Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Human Sovereign Fuxi seeks cultivators for a demanding new method that can accelerate cultivation but may harm long-term progress. He wants exceptionally devoted practitioners, not people merely filling the ranks.
• Few initially apply, so Fuxi offers recruits an audience with Demon Emperor Daochen and his personal guidance. The promise attracts a surge of the Demon Emperor’s devoted followers.
• Fuxi selects nearly a thousand candidates and gathers them at the Celestial Palace, built as their training ground.
• He warns them that the method demands relentless effort, may cost them their lives, and could turn cultivation and combat into their entire existence. He gives them one last chance to withdraw.
• None choose to leave. The candidates accept the risks, and Fuxi formally establishes the Special Organization Department as a force intended to fight for the Primordial World and the Demon Emperor.

Character developments

• Fuxi shifts from searching for a few suitable ascetics to organizing a dedicated elite corps. Though he presents himself as resolute, the recruits’ intensity unsettles him, and he privately questions whether his choice is right.
• The recruits are revealed as fanatically loyal to Daochen. Many feel personally indebted to him, and they willingly accept even death, loss of freedom, or life as “cultivation machines” for the chance to fight beside him.

Significant themes

• Faith and devotion: The Demon Emperor’s exalted status motivates people to make extreme sacrifices.
• Ambition and cost: Rapid advancement may come at the expense of long-term cultivation, health, freedom, or life.
• Power and control: The department depends on strict obedience and unceasing discipline, raising the question of what its members may lose in becoming effective weapons.
• Leadership and responsibility: Fuxi’s recruitment promise and his decision to proceed place him in a morally weighty position.

Character interactions

• Fuxi recruits and addresses the candidates, offering a final warning before they commit.
• The candidates voice their hopes of fighting beside Daochen and recount how he saved their families, explaining their willingness to sacrifice everything.
• Fuxi acknowledges their resolve, cautions that success depends on their own effort, and welcomes them as a sharpened weapon in the Demon Emperor’s hand.

Key plot points

• Chaos Heaven studies the Primordial World’s Illusion Formations and learns that their strength depends not just on the stones, but on Saint Realm Experts overseeing the formation eyes.
• The formations can delay Ultimate Powerhouses through continual repair, but they are not an invulnerable defense: they consume resources and work through attrition. Their ability to hold out for a hundred years depends on how much the Primordial World can spend.
• Disappointed that the formations are less formidable than he had imagined, Chaos Heaven loses interest in them.
• Human Sovereign Fuxi arrives after hearing that Chaos Heaven has been talking to himself. Chaos Heaven explains that his soul has not fully fused, but that he has not fallen under an illusion.
• Fuxi says he has had no time to cultivate the new method because the others are eager to try it and the outside attacks demand his attention.
• When Chaos Heaven offers to go outside and confront the attackers, Fuxi refuses, citing the Demon Emperor’s orders. He explains that the formations now make a direct breakthrough extremely difficult, though the Demon Emperor’s future strength may exceed their limits.

Character developments and interactions

• Chaos Heaven shifts from fascination to disillusionment when he realizes the formations rely on resources and repeated repairs. He remains curious about the Demon Emperor’s true power and believes his own experience could let him defeat him—without resorting to his superior Heavenly Dao Realm strength.
• Fuxi is shown as dutiful and overburdened, prioritizing defense and obeying the Demon Emperor’s instructions. He checks on Chaos Heaven out of concern, then firmly prevents him from risking himself outside the barrier.
• Their exchange highlights a gap in perspective: Chaos Heaven underestimates the Demon Emperor, while Fuxi stresses that the Demon Emperor’s breakthroughs routinely surpass expectations.

Significant themes

• Limits and costs of defense: The formations buy time by consuming resources rather than providing absolute protection.
• Expectation versus reality: Chaos Heaven’s idealized vision of an unbeatable formation gives way to a more practical understanding.
• Power and uncertainty: The Demon Emperor’s strength is difficult to measure because each breakthrough may change what is possible.
• Duty and restraint: Fuxi’s responsibility to protect the Primordial World—and Chaos Heaven—takes precedence over bold action.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Emperor Daochen has entered unusually serious seclusion, leading Fuxi to suspect he is pursuing a major breakthrough.
• Fuxi asks Chaos Heaven to help supervise the Primordial World’s defensive formations, since their maintenance has exhausted everyone. He explains that stronger formations are possible, but suitable materials are scarce.
• Daochen previously rejected using resources from the Upper Realm, preferring plentiful, renewable materials from the Primordial World rather than risk dependence on an outside supplier.
• Chaos Heaven suggests sending the Avengers to the front line if needed, but Fuxi says the priority is to wear down the enemies’ strength and patience. His main concern remains Daochen’s progress.
• Chaos Heaven admits he wants to use Fuxi’s formations to explore the Upper Realm and recognizes that relying on defenses alone is dangerous if they are ever broken.
• Fuxi proposes integrating formations into battle armor. The idea would require embedding Supreme Spirit Crystals and carefully connecting them with conductive powder, making the design far more precise and difficult than ordinary large-scale formations.

Character developments and interactions

• Fuxi remains cautious and strategic, prioritizing resource independence and attrition over committing allies too early. He also eagerly turns Chaos Heaven’s suggestion into a technical challenge.
• Chaos Heaven shifts from reluctantly assisting to openly pursuing ways to strengthen himself. He acknowledges his pride and accepts that personal power is more dependable than relying solely on formations.
• Daochen, though absent, is presented as overburdened and deeply invested in the Primordial World’s defenses and cultivators. His talent for precise inscription is noted as especially relevant to Fuxi’s armor idea.
• Fuxi and Chaos Heaven move from discussing defense logistics to collaborating on innovation. Chaos Heaven admires Fuxi’s concentration, while Fuxi becomes absorbed in exploring the new concept.

Significant themes

• Independence versus dependence: Primordial World materials are less powerful but reliable and renewable; Upper Realm supplies could create dangerous vulnerability.
• Preparation and endurance: Fuxi favors wearing down enemies rather than risking a premature confrontation.
• Strength beyond defenses: Formations can protect a position, but individual capability matters if those defenses fail.
• Precision and expertise: Translating a broad formation into wearable armor demands exceptional control, illustrating the difference between a promising concept and practical mastery.

Plot points and events

• Chaos Heaven and the Human Sovereign examine the formations built into the Battle Armor.
• In the Primordial World’s origin, Demon Emperor Daochen has exhausted the illusion trials he created to strengthen his will. Because he knows they are illusions, they can no longer challenge him.
• Seeking something genuinely unfamiliar, he leaves the Primordial World unnoticed and follows the growing concentration of phantom force into the Illusory Forest.
• The Forest initially delights him with strange sights, including a Ginseng Fruit Tree and an elderly earth god. Then familiar figures and images from his memories—such as Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Pokémon—appear, shaking his certainty about what is real.
• Daochen falls into a dreamlike state and hears voices from what seems to be another life: first a childhood companion, then a coworker and doctors treating him after he collapses from exhaustion.
• He wakes in a hospital, apparently in an ordinary human body. Unable to summon his former power, he begins to suspect that this mundane life may be real—or at least real to his subconscious. His boss arrives, explaining that he collapsed during repeated late-night overtime.

Character development and interactions

• Daochen moves from confident mastery of illusion to profound doubt. His strength and knowledge had protected him from the trials he designed, but the Forest’s use of deeply personal memories unsettles him. In the hospital, he struggles to reconcile his identity as Demon Emperor with his apparent human life.
• The elderly earth god interrupts Daochen before he can take a Ginseng Fruit, explaining its rarity and warning that it can flee if handled incorrectly. His appearance triggers the Forest’s deeper psychological assault.
• The childhood companion, medical staff, and boss appear as voices or figures in Daochen’s uncertain experience. The boss’s concern and account of Daochen’s collapse make the ordinary-life interpretation feel increasingly plausible.

Significant themes

• Reality versus illusion: The chapter destabilizes the boundary between Daochen’s supernatural existence and an ordinary human life.
• The limits of control: Daochen’s self-made illusions cannot challenge him, but he cannot control the unknown illusions of the Forest.
• Identity and memory: Familiar cultural images and personal memories pierce his confidence and make him question who he is.
• Exhaustion and vulnerability: The hospital scene recasts him as an overworked, physically fragile person, sharply contrasting with his immense power as Demon Emperor.

Plot points

• Daochen recognizes that the hospital and the people in it are creations of his subconscious, despite how real they seem. Rejecting his boss’s attempts to persuade him to stay at work, he takes a knife and attacks.
• When police arrest him, the realistic handcuffs make him doubt his senses—but he concludes that the scene follows his own instinctive expectations: his subconscious believes that killing would bring the police.
• Daochen realizes that the subconscious is the deepest, most instinctive form of will. It can become a prison because it naturally seeks safety and avoids harm, making it harder to overcome than conscious beliefs.
• He reasons that he returned to this memory because someone precious to him must be connected to it, though he can no longer remember who. Instead of waiting for that person to appear, he decides to destroy every figure from his past and force himself toward the future.
• He breaks free of the handcuffs and begins a mass killing, describing it as a farewell to his memories and past.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen shifts from confidently dismissing the illusion to recognizing that his own subconscious sustains it. He then makes a ruthless, extreme attempt to escape by severing himself from his memories.
• His boss tries to reassure him about his job and future at the company, but Daochen rejects the appeal as part of the false world.
• The people in the hospital are confused by Daochen’s explanation and plead with him to stop. He interprets their presence as evidence that they matter to his past, yet attacks them anyway.

Significant themes

• Will and instinct: The subconscious is portrayed as a powerful, deeply rooted will that can resist external influence.
• Illusion and reality: A world can feel completely real while still being generated by the mind.
• Escape and self-destruction: Daochen’s effort to free himself from the past becomes violent, raising the question of whether he can truly move forward by erasing it.
• Memory and attachment: Though Daochen cannot recall the person drawing him back, the chapter suggests that emotional bonds remain active beneath conscious memory.

Key plot points and events

• After overcoming an illusion tied to his deepest memories, Demon Emperor Daochen recognizes that Dream Butterflies created the world that trapped him. He captures ten of them with a Laws Cage and stores them in his Sea of Souls, planning to use them to temper his will.
• Daochen concludes that will can develop an “invincible momentum,” which might make him unbeatable in contests of will and help him break his own restraints. With a year remaining in seclusion, he decides to keep training.
• In the Primordial World, Chaos Heaven studies why the defensive formations repeatedly fail. He discovers that enemy energy follows recurring routes, though it can shift when the formations are altered.
• Chaos Heaven proposes guiding the energy into fixed channels, collecting it, and firing it back. Human Sovereign Fuxi recognizes the promise of the idea and begins investigating how to route the energy.
• They find that guiding the energy is feasible, but collecting and returning it requires a vessel capable of surviving power unleashed by Ultimate Powerhouses. Since no suitable weapon is available, they appeal to the whole Primordial World for solutions.

Character developments and interactions

• Demon Emperor Daochen emerges from the illusion with greater confidence in his will and a concrete plan to strengthen it. He treats the Dream Butterflies not as threats but as tools for continued discipline.
• Chaos Heaven shows patience and insight by repeatedly observing the formations instead of merely repairing them. He brings his findings to Fuxi.
• Human Sovereign Fuxi takes Chaos Heaven’s proposal seriously and acts decisively, turning the observation into a broader research effort. Their collaboration shifts the defense strategy from repeated repairs toward a possible counterattack.

Significant themes

• Will and self-mastery: Daochen’s deepest memories test his resolve, and he seeks not merely strong but truly invincible will.
• Observation and innovation: Chaos Heaven’s careful study reveals patterns in what first seemed random, suggesting that understanding a system can be more effective than simply strengthening it.
• Cooperation under pressure: Fuxi and Chaos Heaven enlist the wider world when the problem exceeds their available resources.

Key plot points and events

• With the Primordial World under constant assault, its formations are increasingly difficult to maintain. Spirit crystals can be replaced, but the specialized materials in the formations are wearing out and becoming scarce. Human Sovereign Fuxi is especially burdened, since he alone can fully inscribe damaged formations.
• The Black Hole Lord offers to absorb the attackers’ energy. Though uncertain whether his body can withstand energy from Ultimate Powerhouses, he begins directly devouring the energy striking the formations.
• He proves able to absorb it without reaching his limit. Fuxi reveals that the attackers’ large-scale volleys have a natural pause afterward, giving the defenders time to repair the formations.
• The group realizes the Black Hole Lord could absorb a volley and release that energy back at the enemy during the lull, potentially turning the attackers’ own power against them and greatly easing the strain on the defenses.
• Chaos Heaven suggests a more ambitious plan: have the Black Hole Lord absorb two volleys, accumulate their power, and fire it back in a concentrated blast. The idea is risky, but the Black Hole Lord believes he can manage another wave.

Character developments and interactions

• The Black Hole Lord emerges as a potential savior of the Primordial World. His confidence grows as he discovers he can withstand immense energy, and he views absorbing high-grade power as a way to strengthen himself.
• Fuxi is relieved and excited by the prospect of sharing the defensive burden. He enthusiastically embraces the Black Hole Lord after recognizing how valuable his ability could be.
• Chaos Heaven contributes a daring tactical idea, pushing the group to consider using accumulated energy offensively rather than merely redirecting it.
• The defenders move from desperation toward cautious hope, encouraging the Black Hole Lord while recognizing the danger of the experiment.

Significant themes

• Collective effort: The crisis may be solved by combining different characters’ abilities and expertise.
• Risk and sacrifice: The Black Hole Lord must test the limits of his body for the world’s survival.
• Turning an enemy’s strength against them: The defenders consider transforming incoming attacks into weapons.
• Strain beneath apparent security: The formations seem powerful, but their constant repair and dwindling materials reveal how precarious the Primordial World’s protection really is.

Plot and key events

• The Black Hole Lord completes a second energy-absorption experiment under Human Sovereign Fuxi’s guidance. The process is slower, revealing that his immense potential is currently limited by his cultivation level.
• Chaos Heaven recognizes that the stored energy could become a devastating weapon against the Ultimate Powerhouses, but worries that releasing it might also overwhelm the Primordial World’s defenses. Fuxi trusts the world’s defensive formation to withstand the aftershocks.
• Fuxi goes to find Demon Emperor Daochen, whose secluded cultivation could be disrupted by the coming attack. He returns with alarming news: Daochen has vanished, and even traces of Heavenly Dao Hongjun are sought to locate him.
• During Fuxi’s absence, Chaos Heaven urges the Black Hole Lord to counterattack. The Black Hole Lord refuses to act without Fuxi, remaining loyal to him.
• As the enemies’ third attack approaches, Fuxi asks whether the Black Hole Lord can absorb another wave. Though doing so will leave him in immediate danger unless he releases the energy soon afterward, Fuxi orders him to proceed. The allies decide to gamble on a combined strike powerful enough to rival the might of nearly three hundred Ultimate Powerhouses.

Character developments and interactions

• Black Hole Lord demonstrates extraordinary energy-absorption potential, but also reaches the limits of his current cultivation. His refusal to obey Chaos Heaven without Fuxi highlights his loyalty to Fuxi and Daochen.
• Human Sovereign Fuxi emerges as the essential guide to the Black Hole Lord’s power and remains confident in the Primordial World’s defenses. Despite the danger, he chooses to escalate the plan.
• Chaos Heaven shifts from admiring the Black Hole Lord’s potential to worrying about the risks to the Primordial World. He feels sidelined when the Black Hole Lord ignores his order, but recognizes his own outsider status.
• The allies share concern for Daochen, yet Chaos Heaven insists that the immediate threat of the stored energy must take priority.

Significant themes

• Power versus control: The Black Hole Lord can store immense force, but his limited cultivation makes each additional absorption dangerous.
• Trust and loyalty: The plan depends on Fuxi’s judgment, while the Black Hole Lord’s allegiance shapes who can direct him.
• Risk and ambition: The group knowingly gambles with both the Black Hole Lord’s safety and the Primordial World’s defenses in pursuit of a decisive counterattack.

Key plot points

• Human Sovereign Fuxi orders the Black Hole Lord to unleash the energy he has been gathering. The attack strikes the assembled Ultimate Powerhouses as they prepare to assault the Primordial World.
• The explosion destroys a vast area of space and kills or swallows more than a hundred Ultimate Powerhouses. The Primordial World initially celebrates the victory.
• The shattered space continues spreading toward the Primordial World, threatening to destroy it. The Black Hole Lord explains that his attack carried black-hole properties, which can generate a new black hole under certain conditions.
• He leaves the Primordial World and carefully devours energy around the spatial rifts. As he consumes the threat, the surrounding space gradually repairs itself.
• Just as the final rift is closing, an injured enemy reaches through and threatens the Black Hole Lord. The rift snaps shut, severing the intruder’s head and arms—yet he remains alive.

Character developments and interactions

• Fuxi reveals a more aggressive side than his reputation for steadiness suggests. His command is decisive and leads to a devastating victory, though with dangerous consequences.
• The Black Hole Lord demonstrates both immense destructive power and knowledge of how to contain its effects. He admits responsibility without panic, reassures the others, and risks approaching the unstable rifts to repair the damage.
• The Primordial World’s people move from anxious encouragement to celebration, then fear when the destruction threatens their home. They trust the Black Hole Lord to resolve the crisis.
• The surviving enemy emerges furious and confident, but the closing spatial rift immediately maims him. His survival leaves the encounter unresolved.

Significant themes

• Power carries unintended consequences: The attack wins a major battle but nearly endangers the very world it protects.
• Destruction and renewal are linked: The Black Hole Lord’s ability to damage space also lets him consume the destructive energy and help space recover.
• Appearances can mislead: Fuxi’s measured reputation hides his willingness to act ruthlessly, while the enemy’s apparent survival may not mean he is safe.
• Victory does not end danger: Even after the enemy force is devastated, the aftermath and a surviving adversary create new risks.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Black Hole Lord brings back the severed head of an Ultimate Powerhouse who had attacked the Primordial World. The captive insists his comrades are merely trapped in Chaos Space and cannot be killed by ordinary energy attacks.
• Chaos Heaven announces that he will enter Chaos Space to rescue the trapped enemies—or at least retrieve their Heavenly Dao-Class armor and weapons. He opens a rift from within the Primordial World and goes in.
• Fuxi orders the Avengers to kill the captive, who is torn apart. He warns that more powerful enemies, possibly veteran Heavenly Dao Realm experts, may still come.
• Fuxi formally invites the Black Hole Lord to join the Special Affairs Department and promises to help strengthen him. He declares a period of recovery, while planning future expeditions to find the Demon Emperor and gather resources.
• In the Illusory Forest, Demon Emperor Daochen continues training his will toward Invincible Momentum. He spots Upper Realm Ultimate Powerhouses searching for the Chaos Spirit, which they need to open a chaos passage. Their conversation reveals that their forces are stretched thin and their master is under pressure.

Character developments and interactions

• Fuxi shifts from immediate defense to long-term preparation. He shows confidence in Chaos Heaven but remains wary of stronger Upper Realm forces, and takes responsibility for building the Black Hole Lord’s strength.
• The Black Hole Lord contributes by capturing the defeated enemy and is recruited into the Primordial World’s organized defense.
• Chaos Heaven demonstrates his ability to enter Chaos Space, taking on a risky mission that could yield valuable weapons and armor.
• The captive Ultimate Powerhouse remains arrogant and refuses to surrender, underestimating the locals; Fuxi dismisses him as a destabilizing influence, and the Avengers kill him.
• Daochen continues advancing through relentless trials and uses intuition to observe the enemy scouts. Their remarks give him useful insight into the Upper Realm’s difficulties.

Significant themes

• Preparation after victory: The Primordial World’s immediate siege has ended, but its leaders expect a more dangerous conflict ahead.
• Arrogance versus adaptability: The captive’s contempt for the “locals” contrasts with the Avengers’ growing organization and the Upper Realm forces’ own vulnerabilities.
• Power and resource scarcity: Both sides depend on rare resources, specialized techniques, and the ability to move troops between worlds.
• A costly, competitive Upper Realm: The scouts reveal that survival there requires constant warfare, and that their master’s setbacks have left them struggling.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Emperor Daochen, hiding in the Illusory Forest, unleashes the Phantom Force against a group of intruders who are searching for the Chaos Spirit.
• The intruders protect themselves with barriers, but Daochen cuts through them with his axe, allowing the Phantom Force to overwhelm most of the group.
• Their captain resists the illusions because he has swallowed a Phantom Insect Egg. Daochen challenges him, but kills him with a single punch—only to discover that the captain survives as a shapeless mass.
• Daochen identifies a Crystal Core inside the captain’s body and pulls it out, causing the captain to become sludge again.

Character developments

• Daochen is increasingly confident in his strength after gaining Ultimate Will, and eager to test it in combat. He is also curious and blunt, treating the intruders as subjects of experimentation as much as opponents.
• The captain is cautious and mission-focused, but poorly suited to direct combat. Though initially defiant, he quickly surrenders once Daochen overwhelms him. His unusual body and resistance to illusions reveal that he is far from ordinary.

Significant themes

• Strength and vulnerability: The intruders have specialized defenses, but Daochen easily exploits their weaknesses.
• Unfamiliar power and discovery: Daochen’s growing abilities—and the captain’s strange biology—raise questions about what power and survival mean.
• Overconfidence and misjudgment: The group’s caution cannot prevent them from being caught off guard, while Daochen’s confidence leads him to test his strength without hesitation.

Character interactions

• Daochen taunts and attacks the intruders, while the captain warns his companions and tries to learn who Daochen is.
• The captain explains that the Phantom Insect Egg protects him from illusions; Daochen responds by probing his strength and unusual form.
• After the captain surrenders, Daochen’s fascination with the Crystal Core drives him to remove it, leaving the captain in sludge form.

Plot and key events

• The Demon Emperor realizes he has tortured the captured leader nearly to death, then restores him by putting his Crystal Core back.
• He demands that the leader choose between answering questions about the Upper Realm and enduring his anger. The leader panics when he learns Daochen overheard talk of a “chaos spirit,” a “chaos passage,” and a “master.”
• Daochen claims the Illusory Forest is his domain and promises the captives will be safe there, but immediately confiscates their armor and weapons, insisting that prisoners’ belongings belong to him.
• To secure Daochen’s cooperation, the leader offers to teach him a combat art. He explains that combat arts—specialized unarmed or weapon techniques—can improve an Ultimate Powerhouse’s fighting ability when further cultivation is difficult.
• Daochen agrees to learn the captain’s one combat art but demands broader cooperation. When the captain hesitates, Daochen threatens him with a lethal attack; the captain gives in just before the blow lands.
• Daochen then asks about chaos passages. The leader explains that they are fixed routes hidden beneath ordinary space, controlled by the chaos spirit, which can open or close them. The spirit may even seal a world off from passage, making the barrier very difficult to break.

Character developments and interactions

• Demon Emperor Daochen is curious about the Upper Realm and combat arts, but remains greedy, domineering, and quick to use threats. He alternates between reassurance and intimidation to control the negotiations.
• The captain moves from terror and desperation to guarded defiance, then yields under Daochen’s threat. Though a prisoner, he tries to bargain by offering knowledge and remains wary of being exploited.
• Their relationship becomes a tense negotiation: Daochen wants information and power, while the captain seeks safety and cooperation for himself and his group.

Significant themes

• Power and coercion: Daochen’s authority shapes every exchange, and even apparent bargaining takes place under threat.
• Trust and survival: The captain wants assurances before sharing his knowledge, while Daochen demands trust without surrendering control.
• Knowledge as leverage: The captain’s combat art and knowledge of chaos passages are his few assets in captivity.
• Limits and alternatives to strength: Combat arts offer a way to improve fighting ability when ordinary cultivation has reached its limits.

• Key events: Demon Emperor Daochen questions Nigu about the “chaos spirit,” learning that Nigu’s group seeks to capture it and enter the Chaos World through a passage. Daochen suspects the spirit may actually be the world’s controlling spirit, but agrees to cooperate—mainly out of curiosity—in exchange for Nigu’s combat art, Instant Blade. When Nigu demonstrates the technique, his strike cuts Daochen’s neck, but Daochen is unharmed and takes the saber, exposing the vast gap between their strength.
• The bargain: Nigu refuses to teach the technique unless Daochen promises not to kill him. Daochen offers to release one of Nigu’s companions as proof of sincerity. The released man has no memory of what happened and assumes the others were lost in the phantom tide; he leaves to report on the chaos spirit, showing that the group’s mission matters more to him than Nigu’s fate. Daochen then proposes that Nigu teach him Instant Blade and later bring another combat art, in exchange for the release of the remaining captives and help locating the spirit.
• Character developments and interactions: Daochen is calculating, domineering, and curious: he disarms Nigu’s attempted attack, but chooses negotiation over killing him. Nigu is wary and distrustful, yet accepts the deal after Daochen releases a companion. Seeking to establish mutual trust, Nigu introduces himself as a member of the Mud Clan. Daochen conceals his real identity, claiming to have been born among the phantoms and giving himself the title Lord of Phantom Spirits.
• Themes: The chapter centers on power and leverage, as Daochen controls the negotiations through force while offering selective mercy. It also explores trust as both a cultural ritual and a practical gamble, deception as a tool of survival, and the contrast between personal loyalty and obsession with a larger mission.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Emperor Daochen learns the Instant Blade Combat Art from Nigu. Its basic movements—drawing, striking, and slashing—must be repeated countless times until they become instinctive.
• Nigu explains that a fighter’s momentum, forged through battle, can greatly amplify a Combat Art, though it is difficult to understand and is not essential to mastering the fundamentals.
• Daochen masters Instant Blade and secretly begins incorporating his own Invincible Momentum.
• Reflecting on the art, Daochen concludes that cultivation and strength matter more than collecting techniques. Nigu confirms that a Combat Arts expert he knows became powerful through the number of techniques he possessed, but neglected his cultivation.
• Daochen releases Nigu but demands that he bring another Combat Art if he wants to cooperate further. Nigu agrees, explaining that obtaining and sending one from the Upper Realm is costly and takes time.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen proves to be a quick, discerning student, mastering the technique while independently exploring how to combine it with his momentum. His ambition to understand the true world and the Upper Realm remains his guiding purpose.
• Nigu keeps his promise and teaches Daochen, but his willingness to cooperate is constrained by the danger facing his subordinates. He agrees to Daochen’s terms despite the difficulty.
• Daochen treats the exchange as both a bargain and a test of Nigu’s sincerity: he values him, but makes clear that survival and cooperation come with conditions.

Significant themes

• Practice and mastery: Great skill grows from relentless repetition until technique becomes instinct.
• Technique versus true strength: Combat Arts can sharpen a fighter’s power, but cultivation and understanding of the Laws remain fundamental.
• Momentum and individuality: A fighter’s hard-won momentum can transform a technique, yet it must be discovered personally.
• Ambition and survival: Daochen presses toward greater understanding despite the dangers ahead, while Nigu negotiates under pressure to save a valuable group of subordinates.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Emperor Daochen examines the spoils from his victory over the Upper Realm intruders. He suspects their leader’s promise to return is really a plan to rescue his captured teammates.
• To discover why the invaders matter, Daochen interrogates them. Most remain defiant, but two eventually reveal that their group was sent to find a chaos spirit.
• Their race can sense unusual spiritual entities, and their superiors forcibly elevated them to Ultimate Powerhouse cultivation and equipped them with powerful weapons, armor, and new Combat Arts. Despite their strength, they are especially vulnerable to Illusion Arts—the reason Daochen’s Phantom Force subdued them so easily.
• The two captives confirm that the chaos spirit is nearby. It strikes Daochen unseen, then vanishes again.
• Daochen learns how the hunters access the Chaos Space: they hammer thirteen special nails into it and use a large hammer to open and hold a passage. The captives warn that the space is lawless and disorienting, so they must stay close to the opening.
• Daochen concludes that the chaos spirit has likely learned the hunters’ methods and can evade them unless it chooses to reveal itself.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen shifts from celebrating his victory to investigating his prisoners’ purpose. He is suspicious, strategic, and intrigued by the captives’ unusual spatial tools; he also recognizes the limitations of their tracking ability.
• The captives are not uniformly loyal: most resist interrogation, while two prove willing to cooperate. They reveal both their mission and their race’s weakness.
• Daochen dominates the exchanges through intimidation and control, though the chaos spirit briefly turns the tables by landing an unseen blow.
• The two cooperative captives guide Daochen through the process of opening the Chaos Space, while cautioning him about its dangers.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Great weapons and elevated cultivation do not protect the invaders from a weakness in their souls.
• Pragmatism and distrust: Daochen assumes the leader’s promise is a pretext for rescue and questions prisoners to uncover their true value.
• Hunting and evasion: The hunters’ specialized abilities are undermined by a target that understands their routine and controls when it can be found.
• Uncertainty of the Chaos Space: Its lawless, confusing nature makes exploration dangerous, even for powerful beings.

Key plot points and events

• Two men explain that the Chaos Space can be opened with iron nails, but entering through the opening leaves travelers with only one known route of escape. They warn that the space contains dangerous, unnatural beings.
• A pair of severed hands emerges from the Chaos Space and rapidly absorbs energy, rebuilding into a creature made entirely of hands. It identifies itself as Thousand-Hand Hui, a notorious traitor of the Thousand-Hand Tribe.
• Hui boasts that he will devour the world’s inhabitants to regain his former Heavenly Dao Realm strength. The two men warn Demon Emperor Daochen that Hui is ruthless and is using the conversation to recover.
• Daochen attacks with Instant Blade, repeatedly tearing Hui apart. Hui realizes Daochen possesses an Upper Realm combat art and warns that this violates the Hongmeng Iron Laws and could bring the Hongmeng Envoys after him.
• Hui tries to bargain, claiming the Upper Realm forces are pursuing the Chaos Spirit and may threaten the world. Daochen ignores the plea and kills him—or appears to. Secretly, Daochen retains one of Hui’s fingers.
• Daochen then turns on the two men, saying they know too much. They reveal they have already sent information about him and warn that his enemies will keep sending forces to destroy him, viewing his potential as a major future threat.

Character developments and interactions

• Demon Emperor Daochen is confident and controlled, but also cautious: he tests Hui’s strength, keeps a remnant of him secretly, and is willing to eliminate witnesses.
• Thousand-Hand Hui shifts from arrogant confidence to fear and pleading once Daochen proves overwhelmingly powerful. He attempts to manipulate Daochen with warnings about the Chaos Spirit and the Upper Realm.
• The two men begin as nervous informants, then confront Daochen calmly. Their disclosure that they have already reported him makes clear they are not simply passive allies and that Daochen’s identity and abilities are exposed.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: The Chaos Space and Hui’s hunger show how harshly beings must struggle to endure.
• Deception and mistrust: Hui’s friendly posture masks an attempt to recover strength; Daochen conceals his own actions; the two men have already betrayed his confidence by reporting him.
• Ambition and persecution: Daochen’s forbidden combat art and exceptional potential place him on a collision course with powerful Upper Realm authorities.
• Control of information: Knowledge—of Daochen’s abilities, the Chaos Spirit, and the Hongmeng laws—becomes a weapon in every interaction.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Emperor Daochen realizes the two conspirators are trying to force him into a trap: killing the severed hand would draw the attention of their superiors. They claim they can transmit a message despite Daochen’s spatial seal and say they expect to be resurrected for capturing Thousand-Hand Hui.
• Daochen kills the two conspirators, then prepares to eliminate the Ultimate Powerhouses with them. Thousand-Hand Hui persuades him to spare the survivors, arguing that consuming them could help restore him and that Daochen will need allies against the coming invasion.
• Hui claims he can survive as long as a single cell remains, though Daochen suspects he is exaggerating to hide how close he is to death.
• Hui warns that the Upper Realm can open a temporary passage without a chaos spirit, if it pays the price. Its forces may arrive in at least 100,000 primordial years after crossing the Spacetime Corridor and Dark Space.
• Daochen demands combat arts in exchange for Hui’s safety. Hui offers three individual arts and two army-wide techniques, which excite Daochen. Confident the delay gives him time to grow stronger, Daochen dismisses the threat; Hui privately recognizes that Upper Realm forces may include beings far beyond anything Daochen understands.

Character developments and interactions

• Demon Emperor Daochen shows ruthless pragmatism, killing the conspirators but sparing their followers when Hui points out their potential value. He becomes more confident after learning the invasion is distant and bargains with Hui for military knowledge.
• Thousand-Hand Hui shifts from captive to adviser and negotiator, trading combat arts for protection. He remains enigmatic about his survival and warns Daochen that the coming danger is much greater than he assumes.
• The two conspirators reveal their willingness to die for their promised reward, but Daochen kills them before they can carry out their plan.
• Daochen and Hui form a wary, transactional partnership: Daochen offers protection, while Hui provides knowledge and techniques.

Significant themes

• Deception and uncertainty: Hui’s claims about his resilience may be a bluff, and both sides withhold what they know.
• Preparation and overconfidence: Daochen sees the long delay as an advantage, while Hui understands that the Upper Realm’s strength could exceed Daochen’s expectations.
• Pragmatism and survival: Characters make bargains, spare enemies, or accept death based on what best serves their continued survival.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Emperor Daochen and Thousand-Hand Hui discuss the strange scale of the Chaos World. Hui argues that it is divided by six barriers into hexagonal regions, each opening into another region—and potentially forming a vast network of worlds.
• Hui explains that Upper Realm forces can locate Daochen’s world through precise spatial coordinates, not because the world is small. Daochen finds this persuasive and gains a clearer understanding of spatial laws.
• Daochen asks to visit a barrier, hoping to see beyond his familiar world. Hui warns that crossing one may not reveal another great world; such worlds are rare.
• Hui describes the Chaos World as a place where many lower-realm races develop over generations. Daochen wonders whether it could be a vast breeding ground or experiment, with beings like himself as test subjects.
• Though Hui regrets becoming involved, Daochen urges him to focus on surviving. Daochen suspects that hidden forces may be guiding his growth, perhaps more covertly than before.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen remains composed and curious in the face of unsettling possibilities. His longing to escape his world and explore greater realms drives him, while his suspicions about being controlled deepen.
• Thousand-Hand Hui acts as an experienced guide, explaining the barriers and spatial coordinates. His confidence gives way to anxiety as Daochen raises the possibility of a cosmic experiment.
• Daochen and Hui speak candidly, but the balance between them remains unequal: Hui has little choice but to cooperate while his life is in Daochen’s hands.

Significant themes

• The limits of perception and knowledge: What seems like the edge of the world may only be a barrier, and even powerful beings may misunderstand the space around them.
• Freedom versus control: Daochen’s desire to explore clashes with the possibility that his development—and perhaps the world itself—is being directed by a hidden power.
• Cosmic uncertainty: The world may be part of an immense system whose true scale and purpose are beyond the characters’ understanding.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Emperor Daochen and Thousand-Hand Hui travel through the Chaos World to find its boundary, prompted by news that a major enemy invasion is still 100,000 years away.
• They encounter almost no life until reaching a region where Chaos Demon Gods and Magic Beasts have gathered. The energy there grows unusually dense, apparently because of a breach in the world’s barrier.
• An enormous, instinct-driven Ultimate Magic Beast—a black dragon—guards the breach. Daochen avoids fighting it at first, but presses forward when it tries to block him.
• Daochen forces the dragon back and passes through the opening. On the other side, overwhelming energy pushes him back toward the breach. Thousand-Hand Hui spots many Ultimate Magic Beasts and eagerly imagines devouring them; the chapter ends there.

Character developments

• Daochen remains cautious about who may be manipulating events, but focuses on becoming stronger. His confidence and decisiveness show in how he confronts the dragon and enters the breach.
• Thousand-Hand Hui remains talkative and opportunistic, revealing his appetite for the powerful creatures beyond the barrier.
• The black dragon displays limited intelligence and wariness, resisting Daochen without committing to a full attack.

Significant themes

• Power and instinct: Daochen believes he must project strength around Magic Beasts, whose instincts may interpret retreat as weakness.
• The unknown and exploration: The breach raises questions about what lies beyond the world’s boundary.
• Uneven resources: The contrast in energy density across the barrier draws creatures toward the breach and may explain the growing concentration of life there.

Character interactions

• Daochen and Hui travel together, with Hui explaining the journey and speculating about the barrier.
• Hui asks to devour the black dragon, but Daochen rejects the request and warns him against plotting to turn on him.
• Daochen confronts the dragon directly, overcomes its resistance, and enters the breach while Hui follows.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Emperor Daochen and Thousand-Hand Hui discover a vast gathering of enormous black dragons amid dense chaos energy. Other magic beasts live among them, apparently accepting their place as prey.
• The dragons suddenly panic and crowd together, suggesting that something even more frightening is nearby. Daochen and Hui wonder who could hunt creatures powerful enough to seem like apex beasts.
• Hui speculates that a faction from the Upper Realm has conquered the region and is keeping the dragons as livestock. They eventually find golden giant guards—slaves of the Giant Mouth Clan—which confirms that the clan has turned the area into a breeding ground.
• Hui says the Giant Mouth Clan will ignore visitors who leave its food alone, but will relentlessly pursue anyone who steals or harms its delicacies.
• Beyond the guards, Daochen and Hui find enormous squid-like creatures fighting the giants. Hui explains that they are untamed prey resisting the clan’s efforts to capture them.

Character developments

• Daochen grows increasingly curious about the Upper Realm and the beings powerful enough to frighten the black dragons. Though cautious about provoking the giants, he chooses to press onward.
• Thousand-Hand Hui remains confident and carefree, drawing on his knowledge of Upper Realm factions and openly defending a life guided by instinct and emotion.
• Their contrasting perspectives become clearer: Daochen’s people prioritize cultivation and survival within finite lifespans, while Hui’s seemingly near-immortal people value freely experiencing life.

Significant themes

• Power and hierarchy: Even formidable creatures can be prey in a larger world.
• Different ways of life: The chapter contrasts disciplined cultivation with Hui’s philosophy of embracing emotion and instinct.
• Conquest and exploitation: The Giant Mouth Clan treats living creatures as food supplies and uses enslaved giants to guard them.
• Curiosity versus caution: Daochen’s desire to investigate repeatedly carries the pair deeper into danger.

Character interactions

• Daochen and Hui debate whether pursuing pleasure is worthwhile, revealing their fundamentally different cultures; Daochen ultimately declines to argue.
• Hui reassures Daochen that the giants will not attack as long as they do not interfere with the clan’s food, while teasing him for being too small to qualify as a delicacy.
• Together, they pass the guarded breeding ground and observe the squid creatures’ resistance to capture.