Ch. 161Fortune Viewing Function, Vengeful Dragon Soul

Key plot points and events

  • Chen Mu’s system successfully unlocks Fortune Viewing, revealing colored fortune paths in the Dragon Origin Secret Realm. Gold marks the richest opportunities, while black signals deadly, unrewarding traps.
  • He directs Lu Qingshan, Li Liushui, and Yan Yutong to pursue three golden fortunes, then leads the remaining group with Ye Qingcheng toward the fourth.
  • Their destination is a vast pool of high-purity dragon blood, which can replace a cultivator’s mortal blood and greatly improve their abilities. Chen Mu urges his followers to avoid conflict with the three people already using it.
  • The other group’s elder, Ye Chennan, likewise favors peace, though a young disciple privately dismisses Chen Mu’s party as an obscure sect.
  • Chen Mu’s disciples enter the pool to absorb the dragon blood. Chen Mu declines, already possessing sufficient bloodlines. At that moment, his system grants him the supreme saint dragon bloodline, the foremost dragon bloodline, capable of suppressing all dragons.
  • The pool suddenly becomes turbulent. Ye Chennan identifies the approaching threat as a Vengeful Dragon Soul, a dragon’s lingering, murderous spirit.

Character developments and interactions

  • Chen Mu demonstrates confidence and restraint: he uses his new ability to guide others toward fortune, avoids needless fighting, and sees no need to cultivate in the pool. His system’s new bloodline further distinguishes him from the other cultivators.
  • Ye Qingcheng supports Chen Mu’s leadership, identifies the dragon blood, and helps organize the group.
  • Ye Chennan is cautious and diplomatic, choosing not to attack because the pool is abundant and conflict would be risky.
  • Ye Chennan’s young disciple outwardly obeys his elder but inwardly resents his caution and looks down on Chen Mu’s group, underestimating them.
  • Chen Mu and Ye Chennan exchange greetings and independently favor peaceful coexistence, while Chen Mu’s followers show deep trust in his guidance.

Significant themes

  • Fortune and advantage: Chen Mu’s ability to read opportunities gives his group an extraordinary edge in a dangerous realm.
  • Restraint over aggression: Both leaders recognize that sharing a plentiful resource is preferable to provoking unnecessary conflict.
  • Perception versus reality: The young disciple judges Chen Mu’s group by their apparent status, unaware of Chen Mu’s exceptional fortune and power.
  • Hidden danger: Even a valuable sanctuary can turn perilous, as the approaching Vengeful Dragon Soul threatens the cultivators gathered there.

Ch. 162Superior Dragon Might, the Dragon Tide Erupts

Key plot points and events

  • Ye Chennan warns Chen Mu’s group that a Vengeful Dragon Soul is too dangerous to fight and advises them to leave.
  • Chen Mu tells the Tianyuan Holy Land disciples to continue absorbing dragon blood while he handles the approaching soul alone. His companions obey without hesitation.
  • The Vengeful Dragon Soul engulfs Chen Mu in eerie mist, and Ye Chennan’s younger companion assumes Chen Mu is doomed.
  • Chen Mu releases Superior Dragon Might, which disperses the mist and annihilates the soul. Ye Chennan recognizes the power as something associated with the leaders of the Dragon Clan.
  • Just as the group prepares to resume absorbing dragon blood, more than a dozen Vengeful Dragon Souls arrive, surrounding them and blocking every escape route.
  • Ye Qingcheng steps forward with a Divine Rank sword. Her aura shocks the young man, who believes he senses the might of a Great Emperor.

Character developments and interactions

  • Chen Mu displays calm confidence, testing his Supreme Saint Dragon Bloodline and defeating a formidable soul without apparent effort. His strength deepens his followers’ admiration and resolve.
  • The Tianyuan disciples show unwavering trust in Chen Mu, continuing their cultivation rather than fleeing. His victory inspires them to train harder.
  • Ye Chennan shifts from caution to relief and gratitude after realizing Chen Mu can destroy the soul; he is glad he prevented his companions from attacking Chen Mu’s group.
  • Ye Chennan’s young companion moves from dismissing Chen Mu to stunned embarrassment after witnessing his power. The junior sister notices his discomfort but tactfully says nothing.
  • Ye Qingcheng moves to protect Chen Mu when the larger threat appears, revealing the possibility of extraordinary strength through her weapon and aura.

Significant themes

  • Trust and leadership: Chen Mu’s followers accept his judgment even when the danger appears overwhelming.
  • Power and hidden ability: Chen Mu’s Dragon Might overturns conventional expectations about how dangerous Vengeful Dragon Souls are.
  • Caution and self-preservation: The characters’ initial instinct to avoid combat reflects the secret realm’s risks and the danger of opportunistic enemies.
  • Humility and shifting judgment: Chen Mu’s victory forces the skeptical young man to confront how badly he underestimated him.
  • Escalating danger: The arrival of many more souls turns a seemingly resolved encounter into a far greater crisis.

Ch. 163Thinking Too Small, Reaping Huge Rewards

Plot points and events

  • Ye Chennan and his companions witness Ye Qingcheng wield a Divine Rank weapon and unleash power beyond the Great Emperor level. They struggle to understand why she behaves so humbly toward Chen Mu.
  • Chen Mu casually wipes out the Vengeful Dragon Souls across a thousand-mile area, flattening the surrounding terrain without even releasing spiritual qi. The display reveals that his power surpasses what the onlookers had imagined.
  • Ye Chennan, the young man, and his junior sister apologize and kneel, then retreat to a small dragon-blood pool, frightened of provoking Chen Mu.
  • Chen Mu uses the system to copy an opportunity map showing more than ten thousand treasure sites and hundreds of inheritance locations, with warnings marking dangerous traps. He plans to share copies with Ye Qingcheng and the Tianyuan disciples after their blood replacement.
  • The Tianyuan disciples successfully replace their blood with dragon blood, reporting strength increases of eight to ten times. Ye Chennan’s group, by comparison, gains only about three times its former strength.
  • Lu Qingshan, Li Liushui, Yan Yutong, and the others return with dragon eggs, bones, scales, crystals, teeth, Saint Dragon blood cores, cultivation manuals, and spatial rings.

Character developments and interactions

  • Chen Mu remains casual and unconcerned by others’ fear. He protects his people, directs their treasure hunt, and prioritizes helping those connected to him.
  • Ye Qingcheng is confirmed to possess power beyond a Great Emperor, yet remains deferential to Chen Mu, deepening the observers’ awe of him.
  • Ye Chennan and his companions shift from uncertainty and potential pride to fear and submission. The young man also resolves to watch what he says after realizing his usual arrogance could have endangered them.
  • The Tianyuan disciples respond to Chen Mu’s protection with gratitude and determination to prove themselves.

Significant themes

  • Power reshapes perspective: Chen Mu’s effortless feat makes the group realize they had badly underestimated him.
  • Humility and survival: Those who recognize the overwhelming gap in strength quickly abandon pride and seek forgiveness.
  • Unequal advancement: The Tianyuan disciples’ dramatic gains emphasize their unusual potential compared with Ye Chennan’s group.
  • Loyalty and self-interest: Chen Mu’s generosity is directed primarily toward his own people, whom he intends to equip with the map and the secret realm’s rewards.

Ch. 164Another Great Emperor! Were They Free?

Plot points

  • Chen Mu’s group reveals an enormous haul of dragon treasures, astonishing Ye Chennan and his companions. They realize Chen Mu’s lineage must be immensely powerful when they learn he brought about a hundred people into the secret realm.
  • Lu Qingshan warns the onlookers with his Emperor’s Might. Ye Chennan and the others are terrified to discover yet another Great Emperor among Chen Mu’s people.
  • Chen Mu invites his followers to absorb the Dragon Blood Pool. Their strength increases dramatically—by ninefold at minimum and up to twentyfold.
  • Chen Mu gives everyone a map showing hidden opportunities and legacies, graded by color; black markers indicate traps. He tells them to claim discoveries freely but forbids infighting. The group disperses to explore.
  • Ye Qingcheng stays with Chen Mu as his personal guard, and they set off together. Ye Chennan and the others finally relax, then debate whether Chen Mu’s maps are real and whether his group will strip the realm of its resources.
  • A powerful, unseen presence suddenly pins Ye Chennan and his companions down with Emperor’s Might. They beg to be spared, but the voice stops them from leaving and asks about the treasure map.

Character developments and interactions

  • Chen Mu appears generous toward his followers, sharing the Dragon Blood Pool and maps, while maintaining strict control against internal conflict.
  • His followers respond with gratitude and obedience, and Ye Qingcheng reaffirms her loyalty by choosing to remain at his side.
  • Ye Chennan is cautious and recognizes Chen Mu’s immense backing, warning his companions not to speak carelessly. The junior sister admires Chen Mu and challenges the male disciple’s repeated criticism; the male disciple remains resentful and suspicious.
  • The three outsiders shift from envy and speculation to panic when another Emperor-level force confronts them.

Significant themes

  • Power and disparity: Chen Mu’s resources and allies make other cultivators’ achievements seem insignificant.
  • Fortune versus advantage: Others depend on luck, while Chen Mu can identify opportunities and direct his followers to them.
  • Loyalty and order: Chen Mu rewards his people but demands they avoid fighting among themselves.
  • Fear and restraint: The outsiders’ awareness of overwhelming power keeps them silent and submissive, even when they feel wronged.

Ch. 165Great Emperors Clash! Submit? You Think You're Worthy?

Plot points and events

  • A Great Emperor confronts Ye Chennan, demanding to know who possesses a map to the Dragon Origin Secret Realm. When Ye tries to deny it, the man nearly strangles him, then traps him and his two disciples in a deadly Spiritual Qi cage.
  • To survive, Ye agrees to lead the Great Emperor to the supposed map-holder. He identifies Li Liushui, who is standing beside a Dragon Stele.
  • The Great Emperor demands the map and threatens Li. Li refuses and attacks, revealing that he, too, is a Great Emperor.
  • The two clash in a devastating battle. Li’s formed Sword Intent and array of hundreds of Heaven Rank or better swords hold the opponent at bay, despite Li’s comparatively recent breakthrough and weaker foundations.
  • As the fight escalates and the surrounding landscape is wrecked, Yan Yutong arrives and offers Li help.

Character developments

  • Ye Chennan abandons his attempt to conceal the secret and betrays Li under mortal pressure. He and his disciples remain captive, hoping the Great Emperor will spare them.
  • Li Liushui is revealed as a Great Emperor and an unusually versatile sword cultivator who controls many real blades. His loyalty to the Tianyuan Holy Land and Chen Mu outweighs fear of a superior opponent.
  • The Great Emperor is ruthless and coercive, but confident enough to offer Li submission when he recognizes his strength.
  • Ye’s disciples are shaken by the discovery that several Great Emperors are among the group, and one considers joining the powerful Tianyuan Holy Land.

Significant themes

  • Survival versus loyalty: Ye betrays another person to stay alive, while Li risks death rather than dishonor his sect or Chen Mu.
  • Power and intimidation: The Great Emperor uses overwhelming force to compel obedience, but Li’s resistance challenges his assumption of supremacy.
  • Different forms of strength: Li’s recent breakthrough is offset by his skill, specialized sword control, and remarkable arsenal.

Character interactions

  • The Great Emperor intimidates Ye into cooperating, then uses him as a guide.
  • Ye identifies Li, effectively placing him in danger, while privately blaming chance for his choice.
  • Li rejects the Great Emperor’s demands and offer of submission, turning the encounter into a duel.
  • Yan Yutong’s arrival introduces the possibility that Li will receive support.

Ch. 166Killing God Saint Body: Watching the Drama Only to Find Himself in It

Plot points and events

  • Ye Chennan and his companions watch helplessly as Great Emperor Li Liushui battles a mysterious man. They assume Yan Yutong’s offer to intervene is suicidal.
  • Li Liushui asks Yan Yutong to join him, and she agrees, remembering Chen Mu’s advice that the disciples should stand together against outsiders.
  • Yan Yutong reveals that she, too, is a Great Emperor, stunning Ye Chennan and his companions. The mysterious man becomes even more determined to capture the pair and learn how they gained their power.
  • Yan Yutong attacks with her divine whip while Li Liushui shatters the man’s giant sword and presses him with a storm of blades. Together, they briefly restrain him and gain the upper hand.
  • The man unveils the Killing God Saint Body, a blood-red giant manifestation that overwhelms Yan Yutong’s restraint and slows Li Liushui’s swords. Ye Chennan recognizes the powerful physique, making the battle’s outcome uncertain.
  • Chen Mu arrives, recognizing the Saint Body. He had come to watch the spectacle, only to discover that his own disciples were involved.

Character developments and interactions

  • Yan Yutong shows loyalty to her fellow disciple and confidence in her own strength, refusing Li Liushui’s attempt to protect her while she holds the enemy back.
  • Li Liushui sets aside pride and asks for help, then coordinates his attack with Yan Yutong’s.
  • The mysterious man shifts from curiosity to intense ambition: he hopes to seize the disciples’ secrets and become the Human Race’s First Immortal. Revealing his Saint Body shows he has not yet been fighting at full strength.
  • Ye Chennan and his companions move from dismissing Yan Yutong’s intervention to shock at her rank and alarm at the enemy’s hidden power.
  • Chen Mu’s arrival sets up his involvement in the confrontation.

Significant themes

  • Unity and cooperation: Li Liushui and Yan Yutong fight effectively as a team, following Chen Mu’s call for the disciples to stand together.
  • Hidden strength and shifting power: Apparent advantages can vanish when a fighter reveals a concealed ability.
  • Ambition and opportunity: The enemy’s desire for power drives his plan to capture and interrogate the young Emperors.
  • Comic reversal: Chen Mu expects to observe the drama from the sidelines, but finds it has become his own problem.

Ch. 167Custom Saint Body, Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon

Chapter summary

  • Zhao Shixiong, a nearly second-layer Great Emperor with the Killing God Saint Body, has been fighting Li Liushui and Yan Yutong. Chen Mu arrives with Ye Qingcheng and sees that the two have struggled to defeat him.
  • Zhao demands Chen Mu surrender his opportunities and a secret-realm treasure map. Chen realizes that Ye Chennan and two companions exposed the map’s existence, endangering his people, and kills the three instantly.
  • Enraged by what he sees as Chen’s disrespect, Zhao attacks. Ye Qingcheng intercepts him and cuts off the Killing God’s arm, startling Zhao with the strength of her sword intent. Li and Yan then step forward to protect Chen as well.
  • Chen gives Li the Sword King Saint Body and Yan the Myriad Thunder Dao Body. Their power increases dramatically, and Chen encourages them to fight without restraint, assuring them he will protect them.
  • Li and Yan combine their new abilities against Zhao. Their attack devastates his Killing God manifestation and leaves him badly injured, while they fare better. Recognizing that he is losing, Zhao uses a blood-energy explosion as cover and tries to flee.
  • Zhao runs into what appears to be an invisible wall—but discovers it is an Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon.

Character developments and interactions

  • Chen Mu remains calm and utterly confident, treating his companions’ setbacks lightly and responding to danger by granting them powerful saint bodies. His effortless killing of the map’s informants shows his ruthless protectiveness.
  • Li Liushui and Yan Yutong begin troubled by their failure to defeat Zhao, then gain renewed confidence and formidable strength through Chen’s gifts. They demonstrate their loyalty by shielding him and fighting together.
  • Ye Qingcheng openly places herself between Chen and danger, declaring that Zhao must kill her before reaching him. Her sword strike shocks Zhao and reinforces her fierce devotion.
  • Zhao Shixiong starts arrogant and composed, convinced he can compel Chen to surrender. Chen’s power to bestow saint bodies unsettles him; after losing the fight, Zhao abandons pride and attempts to escape, only to meet a new obstacle.

Significant themes

  • Loyalty and protection: Chen’s companions willingly risk their lives for him, while he supports them with resources and protection.
  • Power and dependence: Chen’s ability to grant saint bodies transforms the balance of the fight and exposes the limits of Zhao’s own formidable strength.
  • Arrogance and misjudgment: Zhao assumes Chen can be intimidated, then repeatedly underestimates both Chen and the people around him.
  • Escalating danger: Zhao’s attempted escape ends on a cliffhanger with the unexpected appearance of an Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon.

Ch. 168Stomping a Great Emperor to Death, Undying Immortality for Everyone

Key plot points and events

  • Chen Mu transforms into a colossal form using the Heavenly Demon Tyrant Body and kills Great Emperor Zhao Shixiong with a single stomp. Zhao’s recovered body and formidable reputation prove useless against Chen Mu.
  • The onlookers connect Chen Mu’s power to Great Emperor Zhuang Fan’s legendary technique, and Zhao wonders whether Chen Mu can freely grant techniques as well as saint bodies.
  • After losing interest in the Dragon Origin Secret Realm, Chen Mu gives Ye Qingcheng, Lu Qingshan, Li Liushui, Yan Yutong, and the others undying immortal saint bodies. A thousandfold rebate gives him 10,100 additional custom saint bodies.
  • Chen Mu returns to Qingyun Prefecture while the others continue exploring. He assures his father, Chen Tianlin, that no one in the group was injured or killed.
  • Worried about further dangers in the secret realm, Chen Tianlin offers to go protect the disciples. Chen Mu reassures him that their new immortal bodies are protection enough.

Character developments and interactions

  • Chen Mu displays overwhelming strength and treats the defeat of a Great Emperor almost casually. He also shows foresight and generosity by protecting his companions before leaving.
  • Zhao Shixiong shifts from menace to helpless victim, dying before Chen Mu can properly test his technique.
  • Ye Qingcheng accepts her gift calmly and understands that Chen Mu expects her to keep pursuing opportunities in the secret realm.
  • Li Liushui and Yan Yutong are astonished by both Chen Mu’s power and their new saint bodies, then express their gratitude.
  • Chen Tianlin is proud of his son but remains anxious for the disciples’ safety—and hopeful that Ye Qingcheng and Chen Mu will grow closer.

Significant themes

  • Power and scale: Even a Great Emperor can be utterly insignificant before Chen Mu.
  • Generosity and protection: Chen Mu uses his extraordinary resources to safeguard his companions, not merely to strengthen himself.
  • Immortality as security: The undying bodies allow the disciples to survive dangers through endurance, turning time itself into an advantage.
  • Humor and understatement: The contrast between Zhao’s dramatic death and Chen Mu’s casual response highlights the story’s playful treatment of overwhelming power.

Ch. 169The Secret Realm Stripped Bare, the Heavenly Prodigy Assembly Forced to Cancel

Key events

  • Chen Mu casually offers his father, Chen Tianlin, a saint body. When Tianlin hesitates, Chen Mu gives him all ten supreme saint bodies at once. They awaken immediately, confirming Chen Mu’s ability to grant them. A thousandfold rebate gives Chen Mu ten thousand custom saint bodies, which he dismisses as unremarkable.
  • After Tianlin leaves, Chen Mu sends Zhang Shengcai into the Dragon Origin Secret Realm with a token and treasure map to seek dragon blood and bones. Chen Mu then naps for three days beneath a system-provided Heavenly Silkworm Quilt.
  • Zhang Shengcai and Ye Qingcheng return from the secret realm with major gains. Shengcai has begun transforming into a dragon, gaining horns, wings, and scales after obtaining the Dragon Clan’s true legacy. Ye Qingcheng reports that the group killed three great emperors, suffered no casualties, and looted every inheritance and treasure hoard.
  • The hundred prodigies keep only the cultivation resources they need and donate the rest to their sacred land. Lu Qingshan reveals that Chen Mu had given every member of the group an undying immortal saint body.
  • Other disciples react with astonishment and envy, especially those who narrowly missed selection for the top hundred.
  • The Heavenly Prodigy Assembly is canceled. When the assembled sects demand an explanation, Elder Qian says the Dragon Origin Secret Realm has already been “stripped bare.”

Character developments and interactions

  • Chen Mu remains effortlessly generous toward his family and allies, treating supreme saint bodies and rare treasures as commonplace. His indolence contrasts with the scale of his influence.
  • Chen Tianlin moves from disbelief to awe as he tests his newly awakened powers; he is so grateful he nearly kowtows to his son.
  • Zhang Shengcai grows stronger and begins a dramatic dragon transformation, while crediting Chen Mu for the opportunity.
  • Ye Qingcheng and the prodigy group return triumphant and unharmed, with their loyalty reflected in donating most of their spoils to the sacred land.
  • The overlooked disciples envy the selected hundred, and the near-misses console themselves by comparing who came closest.

Significant themes

  • Chen Mu’s overwhelming power and generosity: He can grant extraordinary physiques with ease, reshaping the fortunes of those around him.
  • Opportunity reserved for one’s own: Chen Mu believes valuable resources should benefit allies, not potential rivals; the group’s looting leaves the secret realm empty.
  • Luck, merit, and regret: The disciples’ reactions expose the bitterness of narrowly missing a life-changing chance.
  • Comic contrast: Chen Mu’s casual attitude and leisurely naps sit alongside world-shaking transformations and a canceled major assembly.

Ch. 170Three Realms Gather to Strike Tianyuan in the Southern Region?

Plot points and events

  • Elder Qian reports that Tianyuan Holy Land’s disciples have emptied the Dragon Origin Secret Realm of its treasures, triggering outrage among the assembled leaders.
  • He explains that roughly a hundred Tianyuan disciples entered the realm, and three—Lu Qingshan, Li Liushui, and Yan Yutong—advanced from the Human Immortal Realm to Great Emperor.
  • The group learns that all hundred disciples appear to possess undying immortal saint bodies and that they killed several Great Emperors inside the realm. The complaints quickly stop: the leaders recognize that challenging Tianyuan would be suicidal.
  • Meanwhile, the Star Luo, Azure Dragon, and Heavenly Shadow lineages meet in the Star Luo Realm to discuss the deaths of their Great Emperors. Zhao Entai proposes a joint attack on the Southern Region. Li Xiaocun and Ye Beichen are wary, doubting the three realms can overcome Tianyuan.
  • Zhao counters that Tianyuan’s power is supposedly divided among many Great Emperors, then reveals that the Star Luo Realm may soon produce another Great Emperor with the heaven-burning saint body. The chapter ends as he tries to persuade the others that this could shift the balance.

Character developments and interactions

  • Elder Qian acts as a blunt messenger, revealing Tianyuan’s escalating strength to discourage reckless opposition.
  • The gathered leaders move from indignation to fearful acceptance, rationalizing Tianyuan’s seizure of the secret realm’s treasures because they lack the strength to contest it.
  • Li Xiaocun and Ye Beichen are angry over their losses but cautious about risking more. Ye especially prefers to grieve privately rather than provoke further disaster.
  • Zhao Entai is more aggressive and politically strategic, using the prospect of a powerful new Star Luo Great Emperor to rally the other lineages.

Significant themes

  • Strength determines legitimacy: Claims that the secret realm belongs to everyone collapse once Tianyuan’s overwhelming power becomes clear.
  • Escalating power and fear: Tianyuan’s disciples alone are formidable, making the Holy Land’s leaders seem even more dangerous.
  • Rage versus prudence: The three lineages must choose between revenge and protecting themselves from further losses.
  • Power as political leverage: Zhao uses the promise of a new Great Emperor to turn grief into a possible alliance.

Ch. 171The System Was Too Cautious: A Million Shadow Puppets from a Check-In

Plot points and events

  • Zhao Entai persuades Li Xiaocun of the Azure Dragon Realm and Ye Beichen of the Heavenly Shadow Ye Family to join Star Luo in a campaign against the Southern Region, especially Tianyuan. He cites Star Luo’s newly risen Great Emperor, who has the fifth-ranked Heaven-Burning Saint Body, and his close ties to Northern Nether’s ruler, Zhou Xiu, who possesses the fourth-ranked Starry Sky Saint Body.
  • Li agrees, and Ye follows, partly because refusing would make him a likely target of his supposed allies. Their pact is sealed by the news that the new Star Luo Great Emperor has emerged.
  • Chen Juexin arrives in Qingyun Prefecture with intelligence about the planned invasion. The three realms’ hostility stems from the deaths of their Great Emperors in the Tianyuan Secret Realm.
  • Chen Mu dismisses the threat, then accepts the system’s offer to link his Puppet Master and King of Assassins modules. The link preserves both modules’ original functions while allowing his puppets to share the assassins’ abilities.
  • A check-in rewards him with one million God Rank Shadow Puppets. Confident they can overwhelm the invading forces—and that fallen enemies can be bound into an undead army—Chen Mu looks forward to their arrival.

Character developments and interactions

  • Zhao Entai acts as the alliance’s persuasive organizer, using powerful allies and military numbers to secure commitment.
  • Li Xiaocun is reassured by the two supreme saint-body users and confidently commits his realm.
  • Ye Beichen joins reluctantly, judging that resistance could make him the alliance’s first victim.
  • Chen Juexin brings the warning anxiously, but Chen Mu’s confidence soon replaces her fear with sympathy for the invaders.
  • Chen Mu remains unshaken and treats the impending war as an opportunity to test his growing power and gain resources.

Significant themes

  • Escalating power and overconfidence: The allied realms believe their formidable cultivators and armies guarantee victory, while Chen Mu considers their combined strength negligible.
  • System-enabled security: The system anticipates danger and equips Chen Mu with overwhelming reinforcements, underscoring its cautious, protective role.
  • War as opportunity: Chen Mu reframes an invasion as a chance to gain experience and expand his undead forces.
  • Coercion beneath alliance: Ye’s decision reveals that the coalition is held together not only by shared aims but also by fear of its own leaders.

Ch. 172The Power You Rely On Was Mine for the Taking

Plot points

  • Zhao Qiankun emerges from seclusion as a newly perfected Great Emperor, having regained his youth. His son, Zhao Entai, tells him about the conflict in the Dragon Origin Secret Realm, presenting events in a way that heightens the insult.
  • Enraged, Zhao Qiankun agrees to join Zhao Entai’s coalition and attack Tianyuan in the Southern Region. The allied rulers—Li Xiaocun, Ye Beichen, and the mercenary Zhou Xiu—mobilize an army of roughly a million cultivators.
  • Chen Mu watches their preparations through the Heaven-Peering Mirror. Chen Juexin worries about Tianyuan’s casualties, while Ye Qingcheng prepares for battle. Chen Mu remains confident that the invaders are doomed.
  • As Zhao Qiankun and Zhou Xiu boast about their saint bodies and Tianyuan’s supposed weakness, Chen Mu discovers that Great Emperor Experience Packs and custom saint bodies can be applied to his God Rank Shadow Puppets.
  • The system grants him a million of each. Chen Mu uses the items on the puppets, triggering thousandfold rebates that leave him with billions of additional packs and saint bodies.

Character developments and interactions

  • Zhao Qiankun is newly powerful and overconfident. He readily turns his breakthrough into a reason to join the invasion.
  • Zhao Entai manipulates his father’s account of events to secure his support, then earns praise for recruiting Zhou Xiu.
  • Zhou Xiu makes clear that he joined for payment, though he flatters Zhao Entai and shares Zhao Qiankun’s confidence.
  • Chen Juexin is angry at the coalition’s arrogance and fears for Tianyuan’s people; Chen Mu reassures her.
  • Ye Qingcheng says little, but her quiet preparations show she is ready to fight.
  • Chen Mu shifts from calmly dismissing the threat to preparing an overwhelming countermeasure by empowering his shadow puppets.

Significant themes

  • Arrogance before a fall: The coalition’s confidence contrasts with Chen Mu’s hidden advantages.
  • Power and imbalance: A million-strong army appears formidable, but the system lets Chen Mu multiply elite abilities on a vast scale.
  • Retaliation and loyalty: Zhao Entai’s grievance draws his father and allies into a campaign against Tianyuan, while Chen Mu’s concern for his companions motivates him to prepare.
  • System-enabled escalation: The system turns a newly discovered possibility into an immense advantage through its thousandfold rebates.

Ch. 173A Hundred Sects Declare Their Stance, Heavenly Fire Descends

Chapter Summary

  • Chen Mu considers the million Great Emperor–rank Shadow Puppets in his system space and wonders how Zhao Qiankun and Zhou Xiu will react when they face them. His sister, Chen Juexin, leaves to prepare Tianyuan’s disciples for battle rather than let Chen Mu fight alone.
  • Zhao Qiankun’s forces enter the Beast Taming Realm. Chen Mu tells Lu Yang not to stop them, intending to let them reach the Southern Region so their defeat—and the deaths of a million invaders—will warn others against opposing Tianyuan. Lu Yang follows at a distance, hoping to witness Chen Mu’s strength and assist if needed.
  • As the invading fleet arrives, sects, nations, and powerful lineages across the Southern Region face a difficult choice. The Sky Sword Sect’s Lin Wentian decides to support Tianyuan, believing Chen Mu is their best hope. One by one, the other powers also mobilize to join the defense, placing their trust in Chen Mu personally.
  • The allied invaders reach Tianyuan’s defenses but stop before its active protective and killing formations. Zhao Entai estimates that breaching them could take at least a day. Dismissive of the danger, Zhao Qiankun offers to break the outer formation himself; Zhou Xiu agrees, using the opportunity to assess Zhao’s strength.
  • Zhao Qiankun summons an enormous mass of heavenly fire and sends it crashing toward Tianyuan’s formation. As the attackers mock Tianyuan, they spot a silver-armored figure apparently standing in the fire’s path. The chapter ends before the figure’s identity or the attack’s outcome is revealed.

Character Developments and Interactions

  • Chen Mu remains confident and strategic, allowing the invasion to proceed because its defeat will benefit him and serve as a public warning.
  • Chen Juexin shows loyalty and resolve by preparing to fight alongside Chen Mu despite his ability to handle the enemy.
  • Lu Yang is eager to support Chen Mu, but respects his instructions; the Black Flood Dragon’s fear of offending Chen Mu highlights the lasting effect of his authority.
  • Lin Wentian and the Southern Region’s powers overcome their hesitation and commit to Tianyuan, largely because they believe in Chen Mu.
  • Zhao Qiankun is arrogant and eager to demonstrate his Great Emperor strength. Zhou Xiu is more calculating, watching Zhao before deciding how much to contribute.

Significant Themes

  • Loyalty tested by danger: Tianyuan’s allies must choose between safety and standing with Chen Mu.
  • Reputation and deterrence: Chen Mu intends the invaders’ defeat to discourage future opposition.
  • Confidence versus underestimation: Zhao Qiankun’s contempt for Tianyuan’s defenses contrasts with the danger he may be walking into.

Ch. 174With someone as powerful as him, defying common sense was reasonable, right?

Key plot points and events

  • Zhao Qiankun, a Great Emperor with the Heaven-Burning Saint Body, attacks Tianyuan Holy Land with an enormous fireball.
  • The God Rank Shadow Puppet absorbs the attack with one hand, stunning the gathered cultivators.
  • The puppet reveals matching Great Emperor cultivation and the Heaven-Burning Saint Body, then summons two fireballs stronger than Zhao Qiankun’s.
  • Zhao Qiankun’s fire is overwhelmed and devoured. Seeing the puppet’s superiority, he unleashes all his power in a desperate, sweeping assault.
  • The Three Domains’ cultivators begin fleeing, fearing they will be caught in the firestorm. The chapter ends before the attack’s outcome is shown.

Character developments

  • Zhao Qiankun shifts from confidence and bluster to alarm, then desperation. He prioritizes his own survival over the lives of his disciples and clansmen.
  • Chen Mu remains calm and does not intervene; the puppet acts as his overwhelming representative.
  • Ye Qingcheng is initially anxious for the puppet but trusts Chen Mu’s composure.
  • Chen Jian cannot explain how a puppet can cultivate or possess a Saint Body, but concludes that anything associated with Chen Mu can defy common sense.

Significant themes

  • Power that overturns expectations: The puppet matches Zhao Qiankun’s rare cultivation and Saint Body, then surpasses him.
  • Faith in Chen Mu: Tianyuan’s people interpret the puppet’s impossible abilities as unsurprising because Chen Mu is behind them.
  • Self-preservation and selfishness: Zhao Qiankun abandons concern for his followers once his own life is threatened.
  • Appearance versus reality: What observers first mistake for a puppet being consumed by fire is actually the puppet absorbing it.

Character interactions

  • Ye Qingcheng watches Chen Mu for reassurance rather than acting independently.
  • Chen Jian explains the puppet’s nature to the Tianyuan disciples, who question how it could possess such extraordinary abilities.
  • Zhao Qiankun and the puppet engage in a direct contest of fire and power, while both sides’ followers react with confidence, fear, or flight.

Ch. 175A Storm of Blood, a Million Cultivators Slaughtered

Plot points and events

  • Zhao Qiankun’s heavenly fire threatens everyone present, including his own Star Luo Realm disciples. Li Xiaocun and Ye Beichen confront Zhao Entai, who realizes his ancestor has become indiscriminate in his slaughter.
  • Before Zhao Entai can appeal to Zhou Xiu for help, a concealed God Rank Shadow Puppet ambushes Zhao Qiankun. It pierces his chest, breaks his neck, and tears out his spine and head. With Zhao Qiankun dead, the heavenly fire quickly fades.
  • The million assembled cultivators panic and flee. Zhao Entai collapses in despair; Li Xiaocun and Ye Beichen also retreat, while Zhou Xiu decides to withdraw rather than risk a poor bargain.
  • Chen Mu refuses to let the survivors escape. At his command, the system sends a million God Rank Shadow Puppets, which slaughter the cultivators in moments.
  • Zhou Xiu attempts to create a starry-night battlefield and escape using his cultivation technique. A puppet simply clenches its fist, dispelling the stars and shutting down his attempt.

Character developments and interactions

  • Zhao Entai is forced to recognize that Zhao Qiankun’s power has become a danger to his own side. His pleas for an explanation turn to shock and grief when his father is killed.
  • Li Xiaocun and Ye Beichen initially demand answers from Zhao Entai, then abandon the battle once Zhao Qiankun falls; Ye Beichen is among the first to flee.
  • Chen Mu reveals the full extent of his power and ruthlessness. His hidden puppet defeats Zhao Qiankun, and he orders the extermination of the entire invading force.
  • Chen Juexin is stunned by the scale of Chen Mu’s strength, wondering if he might be a god reincarnated.
  • Zhou Xiu shifts from calculating withdrawal to desperate escape, only to find his technique effortlessly countered by a puppet.

Significant themes

  • Power and helplessness: The cultivators’ immense numbers and individual strength are meaningless against Chen Mu’s overwhelming puppet army.
  • Betrayal and misplaced loyalty: Zhao Qiankun turns on his own disciples, revealing the danger of serving power without regard for those who support it.
  • Concealment and surprise: The hidden puppet’s decisive ambush shows how deception can overcome even a formidable opponent.
  • Merciless retribution: Chen Mu treats the invasion not as a battle to repel, but as a threat to eliminate completely.

Ch. 176Summoning a Million Dead Souls! An Insane Haul

Key plot points

  • Zhou Xiu realizes Tianyuan’s million god-rank puppets have overwhelmed the invading forces and surrenders, offering an alliance. A puppet kills him anyway.
  • Chen Mu summons Zhou Xiu and the other fallen cultivators as undead, storing the million defeated enemies—including two Great Emperors with supreme saint bodies—in the Shadow World.
  • The invasion ends without the enemy reaching Tianyuan’s mountain gate. Tianyuan’s disciples marvel at Chen Mu’s power, while Chen Juexin orders the defensive formations shut down and sends disciples to collect the attackers’ valuable supplies.
  • With four regions left without their leaders, Chen Juexin dispatches forces to demand their submission. Chen Mu sends two Great Emperor souls and god-rank puppets to help secure the regions.
  • The chapter ends as Tianyuan’s elders recognize the dark figures as the same Great Emperors they saw killed, and ask Chen Juexin what they are.

Character developments and interactions

  • Zhou Xiu shifts from an ambitious invader to a terrified, remorseful surrendering leader; his offer of alliance cannot save him.
  • Chen Mu remains largely offstage but demonstrates overwhelming power and foresight, turning his enemies into undead assets and sending reinforcements to ensure Tianyuan’s expansion.
  • Chen Juexin moves confidently from defensive preparations to decisive conquest. She understands Chen Mu’s plan and looks forward to his rule over the world.
  • Chen Jian and the other Tianyuan disciples are amazed by the puppets, the revived Great Emperors, and Chen Juexin’s authority.

Significant themes

  • Overwhelming power and deterrence: Tianyuan’s forces make a massive invasion futile.
  • Death as a resource: Chen Mu’s ability to summon the dead turns defeated enemies into future assets.
  • Ambition and expansion: Tianyuan intends to capitalize on its victory and bring the four leaderless regions under its rule.
  • Appearance versus reality: The puppets seem to represent an enormous organization, but in truth they are controlled by Chen Mu and his system; the “dead” Great Emperors also return in an unfamiliar form.

Ch. 177Great Emperors Everywhere, Quasi-Emperors as Common as Dogs?

  • Chen Juexin reveals that the Starry Sky Great Emperor and Heaven-Burning Great Emperor are undead versions of the same men Chen Mu killed and enslaved. Their strength is preserved—and may even increase—after death. The elders realize Chen Mu could build Tianyuan’s power by defeating Great Emperors and adding them to his undead forces. Chen Juexin also reassures them that Lu Xiangtian, another legendary Great Emperor whom Chen Mu raised as an undead, has remained obedient.
  • Tianyuan’s disciples are astonished and increasingly admire Chen Mu, declaring him a future—or already established—legend. Chen Tianlin, by contrast, is repeatedly deprived of any chance to show his own strength: Chen Mu’s God Rank Shadow Puppets defeat Zhao Qiankun, then a million puppets appear and leave Chen Tianlin no role in the battle. He retreats to his residence, rueing how thoroughly his son’s reputation eclipses his own. He continues as Holy Lord partly because he fears losing the immortality and supreme saint bodies Chen Mu gave him.
  • Across the four realms, extinguished Soul Lamps and shattered Life Tokens reveal that the expedition against Tianyuan has gone disastrously wrong. In Northern Nether, the simultaneous signs confirm that its Great Emperor, Zhou Xiu, has died. His officials fear both retaliation and the collapse of the political order built around him, but hesitate to attack Tianyuan, knowing they may share Zhou Xiu’s fate. Their concern for retaining their positions compounds their fear.
  • A report arrives that numerous Flying Boats, carrying at least ten thousand people, are approaching Northern Nether’s imperial hall. The elders assume a challenge to their authority and prepare the Enforcement Pavilion and three thousand guards to crush the supposed uprising. The chapter ends as one elder spots a dark figure aboard a boat, suggesting the newcomers may be more formidable than expected.
    Themes and dynamics: Chen Mu’s overwhelming power makes him both the source of Tianyuan’s growing strength and the center of its prestige, while rendering Chen Tianlin politically and personally overshadowed. The contrast between Tianyuan’s confidence and Northern Nether’s fearful uncertainty underscores how the expedition has shifted the balance of power.

Ch. 178Subduing the Four Regions: I Really Don't Want to Be a Realm Lord

Plot points and events

  • Tianyuan’s forces reach the Northern Nether, where local leaders initially mistake Zhou Xiu’s familiar appearance and aura for evidence that he survived and attained a higher realm.
  • Yang Wenchang recognizes Tianyuan’s banners. Chen Yuanwu arrives with Zhou Xiu’s spirit and reveals that the former Realm Lord has become Chen Mu’s undead slave, demanding the Northern Nether’s submission.
  • Seeing no chance of victory, Yang Wenchang and the other leaders surrender. The Emperor Hall, its guards, and the Enforcement Pavilion all kneel, allowing Chen Yuanwu to take the region without a fight.
  • Star Luo, Azure Dragon, and Heavenly Shadow surrender just as readily. Tianyuan thus takes all four regions with virtually no resistance.
  • Watching events through Heaven-Peering Mirrors, Chen Juexin celebrates the rapid expansion and imagines Chen Mu becoming Great Cang’s Realm Lord. Chen Mu insists the territories belong to Tianyuan, not him, and privately dreads the prospect of greater responsibility.
  • Chen Juexin gives Chen Mu Divine Talismans made by his adoptive father, Li Xuanyuan, and relays an invitation to visit the Carefree Bamboo Grove. Chen Mu eagerly accepts and invites Ye Qingcheng to relax with him.

Character developments and interactions

  • Yang Wenchang and the Northern Nether leadership choose survival over pride, surrendering as soon as Chen Yuanwu makes the threat clear.
  • Chen Yuanwu is prepared to conquer by force, but the region’s swift capitulation leaves his Great Emperor power unused; he becomes the Northern Nether’s new Realm Lord.
  • Chen Juexin is pleased by Tianyuan’s success and hopes Chen Mu will rise to even higher rule. Chen Mu tactfully avoids challenging her enthusiasm while privately resisting the idea.
  • Chen Mu remains committed to avoiding work and authority, but warmly appreciates Li Xuanyuan’s care and welcomes the chance to rest with Ye Qingcheng.

Significant themes

  • Power and submission: Two Great Emperors make resistance seem futile, prompting mass surrender.
  • Survival over pride: The Northern Nether’s leaders openly choose life over a doomed stand.
  • Collective achievement versus personal rule: Chen Mu credits Tianyuan as a whole rather than claiming its conquests for himself.
  • Ambition versus leisure: Chen Juexin imagines greater political responsibility for Chen Mu, while he longs for a quiet, carefree life.

Ch. 179Carefree Bamboo Grove, the Sword Dancer

Summary

Chen Mu prepares to visit his adoptive father, Li Xuanyuan, at the Carefree Bamboo Grove with Ye Qingcheng. His sister, Chen Juexin, declines to join, teasing him that Li might resent her for intruding on a “private world for two.” As they leave, Chen Mu notices lavish red-bowed chests and learns they are apologies and tributes from the Southern Region’s hundred sects, offered in gratitude for the Tianyuan Holy Land’s protection. Chen Juexin sees the gifts as a harmless way for the sects to ease their anxieties; Chen Mu agrees they are overthinking the Holy Land’s intentions.
When Chen Juexin suggests taking some treasures as a gift for Li Xuanyuan, Chen Mu’s system unlocks a Grand Talisman Refiner module. It grants him knowledge of talismans across history and mastery of talisman-making, allowing him to draw powerful talismans with his finger, spiritual qi, and the surrounding world. A check-in also awards him divine-grade talisman tools and materials. He realizes that rare, lost talisman designs could be a more meaningful gift for Li, a dedicated talisman refiner.
Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng teleport to the bamboo grove. Chen Mu enjoys its peaceful atmosphere and considers taking spirit bamboo seeds home; the system immediately rewards him with ten-thousand-year-old spirit bamboo. As they walk, they hear sword sounds and find a woman in white practicing in a clearing. Though she is only an Innate Martial Master, her swordsmanship is exceptionally precise: she cuts hundreds of falling bamboo leaves cleanly in half. Ye Qingcheng admires her swift sword, but the swordswoman suddenly calls out, “Who’s there!”

Character developments and interactions

  • Chen Mu remains casual and powerful, gaining a major new talisman-making ability and thinking pragmatically about a suitable gift for Li Xuanyuan.
  • Chen Juexin is playful and teasing with Chen Mu, yet practical about accepting the sects’ offerings.
  • Ye Qingcheng accompanies Chen Mu, stays alert, and recognizes the swordswoman’s remarkable skill.
  • Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng arrive as observers, but the swordswoman’s challenge sets up a potentially tense encounter.

Significant themes

  • Power and perception: The sects’ fear of the Tianyuan Holy Land exceeds any actual threat Chen Mu or the Holy Land has shown them.
  • Generosity and obligation: The offerings serve both as gratitude and as reassurance for the weaker sects.
  • System-enabled abundance: Chen Mu’s rewards arrive almost comically whenever he considers a need, underscoring the ease with which his abilities and resources expand.
  • Skill beyond rank: The swordswoman’s technique far surpasses what her cultivation level would suggest.

Ch. 180A Foster Mother? Assassins Attack

Plot points and events

  • Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng enter the Carefree Bamboo Grove to visit Talisman King Li Xuanyuan. Xiao Yuning confronts them with a warning gust, then agrees to guide them to Li.
  • Before Chen Mu learns much about Xiao Yuning, masked attackers surround the group and demand that she return with them. Their leader reveals they intend to capture her alive; some of the men also threaten Ye Qingcheng.
  • Chen Mu permits Ye Qingcheng to handle the fight, warning her not to damage the rare spirit bamboo.
  • One attacker sexually taunts Ye Qingcheng. She kills him instantly with a flick of her fingers, revealing herself as a Sword Dao Grandmaster.
  • The surviving attackers charge her together. Ye Qingcheng lowers her hand and appears to wait for them, while Chen Mu understands that she is forming Sword Qi barriers around herself. Xiao Yuning, however, fears for Ye Qingcheng and draws her sword to intervene.

Character developments

  • Chen Mu remains composed and observant, trusts Ye Qingcheng’s strength, and shows concern for protecting the bamboo grove. He privately jokes that Xiao Yuning might become his foster mother because of her apparent closeness to Li Xuanyuan.
  • Ye Qingcheng displays lethal precision, confidence, and tactical inventiveness. Her concern about nearly damaging the bamboo shows her control and consideration even during combat.
  • Xiao Yuning shifts from suspicion to cooperation, then is astonished by Ye Qingcheng’s power. Despite her own confidence, she is compassionate enough to risk herself to protect Ye Qingcheng.
  • The attackers are exposed as persistent, predatory, and overconfident; Ye Qingcheng’s first strike forces the survivors to abandon their crude bravado and fight seriously.

Significant themes

  • Strength versus appearances: Ye Qingcheng’s calm is not recklessness but confidence grounded in overwhelming skill.
  • Protection and restraint: Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng seek to resolve the danger without harming the bamboo grove.
  • Predation and justice: The attackers’ threats and objectification of Ye Qingcheng are answered by her swift retaliation.
  • Trust and perception: Xiao Yuning gradually recognizes that Chen Mu and Ye Qingcheng are far more formidable than their youthful appearance suggests.

Character interactions

  • Chen Mu politely reassures Xiao Yuning and follows her lead, while privately speculating about her relationship with Li Xuanyuan.
  • Ye Qingcheng addresses Chen Mu as “Young Master” and waits for his permission before acting, underscoring their established hierarchy and trust.
  • Xiao Yuning initially prepares to support Ye Qingcheng with her sword, then steps in again when Ye Qingcheng appears to let the attackers close in.
Show
Page 9 of 25