Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• In the Netherworld, Tang Changsheng sees Fang Xin and the Sea-Calming Ghost Soldiers overwhelmed by sea monsters. He unleashes Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, destroying many monsters with Magnetic Thunderbolts. The Sea-Calming General recognizes the power and fears it as a bane to ghosts.
• Meanwhile, rising seas threaten Suxu City. Huge waves batter its walls while sea monsters drive the flood forward. The frightened citizens gather to pray and reinforce the defenses; their collective vow power helps resist the attack in the Netherworld.
• The governor refuses to flee, insisting that defending the city is his duty. His attendants consider carrying him away, each weighing their own prospects, and the governor nearly takes his own life as the city seems doomed.
• Tang Changsheng arrives on the Nine Dragon Throne and strikes the enormous sea monster leading the assault. The creature and many surrounding monsters are killed, easing the immediate threat.
• The Netherworld is pulled into the Mortal World by the Netherworld Sacred Coin. In daylight, the ghosts, monster spirits, and Corpse-Eating Crows burn away under the Solar True Fire. The governor and the people on the walls kneel in gratitude to Tang.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng acts decisively, first attacking the monsters in the Netherworld and then saving Suxu City from the flood. His personal connection to the city strengthens his resolve to protect its people.
• The governor shows genuine commitment to his post, choosing to remain with the city despite the danger. His desperation briefly overwhelms him, but his refusal to abandon his duty defines him.
• The attendants and officials reveal self-interest beneath their apparent loyalty: they debate fleeing based on what will best protect their own futures.
• The Sea-Calming General is shaken by Tang’s Magnetic Thunderbolts, recognizing that they threaten ghostly beings like himself.

Significant themes

• Duty versus self-preservation: The governor’s stand contrasts with his attendants’ calculations about escape and reward.
• Heroism and rescue: Tang risks himself to save a city and more than a hundred thousand people.
• Faith and collective effort: The citizens’ prayers and vow power help reinforce the city’s defense.
• The boundary between worlds: The supernatural battle has direct consequences in the Mortal World, and the transition to daylight destroys many of the invading spirits.

Character interactions

• Tang’s intervention protects Fang Xin and the Sea-Calming Ghost Soldiers while frightening the Sea-Calming General.
• The governor clashes with his attendants, who urge or contemplate removing him, while he insists on staying.
• After Tang saves the city, the governor, officials, constables, and soldiers respond by kneeling and thanking him.

Plot points and events

• After his devastating strike against the Sea Monsters, Tang Changsheng recovers by restoring his Yin Spirit’s radiance. The effort has exhausted him, but recent insight into life and death and the opening of his Mysterious Aperture help him regain strength.
• Tang unleashes his power fully, producing moonlight and wind that drive the flooding sea back. The people of Suxu City rejoice, believing he has saved them.
• Yuexiang Wu arrives and finds the crisis largely over. He mistakenly assumes the unseen power behind the Magnetic Thunderbolt belongs to a Yang Spirit True Person; Tang is powerful, but has not yet attained the Yang Spirit.
• Tang takes Fang Xin away from the battlefield and reunites with his old friend. Fang Xin explains that the Heavenly Court abolished Fuyang Mountain’s old Netherworld Office and reassigned its former staff to Suxu City, where the new City God has treated them poorly.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng demonstrates both immense power and the cost of using it. His recent breakthrough marks real progress, though the Yang Spirit remains beyond his reach. Despite his elevated status, he remains warmly attached to old friends.
• Fang Xin is astonished and somewhat intimidated by Tang’s strength, but also glad that Tang remembers him. His account reveals his frustration and dissatisfaction with his current position.
• Yuexiang Wu recognizes that an extraordinary expert intervened, but misjudges that person’s cultivation and identity.

Character interactions

• Tang reassures Fang Xin that they need not use formal titles and asks about his past and current circumstances.
• Fang Xin, still awed by Tang, opens up about his difficult reassignment and mistreatment in the Suxu Netherworld Office.
• The rescued citizens express gratitude to Tang, while the City God Sovereign acknowledges that Tang’s intervention saved both the city and its souls.

Significant themes

• Power and its limits: Tang’s abilities can turn the tide of battle, but using them exacts a serious toll, and his breakthrough is only one step toward greater attainment.
• Loyalty and old bonds: Tang’s rise in status does not erase his friendship with Fang Xin.
• Hierarchy and institutional change: The Heavenly Court’s reorganization disrupts lives, while the Immortal Sects’ rigid rankings shape how experts are judged.
• Recognition and misjudgment: Yuexiang Wu correctly senses extraordinary power but draws the wrong conclusion about its source and level.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng learns from the former Netherworld official Fang Xin that, roughly a century earlier, month-long rains submerged everything south of the Suxu River, creating the Canglan Sea. Witch Undead later appeared and proved dangerously difficult to fight.
• The Dragon Palace now protects the coast, and the sea has swallowed former mountains, transforming them into immortal islands. Little Paulownia Mountain became Primordial Yang Island, where Tang’s sect still resides.
• With ships unwilling to sail, Tang sets out alone in a fast-moving skiff, promising to look into Fang Xin’s situation after visiting the island.
• Far out at sea, Tang notices the region seems vastly expanded. Studying the unfamiliar stars, he realizes they are manifestations of divine power rather than ordinary celestial bodies, making his usual star-based cultivation method unusable.
• A powerful star-being approaches. Tang hides his presence with the Heavenly Mandate Compass until it passes, then reflects that the world has become perilous even for a Yin God True Person.
• A mysterious woman in palace dress suddenly appears on his boat and reacts with amusement to his remark that Yang Spirits are “worth less than dogs.”

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng remains composed and capable, confidently crossing the sea alone, but discovers that his understanding of the world is incomplete and that he is far below the most powerful beings around him.
• Fang Xin is eager to assist Tang and hopeful that Tang’s status may eventually help him and his former colleagues.

Significant themes

• A changed and dangerous world: Familiar geography and natural systems have been transformed by supernatural upheaval.
• Power and vulnerability: Tang’s considerable cultivation offers little protection against beings of vastly higher rank.
• The divine nature of the cosmos: The stars themselves are linked to immortals and gods, challenging Tang’s assumptions about nature and cultivation.
• Hope through connections: Fang Xin sees Tang’s rise as a possible source of help and future opportunity.

Character interactions

• Fang Xin explains the sea’s origins, the Witch Undead, and Primordial Yang Island, while treating Tang with deference and excitement.
• Tang offers Fang Xin cautious hope by saying he will see what can be done after his visit.
• At the chapter’s end, the unseen woman’s sudden arrival interrupts Tang’s private reflection and sets up a new encounter.

Plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng encounters a mysterious veiled woman on his boat. Her presence and abilities suggest she is a Heavenly Immortal.
• She asks whether he has seen a streak of red light and gives him a rare Message-Transmitting Pearl so he can alert her if it appears.
• After briefly disappearing, the woman returns to ask how Tang concealed his aura. He shows her a Heavenly Secrets Talisman, which burns to ash under her gaze.
• A child in the form of a streak of rainbow light lands on the boat and thanks Tang for distracting his pursuer. He tries to persuade Tang to give him the message pearl.
• Tang pretends to agree, then crushes the pearl. The child flees, but the woman catches him and brings him back by the ear.
• Grateful for Tang’s help, the woman gives him a Thunder Condensation Pill. Tang recognizes it as a top-grade Pure Yang Golden Elixir and continues his voyage.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng stays cautious around the woman, recognizing the gulf in their power. He also shows quick thinking by crushing the pearl before the child can take it.
• The veiled woman is powerful and perceptive, but also playful and generous. Though she scolds the child, her affection for him is clear.
• The child is sly, mischievous, and desperate to escape his pursuer, but his flight ends quickly when the woman catches him.

Significant themes

• Power and humility: Tang understands how outmatched he is and behaves carefully around the woman.
• Cunning and quick judgment: His small deception helps the woman recapture the child.
• Cultivation and transformation: The elixir represents the difficult transition from Yin Spirit to Yang Spirit, a breakthrough many cultivators fail to achieve.
• Generosity and obligation: Tang’s assistance earns him a rare and valuable reward.

Character interactions

• The woman questions Tang and tests his concealment method; he answers respectfully and shows her his talisman.
• The child flatters Tang and asks for the pearl, but Tang tricks him by crushing it.
• The woman thanks Tang and rewards him, while teasingly disciplining the child, who begs her to loosen her grip.

Plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng nears the Canglan Sea when a storm rises and shark-riding, human-shaped sea monsters attack him.
• He kills many attackers with Sky Silver Wishfire. The survivors retreat and offer over a hundred Bright Pearls as compensation; Tang accepts the pearls and lets them go.
• He discovers the pearls contain lunar essence that nourishes his Yin Spirit. He absorbs their essence until the pearls turn black.
• As night falls, the stars are veiled and dense mist surrounds his boat. Tang realizes he has been transported from the Mortal World into the Netherworld.
• He encounters a seemingly endless procession of boats carrying silent departed souls. Worried that he has entered a forbidden, heavily guarded region, he hides his presence and uses the Three Realms Mirror to seek a way out.

Character development

• Tang remains calm and overwhelmingly confident during the sea-monster attack, but becomes cautious once he recognizes that he is in the Netherworld.
• He shows practical judgment: he accepts the monsters’ surrender rather than pursuing and killing them all, and recognizes the pearls’ value for cultivation.

Significant themes

• Cultivation and value: The Bright Pearls’ true worth lies in their spiritual essence, not their market price or appearance.
• Power and restraint: Tang can defeat the attackers easily, yet chooses not to exterminate them after they surrender.
• Cosmic order and danger: The Netherworld is governed by strict divine authority, and even powerful cultivators risk disaster by entering forbidden territory.
• The boundary between life and death: The drifting fleet of souls reveals the vast, solemn movement of the dead toward the Underworld.

Character interactions

• The sea monsters first confront Tang as attackers, then retreat and negotiate by presenting Bright Pearls.
• Tang has no direct exchange with the departed souls, who drift past silently; their presence heightens his sense of danger.

Plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng follows a fleet of newly dead souls after noticing a half-rotten Sea Beast escorting it. The souls are silent and seem not yet fully aware.
• He observes that the dead are dressed and look unlike people from the Eastern Glory World, prompting him to wonder whether this part of the Underworld receives souls from other peoples.
• The fleet sails into the enormous open mouth of an island-sized Sea Beast. Nearby, powerful Yang Spirit experts are fighting across the sea; Tang realizes he has entered a major battlefield.
• Dark, scale-covered creatures attack Tang. He kills many with Primordial Magnetic Divine Light and Wishfire, drawing the attention of a Yang Spirit opponent, who hurls a golden spear at him.
• Lu Yuanzhen rushes in to help, but Tang withstands the attack unharmed through a mysterious sphere of light. Lu is astonished by the newly advanced Yin Spirit’s ability to survive a Yang Spirit’s strike.
• Before they can speak further, another armored Underworld God Guard attacks. Lu blocks the assault, and the pair are pulled back into the battle around the giant Sea Beast.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng shows curiosity and caution in investigating the strange fleet, then demonstrates remarkable combat ability and resilience. His survival against a Yang Spirit’s attack suggests his power exceeds what his realm would normally allow.
• Lu Yuanzhen appears as Tang’s protective martial uncle, arriving urgently to save him. His surprise at Tang’s survival reveals how exceptional—and unexpected—Tang’s strength is.

Character interactions

• Tang studies the dead souls but receives no response, as they appear mentally incomplete.
• Lu and Tang recognize one another with mutual surprise. Lu immediately tells Tang to stay close, but the ongoing battle prevents a proper conversation.
• Lu protects Tang from a follow-up attack, while the two face the next attacker together.

Significant themes

• The unknown and the afterlife: The unusual souls and their destination raise questions about the Underworld and its many peoples.
• Power and expectation: Tang’s survival challenges the assumed gulf between Yin and Yang Spirit levels.
• Danger and duty: Tang’s investigation leads him into a conflict far beyond his original purpose, where Lu must protect him amid a larger struggle.

Plot points and events

• Lu Yuanzhen steps in to protect Tang Changsheng from an Underworld God Guard. His fire-dragon attack is pierced by the guard’s Golden Spear, leaving Lu preparing to face the charge directly.
• Hidden Magnetic Thunderbolts disrupt the spear’s momentum. Lu uses the opening to bind the guard’s mind and begin a dangerous battle of wills inside its consciousness.
• Tang Changsheng joins the attack with the Jade Ruyi, badly damaging the guard’s armor. Lu’s Primordial Yang Divine Lamp then unleashes Wishfire, which burns through the guard’s defenses.
• The guard tries to reclaim control of its body, but Lu keeps it trapped in the mental battle. The combined assault destroys it in under two minutes.
• The enormous Sea Beast—revealed to be an incarnation of the Underworld God—retreats. The Yang Spirit masters wisely do not pursue it. Lu begins to explain that the deity is the Deep-Sea Sleeper, an indigenous god of the Canglan Sea, when other Yang Spirit practitioners arrive and praise his victory.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yuanzhen shows both restraint and resolve: he recognizes that direct combat is not his strength, but risks a close battle of wills to protect Tang. His skill and composure prove crucial.
• Tang Changsheng initially hesitates over which artifact to use, then acts decisively. His unexpectedly powerful strike turns Lu’s precarious contest into a coordinated victory.
• Lü Yuanhua, whose spirit had taken refuge in the Divine Lamp after Liberation by Violence, secretly helps Lu fight the guard. Tang realizes afterward that the three members of the Primordial Yang Church had effectively fought together.
• Lu and Tang work in seamless coordination: Lu creates the opening and restrains the guard, while Tang exploits the moment with a devastating physical attack. Their teamwork surprises both Tang and the other observers.

Significant themes

• Cooperation and trust: The victory depends on each fighter contributing at the right moment.
• Ingenuity over brute force: Lu wins by using his specialized mental techniques, while Tang’s well-chosen artifact and the Divine Lamp’s Wishfire overcome the guard’s strength.
• Hidden resources and incomplete knowledge: Lü Yuanhua’s presence in the lamp and the identity of the Sea Beast reshape Tang’s understanding of what happened.
• Caution before the unknown: The masters choose not to pursue the retreating incarnation, recognizing that victory over its guard does not make the Underworld God safe to challenge.

Plot points and events

• After a victory, Lu Yuanzhen introduces his martial nephew Tang Changsheng to several Yang Spirit True Persons who have settled in the Canglan Sea. They agree that the newly claimed territory remains dangerous and that its powers—including Underworld Gods—make cooperation essential.
• Lu Yuanzhen takes Tang to Primordial Yang Island, a vast island with several settlements of refugees brought there by the church. Supplies are scarce, and life near the shore is difficult.
• At the island’s central hill—the remnant of Little Paulownia Mountain—Tang discovers that the surrounding Earth Veins converge, making it the island’s one place of especially dense Spiritual Qi.
• Tang asks why more than a century seems to have passed while he was away at the Trial for just over two years. Lu Yuanzhen says that time is unreliable for cultivators, suggesting that time around Suxu City may flow strangely.
• Tang reunites with Xin Chengying, who is delighted to see him. Both are now Yin God True Persons, but Xin says his Heavenly Secrets Seed was gathered with Lu’s help and is less prestigious than one earned through the Immortal Sect Trial.
• Lu asks whether You Mengde or Gu Huanling has contacted Tang. Tang has met Gu but underestimated You Mengde, whom Lu reveals to be one of the Azure Sea True Void Palace’s most gifted disciples and a potential future leader.
• Lu explains that the Nine Great Immortal Sects are generally governed by a sect leader and six elders. When they reach the Earth Immortal realm, they step down, and the next generation competes for their positions by building alliances, winning support, and using Trials to recruit capable Rogue Cultivators. The explanation continues beyond the chapter.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng returns as a Yin God True Person and meets the local leaders. He is observant and quick to connect clues, but realizes he misread You Mengde’s quiet demeanor.
• Lu Yuanzhen acts as guide and mentor, showing Tang the island and teaching him about time, sect politics, and the value attached to different paths of cultivation. His teasing about Tang’s misjudgment gives their exchange a familiar tone.
• Xin Chengying welcomes Tang warmly. Though he has also advanced to Yin God and formed a Heavenly Secrets Seed, he feels his achievement is less distinguished because he did not take part in a Trial.
• You Mengde is reframed from an inconspicuous follower into a powerful political contender within his sect.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty of time: Cultivators cannot rely on ordinary measures of time, and Tang’s experience hints at a deeper anomaly around Suxu City.
• Prestige and merit: Similar accomplishments can carry different weight depending on how they were achieved; the Immortal Sect Trial offers recognition as well as cultivation opportunities.
• Power and succession: Advancement in the immortal sects depends not only on cultivation but also on alliances, influence, and recruitment.
• Community amid danger: The new Canglan Sea settlement faces hardship and hostile forces, making cooperation between neighboring powers important.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng explains that ambitious disciples in the Azure Sea True Void Palace build followings and compete in Trials to establish themselves for future advancement. The Palace encourages this, even providing resources.
• He gives Lu Yuanzhen and Xin Chengying a partly fabricated account of his return: he says he was attacked by demons from the Purple Dusk Heavenly Court and stranded at sea, where he gained insight and attained Yin Spirit.
• Lu Yuanzhen and Xin Chengying recall that the ambush was a major incident: the Immortal Sects retaliated against the Heavenly Court for failing to protect returning disciples, and many officials were punished.
• Tang reveals that the Director Divine Lord invited him to serve the Heavenly Court—and that he accepted. Lü Yuanhua explains that the invitation itself signals Tang’s exceptional performance, since the Divine Way normally would not recruit disciples claimed by the Immortal Sects.
• Tang then admits he took the Red Trial. Alarmed, Lü Yuanhua and Lu Yuanzhen ask what happened. Tang recounts possessing someone in Hongdong Stockade, winning the people’s allegiance, building a faction, and helping seize a third of the Black Rock Heart from Pan King.
• As night falls, the others warn Tang that the area becomes dangerous. He senses darkness enveloping the world and drawing everything into a strange space.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng shows resourcefulness and ambition, but also keeps parts of his past hidden behind a cover story. His acceptance of the Heavenly Court’s offer surprises Xin Chengying.
• Lu Yuanzhen recognizes the significance of Tang’s recruitment and Trial, moving from curiosity to admiration. He compares Tang’s strategic success favorably with his own Blue Trial achievements.
• Lü Yuanhua clarifies why the Director Divine Lord’s interest is meaningful, helping Xin Chengying understand that Tang must have excelled.
• Xin Chengying initially worries that Tang has made a dangerous choice by serving the Heavenly Court, then takes pride in realizing how remarkable Tang’s Trial must have been.
• Gu Huanling is mentioned as a connection that would make You Mengde especially eager to recruit Tang; Lu Yuanzhen criticizes her for steering him toward the perilous Red Trial.

Significant themes

• Cultivation and power: Personal advancement is valued above possessions and political control; the Palace even supports disciples building independent influence.
• Merit and recognition: Tang’s strategic leadership, not simply combat strength, distinguishes him and attracts powerful recruiters.
• Risk and ambition: The Red Trial is exceptionally dangerous, yet success can transform a disciple’s standing.
• Deception and uncertainty: Tang’s return story is unreliable, and the approaching darkness signals that new danger may be imminent.

Plot points and events

• The Netherworld descends over Primordial Yang Island each night, engulfing it in darkness and dangerous Yin Energy. Lü Yuanhua reassures Tang Changsheng that the islanders are accustomed to the nightly event, then uses the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp—strengthened by prayer chants—to shield the three settlements.
• Lu Yuanzhen sends Tang Changsheng to patrol the waters. Tang flies beyond the island on nine Fire Dragons, astonishing Xin Chengying and Lu Yuanzhen, who recognize how rare it is for someone in the Yin Spirit Realm to fly bodily.
• In the darkness, Tang burns hostile humanoid figures with his flames and attacks others with Magnetic Thunderbolts and Sky Silver Wishfire. He then discovers that black-scaled Sea Yaksha—not Ghost Creatures—are advancing on Waterside Town.
• Tang rushes to the settlement, where poorly armed residents are preparing to defend themselves against the powerful, well-armored attackers. He slaughters many Sea Yaksha and captures their horned leader in a Fire Dragon’s flames. The surviving creatures flee back into the sea.
• As the Netherworld recedes, Tang concludes that repeated nightly attacks could exhaust the island’s people. He considers protecting the whole island with a powerful formation, settling on the Reversing Sun and Moon Heavenly Mechanism Formation as a promising option, though its cost will be enormous.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang is resourceful and decisive: he patrols without hesitation, quickly recognizes the Sea Yaksha threat, protects Waterside Town, and begins planning a long-term defense.
• His unusual flight ability surprises Xin Chengying and Lu Yuanzhen, who speculate that he possesses a rare Treasured Artifact.
• Tang reflects that the islanders are essential to the Primordial Yang Church because their prayers provide Incense and Fire Prayer Power. He chooses not to claim the power generated by the townspeople’s gratitude, focusing instead on saving them.
• Lü Yuanhua demonstrates calm leadership and uses the Divine Lamp to defend the settlements; Lu Yuanzhen directs Tang to respond to dangers offshore.

Significant themes

• Survival amid cosmic danger: The nightly arrival of the Netherworld makes the island’s existence precarious.
• Power and responsibility: Tang uses his strength to protect vulnerable residents rather than exploit their gratitude.
• Faith and protection: Prayer power and the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp help defend the settlements.
• Long-term planning: Tang recognizes that heroic interventions are not enough and considers the financial and strategic challenge of securing the island with a formation.

Plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng returns to Primordial Yang Island after fighting off strange attackers. He proposes buying weapons, food, medicine, tools, and other supplies at the Sea Market, as well as installing the Reversing Sun and Moon Heavenly Mechanism Formation to protect the island from future attacks.
• He gives Lu Yuanzhen a disguised copy of the Dragon Flower Secret Manual, which he says he took from an enemy. Lu and Lü Yuanhua discover that it can fill major gaps in the Primordial Yang Church’s cultivation methods.
• The group discusses Tang’s uncertain control of Hongdong Stockade and the strategic importance of the Black Rock Mountains, whose Cave-Heaven and eighteen Cave Abodes could support a powerful Earth Immortal—or a formidable deity if seized by Director Divine Lord.
• Recognizing the Church cannot claim the mountains, Lu Yuanzhen gives Tang a precious Pure Yang Golden Elixir ahead of schedule. He urges him to join an Immortal Sect, believing it offers the best chance to reach Earth- or Heavenly-Immortal status and eventually aid the Church.

Character development and interactions

• Tang Changsheng shows practical concern for Primordial Yang Island’s security and needs, while continuing to share valuable knowledge with his mentors. He accepts responsibility for the Church’s future, though he quietly recognizes that Lu Yuanzhen—not he—is most devoted to it.
• Lu Yuanzhen is delighted by the manual but also deeply regretful. Years of effort have left the Church dependent on the Immortal Sects, and he admits that his pride may have limited its prospects. His gift and advice reflect both affection for Tang and a willingness to put the Church’s future ahead of his own ambitions.
• Lü Yuanhua helps assess the manual and the lost opportunity represented by the Black Rock Mountains, then places the Church’s hopes squarely on Tang.
• The exchange between Tang and his elders is warm and trusting: Tang repays their past kindness with the manual, while they entrust him with a rare pill and the Church’s future.

Significant themes

• The limits of independent power: The Primordial Yang Church’s resources and influence are small beside those of the Immortal Sects.
• Legacy and sacrifice: Lu’s regrets lead him to advise Tang to seek advancement elsewhere, even if that means leaving the Church’s immediate sphere.
• Knowledge as renewal: The Secret Manual may transform the Church’s methods and open a path beyond its previous limitations.
• Responsibility and protection: Tang’s plans for supplies and a defensive formation show that leadership involves safeguarding a community, not merely pursuing personal cultivation.

Plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng and Lu Yuanzhen discuss why Lu will not join an Immortal Sect: his pride makes it unthinkable to serve under younger disciples, especially when many of his former peers have become powerful elders and sect leaders.
• Lu regains his confidence, insisting that he can still reach the True Immortal realm and that the Primordial Yang Church can prosper with the help of the Dragon Flower Secret Manual.
• Inspired by Lu’s loyalty and courage, Tang feels a stronger commitment to his sect. He decides to help its 100,000 refugees become self-sufficient by buying weapons, farming tools, grain, seeds, and building materials.
• At the Dragon Palace Sea Market, Tang finds it difficult to purchase supplies in bulk and realizes that someone appears to be watching him. He considers sourcing ordinary goods from other worlds if necessary.
• He visits the Treasure-Gathering Tower, where Shopkeeper Old Wu recognizes him and welcomes him warmly. Tang hopes to learn what happened after Purple Dusk Heavenly Court attacked the ship he was traveling on, but the chapter ends before he gets answers.

Character development and interactions

• Lu Yuanzhen moves from dejection to renewed resolve. His pride prevents him from joining a sect, but his faith in his own future and in the Primordial Yang Church is undiminished.
• Tang Changsheng shifts from sympathy for Lu to a more active sense of responsibility. His memories of Lu risking his status to avenge him deepen his attachment to the church.
• Tang and Lu share a warm, encouraging exchange that restores the group’s spirits.
• Tang and Old Wu reconnect amicably. Old Wu’s recognition of Tang’s new status—a Yin God with a Heavenly Secrets Seed—leads him to treat Tang with special respect.

Significant themes

• Pride and independence: Lu would rather pursue advancement on his own than submit to younger sect leaders.
• Loyalty and belonging: Lu’s past actions strengthen Tang’s devotion to the Primordial Yang Church.
• Building a community: The refugees are currently a burden, but Tang sees practical support and self-sufficiency as the path to turning them into an asset.
• Potential and status: Old Wu’s reaction illustrates how much a Heavenly Secrets Seed changes the prospects and social standing of a cultivator.

Key plot points

• Tang Changsheng visits Shopkeeper Old Wu, using a complaint about a past purchase of “Scattered Characters” to open a conversation. Old Wu admits the batch mixed Innate and Acquired characters; Tang knows he still got a bargain.
• Old Wu invites Tang to an upcoming Sea Market trading fair. He also reveals that Yin God True Persons have descended to the lower realm, suggesting the Wuman World may be nearing its final conquest.
• Tang buys materials for the Reversing Sun and Moon Heavenly Mechanism Formation, spending over a million taels of gold to protect Primordial Yang Island.
• He asks about Five-Element Origin Force. Old Wu has only three drops of Heavenly First True Water, which Tang buys for 100,000 taels.
• Tang then asks where to buy grain, fodder, and weapons. Old Wu says the Dragon Palace has bought up the Sea Market’s entire supply. Two days later, Tang accompanies him to a heavily guarded tower for the trading fair.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang is wealthy but learns that rare treasures can make even his fortune seem small. He is cautious about rushing back into the Wuman World, suspecting reports of its defeat may be premature.
• He has deliberately returned to the Sea Market partly to attract You Mengde’s attention, believing that making himself difficult to obtain will increase his value as an ally.
• Old Wu acts as a friendly merchant and source of information, guiding Tang toward the fair and helping him acquire scarce materials. Their exchange is warm and mutually beneficial.

Significant themes

• Scarcity and value: Rare resources command astonishing prices, while timing and access shape what can be bought.
• Strategy and patience: Tang weighs when to act, both in the Wuman World and in his effort to secure You Mengde’s interest.
• War’s economic reach: The Dragon Palace’s mass purchase of supplies signals preparations with potentially major consequences.

Key plot points

• Tang Changsheng and Shopkeeper Old Wu enter a heavily guarded Dragon Palace trade gathering, where invitations and seating tiers signal the event’s exclusivity and scale.
• Tang sees wealthy merchants and powerful Yang Spirit True Persons, including towering Mount Julun servants known as Julun Slaves.
• General Ao Xian opens the gathering by offering enormous batches of gold sand in exchange for weapons and grain. Merchants quickly claim the lots, and more gold is brought out, revealing that the Dragon Palace is making purchases on a massive scale.
• Old Wu explains that the Dragon Palace has millions of troops and is suffering heavy losses in a war against an old enemy. Tang realizes the supplies are part of a larger military effort.
• Learning that merchants can profit handsomely from supplying the Dragon Palace, Tang claims he knows a supplier and says he came to sell weapons and provisions.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng begins as an uncertain outsider, surprised by the gathering’s status and the scale of its transactions. He quickly recognizes a business opportunity and considers using his own connections to profit.
• Old Wu acts as Tang’s guide, explaining the gathering’s customs, the Dragon Palace’s needs, and the potential margins. His regret at lacking the right connections prompts Tang’s idea.
• Ao Xian is shown as a direct, forceful host who wastes no time and oversees the Dragon Palace’s bulk purchasing.

Significant themes

• Power and wealth: The gathering’s guards, seating hierarchy, and immense sums reveal how influence shapes access and status.
• War’s material costs: The Dragon Palace’s army requires vast quantities of grain and weapons, and its casualties drive continued procurement.
• Opportunity and ambition: Tang sees how an outsider might turn access to a powerful buyer into substantial profit.
• Deception in business: Tang’s claim that he came to sell supplies is a calculated lie intended to open negotiations.

Character interactions

• Old Wu guides Tang through the gathering and quietly explains the meaning behind the gold offers.
• Tang questions Old Wu about the Dragon Palace’s purchases, then listens as Old Wu reveals the war behind them.
• Ao Xian addresses the merchants and distributes the gold lots; the merchants respond confidently, with no apparent dispute over who takes each batch.
• Old Wu’s comment about missing the chance to profit inspires Tang to present himself as a potential supplier.

Plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng agrees to help Shopkeeper Old Wu supply the Dragon Palace with grain, fodder, and weapons in exchange for a share of the profit. Old Wu commits to part of a supply deal, using the Dragon Palace’s gold as payment and relying on Tang to deliver the goods within a few days.
• The Dragon Palace’s repeated wartime losses have left it urgently short of supplies. Its buying sessions are struggling to attract merchants able to provide the required quantities.
• After buying supplies, Ao Xian offers captured, damaged artifacts and weapons for 100,000 taels of gold each. Tang joins the rush and buys a greatsword, though he gives up a metal gauntlet after an intimidating Yang Spirit True Person glares at him.
• Old Wu explains that damaged artifacts may still contain valuable Divine Light or Heavenly Secrets, making the “junk” worthwhile to the powerful cultivators bidding on it.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng sees the supply shortage as an easy business opportunity and negotiates confidently with Old Wu. He is less comfortable competing with Yang Spirit experts, but still recognizes the potential value of the artifacts.
• Shopkeeper Old Wu is driven by the prospect of a large profit—at least 50 percent—but is anxious about the risk and depends on Tang to fulfill their agreement. He also advises Tang to save money for the much higher costs of later cultivation.
• Ao Xian is pleased when Old Wu steps in to complete a supply deal and waives collateral, citing their ongoing business ties.
• The Yang Spirit True Persons behave like desperate bidders when valuable spoils appear, highlighting the pressure of their financial needs and their social dominance over Tang.

Significant themes

• War and scarcity: The Dragon Palace’s losses create both urgent demand and opportunities for merchants.
• Money and cultivation: The higher a cultivator advances, the more expensive progress becomes. Yin Spirit cultivators may seem wealthy because their needs are comparatively modest; Yang Spirits and especially Earth Immortals face enormous costs.
• Risk and ambition: Old Wu’s greed leads him to gamble on Tang’s promise, while Tang treats the deal as only a small beginning.
• Power and status: Tang’s encounter with stronger cultivators shows how difficult it is for a Yin Spirit to compete in a world dominated by Yang Spirit experts.

Plot points

• Tang Changsheng attends a Dragon Palace trading fair, hoping to buy Pure Yang Golden Elixirs in advance for his future cultivation.
• The Dragon Palace sells scarce Dragon-Patterned Armor and other goods at high prices. Wealthy merchants snap them up, while Tang fails to secure any armor.
• Tang realizes the Dragon Palace is using access to its prized goods to reward merchants who supply it with wartime necessities. Shopkeeper Old Wu, who helped procure supplies, is upgraded to gold-tier merchant and can bid on the elixirs.
• Ten third-rank Jade Flame Pills are auctioned exclusively to gold-tier merchants. Competition drives the first few prices to around a million taels.
• Old Wu says his Treasure-Gathering Tower already has two Pure Yang Golden Elixirs and offers to help Tang find more. Tang buys one Jade Flame Pill for 860,000 taels, but cannot afford or win another.
• The fair closes with the Dragon Palace recruiting experts for the war, offering a thousand Bright Pearls as a signing bonus and ten per day of service.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang is cautious about his future needs but learns that even a substantial fortune can be inadequate in a market shaped by scarcity and competition. He is relieved by Old Wu’s offer of help and considers earning more money through dealings with the Dragon Palace.
• Old Wu’s willingness to help Tang reflects their trusted relationship. His success as a supplier also shows his business instincts: he risked a great deal to gain access to the Dragon Palace’s goods.
• Ao Xian presents the Dragon Palace’s sales and recruitment offers, revealing how effectively it uses wealth and access to organize support for the war.

Significant themes

• Wealth and scarcity: Money alone cannot guarantee access to rare goods or cultivation resources.
• War as an economic contest: The Dragon Palace raises funds and secures supplies by tying valuable merchandise to merchant cooperation.
• Preparation and ambition: Tang wants to plan ahead for cultivation, but his resources remain limited.
• Relationships as resources: Old Wu’s connections and support give Tang opportunities he could not obtain on his own.

Plot points and events

• Ao Xian offers generous wages to recruit experts for the Dragon Palace’s war effort. Yang Spirit True Persons are promised even greater rewards—potentially including Cave Abodes—in exchange for exceptional service and later serving as independent immortals under the Dragon Palace.
• Tang Changsheng declines to get involved and leaves the gathering. Shopkeeper Old Wu warns him that displaying his wealth, especially his valuable Jade Flame Pill, could make him a target outside the Sea Market.
• Disciples from Bellflower Island approach Tang Changsheng, apparently hoping to gain access to his wealth. Two low-ranking Yin God cultivators from Azure Sea True Void Palace then intervene, claiming the market as their territory and trying to pressure Tang into dealing with them.
• Tang calmly challenges their authority and exposes their attempt to invoke the palace’s name for personal gain.
• Gu Huanling arrives with a group of elite palace disciples. The two men immediately retreat into excuses, insisting the confrontation was only a misunderstanding.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng remains cautious, independent, and difficult to intimidate. He sees through the opportunism around him and answers pressure with pointed questions rather than force.
• Shopkeeper Old Wu acts as a practical adviser, warning Tang that his wealth may invite danger.
• Gu Huanling appears as a confident, formidable figure whose reputation and connections command respect.
• The two Azure Sea cultivators are revealed as insecure opportunists, relying on the palace’s authority because their own standing is poor.

Character interactions

• Ao Xian’s offer draws Yang Spirit True Persons’ attention by appealing to their ambition to obtain Cave Abodes and found sects.
• Old Wu cautions Tang about the risks of attracting attention.
• Tang rebuffs Bellflower Island’s unexpected approach and refuses to be manipulated by the two Azure Sea cultivators.
• Gu Huanling’s arrival shifts the balance immediately: the men who tried to pressure Tang become anxious and plead with her.

Significant themes

• Power and opportunity: The Dragon Palace’s lavish rewards reveal both the desperate stakes of the war and the rarity of advancement for powerful cultivators.
• Wealth invites danger: Tang’s valuable possessions make him vulnerable to schemes even in a place where open violence is forbidden.
• Status versus substance: The two men invoke their sect’s name, but Tang questions whether they have the authority to speak for it.
• Reputation as protection: Gu Huanling’s standing among the palace’s elite is enough to make her opponents back down.

Plot and events

• At a trade fair, two Yin God cultivators, Zhang Qiu and Wu Yun, try to claim they are Tang Changsheng’s friends. Tang refuses to acknowledge them. Gu Changyu orders them to the Punishment Hall for disgracing the Azure Sea True Void Palace.
• Tang reunites with Gu Huanling, Gu Changyu, and You Mengde. He and Gu Huanling catch up on the dangerous Red Trial, which cost their group several members but helped survivors form Heavenly Secrets Seeds.
• Gu Huanling’s party had landed among a tribe in the Great Pan Kingdom and, like Tang’s group, has returned temporarily to recover and resupply.
• Tang says he is seeking grain and weapons for Primordial Yang Island. You Mengde and Gu Huanling remark that the island could become a small overseas kingdom; Tang plays down its importance, while privately gauging their reaction.
• The group has noticed Tang’s dealings at the auction and his long absence. Gu Huanling assumes he was hiding from the Dushi Divine Hall. Tang explains that the Purple Dusk Demon ambushed him after the Trial, leaving him adrift at sea for months. Gu Huanling warns that the Divine Hall may not believe him and has reportedly issued an internal warrant.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng presents himself as relaxed and resourceful, but carefully watches what others know and think—especially You Mengde, whose perceptiveness makes Tang cautious. He also conceals the full significance of his plans for Primordial Yang Island.
• Gu Huanling is warm and trusting, pleased by Tang’s progress and supportive of his place among the Immortal Sects. She does not notice his guardedness.
• You Mengde proves observant, inferring that Tang expected the reunion and that he had arranged supplies through the auction.
• Gu Changyu acts decisively to enforce discipline within the Azure Sea True Void Palace.
• The reunion is friendly, but the conversation also reveals underlying political tensions between the Immortal Sects and the Divine Way, as well as the risk Tang faces from the Dushi Divine Hall.

Significant themes

• Hidden motives and perception: Tang’s careful omissions contrast with You Mengde’s sharp reading of events.
• Power and hierarchy: The two Yin God cultivators’ status offers little protection against stronger peers or institutional discipline.
• Survival and advancement: The Trial’s dangers brought heavy losses but also spiritual gains.
• Factional politics and independence: Tang’s efforts to support Primordial Yang Island intersect with rivalry between religious powers and questions of overseas sovereignty.

This is an author’s note, not a chapter narrative.

• Key events: The author says driving-school practice has kept them from posting frequent updates. They have delayed getting a driver’s license for three years and feel time is running out.
• Character development: No story characters appear. The author expresses embarrassment and gratitude toward readers.
• Themes: Reader support, the pressure of meeting personal goals, and the author’s appreciation for their audience.
• Interactions: The author thanks supporters and lists readers who donated Qidian coins, then encourages readers to vote for the work on Qidian.

Plot points

• Gu Huanling points out that Tang Changsheng’s long absence makes returning to the Dushi Divine Hall—and explaining himself—unlikely. Tang admits he has little trust in the hall and resents being treated as its subordinate despite his achievements.
• He claims he escaped a Purple Dusk Demon attack by abandoning ship, then accepts Gu Huanling’s offer of support. Inwardly, he realizes he may have lost the chance to return to the Wuman World and must give up the force he built in the Black Rock Mountains.
• Gu Changyu and the others welcome Tang into the Primordial Yang Church’s circle. His successes in the Trial—including building a force, outmaneuvering Pan God, and becoming a Yin God True Person—have attracted the Immortal Sects’ attention.
• After a drunken gathering, Tang leaves the Dragon Palace Sea Market alone. The Dushi Divine Hall has already moved against him, but You Mengde argues that Tang knowingly went out to face the danger. He predicts the confrontation will reveal whether Tang’s anger is heroic resolve or merely an immature outburst.
• Tang’s departure is partly deliberate: he wants the Immortal Sects to see his resentment at being pushed into their alliance. He expects them to tolerate a bounded display of temper and hopes to gain leverage by making a fuss.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng shifts toward the Immortal Sects while remaining bitter about being forced into that choice. He is proud, politically calculating, and willing to risk danger to make his displeasure visible.
• Gu Huanling presses Tang to clarify his position, then offers personal backing. Though she trusts him, she worries the Dushi Divine Hall will retaliate.
• Gu Changyu and the others move from observing the exchange to treating Tang warmly once he appears to have chosen their side.
• You Mengde, usually quiet, interprets Tang’s reckless departure as intentional and frames the coming test in terms of character.

Significant themes

• Allegiance and betrayal: Tang’s shift from the Dushi Divine Hall to the Immortal Sects may make him appear a traitor to his former allies.
• Pride, anger, and political strategy: Tang’s temper is both genuine frustration and a calculated performance intended to secure better treatment.
• Ambition and sacrifice: Joining the Immortal Sects may protect Tang’s future, but it costs him his prior ties and the influence he built in the Wuman World.
• Heroism versus immaturity: The chapter’s central question is whether Tang’s defiance demonstrates courage and capability—or simply adolescent impulsiveness.