Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Qin Shujian travels upstream through the river of time, seeking insight into its mysteries while watching the past unfold.
• He reflects that the past has a fixed imprint, but the future is made of countless possibilities and cannot be known with certainty. Because he already carries the knowledge of a Dao Fruit expert, the river’s revelations offer him little new insight.
• He reaches a turbulent whirlpool in the river and enters it. Using the Celestial Court’s Emperor’s Seal, he suppresses the raging waters and observes a pivotal scene from an earlier era.
• The scene shows Xia Yi, a human cultivator, fighting the myriad races amid chaos. Xia Yi kills an Ancient True Immortal of the Demon Race and, in the broader conflict, sacrifices his chance of survival to sever the Great Thousand World’s laws. Even after death, his remaining power continues to guard humanity.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian remains composed and powerful, treating the river’s dangers casually. His encounter with Xia Yi reveals a rare depth of respect and emotion: he regards Xia Yi as one of humanity’s greatest heroes.
• Xia Yi is portrayed as selfless and resolute, having fought for humanity to the end despite being only a mid-tier true immortal. In the vision, he senses Qin Shujian’s presence, meets his gaze, and smiles in acceptance.
• The two share a silent, across-time recognition. Qin Shujian addresses him as “Senior Xia Yi” and says, “We meet again.”

Significant themes

• The uncertainty of the future: It contains many branching possibilities, so even powerful beings cannot know it with complete certainty.
• Sacrifice and heroism: Xia Yi’s devotion to humanity—not merely his strength—defines his legacy.
• The weight of perspective and duty: Qin Shujian contrasts Xia Yi’s direct loyalty to humanity with the broader responsibilities of an emperor, suggesting that greatness and heroism are not always the same.
• Recognition across time: Their meeting underscores how a person’s deeds can endure beyond death and across eras.

Key events

• Qin Shujian watches Xia Yi face a devastating blood-red Thunder Tribulation in a vision within the River of Time. Driven by an urgent impulse, he gathers countless fragments of the past into one fixed image and reaches into it.
• The River of Time violently resists his intervention. The Godslayer Saber and Emperor’s Seal help hold back its waves, but both are soon withdrawn to avoid being destroyed.
• Qin endures the River’s assault himself. It repeatedly strips away hundreds of thousands of years of his lifespan at a time, yet his vast reserves and powerful body allow him to continue.
• After an extended struggle, Qin pulls a pale blue-green sphere from the image. The River of Time reacts with overwhelming fury, badly injuring him, turning half his hair white, and draining an immense amount of life.
• Qin escapes through a spatial rift just before another wave strikes. The River continues raging after he disappears.

Character developments

• Qin Shujian reveals how far he is willing to go to intervene in Xia Yi’s fate. He remains focused despite the danger, relying on his strength and enormous lifespan, but the final assault proves that even he can be seriously harmed.
• The Godslayer Saber is shaken by its inability to resist the River of Time and retreats to Qin’s Sea of Consciousness when told to. Its confidence in its own power is humbled.
• Xia Yi appears only in the vision, facing the Thunder Tribulation; Qin’s reaction makes clear that Xia Yi matters deeply to him.

Themes

• Defying fate and time: Qin’s attempt to reach into the past provokes the River of Time’s fierce resistance.
• The cost of intervention: Qin’s power lets him withstand extraordinary losses, but tampering with the past still carries severe consequences.
• Power and humility: The Godslayer Saber discovers that even a mighty Ancestral Weapon is small beside the forces governing time.

Character interactions

• Qin watches Xia Yi but cannot communicate with him, leaving his concern unspoken.
• The Godslayer Saber warns Qin that it cannot hold out, and Qin calmly tells it to withdraw rather than risk itself.
• Qin protects the Emperor’s Seal by putting it away, then faces the River’s attack alone.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Shujian returns to the Celestial Court after traveling through the River of Time. The journey cost him billions of years of lifespan, leaving his hair partly white.
• He draws life force from his inner world to recover, but cannot restore himself completely. He concludes that true immortality depends on his inner world advancing into a Great Thousand World.
• Qin uses a mass of pale blue-green energy to restore the ancient human powerhouse Xia Yi, whom he retrieved from the past.
• Xia Yi asks how long he has been dead. Qin tells him roughly twenty or thirty years have passed since Xia Yi killed an Ancient True Immortal of the Demon Race.
• Qin confirms that the Human Race is now flourishing and offers Xia Yi a place in the Celestial Court, with freedom to leave or stay as he chooses.

Character developments

• Qin Shujian shows the cost of his extraordinary power: despite his vast lifespan, he is not truly immortal and has suffered a serious loss. He accepts his remaining white hair and reflects on the limits of his inner world.
• Xia Yi is astonished by how quickly Qin has risen to power. His concern for the Human Race gives way to relief and gratitude when he learns of its prosperity.

Significant themes

• The price and limits of power: Qin’s feat of retrieving someone from the River of Time carries a severe personal cost.
• Time, mortality, and advancement: Even immense lifespans have limits; transcending them depends on the growth of Qin’s inner world.
• Duty and legacy: Qin honors Xia Yi’s past sacrifices, while Xia Yi’s deepest concern is the fate of the Human Race.
• Respect and hierarchy: Xia Yi observes proper etiquette by addressing Qin as Heavenly Emperor.

Character interactions

• Xia Yi respectfully greets Qin as Heavenly Emperor, while Qin allows him to use either that title or his name.
• Qin explains the present era and its short passage of time, leaving Xia Yi stunned at his rapid rise.
• Xia Yi hopes Qin’s success means the Human Race has recovered; Qin confirms this and reassures him that he is free to recuperate in the Celestial Court without restrictions.

Plot points and events

• Qin Shujian invites Xia Yi to remain in the Celestial Court after pulling him from the River of Time, effectively giving him a second life. Xia Yi instead hopes to visit the human race, but agrees to stay temporarily until his destroyed body recovers.
• Qin places Xia Yi in the Heavenly Palace Outer Hall, where the exceptionally rich spiritual energy should speed his recovery. Xia Yi meets Muyang, the Spirit Emperor, and begins secluded cultivation on the enormous osmanthus tree.
• Qin also withdraws briefly to heal injuries and lifespan damage caused by the River of Time, keeping his strength ready for possible danger. He tells no one about Xia Yi’s return.
• Two days later, the Heavenly Cycle Star Chart completes its transformation into a nine-tribulation ancestral weapon. Its spirit, Stars, takes humanoid form and reports that it can likely trap the Godslayer Saber in a one-on-one fight; with Qin’s help, Stars believes no one below the dao-fruit level could defeat them.

Character development and interactions

• Xia Yi shows independence by choosing to travel among humanity rather than immediately join Qin’s court, while accepting the practical need to recover first. He is impressed by the Celestial Court’s energy and surprised that even its Outer Hall is guarded by a third-level true immortal.
• Qin Shujian treats Xia Yi respectfully, offering counsel without coercion. He also takes a cautious approach to his own injuries and keeps Xia Yi’s resurrection secret.
• Muyang behaves deferentially toward Xia Yi, aware that Qin regards him as a senior.
• Stars emerges as a powerful but respectful weapon spirit, acknowledging Qin as its creator and benefactor. The Godslayer Saber, by contrast, panics at the Star Chart’s awakening and begs to be released from Qin’s sea of consciousness.

Significant themes

• Second chances and recovery: Xia Yi’s return offers renewed life, but he must rebuild his body before resuming his journey.
• Power and responsibility: Qin welcomes Xia Yi’s choices while preparing to protect the Celestial Court from uncertainty.
• Loyalty and hierarchy: Muyang and Stars show deference to those they recognize as senior or creator.
• Escalating strength: The Star Chart’s transformation shifts the balance of power and hints at the growing threat posed by weapons capable of challenging even high-level immortals.

Key plot points and events

• After recovering from his injuries, Qin Shujian returns to the River of Time and travels upstream toward the moment he arrived in this world.
• He passes the point where he rescued Xia Yi and reaches a vast, chaotic vortex marking the arrival of the players—and his own beginning in this world.
• The vortex contains destructive power and traces of reality, normally fatal to beings of the universe. Qin Shujian withstands it by using the Heavenly Cycle Star Chart to suppress the danger.
• He observes that the influence of real worlds is gradually changing the universe, which may eventually make its inhabitants less vulnerable to reality’s aura.
• Qin reaches Liangshan, the place where his life in this world began. There he sees an inert, lifeless version of his former bandit self, confirming he has reached the day of his arrival.

Character development

• Qin displays confidence and determination, pushing into a dangerous region that would make even powerful cultivators retreat.
• His experience with reality lets him recognize and interpret forces that others cannot perceive.
• Seeing Liangshan and his former self prompts a moment of reflection on how far he has risen—from bandit to Heavenly Emperor.

Significant themes

• Origins and transformation: Qin’s immense present status is traced back to his humble beginnings at Liangshan.
• Time and identity: The River of Time records the effects of Qin’s arrival, but cannot preserve his imprint because he is a reincarnated Dao Fruit.
• Reality’s danger and influence: Reality’s power threatens the universe, while the worlds’ gradual invasion is also subtly transforming it.
• Courage and power: Qin confronts forces beyond ordinary cultivation with composure and the aid of a supreme treasure.

Character interactions

• There are no direct conversations or confrontations. Qin’s key encounter is with the motionless image of his former self, which serves as a reminder of his origins and confirms the point he has reached in time.

Plot points and events

• Qin Shujian travels upstream through the River of Time and watches Emperor Zhao’s decisive battle against the Eastern Continent’s Demon Emperor.
• Although Emperor Zhao is only at the Ninth Heavenly Being stage, his powerful human-way rule gives him the advantage over the Tenth Heavenly Being Demon Emperor. Demon Sages join the fight, as do human experts.
• The battle costs more than a million human lives, but secures the Human Race’s foothold in the Eastern Continent and lays the groundwork for its later rise.
• Qin Shujian does not interfere: he believes altering the past could destabilize the future, and his purpose is to understand time, not change history.
• Continuing farther upstream, he witnesses the Human Race under Demon rule, surviving through tribute and the sacrifices of some people, while others secretly resist.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian’s respect for Emperor Zhao is reinforced; he regards him as a leader who turned the Human Race’s decline into resurgence. He also admires Xia Yi and, to a lesser extent, Xiao Chengfeng.
• He remains detached from the battle’s immense death toll, viewing it in the broader context of even more destructive conflicts in later eras.
• Emperor Zhao and the Demon Emperor embody the larger struggle between humans and demons; their clash draws both races’ strongest available fighters into the conflict.
• Qin Shujian sees both accommodation and resistance among oppressed humans. He does not admire those who sacrifice others, but recognizes the desperate conditions behind such choices and values those who keep resisting.

Significant themes

• Historical turning points: One battle can determine a race’s future and end an era of decline.
• Resilience and resistance: Even risky, likely-failing resistance can preserve a people’s hope and prevent its erasure.
• The rise and fall of civilizations: No race remains powerful forever; survival itself can be a blessing during decline.
• The danger of changing history: The past and future are interconnected, so Qin Shujian avoids intervention while pursuing insight into time.

Key plot points

• Qin Shujian travels upstream through the River of Time, witnessing the Human Race’s long decline and deepening his understanding of time.
• Nearly 100,000 years in the past, he sees humans oppressed by the Demon Race. Though the scenes stir old grudges, he restrains himself because, as Heavenly Emperor, he must preserve unity among the myriad races against the Demon Abyss.
• At the battle 200,000 years ago that split the Four Great Continents, the outnumbered Human Race fights the myriad races under Xia Yi. Human warriors sacrifice themselves, and Xia Yi ultimately detonates the rules, destroying the enemy True Immortals and dividing the continent.
• Qin concludes that Xia Yi’s sacrifice delayed the Human Race’s destruction by 200,000 years, but the battle exhausted its strength. The surviving humans then struggled against the Demon Race instead of rebuilding.
• As Qin travels farther back—eventually reaching 900,000 years ago—he sees the Human Race still possessing many powerful fighters, but gradually being worn down by relentless conflict and losses. Near a million years in the past, the River of Time grows ethereal rather than ending.

Character development

• Qin’s command of time grows substantially, but his journey becomes more than a pursuit of understanding: he increasingly wants to learn what happened to the Human Race.
• He balances his identity as a human with his role as Heavenly Emperor, acknowledging historical hatred while prioritizing the unity of the races.
• Xia Yi emerges as a powerful, self-sacrificing leader who spends everything to save his people, even though the Human Race’s postwar weakness was an unforeseen consequence.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and survival: Xia Yi’s final act preserves the Human Race at an immense cost.
• Historical hatred versus political unity: Old blood feuds persist, but the Celestial Court must restrain them to face the greater threat of the Demon Abyss.
• Attrition and decline: The Human Race falls not through a single defeat, but through centuries of warfare in which losses outpace the rise of new powerhouses.
• The weight of history: Observing the past gives Qin a deeper understanding of how the present was shaped.

Character interactions

• Qin watches, rather than intervenes in, the historical battles, assessing the Human Race’s struggles and the choices made by its leaders.
• Xia Yi and the human True Immortals fight together against the myriad races; the humans’ sacrifices culminate in Xia Yi facing the enemy alone.
• Across later conflicts, human and Demon Race True Immortals repeatedly kill one another, while other attackers exploit the survivors’ injuries—illustrating the relentless pressure placed on the Human Race.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Shujian realizes that the damaged stretch of the River of Time is an illusion caused by the Great Thousand World’s destruction of its own timeline a million years earlier.
• He enters the dangerous temporal rift, protected by the Heavenly Cycle Star Chart, and reaches a vision of the Great Thousand World’s final battle against the Demon Abyss.
• There he meets Qin Cang, the Ancient Heavenly Emperor, who recognizes him as a powerful traveler from the future. Qin Shujian confirms that the Great Thousand World survived the calamity, though at great cost, and will eventually attack the Demon Abyss.
• Qin Cang reveals that the Demon God Stele sustains the Evil Fiends’ immortality. Destroying it may end them permanently, but requires an Eight-Calamity Ancestral Weapon or something even stronger—an artifact that has never existed.
• As the Small World collapses and Demon Gods continue attacking, Qin Cang lets his saber defeat them while he passes on what he knows. Qin Shujian listens without interrupting.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian travels to the past to understand the power of time, not to change the battle. He shows restraint and respect, recognizing that Qin Cang’s words are an act of inheritance.
• Qin Cang moves from surprise at meeting a future cultivator to relief that the Great Thousand World endures. Knowing he has no future himself, he uses his remaining time to guide Qin Shujian.
• Their exchange links past and future: Qin Cang entrusts the struggle against the Demon Abyss to the person who will inherit it.

Significant themes

• Inheritance and sacrifice: Knowledge and hope are passed forward when one generation cannot finish the fight.
• Time and destiny: The future can be glimpsed, but history’s course is shaped by immense cost and changing possibilities.
• Endurance against annihilation: The Great Thousand World survives, yet its eventual victory requires discovering how to defeat the seemingly immortal Evil Fiends.

Key plot points and events

• In the River of Time, Qin Shujian witnesses the ancient Heavenly Emperor Qin Cang make a final stand against the invading Demon Abyss. Qin Cang reveals that he once sensed formidable, mysterious powers beyond the universe, then admits the Celestial Court’s failure to stop the invasion is his responsibility.
• Facing an overwhelming mass of Demon Gods, Qin Cang names himself and charges into battle. His devastating saber strike ensures the Great Thousand World and the Demon Abyss destroy one another.
• Qin Shujian withdraws from the scene, both to avoid the strike and because he cannot rescue someone as powerful as Qin Cang from the River of Time. He reflects that only reaching the Dao Fruit level might make such a feat possible.
• Traveling farther back, Qin Shujian sees humanity at its ancient height and contemplates how civilizations rise and fall—and whether true immortality might be possible.
• In the present, the destruction of the void fiends leaves the Otherworldly Void under Celestial Court control. The races enjoy a peaceful period of recovery, while cultivators weigh the risks of different paths to immortality.
• Xia Yi sees humanity thriving more than two hundred thousand years after his death. The prosperity he once dreamed of has finally become reality, bringing him joy and relief.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Cang accepts responsibility for the world’s defeat and chooses self-sacrifice rather than retreat. His farewell shows both humility and a desire to be remembered.
• Qin Shujian admires Qin Cang but respects the limits of his own power. His journey deepens his awareness that even the strongest may fall, while leaving open the possibility that greater strength could overcome mortality.
• Xia Yi finds peace in seeing the flourishing human race he had hoped for. The sight releases some of the grief and disappointment he carried from his own era.
• The chapter’s central interaction is between Qin Shujian and Qin Cang: Qin Cang shares his warning about threats beyond the universe, while Qin Shujian chooses not to burden him with the universe’s deeper truth. Xia Yi’s encounter with the prosperous present offers a later, quieter contrast to Qin Cang’s tragic sacrifice.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and responsibility: Qin Cang takes the burden of his era’s failure upon himself and fights to give the world a final chance.
• The rise and fall of civilizations: Humanity’s fortunes change across ages, and even great achievements may eventually fade.
• Mortality and the pursuit of permanence: Qin Shujian questions whether anything can truly endure and considers whether sufficient power could make immortality possible.
• Hope fulfilled across generations: Xia Yi never witnessed humanity’s golden age, but later generations achieve the future he imagined.

Plot points and events

• After Qin Shujian rescues him from the River of Time, Xia Yi spends several months in the Celestial Court restoring his body. He is alive again, though his cultivation has fallen to the first level of true immortal.
• He travels on foot through the Eastern Continent, marveling at how much stronger and more prosperous the human race has become since his own era.
• Xia Yi reaches Liangshan City and recognizes it as at least a Six-Seal Dao Artifact, an extraordinary achievement for an entire city.
• He asks Zhang Ergou about the city. Zhang explains that the Heavenly Emperor built it and that it is a sacred place of the human race.
• Zhang’s Heaven and Earth Bow warns him that Xia Yi is likely a true immortal. Zhang realizes he cannot gauge the stranger’s strength and treats him cautiously.
• Xia Yi introduces himself by name. Zhang recognizes the name as belonging to a revered ancestral true immortal, but assumes the man before him is merely a namesake because the historical Xia Yi is believed dead.

Character developments

• Xia Yi is adapting to life after resurrection. Though weakened, he remains optimistic about regaining—and possibly surpassing—his former strength. His travels also reveal his curiosity and reverence for the human race’s progress.
• Zhang Ergou has grown into a formidable, alert cultivator after years in the Death Sea. He trusts his bow’s warning, carefully reassesses Xia Yi, and remains composed despite his suspicion.

Character interactions

• Zhang initially answers Xia Yi’s question about Liangshan City, then becomes wary after his bow warns him of Xia Yi’s immense power.
• Xia Yi is impressed to learn Zhang belongs to the Origin Sect, founded by the Heavenly Emperor, and understands why Zhang’s foundations are so exceptional.
• When Xia Yi gives his name, Zhang explains the historical Xia Yi’s importance and apologizes for his startled reaction—but still does not believe the resurrected man is that same person.

Significant themes

• Change across generations: Xia Yi’s journey highlights the human race’s extraordinary growth since his time.
• Legacy and remembrance: Xia Yi’s name lives on as part of human history, even though people believe he is dead.
• Resurrection and renewal: Xia Yi’s return offers him a chance to rebuild his strength and witness a transformed world.
• Power and perception: Zhang’s inability to assess Xia Yi, despite his own abilities and the bow’s warning, underscores the vast gap between them.

Key plot points and events

• Xia Yi asks Zhang Ergou about the Human Race Monument and learns it has been moved to Liangshan City. He thanks Ergou and heads there.
• Zhang Ergou enters the nearby Qianyuan Sacred Ground, which has opened its entrance to absorb the world’s newly abundant stellar energy. He returns to the Origin Sect.
• At the sect’s mountain gate, Ergou finds Jiang Feng seated before the stone stele. Jiang Feng now speaks and explains that members of the Jiangshi Race develop sentience after reaching a certain level. Ergou is startled, then continues up the mountain.
• In Liangshan City, Xia Yi finds the monument and sees his name at the top, commemorating his ancient victories against the Demon Race. He overhears people praising his contribution to humanity’s rise, alongside the Heavenly Emperor.
• Xia Yi reflects that humanity still remembers him after two hundred thousand years, but decides his past record no longer matters now that he has begun a new life. He explores the thriving city for several days, then sets out for the human heartland.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Yi is surprised by the monument’s recognition but remains detached from his former glory, choosing to move forward rather than dwell on it.
• Zhang Ergou is more confident and self-important after his time away, boasting internally about his strength and the Origin Return Ancestral Canon. The Heaven and Earth Bow (“Old Qian”) teases him for acting as if a few years away made him important; their familiar bickering suggests a close, companionable bond.
• Jiang Feng shows a major change: he has gained speech and sentience, though he remains quiet and reserved. Ergou is unsure how to address him and feels relieved when Jiang Feng falls silent.

Significant themes

• Legacy and remembrance: Xia Yi’s ancient sacrifice remains honored, even after two hundred thousand years.
• Change and continuity: The world and its people have changed, yet familiar places and relationships persist.
• Humility and pride: Xia Yi refuses to rest on past achievements, while Ergou’s inflated confidence is gently punctured by Old Qian’s teasing.
• The rise of civilization: Liangshan City’s prosperity and abundance of powerful cultivators demonstrate humanity’s growing strength.

Plot points and events

• Xia Yi journeys across the Eastern Continent and reflects on how much has changed over the 200,000 years since he last knew it. The familiar Human Race remains, but the landscape and world around it have transformed.
• Qin Shujian returns from the River of Time, where he has spent nearly a year. The Godslayer Saber learns that Qin Shujian encountered Qin Cang there and asks why he cannot bring Qin Cang and other ancient powerhouses back.
• Qin Shujian explains that retrieving the dead becomes harder the further back in time they lived and the stronger they were. Even dao-fruit powerhouses cannot revive people freely without defying the universe’s rules and provoking its wrath.
• He hints that the Godslayer Saber may have a future chance to meet Qin Cang and the others, but gives no details.
• Qin Shujian then draws on the power of time from the imperial throne, sending a powerful, mysterious fluctuation through the Heavenly Palace. The Celestial Court’s powerhouses are startled, while Chu Kuangtu recognizes the temporal energy and considers using it to hasten his own breakthrough.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Yi is calm rather than overwhelmed by the changed world; the passage of immense time has softened his old memories.
• Qin Shujian demonstrates both the reach and limits of his power, showing restraint in dealing with death and the laws of the universe. His unexplained hint to the Godslayer Saber suggests he may have plans or knowledge he is withholding.
• The Godslayer Saber reveals his lingering attachment to Qin Cang and their old companions, but accepts Qin Shujian’s explanation.
• Chu Kuangtu, more perceptive than the other Celestial Court members, identifies Qin Shujian’s power as the power of time and sees a possible benefit for his own cultivation.
• Muyang and the Celestial Court’s other powerhouses are shocked by the fluctuation, underscoring how far beyond their understanding Qin Shujian’s actions are.

Significant themes

• Time and change: Vast periods reshape the world and erode personal memories.
• The limits of power: Even supreme cultivators cannot freely overturn life, death, and universal law.
• Loss and reunion: The Godslayer Saber’s wish to see old friends again contrasts with the constraints on bringing the dead back.
• Unequal understanding: Qin Shujian and Chu Kuangtu perceive forces that leave most of the Celestial Court bewildered.

Key plot points

• Qin Shujian creates a Time Formation in the Heavenly Palace’s Inner Hall, making time pass far more slowly inside than outside.
• The formation’s effect strengthens as its area shrinks. With the Heavenly Cycle Star Chart stabilizing it, Qin compresses it to the Imperial Seat and achieves a ratio of 10,000 years inside to one year outside.
• The Godslayer Saber is astonished by the feat but chooses to remain with Qin in the formation.
• Qin begins cultivating and waits for his Inner World to develop over the equivalent of 100,000 years.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian demonstrates formidable control over time and uses the Star Chart to overcome the formation’s instability. His focus is less on personal cultivation than on giving his Inner World time to mature.
• The Godslayer Saber reacts with alarm to the extreme time ratio, but his ancient age and lack of a lifespan limit make the extended stay seem inconsequential. He agrees to accompany Qin.
• Their exchange shows mutual trust: Qin offers the Saber a choice, and the Saber willingly stays by his side.

Significant themes

• Time as a strategic resource: The formation lets Qin accelerate his world’s development while little time passes externally.
• World-building and cultivation: Qin hopes the Inner World will produce powerful beings, strengthen its rules, and perhaps become a Great Thousand World.
• Imminent crisis and preparation: Qin believes the four True Worlds may soon attack and that the Demon Abyss will arrive within ten or twenty years. He sees the coming hundred thousand years as crucial preparation for reaching the Dao Fruit Level and facing these threats.

Key plot points and events

• Fu Moyan emerges from his Game Pod after half a month in reality—nearly two months in the game—and finds that his recent in-game breakthrough has greatly increased how quickly he can absorb spiritual energy in the real world.
• He has reached the Heavenly Being third layer in the game, placing him among the rarest and strongest players. His physique and the Violetcloud Divine Thunder Scripture let him contend with some stronger Heavenly Being opponents.
• Qin Yi tells Fu Moyan that secluded training could bring him to the Divine Martial Realm in three to five years. Fu Moyan decides that pursuing missions and killing children of fortune will advance him much faster.
• Qin Yi promises that, if Fu Moyan proves useful and serves him faithfully, he may help him reach True Immortal—and possibly even achieve that breakthrough in the Wilds Great World.
• Fu Moyan notes that Kyoto will soon host the first Heavenly Rankings assessment. He expects many powerful people, including children of fortune, to gather there.

Character developments

• Fu Moyan is impressed by the real-world benefits of his in-game progress, but quickly weighs them against the greater rewards of continuing his missions. His ambition grows as he imagines reaching True Immortal and becoming exceptionally powerful.
• Qin Yi reinforces his role as Fu Moyan’s benefactor and motivator, promising extraordinary rewards while making them conditional on Fu Moyan’s usefulness and loyalty.

Character interactions

• Qin Yi advises Fu Moyan on his cultivation prospects and urges him to keep completing missions.
• Fu Moyan accepts the logic of that advice and tells Qin Yi he plans to pursue more children of fortune, particularly those likely to attend the Kyoto rankings event.

Significant themes

• Power gained through service and opportunity: Fu Moyan’s rapid advancement comes less from solitary cultivation than from missions and Qin Yi’s support.
• Ambition and temptation: The prospect of becoming a True Immortal fuels Fu Moyan’s determination, even as he recognizes he is getting carried away.
• Competition and fortune: The Heavenly Rankings draw powerful contenders, while children of fortune are presented as especially formidable—and as Fu Moyan’s targets.

Key plot points and events

• Fu Moyan flies through the city to hunt a marked “Child of Fortune,” a target identified on his virtual map.
• He attacks the young man without warning, using Divine Sense to disrupt his attempt to draw a sword, then kills him with a single punch.
• Witnesses call for the police and speculate that the killer is the “Genius Hunter,” ranked third on the official Wanted List for murdering celebrated geniuses.
• Heavenly Eye surveillance detects the crime, and five Sky-Soaring Realm officers pursue Fu Moyan.
• Rather than escape as he usually does, Fu Moyan leads them beyond the city into barren mountains. The officers expect reinforcements and boast that capturing him will bring promotions and raises.
• Fu Moyan suddenly turns and attacks one pursuer, beginning a confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Fu Moyan is practiced and matter-of-fact about assassination, no longer taking pride in bystanders’ awe. Frustrated by repeated pursuit, he chooses to fight rather than evade.
• Qin Yi, speaking from Fu Moyan’s Sea of Consciousness, teases him about the trouble he has drawn.
• The officers are confident that their numbers and incoming reinforcements will let them capture Fu Moyan, underestimating the danger he poses.
• The crowd reacts with shock and fear, then connects the murder to the notorious Genius Hunter.

Significant themes

• The divide between game and reality: Cultivation ranks that seem weak in the game represent extraordinary power in the real world.
• Power versus law and surveillance: Strict laws and Heavenly Eye monitoring aim to restrain cultivators, but a powerful fugitive can still evade detection.
• Reputation and consequences: Fu Moyan’s selective targeting of famous geniuses has made him an infamous enemy of powerful factions.
• Overconfidence and escalation: The officers’ confidence in their numbers contrasts with Fu Moyan’s decision to confront them directly.

Plot points and events

• Fu Moyan confronts five Sky-Soaring Realm cultivators who have pursued him. He overwhelms them, killing all five in a brief, devastating fight.
• Feng Xiu and Feng Quan arrive afterward. Judging from the crater and the bodies, they realize Fu Moyan is far stronger than expected—possibly comparable to a Divine Martial Realm expert.
• Though Feng Xiu wants to pursue him, Feng Quan decides they should retreat and intensify the manhunt rather than risk fighting him with only two Manifestation Realm cultivators.
• The two discuss the danger Fu Moyan could pose if he grows stronger, comparing him to Dongfang Shuo, the Wilds Great World’s top-ranked wanted criminal.
• Dongfang Shuo suddenly appears. Despite supposedly being badly wounded, he has already torn out Feng Xiu’s heart, then taunts the horrified Feng Quan.

Character developments

• Fu Moyan demonstrates that he is exceptionally powerful and ruthless in combat, far beyond what his pursuers had anticipated.
• Feng Xiu is alarmed by Fu Moyan’s strength but remains intent on eliminating him; he is then abruptly incapacitated by Dongfang Shuo.
• Feng Quan responds more cautiously, recognizing that confronting Fu Moyan may be beyond their abilities and choosing retreat.
• Dongfang Shuo is revealed as a terrifying, predatory figure whose apparent injuries have not stopped him from striking with lethal speed.

Character interactions

• Fu Moyan taunts his pursuers and attacks them, leaving them no chance to regroup.
• Feng Xiu and Feng Quan assess the aftermath together and debate whether to chase him; Feng Quan persuades them to withdraw.
• Their conversation about Dongfang Shuo’s brutality and strength is interrupted when he appears and attacks Feng Xiu, turning the hunters into prey.

Significant themes

• Power and threat: Strength can radically change someone’s standing, and even a powerful group may be helpless against an exceptional individual.
• Fear and prudence: Feng Quan’s decision to retreat contrasts with the impulse to pursue, emphasizing the cost of underestimating an opponent.
• Violence and escalating danger: The chapter moves from Fu Moyan’s massacre to Dongfang Shuo’s sudden attack, suggesting that the world’s most dangerous figures remain difficult to contain.

Key plot points and events

• Dongfang Shuo kills Feng Quan and Feng Xiu, then drains their blood and condenses it into a pill, which he consumes to strengthen himself. He regrets that two victims provide too little blood to support a major breakthrough.
• Wounded and aware that the deaths will draw attention, Dongfang Shuo leaves. He also notes that Fu Moyan seems unusually powerful for his realm and considers him tempting prey.
• Fu Moyan escapes by changing his appearance and blending into the crowd. Through their mental conversation, Qin Yi confirms that the stranger was likely Dongfang Shuo, the top-ranked fugitive on the Wanted List.
• Qin Yi estimates that Fu Moyan, at his current level, would have the disadvantage in a fight with Dongfang Shuo, though Dongfang Shuo’s injuries narrow the gap. Fu Moyan’s prospects would improve greatly after reaching the Divine Martial Realm.
• Qin Yi explains that Dongfang Shuo’s mass murder of fellow humans has left him burdened by resentful spirits, without the good fortune that might offset them. A future Heavenly Tribulation could be fatal.
• Fu Moyan worries that killing children of fortune might bring similar consequences. Qin Yi says his killings may make his tribulations stronger, but his strong foundation—and Qin Yi’s help—should let him survive.
• Fu Moyan continues searching for targets, repeatedly changing his appearance. Pursuers arrive too late and complain that he has escaped again.

Character developments and interactions

• Fu Moyan shows caution and adaptability: he avoids confronting a dangerous opponent and uses disguises to evade capture. He also reveals concern about the spiritual consequences of his own killings.
• Qin Yi acts as Fu Moyan’s tactician and mentor, assessing the threat, explaining the rules governing tribulations and karmic burden, and reassuring him.
• Dongfang Shuo is established as a ruthless, predatory killer who seeks strength through bloodshed, but his injuries and the spiritual burden of his crimes may endanger him.
• Fu Moyan and Qin Yi’s exchange reinforces their trust: Fu Moyan relies on Qin Yi’s judgment, while Qin Yi gives him both practical advice and confidence.

Significant themes

• Power and its costs: Demonic shortcuts can bring strength but carry serious drawbacks.
• Justice, fortune, and moral distinction: The story contrasts killing enemies of one’s race with slaughtering one’s own people, suggesting that motive and consequence affect one’s spiritual fate.
• Risk and growth: Stronger tribulations are dangerous, yet overcoming them can make a cultivator stronger.
• Survival through strategy: Fu Moyan avoids a direct fight, relying instead on awareness, disguise, and timing.

Key plot points and events

• Over millennia, the Inner World’s Myriad Races grow from peaceful beginnings into powerful civilizations. Jianmu, Emperor of the Spirit Race, and Feng, creator of the Human Race, become the first True Immortals. Feng’s creation of humanity also shows that a powerful being’s essence blood can give rise to an entire race.
• As the races flourish and compete for territory, tensions escalate into frequent battles, with even True Immortals nearing involvement. Qin Shujian, exploring the world through an incarnation, senses the Great Calamity’s slaughter aura gathering but chooses not to intervene, viewing conflict as part of the world’s natural course.
• A black tiger attacks Qin, but he immobilizes it with a single word. Rather than kill him, Qin frees him, takes him as a mount, and asks him to carry him onward.
• The tiger introduces himself as Black Tiger and asks Qin’s name and cultivation realm. Qin calls himself the Heavenly Emperor, promises Black Tiger benefits for serving him, and responds to the realm question by asking what Black Tiger thinks it is.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian observes the Inner World with detached curiosity, accepting its wars as natural rather than imposing his will. His playful, relaxed manner contrasts with his overwhelming power.
• Black Tiger begins as a predator confident enough to attack, but is quickly humbled by Qin’s strength. Once freed, he becomes a cautious but increasingly comfortable servant and mount, hoping to benefit from the encounter.
• Qin and Black Tiger’s exchange shifts from a failed attack to an informal, almost companionable conversation. Black Tiger’s curiosity about Qin’s realm sets up the chapter’s closing question.

Significant themes

• Conflict as part of natural order: Qin sees war and calamity as forces that cannot simply be erased by intervention.
• Creation and the growth of civilizations: The rise of new races transforms the Inner World and opens the path to immortality.
• Power and perspective: Qin’s casual treatment of a Divine Martial cultivator’s attack highlights the vast gap between them, while Black Tiger’s question emphasizes the mystery surrounding Qin’s true strength.

Key plot points and events

• The black tiger asks Qin Shujian what realm he has reached. Qin hints that he is beyond the Great Power realm and confirms he is a Human Race True Immortal—though Qin himself privately wonders whether his half-step Dao Fruit state places him beyond True Immortals.
• The tiger is thrilled at the possibility of forming a connection with a powerful Human expert. He asks about Qin’s relationship with the Human Emperor, but Qin says they have met only a few times.
• For half a month, the tiger carries Qin across the newly formed world on foot. Qin prevents him from flying, but the tiger benefits from their conversations and from spiritual energy gathering around Qin, which gradually strengthens his cultivation.
• When they sense a battle between two races, Qin chooses to avoid it. Their detour brings them face to face with twenty-three Moon Wolves, who surround the tiger.
• Qin casually waves his Heavenly Emperor Fan, unleashing astral wind that kills every wolf instantly.

Character developments

• The black tiger shifts from cautious fear to excitement and hope when he realizes Qin is a True Immortal. He also grows more relaxed during their journey, recognizing that Qin’s presence both protects and benefits him.
• Qin Shujian remains composed and understated, offering an ambiguous account of his strength and downplaying his connection to the Human Emperor. He prefers to avoid unnecessary conflict but responds decisively when threatened.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: In an era of conflict among the Myriad Races, the tiger sees strength as essential to survival and views Qin’s favor as a potential lifeline.
• The gap between realms: The tiger’s awe highlights how overwhelming a True Immortal’s power is compared with that of ordinary cultivators.
• Protection through association: The tiger’s confidence changes once he realizes he is no longer alone, while Qin’s presence even passively helps him grow stronger.

Character interactions

• The tiger carefully questions Qin about his realm and background, balancing curiosity with fear of offending him.
• Qin’s restrained answers leave the tiger skeptical about his claimed distance from the Human Emperor, though the tiger keeps that doubt to himself.
• During the Moon Wolf encounter, the tiger calmly defers to Qin. Qin ends the threat with a single casual attack.

Key plot points

• Qin Shujian kills the Moon Wolf pack with a single wave of the Heavenly Emperor Fan. The Moon Wolf Emperor witnesses the display but, realizing how outmatched he is, lets Qin leave.
• Qin continues his journey with Black Tiger carrying him. After several hundred years, they reach the inner world’s boundary, where chaotic energy surrounds and seals it.
• Qin explains that the world’s limits restrict how powerful its inhabitants can become. He gives Black Tiger the Violetcloud Divine Thunder Scripture as a reward for carrying him.
• Qin disappears, and Black Tiger’s study of the scripture triggers a thunder tribulation. He survives it and breaks through to the heavenly human realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian remains calm and restrained: he avoids harming the Moon Wolf Emperor, who does not attack him, but shows no hesitation in killing those who provoke him. He rewards Black Tiger for his service.
• Black Tiger is awed by Qin’s strength and grateful for the cultivation gift. His rapid growth culminates in a major breakthrough, though he regrets losing the chance to remain with Qin.
• The Moon Wolf Emperor is humbled by the encounter. He recognizes that even a true immortal may be insignificant beside hidden powers in the world.

Significant themes

• Power and humility: Great strength does not guarantee supremacy; the Moon Wolf Emperor learns that the world contains forces beyond his expectations.
• Worldly limits and transcendence: A world’s level determines the power its inhabitants can attain, and surpassing those limits is exceptionally difficult.
• Rewards and consequences: Qin responds to provocation with overwhelming force but repays loyalty and service with an opportunity for growth.