dao affects him, and the two become physically and spiritually intimate.
• In return, Li Ming gives Dragon Maiden the Myriad Dragon Nest and the True Dragon Elixir.
• After many years, Dragon Maiden reaches the later stages of her Second Lifetime. Her Primordial Spirit begins to decay, and she still cannot find a way to undergo another transformation or achieve a Third Lifetime.
• She considers using the Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir as a final safeguard, but ultimately decides to enter the Strange World through the Ascension Passage.
• When the passage opens, an unexpected Immortal Domain Rift appears beside it. Many believe it may lead to the Immortal Domain, though Li Ming recognizes it as extremely dangerous and warns Dragon Maiden not to enter.
• Dragon Maiden follows Li Ming’s advice and enters the Strange World. The Immortal Domain Rift remains open, attracting numerous Dark Supremes.
• Eight Dark Supremes enter the Rift after undergoing Extreme Sublimation. They fight through the deadly path, but the Rift begins collapsing. Five die, while three barely escape, gravely injured.
• The surviving Supremes consider launching a Dark Turmoil to replenish their life force, but none dares to act first against Li Ming. They ultimately flee into the Strange World instead.
• The Immortal Domain Rift proves to be a genuine but nearly impossible path to immortality. Its appearance results in the deaths or exile of eight Dark Supremes, while no Dark Turmoil occurs.

2. Character Developments

• Li Ming/Demon Venerable: He reveals that although he is affected by Dragon Maiden’s charm, he remains emotionally composed and acts according to his desires rather than being controlled. His immense strength and authority continue to deter all Dark Supremes from attacking.
• Dragon Maiden: She begins confidently, intending to make Li Ming succumb to her charm, but later becomes a trusted figure who accepts his judgment. Facing the decline of her Second Lifetime, she shows maturity by abandoning the suspicious Immortal Domain Rift and entering the Strange World.
• The Dark Supremes: Their desperation and pride are exposed. They risk everything for the possibility of immortality, only to discover that even the correct timing and location cannot compensate for their declining vitality. The survivors remain too frightened of Li Ming to initiate a Dark Turmoil.

3. Significant Themes

• The inevitability of aging and death: Even Emperors and Supremes cannot escape the erosion of time. Dragon Maiden’s decline emphasizes that greatness does not guarantee immortality.
• The danger of false or incomplete hope: The Immortal Domain Rift is genuine, but it is not an easy road to transcendence. It offers a chance at immortality while concealing overwhelming danger.
• Wisdom versus greed: Dragon Maiden survives by trusting Li Ming and refusing to pursue the Rift, whereas the Dark Supremes allow desperation and ambition to override caution.
• The weight of power and authority: Li Ming’s continued existence suppresses the entire age. His presence prevents the surviving Supremes from unleashing a Dark Turmoil, making him the stabilizing force of the world.
• Regret and the pursuit of immortality: The Dark Supremes would rather risk destruction than die without testing their chance, demonstrating how the desire to transcend death can become self-destructive.

4. Character Interactions

• Dragon Maiden and Li Ming engage in a flirtatious contest over whether his will can withstand her Dragon Race charm. Their confrontation becomes an intimate encounter, deepening their personal connection.
• Dragon Maiden repeatedly consults Li Ming about Dao transformation and the possibility of extending her life, treating him as both a powerful ally and a source of guidance.
• Li Ming directly warns her that the Immortal Domain Rift is false or fatally dangerous. She trusts him and enters the Strange World instead.
• The Dark Supremes collectively challenge the Immortal Domain Rift, but their cooperation is undermined by fear, exhaustion, and individual desperation.
• After surviving, the three remaining Supremes contemplate attacking the mortal world. However, each waits for the others to test Li Ming’s response, exposing their cowardice. They finally retreat to the Strange World, while Li Ming and the inhabitants of the universe mock their failed rebellion.

Chapter Summary: “Green Lotus”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter explains the origins of the Dark Turmoils. Ancient Emperor Supremes sealed themselves in the Immortal Source after the Immortal Road was severed, but their lifespans and damaged Immortal Platforms continued to deteriorate. To survive, they periodically devoured vast numbers of living beings.
• The Demon Venerable prevented such disasters for countless ages by suppressing or killing Dark Supremes. His overwhelming power forced many Forbidden Zone Supremes to flee or remain hidden.
• When the Immortal Domain Rift unexpectedly opened, eight Dark Supremes emerged, but five were killed almost immediately. The Myriad Souls Banner absorbed their bones and Origin Essence Blood, ending what should have become a massive Dark Turmoil.
• The people of the world worship the Demon Venerable, and immense Faith Power gathers around Undying Mountain.
• The Dragon Maiden Emperor leaves the world, causing her Grand Dao Suppression and Heaven’s Heart Imprint to dissipate. After ten thousand years, a new golden age begins, and many new talents compete for Emperor Enlightenment.
• A mysterious woman undergoes an extraordinary Enlightenment Tribulation in the Chaos Sea. She summons countless azure lotuses that absorb the lightning and uses the Lotus Dao to merge with the Heaven’s Heart Imprint.
• She is revealed to be Li Si’er, the Demon Venerable’s daughter and Li Fan’s younger sister. She becomes the Azure Lotus Emperor, also called the Azure Death Emperor, and begins ruling the world with the principle of coexistence and prosperity among all races.
• After attaining Emperor Enlightenment, Li Si’er visits her father at Undying Mountain. Their reunion leads to a discussion about immortality, longevity, and her own ambitious cultivation theory.

Character Developments

• The Demon Venerable/Li Ming is shown to have reached an astonishing level of power, having become a True Immortal and completed seven lifetimes on the Red Dust Immortal Path. Even newly enlightened Emperors feel an enormous gap between themselves and him.
• Li Si’er breaks free from her father’s bloodline shackles and proves herself extraordinarily talented. Her physique and bloodline are comparable to a Chaotic Body, and her strength greatly exceeds that of ordinary Ancient Emperor Supremes.
• Despite her imperial status, Li Si’er remains affectionate and childlike around her father, eagerly embracing him and recounting her adventures.
• Li Ming acts as both a proud father and a cautious mentor. He encourages Li Si’er’s creativity but warns her against dangerous shortcuts, especially becoming a Dark Supreme.

Significant Themes

• The cost of immortality: The Dark Supremes’ atrocities reveal how the pursuit of longevity can corrupt and endanger the entire world.
• The dominance of the Demon Venerable: Even as Emperors rise and fall, Li Ming remains the constant supreme existence overshadowing every era.
• Inheritance and surpassing limits: Li Si’er inherits extraordinary potential from her family but also breaks free from inherited bloodline restrictions to establish her own path.
• The search for alternative paths to immortality: The chapter contrasts Li Ming’s Red Dust Immortal Path with the Strange World and the Immortal Realm, emphasizing that different cultivators may require different routes.
• Ambition versus recklessness: Li Si’er proposes creating a Sixth Secret Realm through a War Immortal Method to leap directly toward Immortal Kinghood. Her boldness is admirable, but Li Ming recognizes that the idea may be dangerously unrealistic.

Important Character Interactions

• The central interaction is the emotional reunion between Li Ming and Li Si’er after many years apart. Li Ming praises her achievement, while Li Si’er seeks his approval and guidance.
• Li Ming explains his Nine-Life Transformation and current progress toward becoming a true Red Dust Immortal. Li Si’er is amazed that her father has succeeded in realizing the longevity theory he once taught her.
• Li Ming offers practical alternatives if she cannot continue transforming in the mortal world: entering the Strange World or pursuing the Immortal Realm.
• Li Si’er shares her theory of using a War Immortal Method to forcibly create a Sixth Secret Realm. Li Ming is shocked by the audacity of the proposal but chooses to encourage her exploration rather than immediately suppress it.

Key plot points and events

• Li Lian’er proposes a daring cultivation route: use a “War Immortal Method” to force open the Sixth Secret Realm and leap toward Immortal Kinghood, avoiding her father’s slow Nine-Life Transformation. Li Ming recognizes her idea has some merit but warns that attempting it before reaching the Red Dust Immortal level is unrealistic.
• Lian’er rejects his advice and leaves to establish herself on Kunlun Mountain. Li Ming lets her pursue her own path, trusting that failure—or even death—need not be final.
• In secret, Lian’er transforms into an azure lotus seed. Every ten thousand years it develops another golden line, suggesting a powerful transformation method rooted in the Chaos Green Lotus. She casts off her Heavenly Heart Imprint early in her second lifetime; eventually her Grand Dao suppression ends, opening a new golden age, though no contender can attain Emperor Enlightenment for thousands of years.
• Li Ming discovers that a skeleton he once unearthed in the Netherworld Soil is awakening. A Reincarnation Seal converts its death energy into life energy, bringing it back to life. Li Ming watches closely, using the process to deepen his understanding of reincarnation and the boundary between life and death.
• The newly awakened Skeleton Emperor later attains Emperor Enlightenment. He visits Li Ming first, thanks him, and explains that he has no memories of any former existence: he considers himself wholly new.
• Unable to extend his life through an Immortal Medicine or transformation method, the Skeleton Emperor decides to enter the Strange World in hopes of finding Longevity Substance and pursuing the Red Dust Immortal path. After years of discussion and cultivation with Li Ming, he opens an Ascension Passage and departs.
• Soon afterward, Li Ming senses an aura of Dao Dissolution. He realizes it is not the Skeleton Emperor’s imprint collapsing, but his daughter’s—ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Lian’er is ambitious, inventive, and fiercely stubborn. She wants to surpass her father and refuses to follow his safer recommendation, but her hidden lotus-seed transformation suggests she has a more substantial plan than she revealed.
• Li Ming balances concern with respect for his daughter’s independence. He teaches her the Red Dust Immortal theory, then refrains from forcing her to change course. His experiments with the skeleton show his patient, analytical interest in cultivation and life-and-death mysteries.
• The Skeleton Emperor develops a firm independent identity, rejecting the idea that he is a reincarnation of someone else. He is respectful and grateful toward Li Ming, yet makes his own choice to seek a longer life in another world. Their relationship is that of mentor and indebted student, marked by mutual discussion rather than control.

Significant themes

• Choosing one’s own path: Both Lian’er and the Skeleton Emperor pursue difficult routes despite the risks.
• Ambition versus preparation: Lian’er’s breakthrough may be possible only after building a sufficiently deep foundation.
• Death, rebirth, and identity: The skeleton’s awakening transforms death into life, while the Emperor regards himself as a new being rather than a continuation of the past.
• Experimentation and discovery: Li Ming treats extraordinary events as opportunities to test theories and expand his understanding.
• Uncertainty and sacrifice: Longevity and cultivation breakthroughs require dangerous choices, and the final omen suggests those choices may carry immediate consequences.