Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Bad Guy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming is enveloped in an immense demonic aura after deliberately immersing himself in painful memories. He explains that he was cultivating by imitating the Ruthless Empress’s Red Dust Dao path, using suffering and mortal experiences to transform his Dao heart.
• Although he claims to be fine, Xia Jiuyou recognizes the sorrow and danger hidden within him. She rushes into his arms, expressing her fear and concern.
• Jiang Ming responds affectionately, embracing her and teasingly tugging at her twin ponytails. Acknowledging that he understands her long-standing feelings for him, he accepts her as another confidante. The two spend five days together in an intimate relationship.
• Five days later, Jiang Ming gives Xia Jiuyou a powerful Dragon-Pattern Black Gold Saint Weapon. It can transform between a bracelet, protective battle armor, and a mechanized armor capable of unleashing its full power.
• Xia Jiuyou, embarrassed but happy after finally achieving her long-held wish, privately calls Jiang Ming a “bad guy” before leaving to recover and cultivate.
• Meanwhile, Jiang Ming successfully refines the Fifth-Stage Evolution Liquid using the Hengyu Furnace. The process produces spectacular divine phenomena, including manifestations of mythical beasts, immortal figures, and tremendous Great Dao energy.
• The Fifth-Stage Evolution Liquid can help Saints transform and strengthen their foundations. It provides little benefit to Jiang Ming because his foundation is already exceptionally profound, but it greatly benefits his companions.
• The Heavenly Jade Saintess, already a Saint King, uses the liquid to strengthen her origin, body, Primordial Spirit, and overall foundation.
• Jiang Ming’s daughter, Jiang Tingting, reaches the seventh level of Immortal Stage Three after using Second-Stage Evolution Liquid. She plans to reserve the Third-Stage liquid for her future Half-Saint breakthrough.
• Jiang Ming prepares for his group to eventually travel the Starry Sky Ancient Road. His resources will support his confidantes, while Xia Jiuyou and Jiang Tingting remain temporarily on the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star. The planet will ultimately be entrusted to Tongtong, who is currently the strongest among his generation.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Demonstrates a dangerous but deliberate method of cultivating his Dao heart through emotional suffering. He continues pursuing multiple paths to immortality, seeking both Red Dust Immortal transformation and the War Immortal path. He also deepens his relationship with Xia Jiuyou and takes responsibility for strengthening all of his companions.
• Xia Jiuyou: Moves from a long-held, secret admiration of Jiang Ming to becoming his confirmed confidante. Her bold confession through physical affection contrasts with her later shyness and embarrassment. She is also equipped with powerful armor and is expected to advance rapidly toward Sainthood.
• Jiang Tingting: Grows stronger through the Evolution Liquid and remains supportive of Xia Jiuyou, recognizing how long she has loved Jiang Ming. Her maturity and future potential continue to develop.
• The Heavenly Jade Saintess and Jiang Ming’s other confidantes: Benefit from Jiang Ming’s resources, gaining stronger bodies, origins, and foundations in preparation for their future journey.
• Tongtong: Is established as the strongest combatant among the younger generation and is positioned to guard the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star after the others depart.

Significant Themes

• Suffering as cultivation: Jiang Ming uses anguish and painful memories as a means of transforming his Dao heart, reflecting the chapter’s connection between emotional endurance and spiritual advancement.
• Love and long-term devotion: Xia Jiuyou’s decades-long affection finally receives an answer, emphasizing patience, loyalty, and the fulfillment of unspoken feelings.
• Power and preparation: The Evolution Liquids and Saint Weapons represent Jiang Ming’s efforts to prepare his companions for the dangers of the Starry Sky Ancient Road.
• Balancing attachment and destiny: Jiang Ming maintains close bonds with his companions while pursuing immense cosmic ambitions and multiple paths to immortality.
• Succession and protection: As the older generation prepares to leave, Tongtong’s role as guardian of the Big Dipper signals the passing of responsibility to the next generation.

Character Interactions

• Xia Jiuyou emotionally confronts Jiang Ming after sensing his dangerous demonic aura, while Jiang Ming reassures her and responds to her affection.
• Their relationship changes from unrequited admiration to intimacy, with Jiang Ming teasing her and Xia Jiuyou reacting with both happiness and embarrassment.
• Jiang Ming continues to act as protector and provider for his confidantes, personally crafting armor and distributing Evolution Liquid.
• Jiang Tingting welcomes Xia Jiuyou’s new relationship with Jiang Ming, viewing her as an aunt and recognizing the emotional significance of her long-standing love.

Jiang Ming joined Ye Fan’s expedition to the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star and discovered the Void Great Emperor’s lingering obsession trapped in a ghost fleet’s ancient coffin. He awakened the Void Mirror and offered Ageless Immortal Spring to help preserve the Void Great Emperor as the battle continued.

• Jiang Ming traveled aboard an Eternal Star Region warship disguised as Ji Zi while Ye Fan led the fleet toward the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star.
• The Eternal Star Region fleet encountered four missing Great Saint-class Motherships towing an ancient coffin, and Jiang Ming recognized it as the Void Great Emperor’s prison for Supreme corpses and lingering obsessions.
• Jiang Ming avoided disturbing the coffin and entered the cosmic void with the Void Mirror, calling on it through the Void Scripture.
• The Void Mirror awakened after sensing the Void Great Emperor’s aura, and Jiang Ming offered it three drops of Ageless Immortal Spring to preserve the Great Emperor’s lingering obsession.

Jiang Ming acquired the Eternal Star Region fleet and watched the Void Mirror absorb the lingering obsessions of three Supremes, earning two True Immortal-level rewards. He planned to use the fleet to establish a foothold in the Eternal Star Region and protect it from the future Dark Cataclysm.

• The Void Mirror awakened, transported the attacking fleet away from the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star, and left the Gu Dailu Fleet Group for Jiang Ming.
• The Void Mirror entered the darkness around the Divine Spirit Coffin and absorbed the three Supremes' lingering obsessions, joining with the Void Great Emperor's obsession.
• Jiang Ming received the Heaven-Mending Scripture and the Heaven-Mending Five-Colored Stone as five-star rewards after two of the lingering obsessions perished.
• The Void Mirror returned to Jiang Ming, and its inner deity shared its joy and gratitude with him.
• Jiang Ming decided to use his acquired fleet and Great Saint corpses to build a force in the Eternal Star Region and protect it from the Dark Cataclysm.

Jiang Ming explained to Fan Xian, Qi Meng, and Qi Zitong that the battle surrounding the Ninefold Divine Spirit Coffin was still raging between the Void Great Emperor and two Supremes. Meanwhile, his true self used the Sixth-Stage Evolution Liquid in seclusion to pursue the Saint King Realm.

• Jiang Ming told Fan Xian and Qi Meng that a Great Emperor's corpse and its laws could kill even powerful Saints, explaining why the Eternal Star Region's expeditionary force had been doomed a hundred thousand years earlier.
• Jiang Ming revealed that the disturbance came from lingering obsessions and laws of a battle between Great Emperors, which would have destroyed the fleet if it had been caught in them.
• Ye Fan realized that the Void Mirror imitation had reacted and connected the ongoing battle to the Void Great Emperor's trap for two Supremes of the Undying Mountain.
• Jiang Ming identified the Void Great Emperor and said he had suppressed the Dark Cataclysm, but refused to reveal more until the women became Saints.
• Jiang Ming's true self began secluded cultivation with the Sixth-Stage Evolution Liquid to break through to the Saint King Realm.

After completing his cultivation, Jiang Ming intercepted Qi Zitong, Fan Xian, and Qi Meng from the arriving Eternal Star Region fleet and brought them to watch his Saint King tribulation. As he fought the tribulation, Qi Zitong explained Jiang Ming’s strength and offers to the other women while warning that the fleet might suffer a disastrous defeat on the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star.

• Jiang Ming completed his cultivation and left seclusion as the Eternal Star Region’s Alliance Expeditionary Fleet arrived.
• Jiang Ming used a Star Shift to take Qi Zitong, Fan Xian, and Qi Meng and their Saint-grade Spaceships from the fleet, sparing them while leaving Ye Fan’s plan intact.
• Jiang Ming appeared in green-gold battle robes and began his Saint King tribulation as lightning imprints of ancient emperors attacked him.
• Qi Zitong told Fan Xian and Qi Meng that Jiang Ming was a powerful native of the Life Ancient Star and offered them motherships and evolution liquid if they became his women.
• Qi Zitong warned that the Eternal Star Region fleet would likely be overwhelmed by the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star’s ancient weapons.

The Eternal Star Region Alliance invaded the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star, capturing Primordial Race fighters and provoking battles with the Primordial Royal Clans and Life Forbidden Zones. Jiang Ming’s companions watched the fighting while reflecting on the wider universe and the need to explore beyond their world.

• Fan Xian and Qi Meng realized they could not stop the Alliance Fleet, whose leaders were determined to conquer the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star.
• The Eternal Star Region forces used probe saucers and their captive’s mental imprints to target promising locations, while Ye Hei and Southern Demon Qi Lin’s trap sent them toward danger.
• A Saint-Grade Flying Saucer captured two Great Accomplished Kings guarding Fire Qilin Cave with Five-Colored Divine Light.
• Some Alliance factions attacked the Undying Mountain, the Divine Ruins, and the Ancient Mine of Absolute Beginning, while attacks on the Primordial Royal Clans triggered fierce retaliation.
• Jiang Ming warned Dragon Emperor's Daughter, Golden Heavenly Maiden, and Huoliner, whose clans deployed Ancient Emperor Armaments to repel the attackers.
• Dragon Emperor's Daughter, Golden Heavenly Maiden, and Huoliner watched the conflict and discussed the Eternal Star Region, the Primordial Race’s future, and the need to travel the Starry Sky Ancient Road.

Jiang Ming completed his seven-month tribulation and secured control of the Eternal Star Region’s fleet, preparing to expand his forces across the stars. He sent his followers toward the Ziwei Imperial Star while his Vermilion Bird Totem Deity returned to the Fire Domain to cultivate.

• The Eternal Star Region captured the Son of the Celestial Emperor, whose blood could be used to produce Third-Stage Evolution Liquid, while its fleet later suffered a crushing defeat against the Primordial Royal Clans.
• Jiang Ming used the Ruthless Soul-Transforming Art during his tribulation to convert Fan Xian and Qi Meng, strengthening his hold over the fleet and its future commanders.
• After reaching the Saint King Realm, Jiang Ming met his Vermilion Bird Totem Deity in a starless region and exchanged Dao principles with him before sending him back to the Fire Domain with the Hengyu Furnace.
• Jiang Ming told Qi Zitong, Qi Meng, and Fan Xian to learn their warships and build up his forces, promising to provide them with evolution liquid.
• Jiang Ming gave Qi Zitong coordinates for the Ziwei Imperial Star and told her to deliver a jade slip to his kidney Dao Palace Deity, while he planned to set his Black Tortoise Totem Deity in motion.

Jiang Ming planned to use evolution liquid to strengthen his allies and prepare for future battles, while Ye Fan pursued his own advancement and obtained ingredients from Jiang Ming. As evolution liquid spread across the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star, Jiang Ming arranged for his companions and followers to grow stronger and eventually venture into the Eternal Star Region.

• Jiang Ming planned to refine seventh- and eighth-stage evolution liquid, and considered using his Undying Divine Medicines to make the ninth stage for future battles against the Forbidden Land Supremes.
• Ye Fan sought Jiang Ming’s blood to refine evolution liquid, and Jiang Ming gave him blood and nine drops of Thunder Tribulation Liquid.
• The Primordial Royal Clans collected materials and formulas to refine evolution liquid as the Eternal Star Region’s expedition spurred a new upheaval across the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star.
• After Qi Zitong, Qi Meng, and Fan Xian reached Quasi-Saint, Jiang Ming sent them back to the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star to organize subordinates and advance toward sainthood.
• Jiang Ming planned to send Yan Ruyu, Zixia, Jiang Chanyu, Yi Qingwu, Yao Yao, Huoliner, the Dragon Emperor’s Daughter, and the Golden Heavenly Maiden to the Eternal Star Region once they became Saints, under the protection of his totem deities.

During the six months after the Son of the Celestial Emperor’s kidnapping was forgotten, Jiang Ming refined Evolution Liquid, studied the Heaven-Mending Scripture, and prepared for the coming calamity. He sent a fleet and several companions to establish a faction in the Eternal Star Region while he remained on the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star.

• Jiang Ming passed the Heaven-Mending Scripture to his beloved women, including Gu Qingyao, and advised her to use saint spirit blood essence to strengthen her foundation.
• Jiang Ming sent three Great Saint-level motherships to the Eternal Star Region with Tingting, Xia Jiuyou, the Heavenly Jade Saintess, and Gu Qingyao, while keeping one ship and returning the Void Mirror to the Ji Family.
• Jiang Ming stayed on the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star to accumulate what he needed to refine seventh-stage Evolution Liquid and prepare for the great calamity.
• Tongtong, who had completed Dao Severing, gained experience with the Big Black Dog, Ye Fan, and the others as they attacked Human World and Hell.
• Jiang Ming’s Black Tortoise Totem Deity found Tongtong’s older girl, a genius from the Solar Saint Emperor Lineage, and she set out for the Eternal Star Region to gain experience.

Ten years later, Jiang Ming advanced his cultivation and watched his fate patterns grow stronger, including a matchmaking thread that had unexpectedly bound itself to the Ruthless Empress. The chapter ended with another thick marriage thread reaching into the Endless Starry Sky, where an icy woman dreamed of Jiang Ming as her husband.

• Jiang Ming refined the Seventh-Stage Evolution Liquid and reached the Saint King third heavenly layer while his Great Freedom Dao Scripture entered the first-turn yin-yang turn realm.
• Jiang Ming gained Size Manipulation and Law of Heaven and Earth, and his transformed body let him fight far stronger opponents head-on.
• Jiang Ming discovered that his heavenly lone star fate pattern had grown to nearly four stars, while his peach blossom fate pattern had reached three-and-a-half stars.
• Jiang Ming realized that A Match Made Across a Thousand Miles had become a mutated four-star fate pattern and had bound the Ruthless Empress while her Dao Fruit was separated from her body.
• Jiang Ming sensed another thick Marriage Red Thread extending into the Endless Starry Sky, where an icy woman awoke from dreaming that she was in his arms and calling him husband.

Jiang Ming completed his breakthrough and turned his attention to refining eighth-stage evolution liquid as events unfolded around his allies and disciple. Ye Fan prepared to depart on the Starry Sky Ancient Road, but the old Human Demon returned with seven Golden Crows he had slain while protecting Tongtong.

• The Undying Empress dreamed while Jiang Ming’s mischievous fate pattern bound her with a four-star red thread, and Jiang Ming completed his breakthrough after refining the last lightning into a Dao pill.
• Jiang Ming’s support helped Qi Zitong, Fan Xian, and Qi Meng establish the Immortal Alliance in the Eternal Star Region.
• Tongtong fought two Golden Crow Saints who tried to seize him, and Jiang Ming’s vermilion bird totem deity killed them and gave their bodies to Tongtong as cultivation resources.
• Ye Fan reached the Saint realm and prepared to travel the Starry Sky Ancient Road with Ji Ziyue, Li Xiaoman, An Miaoyi, Qin Yao, and the Yaoguang Sacred Maiden, bringing powerful weapons and protections.
• The old Human Demon returned with seven Golden Crows, including Saints and a Saint King, hanging from his divine chain after they had headed to the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star to attack Tongtong.

Jiang Ming joined Ye Fan and the others as they explored a mysterious formation inside the Eternal Star Region’s Sun Star. They discovered a cocoon containing a human-shaped body, and Jiang Ming silently judged Ye Fan for mistaking it for the Ruthless Empress’s transformation site.

• Jiang Ming and old Human Demon appeared before Ye Fan and his companions, and Jiang Ming teased them about reaching Saint King to become more handsome.
• Old Human Demon opened a passage through the Sun Star’s powerful formations while Jiang Ming recognized their Supreme-level origins.
• Jiang Ming hinted that the place was connected to an old acquaintance, and Pang Bo realized he had to call Jiang Ming Uncle because he was dating Jiang Ming’s niece.
• The group followed old Human Demon deeper into the Sun Star, where they saw formations depicting ancient beasts and sensed Duan De’s familiar aura.
• They found a human-shaped body cocooned in divine light as the Sun Star’s flames turned into essence, and Ye Fan wondered if the Ruthless Empress was transforming there.
• Jiang Ming looked at Ye Fan with sympathy and privately realized that Ye Fan was a dumbass.

Jiang Ming corrected Ye Fan’s mistaken guess about the figure inside the Sun Star and revealed that Duan De was cultivating the Tribulation-Transcending Heavenly Art through repeated reincarnations. After the group reunited, Jiang Ming invited them to a feast and planned to discuss the next fifty years, though Madman remained missing.

• Ye Fan mistook the figure inside the Sun Star for the Ruthless Empress, but Jiang Ming explained that it was Duan De cultivating inside.
• The old Human Demon revealed that Duan De possessed at least four Reincarnation Seals, and Jiang Ming explained that surviving great tribulations helped Duan De’s cultivation.
• Jiang Ming invited everyone to feast in the starry sky and warned the old Human Demon not to target the Primordial Royal Clans he had connections with.
• Jiang Ming brought out meat from a Quasi-Emperor-level white tiger corpse and summoned allies to discuss plans for the next fifty years.
• Jiang Ming regretted that he and the others still could not find Madman.

Jiang Ming hosted a feast for the old Human Demon and gathered his friends, while revealing that his relationships with three Ancient Emperors' Daughters helped keep their clans in check. The guests arrived and exchanged insights, leaving Jiang Ming to continue entertaining the formidable Human Demon.

• The old Human Demon accepted Jiang Ming's invitation and agreed not to attack the Myriad Dragon Nest, the Gold Cave, or Fire Qilin Cave while their Ancient Emperors' Daughters kept their clans in line.
• Jiang Ming teased the Holy Prince by offering to find him a saintess or imperial daughter as a partner.
• Gai Jiuyou arrived and demanded that Jiang Ming call him Master because Jiang Ming had taken Xia Jiuyou as his woman; Jiang Ming agreed while preparing the feast.
• Ye Fan, Pang Bo, Dongfang Ye, the Holy Prince, and other guests arrived, and they exchanged insights on the Dao with the old Human Demon.

Jiang Ming hosted a half-month feast of Quasi-Emperor White Tiger meat, and Gai Jiuyou recovered enough strength to sense another cultivator attempting to become a Quasi-Emperor. Gai Jiuyou rescued the struggling cultivator with Jiang Ming’s Hengyu Furnace and roast meat, securing his promise to protect Jiang Ming for a thousand years.

• Jiang Ming shared Quasi-Emperor White Tiger meat and soup with his guests, while Gai Jiuyou ate more than anyone else and appeared to recover to the Quasi-Emperor Realm.
• After the feast, Gai Jiuyou sensed a nearby cultivator undergoing a Quasi-Emperor breakthrough and brought Jiang Ming and the others to watch.
• Gai Jiuyou warned that the Human Race cultivator might fail and destroy the life-bearing planet beneath him, then offered to save him if he swore to protect Jiang Ming for a thousand years.
• The cultivator agreed, and Jiang Ming lent Gai Jiuyou the Hengyu Furnace.
• Gai Jiuyou entered the tribulation and gave the cultivator Quasi-Emperor roast meat, which helped him break the Great Dao chains and attain the Quasi-Emperor Realm.
• Gai Jiuyou swallowed the tribulation drawn to him and used the Hengyu Furnace to break through the descending divine chains of order.

A ruler survived his Quasi-Emperor tribulation after Gai Jiuyou intervened, and he hosted Jiang Ming and the others on his Life Ancient Star. Jiang Ming returned to the Eternal Star Region to prepare the Immortal Alliance for the coming calamity, determined to become a Quasi-Emperor himself.

• After half a year of tribulation, the ruler became a Quasi-Emperor and wept at the thought that he had nearly destroyed his home star by drawing on its incense power.
• Gai Jiuyou warned the new Quasi-Emperor that relying on external power was not the true Great Dao, and the ruler welcomed the group to his Life Ancient Star.
• Jiang Ming and the others discovered the star’s centralized imperial rule and Five-Element Saint Fruit, and Jiang Ming took some fruit for his loved ones.
• Ye Fan departed on the Starry Ancient Road with several of his wives, while Jiang Ming released his new Quasi-Emperor protector and headed for the Eternal Star Region.
• Jiang Ming warned the Immortal Alliance that Primordial Ancestral Kings and other forces would bring a calamity to the Eternal Star Region, and he prepared rescued Half-Saints to pilot mecha.
• Jiang Ming resolved to keep growing stronger until he reached the Quasi-Emperor Realm.

The Primordial Royal Clans launched a Great Saint-led expedition against the Eternal Star Region, where Jiang Ming’s Immortal Alliance and powerful allies stood in their way. As the chapter left the conflict looming, Jiang Chanyu’s White Tiger Dao Bone and jade marrow charm body had made her strong enough to fight an Ancient Emperor’s Daughter, and Jiang Ming gave her an incomplete Quasi-Emperor Armament.

• The Primordial Royal Clans prepared to attack the Eternal Star Region, while Huoliner and the Golden Heavenly Maiden opposed the expedition because Jiang Ming’s allies had grown formidable.
• Jiang Ming outfitted his daughter Tingting and Youyou with powerful armaments and had Gai Jiuyou refine a protective Mecha from a Quasi-Emperor-level White Tiger skeleton.
• Jiang Ming’s body grew to eight hundred zhang after reaching the Saint King Fourth Heavenly Layer, allowing him to send a Heritage Great Saint Weapon Mecha flying with a slap.
• The three Ancient Emperor’s Daughters refused to lend their Ancient Emperor Armaments, but Great Saints from the Myriad Dragon Nest, Gold Cave, and Fire Qilin Cave joined the punitive forces on their own.
• Fire Qilin Son learned from Huoliner that Jiang Ming had become one of the Eternal Star Region’s greatest powers.
• Jiang Chanyu’s White Tiger Dao Bone, jade marrow charm body, and training let her contend with an Ancient Emperor’s Daughter, and Jiang Ming gave her an incomplete Quasi-Emperor Armament.

Jiang Ming prepared the Eternal Star Region for an impending attack by Primordial Royal Clans and other forces seeking its resources. Three Primordial Ancestral Kings launched a raid on Canglan Ancient Star, where armored defenders and city barriers met them.

• Jiang Ming noted that the Tiger-Headed Gilt Spear had been restored but lost its inner deity, and he planned to give it to Jiang Chanyu.
• Jiang Ming's Dao Palace Deities advanced through their cultivation, while Ying Yunxi grew into a Great Accomplished King through years of cultivation and trade with Yi Qingwu.
• The Immortal Alliance warned the Eternal Star Region's Life Stars to watch for a coming beast tide from the Big Dipper Star Domain.
• Three ninth-heaven Saint Primordial Ancestral Kings from the Heaven-Mixing Clan, Divine Strength Clan, and Water Spirit Clan appeared above Canglan Ancient Star and reached for shopping complexes.
• Armored defenders drove back the three attackers with sacred swords as energy barriers rose around the city.

The Primordial Royal Clans invaded the Eternal Star Region, and Jiang Ming and his allies fought back as the conflict escalated to the Great Saint level. After defeating two Great Saints near Canglan Ancient Star, Jiang Ming and Gu Qingyao hurried to confront the Great Saints of Primordial Lake and Blood Phoenix Mountain, who had plundered other worlds.

• The Eternal Star Region’s weapons and Mecha inflicted heavy losses on the invading Primordial Ancestral Kings, while Xia Jiuyou, Jiang Tingting, and Jiang Ming’s companions defeated attackers at several fronts.
• After two days of fighting, the Primordial Ancestral Kings called for their Great Saints, and three days later the conflict escalated as more than five Great Saints joined the assault.
• Jiang Ming discovered that Ye Fan had returned from the Starry Sky Ancient Road and was working as a mercenary, but stayed to oversee the war and lent Gu Qingyao the Fuxi Dragon Monument.
• Jiang Ming sent King Nine-Phoenix flying with a single slap, while Gu Qingyao wounded Great Saint Ganlun and forced him to flee without an arm.
• When Great Saints from Primordial Lake and Blood Phoenix Mountain plundered two marquis powers, Jiang Ming and Gu Qingyao rushed to intercept them and prevent the Primordial Race from gaining a foothold.

Chapter Summary: “Humanoid Mecha”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming transforms into a thirty-meter-tall crimson Humanoid Mecha, an enhanced form of his Extreme Dao Mecha, and battles a Great Saint from Primordial Lake.
• Using the divine ability Nearness and Ends of the Earth, Jiang Ming makes his own attacks unavoidable while rendering his opponent’s attacks ineffective. Although he holds a slight advantage, the difference in realms prevents him from quickly defeating the Great Saint.
• Jiang Ming uses the battle to temper his body and test the power of his cultivation, particularly the third transformation of the Great Freedom Dao Scripture.
• Meanwhile, Gu Qingyao fights a stronger Great Saint from Blood Phoenix Mountain, who has reached the Great Saint Ninth Heaven.
• Gu Qingyao defeats and kills her opponent within half a day, seizing his gains. Blood Phoenix Mountain is revealed to possess no Emperor Armament because its former emperor fused with the Phoenix-Winged Gilt Gold Trident in pursuit of longevity.
• After Gu Qingyao returns, Jiang Ming’s opponent loses all hope. The Ancient Emperor Armament Origin Pot revives, captures the Primordial Lake Great Saint, and returns to Primordial Lake.
• The Saint Beast Alliance suffers catastrophic losses and withdraws from the Big Dipper Star Domain.
• Two peaceful years pass. Jiang Ming spends his time refining Fifth-Stage Evolution Liquid, helping his loved ones cultivate and preparing for his own future advancement.
• Jiang Ming hears rumors of an Undying Divine Medicine called the Life Ancient Tree, believed to be a willow tree. He wonders whether it might be connected to Willow God and decides to obtain it.
• Ye Fan offers Jiang Ming the Life Ancient Tree’s location in exchange for Fifth-Stage Evolution Liquid for his confidantes. Jiang Ming readily agrees.
• Ten days later, Jiang Ming, Qin Yao, and their group arrive at a dying planet called Life Ancient Star. They discover a mysterious altar bearing Saint Beast remains, broken Saint-grade artifacts, and a jade plate radiating immense life energy—the likely location or source of the Life Ancient Tree.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming demonstrates overwhelming combat versatility. His spatial divine ability allows him to contend with a Great Saint Seventh Heaven despite his lower realm, while his physical body and Primordial Spirit continue to grow stronger.
• He remains measured and strategic, choosing not to transform further because Gu Qingyao’s victory makes a prolonged battle unnecessary.
• Gu Qingyao proves that years of accumulated cultivation have brought her into the Divine Forbidden Realm. Her victory over a Great Saint Ninth Heaven confirms her status as an exceptional prodigy and suggests that her breakthrough to Quasi-Emperor is approaching.
• Ye Fan continues supporting his companions and confidantes. Although he possesses only Fourth-Stage Evolution Liquid, he negotiates with Jiang Ming to obtain the stronger medicine needed to help them progress along the Saint path.
• Qin Yao acts as Jiang Ming’s guide during the search for the Life Ancient Tree.

Significant Themes

• Power overcoming realm differences: Jiang Ming’s techniques, physical strength, and cultivation foundation allow him to challenge opponents at a much higher realm.
• Accumulation and opportunity: Gu Qingyao’s long years of preparation finally yield results once she gains access to better opportunities and resources.
• Strategic restraint: Jiang Ming avoids unnecessary transformations and does not attempt to suppress the Ancient Emperor Armament, recognizing when the effort would not be worthwhile.
• Pursuit of longevity and immortality: The Blood Phoenix Mountain emperor’s fusion with an Emperor Armament and the search for the Life Ancient Tree both reflect the cultivation world’s obsession with eternal life.
• Death and renewal: The dying Life Ancient Star contrasts with the powerful life energy surrounding the altar, suggesting that destruction and rebirth may coexist.
• Mutual support and exchange: Jiang Ming and Ye Fan cooperate through a fair trade, using their respective resources to aid their loved ones.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming battles the Primordial Lake Great Saint while Gu Qingyao fights the Blood Phoenix Mountain Great Saint, creating a coordinated confrontation between their group and the Saint Beast Alliance.
• Gu Qingyao’s return after her victory completely breaks Jiang Ming’s opponent’s morale.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Fan maintain a close brotherly relationship, but Ye Fan still treats their exchange as a formal transaction.
• Jiang Ming’s relationship with Gu Qingyao is both romantic and supportive; he trusts her strength and expects her eventual rise to the Quasi-Emperor realm.
• Qin Yao accompanies Jiang Ming to the Life Ancient Star and directs him toward the mysterious altar.