Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yuehua summons the Ancestral Land’s spirit beasts and fierce beasts, hoping their numbers will delay Chen Mu until other Saint Dragon elders arrive. He warns Chen Mu to leave and make peace, admitting that a war would be costly even if the dragons won.
• Chen Mu copies Xiao Yuehua. The copy appears through a Teleportation Gate, startling the original and confusing Xiao Jian.
• When a Titan Python attacks, the copied Xiao Yuehua transforms into an azure dragon and drives it off with a Dragon Roar. The summoned beasts retreat, unable to distinguish the conflicting commands.
• Chen Mu demands that Xiao Yuehua submit or die. Xiao Yuehua refuses, choosing to fight rather than bow to humans. The chapter ends with battle now unavoidable.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yuehua is both politically wary—especially of human schemes—and reluctant to start a costly war. Yet pride, fear of disgrace among the Saint Dragons, and his refusal to submit ultimately outweigh his desire for peace. He is shaken by the copy’s appearance and matching powers.
• Chen Mu remains calm and decisive. He uses his copying ability to neutralize Xiao Yuehua’s beast horde, then gives him a blunt ultimatum. He also alludes to wanting to fulfill a regret of Qin Xuanji’s, but declines to explain their relationship.
• Xiao Jian is astonished by Chen Mu’s apparent ability to create a Saint Dragon. Though he briefly considers persuading Xiao Yuehua, he concludes the elder will not listen.
• The copied Xiao Yuehua’s actions turn the elder’s own strategy against him: the beasts obey the dragon’s power and flee, leaving Xiao Yuehua without the advantage he intended.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Xiao Yuehua commands the beasts, but Chen Mu’s copied dragon can override that authority.
• Pride versus pragmatism: Xiao Yuehua recognizes the costs of war yet chooses resistance to avoid the shame of submission.
• Mistrust and political maneuvering: Xiao Yuehua’s suspicion of human motives reflects a broader history of tension between humans and dragons.
• Identity and imitation: The copy’s uncanny likeness and shared bloodline unsettle Xiao Yuehua, raising questions about who—or what—stands before him.

Key plot points and events

• The Saint Dragon elder Xiao Yuehua transforms into a giant dragon and tries to intimidate Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng.
• Chen Mu kills him with a casual flick of his finger, reducing his enormous body to a cloud of dragon-blood mist.
• Chen Mu intends the killing to serve as a warning to the Saint Dragon Race. If they reject his offer, he is willing to destroy them and create a replacement Dragon Clan under his control.
• Other Saint Dragon leaders arrive, unaware that a human killed Xiao Yuehua. They assume the killer must be one of their own and laugh when Xiao Jian identifies Chen Mu as the “Immortal Venerable.”
• Elder Xiao Ying orders Xiao Jian to get rid of the humans, promising to overlook his offense for bringing them into the Ancestral Land. Xiao Jian rebukes the elders for their blindness, ending the chapter on their angry challenge.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu remains calm throughout the confrontation, demonstrating overwhelming power without apparent effort. His larger aim is to use the Dragon Clan as a perceived threat that will keep the people loyal to the Divine Court.
• Xiao Jian prioritizes his allegiance to Chen Mu over his kinship with Xiao Yuehua. After witnessing the killing, he is stunned by Chen Mu’s strength but stands by him when the elders arrive.
• Ye Qingcheng is outwardly composed but inwardly even more awed by her husband, wondering whether anyone could make him fight seriously.
• The Saint Dragon leaders reveal their arrogance and self-interest: they assume humans cannot be responsible, dismiss Xiao Jian’s account, and talk of controlling or destroying anyone they cannot use.

Significant themes

• Power and perception: Chen Mu’s effortless victory overturns the dragons’ assumptions about human weakness.
• Arrogance and hypocrisy: The dragons enforce rules selectively and cannot imagine a human defeating one of their elders.
• Loyalty and survival: Xiao Jian chooses his master over his race, while Chen Mu sees loyalty as something to cultivate through fear of an outside enemy.
• The danger of underestimating others: The elders’ certainty leaves them unable to recognize the threat standing before them.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Jian declares absolute loyalty to Chen Mu, revealing that he has signed a blood contract and demanding that the other Saint Dragon elders do the same or face death.
• The elders are furious and bewildered by Xiao Jian’s allegiance to a human. One elder attacks with a massive flaming palm.
• Xiao Jian prepares to protect Chen Mu, but Chen Mu secretly steals the elder’s control of the technique and sends the attack back toward the dragons.
• Chen Mu then steals all of Saint Dragon Xiao Tianyi’s cultivation. Unable to control the rebounding attack, the elders are struck; most recover, but the now-crippled Xiao Tianyi is nearly killed before Xiao Ying saves him.
• The elders cannot explain what happened. Xiao Jian urges them to submit, but they secretly agree to kill Chen Mu instead.
• Chen Mu hears their entire plan through his extraordinary abilities.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Jian has become a fervent, unquestioning disciple. He is ready to die for Chen Mu and, despite his former hostility, sincerely urges his fellow dragons to avoid a disastrous fight.
• Chen Mu demonstrates the terrifying reach of his theft ability, effortlessly redirecting an attack and stripping Xiao Tianyi of his cultivation.
• Xiao Ying is shaken by the inexplicable events. He saves Xiao Tianyi and begins to suspect that Chen Mu is an unprecedented threat.
• Xiao Tianyi goes from confident elder to powerless victim after losing his cultivation.
• Ye Qingcheng immediately recognizes that Chen Mu caused the elders’ sudden reversal, while Xiao Jian sees the feats as proof of his master’s greatness.
• The elders unite against Chen Mu, rejecting Xiao Jian’s call to surrender out of pride and fear for their clan.

Significant themes

• Power and helplessness: Chen Mu’s unseen ability overturns the elders’ assumptions about their superiority.
• Loyalty and transformation: Xiao Jian’s complete devotion contrasts sharply with his former attitude and the elders’ resistance.
• Pride versus survival: The dragons would rather risk destruction than submit to a human.
• Dramatic irony: The elders secretly plot against Chen Mu, unaware that he has already heard them.

Plot points and events

• Chen Mu rejects any compromise with the Dragon Clan elders and uses his system to copy them, then steal their cultivation.
• The elders suddenly lose their spiritual power and crash to the ground. They transform into huge dragons to survive, but without cultivation they cannot maintain their forms and begin shrinking.
• They beg Chen Mu for mercy and offer to become his servants, but he refuses. He steals their Saint Dragon bloodlines and cultivation talents as well, reducing them to ordinary snakes with no ability to cultivate.
• Chen Mu summons copies of the elders, making clear that he can replace them. The original elders’ awareness fades as they become helpless creatures in the Ancestral Land.
• Xiao Jian realizes he was right to cooperate with Chen Mu and resolves to remain loyal. Ye Qingcheng is unsurprised by her husband’s power and is eager to take part in subduing the dragons.
• Chen Mu takes Ye Qingcheng to the heart of the Ancestral Land, standing atop Elder Xiao Ying’s head. The dragons there mistake the elders’ return for reassurance, until they spot Chen Mu and react with shock.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu is decisive and merciless toward those who threaten him; he uses his powers to strip the elders of everything that makes them dragons.
• The elders move from arrogance and plans to attack to panic, pleading, and belated offers of submission.
• Xiao Jian becomes more firmly devoted to Chen Mu, convinced that cooperation saved him from the elders’ fate.
• Ye Qingcheng remains confident in Chen Mu and welcomes the chance to contribute by helping subdue the Dragon Clan.
• Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng act in concert: he brings her along knowing she wants to participate, and the chapter ends as they confront the larger dragon population.

Significant themes

• Power and helplessness: The elders’ status and strength vanish instantly when Chen Mu takes away their cultivation and bloodlines.
• Consequences of arrogance: Their refusal to show restraint leaves them with no chance to undo their fate.
• Loyalty and survival: Xiao Jian’s cooperation contrasts with the elders’ hostility, reinforcing the value of choosing the right side.
• Control and replacement: Chen Mu’s ability to copy and replace his targets makes resistance seem futile.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng arrive in the Saint Dragon Ancestral Land with Elder Xiao Ying and the other Saint Dragon elders subdued beneath them. The gathered dragons are shocked to see humans standing on their elders’ heads.
• Ye Qingcheng demands that the younger dragons submit to the Divine Court, explaining that all the elders have already surrendered. The dragons doubt this, but the elders’ passive submission makes them uneasy.
• Xiao Ying’s son Xiao Yu steps forward, accusing the humans of bewitching the elders. Believing he can defeat them, restore his father, and win a place among the elders, he attacks.
• With Chen Mu’s approval, Ye Qingcheng draws her sword and kills Xiao Yu with a single thrust, reducing him to blood mist. Her overwhelming speed and power silence the dragons.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qingcheng acts with calm authority, presenting submission as the dragons’ only choice. Her effortless victory reveals her immense strength.
• Chen Mu remains confident in Ye Qingcheng and lets her handle Xiao Yu. He views the fight as a way to demonstrate the consequences of resistance.
• Xiao Yu mistakes the situation for a chance to prove himself and advance his standing, but his ambition leads to his immediate death.
• Xiao Jian, who witnesses Ye Qingcheng’s strike, becomes more respectful and cautious toward her, recognizing both her strength and Chen Mu’s affection for her.
• The gathered dragons shift from mockery and disbelief to stunned silence after seeing Xiao Yu killed.

Significant themes

• Power and submission: The Divine Court’s demand is backed by force, leaving the dragons with no meaningful choice.
• Pride and misjudgment: Xiao Yu’s confidence and ambition blind him to the vast difference in strength.
• Actions over words: Ye Qingcheng’s single strike proves the humans’ power more decisively than argument could.
• Respect earned through strength: The dragons’ attitude changes once they witness her ability firsthand.

Key plot points and events

• The Saint Dragons witness Ye Qingcheng kill Xiao Yu with one strike. Rather than risk provoking her, they face Chen Mu’s demand: sign Blood Oaths and become servants, or die beneath her countless suspended swords.
• Before they can decide, Xiao Jue appears—an infamous dragon thought to be sealed away. Once the Dragon Clan’s greatest genius, he was imprisoned after using the Lesser Heaven-Devouring Art to kill more than five hundred dragons and steal their cultivation.
• A desperate Saint Dragon secretly released Xiao Jue in exchange for his help. Xiao Jue immediately betrayed his benefactor, devouring his cultivation and vitality, and now turns on the rest of the clan.
• Xiao Jue uses his art to draw cultivation and vitality from the gathered dragons. As the dragons panic, Chen Mu destroys the black hole with a thought.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu remains composed amid the crisis, using the dragons’ fear of Ye Qingcheng to pressure them into submission. He also recognizes Xiao Jue’s cultivation method and intervenes decisively when the attack begins.
• Ye Qingcheng reinforces her terrifying authority through Xiao Yu’s death and the display of ten thousand swords, leaving the dragons afraid to resist.
• Xiao Jue is revealed as a brilliant but corrupted cultivator, driven by an insatiable desire for strength. Imprisonment has intensified his hunger, and he has no intention of saving the clan.
• The Saint Dragons shift from fearful hesitation over the Blood Oaths to renewed terror at Xiao Jue’s arrival. Their attempt to secure help through his release instead unleashes a threat against themselves.

Significant themes

• Power and coercion: Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng compel obedience through overwhelming force, while Xiao Jue pursues strength by consuming others.
• Ambition and corruption: The Lesser Heaven-Devouring Art offers rapid advancement but degrades its user’s mind and fuels an endless appetite.
• Betrayal and desperation: The Saint Dragon who bargains with Xiao Jue sacrifices himself, demonstrating how fear can lead to disastrous choices.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Jue tries to drain Chen Mu with the Lesser Heaven-Devouring Art, but the technique has no effect. Chen Mu remains completely unharmed and visibly bored.
• Chen Mu uses his [Steal] ability to take Xiao Jue’s perfected technique, then steals his cultivation, bloodline, other techniques, and finally his lifespan. Xiao Jue realizes Chen Mu is responsible, but dies as the last theft succeeds.
• Seeing Xiao Jue’s death, the younger Saint Dragons abandon resistance and sign Blood Contracts, becoming Chen Mu’s servants.
• At Xiao Jian’s suggestion, Chen Mu accepts the title Lord of Myriad Dragons. He then opens a Teleportation Gate to the Divine Court.
• Xiao Jian follows, intending to formally announce the Saint Dragons’ submission to the Female Emperor and Chen Mu’s new title. Chen Mu lets him handle the ceremony, provided he does not create trouble.
• Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng leave to enjoy a rare quiet moment. They joke about his burdens and his system’s ten-thousandfold rebate feature.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu demonstrates that his power can dismantle even a perfected technique and strip away nearly everything Xiao Jue possesses. Though he accepts leadership, he remains indifferent to status and longs to relax.
• Xiao Jue shifts from arrogant confidence to baffled desperation as his technique fails and his powers vanish; his death completes the dragons’ defeat.
• Ye Qingcheng supports Chen Mu by playing the intimidating “bad cop,” explaining the consequences of opposing him. She also shares a playful, affectionate exchange with him afterward.
• Xiao Jian becomes an enthusiastic representative of the defeated Saint Dragons, insisting on public recognition of their submission despite Chen Mu’s reluctance.
• The younger Saint Dragons choose survival over pride, submitting after witnessing the elder’s defeat, Xiao Yu’s death, and Xiao Jue’s fate.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming power and helplessness: The dragons’ resistance collapses when confronted with Chen Mu’s and Ye Qingcheng’s strength.
• Pride versus survival: Even the proud Saint Dragons ultimately set aside their dignity and submit.
• Power brings responsibility: Chen Mu’s strength makes him a leader and attracts new obligations, even though he would rather avoid them.
• Affection and humor amid conflict: Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng’s banter, along with Chen Mu’s teasing of the silent system, lightens the aftermath.

Plot points

• Xiao Qing’er senses Xiao Jian heading alone toward the Imperial Palace and fears he plans to attack the Female Emperor and provoke war. She and Lu Changqing rush to stop him.
• Lu Changqing confronts Xiao Jian at swordpoint while Xiao Qing’er demands to know why he came.
• Xiao Jian explains that he represents the Saint Dragons and has come to pledge their submission to Female Emperor Qin Xuanji on the orders of the newly appointed Lord of Myriad Dragons.
• Xiao Qing’er doubts his story until Xiao Jian reveals that Chen Mu conquered the Saint Dragon Ancestral Land, formed blood contracts with its dragons, and killed the dangerous Xiao Jue.
• Convinced that the visit is legitimate, Xiao Qing’er agrees to accompany Xiao Jian to the Empress. Lu Changqing also relaxes, briefly warming to Xiao Jian after being called “brother-in-law.”

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Qing’er shows fierce loyalty to peace and the Divine Court, even preparing to oppose her own brother. Her trust in Chen Mu is strong, though she initially distrusts Xiao Jian.
• Xiao Jian tries to repair his relationship with Xiao Qing’er and takes pride in serving as the first Saint Dragon to contract with Chen Mu. He presents himself as a capable envoy.
• Lu Changqing drops his usual playful manner when he believes Xiao Jian may threaten the Divine Court, but becomes friendlier once the danger passes.
• The confrontation ends in reluctant cooperation: Xiao Qing’er and Lu Changqing will escort Xiao Jian to the Empress. Xiao Qing’er immediately rejects Lu Changqing’s “brother-in-law” label, insisting there is nothing between them.

Significant themes

• Duty over family: Xiao Qing’er is prepared to sacrifice her brother to prevent conflict between dragons and humans.
• Trust and suspicion: Xiao Jian’s past makes his honest explanation difficult for Xiao Qing’er to accept.
• Power and loyalty: Chen Mu’s conquest of the Saint Dragons and defeat of Xiao Jue reshape the balance between the races and establish the dragons’ submission.
• Humor amid tension: Lu Changqing’s sudden affection for Xiao Jian—and Xiao Qing’er’s sharp correction—lighten the otherwise threatening encounter.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Jian, Xiao Qing’er, and Lu Changqing travel to the Imperial Study to deliver the Ten Thousand Dragon Command, a token forged by Chen Mu that can command ten thousand dragons; disobedient dragons will be punished by the Heavenly Dao.
• Qin Xuanji recognizes that Chen Mu transferred his blood contracts with the dragons into the token. She accepts the authority, amused that Chen Mu has handed her power over the dragons without wanting to hold it himself.
• Meanwhile, Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng enjoy a peaceful boat ride. Chen Mu’s sign-in system offers him large quantities of rare immortal fruit, which he dismisses and pushes away.
• At dusk, flying-sword riders interrupt their rest and surround their boat, using Sword Qi to trap it. Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng prepare to respond.

Character developments

• Xiao Jian and Lu Changqing have set aside their former hostility and bond over Lu’s affection for Xiao Qing’er, with Xiao Jian enthusiastically supporting him as a future brother-in-law.
• Xiao Qing’er remains cautious of Xiao Jian, taking the dragon command from him herself before presenting it to Qin Xuanji.
• Qin Xuanji shows trust in Chen Mu and respects his freedom, deciding not to push him toward the throne.
• Chen Mu remains uninterested in power and dismissive of the system, while valuing a quiet life with Ye Qingcheng. Ye Qingcheng is content simply to be beside him and fiercely protective when strangers intrude.

Significant themes

• Power without attachment: Chen Mu holds extraordinary authority but willingly gives it away.
• Trust and loyalty: Old grudges fade as characters’ allegiances converge, while Xiao Qing’er’s caution shows trust is still developing.
• Peace disrupted by conflict: The lovers’ tranquil retreat is abruptly threatened, setting up a confrontation.

Character interactions

• Xiao Jian encourages Lu Changqing’s courtship of Xiao Qing’er; she brushes off their enthusiasm and urges them to attend to official business.
• Xiao Qing’er acts as an intermediary between Xiao Jian and Qin Xuanji, while Qin Xuanji questions Xiao Jian about the command’s power.
• Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng share affectionate, domestic moments, contrasting with their readiness to confront the sword riders who surround them.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Qingcheng recognizes a group of men as bandits after overhearing them boast about abducting her for their chief and abusing the women he no longer wants.
• Their leader identifies himself as Wu Renyi, fifth chief of the Evil Dragon Stockade. Ye Qingcheng openly vows to kill the group and destroy their stronghold.
• The bandits laugh at her threat, but Ye Qingcheng instantly kills one with a glance. Wu Renyi warns the others to attack together, then is decapitated before he can finish speaking.
• The remaining bandits try to flee. Ye Qingcheng wipes them out with a palm strike powerful enough to send the river surging skyward.
• She suspects the bandits were on their way to raid a nearby village. Chen Mu sends King Yama to intervene and decides to eradicate the nearby Evil Dragon Stockade.
• At Fuyuan Village, bandits are slaughtering residents. The villagers resist with whatever weapons they can find, but the men who fight at the entrance are killed. The women, having helped children escape and bought others time, prepare to take their own lives rather than be captured.
• A green portal opens before them, and King Yama appears. His frightening presence spooks the horses and unsettles the bandits; they speculate that he is an illusion before threatening him.

Character developments

• Ye Qingcheng acts decisively on her sense of justice, moving from suspicion to a firm resolve to eliminate the bandits and protect their victims. Her immense power becomes unmistakable.
• Chen Mu supports his wife without hesitation, sending help to the village and committing to remove the bandit threat at its source.
• The villagers show courage and solidarity: they resist despite the odds and arrange for the children and others to escape before facing capture.
• King Yama arrives as Chen Mu’s chosen rescuer, presented as an ominous, powerful figure whose abilities have yet to be shown in the village encounter.
• The bandits reveal themselves as cruel and arrogant, but their confidence falters when confronted by supernatural power.

Significant themes

• Justice and protection of the vulnerable: Ye Qingcheng and Chen Mu treat the bandits’ crimes as a threat that must be stopped, not merely punished.
• Courage against overwhelming odds: The villagers fight and sacrifice to give others time to escape.
• Power and arrogance: The bandits’ contempt for their victims contrasts sharply with their helplessness against Ye Qingcheng.
• Loyalty and partnership: Chen Mu backs Ye Qingcheng’s principles and actions wholeheartedly.

Character interactions

• Ye Qingcheng confronts Wu Renyi and his men directly; their mockery ends when she demonstrates her strength.
• Ye Qingcheng tells Chen Mu about the likely village raid, and he responds by sending King Yama to help.
• At the village, the women prepare to die rather than submit to the bandits, but King Yama’s sudden arrival interrupts them and shifts the confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• The villagers are baffled by the terrifying figure hovering above the ground. The bandit chief, Cao Liang, assumes he is an illusionist cultivating in seclusion and challenges him.
• King Yama silently consults the Book of Life and Death, finds Cao Liang’s name, and marks it with the Judge’s Brush. Cao Liang suddenly chokes and dies, though the bandits cannot see any attack.
• The bandits decide to keep looting the village despite their chief’s death. King Yama marks their names one by one, killing them through mysterious, unseen means.
• The remaining bandits panic, attempting either to flee or beg for mercy, but King Yama kills them all.
• Afterward, King Yama alters the names in the Book of Life and Death with red ink, then departs through a Teleportation Gate.
• The villagers are left guessing who he was and what his book meant. The chapter ends with their supposedly dead loved ones beginning to sit up.

Character developments

• King Yama remains silent, controlled, and utterly unsympathetic to the bandits. His actions reveal that he can kill through the Book of Life and Death and can apparently alter the fate of the dead.
• Cao Liang is introduced as arrogant and threatening, but dies abruptly before he can carry out his threats.
• The bandits shift from confidence and contempt to terror as their comrades die without an identifiable attacker.
• The villagers move from helpless fear to bewilderment and cautious hope as the threat disappears and the dead begin to stir.

Significant themes

• Justice and retribution: The bandits’ violence is answered by swift, supernatural punishment.
• Limits of perception: The bandits dismiss King Yama as an illusion because they cannot comprehend his power; the villagers likewise struggle to explain what they witness.
• Fate, death, and return: The Book of Life and Death suggests death can be recorded or changed, while the final image hints that the villagers may not remain dead.
• Merciless authority: King Yama acts according to orders rather than compassion, regardless of pleas for mercy.

Character interactions

• The bandit chief confronts King Yama, but receives no answer and dies as King Yama marks his name.
• The surviving bandits try to explain Cao Liang’s death, then argue over whether to retreat or continue looting.
• As the bandits are killed, they accuse unseen enemies, flee, or beg for their lives.
• The villagers speculate among themselves about ghosts, cultivators, and King Yama’s book, but no one can identify him before he vanishes.

Plot points and events

• The villagers whom bandits had killed awaken in Nanning Village, their wounds completely healed. A woman explains that a mysterious man—Chen Mu’s servant, King Yama—restored them to life by writing in a book.
• The villagers conclude that King Yama is an immortal and worship him with gratitude, unaware that he is one of Chen Mu’s many enforcers.
• Chen Mu reassures Ye Qingcheng that the bandits in the village have been eliminated and the dead revived. She praises him as a future benevolent emperor.
• The pair reach the Evil Dragon Stockade. Ye Qingcheng opens a temporary passage through space, and they enter together.
• A guard initially suspects his companion of betrayal for letting them in. The companion explains that he is loyal to the stockade and expects Ye Qingcheng’s beauty to win him a high position with the chief. The men objectify her and anticipate the chief’s interest in her.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu uses his power to protect the villagers and restore the dead, then accompanies Ye Qingcheng to the stockade to ensure her safety.
• Ye Qingcheng expresses wholehearted admiration and devotion to Chen Mu. Though she is eager to show her strength, she welcomes his company.
• The villagers respond to their miraculous survival with deep reverence for King Yama.
• The stockade members reveal their crude, self-serving attitudes toward women, while one guards against being mistaken for a traitor.

Significant themes

• Life, death, and supernatural power: Chen Mu’s forces can reverse death, prompting ordinary people to interpret their rescue as divine intervention.
• Benevolent rule and gratitude: Ye Qingcheng imagines Chen Mu as a compassionate emperor, while the villagers honor the power that saved them.
• Devotion and protection: Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng show mutual affection, with Chen acting cautiously to protect her.
• Corruption and objectification: The stockade’s men treat Ye Qingcheng as a means to advancement and gratification, foreshadowing conflict.

Plot points and events

• Leaders of the Evil Dragon Stockade wonder why a group sent to a village has not returned, but dismiss the concern as likely pleasure-seeking.
• Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng arrive at the stockade, claiming to offer a treasure and join. The messenger describes Ye Qingcheng as extraordinarily beautiful, exciting Chief Shi Fu’an.
• The pair are escorted into the main hall without resistance. They deliberately avoid fighting the ordinary bandits, choosing instead to capture the leader and end the threat at its source.
• Shi Fu’an is captivated by Ye Qingcheng and immediately promises Chen Mu a powerful position—and even the second leader’s seat—in exchange for bringing her.
• He demotes the existing leaders to make room for Chen Mu, then summons Ye Qingcheng to his side.

Character developments and interactions

• Shi Fu’an reveals himself as arrogant, lustful, and accustomed to absolute obedience. He treats women as possessions and reshuffles his hierarchy on a whim.
• Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng remain composed and cooperative, using Shi Fu’an’s greed to get close to him rather than fighting their way in.
• The bandit messenger treats Chen Mu with exaggerated respect, expecting to benefit from the chief’s favor.
• The second leader and other subordinates suppress their resentment and obey Shi Fu’an, showing how little power they have.
• The fourth leader’s twitching eyelid hints at trouble ahead, though the others brush off his concern.

Significant themes

• Power and manipulation: Shi Fu’an maintains control through domination and unquestioned authority.
• Greed and lust as vulnerabilities: His desire for Ye Qingcheng makes him easy to deceive or exploit.
• Appearance and status: Her beauty instantly alters the stockade’s hierarchy and unsettles the women and leaders around her.
• Strategic restraint: Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng choose a targeted approach over needless violence.

Key plot points and events

• Shi Fu’an declares he will make Chen Mu his favored subordinate and claims Ye Qingcheng as his “first wife.” Ye Qingcheng laughs at his arrogance; she has no interest in him and is devoted to Chen Mu.
• When a chief urges Ye Qingcheng to obey, Shi Fu’an brutally throws him aside for speaking disrespectfully to her. The other chiefs realize that, despite their loyalty, Shi Fu’an values them less than a beautiful woman.
• Ye Qingcheng rejects Shi Fu’an and draws her sword. Chen Mu makes clear they never came to join him.
• Shi Fu’an orders his chiefs to attack. Ye Qingcheng kills the fourth chief with a single sword strike, then cuts down the second and third chiefs as they charge Chen Mu.
• Impressed rather than angered by his men’s deaths, Shi Fu’an again demands that Ye Qingcheng submit. He stops the arriving bandits from entering, wanting to protect her appearance, and prepares to use beguiling magic on her.
• Chen Mu activates his Divine Eyes to prevent Shi Fu’an from ensnaring Ye Qingcheng.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qingcheng remains unwaveringly loyal to Chen Mu and openly refuses Shi Fu’an. Her swordsmanship proves far greater than the chiefs expect.
• Chen Mu rejects Shi Fu’an’s offer and intervenes when Shi Fu’an turns to magic.
• Shi Fu’an is arrogant, possessive, and lecherous. He treats his subordinates as expendable while believing Ye Qingcheng should be his, and her defiance only intensifies his obsession.
• The chiefs are frightened and resentful after seeing how little their loyalty matters. They redirect their frustration toward Chen Mu, but Ye Qingcheng swiftly defeats them.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and devotion: Ye Qingcheng’s commitment to Chen Mu contrasts with Shi Fu’an’s entitlement.
• Power and exploitation: Shi Fu’an uses authority to control both his subordinates and the woman he covets.
• Cruelty and self-preservation: The chiefs recognize their expendability but continue serving him because they fear the consequences of leaving.
• Arrogance meeting strength: Shi Fu’an and his men underestimate Ye Qingcheng, with fatal results.

Plot points and events

• Shi Fu’an tries to use his Bewitching Art to control Ye Qingcheng and force her into submission. Chen Mu intervenes, and his golden gaze overwhelms Shi Fu’an’s eyes, causing them to burst and leaving him blind.
• The bandits outside the hall flee rather than face Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng. King Yama emerges through a Teleportation Gate and kills them all using the Book of Life and Death.
• Ye Qingcheng asks Chen Mu’s permission to deal with Shi Fu’an. She cuts off both his arms and legs with swift sword strikes.
• Before Ye Qingcheng can finish him, Shi Fu’an reveals that Heaven’s Revelation Palace supports him. A young man from the palace appears and instantly obliterates Shi Fu’an.
• The newcomer offers Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng a place in Heaven’s Revelation Palace, making clear that refusal means death. Chen Mu refuses outright.

Character developments

• Chen Mu calmly protects Ye Qingcheng, demonstrates overwhelming power, and refuses to be intimidated or recruited.
• Ye Qingcheng acts decisively and mercilessly against Shi Fu’an, while still consulting Chen Mu before taking action.
• Shi Fu’an shifts from smug confidence and lecherous threats to panic and desperation. He tries to save himself by exposing his connection to the palace, but is killed before he can plead further.
• The Heaven’s Revelation Palace emissary presents himself as courteous but reveals a ruthless, controlling nature beneath the smile.

Significant themes

• Power and coercion: Shi Fu’an’s attempt to control Ye Qingcheng is crushed by the couple’s superior strength.
• Loyalty and partnership: Ye Qingcheng’s deference to Chen Mu contrasts with their shared ability to act decisively.
• Hidden influence and conspiracy: The bandits’ connection to a powerful, secretive sect hints at a larger scheme.
• Threats and recruitment: The palace’s offer is an ultimatum, showing how it treats talent as something to claim or eliminate.

Character interactions

• Chen Mu intervenes to save Ye Qingcheng, then grants her request to punish Shi Fu’an.
• Ye Qingcheng answers Shi Fu’an’s vulgar threats with sword strikes.
• Shi Fu’an appeals to the palace for protection, but its emissary kills him instead.
• The emissary attempts to recruit Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng; Chen Mu challenges his motives and rejects the offer.

Key plot points and events

• A Heaven’s Revelation Palace disciple tries to intimidate Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng. Ye Qingcheng effortlessly kills him, while Chen Mu’s inspection reveals the man was only a peripheral disciple with no knowledge of the sect’s deeper plans.
• Ye Qingcheng suspects the Palace is secretly preparing a rebellion or harboring evil cultivators. Chen Mu agrees it is dangerous, but before they can decide whether to report it or investigate further, six Great Emperor Realm cultivators arrive.
• The masked newcomers surround the couple with three layers of formations and announce that an elder ordered their deaths because they know too much.
• Chen Mu identifies all six by name through his system, startling them. They reveal themselves and try to learn who supposedly leaked information, offering him a chance to join the Palace as a core disciple.
• The men claim the Palace can grant everlasting life and superior cultivation. Chen Mu sees through their deception and exposes their private plan: they intend to kill the couple regardless of what they say.
• Chen Mu claims to possess something the men desperately want, then produces an unclaimed undying and imperishable body.

Character developments

• Ye Qingcheng displays overwhelming confidence and lethal skill, killing the first disciple without effort. Her growing strength has made her eager to find a worthy opponent.
• Chen Mu remains composed and perceptive, using his system to uncover identities and read the attackers’ intentions. Rather than immediately resorting to force, he uses their desire for immortality to gain leverage.
• The Palace’s inner sect members prove calculating and ruthless: their offer of recruitment is a ploy, and they intend to eliminate anyone who could expose them.

Significant themes

• Knowledge as a threat: The Palace treats anyone who learns its secrets as a target.
• Deception and ambition: Its promise of everlasting life is used to lure followers and manipulate outsiders.
• Power and discernment: The opening warning about talent and knowing when to advance or retreat contrasts with the Palace members’ overconfidence and Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng’s control of the situation.
• Trust between partners: Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng act in unison, reading danger and making decisions without needing lengthy explanations.

Character interactions

• Ye Qingcheng protects Chen Mu by swiftly dispatching the first attacker, then discusses the Palace’s possible treason with him.
• When the six cultivators arrive, Chen Mu takes the lead in confronting them, while Ye Qingcheng stands ready to fight and hopes they will provide a challenging battle.
• The attackers alternate threats with a false offer of recruitment. Chen Mu counters by exposing their thoughts and dangling the undying body before them.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Mu reveals an unbound Undying and Imperishable Saint Body, a treasure that promises eternal life. Convinced it is real, the six disciples become consumed by greed and suspicion.
• Chen Mu asks which of them should receive the single body. The disciples use the opportunity to justify attacking one another, despite knowing he is manipulating them.
• As they fight, Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng watch calmly. Ye Qingcheng makes him comfortable with a recliner, fruit, and a shoulder massage, further aggravating the combatants.
• Mu Fei attempts a trick against Xu Yun, but Xu Yun avoids it and declares he will protect Chen Mu. Their battle escalates, drawing in the others.
• Xu Yun, the strongest at the third level of the Great Emperor Realm, emerges as the sole survivor. He demands the Saint Body and threatens Chen Mu.
• Chen Mu claims he has plenty of them, then reveals multiple Undying and Imperishable Bodies, overturning Xu Yun’s expectation of possessing a unique prize.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu remains relaxed and in control, deliberately exploiting the disciples’ greed to make them fight. He treats their battle as trivial and responds to Xu Yun’s threat without fear.
• Ye Qingcheng supports Chen Mu affectionately and discreetly, serving him while enjoying the spectacle.
• Xu Yun relies on his superior cultivation to survive and becomes increasingly confident, only to be confronted with the revelation that the prize is not unique.
• Mu Fei acts opportunistically, first trying to eliminate Xu Yun with a smoke bomb, then attacking openly with his palace sword technique.
• The disciples’ brotherly ties collapse into betrayal as each tries to eliminate rivals. Chen Mu’s composed, pampered display contrasts sharply with their desperate violence.

Significant themes

• Greed and betrayal: The promise of immortality quickly destroys loyalty among the disciples.
• Manipulation and power: Chen Mu turns the disciples’ desires against them and never appears endangered.
• Illusion versus reality: The disciples test whether the Saint Body is real, but the true surprise is that Chen Mu possesses many.
• The triviality of lesser conflict: Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng regard the deadly battle as little more than entertainment.

Plot points and events

• Chen Mu reveals a sky full of Undying and Imperishable Bodies, shattering Xu Yun’s disbelief. A casual finger-flick badly injures Xu Yun, and Ye Qingcheng finishes him with a sweeping strike that also cuts through the trees behind him.
• Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng travel by Teleportation Gate to Heaven’s Revelation Palace. The disciples surround them and make lewd, threatening remarks about taking Ye Qingcheng as an elder’s “private chamber maid.”
• Angered by their comments, Chen Mu orders an upgrade to the Invincible Domain. The system adds manual control to the Instant-Kill Domain, letting him choose specific targets or everyone present.
• Chen Mu instantly kills more than a hundred disciples. As thousands more gather, an Outer Sect senior brother, Du Yuecheng, challenges him and demands his name.
• Chen Mu selects all 13,345 people present except Du Yuecheng and kills them instantly. He then confronts the terrified survivor, asking him to repeat what he had said.

Character developments

• Xu Yun’s confidence collapses as he realizes Chen Mu’s power is real; he dies at Ye Qingcheng’s hand.
• Ye Qingcheng remains composed and deadly, and takes evident pleasure in realizing Chen Mu killed the disciples because they insulted her.
• Chen Mu’s control and overwhelming power are emphasized. He also shows personal anger at the disciples’ sexualized remarks about Ye Qingcheng.
• Du Yuecheng’s bravado vanishes when he is left alone amid the massacre.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming power: Chen Mu dispatches opponents with almost no effort, making conventional displays of strength and numbers irrelevant.
• Loyalty and protection: Chen Mu’s response to the insults signals his attachment to Ye Qingcheng.
• Arrogance and consequences: The disciples’ threats and Du Yuecheng’s defiance lead directly to their deaths.
• System-enabled escalation: The upgrade turns Chen Mu’s power into a precisely controllable, mass-killing ability.

Character interactions

• Chen Mu lets Ye Qingcheng kill Xu Yun, then travels with her to the palace.
• The disciples threaten and objectify Ye Qingcheng; Chen Mu reacts with anger, while she stays coldly defiant.
• Chen Mu’s exchange with the system produces the manual instant-kill upgrade.
• Du Yuecheng tries to assert authority and demand Chen Mu’s name; Chen Mu kills everyone else and leaves him alive to face the consequences.

• Outer Court massacre: Du Yuecheng realizes too late that Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng have killed more than ten thousand Outer Court disciples without him sensing an attack. He threatens them, but Chen Mu kills him before he can finish. The surviving Outer Court elders arrive and question the pair about their sect; Ye Qingcheng counters by demanding to know what Heaven’s Revelation Palace has been plotting.
• The elders are defeated: When an elder tries to bewitch Ye Qingcheng into answering, she turns his own tactic against him and makes his head explode. The other elders secretly agree to attack together, but Chen Mu can read their intentions through his Personal Attribute Panel. He deliberately lets Ye Qingcheng handle them. She unleashes the Iceheart Sword Technique, freezing the attackers, then shatters them with Sword Qi.
• The Inner Court confrontation: Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng enter the Inner Court, where tens of thousands of disciples surround them and more than a dozen elders watch from above. The elders accuse them of slaughter and demand to know who sent them. Chen Mu fires back that Heaven’s Revelation Palace has colluded with bandits, practiced forbidden arts, and plotted treason. He dismisses their threats and refuses to explain himself.
• A deadly incentive: An elder orders the disciples to attack, promising promotions for anyone who kills Chen Mu or Ye Qingcheng. The crowd, eager for advancement, sees the pair as stepping stones to higher status.
  Character developments and relationships: Ye Qingcheng shows that she can match Chen Mu’s overwhelming confidence with decisive skill, while Chen Mu trusts her to take the lead and deliberately gives her the chance to demonstrate her strength. She remains vigilant at his side, protective of him. The Palace elders, meanwhile, shift from feigned authority and evasions to open threats when challenged.
  Themes: The chapter emphasizes the vast gap in power between the protagonists and their opponents, the hypocrisy of a powerful sect concealing wrongdoing behind its prestige, and ambition’s capacity to turn people into eager participants in violence.

Key plot points and events

• Tens of thousands of Heaven’s Revelation Palace disciples rush to kill Chen Mu, hoping to claim credit and promotion. Chen Mu uses his system to instantly kill everyone who both carries a weapon and intends to harm him.
• Blood mist engulfs the sect. When the grand elder clears it, the disciples are gone, leaving only Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng.
• An elder attacks Ye Qingcheng with his enormous origin true body and sword. She catches the strike with one hand and crushes both the sword and the manifestation, badly injuring the elder.
• The elders assume Ye Qingcheng must be Qin Xuanji, the Divine Court’s Female Emperor, disguised. Panicking, they flee and try to alert their sect master.
• Ye Qingcheng catches the fleeing grand elder and crushes his head. The remaining elders turn to flee as a familiar voice calls out, and they see someone they identify as Qin Xuanji.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu remains cool and detached: he eliminates the attackers without visible effort, then lets Ye Qingcheng handle the stronger opponents.
• Ye Qingcheng shifts from controlled readiness to decisive action, demonstrating overwhelming physical power and fearlessness. She treats the elders’ attacks as little threat.
• The elders, especially Qian Wuying and the grand elder, move from confidence and contempt to shock, confusion, and terror. Their interactions turn from coordinating an attack to fleeing in panic.
• The disciples’ ambition and disregard for danger help set off the massacre; the elders’ misreading of Ye Qingcheng’s identity compounds their fear.

Significant themes

• Underestimation and arrogance: The sect members dismiss Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng, only to be utterly outmatched.
• Power and spectacle: Chen Mu’s unexplained instant-kill ability and Ye Qingcheng’s barehanded strength overturn the elders’ assumptions about what is possible.
• Ambition and its cost: Disciples rush toward advancement and glory, but their greed leads them into immediate destruction.
• Fear and mistaken identity: The elders interpret Ye Qingcheng’s strength through their belief that she is Qin Xuanji, showing how terror shapes their conclusions.