Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming completes his breakthrough into the Other Shore Realm while enduring the Netherfire Tribulation. His snake-shaped Lightning Ancestral Shaman Divine Form protects him, allowing him to use the tribulation flames to temper his body, refine treasures, brew wine, and nourish both his Ancestral Shaman Dharma Forms and the Azure Emperor’s Heart.
• He and Yan Ruyu move from the fourth-layer Netherfire Domain into the fifth-layer Sacred Flame Domain, where the flames can ignite a cultivator’s divine power.
• Yan Ruyu reports that her weapon is nearly complete, requiring only polishing and inscriptions. She begins cultivating with her White Lotus weapon, made from Mutton-Fat White Jade Divine Iron.
• Jiang Ming finishes refining his fourth weapon, the Golden Lotus, inscribing it with forty-nine Dao Patterns and nine Emperor-Character Dao Patterns. After absorbing the golden flames, the lotus grows from walnut-sized to fist-sized, significantly advancing his Other Shore cultivation.
• Jiang Ming undergoes another physical transformation and senses that his Great Freedom Dao Scripture and one of his Ancestral Shaman Divine Forms are close to advancing.
• The pair enters the sixth-layer Purple Qi Eastward Flame, a region dangerous even to Dragon Transformation cultivators and Half-Step Great Abilities.
• Yan Ruyu’s “Bitter Sea Growing Golden Lotuses” phenomenon is nearly destroyed by the flames, but Jiang Ming’s newly awakened Twelve-Colored Chaos Fire Dragon Ancestral Shaman Divine Form shields them both.
• Jiang Ming begins refining the Purple Qi Eastward Flame into wine and Fire-Element Essence. He discovers that the Azure Emperor’s Heart can absorb this essence, creating a mutually beneficial method for strengthening it and supporting his future transformations.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming grows stronger through the Fire Domain, advancing his Other Shore cultivation, refining his Golden Lotus weapon, and undergoing another bodily transformation.
• His mastery of the Ancestral Shaman Divine Forms expands with the awakening of the Twelve-Colored Chaos Fire Dragon, a powerful flame-protecting manifestation that can pacify even the terrifying sixth-layer flames.
• Jiang Ming continues developing a strategic, long-term cultivation philosophy. Rather than exhausting resources immediately, he preserves them for greater future gains.
• Yan Ruyu progresses toward completing her weapon and remains confident in her combat potential, though she recognizes the need to reach the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm and awaken the Azure Lotus Saint Body.
• Yan Ruyu’s confidence is tempered by awareness of powerful rivals, including the Yaochi Sacred Maiden, Yaoguang Sacred Son, Hua Yunfei, and Ji Haoyue.
• She also grows more emotionally comfortable with Jiang Ming, valuing their quiet companionship and shared cultivation.

Significant Themes

• Mutual cultivation and companionship: Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu advance together, with Jiang Ming protecting and supporting her while she shares his journey.
• Resource preservation and long-term planning: Jiang Ming emphasizes nurturing treasures and divine forms instead of consuming them recklessly, comparing cultivation to maintaining a pond or preserving a hen’s ability to lay eggs.
• Transformation through adversity: The dangerous Fire Domain is not merely a threat but a source of refinement, allowing Jiang Ming’s body, weapons, divine forms, and treasures to evolve.
• Balance and mutual benefit: Jiang Ming’s use of the Fire-Element Essence to nourish the Azure Emperor’s Heart reflects his belief in reciprocal growth rather than destructive extraction.
• Power and comparison: Yan Ruyu’s reflections on elite cultivators highlight the competitive environment and motivate her pursuit of greater cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming gently holds Yan Ruyu’s hand while guiding her through the Fire Domain and repeatedly checks whether she can withstand each layer.
• Yan Ruyu insists that the fifth layer does not yet threaten her, demonstrating her confidence and determination.
• They cultivate side by side in the Sacred Flame Domain, their shared progress strengthening their emotional bond.
• When Yan Ruyu’s phenomenon begins to collapse in the sixth layer, Jiang Ming’s Twelve-Colored Chaos Fire Dragon protects both of them.
• Jiang Ming encourages Yan Ruyu to use the Purple Qi Eastward Flame for cultivation, reinforcing their cooperative relationship.

Chapter Summary: Crimson Palace Purple Sun

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu cultivate on the sixth level of the Fire Domain, surrounded by extremely powerful Purple Qi Eastward Flame and protected by Jiang Ming’s Twelve-Colored Chaos Fire Dragon.
• After three months of absorbing Fire-Affinity Essence, Jiang Ming breaks through to the late Golden Core stage. His Nine-Aperture Divine-Demon Dao Pill grows into a massive, embryo-like core resembling a naturally born Saint Spirit.
• Jiang Ming uses the tribulation to recultivate the Qi Refining Stage through the Gu Race’s “stealing heaven and replacing the sun” technique, correcting weaknesses from his previous cultivation.
• His Scarlet Lightning Serpent manifestation, Old Serpent, takes control of the tribulation. It shields Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu while allowing the lightning to temper their bodies and treasures rather than destroy them.
• Jiang Ming’s eighteen formation flags are also exposed to the lightning and Purple Qi Eastward Flame for refinement.
• The tribulation escalates into a Five-Element Revolving Grinding Tribulation, followed by the overwhelming Purple Qi Comes from the East Tribulation. Jiang Ming survives only because of Old Serpent’s protection.
• Thirteen miles of Primordial Purple Qi enter the Fire Domain and flow into Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu. Jiang Ming successfully completes another Extreme Realm transformation, while Yan Ruyu cultivates the Void-Born Golden Lotus manifestation.
• The tribulation strips away their clothing, but the resulting transformation greatly strengthens Jiang Ming’s body. His physique becomes comparable to that of a Half-Step Great Ability.
• Jiang Ming’s Sea of Bitterness reaches near perfection, and his Middle Dantian evolves into a true Crimson Palace containing a purple, sun-like Dao Pill. He gains a new form of “qi,” connected to essence, fortune, and an intuitive perception of living beings.
• Jiang Ming receives system notifications that several people have died after hearing him preach, including his hypocritical nephew Han Feiyu. The system rewards him with large quantities of Pure Source, which he plans to use for another transformation.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Advances to the late Golden Core stage and completes multiple physical and spiritual transformations. His Dao Pill, Sea of Bitterness, physical body, and Crimson Palace all evolve dramatically. He also successfully repairs his incomplete Qi Refining foundation and prepares for further breakthroughs, though he still lacks a cultivation method for the Dao Palace Secret Realm.
• Yan Ruyu: Benefits from the shared tribulation and Fire-Affinity Essence. Her body and divine sense are tempered, and she begins cultivating additional lotus manifestations. She sees an opportunity to use the Azure Lotus Heaven-Mending Art to transform her Wheel of the Sea Secret Realm.
• Old Serpent: The Scarlet Lightning Serpent becomes increasingly substantial and powerful due to its long history accompanying Jiang Ming through tribulations. It successfully controls the lightning and protects both cultivators.
• Ye Fan: Does not appear directly, but his return from seclusion causes upheaval and indirectly triggers the deaths that generate Jiang Ming’s system rewards.
• Han Feiyu: Is revealed to have died, earning Jiang Ming a substantial Pure Source reward because of their hostile relationship.

Significant Themes

• Transformation through tribulation: Heavenly punishment is presented not only as danger but also as a means of refining bodies, souls, treasures, and cultivation foundations.
• Stealing heaven and Fortune: Jiang Ming continues exploiting the laws of heaven and earth, imitating Saint Spirits and taking their exclusive Fortune to accelerate his evolution.
• Rebirth and correction: Recultivating the Qi Refining Stage allows Jiang Ming to repair deficiencies from his previous life and achieve a more complete foundation.
• Cultivation as accumulation: Long-term investment in Old Serpent and the Azure Emperor’s Heart begins to yield major benefits, emphasizing patience and preparation.
• Interconnected destinies: Jiang Ming’s fortunes are linked to Ye Fan’s conflicts. The deaths caused by Ye Fan’s actions become rewards for Jiang Ming, turning danger and chaos into resources.
• Mystery of “qi”: Jiang Ming’s new Crimson Palace and purple Dao Pill introduce a deeper power related to essence, Fortune, and an intuitive awareness beyond ordinary senses.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu cultivate side by side and endure the combined tribulation together. Their proximity causes their tribulation power to merge, but Jiang Ming and Old Serpent protect her from the worst of it.
• Yan Ruyu watches Jiang Ming closely, increasingly aware that his abilities and secrets are far beyond what she understands.
• While Jiang Ming focuses on recultivating his foundation, Yan Ruyu studies his lotus manifestations and uses them as inspiration for her own cultivation.
• Old Serpent acts as Jiang Ming’s protector and tribulation controller, shielding both Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu while allowing the lightning to refine them.
• Jiang Ming interprets the system’s notifications and Ye Fan’s actions with amusement, recognizing that their enemies and conflicts can provide him with valuable resources.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu continue cultivating together in the seventh layer of the Fire Domain, surrounded by the dangerous Five-Colored Cloud Flame and protected by the Twelve-Colored Chaos Fire Dragon.
• Jiang Ming gathers Five-Element Flame Essence for his future Dao Palace cultivation and uses it to nourish the Azure Emperor’s Heart and his Nine Heavens Scarlet Jade King Gourd.
• To complete his ninth transformation under the Dao Scripture, Jiang Ming forces the Azure Emperor’s Heart to release nine strands of essence-blood. He uses four of them to temper his body while his Nine-Aperture Divine-Demon Dao Pill absorbs the other five.
• Jiang Ming undergoes an extraordinary physical transformation. His body sheds its damaged flesh and bone like a cicada shedding its shell, becoming comparable to that of an ordinary seventh-level Half-Step Great Ability.
• After completing his current cultivation, Jiang Ming considers choosing between the Hengyu Scripture and the Western Emperor Scripture for his Dao Palace cultivation, favoring the Western Emperor Scripture because of its reputation as the strongest Dao Palace method.
• Yan Ruyu also benefits greatly from the cultivation session. She advances to the Second Stage of the Four Extremes Secret Realm, successfully refines her White Lotus Artifact, develops a second Golden Lotus phenomenon, and strengthens her body to the Ninth Transformation of the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm.
• The pair leave the Fire Domain on Jiang Ming’s Life-Bound Sword, with Yan Ruyu holding onto him as he accelerates away.
• Meanwhile, the Ji Family, Yaoguang Sacred Land, and another Desolate Ancient Family prepare to enter the Desolate Forbidden Land after discovering that ordinary people have emerged from it. Their goal is to obtain Saint Fruits, while numerous smaller cultivators flock to the region hoping to harvest ancient spirit herbs.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming completes a crucial bodily transformation and greatly increases his physical strength. His confidence in combining multiple cultivation scriptures also grows, reflecting his faith in his own talent and the versatility of his Great Freedom Dao Scripture.
• Yan Ruyu becomes significantly stronger through Jiang Ming’s guidance. Her cultivation, artifacts, physical body, and phenomena all improve, while her emotional attachment and trust toward Jiang Ming become increasingly evident.
• Yan Ruyu’s embarrassment and unease surface when she realizes that both she and Jiang Ming are nearly unclothed after their robes are destroyed. Despite this, she recognizes that she does not dislike their intimacy.
• Jiang Ming displays his usual shameless humor, pretending not to notice his lack of clothing and teasing Yan Ruyu about giving him better robes.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation through shared opportunity: Both characters benefit from the Fire Domain, demonstrating how powerful environments and mutual cooperation can accelerate advancement.
• Physical strength as a path to supremacy: The chapter emphasizes that overwhelming bodily power can break through techniques and laws, making physical cultivation a decisive advantage.
• Resource scarcity and poverty: Jiang Ming’s poor-quality robes and Yan Ruyu’s dependence on the Azure Emperor’s legacy introduce a humorous contrast between their immense potential and limited material wealth.
• Growing intimacy and trust: Their shared cultivation, physical proximity, teasing, and mutual reliance deepen their relationship without either character openly acknowledging it.
• Competition for ancient opportunities: The approaching expedition into the Desolate Forbidden Land sets up a wider conflict over Saint Fruits, spirit herbs, and the treasures of forbidden regions.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming repeatedly takes Yan Ruyu’s hand to ensure the Chaos Fire Dragon continues protecting her, showing both practical concern and physical closeness.
• He relies on the Azure Emperor’s Heart for his transformation, while Yan Ruyu silently accepts that he should use the inherited treasure.
• Yan Ruyu becomes flustered after discovering their robes have burned away, while Jiang Ming responds by jokingly pretending ignorance.
• Their conversation about clothing highlights their personalities: Jiang Ming is playful and shameless, while Yan Ruyu remains calm and innocent on the surface but is increasingly affected by their closeness.
• Jiang Ming invites Yan Ruyu to return to the Fire Domain for deeper cultivation, and she readily agrees, confirming their continued partnership.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu return to the Peach Garden Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm after traveling more than two hundred thousand li through two kingdoms.
• During the journey, they gather rare spiritual herbs and capture powerful savage beasts and vicious birds to use as ingredients for Jiang Ming’s wine-brewing.
• Their trip includes traveling through Wei Kingdom’s capital, sharing a meal, enjoying mortal life, and developing a much closer relationship.
• After returning, they discuss the Ji Family and Yaoguang Sacred Land’s plan to enter the Desolate Forbidden Land in search of Saint Fruits.
• Jiang Ming reveals that he intends to visit the region, both to gather spiritual herbs and to meet Ye Fan. He hopes to obtain Divine Spring water for brewing wine and has prepared a large container to help Ye Fan transport it.
• The group discusses Jin Ling, a powerful Golden-Winged Roc and Yan Ruyu’s former protector, who has been missing for years after seeking Sacred Medicine in the Primordial Mountain Range.
• Jiang Ming learns that Jin Ling was severely injured by a Desolate Slave and is hiding near the Desolate Forbidden Land.
• Yan Ruyu initially wants to accompany Jiang Ming and bring Jin Ling a trace of the Azure Emperor’s Heart blood essence, but Jiang Ming and Qin Yao warn that the area is too dangerous and that human forces may target her.
• Yan Ruyu gives Jiang Ming one of Jin Ling’s feathers and a Spirit Jade containing a message, asking him to find and bring Jin Ling back.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu’s relationship shifts from guarded strangers to an openly familiar and increasingly intimate partnership. Their shared journey and time in the mortal world strengthen their bond.
• Jiang Ming displays overwhelming speed and confidence, casually defeating or capturing beasts far above ordinary cultivators and showing increasing resourcefulness in gathering cultivation materials.
• Jiang Ming remains practical and protective, refusing to bring Yan Ruyu into the Desolate Forbidden Land because her presence would increase the danger.
• Yan Ruyu shows deep loyalty and affection toward Jin Ling, whom she regards as both a protector and an important maternal figure from her childhood.
• Yan Ruyu also demonstrates greater trust in Jiang Ming by entrusting him with Jin Ling’s feather and personal message.
• Qin Yao acts as a clear-headed strategist, recognizing that Yan Ruyu would be a valuable target for human cultivators.
• Little Qing remains energetic and inquisitive, teasing Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu about their relationship.

Significant Themes

• Growing intimacy and trust: Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu’s shared experiences gradually transform their relationship.
• Protection and loyalty: Yan Ruyu’s concern for Jin Ling reflects the lasting bonds between protectors and those they raise.
• Dangerous pursuit of cultivation opportunities: The search for Sacred Medicine, Saint Fruits, and Divine Spring water illustrates how cultivators risk their lives for advancement.
• Preparation versus recklessness: Jiang Ming’s careful planning contrasts with the dangerous ambitions of the human forces seeking to enter the Desolate Forbidden Land.
• Fate and altered destiny: The chapter suggests that events differ from the original plot, with Jin Ling surviving long enough to potentially be rescued rather than dying as she did in the presumed timeline.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu travel closely together, hunt beasts, gather herbs, and enjoy the scenery, reflecting their newfound comfort with one another.
• Little Qing and Qin Yao tease them about whether their journey involved romantic or improper behavior.
• Qin Yao and Jiang Ming both advise Yan Ruyu not to enter the Desolate Forbidden Land.
• Yan Ruyu explains Jin Ling’s importance to her, revealing that Jin Ling protected her for eleven years after discovering her in a secret realm.
• Yan Ruyu entrusts Jiang Ming with contacting Jin Ling and delivering her request to return and prepare for her breakthrough to the Great Ability realm.

Chapter Summary: Ye Fan and Nannan

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming leaves Yan Ruyu after obtaining the Divine Spring, intending to use it for brewing divine-grade wine and possibly gather additional brewing materials.
• He returns to Great Yan, his birthplace, and encounters Nannan in a poor and neglected state. Her appearance reminds him of his daughter, Tingting, whom he has not visited in years.
• Jiang Ming buys Nannan a bun and restores her memories of their previous meetings by placing them directly into her mind. Nannan remembers their time together, including their adventures and battles at the Taixuan Sect, and cries because she believes Jiang Ming abandoned her.
• Jiang Ming comforts Nannan by describing her as a little fairy undergoing mortal tribulation.
• Ye Fan arrives and tells Jiang Ming that he may enter the Desolate Forbidden Land to obtain its Saint Fruits. Jiang Ming transports Ye Fan and Nannan away from the town to speak privately.
• Jiang Ming gives Ye Fan a huge unrefined pottery jar, shrunk and sealed so it can be stored in Ye Fan’s Sea of Bitterness. He asks Ye Fan to use it to collect the Divine Spring and share some with him for brewing.
• Although Ye Fan questions why Jiang Ming will not accompany him, Jiang Ming refuses to enter the Desolate Forbidden Land, explaining that he senses an impending calamity there. He trusts Ye Fan’s fortune and believes he will survive.
• Jiang Ming asks Ye Fan to give one Saint Fruit to Tingting because of her poor condition. In return, he promises to provide cultivation methods for the Dao Palace and Four Extremes realms. Ye Fan accepts the exchange.
• A strange, white-haired old man—the Madman—appears, repeatedly crying and laughing about everyone being dead. Jiang Ming unexpectedly proposes that he and Ye Fan help the Madman cry.
• Meanwhile, Ye Fan’s former classmates are being escorted into the Primordial Mountain Range by powerful forces and forced to gather herbs.
• Jiang Ming, Nannan, Ye Fan, and the Madman enter the ancient forest. Jiang Ming releases the painful obsessions and memories from his past lives, entering a demonic state and sobbing violently over his regrets, lost loved ones, and inability to change the past.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Shows deep affection for Nannan and continued guilt over neglecting Tingting. His casual humor and generosity conceal intense grief from his previous lives. By confronting his memories, he reveals unresolved regret, self-loathing, and an inability to accept death or lost opportunities.
• Nannan: Remains clever and resourceful, using charm to obtain food, but is emotionally vulnerable because illness repeatedly causes her to lose her memories. Restored memories strengthen her attachment to Jiang Ming.
• Ye Fan: Demonstrates independence and ambition by willingly planning to enter the Desolate Forbidden Land. He also becomes more practical, recognizing that relationships with Jiang Ming require mutual benefit and agreeing to exchange a Saint Fruit for future cultivation techniques.
• The Madman: Appears mentally broken, alternating between laughter and despair. His mysterious condition becomes linked with Jiang Ming’s own ritual of confronting sorrow.
• Tingting: Though absent, she remains central to Jiang Ming’s motivations. Her poor health drives his request for a Saint Fruit and his determination to obtain the Hengyu inheritance.

Significant Themes

• Memory and loss: Nannan’s lost memories and Jiang Ming’s recovered memories emphasize how identity and relationships depend on remembrance.
• Regret and unresolved grief: Jiang Ming’s breakdown illustrates the lasting pain caused by death, abandonment, and choices that cannot be undone.
• Fate and connection: Jiang Ming believes his repeated meetings with Nannan are guided by fate, while Ye Fan’s fortune may protect him from the dangers of the Forbidden Land.
• Mutual exchange and trust: Jiang Ming and Ye Fan’s agreement reflects the practical nature of adult relationships, where friendship is strengthened by reciprocal aid.
• Parental affection and responsibility: Nannan reminds Jiang Ming of his daughter, and his concern for Tingting reveals both love and guilt over his prolonged absence.
• The pursuit of transcendence: The Saint Fruits, Emperor Scriptures, and divine resources represent the characters’ efforts to overcome mortal limitations, illness, and even death.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming treats Nannan with tenderness, feeding her, restoring her memories, wiping her tears, and reassuring her that he will not abandon her.
• Ye Fan questions Jiang Ming about Nannan and Tingting, prompting Jiang Ming to reveal his emotional attachment and his plans for Tingting’s future.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Fan negotiate a mutually beneficial arrangement concerning the Saint Fruits and cultivation techniques.
• Jiang Ming introduces Ye Fan to the Madman in a bizarre and humorous manner, leaving Ye Fan confused and uneasy.
• Nannan lightens the otherwise tragic atmosphere by imitating the adults’ sobbing while eating an Azure Spirit Fruit, contrasting her innocence with Jiang Ming’s overwhelming sorrow.

Chapter Summary: The Old Woman from Six Thousand Years Ago

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming’s demonic energy continues to surge, spreading madness to nearby savage beasts. Ye Fan remains protected by the Bodhi Seed, while Nannan is mysteriously unaffected.
• An ancient woman in green robes, Gu Qingyao, appears. She recognizes Madman as a legendary figure connected to the Heavenly Jade Holy Land six thousand years earlier and is astonished that she cannot determine the origins or fates of Ye Fan, Jiang Ming, Madman, or Nannan.
• Jiang Ming offers Gu Qingyao the Dao Scripture’s Sea of Bitterness Volume and several Quasi-Emperor Scriptures in exchange for a karmic connection. Madman temporarily recovers from his madness and joins the exchange.
• Gu Qingyao confirms that she is an extremely ancient cultivator, older even than Madman. She recalls the destruction surrounding Heavenly Jade Holy Land’s assault on the Desolate Forbidden Land six thousand years earlier.
• Madman recognizes Gu Qingyao and asks about her disciple, Bai Yuehua. Gu reveals that Bai Yuehua died three thousand years ago after reaching only the Holy Master realm, leaving her deeply sorrowful.
• Jiang Ming reveals the Yaoguang Scripture, an inheritance linked to the Yaoguang Sacred Land. Madman and Gu Qingyao examine it, while Ye Fan secretly studies it with the aid of the Bodhi Seed.
• Jiang Ming warns Ye Fan that, as a bearer of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, he must cultivate an Emperor Scripture or Ancient Emperor Scripture if he wishes to progress.
• Gu Qingyao reads part of Ye Fan’s thoughts, revealing her mastery of a limited form of mind-reading. Jiang Ming explains that he comes from the ancient Jiang Family.
• Jiang Ming finally states his true purpose: he asks Gu Qingyao to care for and guide his daughter, Tingting, who possesses the rare Lunar Body but suffers from an imbalance of yin and yang.
• Gu Qingyao is strongly tempted by the possibility of guiding someone with such a legendary physique. Although she does not possess the Supreme Yin Scripture needed to cure Tingting completely, she agrees to meet and possibly mentor her.
• Since Jiang Ming has no personal token belonging to Tingting, he stores memories of their time together in a piece of jade and gives it to Gu Qingyao as proof and a means of forming the connection.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Demonstrates both his dangerous demonic nature and his strategic intelligence. He generously offers powerful scriptures, but his true goal is to secure Gu Qingyao’s protection and guidance for Tingting.
• Ye Fan: Shows caution and initiative by studying the Yaoguang Scripture whenever possible. He becomes more aware of the dangers of his Desolate Ancient Sacred Body and his vulnerability before ancient experts.
• Gu Qingyao: Is established as a six-thousand-year-old—or older—cultivator with extraordinary insight, including mind-reading and fate-related abilities. Her grief over Bai Yuehua has made her reluctant to accept another disciple, but Tingting’s Lunar Body rekindles her interest.
• Madman: His interaction with Jiang Ming temporarily stabilizes his madness. His recognition of Gu Qingyao reveals his deep connection to ancient history and powerful figures.
• Nannan: Remains mysterious, unaffected by Jiang Ming’s demonic energy and hidden even from Gu Qingyao’s perception.
• Tingting: Though absent, she becomes central to the chapter through her Lunar Body, fragile health, and Jiang Ming’s efforts to secure her future.

Significant Themes

• Madness versus clarity: Jiang Ming and Madman embody the tension between demonic madness and surviving consciousness. Their cultivation appears to involve balancing or transforming these opposing forces.
• Fate and unknowability: Gu Qingyao’s inability to read the fate of the group suggests that they are extraordinary variables beyond ordinary destiny.
• Transmission of inheritance: Jiang Ming’s willingness to share ancient scriptures contrasts with the tendency of sects to hoard knowledge, emphasizing the importance of preserving cultivation traditions.
• Parental sacrifice and responsibility: Jiang Ming’s dangerous bargain is motivated primarily by concern for Tingting’s survival and future.
• The weight of time and loss: Gu Qingyao’s longevity has brought immense knowledge but also the pain of watching her disciple and countless contemporaries die.
• Defying limitations: Jiang Ming rejects the belief that the era is unsuitable for Ye Fan’s physique, insisting that cultivation depends on determination and the struggle to overcome fate.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Gu Qingyao: Their negotiation begins as an exchange of scriptures but becomes a request for Gu Qingyao to mentor Tingting.
• Gu Qingyao and Madman: Their meeting reveals a shared ancient history and Gu’s seniority over him. Her mention of Bai Yuehua exposes the losses caused by the passage of time.
• Jiang Ming and Ye Fan: Jiang Ming treats Ye Fan as a younger friend but reprimands him for relying on anything less than the highest-grade scriptures.
• Gu Qingyao and Ye Fan: She recognizes his Desolate Ancient Sacred Body and briefly reads his thoughts, making him acutely aware of the gap between their abilities.
• Jiang Ming and Madman: Jiang Ming offers Madman access to the scriptures, and Madman’s condition improves through their interaction.
• Jiang Ming and Tingting: Although Tingting never appears directly, Jiang Ming’s actions reveal his devotion and determination to secure her protection.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gu Qingyao confirms that the Saint Fruits in the Desolate Forbidden Land are extraordinarily valuable but cannot be obtained by ordinary cultivators.
• Ye Fan introduces himself to Gu Qingyao, hoping to establish a connection with this powerful elder. Jiang Ming explains that Ye Fan survived the Desolate Forbidden Land, regained his youth, and that his classmates were forced to climb Sacred Mountain by the major families and sacred lands.
• Gu Qingyao promises to remember Ye Fan and says she will owe him a favor if he can bring her a Saint Fruit in the future.
• Gu Qingyao leaves, and Jiang Ming reflects on her immense talent, difficult cultivation path, and tragic destiny. Despite reaching the Ninth Heaven of Sainthood, she is destined to die in meditation before becoming a Quasi-Emperor.
• Jiang Ming considers the suppression imposed by Azure Emperor’s laws. Because Azure Emperor attained the Dao on the Big Dipper Burial Emperor Star, cultivation there is especially difficult. The weakening of this suppression suggests that future generations will gradually find it easier to advance.
• Jiang Ming reflects on other major figures from the era, including Gai Jiuyou, Ye Fan, Tu Fei, Duan De, Black Emperor, and the future Golden Crow Emperor.
• Inside Primordial Mountain, the forces of the Ji Family, Jiang Family, and Yaoguang Sacred Land are violently attacked by Primordial Species.
• A Golden-Winged Roc pursues the Yaoguang Sacred Land’s Great Ability, destroying the Nine Phoenixes Facing the Sun Chariot and killing the Fire Phoenix-blooded birds pulling it.
• The Yaoguang elder attacks with a purple sword, a crimson seal, numerous Spirit-Communicating Treasures, and a divine eye capable of firing purple beams. Although he manages to wound the Roc, its overwhelming power and speed allow it to destroy all his attacks.
• The Roc unleashes a terrifying golden attack, vaporizing the Yaoguang elder completely.
• Ye Fan is deeply shaken by the Roc’s strength and recalls seeing similar creatures within the Desolate Forbidden Land.

Character Developments

• Ye Fan: Demonstrates social awareness by attempting to gain Gu Qingyao’s favor. His survival and rejuvenation in the Desolate Forbidden Land establish him as an extraordinary figure and possible “Child of Fortune.”
• Jiang Ming: Continues analyzing events through his knowledge of the original storyline. He recognizes the importance of befriending powerful characters and reflects on the fates of future heroes and villains.
• Gu Qingyao: Is portrayed as an exceptionally talented but unlucky cultivator. Her advancement to the Ninth Heaven of Saint despite severe suppression proves her brilliance, but she lacks major inheritances or extraordinary opportunities.
• Yaoguang Elder: Initially appears powerful and well-equipped, but his superior cultivation cannot overcome the Golden-Winged Roc’s bloodline advantage, speed, and secret arts.
• Golden-Winged Roc: Establishes itself as a terrifying Primordial Species. Despite possessing only Great Ability First Heaven cultivation, it effortlessly overwhelms a much stronger opponent.

Significant Themes

• Talent versus fortune: Gu Qingyao’s life shows that extraordinary talent alone may not guarantee success without opportunities, inheritances, or favorable destiny.
• Suppression of the Great Emperor’s laws: The chapter explains why cultivation has been so difficult in the current era and why figures such as Gai Jiuyou are exceptionally remarkable.
• The unpredictability of fate: Jiang Ming contrasts the known destinies of various characters with their present circumstances, emphasizing how future tragedies and triumphs are shaped by the world’s larger laws.
• Bloodline and innate power: The Golden-Winged Roc’s battle demonstrates that powerful primordial bloodlines and inherited abilities can allow a lower-realm creature to defeat a cultivator several realms above it.
• The awakening of a new era: As Azure Emperor’s suppression weakens, the world is gradually moving toward an age where more Saints, Saint Kings, and stronger cultivators can emerge.

Character Interactions

• Ye Fan respectfully approaches Gu Qingyao and offers to give her a Saint Fruit someday.
• Jiang Ming introduces Ye Fan to Gu Qingyao, strengthening Ye Fan’s connection with the older generation.
• Gu Qingyao acknowledges Ye Fan’s potential and promises him a future favor.
• The Yaoguang elder engages in a desperate battle against the Golden-Winged Roc, but his weapons, divine eye, and magical treasures are ultimately destroyed.
• Ye Fan witnesses the Roc’s terrifying power and reacts with fear and awe, recognizing that even a creature he had previously seen from afar possesses overwhelming strength.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Diamond Mountain Range erupts into chaos as powerful Primordial Species attack human cultivators from the Jiang Family, Ji Family, and other forces. Among them are a Qilin–Nine Infants hybrid and a descendant of the True Hou bloodline.
• Jiang Ming receives repeated system rewards for the deaths of Jiang Family cultivators, despite having no role in their deaths. He becomes increasingly frustrated at being blamed merely because the victims are related to him.
• Ye Fan, Jiang Ming, and Madman retreat to a barren rocky hill overlooking the Desolate Forbidden Land and its nine Sacred Mountains. Madman’s presence deters most Primordial Species from attacking them.
• Jiang Ming explains that the beasts and birds are trying to enter the Sacred Mountains to obtain Saint Fruits, Divine Spring water, and even the branches and roots of the Sacred Medicine.
• He asks Ye Fan to help obtain these treasures, offering him a large piece of Mutton-Fat White Jade Divine Iron in exchange. Jiang Ming is confident because he possesses a Golden-Winged Roc natal plume, giving them a connection to Jin Ling.
• Jin Ling, now a Second Immortal-Tier Great Ability, descends in human form after recognizing her natal plume. Jiang Ming gives her Yan Ruyu’s communication crystal and urges her not to risk entering the Desolate Forbidden Land.
• Through the crystal, Jin Ling learns that Yan Ruyu is in danger. Her cave-heaven has become unsafe, the Desolate Ancient Families are searching for her, and the Ji Family may soon locate her using the Void Mirror.
• Jin Ling abandons her plan to seize the Saint Fruits and immediately leaves to protect Yan Ruyu, fulfilling the Great Dao oath she made after receiving the Azure Emperor’s inheritance.
• Primordial Species launch a massive assault on the mountain containing the Bronze Ancient Coffin, believing its suppressed Desolate Power creates an opportunity. Their attack fails disastrously: many beasts die, including six descendants of Great Ability-level species.
• The Jiang Family, Ji Family, and Yaoguang Sacred Land continue pursuing Ye Fan’s classmates, intending to force them into the Desolate Forbidden Land.
• Ye Fan worries about how to reach the Sacred Mountain and obtain its fruit. Jiang Ming reassures him, relying on his knowledge that Ye Fan is uniquely capable of succeeding.
• A mysterious white-clad woman emerges from the Desolate Forbidden Land. She effortlessly annihilates the attacking beasts and Great Ability-level demonic birds with a single strike.
• Jiang Ming recognizes her as Nü Yuan, whose appearance awakens memories and emotions connected to his beloved woman from a previous life. The woman, revealed to be a Desolate Slave, inexplicably focuses her attention on Jiang Ming and feels compelled to approach him, leaving him with an ominous premonition.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Remains outwardly calm and strategic despite the increasingly dangerous situation. His knowledge of the original events allows him to anticipate Ye Fan’s importance and the likely function of the Sacred Mountain’s fruit. He also reveals emotional vulnerability when Nü Yuan’s appearance evokes memories of his former love.
• Ye Fan: Shows caution and uncertainty about entering the Desolate Forbidden Land, but remains eager to obtain the Sacred Fruit for cultivation. His importance to the unfolding events is emphasized by Jiang Ming’s belief that only he can successfully seize the fruit.
• Jin Ling: Demonstrates her immense strength and independent ambitions, but ultimately prioritizes Yan Ruyu’s safety over the chance to obtain Saint Fruits. Her sense of duty and loyalty to Yan Ruyu becomes central to her decision.
• Yan Ruyu: Though absent, she is shown to be in serious danger, displaced from her original sanctuary and hunted by the Desolate Ancient Families. Her concern for Jin Ling also highlights their close bond.
• Madman: Continues to serve as a powerful deterrent against the Primordial Species and provides protection for Jiang Ming and Ye Fan.
• Nü Yuan/Desolate Slave: Makes a dramatic entrance by destroying powerful Primordial Species with ease. Her mysterious connection to Jiang Ming introduces a new and potentially dangerous force.

Significant Themes

• Fate and predetermined destiny: Jiang Ming recognizes that the Bronze Ancient Coffin’s arrival and the Sacred Mountain’s fruit seem arranged specifically to aid Ye Fan, suggesting the influence of the Ruthless Empress and a larger cosmic plan.
• Loyalty and protection: Jin Ling chooses to protect Yan Ruyu rather than pursue personal advancement, honoring the oath inherited from the Azure Emperor.
• Powerlessness amid higher realms: Jiang Ming acknowledges that even his strongest techniques cannot yet challenge a true Great Ability, emphasizing the vast hierarchy of power.
• Unintended consequences and responsibility: The system repeatedly attributes deaths to Jiang Ming, creating dark humor while underscoring how individuals can be held accountable for events beyond their control.
• Conflict between humans and Primordial Species: Both sides compete for the Sacred Fruits and Divine Spring, while human factions also exploit weaker people, particularly Ye Fan’s classmates.
• Reincarnation and emotional ties: Nü Yuan’s appearance revives Jiang Ming’s memories of a past-life lover, linking personal emotion with the chapter’s broader themes of reincarnation and hidden connections.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Ye Fan discuss the dangers and rewards of entering the Sacred Mountains, with Jiang Ming encouraging Ye Fan and promising him rare refining material.
• Jiang Ming uses Jin Ling’s natal plume to summon her and delivers Yan Ruyu’s warning through the communication crystal.
• Jiang Ming directly challenges Jin Ling’s reckless plan, reminding her that Yan Ruyu needs her protection more than she needs the Sacred Fruits.
• Jin Ling receives Yan Ruyu’s message and immediately changes course, leaving the Diamond Mountain Range to find her.
• Jiang Ming, Ye Fan, and Madman observe the failed assault on the Sacred Mountain and the continued schemes of the human factions.
• Nü Yuan’s arrival creates a mysterious spiritual resonance with Jiang Ming, suggesting that her interest in him may lead to a dangerous confrontation or significant revelation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Heavenly Jade Saintess, now a powerful Desolate Slave, pursues Jiang Ming after emerging from the Desolate Forbidden Land. Her strength is estimated to be around the Half-Saint level.
• Jiang Ming realizes that Ye Fan can exploit the Saintess’s pursuit to enter the Sacred Mountain safely. Ye Fan sneaks into the Desolate Forbidden Land while Jiang Ming lures the Saintess away.
• The Madman briefly blocks the Saintess. Recognizing his familiar footwork from their past as the Three Heroes of Tianxuan, she hesitates but ultimately resumes chasing Jiang Ming.
• Jiang Ming discovers that the Marriage Red Thread linking him to the Saintess is exposing his position. He suppresses it with the Nine Heavens Ziwei Jade Pagoda, though the connection repeatedly reveals him.
• For half a day, Jiang Ming repeatedly leads the Saintess through the Primordial Mountain Range, using himself as bait while collecting ancient spiritual herbs. Nannan, initially frightened, eventually treats the chase as a game.
• Ye Fan reaches the Sacred Mountain and gathers valuable fruits, leaves, roots, and Divine Spring water. The mountain’s Desolate Power rapidly ages him, but the spring water and sacred fruit restore his vitality and even make him younger.
• Jiang Ming’s clone tells Ye Fan to remain in the Forbidden Land and cultivate, since the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body is especially suited to the area. Though terrified, Ye Fan bravely returns.
• Seeing Ye Fan enter and leave the Forbidden Land safely, three Supreme Great Abilities from the Ji Family, Jiang Family, and Yaoguang Sacred Land assume the Desolate Slave is no longer guarding it. Driven by greed, they lead their forces inside, likely repeating the fate of the earlier attackers.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming becomes the central distraction and protector, sacrificing his safety so Ye Fan can obtain treasures. He grows increasingly exasperated with the Marriage Red Thread and the inexplicable fixation of the Heavenly Jade Saintess.
• Ye Fan displays courage and opportunism. Despite rapid aging and fear of the Saintess, he gathers resources and obeys Jiang Ming’s risky plan, showing increasing boldness.
• The Heavenly Jade Saintess is portrayed as an overwhelmingly powerful but nearly mindless Desolate Slave. Fragments of her former memories remain, especially her recognition of the Madman’s footwork, but her actions are governed mainly by instinct and her mysterious connection to Jiang Ming.
• The Madman remains in a transitional, mysterious state. He recognizes that Jiang Ming’s actions have somehow attracted the Saintess’s attention and briefly intervenes, though he cannot understand the reason.
• Nannan shifts from fear to amusement, enjoying the repeated pursuit as though it were a playful chase.
• The three Supreme Great Abilities reveal their greed and poor judgment by returning to the Forbidden Land despite witnessing the danger.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and mutual reliance: Jiang Ming bears the danger so Ye Fan can gain an opportunity to grow stronger.
• Greed and recklessness: The returning cultivators ignore obvious warnings and risk death for the possibility of obtaining treasures.
• Fate and karmic entanglement: The Marriage Red Thread symbolizes Jiang Ming’s inexplicable bond with the Heavenly Jade Saintess and the larger forces manipulating events.
• Memory and identity: The Saintess retains faint traces of her former self, while the Madman is undergoing a transformation that may lead him beyond his old identity.
• Survival through improvisation: Mundane tools such as a wooden vat become useful where storage treasures fail, emphasizing practical ingenuity over conventional cultivation methods.
• The cyclical nature of events: Even though Jiang Ming believes he has changed the original outcome, the major figures still move toward the same disastrous fate.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Ye Fan cooperate through a dangerous diversion, with Ye Fan relying on Jiang Ming’s repeated sacrifices.
• The Madman confronts the Heavenly Jade Saintess, and their shared history briefly breaks through her otherwise mechanical state.
• Jiang Ming’s connection with the Saintess remains ambiguous and potentially romantic or karmic, causing him anxiety and confusion.
• Nannan’s playful reaction contrasts with Jiang Ming’s desperation, adding humor to the otherwise deadly pursuit.
• Ye Fan’s successful escape unintentionally inspires the Supreme Great Abilities to imitate him, setting up a likely catastrophe.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Many cultivators enter the Desolate Forbidden Land, triggering the Heavenly Jade Saintess’s killing rules. Skeletons rise from the Desolate Abyss, including powerful remains that had once belonged to high-level cultivators.
• Four terrifying ancient figures emerge, each wielding a powerful artifact: a black-armored swordsman, a white-haired figure with a Great Luo Silver Bell, a purple-robed figure with a Nine Heavens Ziwei Jade seal, and a pagoda-bearing figure connected to the Heart of the Earth. They appear to be linked to Ruthless and her cultivation techniques.
• Ye Fan hides beside the Bronze Ancient Coffin. The undead beings cannot detect him, allowing him to survive while the intruders are massacred.
• The Heavenly Jade Saintess resumes killing the trespassers, eliminating them with overwhelming ease. Jiang Ming’s system rewards him for indirectly causing the deaths of several Jiang Family cultivators, including Dragon Transformation, Four Extremes, Second Immortal-Tier, and Half-Step Great Ability figures.
• Jiang Ming leaves the Forbidden Land with Nannan, carrying away valuable cultivation resources and avoiding further danger.
• He returns to the Peach Blossom Garden Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, where the female demons warmly welcome him. Yan Ruyu tells him that Jin Ling has returned and entered seclusion to break through to the Great Ability realm, despite suffering hidden injuries.
• Jiang Ming introduces Nannan to Yan Ruyu. Nannan innocently reveals Jiang Ming’s earlier joke that she will grow up to become his wife and Tingting’s mother, embarrassing him and amusing Yan Ruyu.
• Qin Yao and Little Qing take Nannan to play, giving Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu time together.
• Jiang Ming anticipates future events: Ye Fan will soon be hunted because his actions in the Forbidden Land exposed him, while the Ji Family will attack the secret realm. Ji Ziyue, the Bronze Immortal Hall, and the Root of the Mother Qi of All Things are expected to appear.
• Hoping to obtain some of the Root of the Mother Qi of All Things to refine his lotus and sword, Jiang Ming prepares to strengthen his relationship and cultivation partnership with Yan Ruyu.
• He offers to help Yan Ruyu cultivate in exchange for studying the Dao Palace portion of the Azure Emperor Scripture. In return, he plans to let her examine the Four Extremes chapter of the Hengyu Scripture.
• Jiang Ming also offers the Dao Scripture’s Sea of Bitterness chapter, particularly its nine imperial characters, which can suppress visions and aid in refining treasures.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming continues evolving from a combat-focused opportunist into someone who values strategic planning, relationships, cultivation exchanges, and karmic connections. He gains significant resources from the Forbidden Land while recognizing the importance of future alliances.
• Ye Fan demonstrates his unique connection to the Desolate Forbidden Land. Unlike the other intruders, he is ignored by the undead and survives, reinforcing his extraordinary destiny and familiarity with the area.
• Yan Ruyu becomes more comfortable and emotionally open with Jiang Ming. She is amused by his awkwardness regarding Nannan and is willing to cooperate in cultivation, though she remains cautious about revealing her scripture too easily.
• Nannan displays a childlike but sharp memory, innocently repeating Jiang Ming’s teasing marriage promise. She also begins interacting more with the people of the Peach Blossom Garden.
• Jin Ling is shown to be growing stronger for Yan Ruyu’s sake, having entered seclusion despite sustaining hidden injuries.
• The Heavenly Jade Saintess remains an overwhelmingly powerful and merciless guardian, effortlessly destroying even powerful cultivators who violate the Forbidden Land’s restrictions.
• Jiang Ming’s relationships with Madman and Gu Qingyao are emphasized as valuable karmic investments rather than simple friendships.

Significant Themes

• The danger of overestimating oneself: Ordinary cultivators who enter the Desolate Forbidden Land are instantly destroyed, while Ye Fan survives because of his exceptional connection and destiny.
• Cultivation beyond violence: The chapter stresses that cultivation involves alliances, trust, exchanges of techniques, karma, and mutual support—not merely fighting and killing.
• Karmic relationships and long-term planning: Jiang Ming views favors to Madman and Gu Qingyao as future assets, showing that relationships can be as valuable as treasures.
• Inheritance and refinement: The various ancient figures and their supreme artifacts highlight the importance of powerful inheritances and rare materials in advancing cultivation.
• Destiny and inevitability: Ye Fan’s survival and the coming Ji Family attack suggest that major events follow an established trajectory, while Jiang Ming attempts to profit from and influence those events.
• Affection mixed with opportunism: Jiang Ming genuinely cares about Yan Ruyu but also seeks access to her cultivation methods and Azure Emperor’s Heart, blending emotional intimacy with strategic self-interest.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and the Heavenly Jade Saintess remain indirectly opposed as she kills the intruders while he escapes.
• Jiang Ming rescues and cares for Nannan, washing and changing her clothes before bringing her home.
• Yan Ruyu teases Jiang Ming after Nannan exposes his marriage joke, creating a more intimate and playful atmosphere between them.
• Qin Yao and Little Qing welcome Nannan and take her away to play, reflecting their support for Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu’s relationship.
• Jiang Ming proposes a cultivation exchange with Yan Ruyu, offering rare scriptures and assistance while requesting access to the Azure Emperor’s Dao Palace techniques.
• The chapter closes by reinforcing Jiang Ming’s belief that spiritual advancement depends not only on strength, but also on trust, favors, resources, and carefully cultivated human connections.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu exchange cultivation methods. Yan Ruyu gives him the Sea of Bitterness and Dao Palace portions of the Azure Emperor Scripture, including nine Emperor-Character Dao Patterns. In return, Jiang Ming’s lotus treasures and cultivation knowledge help her develop additional lotus phenomena and pursue the Azure Lotus Saint Body.
• The chapter explains the Lotus Law behind Yan Ruyu’s physique transformation: her Azure Lotus Divine Body requires thirty transformations to become the Azure Lotus Saint Body. Most of the growth occurs near the end, with the final half blooming on the thirtieth day.
• Jiang Ming’s Myriad Forms Lotus Dao Platform gains a fifteenth petal. His Life-Bound Sword begins transforming toward a Lower-Grade Transcendent Spirit Treasure, while the Golden Lotus Sacred Flame fuses with and strengthens his Merit Golden Lotus Vessel by refining Nine Heavens Golden Jade King.
• Nannan suddenly departs in the form of Nine-Colored Divine Light. Jiang Ming explains her elusive nature to Yan Ruyu: she disappears when harmed and flies away when cherished.
• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu enter secluded cultivation for a year. When they emerge, their cave dwelling and mountain peak have been destroyed by the power released during their cultivation.
• A Five-Elements Heavenly Tribulation descends. Jiang Ming deliberately provokes it, transforming it into the more powerful Positive-Negative Five-Elements Heavenly Tribulation while carrying Yan Ruyu.
• Jiang Ming breaks into the Dao Palace Secret Realm and chooses to cultivate the Five Viscera Temple deities rather than focus solely on refining himself. He begins with the Kidney Divine Treasure because his Fate Pattern and cultivation are closely aligned with water.
• Upon entering the realm, his innate five qi manifest as five divine beasts: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, and Qilin. The tribulation lightning is refined into Five-Elements Lightning Essence, nourishing these embryonic deities.
• During the same year, Yan Ruyu completes twelve physique transformations. Her dormant phenomenon, Golden Lotus Surging from the Earth, reawakens, giving her three lotus-based phenomena and immense potential.
• Yan Ruyu eventually forms a Golden Lotus Divine Garment and asks Jiang Ming to release her so she can face the tribulation herself rather than remain protected.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming becomes stronger and more confident in his cultivation path. His Dao foundation, sword, Merit Golden Lotus Vessel, and Five Viscera Temple all begin evolving. He chooses the deity-based Dao Palace path because it complements his Great Freedom Dao Scripture and Five-Elements Escape Technique.
• Yan Ruyu makes major progress, completing twelve transformations and awakening a powerful lotus phenomenon. Her trust in Jiang Ming deepens, and she recognizes him as a source of great fortune. However, she also asserts her independence by demanding to confront the Heavenly Tribulation personally.
• Nannan remains mysterious and unattached, following her own path through hardship and refusing to remain bound by affection.
• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu’s relationship becomes more intimate and cooperative, developing from a mutually beneficial alliance into a deeper partnership.

Significant Themes

• Mutual cultivation and trust: Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu exchange inheritances and strengthen one another rather than cultivating in isolation.
• Transformation through accumulation: Yan Ruyu’s thirty-step lotus transformation emphasizes that profound growth depends on long-term accumulation, with breakthroughs often occurring only at the final stage.
• Independence versus protection: Yan Ruyu appreciates Jiang Ming’s help but refuses to become dependent on him, insisting on facing danger herself.
• Fate and fortune: Jiang Ming’s dangerous Fate Pattern makes him fearful of bringing disaster to others, while the Merit Sacred Flame offers him a way to accumulate fortune and counterbalance that curse-like destiny.
• Harmony between cultivation paths: Jiang Ming’s innate five qi, the Five Elements, the Dao Palace, and his Great Freedom Dao Scripture naturally reinforce one another.
• Trial as refinement: The Heavenly Tribulation is not merely destructive; when properly endured and refined, it becomes a source of strength for both Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu exchange scriptures and Dao patterns, establishing a relationship based on reciprocal benefit and growing trust.
• Jiang Ming teases Yan Ruyu about Nannan, while Yan Ruyu responds with innocent confusion, highlighting the contrast between her purity and Jiang Ming’s playful nature.
• Jiang Ming personally leads Yan Ruyu into secluded cultivation and protects her during the tribulation, while Yan Ruyu later challenges this arrangement and asks to fight independently.
• Their cooperation during the Five-Elements Tribulation allows Yan Ruyu to temper her body safely while Jiang Ming uses the lightning to nourish his newly forming Five Viscera Temple deities.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming teleports Yan Ruyu three hundred miles away before undergoing his tribulation, ensuring she remains outside its range.
• After a year of cultivation, Yan Ruyu reaches the Third Stage of the Four Extremes Secret Realm by refining twenty-six strands of the Azure Emperor’s Heart Blood.
• Jiang Ming completes his tenth physical transformation and breaks through into the Dao Palace Secret Realm. His body becomes comparable to that of an ordinary Great Ability cultivator.
• During the breakthrough, Jiang Ming realizes that his Dao Palace deities can evolve into powerful Human Race and ancient emperor forms. He decides to develop them through the Four Symbols of Heaven and Earth and the Qilin totem.
• His Kidney and Heart Divine Treasures give birth to two innate totemic deities: the Black Tortoise and the Vermilion Bird. Their birth grants him powerful divine manifestations and allows them to absorb faith and incense power.
• Jiang Ming continues refining his treasures and medicinal wine during the tribulation. His wine, made from ancient herbs, Divine Spring, Sacred Medicine, and Tribulation Liquid, is powerful enough to extend a Great Ability cultivator’s lifespan.
• His Life-Bound Sword absorbs Nine Heavens Golden Jade King and advances to a Lower-Grade Transcendent Spirit Treasure.
• Yan Ruyu undergoes a prolonged Myriad Spirits Tribulation. Her three Golden Lotus visions—Bitter Sea Growing Golden Lotuses, Void-Born Golden Lotus, and Golden Lotus Surging from the Earth—combine into a powerful formation of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.
• After surviving the tribulation, Yan Ruyu’s vision is formally named “Golden Lotus Establishing the Three Powers.”
• Jiang Ming gives her a spark of Golden Lotus Sacred Flame to nurture within her Sea of Bitterness, while belatedly remembering that the Azure Emperor’s Weapon was his original reason for visiting her Sea of Bitterness.

2. Character Developments

• Jiang Ming grows significantly stronger, advancing into the Dao Palace Secret Realm while further perfecting his physical body, divine treasures, weapons, formations, and alchemical wine.
• His understanding of cultivation broadens as he links the Dao Palace deities with ancient emperors, the Four Symbols, totems, and his Seventy-Two Transformations.
• Jiang Ming becomes increasingly emotionally attached to Yan Ruyu. He regards her as his greatest gain and prioritizes her well-being over the Azure Emperor’s Heart Blood.
• Yan Ruyu advances to the Third Stage of the Four Extremes Secret Realm and gains a major combat boost through her three Golden Lotus visions. She becomes confident that she could defeat even powerful figures such as Ji Haoyue.
• Yan Ruyu’s trust and affection toward Jiang Ming deepen, shown by her calm reassurance when he carefully places the Golden Lotus Sacred Flame into her treasure.

3. Significant Themes

• Cultivation through harmony and integration: Jiang Ming combines multiple cultivation systems, allowing essence, qi, and spirit to merge and produce powerful Dao Palace deities.
• Totems, faith, and divine power: The Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird are portrayed as innate divine beings whose strength can grow through faith and incense.
• Mutual growth between Dao companions: Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu directly benefit from one another’s cultivation and support each other’s advancement.
• Balance of power and responsibility: Both characters gain tremendous strength, but Jiang Ming remains cautious when introducing the powerful Sacred Flame into Yan Ruyu’s body.
• Affection versus ambition: Although Jiang Ming originally sought the Azure Emperor’s Weapon and Heart Blood, his relationship with Yan Ruyu becomes more important to him, amusingly distracting him from his original goal.

4. Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming protects Yan Ruyu by teleporting her beyond the range of his tribulation.
• Their cultivation is closely connected through the Azure Emperor’s Heart Blood, which nourishes Yan Ruyu while also benefiting Jiang Ming.
• After both survive their tribulations, Jiang Ming congratulates Yan Ruyu and names her newly perfected vision.
• He presents her with the Golden Lotus Sacred Flame, and she reassures him that the Azure Emperor’s Weapon will protect her Sea of Bitterness.
• Their affectionate exchange highlights their trust, intimacy, and growing partnership as Dao companions.

Chapter Summary: “Ye Fan Express Delivery Arrived”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yan Ruyu enters seclusion to refine the Golden Lotus Sacred Flame, leaving Jiang Ming to pursue his own plans.
• Jiang Ming extracts three wisps of essence blood from the Azure Emperor’s Heart and adds them to his Nine Heavens Scarlet Jade King Gourd to refine a powerful Immortal Brew.
• He travels to the Wei Capital and several neighboring countries, collecting numerous famous mortal wines to strengthen the Wine Immortal Spell. His goal is to gather one hundred varieties.
• At a restaurant, Jiang Ming encounters Duan De, who covets his wine gourd but refrains from attacking because he senses Jiang Ming’s danger and suspects a trap.
• Jiang Ming visits a rogue-cultivator gathering place and deliberately allows a false opportunity involving the Azure Emperor’s Heart to circulate. Through this deception, he intends to make Duan De locate and sell Ye Fan to him later.
• Over the following days, system notifications announce the deaths of cultivators connected to Jiang Ming’s past lectures and acquaintances. The deaths are implied to have resulted from Ye Fan’s latest activities after emerging from seclusion.
• Jiang Ming receives various spirit wines as system rewards, including Blood Ginseng Wine, Lingzhi Wine, and Three-Yang Blood-Strengthening Wine. He divides them between his treasure gourd and personal use.
• The Three-Yang Blood-Strengthening Wine proves beneficial to Jiang Ming’s Kidney Divine Treasure, confirming its value.
• After ten days, Duan De successfully sells Ye Fan to Qin Yao in the Peach Blossom Garden Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, completing Jiang Ming’s plan.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming becomes increasingly strategic and manipulative. Rather than confronting Duan De directly, he arranges circumstances that will cause Duan De to deliver Ye Fan into his hands.
• He continues improving his cultivation foundation, especially his Kidney Divine Treasure, while planning to use the Root of the Mother Qi of All Things to reforge his lotus and sword.
• Jiang Ming also develops long-term ambitions to refine several treasures using Extreme Dao Immortal Materials, including Phoenix Blood Scarlet Gold, Dragon-Pattern Black Gold, Dao-Tribulation Gold, and Immortal Mutton-Fat Jade.
• Yan Ruyu remains devoted to cultivation, immediately entering seclusion to refine her sacred flame. Her brief promise to make Jiang Ming clothes highlights her growing affection and domestic attachment to him.
• Duan De is shown as greedy but cautious. Although he desires Jiang Ming’s treasure gourd, he does not recklessly attack someone whose strength he cannot assess. He later falls into Jiang Ming’s carefully designed scheme.
• Ye Fan emerges from seclusion and resumes causing trouble for those connected to Jiang Ming. His actions indirectly provide Jiang Ming with rewards and signal that he is ready to become an important piece in Jiang Ming’s plans.
• Qin Yao acts as the recipient of Ye Fan after Duan De’s transaction, helping carry out Jiang Ming’s broader strategy.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and calculated fate: Jiang Ming repeatedly guides events from behind the scenes, using false information and other people’s greed to achieve his objectives.
• Cause, effect, and karmic consequences: The system rewards Jiang Ming whenever cultivators connected to him die, emphasizing how his past actions continue to produce consequences across the cultivation world.
• Cultivation as endless preparation: Jiang Ming is not merely seeking immediate power; he is constructing an exceptional foundation and planning future refinements with rare immortal materials.
• Greed and opportunity: Duan De’s pursuit of the Azure Emperor’s treasures and Ye Fan demonstrates how greed can make powerful figures vulnerable to manipulation.
• Humor through irony: The title and ending treat Ye Fan as a “delivery,” with Duan De literally selling him to Qin Yao. The system’s rewards also mock Jiang Ming by crediting him with deaths caused by Ye Fan.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu share a tender exchange before her retreat into seclusion, showing their romantic relationship and mutual trust.
• Jiang Ming and Duan De meet in the Wei Capital. Duan De tries to befriend him and advertise his supposedly thousand-year-old immortal wine, but Jiang Ming ignores him.
• Jiang Ming indirectly manipulates Duan De through a fabricated opportunity involving the Azure Emperor’s Heart and Qin Yao’s search for someone with a special treasure body.
• Duan De eventually finds Ye Fan and sells him directly to Qin Yao, unknowingly fulfilling Jiang Ming’s plan.
• Jiang Ming anticipates Ye Fan’s reaction when he learns that Duan De betrayed and sold him, viewing the event as an amusing and important step in Ye Fan’s transformation into “Ye Hei.”

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming’s forged Azure Emperor’s Heart produces a powerful drop of blood essence, which is sealed in crystal. Ye Fan covets its vitality but becomes frustrated after learning that Duan De has betrayed and manipulated him again.
• Jiang Ming remains in a secret realm with Yan Ruyu, observing Pang Bo’s condition. Pang Bo has begun cultivating the Azure Emperor Scripture and is surviving despite the old demon occupying his body.
• Jiang Ming decides not to interfere with Pang Bo’s trial, believing that Pang Bo is resilient enough to endure it and grow stronger.
• Jiang Ming proposes finding the Nineteenth-Generation Descendant of the Azure Emperor a new body—ideally one belonging to a powerful Primordial Royal Clan member. He suggests using the body to infiltrate the sleeping Primordial Royal Clans.
• Ye Fan arrives with Qin Yao and is brought to see Pang Bo. Jiang Ming and Ye Fan discuss Pang Bo’s possession and the possibility of rescuing him.
• The entity controlling Pang Bo’s body reveals itself and addresses Yan Ruyu disrespectfully. Jin Ling, Yan Ruyu’s powerful protector, rebukes the entity and damages its Primordial Spirit.
• Pang Bo takes advantage of the old demon’s weakened state and temporarily regains control of his body. He reassures Ye Fan that the demon cannot destroy him without also damaging the body it needs.
• Ye Fan promises to become stronger so that neither he nor Pang Bo will ever again be bullied.
• Jin Ling then confronts Jiang Ming, questioning his worth as Yan Ruyu’s Dao companion and demanding that he return the Azure Emperor’s Heart so she can nurture it for Yan Ruyu.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Demonstrates strategic insight by planning to use a Primordial Royal Clan body against the Azure Emperor’s descendant. He continues protecting Pang Bo and supporting Ye Fan, while avoiding direct investigation into the old demon’s origins. His immense fear of the Desolate Forbidden Land and concern over his Heavenly Tyrant Body are also revealed.
• Ye Fan: Has grown into a fifteen-year-old Divine Bridge cultivator. He remains deeply loyal to Pang Bo and determined to protect his friends, though he still misunderstands Jiang Ming, imagining that Jiang Ming’s demonic nature may eventually turn him into a murderous Great Demon.
• Pang Bo: Has cultivated the Azure Emperor Scripture and developed an exceptionally strong physical body. Although unable to defeat the possessing demon directly, he retains awareness and successfully reclaims control when the demon’s Primordial Spirit is injured.
• Yan Ruyu: Is revealed to be treated as the Azure Emperor’s true heir or princess. Her identity and connection to the Azure Emperor are stronger than those of the so-called bloodline descendants, especially because she possesses and has transformed through the Azure Emperor’s Heart.
• Jin Ling: Appears as a fiercely loyal, domineering protector of Yan Ruyu. Her strength is enough to severely injure the old demon’s Primordial Spirit, and she openly challenges Jiang Ming over his relationship with Yan Ruyu.
• The Nineteenth-Generation Descendant: Is exposed as a body-snatching old demon whose claim to the Azure Emperor’s legacy is weak. He depends on possessing and cultivating suitable bodies to preserve himself.

Significant Themes

• True inheritance versus bloodline claims: Yan Ruyu’s spiritual bond and loyalty to the Azure Emperor make her more deserving of his legacy than distant, non-blood descendants who merely claim his name.
• Friendship and loyalty: Ye Fan’s determination to save Pang Bo highlights the strength of their brotherly bond, while Jiang Ming and Jin Ling protect Pang Bo and Yan Ruyu in different ways.
• Strength and survival: Characters must cultivate, adapt, or seize stronger bodies to survive in a hostile era where the heavens and earth are gradually recovering.
• Identity and possession: Pang Bo’s struggle reflects the conflict between one’s true self and an invading consciousness. His body is contested, but his will and awareness remain intact.
• Manipulation and strategy: Jiang Ming prefers long-term schemes, including placing the old demon in a Primordial Royal Clan body, rather than relying solely on direct combat.
• Misunderstanding and appearance: Ye Fan wrongly interprets Jiang Ming’s past actions and demonic aura, while Jiang Ming is unaware of Ye Fan’s exaggerated assumptions about him.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu discuss Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the old demon’s possible replacement body, revealing their growing cooperation and familiarity.
• Ye Fan thanks Jiang Ming for previously helping him escape the Heavenly Jade Saintess, while secretly worrying that Jiang Ming may succumb to demonic nature.
• Jiang Ming, Ye Fan, and the possessed Pang Bo confront the issue of Pang Bo’s body and the old demon’s dependence on it.
• Jin Ling protects Yan Ruyu by reprimanding the old demon and asserting Yan Ruyu’s superior status as the Azure Emperor’s chosen heir.
• Pang Bo and Ye Fan reaffirm their brotherly bond, with Ye Fan vowing to grow strong enough to protect them both.
• Jin Ling challenges Jiang Ming’s position beside Yan Ruyu, creating a humorous and potentially romantic rivalry centered on the Azure Emperor’s Heart and Jiang Ming’s relationship with Yan Ruyu.

Concise Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• The author announces that the book will become a premium title at midnight on April 26.
• Launch day will feature five chapters, each exceeding 3,000 words, with the possibility of one or two additional chapters depending on reader response.
• After the launch, the author promises a regular schedule of two chapters per day, totaling at least 6,000 words, with each chapter being around 3,000 words.
• Additional chapters will be released according to reader support:
  • One chapter for every 100 subscriptions beyond 1,000.
  • One chapter for a 100-yuan tip or 10,000 Qidian coins.
  • One chapter for every 200 monthly votes, with further additions at higher milestones.
  • One chapter if weekly recommendation votes exceed 1,000.
  • Twelve chapters for an Alliance Leader.
• The author also expresses willingness to compensate for any delayed bonus updates.

Character Development

• No fictional characters or narrative developments appear in this chapter.
• The author presents themself as hardworking but limited by slow typing, writing on a phone, and difficulty catching typographical errors.
• Their practical, direct tone emphasizes the challenges of making a living through writing while remaining appreciative of readers.

Significant Themes

• Author-reader reciprocity: The announcement frames subscriptions, tips, votes, and encouragement as direct support for continued writing.
• Hard work and livelihood: The author stresses that earning a living is difficult and asks readers to understand the need for premium access.
• Commitment and reliability: Promised update schedules and compensation for delays demonstrate an effort to build reader trust.
• Community appreciation: The long list of acknowledgments highlights the importance of reader participation and collective support.
• Mutual understanding: Readers who cannot afford subscriptions are reassured that their encouragement still matters.

Character Interactions

• The chapter is primarily a direct interaction between the author and the readership.
• The author asks paying readers for financial support while affirming that non-paying readers are also valued.
• The author thanks the editor and managing editor Liu Xing for their assistance.
• Numerous individual readers are acknowledged for tips, monthly votes, and general support, reinforcing the sense of an active reader community.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming, Yan Ruyu, and Jin Ling negotiate with the weakened Nineteenth-Generation Descendant of the Azure Emperor, whose Primordial Spirit has been surviving inside Pang Bo’s body.
• Jin Ling protects Yan Ruyu and demands that Pang Bo not be harmed. Jiang Ming threatens to forcibly extract the spirit and place it in another body if it refuses to cooperate.
• The Azure Emperor’s descendant agrees to leave Pang Bo eventually, but demands a replacement body at least at the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm, preferably one with Divine Body or Primordial Species-level physical qualities.
• Jiang Ming bargains successfully: within ten years, he will find such a body, and in return the descendant will guide Pang Bo’s cultivation. Pang Bo is allowed to practice the Azure Emperor Scripture due to signs that his demon bloodline is undergoing ancestral reversion.
• Ye Fan remains in the Peach Garden Secret Realm, where he can cultivate safely alongside Pang Bo. The Azure Emperor’s descendant becomes Pang Bo’s reluctant “old grandpa” and cultivation instructor.
• The spirit originally intended to possess Ye Fan, but Ye Fan’s Desolate Ancient Sacred Body instinctively rejected it, forcing it to choose Pang Bo instead.
• Jiang Ming and Jin Ling establish a five-year wager: the loser must become the winner’s mount. Jiang Ming initially offers to become Jin Ling’s follower if he loses, but she changes the terms, and he agrees to become her mount instead.
• Ye Fan stays behind to cultivate and spars with Pang Bo, decisively defeating him despite Pang Bo’s powerful body and Other Shore cultivation.
• Qin Yao repeatedly flirts with Ye Fan, while Jin Ling remains attached to Yan Ruyu, giving Jiang Ming time to cultivate peacefully.
• Jiang Ming trains in the peach forest, refining his Sword Dao and developing a powerful Sword Domain in which ordinary objects become deadly weapons.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming demonstrates authority, strategic bargaining, and confidence in his future strength. He also shows a playful, provocative side through his wager with Jin Ling. His sword cultivation advances significantly, and he estimates that his transformations can raise his combat power from the Seven Prohibitions to the Eight Prohibitions and eventually the Divine Forbidden Realm.
• Jin Ling openly displays her possessive affection for Yan Ruyu and her competitive, impulsive personality. She accepts the five-year duel because she believes Jiang Ming will become her mount, though the wager may ultimately place her at a disadvantage.
• Yan Ruyu is caught between the urgent political situation and Jin Ling’s affection. She does not fully support the Azure Emperor’s descendant and refuses to protect it unconditionally.
• Pang Bo gains a major opportunity to cultivate the Azure Emperor Scripture and receives guidance from the ancient spirit. His mixed human-demon identity and developing bloodline become important to his future growth.
• Ye Fan gains a secure place to cultivate and remains grateful to Jiang Ming. His physical strength and combat ability are shown to be superior to Pang Bo’s despite Pang Bo’s extraordinary body.
• The Azure Emperor’s descendant is revealed to be far weaker and less authoritative than its title suggests. It abandons its attempt to manipulate Yan Ruyu and accepts a subordinate role as Pang Bo’s instructor.
• Qin Yao continues showing romantic interest in Ye Fan, while largely ignoring Pang Bo.

Significant Themes

• Power versus status: The Azure Emperor’s descendant relies on its prestigious identity, but its actual weakness leaves it dependent on Jiang Ming and the others.
• Pragmatism and survival: The ancient spirit abandons its false claims and negotiates once it recognizes that circumstances are against it.
• Bloodline and potential: Pang Bo’s ancestral reversion and demonic heritage suggest that his future strength may be extraordinary.
• Competition and intimacy: Jin Ling’s rivalry with Jiang Ming is intertwined with her attachment to Yan Ruyu, creating both comic tension and romantic complications.
• Cultivation as transformation: Jiang Ming’s Sword Dao and divine transformations illustrate the chapter’s emphasis on constantly refining the body, spirit, techniques, and combat realm.
• Oaths and trust: The Great Dao Oath makes the agreement binding, demonstrating the importance of sworn promises in the cultivation world.

Character Interactions

• Jin Ling embraces Yan Ruyu while confronting Jiang Ming, making her romantic attachment unmistakable.
• Jiang Ming negotiates directly with the Azure Emperor’s descendant and protects Pang Bo from possession or harm.
• Ye Fan observes the rivalry between Jiang Ming and Jin Ling with embarrassment and amusement.
• Pang Bo becomes both Ye Fan’s sparring partner and the student of the Azure Emperor’s descendant.
• Qin Yao teases and invites Ye Fan for tea, signaling her growing interest in him.
• Jiang Ming temporarily enjoys peace while Jin Ling monopolizes Yan Ruyu’s attention, allowing him to focus on cultivating his Sword Domain.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming’s combat power stabilizes within the Seven Forbidden Domain, which operates independently of how many forbidden domains his opponent possesses. His Sword Domain has expanded to a range of ninety-nine li, allowing him to turn nearby objects into deadly weapons.
• He spends a month cultivating in the Peach Blossom Garden Secret Realm, compressing his Sword Domain to ten li and integrating wisdom from his three lifetimes. His Sword Dao continues to develop through the fusion of his will, experiences, and the phenomenon “A Blade of Grass Can Cut the Stars.”
• Ye Fan arrives with news of trouble. During their recent transaction, Jiang Ming gave Ye Fan five strands of the Azure Emperor’s Heart’s blood essence, while Ye Fan promised him future Saint Fruits, divine spring water, and other materials for brewing wine. Jiang Ming refuses Ye Fan’s request to help lure the Heavenly Jade Saintess into the Desolate Forbidden Land.
• Outside the secret realm, Ji Haoyue intercepts Yan Ruyu’s subordinate, the willow tree demon, and several other demons. He claims he wants to challenge Yan Ruyu, but openly reveals that he intends to seize the Demon Emperor’s Armament, arguing that his newly advanced Divine Body needs a weapon.
• The demons accuse the Ji Family of disguising outright robbery as a righteous claim to treasure. Ji Haoyue’s maids and his younger sister, Ji Ziyue, respond arrogantly, insisting that the weapon should belong to the “virtuous.”
• Ji Haoyue attacks with the Ji Family’s Void Scripture secret art, Innate Grand Void Aura. His gray Dao diagram overwhelms the willow tree demon and the others.
• Just before the demons are crushed, Jiang Ming intervenes. His peach-blossom sword formation tears apart Ji Haoyue’s Dao diagram and safely returns Yan Ruyu’s subordinates to the secret realm.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: His cultivation and Sword Dao advance significantly. His Sword Domain becomes more refined, versatile, and dangerous, while his confidence in surpassing other geniuses remains strong. He also demonstrates that even an accomplished Four Extremes cultivator like Ji Haoyue is not yet his equal.
• Ye Fan: Though still only in the Divine Bridge Realm, he continues building strength through careful cultivation, transactions, and opportunities. His straightforward relationship with Jiang Ming is reinforced.
• Ji Haoyue: After three years of progress, his Divine Body has reached minor success, and his bearing has become more composed and powerful. However, his confidence and ambition have also grown; he now openly seeks the Demon Emperor’s Weapon and is willing to use force to obtain it.
• Yan Ruyu’s followers: They show loyalty and courage in defending her, but are completely outmatched by Ji Haoyue until Jiang Ming rescues them.
• Ji Ziyue and Ji Haoyue’s maids: They display the Ji Family’s arrogance and belief that superior strength and status justify taking coveted treasures.

Significant Themes

• Power and genius: The chapter emphasizes the difference between ordinary talent, exceptional genius, and monsters like Jiang Ming. Strength is portrayed as the final measure in conflicts between rival Dao and bloodlines.
• Righteousness versus banditry: The Ji Family frames its attempt to seize the Demon Emperor’s Armament as a legitimate claim, while the demons expose it as naked plunder.
• Cultivation through experience: Jiang Ming’s progress comes not only from techniques but also from the accumulated hardship and wisdom of his past lives.
• Protection and loyalty: Jiang Ming’s intervention highlights his protective relationship with the Peach Blossom Garden and its inhabitants, while Yan Ruyu’s subordinates remain loyal despite overwhelming danger.
• Arrogance and consequences: Ji Haoyue’s confidence leads him to provoke a force far stronger than expected, setting up a likely confrontation with Jiang Ming.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Ye Fan maintain a mutually beneficial, candid alliance, exchanging resources while occasionally clashing over dangerous plans.
• Ji Haoyue confronts Yan Ruyu’s protectors, with both sides trading accusations over the ownership of the Demon Emperor’s Armament.
• Ji Haoyue’s attendants reinforce his authority, while Ji Ziyue encourages him to attack.
• Jiang Ming does not directly appear before Ji Haoyue, but his Sword Domain decisively interrupts the confrontation, rescues the demons, and demonstrates the gulf between their abilities.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Ming intervenes when Ji Haoyue attacks within the Demon Race’s Peach Blossom Garden Secret Realm. He uses peach-blossom petal swords to shatter Ji Haoyue’s Dao diagram and tests the power of Ji Haoyue’s newly minor-accomplished Divine Body.
• Ji Haoyue counters with a Void-infused black palm, but the attack is destroyed. Recognizing Jiang Ming as an old acquaintance, he conceals their conflict and realizes Jiang Ming’s alliance with the Demon Emperor’s descendants complicates matters.
• The chapter gives extensive background on Jiang Ming’s reputation. After defeating the Yaochi Sacred Maiden and pursuing the Yaoguang Sacred Son, he became known as the “Mad Sword God” and “Jiang Family Demon Son.”
• The Jiang Family protects Jiang Ming’s daughter, Jiang Tingting, fearing that anyone who harms her will face Jiang Ming’s violent revenge. Jiang Yichen, Jiang Yifei, and Jiang Caixuan treat Tingting kindly, especially after Jiang Ming gives Jiang Yichen a Spirit-Communicating Treasure and entrusts him with her safety.
• Gu Qingyao confirms that Jiang Ming has genuinely suffered madness and demonic deviation, though she views him as a tragic figure rather than merely a threat. She accepts Tingting as her disciple and moves into the Jiang Family, intimidating anyone who might object.
• Rumors spread about Jiang Ming’s emotional instability: he was seen crying near the Desolate Forbidden Land and allegedly mistook another small girl for Tingting. These stories reinforce the belief that his madness stems from grief and trauma.
• The conflict escalates when Jin Ling, the Golden-Winged Roc, arrives to confront the Ji Family. Ji Hong, Ji Haoyue’s powerful Ninth Heavenly Layer Great Ability protector, appears to stop her.
• Jin Ling orders Jiang Ming to take Yan Ruyu away and seek the Peacock King, whose lineage once received the Azure Emperor’s favor. This suggests that a larger battle is imminent and that Jiang Ming must prioritize protecting Yan Ruyu.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Demonstrates formidable control over peach-blossom sword techniques and remains fiercely protective of the Demon Race and Yan Ruyu. His reputation as a dangerous madman is balanced by evidence of deep paternal love, grief, and loyalty.
• Ji Haoyue: Shows confidence in his newly strengthened Divine Body but recognizes Jiang Ming as a serious obstacle. His cautious concealment of their confrontation reveals political awareness.
• Jiang Tingting: Though absent from the main action, she becomes central to the chapter’s emotional and political background. Her vulnerability inspires protection from the Jiang Family and Gu Qingyao.
• Jiang Yichen: His relationship with Jiang Ming’s family improves. Being treated sincerely and entrusted with Tingting gives him a sense of importance and encourages him to behave responsibly.
• Gu Qingyao: Moves from observing Jiang Ming’s condition to actively supporting his family. She accepts Tingting as her disciple and becomes one of her strongest protectors.
• Jin Ling: After using power from the Azure Emperor’s Heart, she heals her injuries and advances in cultivation. Despite her strength, she recognizes that Ji Hong currently has the advantage and acts decisively to protect Yan Ruyu.
• Ji Hong: Revealed as Ji Haoyue’s protector and a powerful Void Scripture cultivator. He is confident but cautious, acknowledging Jin Ling’s frightening potential while believing he can currently defeat her.

Significant Themes

• Madness as survival: Jiang Ming’s “madness” is portrayed not simply as insanity but as a psychological response to loss, persecution, and the need to survive.
• Parental love and protection: Jiang Ming’s reputation is built largely around the fear that he will kill anyone who harms Tingting, while his actions and grief show how deeply he cares for her.
• Reputation versus reality: The world sees Jiang Ming as a dangerous demon, but the chapter presents him as wounded, loyal, and capable of kindness.
• Political alliances and inherited relationships: The protection of Tingting, the Demon Race’s connection to Jiang Ming, and Jin Ling’s appeal to the Peacock King all show how personal bonds and ancient lineages influence current conflicts.
• Power and restraint: Both Jiang Ming and Ji Haoyue test each other without fully escalating, while Jin Ling and Ji Hong prepare for a potentially decisive battle.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming and Ji Haoyue exchange attacks, revealing their growing rivalry and mutual recognition.
• Jiang Ming’s relationship with Yan Ruyu remains intimate and protective, while Jin Ling also prioritizes Yan Ruyu’s safety.
• The Jiang Family rallies around Tingting because of Jiang Ming’s influence and feared retaliation.
• Jiang Yichen becomes protective of Tingting after receiving Jiang Ming’s trust.
• Gu Qingyao challenges the Jiang Family’s authority and establishes herself as Tingting’s mentor and protector.
• Jin Ling confronts Ji Hong directly but secretly instructs Jiang Ming to flee with Yan Ruyu and contact the Peacock King, shifting the chapter from personal conflict toward a broader confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Peach Blossom Garden Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm comes under attack, forcing Jiang Ming, Yan Ruyu, and the demons to evacuate.
• Jiang Ming warns Ye Fan to escape independently, admitting that the current crisis is too dangerous for him to protect everyone.
• Jin Ling, the Golden-Winged Roc, battles Ji Hong of the Ji Family in the sky. Ji Hong uses powerful Void techniques, including the Void Great Handprint and Great Void Rift Slash.
• Jin Ling counters with her inherited Golden-Winged Roc abilities, the Heavenly Roc Battles Dragon Diagram, Solar Fist, and secretly the Kun Peng Transformation from the Demon Emperor’s Nine Transformations.
• Their battle shatters the surrounding Void. Although Ji Hong’s cultivation is superior, he remains wary of Jin Ling’s Primordial Species body and close-combat strength.
• To save the inhabitants from being caught in the chaos, Jiang Ming uses the Seventy-Two Transformations to reproduce the secret art Universe in the Sleeve, storing several thousand demons, women, and children inside his sleeve. Pang Bo is also taken with them.
• Many other demons flee independently, reflecting the panic and disunity caused by the catastrophe.
• Jiang Ming intentionally guides the fleeing group in Ye Fan’s direction, hoping Ye Fan may encounter the Bronze Immortal Hall.
• Shortly after escaping, the group is intercepted by Ji Haoyue, accompanied by Ji Family Half-Step Great Abilities and powerful protectors.
• Ji Haoyue activates his Sea-Rising Bright Moon phenomenon and confronts Yan Ruyu. Jiang Ming declines to fight him, instead encouraging Yan Ruyu to test herself against Ji Haoyue.

Character Developments

• Jiang Ming: Demonstrates leadership and strategic judgment by organizing the evacuation rather than recklessly joining every battle. He protects the weaker demons with Universe in the Sleeve and deliberately manages Ye Fan’s path while remaining confident in Yan Ruyu’s ability.
• Yan Ruyu: Becomes increasingly powerful through cultivation with Jiang Ming. She has mastered three major phenomena—Heaven-Earth-Man, Three Flowers Crowning the Summit, and Golden Lotus Establishing the Three Powers—which Jiang Ming has combined into a new unified phenomenon. She is ready to challenge Ji Haoyue herself.
• Jin Ling: Reveals her extraordinary combat ability and willingness to defend the secret realm even against a stronger opponent. She secretly employs the Kun Peng Transformation, but conceals her connection to the Demon Emperor’s inheritance to avoid pursuit from the Southern Mountains’ demons.
• Ji Hong: Displays overwhelming Void-based power and the calm confidence of an experienced Great Ability. Nevertheless, he recognizes Jin Ling’s physical superiority and understands that her primordial bloodline makes her a serious threat.
• Ye Fan: Learns again that personal strength is essential, since even Jiang Ming cannot control the situation completely. He escapes opportunistically and continues his complicated relationship with Qin Yao.
• Ji Haoyue: Appears confident, proud, and candid. His Divine King Body and Sea-Rising Bright Moon phenomenon give him reason to be arrogant, though Jiang Ming implies that his confidence may exceed his experience.
• Qin Yao and the other demons: Follow Jiang Ming’s evacuation plan and rely on his protection. Their survival depends on cooperation, unlike the demons who scatter during the crisis.

Significant Themes

• The importance and limits of strength: Even powerful figures such as Jiang Ming and Jin Ling must adapt when confronted by superior forces or chaotic circumstances.
• Protection versus survival: Jiang Ming prioritizes saving civilians and children, while many demons abandon the group and flee individually.
• Hidden inheritances and secrecy: Jin Ling must conceal her use of the Demon Emperor’s Nine Transformations because revealing it could attract hostile forces.
• Pride and overconfidence: Ji Haoyue’s confidence reflects the Ji Family’s powerful background, but Jiang Ming suggests that his arrogance may eventually be challenged.
• Fate and opportunity: Jiang Ming manipulates Ye Fan’s escape route, believing that mysterious fortune may lead him toward the Bronze Immortal Hall.
• Racial and physical differences: The chapter contrasts the Human Race’s weaker natural physique with the Demon Race’s formidable bodies, especially Jin Ling’s Primordial Species shell.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Ming reassures and directs Yan Ruyu, who trusts his judgment completely.
• He tells Ye Fan to flee, acknowledging that he cannot protect him under the present circumstances.
• Jiang Ming and Yan Ruyu cooperate to evacuate the demons, with the group accepting Jiang Ming as a trusted leader and “son-in-law.”
• Jin Ling and Ji Hong engage in a high-level battle, each respecting the other’s abilities while attempting to exploit their opponent’s weaknesses.
• Ji Haoyue speaks cordially with Jiang Ming despite standing against him, recalling their previous encounters.
• Jiang Ming refuses Ji Haoyue’s challenge and places Yan Ruyu in his path, setting up a direct confrontation between the two.

Plot points and events

• Yan Ruyu challenges Ji Haoyue with her Void-Born Golden Lotus phenomenon, matching his Sea-Rising Bright Moon.
• Their phenomena clash on a vast scale: Ji’s sea and moon attack, while Yan’s lotuses grow within his sea and her azure sky presses against his night. Yan also links her Sea of Bitterness to a second phenomenon, Bitter Sea Growing Golden Lotuses, giving her the advantage.
• Their battle devastates the surrounding area. Ji orders his riders to withdraw and hunt down the other escapees so he can fight without protecting them.
• Ye Fan watches from a safe distance, impressed by the power of ancient phenomena but recognizing that his own cultivation is too weak to use his.
• Jiang Ming reflects on the elderly demons who refuse to flee. They choose to fight so Yan Ruyu will remember their loyalty and protect their descendants; they have entrusted Jiang Ming with the young demons they have helped evacuate.
• A system notification rewards Jiang Ming with ten Divine Source Beans after a Four Extremes cultivator dies under Yan Ruyu’s command.
• Yan Ruyu’s combined phenomena overpower Ji, who coughs blood and is thrown back. He then borrows surface power from the Ji Family’s Void Mirror.
• Yan Ruyu counters with the Extreme Dao Azure Lotus, merging it with her lotus phenomenon. The resulting collision with the Void Mirror’s power erases the surrounding landscape and clouds. Both sides are badly depleted, and the watching Great Ability experts are too wary of the Azure Emperor’s weapon to pursue her.

Character developments and interactions

• Yan Ruyu proves herself a formidable heir to the Azure Emperor, using two phenomena and an ancestral weapon to defeat Ji Haoyue’s initial advantage. Her usual distant grace gives way to a more captivating, commanding presence in battle.
• Ji Haoyue begins composed and elegant, but Yan’s advantage forces him to use the Void Mirror. The effort leaves him with little divine power and unable to use it again.
• Jiang Ming recognizes the old demons’ willingness to sacrifice themselves as an act of generational care and inheritance, despite its contrast with his own outlook. He has also become responsible for much of the Southern Region demon branch’s younger generation.
• Ye Fan responds to the display with awe and caution, fleeing thirty li and revising upward his sense of how powerful cultivators can be.
• The old demons and Jiang Ming share a bond of trust: they entrust their descendants to him, while fighting to uphold Yan Ruyu’s standing.

Significant themes

• Inheritance and sacrifice: The old demons accept death so their descendants may have a future.
• Power and its cost: Even borrowing an Emperor Armament’s superficial power causes enormous strain and destruction.
• Reverence for ancient legacies: The Azure Emperor’s and Void Great Emperor’s weapons make the scale of Extreme Dao power tangible.
• Prudence and survival: Ye Fan chooses retreat over a futile fight, while Yan Ruyu’s opponents learn that pursuing her could be disastrous.