Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Hou Qing asks Demon Emperor Daochen to let him visit his former home rather than join the immediate effort to clear Resentment Ghosts. Daochen agrees but warns him not to provoke other races, since the Zombie Race could pay the price.
• Once Daochen leaves, Hou Qing drops his harmless, childlike act. He boasts that he has fooled the Demon Emperor and that the Primordial World is destined to face a calamity.
• The truth is that Daochen has been suspicious all along. He and Heavenly Dao Hongjun and the Lord of Fate watched a recording of Hou Qing, and Daochen explains that Hou Qing’s flattery and feigned ignorance seemed deliberate. In the Nether Soil, the others’ repeated glances at Hou Qing also aroused his suspicions.
• Hou Qing travels to the Eastern Seashore and lays out fifteen patterned stones, then performs a strange ritual. The three observers cannot identify what he is doing, but all sense danger.
• A furious Heavenly Dao Eye appears and strikes Hou Qing with destructive lightning. A strange halo forms around him; although he remains visible, the observers can no longer sense his aura.

Character developments and interactions

• Hou Qing shifts from seemingly simple and grateful to cold, calculating, and openly gleeful. His claimed homesickness may be a cover for a larger scheme.
• Daochen shows himself to be shrewd and guarded, having recognized Hou Qing’s act while pretending to indulge it. He remains uncertain about Hou Qing’s purpose and true power.
• Hongjun and the Lord of Fate help monitor Hou Qing and share Daochen’s unease, though they admit Hou Qing might have deceived them.
• Daochen’s warning to Hou Qing highlights the risk that one person’s actions could bring disaster upon an entire race.

Significant themes

• Deception and discernment: Hou Qing performs innocence, while Daochen studies his behavior for signs of a hidden agenda.
• Uncertainty and hidden power: Hou Qing’s modest strength contrasts sharply with the threat he appears to pose.
• Collective consequences: Daochen fears that Hou Qing’s recklessness could endanger the whole Zombie Race.
• The unknown as a source of dread: The unexplained stones, ritual, and sudden loss of Hou Qing’s aura leave even powerful observers apprehensive.

Plot points and events

• Daochen, Hongjun, and the Lord of Fate rush to the Eastern Sea after the Heavenly Dao Eye’s appearance signals an approaching crisis. They find Hou Qing protected by a ring of light that defeats their attempts to break it.
• Hou Qing reveals that reaching the Primordial World was only part of his plan. He claims the resentful ghosts and Chaos Demon Gods helped him, and says he has opened a passage home. He threatens to return and destroy the Primordial World, then vanishes through an invisible portal.
• Daochen finally shatters the ring with a simple punch. The barrier disappears, leaving only ordinary stones; its vanished patterns and unfamiliar power appear to have enabled Hou Qing’s escape.
• The three debate Hou Qing’s claim that Pangu created the Primordial World to imprison his race. The Lord of Fate rejects this, recalling that Pangu’s creation came from loneliness, but reveals that the Chaos Demon Gods once tried to summon the hypothesized “void”—the reverse side of chaos—to defeat Pangu.
• Daochen then notices transparent, lightweight sheets on his arm that the others cannot see. He says they absorb resentful energy, suggesting the void may be present after all.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen shifts from bafflement to fury and regret: he was deceived by Hou Qing’s barrier and failed to try brute force sooner. He vows to kill Hou Qing if they meet again.
• Hou Qing is revealed as a taunting, calculating adversary who enjoys provoking Daochen and leaves behind a major threat without giving the heroes certainty about what is true.
• Hongjun questions what he knows about Pangu and the world’s origins, but cannot resolve the contradiction.
• The Lord of Fate acts as the group’s historical authority, offering a counter to Hou Qing’s story and explaining the ancient theory of the void.
• The three initially cooperate to confront Hou Qing, then exchange theories and observations as they try to understand his escape and the looming danger.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty and deception: Hou Qing’s claims may be lies, yet even the heroes cannot dismiss them.
• Limits of power and perception: Their complex techniques fail against the barrier, while simple strength breaks it; the possible void may exist without being detectable.
• Hidden history and impending catastrophe: Pangu’s past and the void’s connection to the present hint that the world’s foundations—and its safety—may be more complicated than anyone believed.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Emperor Daochen insists that tiny, invisible creatures live on his arm. They feed on resentful qi, but neither the Lord of Fate nor Heavenly Dao Hongjun can detect them—even with divine sense. Daochen suspects their senses may differ, and recalls that the creatures were wary of Hou Qing.
• He reveals pure-energy crystal cores left after feeding the creatures Resentful Qi Crystal Cores. The Lord of Fate and Hongjun are astonished by their quality and see them as a possible route to the Heavenly Dao Realm.
• Daochen offers the cores in exchange for resentment aggregates: initially one core per hundred aggregates. The others push for a more favorable split, and the Lord of Fate threatens to end the deal by force. Daochen ultimately settles at thirty aggregates per core.
• The three agree to mobilize their respective forces against the resentment aggregates. Daochen insists the Human Race must not be oppressed; the Lord of Fate promises to compensate other groups for what they provide.
• They separate to organize their realms. Daochen heads toward the Netherworld Office, the major power not yet involved.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen shows both caution and resolve: he raises the strange creatures as a serious threat, then uses the cores’ value to negotiate from strength. Though he resists pressure, he compromises when conflict could jeopardize cooperation.
• The Lord of Fate moves quickly from disbelief to opportunism, prioritizing the crystal cores over investigating the creatures. He bargains aggressively and takes charge of coordinating forces across several realms.
• Hongjun is initially puzzled but recognizes the cores’ importance. He supports the Lord of Fate’s pressure tactics and takes responsibility for the Human Race and the Ten Thousand Races Alliance.
• Their relationship is pragmatic and competitive: suspicion gives way to a profitable alliance, but each side remains alert to its own advantage.

Significant themes

• Limits of perception: Even powerful beings may be unable to sense unfamiliar life-forms.
• Power and bargaining: Cooperation is shaped by unequal leverage, threats, and compromise.
• Ambition and hidden knowledge: The promise of advancement makes the characters overlook the mystery of the creatures.
• Political mobilization: A shared threat brings rival powers together, while concerns over fairness and control remain unresolved.

Key plot points

• Hongjun and the Lord of Fate dismiss the Netherworld Office as too weak to make a meaningful contribution against the Resentment Ghosts.
• Demon Emperor Daochen visits Lady Pingxin (Houtu) and asks her to provide troops. He argues that Netherworld ghost deities can defeat the Resentment Ghosts if given Sage-level power, preventing the enemies’ Saint Realm suppression.
• Pingxin agrees to send two billion ghost soldiers at Golden Immortal rank or higher. Daochen’s reasoning is that weaker ghost deities could be harmed by the crystal cores’ concentrated resentful energy.
• Daochen returns to the Demon Race’s forces, praises their work, and sends them to rest in the Demon Realm, promising rewards.
• Led by King Chujiang, the ghost soldiers attack successfully: infused with Daochen’s power, they enter the Resentment Ghosts, remove their crystal cores, and destroy them.
• Daochen is pleased by the supply of energy crystals, which may provide enough energy for him to advance to the ninth heaven of the Saint Realm. He has delayed attempting the breakthrough because he fears running out of energy midway.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen displays confidence and strategic insight, persuading Pingxin to help by offering a different assessment of the Resentment Ghosts’ weakness. He also rewards the Demon Race’s loyalty and sees the campaign as a way to fuel his own advancement.
• Pingxin is cautious but willing to reconsider her assumptions after Daochen explains the ghosts’ advantage. She personally receives him and commits substantial forces.
• King Chujiang, once an Ancestral Shaman and Daochen’s former equal, now feels the gulf between their positions. He follows Daochen’s orders formally, revealing their changed relationship.
• The Demon Race’s fighters are eager for Daochen’s approval; his praise and promised rewards strengthen their loyalty.

Significant themes

• Strategy over brute strength: Understanding how the enemies work allows the Netherworld’s seemingly weak forces to counter them.
• Power, status, and changed relationships: Daochen’s rise has altered how former peers relate to him.
• Loyalty and reward: The Demon Race’s service is motivated by gratitude and deepened by Daochen’s recognition.
• Ambition and restraint: Daochen wants to reach a higher realm but carefully delays the attempt until he has enough energy.

Plot points and events

• Daochen proves that the Demon Emperor’s method can let his Ghost Soldiers harm Saint Realm Resentment Aggregates: the Emperor’s power breaks their defenses, then the Ghost Soldiers attach to and eliminate them.
• Excited by the prospect of clearing the creatures and keeping the rewards, Daochen leads two billion Ghost Soldiers into battle. He knows he cannot sustain them indefinitely, but resolves to keep going as long as he can.
• In the Primordial World, the assembled forces of the Ten Thousand Races Alliance and several realms wait outside Human territory. Fuxi refuses to let them depart before the agreed ten-year period ends, hoping Xuanyuan will become the Human Race’s first true Sage.
• Xuanyuan, already at the peak of the quasi-saint stage, has repeatedly failed to cross the final barrier. The failures have shaken his confidence, despite his long commitment to a breakthrough through the Human Path.
• Hongjun demands an end to the wait. Fuxi insists that the promised time has not expired and threatens resistance if Hongjun uses force. The Human Race rallies behind Fuxi, while the gathered experts look to Hongjun for direction.
• Hongjun privately knows Xuanyuan is close to succeeding and opposes the breakthrough for that very reason. He fears the consequences of another powerful figure like Luo Hou, who built the Demon Realm and founded the Devil Race.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen shifts from excitement at the tactic’s success to determined self-sacrifice, accepting the physical cost of supporting his army.
• Fuxi remains steadfast in protecting Xuanyuan’s opportunity, willing to defy Hongjun and risk war.
• Xuanyuan is portrayed as exceptionally gifted and persistent, but repeated near-successes have left him discouraged.
• Hongjun presents himself as impatient with the delay, but his hostility is driven by fear of Xuanyuan’s potential. His confrontation with Fuxi escalates from pressure to an implied threat of force; Fuxi answers with open defiance, backed by the Human Race.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and resolve: Daochen accepts exhaustion, while Fuxi and the Human Race risk conflict to protect Xuanyuan.
• Power and opportunity: The Ghost Soldiers’ success depends on the Demon Emperor’s strength, while Xuanyuan’s breakthrough depends on time and freedom from pressure.
• Control versus potential: Hongjun’s authority clashes with the Human Race’s right to pursue its own future, as he tries to prevent a talent he sees as dangerous.
• Persistence amid failure: Xuanyuan’s near-misses show how ambition can endure even as repeated setbacks erode confidence.

Key plot points and events

• Heavenly Dao Hongjun wants to prevent Xuanyuan from becoming another threat like Luo Hou, but the Lord of Fate persuades him not to attack. The Human Race is needed for the current crisis, and a war with them would be costly.
• Hongjun agrees to give Xuanyuan one year to break through to the Saint Realm, warning that failure will bring a renewed confrontation.
• The Lord of Fate requires nearly everyone—including the Human Race and other powerful figures—to join an expedition into Chaos to hunt resentment aggregates. Only Fuxi remains behind to protect Xuanyuan.
• Fuxi accepts the risky arrangement, urging the Human Race to remain united and insisting he will keep Xuanyuan safe.
• The expedition begins. The Lord of Fate demands that all pure Resentment Crystals be turned over so the monsters can supposedly be sealed and eliminated. Teams of three quickly hunt the aggregates.
• Hongjun notices there are far fewer resentment aggregates than before. Suspecting Daochen has devised a scheme, he leaves the main force to investigate.
• He finds the area cleared of aggregates and discovers Demon Emperor Daochen resting beside densely assembled Ghost Soldiers.

Character developments and interactions

• Hongjun remains hostile and wary of Xuanyuan, but yields to the Lord of Fate’s argument to avoid open conflict. His suspicion of Daochen grows when the hunt produces fewer targets than expected.
• The Lord of Fate acts as mediator, balancing political pressure with practical needs. He secures the Human Race’s participation while preserving Hongjun’s dignity and pursuing the Resentment Crystals.
• Fuxi accepts separation from the Human Race’s main force despite the danger to Xuanyuan. His speech emphasizes unity and trust, though he knows the arrangement leaves Xuanyuan vulnerable.
• Daochen is absent from the negotiations and expedition, but Hongjun’s suspicions suggest he may have secretly gathered or dealt with the resentment aggregates.
• The chapter ends on a reveal: Hongjun finds Daochen with a force of Ghost Soldiers after the local supply of resentment aggregates has apparently disappeared.

Significant themes

• Power and political restraint: Both sides avoid war because they need one another, not because their mistrust has disappeared.
• Human unity and rising strength: Fuxi presents solidarity as the Human Race’s best defense, while Xuanyuan’s potential represents its hoped-for ascent.
• Trust versus suspicion: The parties agree to cooperate while remaining alert to betrayal and hidden agendas.
• Ambition and transformation: The powerful figures see the crisis as a chance to pursue breakthroughs and reshape the existing balance of power.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Emperor Daochen reveals that he has single-handedly cleared out the Resentment Aggregates, astonishing Heavenly Dao Hongjun and making him fear Daochen will grow even stronger by absorbing their energy.
• Hongjun reports what he saw to the Lord of Fate. Though skeptical, the Lord of Fate accepts the danger and urges their forces to clear the remaining creatures faster. Both sides now treat the monsters as valuable resources.
• Fuxi notices that Xuanyuan’s anxiety about breaking through is destabilizing his Dao heart. He asks the Human Race to send Xuanyuan their faith and encouragement.
• Millions of people pray for Xuanyuan. Their support calms him, and he breaks through to the Saint Realm.
• Xuanyuan withstands the Ninety-Nine True Thunders without evading them. After the tribulation ends, he regenerates with a body now exceptionally resilient.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen remains dismissive of Hongjun and confident in his ability to defeat the monsters, while his rapid success heightens his rivals’ fear.
• Hongjun and the Lord of Fate shift from treating the Resentment Aggregates as nuisances to urgently competing to clear them.
• Fuxi acts as a supportive leader, recognizing Xuanyuan’s emotional strain and rallying the people rather than relying on the Human Path’s power.
• Xuanyuan moves from restless self-pressure to calm resolve. The people’s prayers help him realize he does not bear his burden alone, but his breakthrough deepens his sense of duty rather than bringing simple triumph.
• The people’s collective faith and Xuanyuan’s response form the chapter’s central bond: their support steadies him, and he commits himself to their future.

Significant themes

• Shared responsibility and solidarity: Collective encouragement helps Xuanyuan overcome a trial he faces personally.
• Leadership as service: The Human Sovereign’s role is defined by representing and protecting the people, not by authority.
• Trial and renewal: Tribulation lightning destroys and restores, turning suffering into transformation.
• Changing fortunes and rivalry: The factions’ attitudes toward the monsters reverse once they become a source of power.

Key plot points

• After breaking through, Xuanyuan prepares to enter Chaos, honoring the Human Race’s promise. Fuxi reminds him that he now carries the hopes of the whole race and must balance courage with caution.
• Beyond the Primordial World, powerful figures—including Hongjun and the Lord of Fate—fight Resentment Ghosts for crystal cores. They can’t purify the cores themselves, so they trade them to Demon Emperor Daochen for pure Energy Crystals. Daochen’s exchange rates keep them motivated while helping him clear the monsters faster.
• Daochen gathers a huge supply of cores and lets the small creatures attached to his arm consume their resentment. As they grow, their appetite wanes and they begin eyeing him as prey.
• He tests their aggression by appearing vulnerable. The creatures attack and swallow what seems to be Daochen, but he has secretly hidden himself in space. He concludes that they become deadly predators as they mature.
• Daochen suspects the creatures came from the void, perhaps through Hou Qing, but admits he does not understand the void well enough to oppose them. He leaves them to keep growing while he investigates.

Character developments and interactions

• Xuanyuan accepts the weight of representing the Human Race, promising to face danger without courting it recklessly. Fuxi acts as mentor and protector, stressing Xuanyuan’s value to the race.
• Hongjun and the other powerful figures are both driven by the promise of advancement and frustrated by their dependence on Daochen. Their bargaining with him turns them into workers in his monster-clearing effort.
• Daochen shows strategic patience: he rewards stronger allies because they make the work more efficient, then deliberately studies the creatures rather than confronting them without understanding their nature.
• The little creatures shift from apparently harmless scavengers into an apparent threat to all living beings, including Daochen.

Significant themes

• Duty and risk: Xuanyuan must serve the Human Race while protecting its investment in him.
• Power and exploitation: The fighters knowingly accept an unfavorable exchange because they have no alternative and want the crystals’ benefits.
• Hidden danger and adaptation: The creatures’ growth changes their behavior, revealing that apparent weakness can conceal extreme lethality.
• Limits of knowledge: Daochen recognizes that defeating the threat may require understanding the mysterious void, and chooses observation over premature action.

Key plot points

• Daochen observes the strange creatures feeding on resentment from a heap of Crystal Cores. They appear to detect targets by sight rather than energy.
• After gorging themselves, the larger creatures swell with egg-like bulges, then break apart into hundreds of millions of small eggs. Daochen seals the area with a formation, stores the Crystal Cores, and enters seclusion to absorb their energy, hoping to reach the ninth heaven—or perhaps the Heavenly Dao Realm.
• While Daochen is away, three Chaos Demon God corpses—Ashen Rat, Heavenly Dao Kun, and Coolwater Fish—attack Heavenly Dao Hongjun and the Lord of Fate. They intend to destroy the Primordial World, exploiting the Demon Emperor’s absence.
• The attackers prove to be near the peak of the ninth heaven of the Saint Realm. Hongjun and the Lord of Fate join forces against them and reluctantly hire Devil Ancestor Luo Hou, who demands 300 Crystal Cores for his help.
• Ashen Rat announces that he will slip away and destroy the Primordial World. Since the others are occupied fighting, Hongjun and the Lord of Fate look to the gathered cultivators for help. Ashen Rat dismisses them as too weak, but Human Sovereign Fuxi challenges his assumption.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen responds pragmatically to the creatures’ mysterious reproduction: unable to deal with them, he contains them and focuses on cultivating with the cores.
• Hongjun and the Lord of Fate are forced into cooperation despite their confidence and ambitions. The attack threatens Hongjun’s path to the Heavenly Dao Realm and the Lord of Fate’s plan to gain a physical body.
• Luo Hou shows his opportunistic nature, demanding payment before joining the defense, but his strength makes him necessary.
• Fuxi steps forward with a defiant challenge as the crisis escalates.

Significant themes

• Opportunity and vulnerability: The attackers strike at the precise moment Daochen is absent and the others are distracted.
• Ambition under threat: Hongjun’s and the Lord of Fate’s long-term goals depend on the Primordial World surviving.
• Pragmatism and self-interest: Daochen contains what he cannot control, while Luo Hou turns an emergency into leverage.
• The underestimated: Ashen Rat assumes the gathered cultivators are powerless, setting up Fuxi’s challenge.

Key plot points

• Heavenly Dao Kun and Ashen Rat attack the Primordial World while the Demon Emperor is away. Ashen Rat, resentful of Kun but unwilling to challenge him, targets Human Sovereign Fuxi and the people around him.
• Fuxi counters Ashen Rat’s corrosive Darkness Dust with the Eighty-One Formations. Though only in the Early Saint Realm, he fights on because the Human Path and the Human Race’s Fortune Golden Dragon empower him.
• Ashen Rat forms a giant from the dust and batters Fuxi’s defenses. Fuxi taunts him to keep his attention fixed on the fight.
• Devil Ancestor Luo Hou uses the distraction to circle behind Ashen Rat and tear through his heart. He then reveals that his demonic power is corrupting Ashen Rat, potentially turning him into a puppet.
• The chapter ends as the crowd witnesses another horrifying development, which is not yet revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Fuxi displays exceptional formation skill, courage, and resolve. His strength comes not only from his own cultivation but from the Human Race’s collective blessing.
• Ashen Rat is boastful and cruel, bullying Fuxi after yielding to the more powerful Heavenly Dao Kun. His confidence falters when Fuxi resists and Luo Hou ambushes him.
• Luo Hou demonstrates patience and cunning, exploiting Fuxi’s taunts and Ashen Rat’s distraction to strike decisively.
• Heavenly Dao Kun remains contemptuous of his allies and impatiently orders Ashen Rat to finish the fight, warning that the Demon Emperor may return.
• Fuxi and Luo Hou effectively work in tandem: Fuxi holds Ashen Rat’s attention while Luo Hou attacks from behind.

Significant themes

• Collective strength: The Human Path’s blessing lets Fuxi draw power from the whole Human Race.
• Arrogance and misjudgment: Ashen Rat underestimates both Fuxi and the forces supporting him.
• Strategy over brute force: Fuxi’s formations and Luo Hou’s deception challenge an opponent stronger in cultivation.
• Cunning and peril: Luo Hou’s victory begins with a brutal ambush and a corrupting attack, highlighting the danger of his methods.

Key plot points and events

• The Ashen Rat escapes the Devil Ancestor’s demonic attack by tearing off his own head, leaving his body behind. Though still threatening, he begins considering retreat after realizing the Primordial World’s defenders are stronger than expected.
• Heavenly Dao Kun and the Ashen Rat argue bitterly, exposing how little trust remains between them. The rat threatens to join the Primordial World’s side if Kun keeps disrespecting him.
• Human Sovereign Fuxi prepares a powerful formation using Xiantian Spiritual Treasures supplied by the Human Sages. He tells the Devil Ancestor to keep the rat occupied while the Human Race takes responsibility for defending the world.
• The Ashen Rat recalls that his side chose an open assault because Kun believed the Primordial World’s strongest defender—the Demon Emperor—was absent. The attack has instead left the rat badly injured and their chance to invade largely lost.
• Summoned by Hongjun, Demon Emperor Daochen arrives during the standoff. He seizes the rat’s detached head and crushes it before the rat can escape or surrender. The assembled defenders celebrate Daochen’s apparent increase in power.
• Daochen explains that his strength has not actually advanced; he simply attacked with his full force. He then challenges the attackers for trying to destroy the Primordial World despite being beings attempting resurrection.

Character developments and interactions

• Ashen Rat shifts from swaggering confidence to caution and desperation. He lashes out at Heavenly Dao Kun, considers retreat, and finally begs Daochen for mercy, but is killed.
• Heavenly Dao Kun is revealed as the strategist behind the failed decision to attack openly. His confidence that no one in the Primordial World could challenge them has proved badly misplaced.
• Fuxi takes a firm leadership role, expressing the Human Race’s resolve to protect the Primordial World and preparing a coordinated counterattack.
• Daochen arrives furious at being disturbed during secluded cultivation. He acts decisively, killing the rat, then questions the attackers’ motives rather than accepting their invasion as unavoidable.
• The Beyond Lands Sages remain concealed among the defenders, following their long-standing strategy of hiding their strength and supporting one another.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and tactical restraint: The Beyond Lands’ concealed experts show the value of not revealing one’s power too early.
• Overconfidence and miscalculation: The invaders’ belief that the Demon Emperor’s absence made the Primordial World defenseless leads them into a disastrous open assault.
• Collective defense and solidarity: Fuxi’s words and the concealed Sages’ support emphasize that the Primordial World is protected by many allies, not a single champion.
• Rivalry among supposed allies: The Ashen Rat and Heavenly Dao Kun’s hostility undermines their coalition at a crucial moment.

Plot points and events

• The Demon Emperor returns in time to help defend the Primordial World. He recognizes that Fuxi’s formation skills held off a peak enemy and reconsiders Devil Ancestor Luo Hou, whose scheming nature is balanced by a fierce determination to protect his territory and the world it depends on.
• Heavenly Dao Kun and Coolwater Fish try to flee after their plan to seize the Primordial World fails. They had acted while the Demon Emperor was away, hoping to exploit his absence before he could advance further. Their scheme was also encouraged by a mysterious would-be ally who claimed to come from the Void.
• Heavenly Dao Hongjun binds the pair with the Primordial World’s laws and calls on the Demon Emperor and the Lord of Fate to finish them. The three cooperate to protect the world, despite their own ambitions and rivalry.
• As the Demon Emperor attacks and the Lord of Fate blocks the enemies, Kun and Coolwater Fish unleash a massive self-detonation. The blast injures the defenders and hurls the distant Sages into the Primordial World.
• The two attackers survive by escaping as red streaks: their souls are housed in crystal cores that remain intact. The Demon Emperor realizes they used the explosion as a diversion and warns that they can only be killed by destroying their cores.

Character developments and interactions

• The Demon Emperor shows greater appreciation for Fuxi’s power and sees a more protective, principled side to Luo Hou. He also reacts quickly to the enemies’ explosion and identifies their escape method.
• Hongjun, the Lord of Fate, and the Demon Emperor set aside personal concerns to fight together. Their cooperation is driven both by loyalty to the Primordial World and by the need for a stable realm in which to pursue their own cultivation.
• Kun and Coolwater Fish prove to be ruthless and resourceful, choosing apparent self-destruction rather than capture and using it to escape.

Significant themes

• Protection and self-interest: The defenders safeguard the Primordial World partly from duty and partly because their own futures depend on its survival.
• Unity amid rivalry: Powerful figures with competing ambitions can cooperate when facing a shared threat.
• Survival through cunning: Even seemingly defeated enemies can escape through preparation, sacrifice, and knowledge of their own nature.
• Power and advancement: The characters’ cultivation goals shape their political choices, while the difficulty of reaching higher realms makes the Demon Emperor’s potential breakthrough especially consequential.

Plot points and events

• After the battle, Demon Emperor Daochen dismisses the escaped enemies as crippled and no longer a serious threat. He rewards the Human Race with energy crystal cores, giving extra shares to the three Human Sovereigns, and urges Xuanyuan to grow stronger without taking reckless risks.
• Daochen notes that the Human Race’s growing power strengthens the Human Path, while the race’s unwavering faith in him continues to provide Power of Faith.
• Heavenly Dao Hongjun and the Lord of Fate bargain with Daochen for a better exchange rate on crystal cores. After reaching a favorable deal, they distribute rewards to the other contributors.
• Although the immediate danger has passed, many Resentment Aggregates remain in Chaos. Hongjun and the Lord of Fate set out together to hunt them down—ostensibly to protect the Primordial World, but also to gain further benefits.
• Back in the Demon Realm, Daochen resumes consuming crystal cores in hopes of accumulating enough power to break through.
• Fuxi gives Xuanyuan one thousand crystal cores to support his cultivation. He explains that the Human Race’s older Saint Realm experts have damaged foundations they cannot yet afford to repair, making Xuanyuan’s steady growth especially important.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen shows continued commitment to the Human Race, balancing praise and material support with a warning that Xuanyuan must cultivate carefully. He also deals generously with Hongjun and the Lord of Fate.
• Hongjun and the Lord of Fate prove shrewd negotiators and resource distributors. Their cooperation continues after the others leave, driven by both genuine concern for safety and practical self-interest.
• Fuxi and Xuanyuan share a heartfelt, mentor-and-disciple bond despite never formalizing it. Fuxi entrusts Xuanyuan with the race’s future; Xuanyuan responds with a vow to lead the Human Race to greatness.
• Xuanyuan emerges as the Human Race’s key rising powerhouse, committed not only to protecting his people but ultimately establishing their strength beyond the Primordial World.

Significant themes

• Collective advancement and responsibility: The Human Race’s strength depends on cooperation, while powerful individuals such as Xuanyuan must remember that their choices affect everyone.
• Faith and mutual growth: The Human Race’s faith sustains Daochen, and its growing strength in turn advances the Human Path.
• Mentorship and legacy: Fuxi’s guidance and Xuanyuan’s promise frame the future as something entrusted from one generation to the next.
• Pragmatism beneath noble motives: Characters pursue security and advancement, but also bargain, seek rewards, and profit from opportunities.

Key plot points and events

• Peace settles over the Primordial World after the Humans acquire many Crystal Cores, greatly strengthening Human Sovereign Xuanyuan and the Human Race. The Ten Thousand Clans Alliance quietly considers its future: some clans align with the Devils, others seek the Immortal Realm or the lands beyond the heavens, while few choose Buddhism.
• The Lord of Fate has been cultivating in seclusion in the Buddha Realm and has decided to make it his home and base. He considers the Demon and Immortal Realms too risky or unstable, while the Buddhist sages are obedient and cooperative—though Buddhism remains weak.
• The Devil Ancestor weighs whether to join a future alliance against the Demon Emperor. He wants its benefits but fears the danger, preferring to recover and strengthen his foundations at his own pace.
• The Lord of Fate plans to take physical form, using the origins of the Six Realms to create an exceptionally powerful body that could help him reach the Heavenly Dao Realm. He already has the origins of the Primordial, Immortal, Demon, and Buddha realms; he now seeks the Ghost Realm’s origin.
• With the Demon Emperor in seclusion and Hongjun occupied, the Lord of Fate judges himself the strongest being and enters the Netherworld Office with his Beast Emperor Body to obtain the missing origin.

Character developments and interactions

• Lord of Fate: Pragmatic and strategic, he chooses Buddhism as his base, intends to strengthen the Buddhist Sect, and begins a dangerous plan to acquire the Ghost Realm’s origin.
• Devil Ancestor Luo Hou: Reveals his cautious, self-interested nature. He wants recognition and power but avoids risks, leaving his allegiance uncertain.
• The Two Western Sages: Cooperate closely with the Lord of Fate and report their actions to him, even without expecting replies. Their sect’s slow growth remains a source of dissatisfaction.
• Demon Emperor, Hongjun, and Haotian: Their strength and influence shape the Lord of Fate’s calculations. The Demon Emperor is a looming rival; Hongjun is a potential counterweight; Haotian’s Immortal Court makes the Immortal Realm less predictable.

Significant themes

• Power and risk: Characters weigh the promise of greater strength against the dangers of pursuing it.
• Strategic alliances and mistrust: No faction is an uncomplicated choice; leaders must account for hidden loyalties and shifting influence.
• Order through balance: The Lord of Fate sees the Six Realms’ yin-yang balance as the basis for creating his ideal body.
• Ambition and calculation: The chapter centers on long-term planning, resource gathering, and positioning for an eventual struggle over supremacy.

Key plot points and events

• Lord Fate visits Lady Pingxin (Houtu) to request some of the Netherworld Office’s Origin, which he needs to complete his imminent Transformation.
• Houtu refuses and attacks him, explaining that even a small loss could invite others to exploit the Ghost Realm. Backed by the Earthly Dao, she drives him away.
• The Ten Halls of Yama arrive. Houtu clarifies that the Ghost Realm is the Witch Clan’s last refuge, and that her refusal is meant to establish a firm boundary, not merely protect a small amount of Origin.
• Lord Fate remains determined. Deciding that a direct request will not work, he plans to use Ancestor Minghe to approach Houtu.
• Minghe suggests offering Crystal Cores as compensation: two for himself and eleven as gifts for Houtu’s eleven brothers. Lord Fate realizes that Minghe understands the importance of appealing to the Witch Clan’s relationships and needs.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu/Pingxin demonstrates resolve, strategic foresight, and deep protectiveness toward the Ghost Realm and the Witch Clan. Her confrontation with Lord Fate makes clear that she will defend her boundary at any cost.
• Lord Fate is confident and dismissive at first, underestimating the consequences of taking the Ghost Realm’s Origin. After failing, he shifts from open negotiation to indirect persuasion.
• Ancestor Minghe reveals respect for Houtu and a willingness to help her, despite being recruited by Lord Fate. His proposal reflects his understanding of both Houtu’s character and her brothers’ importance.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches initially misunderstand Houtu’s refusal but come to admire her reasoning and support her stance.

Significant themes

• Boundaries and sovereignty: A seemingly small concession could establish a precedent for repeated exploitation.
• Sacrifice and protection: Houtu’s defense of the Ghost Realm is rooted in the sacrifices she made to secure it as the Witch Clan’s refuge.
• Respect versus entitlement: Lord Fate assumes he can claim Origin; Houtu insists that no one may take it without consequence.
• Strategy and relationships: Minghe recognizes that persuasion must account for loyalty, history, and the needs of those Houtu cares about.

Plot and key events

• The Lord of Fate tells Minghe he must obtain the Netherworld Office’s origin to complete his transformation. Minghe agrees to act as an intermediary.
• Minghe visits Houtu and warns that the Lord of Fate is too powerful to stop: resisting would likely destroy the Netherworld Office without changing the outcome.
• To make the negotiation worthwhile, Minghe brings eleven Crystal Cores of pure Saint Realm energy, which could strengthen the Ten Halls of Yama.
• Minghe challenges Houtu’s habit of protecting the Witch Clan’s eleven brothers at the cost of their independence. He urges her to seek a way for them to become Sages instead.
• Houtu agrees to bargain: she will surrender the origin if the Lord of Fate can help her brothers become Sages.
• Minghe cautions her to seal the Netherworld Office. Houtu discovers that Children of Fate have infiltrated it, apparently sent to steal the origin. She lets them leave without a fight, at Minghe’s request, preserving goodwill for negotiations.

Character developments and interactions

• Minghe acts as a pragmatic but loyal mediator. He explains the threat plainly, offers resources, and speaks candidly about Houtu’s overprotectiveness. He also reveals that he is repaying her past kindness, despite his reputation as a traitor.
• Houtu moves from outright refusal to reluctant negotiation. Minghe’s words make her reconsider whether her brothers want protection or the chance to stand on their own. Her view of Minghe changes substantially.
• The Lord of Fate remains offstage but drives the conflict; his power and determination shape both sides’ choices.
• Minghe and Houtu’s conversation shifts from suspicion to trust, though the stakes remain high.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism versus resistance: when defeat seems inevitable, negotiation may protect what matters.
• Care versus autonomy: Houtu’s protection may burden the people she loves and deny them agency.
• Reciprocity and loyalty: Minghe’s mediation repays Houtu’s past kindness.
• Power and compromise: the Netherworld Office’s origin becomes leverage in a bargain over the Witch Clan’s future.

Key plot points and events

• Ancestor Minghe explores the Buddha Realm and privately considers creating an Asura Realm of his own, though he recognizes his current power is insufficient.
• He tells the Lord of Fate that Houtu will provide him with Origin on one condition: he must help the Ancestral Shamans reach the Saint Realm.
• The Lord of Fate objects, arguing that the Shamans cannot become Saints because they lack souls. Minghe suggests their souls may be fused with their bodies, like Pangu’s.
• The two reason that the crucial missing element may be the Chaos Demon God aspect of Pangu’s nature. This gives them a possible path toward helping the Shamans, though it still needs investigation.
• The Lord of Fate goes to the Demon Realm to consult Demon Emperor Daochen. After an initially tense exchange over his breaching the realm’s barrier, Daochen agrees to hear him out.
• Daochen questions whether the proposed method is truly feasible, and the chapter ends with the Lord of Fate explaining the theory: Pangu fused soul and body to attain the Law of Strength, so perhaps the Shamans could do something similar.

Character developments

• Minghe reveals a personal ambition to establish an Asura Realm, while showing practical restraint by postponing the idea until he is stronger.
• The Lord of Fate shifts from anger and skepticism to excitement when a possible solution for the Shamans emerges. He also recognizes that Daochen’s involvement cannot be ignored.
• Daochen is stern about the Lord of Fate’s intrusion but takes the Shamans’ plight seriously and listens to the proposal.

Character interactions

• Minghe negotiates with the Lord of Fate, reminding him that Houtu is backed by Daochen and that the Netherworld Office cannot be treated as separate from the Demon Emperor’s interests.
• Minghe and the Lord of Fate jointly develop the idea that the Shamans’ bodies might be adapted through a connection to Chaos.
• The Lord of Fate brings the theory to Daochen, whose judgment and support are needed before any risky attempt is made.

Significant themes

• Ambition tempered by patience: Minghe dreams of creating his own realm but understands that timing and strength matter.
• Power, leverage, and diplomacy: The characters’ negotiations are shaped by Daochen’s influence and the Lord of Fate’s reluctance to use his hostage-like trump card.
• Identity and transformation: The chapter explores whether the Shamans can overcome their limitations by bridging the gap between their nature and Pangu’s Chaos Demon God body.
• Cooperation across factions: A potential solution depends on discussion and collaboration rather than unilateral action.

Key plot points and events

• Daochen and the Lord of Fate discuss why the Witch Clan cannot reach the Saint Realm. Daochen suspects their origin is incomplete: they were formed from Pangu’s flesh, and their souls may be fused with their bodies, leaving them unable to advance through ordinary means.
• Daochen considers using the origins of two Chaos Demon Gods he possesses to help complete the Witch Clan’s origins. This could give them the potential of Chaos Demon Gods, but overcoming the limits Pangu left in their bodies would still be up to them.
• Daochen offers the Lord of Fate a chance to help create a perfect body in exchange for revealing the source of his power. The Lord agrees, after weighing the risk that Daochen might learn to wield fate himself.
• The Lord explains that his power comes from the changing fates of all living beings in the Primordial World. Daochen realizes that the cultivation advances of others—including his own—generate power that strengthens the Lord.
• Daochen accuses him of exploiting others’ progress. The Lord counters that absorbing fate is no different from absorbing spiritual energy, then argues that cultivators themselves drain the Primordial World and act like parasites.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen shows compassion toward Houtu and the Witch Clan, while approaching their predicament analytically. He also reveals curiosity about the Lord of Fate and challenges him bluntly once he learns the truth.
• The Lord of Fate is initially guarded because revealing his power’s source could weaken his mystique and advantage. He ultimately chooses honesty, while defending his actions with a broader argument about cultivation and the world.
• Their exchange shifts from negotiation to philosophical debate: Daochen offers help in return for information, and the Lord turns the accusation of exploitation back on him.

Significant themes

• Inheritance and limitation: The Witch Clan’s Pangu lineage gives them exceptional potential but also leaves them bound by the incompleteness of their origin.
• Power and reciprocity: Fate’s power is generated by changes in living beings’ lives, raising questions about whether the Lord is exploiting those he depends on.
• The cost of cultivation: The Lord’s comparison between fate and spiritual energy challenges the assumption that cultivation is harmless, suggesting that individual advancement may weaken the world that sustains it.
• Agency and destiny: The Lord’s power depends on fate, but Daochen’s ability to alter destiny could threaten his unique control.

Key plot points and events

• The Lord of Fate explains that the so-called fate curse does not truly harm its victims: sufficiently pure fate power makes them slip into a place resembling a spatial rift, from which they can eventually return. Absorbing fate power can undo the effect and restore what disappeared.
• Daochen is irritated that the Lord of Fate misled everyone, but accepts his explanation. The Lord admits he has been unusually forthcoming because he needs the Witch Clan’s problem resolved so he can take physical form and pursue greater power.
• Daochen takes the Lord of Fate to the Ghost Realm and asks Lady Pingxin to let an Ancestral Shaman participate in a risky experiment intended to help the Witch Clan.
• Pingxin hesitates, fearing for the Shamans’ safety and feeling the burden of being the Netherworld Office’s only major Saint Realm protector. Daochen argues that her overprotection is putting pressure on the Witch Clan and that they deserve the chance to act.
• Daochen summons the Ten Halls of Yama and explains the experiment. The Shamans eagerly volunteer. He selects Dijiang and takes him away to conduct it, deliberately preventing Pingxin from stopping him.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen moves from questioning the Lord of Fate to taking decisive action for the Witch Clan. He recognizes Pingxin’s fear but overrides her hesitation, accepting that she may resent him.
• The Lord of Fate reveals his real motive: desperation to take form and avoid falling behind Daochen and Hongjun. His candor wins Daochen’s trust, despite the earlier deception.
• Pingxin is torn between protecting the Ancestral Shamans and giving them room to help their people. She remains silent as they volunteer, then warns Daochen she will hate him if Dijiang is harmed.
• Dijiang and the other Ancestral Shamans show resolve and eagerness to risk themselves for a chance at strength and a better future. Dijiang is chosen, while the others protest being passed over.

Significant themes

• Protection versus autonomy: Pingxin’s care may be stifling the Shamans, while letting them act carries real danger.
• Sacrifice and solidarity: The Shamans compete for a risky opportunity to help their clan.
• Ambition and urgency: The Lord of Fate’s desire to advance drives his cooperation, while the Witch Clan faces decline and exclusion from the wider world’s growing power.
• Trust and accountability: Daochen demands clarity, then takes responsibility for a decision that could damage his relationship with Pingxin.

Key events

• After Houtu accepts the Demon Emperor’s decision, Daochen takes Dijiang and Fate from the Netherworld Office to the Demon Realm.
• Daochen warns Dijiang that absorbing a Chaos Demon God’s origin could tear his body apart. He puts Dijiang through brutal conditioning to prepare him: his body is tempered with river-of-the-dead water, washed with Heavenly River Weak Water, reinforced with formations in his acupoints, and adapted to Chaos energy.
• Dijiang emerges stronger, but remains acutely aware of the vast gap between himself and Daochen. Daochen and Fate explain that physical preparation alone is not enough: Dijiang must overcome the limits Pangu imprinted on the Witch Clan.
• Determined to help his people, Dijiang agrees to attempt the fusion, even if failure means death. Daochen produces the origin of a long-dead Chaos Demon God and promises to seek more origins if Dijiang succeeds.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijiang moves from nervous reluctance to fierce resolve. His commitment is rooted in responsibility to the Witch Clan, and he insists that his siblings share his endurance and determination.
• Daochen is both a demanding trainer and a generous ally. He tests Dijiang harshly, encourages him, and offers the Witch Clan a chance to advance together.
• Fate mocks Dijiang’s exaggerated confidence and emphasizes Daochen’s overwhelming strength.
• The exchange reflects the Witch Clan’s deep unity: Dijiang refuses to pursue power for himself alone and trusts that the other Ancestral Shamans will stand together.

Significant themes

• Self-overcoming: The greatest obstacle is not merely bodily weakness, but the inherited limits imposed by Pangu.
• Sacrifice and resolve: Dijiang is willing to risk death for his people’s future.
• Solidarity: The Witch Clan’s strength lies in its loyalty and shared determination.
• Progress and opportunity: Daochen’s intervention gives a clan once destined to fade from history a chance to rise again.