Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Jiang Xueyao breaks through two realms, reaching the Void Meditation Realm, and begins adapting to life in the Upper Realm. Xu Yuan explains that he left some of the attackers for her to handle herself so she could establish her reputation and defend her own standing.
• As the group heads toward the Cloud Cavern, they encounter a panicked retreat. Joaquin reports that Bright Cloud Heaven is an immense monster disguised by the skins of immortals, which lures visitors close and traps them.
• Li Bai explains that the creature arose from the remains of a collapsed universe and has developed a will of its own. Jiang Xueyao unexpectedly captures it with Heaven and Earth in the Sleeve, despite exhausting her Spiritual Power.
• When the monster threatens her, Xu Yuan kills it by biting off its head, using his Ancient God power. Li Bai quickly stores the remains before the creature can return to its enormous form.
• Li Bai awards Xu Yuan and Jiang Xueyao great Merit Fruits for the kill and capture. Xu Yuan uses his to strengthen the Earthly Fiend Divine Art, gaining ten seconds of invulnerability and greatly increased power. Jiang Xueyao begins refining her new technique.
• Xu Yuan learns that the Returners’ Alliance and powerful immortal lineages are exploiting newcomers such as Marcelo, whom they have placed under house arrest. He and Li Bai leave the Alliance and refuse to grant Divine Offices to its members. Joaquin joins them, asking them to rescue Marcelo.
• With the monster gone, the Azurefall Heavenly Palace turns back and enters the Cloud Cavern, while other immortals watch uncertainly.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Xueyao grows stronger and more self-reliant. She understands Xu Yuan’s decision to leave part of the earlier conflict to her, then proves her courage by capturing the monster—though Li Bai warns her not to use the technique carelessly before mastering it.
• Xu Yuan balances affection for Jiang Xueyao with respect for her independence. He acts decisively to protect her, gains a major power upgrade, and openly breaks with the Alliance over its coercive treatment of allies.
• Li Bai serves as a practical guide and authority: he explains the monster’s nature, secures its remains, cautions Jiang Xueyao, and formally awards Merit Fruits. His relieved agreement to leave the Alliance signals his own long-standing opposition to its pressure.
• Joaquin arrives shaken but proves loyal and dependable. He joins Xu Yuan and Li Bai, asking them to save Marcelo rather than abandon him.
• Marcelo, absent from the events, becomes the reason for the group’s next rescue effort. Olifia informs Xu Yuan of the Alliance’s deal with the immortal sects and orders him to follow their command; he rejects the order and ends the call.

Significant themes

• Independence and earned authority: Jiang Xueyao must establish herself through her own actions rather than rely entirely on Xu Yuan.
• Power carries risk and responsibility: Her new technique is formidable but can leave her helpless if overused.
• Corruption and coercion: The Alliance’s influence over vulnerable newcomers contrasts with Xu Yuan and Li Bai’s choice to withdraw from it.
• Teamwork and loyalty: The group shares rewards, protects one another, and commits to rescuing Marcelo.
• Growth through adversity: The encounter with the monster brings both practical gains and new confidence, setting the stage for deeper exploration of the Cloud Cavern.

Plot points and events

• At Bright Cloud Heaven, the Azure Cloud Heavenly Palace reaches the Heavenly River, now a massive, dangerous vortex filled with remnants of the failed Dimensional Ascension. Li Bai warns that crossing it is perilous.
• Xu Yuan dives in despite the danger. As attackers approach the palace, he uses Gaze Upon and Ghost-Eye Shadow to unleash monsters based on his enemies’ deepest fears, throwing their forces into chaos.
• The vortex pulls Xu Yuan into a Sealed Ancient Battlefield, where immortals and demons are still fighting with overwhelming power.
• A mysterious little girl claims she was sent by the Jade Emperor. She presents an imperial decree that Xu Yuan instinctively accepts, assigning him a Celestial Court task.
• She guides him through underground passages to a hidden river and gives him the Destruction Divine Light, a power preserved for someone in a later age. The light strengthens Xu Yuan and transforms his Ancient God skill.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan remains bold and curious, entering danger for the chance to investigate the vortex. He also proves resourceful by using his illusion abilities to protect the palace’s defenders. His new power brings an implicit responsibility: he must privately consider the path of an Ancient God and tell no one.
• Li Bai acts as the cautious adviser, warning Xu Yuan about the vortex and organizing the palace’s defenses.
• Jiang Xueyao worries about Xu Yuan while helping protect the group with her ability.
• The little girl is composed and knowledgeable, though easily offended when Xu Yuan doubts her. Their exchange about immortals and Schrödinger’s cat adds humor before she completes her mission.

Significant themes

• Risk and curiosity: Xu Yuan repeatedly chooses to confront danger rather than avoid it.
• The legacy of failure: The battlefield preserves the unfinished violence of the failed Ascension, while the hidden Divine Light offers hope for future generations.
• Power and secrecy: Xu Yuan receives a major upgrade, but the decree warns that his thoughts about a new Ascension must remain secret.
• Humor amid epic stakes: Xu Yuan’s fear of cold water and the little girl’s modern reference lighten the chapter’s otherwise immense dangers.

Key plot points and events

• After obtaining the Ancient God’s Destruction Divine Light, Xu Yuan questions the little girl about Earth’s failed second Dimensional Ascension. She refuses to reveal details, warning that the Origin of Truth adapts to anything disclosed. She tells him that his next actions already fall under the Jade Emperor’s decree: he must obey, and understanding will be proven through what he does.
• When Cultivators attack him in the underground river, Xu Yuan uses the Ancient God skill “Annihilate Heaven and Earth” to destroy their weapons and kill one attacker. He then leaves the area, reasoning that Earth’s beams of Primordial Divine Light have already been assigned purposes and that interfering with the immortals’ plans may lead nowhere.
• Xu Yuan invites Jiang Xueyao to return with him. Though tempted by the opportunities in the underground river, she chooses to leave at his side. Xu Yuan gives Li Bai and Joaquin protective Sword Qi before departing with Jiang. Joaquin decides to prioritize rescuing his brother Marcelo, and Li Bai accompanies him.
• Xu Yuan takes a piece of the Antarctic Ice Wall back to the Three Realms. After reassuring Jiang Xueyao that he must investigate matters of cause and effect, he visits Yanmen and learns that Parrot is nearly finished assembling it.
• Xu Yuan concludes that he should find an independent route to Dimensional Ascension for the Three Realms. Recalling Pangu’s example, he enters the Ice Wall wrapped in Destruction Divine Light. A message confirms that this fulfills the Jade Emperor’s decree and grants him major merit. Recognizing the moment as the start of the Three Realms’ Ascension, Xu Yuan unleashes his power. Parrot orders Yanmen assembled, while Lu Feiming realizes that Ascension is beginning.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shifts from uncertainty about the immortals’ plans to decisive action: rather than pursue Earth’s assigned opportunities, he attempts to open a new path for the Three Realms. He protects Li Bai and Joaquin and reassures Jiang Xueyao before leaving.
• Jiang Xueyao shows that she values Xu Yuan over immediate gains, freely giving up a chance to claim Primordial Divine Light. She expresses concern for his safety and confidence that he will succeed.
• Joaquin chooses family over advancement, while Li Bai supports him by offering to accompany him.
• The little girl remains guarded but gives Xu Yuan a cryptic test: his choices will show whether he has understood the decree.

Significant themes

• Destiny and choice: The Celestial Court has plans, but Xu Yuan seeks a path of his own within the decree.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Jiang gives up an opportunity to remain with Xu Yuan; Joaquin prioritizes his brother.
• Secrecy and adaptive threats: The Origin of Truth makes knowledge dangerous to share.
• Ambition and responsibility: Xu Yuan turns his power toward raising the Three Realms rather than claiming personal rewards.

Chapter Summary

Plot and key events

• After receiving a generous reward from the Jade Emperor, Xu Yuan rests inside the Ice Wall and prepares to join the Three Realms Universe’s coming Dimensional Ascension. He believes his strongest attack can create a balance between Creation and Annihilation, the condition needed for ascension.
• The Black Coffin Ancient God takes Xu Yuan to a settlement in the White Mountains, where more than 160 Ancient Gods live in safety. Together, they can pool their Origin of Truth power to heal any injury. They have abandoned the Mission of Truth and ascension, choosing a peaceful, communal existence instead.
• The Black Coffin Ancient God invites Xu Yuan to join them, arguing that humans exploit Ancient Gods and that the ascension path leads to death. Xu Yuan understands and respects their choice, but says he has a task to complete.
• Returning to the Ice Wall, Xu Yuan realizes the settlement’s intervention caused him to miss the Universe’s ascension. Using the Universe’s Crown and the power called Void of Authority, he jumps back to the moment it began.
• As the Origin of Truth floods the Universe, its inhabitants and objects rapidly improve—but these advances veer toward destructive excess. Xu Yuan strikes Yanmen with the Youhuang Sword, binding the forces of Creation and Annihilation into a mutual balance.
• This balance lets the Universe and Xu Yuan share power. Unlike the Ancient Gods who died during previous ascensions, Xu Yuan remains alive and begins undergoing Dimensional Ascension himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan weighs the appeal of safety and companionship against his commitment to the Universe’s future. He respects the Ancient Gods’ decision but ultimately chooses action, showing both independence and determination.
• The Black Coffin Ancient God acts as a protector and recruiter for the settlement. He distrusts humanity and values peace over the dangerous Mission of Truth, yet leaves the door open for Xu Yuan to join later.
• Their conversation is not hostile: Xu Yuan listens sympathetically, and the Black Coffin Ancient God accepts his decision—though he urges him not to wait too long.

Significant themes

• Safety versus purpose: The Ancient Gods choose security and a life beyond imposed missions; Xu Yuan accepts danger in pursuit of a larger goal.
• Collective strength and solidarity: The settlement’s combined power offers protection that no individual Ancient God could secure alone.
• Progress and its dangers: Ascension brings improvement, but unchecked advancement can become greed, exploitation, and destruction.
• Creation balanced by destruction: Xu Yuan’s intervention suggests that renewal requires limits as well as growth—and that this balance may allow both civilization and an Ancient God to ascend.
• A break from tragic precedent: Earlier Ancient Gods never survived ascension; Xu Yuan’s survival opens the possibility of a different outcome.

Plot points and events

• After the Three Realms Universe’s successful Dimensional Ascension, Xu Yuan awakens as an Ancient God. His expanded awareness lets him read opponents’ strength and weaknesses and glimpse how events may unfold.
• He discovers that the barrier between Earth and the Three Realms is the result of the universes repelling one another. The Origin of Truth remains unpredictable, however, and is expected to focus its forces on stopping Earth’s impending second ascension.
• Xu Yuan recognizes the stakes: if Earth fails, the Origin of Truth could reclaim the Ancient Gods’ power and grow strong enough to threaten the Three Realms’ future ascension. He considers how best to intervene.
• Parrot reveals that Yanmen has regained its full power as a multidimensional weapon, able to draw on dimensions such as time, space, and fate to influence events. Xu Yuan praises Parrot and invites him to fight alongside him.
• Xu Yuan visits Lu Feiming and Liang Kun, shares a meal with them, and says he intends to change the world after consulting the Universe.
• He decides they should go to Earth. Since the passage will not admit them, Xu Yuan asks the Universe whether he can absorb both it and Lu Feiming into himself. The chapter ends with the Universe answering through a television drama: “You do!”

Character developments

• Xu Yuan has become vastly more powerful, but his main change is strategic: he shifts from reflecting on the cosmic danger to actively seeking a way to help Earth and protect the Three Realms.
• Parrot celebrates Yanmen’s restored abilities and eagerly anticipates a real fight.
• Lu Feiming remains relaxed and practical, teasing Xu Yuan about treating them to food while also cautioning him to approach the Universe carefully.
• The Universe appears to retain its trust in Xu Yuan, even after his ascension.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan and Parrot discuss Yanmen’s restored power and agree that Parrot may join the coming fight.
• Xu Yuan reunites with Lu Feiming and Liang Kun over hot pot. Their easy banter contrasts with the cosmic crisis they discuss.
• Xu Yuan addresses the Universe directly, and its playful, indirect response suggests approval of his proposed plan.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Xu Yuan’s ascension gives him greater ability, but also a greater role in preventing catastrophe.
• Uncertainty and preparation: The Origin of Truth’s intentions and Earth’s second ascension remain unknown, forcing Xu Yuan to plan ahead.
• Trust and cooperation: Xu Yuan’s relationship with the Universe, Parrot, and his friends may be essential to confronting the threat.
• Ordinary life amid cosmic stakes: A shared meal and joking exchanges ground the chapter’s enormous conflict in familiar relationships.

Plot points and events

• Olifia visits Xu Yuan and Li Bai at their cabin on Earth to hire them to explore a dangerous underground pool in Bright Cloud Heaven, where previous visitors vanished.
• Xu Yuan and Li Bai claim to be booked solid with jobs, forums, and treasure hunts. Li Bai gives Olifia a place in their two-week booking queue, where she is third.
• After Olifia leaves, Xu Yuan asks how long they can keep their true plans concealed. Li Bai reveals that his reports are carefully crafted to appear honest, and that he has been preparing for this moment.
• Xu Yuan begins preparations for the Three Realms’ Second Dimensional Ascension. He summons Human Emperor Lu Chaowu and brings Jiang Xueyao to the higher realm.
• Lu Chaowu notes that Xu Yuan’s Spiritual Power is full, but Xu Yuan says he is delaying his breakthrough to avoid drawing attention. Xu Yuan explains that, with the Three Realms’ ascension complete and no immediate outside threat, he can use his Crown again.
• With Li Bai sealing the area in a Grand Array, Xu Yuan uses the Crown, Lord of the Time Prison, to leap through successive seven-day periods and repeatedly activate Recruiting the Worthy, beginning to bring people into the higher realm on a large scale.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan remains cautious and strategic: he keeps his Ancient God status and plans discreet, takes paid work on his own terms, and avoids a conspicuous breakthrough. He now shifts from preparation to mass recruitment.
• Li Bai supports Xu Yuan’s efforts, helps manage their booming business, and reveals that his reputation for honesty has helped conceal his long-term preparations. He also protects the recruitment operation with a sealing array.
• Olifia is frustrated by Xu Yuan’s immunity to the Contract and by his apparent unavailability, but accepts her place in the queue.
• Lu Chaowu urges caution about attracting attention before they have enough people, while recognizing Xu Yuan’s readiness and potential.
• Jiang Xueyao joins the group in the higher realm and confirms that the situation there is peaceful enough for newcomers to build Merit and advance their Immortal Ranks.
• The cordial exchange between Lu Chaowu and Li Bai establishes mutual respect, while Xu Yuan acts as the link bringing them and Jiang Xueyao together.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and strategy: Xu Yuan and Li Bai conceal their real agenda behind ordinary work and carefully managed reports.
• Trust and deception: Li Bai’s reputation for honesty becomes a tool for hiding the truth.
• Preparation and collective advancement: The group is building strength and bringing others into the higher realm before larger threats emerge.
• Opportunity and timing: Xu Yuan’s ability to manipulate time transforms a once-slow recruitment process into mass mobilization.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan continues bringing Cultivators and other beings from the Three Realms to Earth, earning Merit Fruits but saving them rather than using them. He sends the Human Emperor and others two years into Earth’s peaceful past so they can hide and build strength.
• Xu Yuan and Li Bai travel to Biluotian Heaven to help President Jiang and his disciples reach a hidden Grotto-Heaven. The entrance requires a descendant’s jade tablet and puts visitors through unknown trials.
• President Jiang and his group defeat a lightning dragon, but the effort exhausts his disciples. Xu Yuan’s team then helps fight a monster emerging from the gate. Xu Yuan secretly uses his abilities to weaken it while making the struggle appear difficult, helping preserve the group’s trust in him.
• A black sword attacks President Jiang. Xu Yuan catches it and absorbs the Destruction Divine Light coating it. He claims the power barely strengthened him, and President Jiang accepts the light as fair payment for saving his life.
• President Jiang and his disciples enter the gate to inherit the Imperial Throne. While waiting, Xu Yuan hears a message from an immortal recorded across time. The immortal warns that Earth’s second Dimensional Ascension will face the Origin of Truth, which will attack without rules, and gives Xu Yuan a map showing where Destruction Divine Light is hidden across the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan remains strategic and guarded. He protects the people he sends into the past, disguises his strength during the mission, and absorbs the divine light for his own purposes.
• President Jiang begins wary of Xu Yuan’s high prices but grows warmer after fighting beside him. He comes to regard them as partners with aligned interests.
• Joaquin and Marcelo prove useful in battle, distracting and wearing down the monster while supporting Xu Yuan’s plan.
• The immortal reveals the scale of the coming crisis and entrusts Xu Yuan with a final safeguard, implying that the burden of protecting Earth may ultimately fall to him.

Significant themes

• Preparation for catastrophe: Sending people into the past and gathering hidden power are part of a long-term effort to prepare for Earth’s future.
• Trust and cooperation: Shared danger turns a tense business relationship into a bond, while Xu Yuan carefully manages how others perceive him.
• Inheritance and responsibility: Xu Yuan’s connection to Pangu makes him a successor to an immense legacy, and the immortal’s warning gives that inheritance a practical, potentially decisive role.
• Power and uncertainty: The trials and the coming Ascension are unpredictable; even great strength may not be enough against an enemy unconstrained by rules.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan and Li Bai coordinate both his time-traveling plans and their commercial work; Li Bai stays behind to guard the palace and earn Merit Fruits through his own duties.
• Xu Yuan negotiates playfully with President Jiang, then fights alongside him and accepts the divine light as payment.
• Joaquin and Marcelo follow Xu Yuan’s lead in the monster battle, while President Jiang’s disciples support him by lending him their Spiritual Power.
• The immortal’s message creates a conversation across time: Xu Yuan questions the plan and its chances, while the immortal answers with a warning, a map, and a plea to fight.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan takes possession of the Treasure Map and senses a dangerous presence watching him. He suspects his Ancient God power has attracted the Origin of Truth’s attention.
• To conceal that power, he begins a Cultivator’s Heavenly Tribulation, reaching for the Spirit Quiescence Realm. The watching presence fades, confirming his suspicion.
• While enduring the tribulation, Xu Yuan realizes the Origin of Truth may use the distraction to act. He leaves Marcelo and Joaquin to deal with President Jiang and races across the heavens.
• Xu Yuan deliberately draws the pursuing lightning to Immortal Palaces across the Third and Fourth Heavens, using the tribulation as cover to collect Pangu’s remaining Destruction Divine Light.
• His skill “Annihilate Heaven and Earth” transforms into a Level 2 Ancient God Origin Divine Skill, capable of evolving alongside the power of Creation.
• Xu Yuan completes his tribulation and reaches the Spirit Quiescence Realm. He then senses the Origin of Truth launching a massive attack on Earth, forcing Earth to begin its second Dimensional Ascension immediately.
• Xu Yuan stops hiding his nature and combines his own power as an ascended Ancient God with Pangu’s Destruction Divine Light, preparing to confront the threat.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shifts from cautious concealment to open preparation for war. He is calculating and resourceful, turning his tribulation into both a disguise and a means to gather power.
• Marcelo and Joaquin are astonished to learn that Xu Yuan is a powerful Cultivator. He warns them to keep their distance and leaves them to handle the remaining situation.
• Joaquin recognizes that Xu Yuan has left before finishing the tribulation, though neither he nor Marcelo understands why he acted so urgently.

Significant themes

• Concealment and revelation: Xu Yuan hides his Ancient God power until the Origin of Truth’s attack makes concealment pointless.
• Preparation under pressure: He uses an apparent setback—the Heavenly Tribulation—to gain power and act before disaster arrives.
• Escalating cosmic conflict: The approaching second Dimensional Ascension marks a decisive struggle for Earth’s survival.
• Power and transformation: Xu Yuan’s new ability and fusion of Ancient God powers signal his evolution toward confronting threats on a universal scale.

Plot points and events

• As the second Dimensional Ascension begins, Xu Yuan is summoned from the future into an earlier age. He accepts the invitation to help the gods confront the calamity at the Origin of Truth.
• Golden Virtue Star Lord Li Taibai explains that Pangu enabled the first Ascension, but the gods lack confidence in the second. Li converts Xu Yuan’s accumulated Merit into a powerful, 100-second Mystic Art that makes him invulnerable and lets his attacks bypass all defenses.
• Xu Yuan’s Primordial Chaos Umbrella merges with the Youhuang Sword, strengthening both and allowing the sword to use the umbrella’s powers.
• A heavenly weapon attacks Xu Yuan, followed by a vast barrage of Five Elements treasures. Xu Yuan withstands the assault with his sword technique, driving the weapons back.
• The clash between Creation and Annihilation begins to raise the world’s total energy, drawing the Origin of Truth toward Earth and initiating Dimensional Ascension.
• One hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals arrive. Xu Yuan prepares to face them, hoping the battle will ensure that later ages inherit only minor problems.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan enters the past as a powerful Ancient God embodying Annihilation. He learns that his own future actions are part of the events that set the second Ascension in motion.
• Despite his confidence in battle, Xu Yuan reflects on the stakes and hopes the gods succeed, revealing concern for the world’s future.
• Li Taibai shows faith in Xu Yuan by entrusting him with the gods’ accumulated Merit and welcoming the prospect of fighting alongside him.

Significant themes

• Cycles of time and fate: Xu Yuan is summoned from the future to help cause or shape the very crisis whose origins he is trying to understand.
• Creation and Annihilation: Their conflict is not merely destructive; their interaction increases the world’s energy and drives Ascension.
• Sacrifice and cooperation: The gods rely on Pangu’s past sacrifice and pool their Merit to prepare for the new calamity.
• The burden of history: Xu Yuan fights in the hope that future generations will inherit a world with fewer unresolved dangers.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan questions the mysterious presence that summons him, then accepts its offer.
• Li Taibai formally welcomes Xu Yuan, explains the gods’ predicament, and converts their stored Merit into power for him. They exchange respectful farewells and express a wish to fight together.
• Xu Yuan faces the heavenly weapons alone at first, then stands ready as the gathered gods and their army arrive.

Plot points and events

• Xu Yuan’s battle with the gods intensifies. Using Starry River Devours Worlds, he attacks across all time and space, then uses Void of Authority to fight opponents at different moments in the timeline.
• He faces immortals who can also use Overlord Body, Peerless, and Heavenly Law Manifestation. He counters their attacks with his swordsmanship and Destruction Divine Light.
• As Creation and Annihilation clash, the influx of the Origin of Truth triggers rapid changes across Earth. Xu Yuan calls a halt to the battle; the gods let him withdraw, and the world’s upheaval subsides.
• Earth gains immense new resources and spiritual wonders. Xu Yuan suspects the Origin of Truth may be engineering this growth for its own purposes, especially since his own power is increasing alongside Earth’s.
• Li Bai explains that Earth will need roughly five hundred years to absorb the changes safely. He offers Xu Yuan a training route to meet immortals skilled in Heavenly Law Manifestation.
• Xu Yuan follows the route to a village, where an unnamed old woman demonstrates the art’s advanced second stage: Law Transformation. She changes a hellscape into an Immortal Realm, then makes it vanish, and offers to teach him.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan demonstrates greater mastery of temporal combat and restraint, choosing to pause rather than prolong a battle during Earth’s unstable transformation. He remains wary of the Origin of Truth and seeks further training.
• Li Bai acts as Xu Yuan’s guide, arranging instruction in a surprisingly modern way—through a phone app and navigation route.
• The old woman is revealed as a highly capable teacher whose understanding of Heavenly Law Manifestation exceeds Xu Yuan’s current knowledge.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan clashes with divine generals and other immortals, exchanging attacks with them across successive moments in time.
• He and the gods agree to stop fighting temporarily, though no peace is established.
• Li Bai discusses Earth’s recovery and encourages Xu Yuan to strengthen his manifestation.
• At the first destination, Xu Yuan respectfully approaches the old woman. She tests his understanding by explaining and demonstrating Law Transformation, then asks whether he wants to learn.

Significant themes

• Escalation and uncertainty: Earth’s growth and Xu Yuan’s rising strength may be part of a larger, possibly deceptive design.
• Power through creation and transformation: Heavenly Law Manifestation evolves from imposing Laws into transforming the very nature of what it creates.
• Conflict balanced by restraint: Xu Yuan’s decision to withdraw shows that survival and timing can matter as much as victory.
• Tradition and modernity: Ancient immortals teach cosmic arts through contemporary technology, adding a comic contrast.

Plot points and events

• Xu Yuan discusses the coming battle with an old woman who is teaching him Nature Transformation, a method of Heavenly Law Manifestation. He quickly learns to transform wind and rain into other forms.
• They agree that changing history could erase the future that gave Xu Yuan his power and role as the sole “Annihilation.” They will therefore let the ancient battle end in defeat—but Xu Yuan proposes a way for its participants to survive.
• Before he can explain fully, the Origin of Truth attacks. Xu Yuan returns to the future, arriving in Bright Cloud Heaven as black lightning begins striking there too.
• He warns Marcelo and Joaquin to leave, but the Heavenly Realm turns black. The Origin of Truth reverses the nature of the world: Creation becomes Annihilation, and Annihilation becomes Spiritual Power. It also takes control of Joaquin, Marcelo, President Jiang, and others.
• Joaquin, speaking as the Origin of Truth, declares that Xu Yuan must face the descendants of the Immortals and their treasures alone. The Heaven-and-Earth Profound Yellow Treasures then attack, beginning Earth’s second Dimensional Ascension war.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shows quick mastery of Nature Transformation and a strategic understanding of why history must remain intact. He also reframes the Origin of Truth as “Fear”: an aspect born from the Origin that resists the natural course of events.
• The old woman accepts Xu Yuan’s reasoning and offers the gods’ and Buddhas’ support, though the chapter ends before his survival plan is revealed.
• Joaquin changes from an ally into a vessel for the Origin of Truth, while Marcelo and President Jiang are also transformed and controlled. Xu Yuan tries to warn them, but is left facing the threat alone.

Significant themes

• Preserving history versus changing the future: Victory in the ancient battle could erase the conditions that made Xu Yuan possible.
• Fear of change and the natural order: Xu Yuan argues that the force opposing the unfolding of events is not the Origin itself, but Fear within it.
• Reversal and helplessness: The Origin’s power to switch Creation and Annihilation turns the defenders’ preparations against them, leaving Xu Yuan at a severe disadvantage.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan faces a seemingly overwhelming assault: countless divine treasures and Cultivators converge on him, their attacks becoming a force of “Annihilation.”
• The narrative flashes back to the Three Realms’ ancient catastrophe. The Ancient God destroyed Yanmen, swallowed the Universe, and let Fiendish Monsters and the Immortal Species devastate the realms.
• A great umbrella—the Primordial Chaos Umbrella—begins rescuing survivors. It gives a frightened Fox Clan girl the power to defeat Monsters by naming and stripping away their powers; she declares herself the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden. It later saves a young bear as well.
• The immortals and gods reincarnated among the Demon Race return to the umbrella and use their combined power to protect the Mortal Realm. They shelter human survivors, allow civilization to recover, and repeatedly withstand the Ancient God until it weakens and falls asleep.
• In a later Epoch, the umbrella opens a passage for Xu Yuan, an Earth-born soul, to enter the Three Realms. He grows in power, uncovers the ancient truth, uses the Time Crown to save the Universe from the Ten Days, and eventually ascends to Earth.
• In the present, Xu Yuan summons the umbrella. The hidden immortals and gods appear, reclaim the attacking treasures, and resist the Origin of Truth’s black mist. Xu Yuan points out that turning these Three Realms Divinities into Ancient Gods would violate the Rules, since only Earth is undergoing Dimensional Ascension.
• Joaquin argues that the Three Realms have no right to interfere and that Earth must face him alone. Xu Yuan counters that his allies did not come to join the ascension—they came to beat Joaquin.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan is revealed as the link between the ancient history of the Three Realms and the present conflict. Calm and confident under attack, he uses the umbrella and his understanding of the Rules to turn the confrontation around.
• The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden first appears as a terrified child, then becomes a composed and formidable Monster-slayer once she takes up the umbrella.
• The reincarnated gods and immortals are shown as patient guardians. Across many Epochs, they protect survivors and rebuild civilization, eventually reuniting to aid Xu Yuan.
• Joaquin remains confident that Earth’s defeat is inevitable, but Xu Yuan exposes the limits imposed on his power.

Significant themes

• Protection and perseverance: The umbrella and its guardians preserve life and civilization through repeated catastrophes.
• Identity and continuity: The gods’ reincarnations retain their purpose and ultimately reunite, while Xu Yuan’s journey connects Earth and the Three Realms.
• Rules and restraint: Even immense power is constrained by the laws governing Dimensional Ascension.
• Allies and collective resistance: A conflict presented as a solitary struggle becomes a united effort across worlds.

Character interactions

• The umbrella transforms the Fox girl’s fear into decisive action, enabling her to defeat the Monster and protect others.
• The gods and immortals cooperate over many Epochs to shelter survivors, then answer Xu Yuan’s call and reclaim the incoming treasures.
• Xu Yuan directly challenges the Origin of Truth’s attempt to corrupt the Three Realms Divinities by invoking the governing Rules.
• Joaquin dismisses the gods’ intervention; Xu Yuan answers with a blunt declaration that they have come to fight him, not to participate in Earth’s ascension.

Plot points and events

• The Origin of Truth manipulates Earth’s Cultivators into becoming bearers of Annihilation and attempting a ritual to destroy Earth. A bell—an ancestral treasure—returns to stop them, knocking the Cultivators unconscious. Similar treasures subdue their followers around the world.
• Xu Yuan uses his power as an Ancient God, transformed into Creation, to balance Earth’s Annihilation. The opposing forces establish a cycle of destruction and renewal, allowing Earth’s second Dimensional Ascension to proceed.
• Joaquin summons the Ancient Gods from Mount Nothingness to oppose Xu Yuan, but they refuse to fight after realizing Joaquin has taken away their own hope of ascending. They leave.
• Joaquin then tries to force the Three Realms Universe to ascend as well. Xu Yuan argues that it cannot succeed while he serves as Earth’s Creation and the balance of Creation and Annihilation is broken.
• Joaquin reveals the Origin of Truth’s dwindling power and brings Xu Yuan to its nearly depleted source. Li Bai explains that Earth’s ascension could be funded either by destroying other Universes and Ancient Gods, or by having Earth’s ascended immortals, Buddhas, and Ancient Gods sacrifice themselves.
• The Celestial Court chooses the second option. Xu Yuan refuses and uses the Primordial Chaos Umbrella and Heaven-Stealing to pull Li Bai back, halting the sacrifice.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shifts from supporting Earth’s ascension to rejecting it at any cost. He insists that his life—and everyone else’s—counts, and that no group should be sacrificed for another’s advancement.
• Joaquin moves from resisting Xu Yuan’s intervention to seeking a final, desperate solution by forcing the Three Realms to ascend and exposing the Origin’s crisis.
• Li Bai initially accepts the Celestial Court’s self-sacrifice as the moral alternative to destroying other worlds, but Xu Yuan challenges him to apply that principle equally to Earth’s own people.
• The Ancient Gods’ refusal to obey Joaquin shows their independence and resentment at having their hopes of ascension taken away.
• Xu Yuan’s exchange with Li Bai ends with the chapter’s central question: if ascension requires sacrifice, why not simply choose to remain alive and not ascend?

Significant themes

• The worth of every life: Xu Yuan rejects sacrificing any group, whether outsiders or his own people.
• Ambition versus survival: Dimensional Ascension is not automatically worth its cost.
• Balance and interdependence: Creation and Annihilation must coexist for Earth’s ascension to work.
• Moral consistency: A principle against sacrificing other worlds must also protect one’s own.
• Choice and restraint: The chapter suggests that accepting limits may be wiser than pursuing power at any price.

Plot points

• Joaquin, the Origin of Truth, attacks Xu Yuan and threatens Earth and other Universes. Xu Yuan realizes Joaquin intends to win either way: if victorious, he can absorb the power of creation; if defeated, humanity would still hesitate to drain the Origin of Truth completely.
• Xu Yuan fights back using the power the immortals have entrusted to him, while trying to prevent Joaquin from destroying more worlds. Joaquin nevertheless annihilates a Universe, killing billions and growing stronger.
• With advice from the Old Woman, Xu Yuan makes a public Sealing Appeal to every Universe, asking them to judge whether he resembles the Origin of Truth. The Three Realms Universe and countless others answer by lending him their Origin Power; Lu Feiming also contributes his strength.
• Now stronger than Joaquin, Xu Yuan defeats him but refuses to take all his power or replace him. He removes the force possessing Joaquin, takes only enough power to ensure it cannot fight back, and promises that humanity will abandon Dimensional Ascension unless it can be made sustainable.
• As the Universes and Divinities wait for a grand declaration, Xu Yuan simply says, “As before.”

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shifts from trying to negotiate to acting decisively, but his victory does not make him power-hungry. He uses collective support to stop Joaquin while limiting harm and refusing absolute control.
• Joaquin is revealed as both deeply distrustful and determined to preserve his power at any cost. Even after defeat, he assumes Xu Yuan will take his place and rule the Universes.
• The immortals, Old Woman, and Lu Feiming support Xu Yuan—through shared power, timely counsel, and personal contribution. The Universes’ response turns the conflict into a collective judgment rather than a contest between two individuals.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Xu Yuan gains godlike strength but chooses restraint over domination.
• Collective judgment and solidarity: The Universes’ cooperation is what enables Joaquin’s defeat.
• Fear versus trust: Joaquin claims Xu Yuan exploits the Universes’ fear, while Xu Yuan argues that Joaquin’s violence has made them choose to support him.
• Sustainability and restraint: The promise to stop pursuing Dimensional Ascension unless it can be done sustainably contrasts with the destructive pursuit of limitless power.
• Ordinary continuity: Xu Yuan’s understated closing suggests that even a cosmic victory need not change how life proceeds.

• A comic opening at Liang Kun’s shop: Liang Kun ominously threatens a group of dogs, claiming power over their lives and minds. Lu Feiming interrupts with wedding supplies and asks him to attend a wedding; Liang stays behind to bathe the shop’s regulars. Once alone, he resumes his grandiose threats, while the dogs regard him as a capable groomer who is simply a little eccentric.
• Yang Xiaobing’s wedding preparations: At the venue, Yang finishes getting ready and welcomes Lu Yiyi and Jiang Xueyao, who has brought an infant. Yang jokes that Jiang kept her arranged marriage and child secret, then happily accepts the baby as her godchild. When some Earth-born female gods argue with reception staff, Jiang goes to handle the dispute, leaving Yang and Lu Yiyi alone. Yang praises the baby’s resemblance to “him,” and Lu Yiyi’s awkward reaction—especially when Yang compliments her bridal-style outfit—suggests the conversation touches a sensitive subject.
• Lu Feiming searches for the groom: At the wedding, Lu Feiming asks Zhang Pengcheng and Zhao Afei where the groom is. They explain that he disappeared after the bachelor party but promised to arrive before the ceremony. Sensing where he is, Lu Feiming leaves and appears on the Gold Coast, where Bai Yuanze confirms the man is waiting.
• Xu Yuan’s quiet moment: Lu Feiming finds Xu Yuan standing by the sea with a cold beer, enjoying the breeze and view. He congratulates him for finally realizing his simple dream of drinking beer by the shore.
  Character developments and relationships: Liang Kun’s menacing self-image contrasts with how familiar and unimpressed the dogs are with him. Yang Xiaobing is cheerful and affectionate with her friends, while Lu Yiyi’s composure gives way to private discomfort. Jiang Xueyao appears matter-of-fact about her arranged marriage but is warmly welcomed into Yang’s circle through the baby. Xu Yuan’s seaside pause reveals a quieter, personal wish beneath the larger events, and Lu Feiming responds with understated warmth.
  Themes: The chapter balances absurd comedy with heartfelt friendship and domestic celebration. It contrasts grand claims of power with ordinary, intimate pleasures, while highlighting chosen affection—friendship, godparenthood, and shared milestones—alongside the obligations of arranged marriage.

Key points

• The author declares the story finished and says ending it here felt right, even though there were more ideas they could have explored.
• They reflect on writing the 2.1-million-word book as an experiment focused on the characters’ experiences. They are pleased with some sections but admit that exhaustion later affected the writing.
• The author describes writing as a match: results depend on both skill and circumstances. They recall a family member’s major surgery during another project as an example of how personal strain can disrupt writing.
• They explain that the pace of web fiction—and their own urge to write quickly—eventually pushed them to abandon this experimental approach.
• They discuss the book’s changing title and content: Stealing the Three Realms gradually became I Became an Ancient God in the Cultivation World as the story evolved. They decide to keep the title.
• They announce their next book, This Definitely Isn’t Cthulhu!, and plan to shape a story around its title. They thank readers and close on an upbeat, affectionate note.

Character and relationship developments

• There are no fictional character developments or interactions. The afterword focuses on the author’s creative process and personal experiences.
• The author mentions collaborating with friends on a fan title and consulting editor Blue Light about the next book’s title; Blue Light agrees to the author’s plan.

Significant themes

• Creative growth and experimentation: Writing is a process of trying new methods, learning, and sometimes letting go of an approach.
• Limits and circumstance: Exhaustion, time pressure, and personal hardship can affect creative work.
• Stories evolving as they are written: Titles and content may change together as an author circles back to connect ideas.
• Gratitude and renewal: The author thanks readers, accepts the completed story, and looks ahead to a new creative venture.

The excerpt is too short to summarize a chapter. It provides only a title—This Can’t Be Cthulhu!—and the opening fragment, “The account had a high risk rating,” with no plot, characters, interactions, or themes yet established. Please share the chapter text for a useful summary.