Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Azure Emperor Became Jing Emperor

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ming enters Kunlun’s Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains without needing to break or avoid its formations. He arrives at the Immortal Ascension Pool, where Snow Lotus Fairy is undergoing transformation and has achieved Emperor Enlightenment under the title Azure Emperor.
• Snow Lotus Fairy reveals that she swallowed the Chaos Green Lotus, absorbing its powerful origin and vitality. This allowed her to strengthen her own constitution and survive an extraordinary second lifetime.
• She explains that she swallowed the Chaos Green Lotus not merely to become an Emperor, but because she discovered she was pregnant with Li Ming’s children and feared her origin was too weak to support them.
• Snow Lotus Fairy gave birth to a son and daughter, while Xiao Yao also bore Li Ming a son. All three children were sealed inside the Bronze Immortal Hall at the Second Immortal Platform Realm so their bodies and bloodlines could continue improving in the Immortal Ascension Pool.
• Li Ming enters the Bronze Immortal Hall and confirms that the three sleeping children truly carry his bloodline. Their names are Li Hu, Li Fan, and Li Xiulian.
• The children’s descendants eventually established the Kunlun Immortal Race and the Tianshan Immortal Race, founding the Kunlun and Tianshan Sects. Their descendants possess powerful bloodlines, Extreme Dao Weapons, formations, and access to Chaos Divine Soil.
• Snow Lotus Fairy explains that her cultivation success came from both her own talent and her perfect compatibility with the Chaos Green Lotus’s origin. After becoming known as the Green Lotus Fairy, she defeated countless opponents on the Ancient Starry Sky Road before achieving Emperor Enlightenment.
• Unlike Xiao Yao, who transformed into a Sacred Spirit Stone Embryo to pursue a third lifetime, Snow Lotus Fairy discovered a unique Lotus Lineage method: repeatedly transforming into lotus seeds to undergo successive lifetimes.
• Snow Lotus Fairy and Xiao Yao both encountered a terrifying figure believed to be the Undying Heavenly Emperor, who attempted to seize their origins during their vulnerable final years. Li Ming’s Heavenly Demonic Saber intervened, wounding and driving him away.
• With his doubts resolved, Li Ming happily reunites with Snow Lotus Fairy and gives her further guidance on cultivation.

Character Developments

• Li Ming: Initially suspicious and confused by Snow Lotus Fairy’s altered aura and identity, he gradually learns the truth behind her transformation. His shock turns into delight when he discovers he has three children and learns that his descendants founded major immortal races. He also becomes more emotionally open, expressing gratitude to Snow Lotus Fairy and accepting her achievements with pride.
• Snow Lotus Fairy / Azure Emperor / Green Lotus Fairy: She is revealed to have grown from Li Ming’s former companion into a powerful Emperor. Her decision to consume the Chaos Green Lotus was motivated by maternal responsibility as much as ambition. She has developed an independent cultivation path and displays both pride in her accomplishments and deep affection for Li Ming and their children.
• Xiao Yao: Though absent from the main reunion, she is revealed to have achieved Emperor Enlightenment, borne Li Ming a son, and pursued her own method of extending her life through Sacred Spirit transformation.
• The three children: Though still sealed and asleep, they are portrayed as exceptionally gifted heirs whose enhanced constitutions and bloodlines may allow them to become Emperors in the future.
• The Heavenly Demonic Saber: It is revealed to have secretly fought the Undying Heavenly Emperor and protected Snow Lotus Fairy and Xiao Yao, earning Li Ming’s approval despite its silence about the event.

Significant Themes

• Family and lineage: The chapter shifts focus from individual cultivation to Li Ming’s family and descendants, revealing that his legacy continues through three children and two immortal races.
• Maternal sacrifice and responsibility: Snow Lotus Fairy’s consumption of the Chaos Green Lotus is framed not simply as selfish advancement, but as a sacrifice made to protect and strengthen her unborn children.
• Transformation and rebirth: Both Snow Lotus Fairy and Xiao Yao seek new lifetimes through different methods, emphasizing that immortality can be achieved through paths suited to one’s nature rather than a single prescribed technique.
• Identity and evolution: Snow Lotus Fairy’s identities—Tianshan Snow Lotus, Azure Emperor, and Green Lotus Fairy—reflect her continual transformation while preserving her original emotional bond with Li Ming.
• Legacy and ordinary happiness: Despite their immense power, Li Ming takes satisfaction in his children’s simple names and the warm, domestic feeling of family life. The chapter contrasts cosmic cultivation with ordinary familial affection.
• Threats surrounding immortality: The Undying Heavenly Emperor’s attempt to steal their origins demonstrates the dangers faced by powerful cultivators during moments of transformation and vulnerability.

Character Interactions

• Li Ming and Snow Lotus Fairy reunite with a mixture of suspicion, teasing, affection, and marital intimacy. Their argument over the Chaos Green Lotus becomes playful once Li Ming understands her motives.
• Snow Lotus Fairy proudly recounts her achievements, while Li Ming initially attributes too much of her success to the Chaos Green Lotus. She insists that her own talent and effort were decisive.
• Their emotional bond deepens when Snow Lotus Fairy reveals the existence of their children. Li Ming reacts with astonishment, then joy and gratitude.
• Li Ming verifies the children’s identities himself, then embraces Snow Lotus Fairy and thanks her for her sacrifices.
• The chapter ends with the couple peacefully discussing the Dao beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree, surrounded by divine medicines and immortal treasures, symbolizing their reconciliation, family happiness, and shared future.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ming reflects on Azure Emperor, Snow Lotus Fairy, and Xiao Yao’s future potential. Snow Lotus Fairy has followed the Primordial Spirit Dao and received the Nine Secrets: Qian, while Xiao Yao has become an Immortal Matriarch.
• Snow Lotus Fairy leads Li Ming beneath Kunlun Mountain to a sacred cave within the foremost Dragon Vein, where Xiao Yao is undergoing transformation.
• Xiao Yao has successfully become a Sacred Spirit Stone Embryo, absorbing the Dragon Vein’s essence. This transformation may take hundreds of thousands—or even over a million—years, but it should allow her to live another lifetime.
• The Desolate Pagoda appears and reveals that Snow Lotus Fairy obtained it and persuaded it to protect her. Inside, Li Ming meets its Weapon Deity, an immortal being resembling the Desolate Heavenly Emperor.
• The Desolate Pagoda’s Weapon Deity recognizes the aura of the Chaos Green Lotus in Snow Lotus Fairy and reveals that it guided her in comprehending the Lotus Race’s transformation method and pursuing the Red Dust Immortal Path.
• Li Ming offers to help the Weapon Deity undergo human Nirvana and cultivate independently, but it refuses, choosing to remain a weapon and await the Desolate Heavenly Emperor’s return.
• Snow Lotus Fairy has attempted to evolve an Immortal Domain inside the Desolate Pagoda, though Li Ming explains that the current world lacks sufficient origin and laws to support a true Immortal Domain.
• A century later, six terrifying Perfected Sacred Spirits emerge from Primordial Lake on Primordial Emperor Ancient Star. One is a demon sealed by Primordial Emperor for countless years.
• The Sacred Spirits massacre the planet’s inhabitants, destroy Primordial Lake, devour the planet’s life essence, and shatter Primordial Emperor Ancient Star.
• As they prepare to attack other Life Source Grounds, Li Ming intervenes. His Chaos-infused hand captures all six Sacred Spirits, extracts their Primordial Spirits, destroys their memories, and refashions their bodies into Primordial Emperor Ancient Star.
• Although the planet is restored, the countless dead cannot be resurrected, leaving Li Ming to recognize that it can only be repopulated through migration.

Character Developments

• Li Ming continues acting as a powerful protector and backer of those around him. He becomes more accepting of others’ choices, respecting the Desolate Pagoda Weapon Deity’s wish to remain a weapon despite the risks and opportunities of human cultivation.
• Snow Lotus Fairy grows closer to the Red Dust Immortal Path, combining the Chaos Green Lotus Origin with guidance from the Desolate Pagoda. Her transformation into a lotus seed remains slow and uncertain, emphasizing the difficulty of her cultivation path.
• Xiao Yao achieves a major breakthrough by successfully transforming into a Sacred Spirit Stone Embryo, giving her a genuine chance to live another lifetime.
• The Desolate Pagoda’s Weapon Deity is established as an intelligent, eloquent, and loyal immortal artifact spirit. Its allegiance remains centered on the Desolate Heavenly Emperor.
• The six Perfected Sacred Spirits are revealed as destructive, vengeful beings, particularly hostile toward Primordial Emperor and his descendants. Their power is ultimately insignificant before Li Ming.

Significant Themes

• The difficulty and cost of immortality: The Red Dust Immortal Path requires countless years, repeated transformations, and the risk of failure or regression.
• Individual choice and destiny: Characters pursue different paths—remaining a weapon, undergoing Nirvana, transforming into a stone embryo, or cultivating through repeated lifetimes—and Li Ming acknowledges that these choices cannot be forced.
• Legacy and loyalty: The Desolate Pagoda remains devoted to its absent master, while the Sacred Spirits’ hatred of Primordial Emperor shows how past conflicts continue to shape the present.
• Restoration cannot undo loss: Li Ming can reconstruct the destroyed planet but cannot revive its dead inhabitants, highlighting the limits of even supreme power.
• Power and responsibility: Li Ming’s overwhelming strength allows him to stop a cosmic disaster instantly, but he still cannot erase all consequences of the tragedy.

Character Interactions

• Snow Lotus Fairy guides Li Ming to Xiao Yao and later brings him into the Desolate Pagoda.
• Li Ming teasingly recalls his former desire to capture and study the Desolate Pagoda, while its Weapon Deity responds calmly and respectfully.
• The Weapon Deity mistakes Snow Lotus Fairy for a descendant or continuation of the Chaos Green Lotus due to her aura, and acknowledges her as Li Ming’s Dao companion.
• Snow Lotus Fairy credits the Weapon Deity with helping her understand the Lotus Race’s cultivation method, while the Weapon Deity courteously says it also benefited from her attempt to evolve an Immortal Domain.
• Li Ming and the Weapon Deity discuss whether it should abandon its weapon form; the Weapon Deity refuses, affirming its loyalty to the Desolate Heavenly Emperor.
• At the end, Li Ming confronts the six Sacred Spirits directly, destroys them, and restores the planet they annihilated.

Plot points and events

• Li Ming arrives at the Primordial Emperor Ancient Star after perfected Sacred Spirits have destroyed it, killing every living being. He kills the attackers, but cannot restore the dead.
• By tracing events through time, Li Ming discovers that the Primordial Emperor’s seals—designed to refine the Sacred Spirits into immortal liquid—were gradually weakened from within. Tens of thousands of years earlier, a mediocre descendant secretly opened a seal to steal Sacred Spirit blood and immortal liquid for cultivation. The resulting flaw allowed the imprisoned beings to erode the protective runes until they escaped.
• The Primordial Emperor’s tenth-generation descendant, an elderly ninth-heaven Quasi-Emperor, learns the truth and grieves for his lost lineage. Li Ming tells him to stop dwelling on blame and rebuild the planet by bringing back human descendants who migrated elsewhere.
• Concluding that sealed Sacred Spirits pose a recurring danger, Li Ming goes to the Ancient Starry Sky Road to destroy them. An imprint of Daode Tianzun recognizes him and withdraws without opposing him.
• Li Ming destroys the weakened Sacred Spirits in their sealed worlds and finds an ancient stone scripture: the Heaven-Mending Scripture, a cultivation method said to help Sacred Spirits reach perfection and even attain Supreme status. His actions reassure the people living on nearby planets, who recognize and praise him.

Character developments

• Li Ming is shaken by the scale of the tragedy but remains decisive. He investigates its cause, offers practical guidance to the surviving lineage, and acts to prevent similar disasters elsewhere.
• The tenth-generation descendant moves from seeking an explanation to confronting the shame and grief of his lineage’s failure. He accepts Li Ming’s counsel and responsibility for rebuilding.
• The long-dead descendant responsible for the breach is revealed as the original cause: his attempt to advance his cultivation undermined the seals, though the catastrophe unfolded long after his death.

Significant themes

• Negligence and unintended consequences: A selfish act by one descendant slowly turns a safeguard into a catastrophe.
• Legacy and responsibility: The Primordial Emperor’s protective plan ultimately contributes to both his lineage’s rise and its destruction.
• The limits of power and fate: Even great wisdom and strength cannot undo the deaths caused by accumulated mistakes.
• Dangerous ambition: Exploiting forbidden power for personal advancement can create consequences beyond one’s lifetime.
• Rebuilding after disaster: Li Ming urges the survivors to focus on restoring life rather than pursuing blame.

Character interactions

• Li Ming investigates the disaster at the Quasi-Emperor’s request, reveals the truth, and listens as the old man condemns his lineage’s failure.
• The Quasi-Emperor respectfully accepts Li Ming’s advice and pledges to follow it.
• Daode Tianzun’s imprint acknowledges Li Ming and yields its guarded seal, avoiding conflict.
• The people along the Ancient Starry Sky Road, frightened by the Sacred Spirits’ aura, are reassured by Li Ming’s presence and express gratitude for his protection and past benefactions.

Concise Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• On Great Moon Slope, Li Ming discovers that the Sacred Spirits’ stone tablets contain the complete Heavenly Mending Art, while the Stone Token holds only an incomplete version. The art lets prematurely born Sacred Spirits overcome their innate limits and cultivate to perfection.
• After studying the art, Li Ming condemns the imprisoned Sacred Spirits for their history of slaughtering other beings. He dissolves them into the Dao, enriching the planet’s cultivation environment, then destroys their hidden pocket world to prevent anyone from using them to brew Immortal Liquid.
• Back on Kunlun Mountain, Li Ming stays with the Lotus Fairy as she transforms into a Lotus Seed, hoping she will return in a future lifetime. He recites a mysterious blessing scripture, and strange lights flow into the seed.
• Li Ming improves the Heavenly Mending Art into his own Heaven-Mending Scripture, his fifth original scripture. He keeps it as a possible inheritance for a benevolent Sacred Spirit.
• A sudden premonition leads Li Ming to a distant descendant, Li Ling, in the region that will later become Tianzhu. Li Ming finds him beside an abandoned temple and learns that a Buddhist expert had been there.
• Using a secret art that reconstructs past events, Li Ming discovers that Dharma Master Ming King, a Quasi-Emperor, had tried to convert Li Ling without his awareness, using Buddhist visions and scripture to draw him into the sect. Li Ming exposes the attempt and prepares to confront the monk.

Character developments

• Li Ming deepens his understanding of Sacred Spirit origins and turns that knowledge into a new scripture. He remains protective of his family, acting swiftly when he senses a descendant in danger.
• The Lotus Fairy successfully becomes a Lotus Seed, beginning a long path toward a possible future lifetime.
• Li Ling, Li Ming’s nineteenth-generation descendant through Xiao Yao, is revealed to have promising talent and an unknown opportunity in his future. Though he possesses strong family inheritances, he is inexperienced and easily captivated by the Buddhist master’s teachings.
• Dharma Master Ming King initially appears kindly and wise, but is revealed to have secretly attempted to recruit Li Ling through coercive conversion.

Character interactions

• Li Ming rejects the Sacred Spirits’ claims of divine entitlement, arguing that their cruelty brought about their own destruction.
• Li Ming watches over the Lotus Fairy and gives her a blessing through Lingbao Tianzun’s mysterious scripture.
• When Li Ling recognizes Li Ming as his ancestor, Li Ming investigates his circumstances and uses his power to let him witness the truth about the monk.
• Li Ling recalls how the monk’s apparent friendliness and supernatural visions drew him into an entranced state, while Li Ming bluntly explains that he had been converted and incapacitated.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Exceptional birth or strength does not justify violence against others.
• Inheritance and continuity: Li Ming’s scriptures, descendants, and hopes for the Lotus Fairy all carry his influence into the future.
• Faith and manipulation: Religious authority can be used to guide—or secretly control—others.
• Fate, karma, and hidden causes: Li Ming’s premonition and ability to reconstruct the past reveal how unseen connections shape events.

• Plot: Li Ling, Li Ming’s nineteenth-generation descendant, is nearly converted by the Peacock Wisdom King, a Quasi-Emperor monk who exploits Li Ling’s innocence and aptitude for Buddhist practice. Li Ming uncovers the scheme through a vision of the past and recognizes the monk’s Vajra Demon-Subduing Pestle, a powerful but damaged artifact. When the monk tries to brand Li Ling with a Buddhist mark, eighteen Emperor Runes—nine from the Immortal Matriarch and nine from Li Ming—flare up and force him to retreat. Li Ming tracks him to Spirit Mountain, bringing Li Ling with him.
• At Spirit Mountain: Li Ming and Li Ling cross the Bitter Sea, a Buddhist trial that tests one’s heart; Li Ling crosses with ease, impressing Li Ming. The Peacock King admits his mistake and tries to persuade Li Ling to join the Buddhist Sect, claiming its teachings suit him and could help him become the sect’s first Buddha Emperor. Li Ling rejects the pitch, pointing out that his family already possesses the inheritance of Heavenly Venerables and Ancient Emperors.
• The Bodhi Tree: Li Ming reveals the Bodhi Tree, an Immortal Medicine long lost to the Buddhist Sect. Though diminished and its consciousness apparently damaged by the Heaven’s Will Blade, it still radiates Wisdom Light and can aid enlightenment. Li Ming intends for Li Ling to use it, believing his unusual nature makes Buddhist cultivation especially suitable for him. He assures the Peacock King that he will not take or harm the tree, noting he could have claimed it long ago.
  Character developments and interactions: Li Ling’s trusting, childlike nature makes him vulnerable, but he is not unintelligent: once he understands the deception, he confronts the monk firmly. He greatly admires Li Ming and is delighted by his praise. Li Ming acts as a protective ancestor, balancing his interest in Li Ling’s potential with wariness toward the Buddhist Sect’s power to convert followers. The Peacock King shifts from predatory confidence to fear, remorse, and pleading, then tries to salvage the situation by flattering Li Ling and offering to serve as his protector.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts innocence with manipulation, and spiritual guidance with coercive conversion. It also emphasizes the power of inherited lineage, the difference between wisdom and naïveté, and the value—and vulnerability—of ancient legacies such as the Bodhi Tree.

Plot points and events

• Li Ming discovers that Spirit Mountain is a surviving fragment of Mount Sumeru. Its sealed Bodhi Tree, the Vajra Demon-Subduing Pestle, and the Eight Treasures Merit Pool all survived the calamities at the end of the Mythology Era.
• He learns that the White-Browed Monk had entrusted the Peacock Monk—his disciple from the past—to help the Buddhist Sect flourish and attain enlightenment. The monk was meant to cultivate with the Bodhi Tree’s aid, but the tree became trapped by natural immortal-dao runes.
• The Peacock Monk admits that he has converted many people to Buddhism. Li Ming rebukes him for overriding others’ choices, explaining that Buddhism is not the only path and must not be imposed. The monk accepts the correction.
• Li Ming guides the Peacock Monk in Buddhist teachings and encourages Li Ling to decide freely whether to join the sect. Li Ling chooses to cultivate on Spirit Mountain for a time.
• Exploring the mountain, Li Ming gives Li Ling a Divine Marked Purple Gold Pagoda. At the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, Li Ling places it in the water, where the pool awakens its hidden properties and imbues it with Buddhist power.
• When Li Ling incorporates the transformed pagoda into his Immortal Platform, extraordinary signs appear: Buddhist light, sacred lotuses, and visions of Ancient Buddhas. The Peacock Monk sees him as a likely future Buddha and possible first Buddhist emperor.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ming acts as both protector and teacher. Though angered that the Peacock Monk tried to convert his descendant, he recognizes the monk’s sincere, non-evil nature and chooses to correct rather than punish him. He also supports Li Ling’s development while insisting that his choices remain his own.
• The Peacock Monk shifts from rigid missionary zeal toward a more respectful understanding of Buddhist practice. He apologizes to Li Ling and promises not to force conversions, though his deep desire to see the Buddhist Sect produce a True Buddha remains.
• Li Ling demonstrates a natural affinity for Buddhist cultivation. He is receptive to the teachings but does not commit blindly; instead, he chooses to study first. His success with the pagoda confirms his unusual potential.
• Li Ming and the Peacock Monk reach a cooperative understanding: the monk may guide Li Ling, but must respect his freedom. The monk also becomes a potential guardian as Li Ling grows.

Significant themes

• Freedom of belief: Spiritual teachings lose their virtue when imposed; people must be free to choose their path.
• Sincere intent versus harmful methods: The Peacock Monk means to save others, but good intentions do not excuse coercion.
• Inheritance and missed destinies: The White-Browed Monk’s plan for the Peacock Monk was thwarted by calamity, but Li Ling may now fulfill the Buddhist Sect’s long-delayed hopes.
• Potential and opportunity: The Bodhi Tree, merit pool, and awakened pagoda provide Li Ling with a rare chance to grow into a major Buddhist figure—and perhaps a Buddha Emperor.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Before leaving Spirit Mountain, Li Ming encourages Li Ling, who is studying the Buddhist path. Li Ming has already passed on his knowledge of conversion and forbidden techniques so Li Ling can develop his own understanding rather than be controlled by the Buddhist Sect.
• While wandering the stars, Li Ming senses the long-lost Reincarnation Sea and discovers it in the Cosmic Frontier Wasteland. At its center, he finds traces of Boundless Heavenly Venerable and five Dark Supremes sealed in immortal source.
• The five Supremes awaken as their seals break. Some are still mad, while others regain enough reason to recognize Li Ming and plead for help. Li Ming reveals that Boundless Heavenly Venerable may be dead, then obtains the Supremes’ scriptures without promising to rescue them.
• Boundless’s hidden ritual activates: the five Supremes are burned and refined, their bodies and Dao fruits supplying the energy for his attempted Nirvana rebirth. Boundless’s phantom emerges, consumes the Supremes’ essence, and strengthens itself with immortal medicines and two Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixirs.
• Boundless returns in a powerful but weakened state. He confirms that Heaven’s One Blade nearly killed him at the end of the Mythology Era. He has escaped immediate death but failed to achieve a new lifetime.
• His transformation has produced an extraordinary Eternal Blue Gold Cauldron, an Extreme Dao Weapon. Boundless proposes fusing his Primordial Spirit with the cauldron’s Weapon Deity, effectively abandoning his current cultivation and beginning anew within the weapon.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ming acts as an observant, pragmatic ally. He protects Li Ling’s independence, investigates Boundless’s disappearance, and calmly watches the Dark Supremes’ fate rather than rescuing them.
• Li Ling is positioned to pursue Buddhism on his own terms, with Li Ming’s teachings as protection against being made a servant of the sect.
• Boundless Heavenly Venerable is revealed as calculating and desperate: he used the Reincarnation Sea to lure and imprison Dark Supremes as fuel for his return. Though alive again, his lifespan is failing, so he seeks Li Ming’s help with a dangerous alternative.
• The Dark Supremes shift from furious captives to ingratiating petitioners when they believe Li Ming might save them. Their attempts to bargain—offering scriptures, treasures, and assistance—fail when Boundless’s ritual consumes them.
• Li Ming and Boundless reunite after a million years with mutual familiarity and respect. Li Ming recognizes both the value of Boundless’s new weapon and the danger of his plan, but agrees to hear him out.

Significant themes

• Autonomy and power: Li Ming wants the Buddhist Sect to serve Li Ling, not control him; more broadly, power should not become a means of enslavement.
• Survival at a cost: Boundless’s return depends on sacrificing five Supremes and consuming rare medicines, underscoring the brutal price of extending life.
• Transformation and rebirth: Boundless cannot complete a conventional rebirth, so he considers becoming a weapon’s spirit and starting over—an uncertain path between survival and losing his identity.
• Risk, necessity, and ambition: With little time left, Boundless chooses a dangerous experiment over inevitable decline, while Li Ming recognizes both its promise and its peril.

Key plot points and events

• Li Ming and Boundless Heavenly Venerable plan to preserve the Heavenly Venerable by merging him with the Eternal Blue Gold Cauldron, allowing him to survive as its Weapon Deity and potentially pursue a new lifetime.
• They carefully consider the risks: Boundless could be assimilated by the weapon or lose his identity. Li Ming explains that making the cauldron an Immortal Weapon would increase those dangers, but Boundless trusts his judgment.
• The two discuss Emperor Zun’s ascension, the Road to Immortality, the Red Dust Immortal Path, and the possibility that the Undying Heavenly Emperor was corrupted by Strange Substance. They agree that the Undying Heavenly Emperor could pose a danger during Boundless’s transformation.
• After extensive preparation, Li Ming begins the fusion. He first draws the cauldron’s original Weapon Deity out, then guides Boundless’s body and Primordial Spirit into the cauldron.
• Boundless’s own scripture helps overcome the cauldron’s resistance. His body and Primordial Spirit merge flawlessly with it, and Li Ming confirms the transformation is complete.
• Rather than destroy the former Weapon Deity, Li Ming makes a Bone Cauldron from a Dark Supreme’s remains and transfers the spirit into it.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ming demonstrates exceptional skill and caution, taking responsibility for a dangerous procedure and personally checking every detail. He is proud of the result, calling it his finest work.
• Boundless Heavenly Venerable shows deep trust in Li Ming, surrendering control during the fusion. His transformation succeeds, and he adapts to his new existence as the Eternal Blue Gold Cauldron.
• Boundless is reluctant to destroy the cauldron’s former Weapon Deity, seeing it as almost another self; Li Ming finds a way to preserve it.
• Boundless says he would have risked a final transformation—or gone to the Strange World—if Li Ming had not helped. Li Ming jokes that Boundless now owes him a great debt, having been saved twice.

Significant themes

• Trust and reliance: Boundless places his life entirely in Li Ming’s hands.
• Identity and survival: The transformation may preserve Boundless, but raises questions about whether a Weapon Deity can remain the same person.
• Risk, fate, and perseverance: Boundless accepts that survival may require one last gamble, while repeated rescues suggest his fortunes have changed.
• Innovation and responsibility: With no precedent for the process, Li Ming must invent a method and bear the consequences of any failure.

Chapter summary

Li Ming brings the Reincarnation Sea to Kunlun Mountain as a foundation for his family, then takes Boundless Heavenly Venerable and the Eternal Blue Gold Cauldron to the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains. There, he teaches him the Heaven-Mending Scripture, a method Li Ming created from the Sacred Spirit Lineage’s cultivation secrets. The scripture offers prematurely born Sacred Spirits a new route to continue living and prove the Dao. Boundless Heavenly Venerable is deeply moved and enters profound enlightenment, appearing to undergo another transformation. Li Ming warns him not to pass the method on casually, especially to the Sacred Spirit Lineage.
Grateful for this gift, Boundless Heavenly Venerable gives Li Ming a huge Primordial Life Stone. Inside it lies the dead body of Taichu, a Saint Spirit Immortal Embryo who, in the original course of events, should have lived far longer. Boundless admits he once considered possessing Taichu’s body to gain another lifetime, but could not revive him. Li Ming accepts the stone and, suspecting Taichu may still have a hidden chance at rebirth, places it in the Immortal Tear Green Gold Vein beneath Undying Mountain, hoping its power can nurture him back to life.
Li Ming then travels to the Chaos Sea at the Cosmic Frontier Wasteland to forge the Heaven-Burying Coffin, made from Immortal Tear Green Gold. He subjects it to the Chaos Sea’s ancient Grand Dao Laws, repeatedly shattering and reforging it as he inscribes Immortal Dao Runes. Dark Supremes watch in astonishment, wondering whether Li Ming has reached the level of a True Immortal. The coffin’s aura increasingly resembles Li Ming’s own, and it eventually forms within a Great Dao Cocoon. When the cocoon bursts, the coffin appears across the heavens with an overwhelming presence—yet it still has not become a true Immortal Weapon, and Li Ming continues to temper it.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ming demonstrates generosity and mastery by sharing a priceless scripture, then shows caution and hope in preserving Taichu’s body. He also continues pushing his weapon-forging abilities beyond what others consider possible.
• Boundless Heavenly Venerable receives a renewed path to life and Dao attainment. His gratitude deepens, and he offers the Primordial Life Stone partly to repay Li Ming and ease his sense of indebtedness.
• Taichu is introduced as an apparently dead immortal embryo whose fate differs from the original timeline. Li Ming’s decision to place him in the green-gold vein leaves open the possibility of his revival.
• The Dark Supremes observe Li Ming’s forging from afar. Their awe and uncertainty emphasize how far his power may exceed theirs.

Significant themes

• Fate and altered timelines: Taichu’s death contrasts with the future he should have had, suggesting Li Ming’s presence has changed events.
• Debt, generosity, and trust: Boundless struggles to repay Li Ming, while Li Ming treats the scripture as a gift rather than a bargain.
• Renewal and transformation: The Heaven-Mending Scripture gives Sacred Spirits a new path, while Taichu’s possible rebirth and the coffin’s repeated destruction and reforging echo the same theme.
• Power and ambition: Li Ming’s attempt to forge an Immortal Weapon challenges the limits others believe possible.

Chapter Summary

Plot and events

• Li Ming forges the Heaven-Burying Coffin in the Chaos Sea, tempering it with the laws of the myriad Dao, ancient order runes, his own chaos origin and blood, and vast stores of rare materials—including refined essence from slain Dark Supremes.
• The coffin grows powerful enough to unsettle the watching Supremes. Though Li Ming initially planned to make it an immortal weapon, he chooses instead to let it develop alongside him, hoping they will eventually reach the immortal apex together. Its close bond with him makes it feel almost like an avatar.
• After completing the coffin, Li Ming heads for Beidou Star to check on the human communities he previously moved there and the factions he helped establish.
• On the way, a divine-consciousness projection of the plump Daoist Netherworld Emperor Duan De intercepts him and asks him to meet the Netherworld Venerable. Li Ming senses the Venerable is in trouble but finds no danger, so he agrees.
• In a concealed dragon vein on Heaven-Piercing Ancient Star, Li Ming meets the Netherworld Venerable, whose body remains vigorous but whose primordial spirit is nearly extinguished. The Venerable explains that he deliberately drew down the Heaven’s Will Blade to sever his past and begin anew, but the attempt did not fully succeed.
• He recounts his long pursuit of reincarnation and corpse-spirit awakening, a path he once explored with Daode Tianzun. His ambition is to cultivate different Daos across successive lives, then unite nine Dao Fruits and achieve Red Dust Immortality.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ming demonstrates his extraordinary mastery of the Dao through the coffin’s creation, but chooses patience over immediate power: he wants the weapon to grow with him rather than simply become another immortal weapon.
• The Netherworld Venerable/Duan De is revealed as a determined, unconventional cultivator pursuing immortality through repeated death, rebirth, and spiritual transformation. Though his spirit is failing and his path has suffered setbacks, his body has become nearly True-Immortal in strength.
• Li Ming and Duan De speak as old fellow Daoists. Li Ming recognizes the danger Duan De faces, questions him about his history, and ultimately expresses admiration for his difficult path.

Significant themes

• Growth through cultivation and patience: the coffin is deliberately left room to evolve, mirroring Li Ming’s own long-term ambitions.
• Rebirth and transformation: Duan De’s path treats death and repeated renewal as stages toward a greater form of existence.
• The cost of ambition: Duan De’s powerful body contrasts with his fading spirit, showing the risks and imbalances his pursuit has created.
• Power and perspective: the chapter contrasts Li Ming’s immense resources with the determination of a cultivator whose progress has been repeatedly disrupted.

Key plot points and events

• Li Ming reflects on Netherworld Venerable’s long cycle of reincarnations, realizing that beneath his pursuit of cultivation lies a lasting attachment to Taiyin Jade Rabbit. Netherworld Venerable admits he has glimpsed a terrifying future and believes reaching a higher realm may be necessary for survival.
• They discuss the Undying Heavenly Emperor. Netherworld Venerable once knew him as a powerful Phoenix from the Immortal Domain, but says he seemed to change after beginning to manipulate events and ambush Ancient Emperor Supremes.
• Grateful for Li Ming’s teachings, Netherworld Venerable gives him Myriad Things Soil, also called Reincarnation Soil, and shares his deep understanding of reincarnation. He then hides himself and the Dragon Vein so completely that even powerful enemies would struggle to find him.
• Li Ming travels incognito to Beidou Star and surveys the Human Race’s fortunes. Its factions are powerful but divided, while the rising Primordial Species increasingly threaten them.
• In the Northern Plains, the Boundless Sacred Land faces an imminent attack from several Primordial Imperial Clans, which demand its Heavenly Venerable Scripture. Its people attempt to summon the Boundless Heavenly Venerable’s missing Extreme Dao Weapon by invoking his preserved bones.
• The ritual succeeds: Li Ming sends the Boundless Divine Cauldron, which joins with the bones and becomes the sacred land’s Extreme Dao Weapon. Its Great Saint imprints the weapon with the nine Ancient Emperor Runes, giving the sect a chance to defend itself.
• The sect debates whether to fight or evacuate. Given the enemy’s superior forces and its poor relations with Central Continent’s Dao Gate and Jade Pure Sect, it prepares to protect its gifted disciples. The Great Saint ultimately sends three Saints and the most talented disciples back to the Heaven-Piercing Ancient Star, then faces the looming conflict with renewed resolve.

Character developments and interactions

• Netherworld Venerable is shown as more thoughtful and vulnerable than his usual unreliable manner suggests. His fear of the future coexists with his enduring love and his lifelong pursuit of transcendence. He and Li Ming exchange knowledge and gifts as respected fellow cultivators.
• Li Ming gains a rare resource and new insight into reincarnation. He also quietly intervenes to save the Boundless Sacred Land, observing its people without revealing himself.
• The Boundless Sacred Land’s leaders and disciples move from desperate prayer to astonishment and hope when their ancestor’s weapon appears. Their leaders disagree over whether survival requires retreat or resistance, while the Great Saint balances caution with a determination to fight.

Significant themes

• Reincarnation, obsession, and transcendence: Netherworld Venerable’s repeated transformations are driven both by spiritual ambition and personal attachment.
• The threat of a looming catastrophe: The glimpsed future and the Primordial Clans’ aggression make strength and advancement matters of survival.
• Unity versus factionalism: Human factions remain divided even when facing a common enemy, and old rivalries leave the Boundless Sacred Land isolated.
• Legacy and faith: The sect’s inheritance, preserved bones, and devotion to its founder ultimately connect it to the weapon it needs.
• Pragmatism and sacrifice: The decision to evacuate the gifted while leaving ordinary disciples behind exposes the harsh choices imposed by crisis.

Chapter Summary: “Casually Shattering an Ancient Emperor Weapon”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Boundless Sacred Land becomes increasingly isolated as the Primordial Imperial Clans prepare to attack it. Their goal is to destroy the Human Race’s sacred land and seize the Boundless Heavenly Venerable’s inheritance and scripture.
• Li Ming secretly observes the situation. Although he could eliminate the attackers instantly, he allows the conflict to unfold, intending to take their Extreme Dao Weapons as materials for his own cultivation and forging.
• The Primordial Imperial Clans and several Savage Clans surround Boundless Sacred Land. The Golden Race, Dragon Race, Blood Phoenix Mountain, Purple Mountain’s Eight Divine Generals, and the Light or Evil God Race participate, bringing at least five Extreme Dao Weapons.
• The assault begins brutally. Primordial creatures slaughter Boundless disciples, destroy buildings, and kill even guests attempting to escape. Boundless Great Saint is suppressed by the enemy’s combined weapons, while the sacred land’s disciples descend into panic.
• Boundless Sacred Land’s own Extreme Dao Weapon, the Boundless Divine Cauldron, emerges and breaks through the suppression. It damages the Myriad Dragon Bell and swallows the Light Race’s God Refining Pot.
• The Boundless Cauldron manifests a form resembling Boundless Heavenly Venerable, terrifying the attackers. However, this apparent display of power is actually supported by Li Ming, who has remained unnoticed.
• Li Ming finally reveals himself. He casually repels the Golden Mace, catches it, and snaps it in half. He then seizes the Myriad Dragon Bell, Phoenix-Wing Gilded Trident, and Light Heavenly Saber with his bare hand.
• He destroys the weapons’ Weapon Deities and refines all five Extreme Dao Weapons into rare Immortal Gold materials. He stores the materials in a mysterious coffin.
• Li Ming then kills and refines the attacking Primordial Imperial Clans and the Primal Ten Evils, reducing them to blood, essence, and origin energy as though they had never existed.

Character Developments

• Li Ming: Continues to act as a detached observer and protector of the Human Race, deliberately allowing events to develop so that the Human Race can grow through adversity. His attitude toward the Primordial Imperial Clans becomes openly contemptuous, and his overwhelming strength is finally revealed.
• Boundless Great Saint: Despite being suppressed, he remains determined to defend the sacred land. He condemns the descendants of ancient enlightened beings for abandoning the ideals of protecting all living beings.
• Boundless Divine Cauldron: Demonstrates extraordinary autonomy and power, appearing to embody Boundless Heavenly Venerable. Its apparent dominance is enhanced by Li Ming’s hidden intervention.
• Primordial Imperial Clans: Their confidence turns into terror once they realize that their Extreme Dao Weapons and lives are helpless before Li Ming. Their alliance and ambition ultimately lead to their destruction.
• Neutral Primordial Clans: Qilin Cave, Primordial Lake, and Divine Silkworm Ridge remain uninvolved, suggesting that not all Primordial Species support exterminating the Human Race.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and hidden identity: Li Ming’s inconspicuous presence contrasts sharply with his ability to casually destroy ancient imperial weapons and annihilate entire clans.
• The corruption of ancient legacies: The descendants of enlightened emperors exploit and invade others despite inheriting weapons and traditions from figures who once protected all life.
• Human–Primordial Species conflict: The attack reflects the broader struggle for control of Beidou Star and the persecution of the Human Race.
• Patience and indirect protection: Li Ming refuses to intervene immediately, believing the Human Race must endure trials to become stronger, while still ensuring that its enemies cannot prevail.
• Greed and self-destruction: The invaders’ desire for the Heavenly Venerable Scripture and sacred land blinds them to the danger of provoking Li Ming.

Character Interactions

• Primordial cultivators mock Boundless Sacred Land and debate whether the Human Race’s Dao Gates will intervene.
• The Golden Race’s Great Saint openly insults Boundless Sacred Land and demands that its people welcome the invaders.
• Boundless Great Saint denounces the invaders for betraying the broad-minded ideals of ancient enlightened beings.
• The Primordial clans coordinate their Extreme Dao Weapons against the Boundless Divine Cauldron, but their cooperation fails.
• Li Ming directly confronts the invaders only at the end, effortlessly destroying their weapons and killing them, transforming the apparent siege into a one-sided annihilation.

Key plot points and events

• The Primordial Imperial Clans send five Quasi-Emperors to reclaim their Extreme Dao Weapons, unaware that Li Ming has already destroyed all five and refined them into materials. He also extracted most of their Ancient Emperor scriptures.
• Li Ming stays hidden while the Boundless Divine Cauldron’s Weapon Deity—mistaken by onlookers for Boundless Heavenly Venerable—faces the attackers.
• Two Human Race leaders arrive with the Mountains-and-Rivers Cauldron and the Years Bell, declaring support for the Boundless Sacred Land. Their weapons’ power overwhelms the attackers’ Ancient Emperor Array Patterns.
• The clans’ forces escalate, bringing in the Sun-Moon Divine General alongside the other Quasi-Emperors. The Weapon Deity destroys two array patterns, then defeats all six Quasi-Emperors, strips away their remaining patterns, and crushes them.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ming remains concealed, allowing the Weapon Deity to take credit for his intervention; he regards the Quasi-Emperors as beneath his notice.
• The Weapon Deity confidently protects the Boundless Sacred Land and refuses to claim he is the real Boundless Heavenly Venerable, though he uses that figure’s appearance and reputation.
• The Dao Gate and Jade Pure Sect leaders set aside historical tensions with the Boundless Sacred Land to defend it, prompting the Boundless Great Saint to express gratitude and explain the Cauldron’s recent arrival.
• The Primordial Imperial Clans’ Quasi-Emperors go from confidence in their numerical advantage and imperial resources to shock and humiliation as their plans—and then their forces—are overwhelmed.

Significant themes

• Hidden power and mistaken identity: Li Ming’s decisive actions go unnoticed, while the Cauldron’s Weapon Deity is mistaken for its legendary master.
• Human solidarity over old rivalries: The two Dao Gate sects intervene despite a history of tension with the Boundless Sacred Land.
• Pride and power: The Quasi-Emperors’ confidence in their bloodlines and inherited weapons collapses before the Cauldron’s overwhelming strength.
• The costs of aggression: The clans’ attempt to seize the Sacred Land instead leaves them defeated and stripped of valuable resources.

Chapter Summary: Undying Heavenly Empress’s Invitation

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Boundless Divine Cauldron decisively defeats the coalition of five Primordial Imperial Clans. It suppresses their Ultimate Dao weapons, imprisons their Quasi-Emperors, and kills many of their Great Saints and hostile Primordial Savage Clans.
• The six captured Quasi-Emperors—including the Sun-Moon Divine General and Kun Tian Divine General—are ultimately spared, but their realms are forcibly reduced to the Great Saint level. Their Ancient Emperor weapons are devoured, and they return to their clans in disgrace.
• The defeated imperial clans seal themselves away for one hundred thousand years, while the Boundless Sacred Land’s prestige rises dramatically.
• The Boundless Divine Cauldron explains that it will not annihilate the Primordial Imperial Clans because past Ancient Emperors protected all races and because destroying the clans would violate the tacit balance among the Ancient Emperor Supremes.
• The Cauldron then travels across Beidou Star, intimidating the major Primordial Imperial Clans and eliminating especially aggressive Primordial Savage Clans. This stabilizes relations between the Human Race and the primordial races.
• Li Ming secretly leaves the Boundless Sacred Land and travels to Purple Mountain, the supposed tomb of the Undying Heavenly Emperor.
• Despite appearing to be a Human Race Saint, Li Ming’s aura terrifies the Ancestral Kings guarding Purple Mountain. He effortlessly defeats the Sun-Moon and Kun Tian Divine Generals and enters the mountain.
• Inside, Li Ming finds only an imprint of the Undying Heavenly Emperor. The imprint launches powerful attacks, including a Five-Colored Immortal Light slash and a Phoenix Seal, but Li Ming absorbs both attacks and destroys the imprint.
• Li Ming loots Purple Mountain’s treasures and leaves behind an imprint of his own, intending to surprise the Undying Heavenly Emperor or the Undying Daoist if they return.
• A Phoenix Nest appears within a hidden Chaos World. Li Ming enters it and meets the current Undying Heavenly Empress, whose identity differs from the woman in the original timeline because Ning Fei became an Ancient Emperor and married her.
• The Empress reveals that the Undying Heavenly Emperor disappeared tens of thousands of years ago with his children, leaving no corpse behind.
• Recognizing Li Ming as the Demon Venerable, she expresses intense admiration and attempts to seduce him, ending the chapter on a provocative cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Li Ming/Demon Venerable: Demonstrates overwhelming power by defeating the Undying Heavenly Emperor’s imprint and effortlessly subduing multiple Great Saints. He remains cautious and strategic, choosing not to destroy Purple Mountain but planting a hidden imprint for future use.
• Boundless Divine Cauldron: Establishes itself as a powerful guardian of the Human Race while also showing restraint and political wisdom. It punishes hostile forces without completely destroying the Primordial Imperial Clans.
• Sun-Moon and Kun Tian Divine Generals: Suffer a major fall in status and cultivation after being reduced from Quasi-Emperors to Great Saints. Their former arrogance is replaced by humiliation and submission.
• Undying Heavenly Empress: Is revealed as a different figure from the original timeline’s Empress due to Li Ming’s influence. She is intelligent enough to identify Li Ming through his life aura and reputation, but also openly idealizes and desires him.
• Undying Heavenly Emperor: Remains absent and mysterious. His imprint proves powerful but is ultimately insignificant before Li Ming.

Significant Themes

• Power and prestige: The defeat of the five imperial clans radically shifts the balance of power on Beidou Star and restores Human Race morale.
• Restraint versus annihilation: The Boundless Divine Cauldron chooses punishment and deterrence over total destruction, emphasizing coexistence and the preservation of cosmic balance.
• Historical deviation and altered fate: Li Ming’s influence has changed major relationships and events, including Ning Fei’s early enlightenment and the identity of the Undying Heavenly Empress.
• Hidden strength and mistaken identity: Outsiders perceive Li Ming as merely a Saint, while his true strength is vastly beyond their understanding.
• Legacy and reputation: The names of the Demon Venerable and Boundless Heavenly Venerable inspire both worship among humans and fear among the primordial races.
• Seduction and loyalty: The chapter closes with the Empress’s admiration turning into an explicit attempt to become Li Ming’s Dao companion.

Important Character Interactions

• The Boundless Divine Cauldron rebukes the young Boundless Sacred Land disciples for advocating the complete extermination of the imperial clans.
• The Cauldron’s philosophy is supported by the Dao Gate and Jade Pure Sect representatives, who recognize its alignment with the teachings of past Heavenly Venerables.
• The Primordial Ancestral Kings respectfully confront Li Ming but immediately submit after sensing his overwhelming aura.
• The Sun-Moon and Kun Tian Divine Generals bow to Li Ming, believing him to be an unknown Human Race Supreme, only to be effortlessly incapacitated.
• The Undying Heavenly Emperor’s imprint attacks Li Ming but is destroyed after its techniques are absorbed.
• The Undying Heavenly Empress identifies Li Ming as the Demon Venerable, explains the Undying Heavenly Emperor’s disappearance, and openly offers herself to him.

Plot points and events

• Mount Sumeru, the Buddhist Sect’s sacred mountain, finishes restoring itself after a million years of nourishment by Faith Power. A Faith-born image of a True Buddha then dissolves, disappointing the Ancient Buddhas, though the White-Browed Monk takes its disappearance as a sign that a Buddha Emperor may arise in this era. He dies in Dao Dissolution and becomes a Sarira, briefly revealing a True Buddha-like figure in the flames.
• The True Buddha image’s power flows into the Bodhi Tree at Spirit Mountain, causing it to grow and radiate Wisdom Light and Buddhist teachings.
• Li Ling, a descendant of Li Ming who has taken the Buddhist name Li Buddha, becomes a Saint in less than a century. When the Ancient Starry Sky Road reopens, Peacock Wisdom King urges him to pursue Emperor Enlightenment. Li Ling instead vows to relieve all suffering and guide every living being to bliss.
• For thousands of years, Li Ling travels among inhabited worlds, spreading Buddhist teachings, resolving conflicts, and helping the afflicted rather than joining the Road’s bloody contests. He reaches Quasi-Emperor through this compassionate path.
• Once he enters the Ancient Starry Sky Road, Li Ling defeats numerous rivals without killing them, attracting followers—including former Young Supremes. His growing following alarms others, who suspect he can forcibly convert people.
• At the Chaos Thunder Sea, Li Ling subdues a powerful Peacock Clan Quasi-Emperor with his Flower-Picking Finger. The peacock shrinks to sparrow size, lands on Li Ling’s shoulder, and chooses to join the Buddhist Sect to atone for past killings.
• The Nine-Headed Lion rallies the crowd against Li Ling, triggering a century-long battle among the era’s strongest contenders. Li Ling’s Faith Power–strengthened Golden Body proves nearly invulnerable, and he defeats the lion.
• Just as Li Ling seems victorious, nine experts reveal a method that can pierce Buddhist Faith Power. Their attack strikes his Golden Body, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ling/Li Buddha develops from an unusually gifted young monk into a compassionate Quasi-Emperor whose approach to cultivation centers on serving others rather than killing rivals. His mercy wins followers but also breeds fear and suspicion.
• Peacock Wisdom King acts as Li Ling’s mentor and urges him toward the Emperor’s path, while acknowledging his own life may end before seeing Li Ling’s success.
• The White-Browed Monk dies with renewed hope that this era will produce a Buddha Emperor; his faith inspires the Ancient Buddhas.
• The Peacock Quasi-Emperor changes from a feared, bloodthirsty fighter into a repentant follower, intensifying others’ suspicions of Li Ling’s influence.
• The Nine-Headed Lion becomes Li Ling’s chief challenger, organizing a coalition to stop him. The nine Faith Power counter-users then expose a vulnerability in Li Ling’s seemingly overwhelming strength.

Significant themes

• Compassion versus violence: Li Ling seeks enlightenment through relieving suffering, even on a path where victory is normally won by killing.
• Faith, hope, and uncertainty: Faith Power restores Mount Sumeru and empowers Li Ling, but its reliability is questioned and countered.
• Redemption and transformation: Li Ling’s opponents can become followers, suggesting that repentance is possible—but others interpret this as coercion.
• The cost of ambition: The contest for Emperor Enlightenment is brutal, while Li Ling’s alternative path demands thousands of years of service and sacrifice.
• The limits of power: Li Ling’s apparent invulnerability is challenged when opponents find a way through his Faith Power.

Key plot points and events

• Li Ling defeats nine Quasi-Emperors who attack him with Faith Power. Instead of weakening him, their assault strengthens his Golden Body. He traps them with his Buddhist power until they surrender and abandon the Ancient Starry Sky Road.
• The defeated fighters fear he will forcibly convert them, but Li Ling denies the rumors and invites them to accompany him to the Land of the Other Shore. They verify that his followers have not been altered or coerced.
• Li Ling carries more than a hundred prodigies across the Chaos Thunder Sea—an unprecedented number—into the restored ruins of the Heavenly Court. Most are initially bound by the site’s protections, but some break free to seek divine mountains and scriptures, while others gain insights from contemplating the laws flowing through their restraints.
• Li Ling studies his ancestor the Demon Venerable’s legacy, including the Chaos Scripture, the Heaven-Mending Scripture, and numerous Supreme Scriptures. He later parts from his followers. Even the peacock and Nine-Headed Lion, who wish to join the Buddhist Sect, are sent home to their families; Li Ling insists that faith need not mean formal membership.
• Back on Mount Sumeru, Li Ling receives the Vajra Demon-Subduing Pestle from the aged Peacock Monk, who regards him as worthy to wield it. Li Ling also inscribes the words “All Beings Inspire Awe” on the mountain and in the void.
• Over the next two thousand years, Li Ling travels widely, helping the suffering and refining the Buddhist relics he carries. At age eight thousand, he finally faces an Emperor-level Heavenly Tribulation. As the lightning engulfs him, the faith of billions gathers and extinguishes the Thunder Sea.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ling demonstrates not only overwhelming power but also patience, compassion, and respect for others’ choices. He responds to suspicion without hostility, gives defeated rivals a chance to pursue new opportunities, and continues his humanitarian work rather than rushing to claim enlightenment.
• The nine Quasi-Emperors move from confidence to defeat, then from fear of conversion to cautious respect after examining Li Ling’s followers. They accept his invitation to the Land of the Other Shore.
• The other prodigies initially cannot access the divine mountains, but many still benefit from the experience; some eventually free themselves and pursue scriptures.
• The peacock and Nine-Headed Lion remain loyal to Li Ling but bristle when he urges them to return to their clans and leave descendants. Their affectionate argument reinforces their devotion and his gentle, humorous manner.
• The Peacock Monk sees Li Ling as a True Buddha and entrusts him with the Vajra Demon-Subduing Pestle.
• Former rivals watch Li Ling’s tribulation with complicated feelings: their own failed attempts at enlightenment contrast with his long preparation and the goodwill he has inspired.

Significant themes

• Faith without coercion: Li Ling rejects forced conversion; sincere belief is a personal choice.
• Compassion as practice: He lives his Buddhist teachings by relieving suffering across the worlds.
• Generosity and fellowship: Even defeated rivals are offered access to rare opportunities, though the Land of the Other Shore’s safeguards still limit what they can do.
• Patience and spiritual refinement: Li Ling waits thousands of years, perfecting his Golden Body and Buddhist path before attempting Emperor Enlightenment.
• Faith as shared power: The devotion of countless beings becomes a tangible force that helps meet the final tribulation.

Plot points and events

• During his ninefold immortal tribulation, Li Ling uses Buddhist faith power to withstand the lightning. He also tempers two weapons in it: his Divine Marked Purple Gold Pagoda and the Vajra Demon-Subduing Pestle.
• Li Ming’s dao imprint appears on the heavenly heart imprint, but Li Ling’s immense sea of faith power lets him face it as an equal. He proclaims vows to relieve suffering and save all beings; the resulting sacred light heals the sick, restores youth, and purifies cultivators’ spirits.
• Li Ling merges with the heavenly heart imprint and attains emperor enlightenment as the Buddha Emperor. At Mount Sumeru, he teaches that all beings deserve reverence and that what is taken from the people must be returned to them. The Vajra Pestle, now a true extreme dao weapon, is enshrined to defend the Buddhist faith. The Buddha Emperor continues traveling the world to aid living beings.
• Meanwhile, Li Ming arrives at Beidou’s Ancient Mine of Beginnings, a life-forbidden zone inhabited by powerful Dark Supremes. The Supremes challenge his presence, but he effortlessly dispels their combined auras and threatens to enter by force.
• A respected elder Supreme calms the others and invites Li Ming into the mine, even suggesting he become its lord. Li Ming accepts the invitation, intending to investigate the mine’s mysteries and seek its resources.

Character developments

• Li Ling completes his transformation from Buddhist holy son to Buddha Emperor. His power rests not only on combat strength but on turning believers’ faith into a reciprocal force that benefits them.
• Li Ming displays overwhelming confidence and power, yet is willing to avoid a fight once the Supremes yield. He has his own goals in the mine and treats the invitation as a practical opportunity.

Character interactions

• Buddhist disciples and believers hear Li Ling’s vows, receive the benefits of his faith-powered light, and acclaim him at Mount Sumeru. His teachings establish a duty of service between the Buddhist Sect and the people.
• Li Ming confronts the Ancient Mine’s Dark Supremes; their hostility gives way to caution, then to the elder Supreme’s welcoming intervention. Onlookers across Beidou react with fear and astonishment at both Li Ming’s strength and the mine’s unexpected accommodation.

Significant themes

• Faith as mutual responsibility: Li Ling draws strength from believers but returns its benefits to them.
• Compassion and service: His vows and teachings define enlightenment as relieving suffering, not merely gaining power.
• Power and restraint: Li Ming can force his way into the mine, but accepts a peaceful opening when offered.
• Reverence and fear of power: The reactions of Beidou’s inhabitants show how reputation and overwhelming strength reshape even entrenched authorities.

Chapter Summary: The Mysterious Lord of Taichu

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ming enters the Ancient Mine of Beginnings, now the strongest gathering place of Dark Supremes after he conquered the Reincarnation Sea and Undying Mountain.
• He observes the mine’s extraordinary resources: abundant Primordial Life Stones, powerful vitality, unique Grand Dao Fragments, Dao Altars, and traces of Immortal Dao laws.
• Li Ming encounters several familiar Ancient Emperors—Myriad Dragon Emperor, Blood Phoenix Ancient Emperor, Golden Ancient Emperor, Light Emperor, and others—whose Extreme Dao Weapons he previously destroyed and whose clansmen he killed.
• Light Emperor confronts Li Ming, accusing him of attacking their clans and violating their dignity. Li Ming calmly justifies his actions by explaining that their descendants had attempted to destroy the Boundless Sacred Land.
• Before the Ancient Emperors can attack, the mysterious Lord of Taichu intervenes and warns them against opposing Li Ming.
• Li Ming investigates the Lord of Taichu and discovers that he no longer possesses a physical body or Primordial Spirit. His current form is entirely composed of the Light of Taichu, filled with dense Immortal Dao Runes.
• The Lord of Taichu invites Li Ming to join the Ancient Mine of Beginnings, offering protection while Li Ming undergoes future transformations and hoping to study his Red Dust Immortal Path.
• Li Ming refuses to commit, explaining that he is determined to continue pursuing the Red Dust Immortal Path rather than becoming a Dark Supreme.
• The Lord of Taichu generously gifts Li Ming numerous rare Primordial Life Stones containing special Grand Dao and Immortal Dao fragments.
• Li Ming offers to share his understanding of the Sacred Spirit Transformation Method with the Dark Supremes, suggesting that they might transform into Perfected Sacred Spirits instead of severing themselves into Dark Supremes. Most remain skeptical because the method is extraordinarily difficult.

Character Developments

• Li Ming: Displays overwhelming confidence, political restraint, and growing suspicion. He refuses to be intimidated by the Ancient Emperors, remains committed to his Red Dust Immortal Path, and recognizes that the Lord of Taichu is far more mysterious and powerful than an ordinary Emperor.
• Lord of Taichu: Reveals his strange existence as a being formed entirely from Primordial Light. He appears generous and conciliatory toward Li Ming, but his eagerness to recruit and study him suggests hidden ambitions. His Immortal Dao Runes and decayed aura imply an ancient and unusual origin, possibly involving a True Immortal’s remains or an existence from the Primordial Ancient Era.
• Golden Ancient Emperor and the other Dark Supremes: Their anger over destroyed weapons and slain descendants is overshadowed by their fear of Li Ming. Even the proud Golden Ancient Emperor is forced into silence after Li Ming openly dismisses his grievances.
• Myriad Dragon Emperor: Chooses to return to slumber rather than become involved in the confrontation.
• The Dark Supremes collectively: Their reluctance to attempt Sacred Spirit transformation emphasizes their preference for the safer, established path of becoming Dark Supremes.

Significant Themes

• Different paths to immortality: Li Ming’s Red Dust Immortal Path contrasts with the Dark Supremes’ method of severing themselves and sealing away their vitality.
• Fear of death and obsession with survival: The Ancient Emperors sacrifice relationships, morality, and dignity to prolong their lives, while Li Ming views repeated transformation as a more meaningful pursuit.
• Power and dignity: The Ancient Emperors defend their imperial pride, but Li Ming’s superior strength allows him to disregard their authority.
• Hidden origins and transformation: The Lord of Taichu’s light-based existence and possible connection to True Immortals highlight the chapter’s interest in abnormal forms of life and evolution.
• Suspicion beneath hospitality: The Lord of Taichu’s gifts and friendly attitude appear sincere but also serve his goal of observing or recruiting Li Ming, leaving Li Ming wary.

Character Interactions

• Li Ming and the Ancient Emperors: Their exchange is openly hostile. Li Ming refuses to apologize for destroying their weapons and killing their clansmen, while the emperors are unable to challenge him directly.
• Li Ming and the Lord of Taichu: They engage in a cautious diplomatic encounter. Both investigate one another, recognize the other’s unusual strength, and exchange polite words while concealing their deeper intentions.
• Lord of Taichu and the Ancient Emperors: He suppresses their desire to fight Li Ming and argues that descendants and weapons are insignificant compared with the pursuit of immortality.
• Li Ming and the Dark Supremes: Li Ming offers them knowledge of Sacred Spirit transformation, but their skepticism reflects the vast gulf between his ambitions and their willingness to take risks.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ming announces that he will openly explain the Saint Spirit Transformation Method, immediately attracting the attention of the Dark Supremes in the Ancient Mine of Beginnings. Even those who had been feigning sleep awaken to listen.
• Dark Supremes from other forbidden zones travel to Beidou Star, either personally, through avatars, or via dharma projections. Their arrival creates immense pressure across the starry sky, terrifying ordinary cultivators.
• A large portion of the Dark Supremes gathers in the Ancient Mine of Beginnings. They are motivated by the possibility of escaping their decaying state, avoiding the need to devour countless living beings, and gaining a new life in a perfected condition.
• At the request of the Lord of Taichu, Li Ming begins demonstrating the method. He explains that practitioners must transform their bodies into sacred spirit stone embryos, allow their primordial spirits to enter stillness, and preserve a single spark of undying true spirit.
• After roughly a million years of nourishment by heaven and earth, the practitioner can potentially be reborn as a Perfected Sacred Spirit, repairing their Immortal Platform and beginning a new lifetime.
• The Dark Supremes debate the method’s credibility, citing the failures of Boundless Heavenly Venerable and other historical attempts. Li Ming counters that his own successful transformation proves the method is genuine.
• As he explains further, several Dark Supremes begin to understand the method’s central principle: gaining recognition from Heaven and Earth so that the remaining true spirit can be nurtured as a sacred spirit embryo.
• Li Ming offers practical guidance, suggesting that practitioners use dragon veins or locations rich in sacred-spirit energy to communicate with the distant Heavenly Dao.
• The Dark Supremes worry that a million-year transformation period leaves them vulnerable to interruption. Li Ming advises them to protect one another, form supreme covenants, and cooperate during the process.
• He emphasizes the rewards: successful practitioners would regain peak vitality, repair their Immortal Platforms, greatly increase their lifespan and strength, and potentially reach the level of Heavenly Venerables or Heavenly Emperors.
• Some Dark Supremes realize that this method could eliminate the need for dark turmoils and the mass slaughter of living beings. Several regret not having understood it before self-slashing.
• The Lord of Taichu unexpectedly comprehends the method most quickly and reveals an aura belonging to the sacred spirit race, surprising the other Dark Supremes.
• The chapter ends with the Dark Supremes asking the Lord of Taichu whether he can identify flaws or loopholes in Li Ming’s method, showing that they remain interested but cautious.

Character Developments

• Li Ming: Demonstrates confidence, generosity, and strategic thinking. He sincerely shares his transformation method but also intends to use it to distinguish potentially useful allies from obsolete or dangerous Dark Supremes. He remains wary of the Lord of Taichu and secretly considers the possibility of exploiting the remains of the stillborn Taichu.
• The Dark Supremes: Their skepticism gradually shifts toward fascination and cautious hope. Though they initially distrust Li Ming, their desire for longevity overwhelms their pride. Many begin seriously considering abandoning the dark path of devouring living beings.
• Lord of Taichu: Reveals himself to be a sacred spirit—or at least someone possessing sacred-spirit origins—and proves to have exceptional comprehension of the method. His identity and motives remain mysterious, and Li Ming continues to suspect that he has seized Taichu’s fortune.
• Boundless Heavenly Venerable: Though absent, his failed transformation serves as an important historical example that causes the Dark Supremes to doubt the method.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of longevity: The Dark Supremes have sacrificed morality, reputation, and even their own foundations to survive. The Saint Spirit Transformation Method offers them a cleaner alternative.
• Hope versus skepticism: The method promises rebirth and restoration, but its risks and historical failures make the Dark Supremes hesitate.
• Cooperation among former enemies: Li Ming suggests that the Dark Supremes must protect one another during the million-year transformation, implying that survival may require trust and collective action.
• Redemption and moral limits: Some Dark Supremes reveal that they do not truly wish to slaughter countless beings and may still retain a fragment of conscience.
• Power and manipulation: Li Ming’s public generosity also serves a broader strategy. He hopes successful transformations will produce allies capable of confronting future darkness, while weaker or uncooperative figures may be eliminated.
• Sacred spirits as a higher state of existence: Transformation into a Perfected Sacred Spirit is presented as a way to repair the Immortal Platform, restore vitality, and reach a state beyond that of ordinary Dark Supremes.

Character Interactions

• Li Ming addresses the assembled Dark Supremes as equals while subtly asserting his superiority through his successful transformation.
• The Lord of Taichu acts as the gathering’s spokesperson, requesting Li Ming’s explanation and later becoming the first major figure to show clear comprehension.
• The Dark Supremes collectively question Li Ming’s claims, then cooperate in analyzing the method and discussing possible flaws.
• The gathered figures show respect for the Ancient Mine of Beginnings and the Lord of Taichu by restraining their auras and avoiding interference with the mine’s imperial formations.
• The Lord of Taichu receives admiration and suspicion after revealing his sacred-spirit nature, while Li Ming privately remains distrustful of him and his connection to Taichu’s stolen fortune.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Lord of Taichu explains the dangers of the Sacred Spirit transformation path. Although Sacred Spirits receive Heaven’s blessing, their births are plagued by hardship, premature emergence, and the possibility of failure.
• He reveals that the Ancient Mine of Beginnings contains a shortcut that can greatly improve the chances of successful transformation—but only for those willing to join the Ancient Mine.
• Li Ming reassures the Dark Supremes that he shared the Sacred Spirit Transformation Method to help them survive and eventually fight alongside him in the Immortal Domain. He promises to protect anyone undergoing transformation, provided they do not provoke him.
• The Lord of Taichu leads the Dark Supremes into a hidden Chaos World within the Ancient Mine. There, they discover the Taichu Divine Mountain, a massive Sacred Spirit ancestral land filled with dense Sacred Spirit aura, Chaos Essence, Medicine Kings, divine springs, and powerful Dragon Veins.
• The mountain houses countless Sacred Spirits and Immortal Fetuses, including many with the potential to become Perfected Sacred Spirits. Several are already at the level of Great Saints or Quasi-Emperors.
• The Lord of Taichu offers the Dark Supremes the chance to transform within the mountain’s greatest Dragon Vein, even permitting them to devour incomplete Sacred Spirits to aid their evolution.
• Despite the extraordinary advantages, most Dark Supremes remain suspicious and refuse to transform inside the Ancient Mine. They prefer to observe the process and make arrangements within their own forbidden zones.
• The Lord of Taichu accepts their decision and invites them to relocate their forbidden zones to Beidou so they can cooperate when the Road to Immortality eventually opens.
• Several Dark Supremes subsequently move their mountains, caves, and oceans to Beidou, creating additional Life Forbidden Zones. Beidou becomes increasingly dominated by forbidden areas and Primordial Imperial forces.
• The Boundless Sacred Land remains stable despite the arrival of these powerful beings, protected by the Boundless Divine Cauldron.

Character Developments

• Li Ming presents himself as open-minded and protective rather than a ruthless enemy of the Dark Supremes. His willingness to share the transformation method earns him their respect.
• His mastery of Sacred Spirit transformation is reinforced by his past studies with several ancient Heavenly Venerables and his own successful transformation of the Immortal Tears Green Gold Spirit.
• Li Ming remains skeptical of the Lord of Taichu. He suspects that Taichu has appropriated the original Taichu’s fortune and is using the Sacred Spirit Divine Mountain to recruit powerful allies.
• The Lord of Taichu strengthens his position by presenting the Ancient Mine as an ideal sanctuary for transformation. He carefully cultivates the image of being the natural master and originator of the Taichu Divine Mountain.
• The Lord’s recruitment effort reveals both ambition and possible hidden motives. His eagerness to gather the Dark Supremes may be intended to create a powerful faction under his control.
• The Dark Supremes shift from suspicion toward cautious admiration of Li Ming, though they remain wary of transforming under the Lord of Taichu’s supervision. Their willingness to relocate to Beidou shows that they are preparing for future cooperation and competition.

Significant Themes

• Heaven’s blessing and hidden curse: Sacred Spirits possess extraordinary innate advantages, but their path is filled with suffering, danger, and uncertain fate.
• Trust versus manipulation: Li Ming’s sincerity earns the Dark Supremes’ respect, while the Lord of Taichu’s offer appears generous but leaves them uneasy.
• The struggle for longevity: With their lifespans limited, the Dark Supremes are tempted by any method that can help them survive, even if it means changing their race and placing themselves under another power’s protection.
• Identity and transformation: Becoming a Sacred Spirit may alter the Dark Supremes’ bodies and nature, but their True Spirits and loyalty to their original races remain intact.
• Cruelty of cultivation and predation: The possibility that powerful Dark Supremes preserve Sacred Spirit fetuses only to devour them later highlights the brutal survival logic governing the cultivation world.
• The consolidation of power: Beidou is becoming a gathering point for forbidden zones, imperial clans, human ancestral courts, and rising sacred lands, setting the stage for future conflicts around the Road to Immortality.

Character Interactions

• Li Ming openly addresses the Dark Supremes and promises them protection, leading many to praise his virtue and acknowledge that he does not kill without provocation.
• The Lord of Taichu uses Li Ming’s endorsement to strengthen his recruitment pitch, guiding the Dark Supremes through the Ancient Mine and displaying its astonishing resources.
• The Dark Supremes admire the Taichu Divine Mountain but collectively resist committing themselves to transformation there, revealing their distrust of the Lord of Taichu.
• Li Ming observes the Lord of Taichu’s claims with concealed amusement, recognizing that he may have taken Taichu’s original destiny and built an identity around it.
• The arrival of the new forbidden zones changes the balance of power on Beidou, while the Boundless Sacred Land stands firm and unaffected under the protection of its divine cauldron.