Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Beast Emperor Shen Ni clashes with the Heavenly Dao Sage, using the power of his middle Primordial Origin cultivation and the Great Way of Power.
• Their battle appears less destructive than expected because the Heavenly Dao Sage’s aura suppresses the visible force. In reality, Shen Ni’s attacks are devastating; without the Sage’s counterforce, their shock waves could overturn the Primordial Lands.
• Shen Ni’s mastery of the Great Way of Power lets him exploit the weaknesses of other laws. His understanding has been strengthened by Tongtian’s knowledge of the Three Thousand Great Ways.
• The Heavenly Dao Sage’s Heavenly Dao Laws—an imitation and weakened amalgamation of the Three Thousand Great Ways—prove a poor match for Shen Ni’s power. The Sage recognizes Shen Ni’s cultivation but is unable to turn the fight around.
• Shen Ni’s God-Slaying Spear makes each of his thrusts a mortal threat. The Sage’s fly-whisk and Daoist robe have protected him so far, but their protection is nearly exhausted.

Character developments

• Beast Emperor Shen Ni is shown as a formidable, disciplined fighter who relies on precise knowledge and relentless pressure, not just raw strength. He refuses to dignify the Sage with conversation.
• The Heavenly Dao Sage shifts from confidence to grim alarm. Though gifted and well-supported by the Heavenly Dao, he discovers that his methods and treasures may not be enough against Shen Ni.

Significant themes

• No technique is truly invincible: Every Great Way has weaknesses; genuine mastery comes from understanding them.
• Knowledge as a weapon: The Great Way of Power turns insight into an ability to counter other laws.
• Appearance versus reality: The battle seems restrained from the outside, while Shen Ni’s attacks carry catastrophic force.
• Borrowed authority versus earned mastery: The Sage’s Heavenly Dao-backed power is formidable, but it is outmatched by Shen Ni’s deeper command of the Great Way of Power.

Character interactions

• Shen Ni relentlessly attacks while the Sage counters with grand displays that fail to threaten him.
• The Sage identifies Shen Ni’s Great Way of Power but receives no answer; Shen Ni’s earlier courtesy was directed toward the Heavenly Dao, not its spokesman.
• Tongtian’s accumulated knowledge indirectly aids Shen Ni, helping him understand the laws he now exploits in battle.

Key plot points and events

• Beast Emperor Shen Ni fights the Heavenly Dao Sage using the God-Slaying Spear, whose powerful killing aura attacks the Sage’s primordial spirit. The Sage is pained and distracted, but his treasures protect him from serious harm.
• Shen Ni recognizes that the Heavenly Dao protects the Sage’s primordial spirit, making it nearly impossible to kill him outright without provoking a war with the Heavenly Dao. He settles for the more achievable goal of destroying the Sage’s body and demonstrating his own superiority.
• The Sage summons a massive Heavenly Dao punishment, combining lightning, heavenly fire, astral gales, heart demons, and other calamities. Though dangerous to ordinary experts, it cannot penetrate Shen Ni’s defenses.
• Shen Ni’s aura grows more terrifying as the battle continues. Tongtian watches with interest, recognizing that Shen Ni is strengthening his power through combat.

Character developments and interactions

• Beast Emperor Shen Ni is frustrated that he has not injured the Sage despite his confidence, but remains assured that the God-Slaying Spear gives him the advantage. He also understands the limits imposed by the Sage’s connection to the Heavenly Dao.
• The Heavenly Dao Sage accepts the Heavenly Dao’s support and uses its authority without hesitation. His attacks are ultimately ineffective against Shen Ni’s exceptional body.
• Tongtian observes the fight as a lesson in cultivating the great way of power, seeing battle itself as a means of advancement.
• The confrontation is shaped by a broader conflict of resources: the Sage relies on treasures and Heavenly Dao authority, while Shen Ni depends on the spear, his physical resilience, and his fighting talent.

Significant themes

• Power and protection: Even a formidable opponent can be difficult to kill when protected by a greater force.
• The limits of borrowed authority: The Heavenly Dao can produce fearsome punishments, but its current strength is insufficient to overcome Shen Ni.
• Growth through struggle: The chapter presents combat as a way to cultivate power, echoing how Pangu’s battles with the Chaos Gods and Demons helped him perfect the great way of power.
• Talent and destiny: Pangu’s exceptional progress is attributed not only to battle but also to his unique talent and the favor of the Primordial Chaos Holy Land’s will.

Key plot points and events

• Tongtian explains that even his mastery of the Great Way of Power cannot directly give Shen Ni its insights. He can demonstrate and explain, but true comprehension must be earned individually.
• Shen Ni’s earlier battles with Tongtian only reinforced how overwhelmingly strong his master was. Tongtian stops fighting him, since a hopeless mismatch would risk weakening Shen Ni’s fighting spirit rather than helping him grow.
• Shen Ni’s clash with the Heavenly Dao Sage offers a rare, genuinely challenging contest—though Shen Ni’s advantage comes partly from the Heavenly Dao’s lightning tribulation. The battle sparks a flood of insight, resolving his doubts about the Great Way of Power.
• Shen Ni’s comprehension reaches the threshold he needs. Having deliberately delayed a breakthrough until his foundation was complete, he begins advancing from the middle to the late primordial origin realm during the fight.
• The Sage discovers that the tribulation has become Shen Ni’s breakthrough lightning tribulation and is beyond his control. What he intended as a weapon instead helps Shen Ni advance. Realizing he cannot win, the Sage considers retreating.

Character developments

• Shen Ni deepens his understanding of the Great Way of Power and begins the breakthrough he had long prepared for, aiming to be exceptionally strong in his new realm.
• The Heavenly Dao Sage becomes dispirited as he recognizes that Heavenly Dao favor and a superior realm have not made him a match for Shen Ni.
• Tongtian shows concern for Shen Ni’s long-term resolve, choosing not to let repeated, futile defeats undermine his fighting spirit.

Significant themes

• Comprehension cannot simply be bestowed: Guidance can help, but insight depends on the individual.
• Growth through worthy struggle: A challenging opponent can inspire breakthroughs, while a hopeless mismatch can erode motivation.
• Preparation and timing: Shen Ni delayed advancement until his comprehension and foundation were ready.
• Power versus merit: The Sage questions whether the Heavenly Dao chose him for genuine strength or ability, especially when Shen Ni proves the more formidable fighter.

Character interactions

• Tongtian explains the limits of what he can teach and carefully ends his one-sided sparring with Shen Ni.
• Shen Ni battles the Heavenly Dao Sage, whose attacks fail to stop him; the Sage’s reliance on the Heavenly Dao’s tribulation ultimately aids Shen Ni’s breakthrough.
• The Sage privately challenges the Heavenly Dao’s choice of spokesperson, and the Heavenly Dao responds with a simple, direct consciousness.

Key plot points and events

• The Heavenly Dao bluntly tells its Sage that it chose him as spokesman because Tongtian’s disciples refused the role. The Sage realizes he was selected for being obedient—effectively a “king of dogs”—though the position still grants him authority and advantages.
• The narration contrasts the Heavenly Dao’s offer with Tongtian’s path. Future followers of the Heavenly Dao may gain immortality and a sage’s seat, but they surrender their sense of self and receive little else. Tongtian, by contrast, intends to train only a select group capable of genuine advancement.
• Tongtian plans to focus on the coming conflicts beyond the Primordial World. He intends for his disciples to venture into the myriad worlds once they are strong enough, where they can grow and prepare for future wars.
• Tongtian decides the Witch-Demon War is unnecessary and would mainly serve the Heavenly Dao. He considers giving Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi a chance to lead the Demon Race; if they fail, the Three Clans could take over, a prospect likely to be more acceptable because most demons descend from them.
• Beast Emperor Shen Ni finally breaks through into the late primordial origin realm, overcoming a long-standing bottleneck.

Character developments and interactions

• The Heavenly Dao Sage’s pride is wounded when he understands that his obedience, rather than exceptional ability, earned him his post. The Heavenly Dao tries to soften the insult by framing him as a leader among its followers and pointing to the benefits of his position.
• Tongtian appears increasingly confident and strategic. He is less concerned with the Heavenly Dao’s schemes than with strengthening the Primordial World and preparing for external threats. His plans include training selected Demon and Witch Clan figures, while requiring prospective disciples to meet his standards of character.
• Tongtian’s approach to potential disciples is selective: he will not train everyone, though he remains open to talented, worthy individuals. He hopes the Twelve Witch Ancestors can reform if they understand their responsibilities.
• Shen Ni’s breakthrough marks a major personal advance, though the chapter suggests his limited experience in serious battles may have held back his development.

Significant themes

• Power versus submission: The Heavenly Dao offers security and status at the cost of individuality; Tongtian favors growth through strength and independent action.
• Selective responsibility: Tongtian cannot cultivate everyone, so he prioritizes the most talented and worthy while recognizing the limits of the Primordial World.
• Looking beyond internal conflict: Rather than waste strength on the Witch-Demon War, Tongtian wants to preserve the world’s forces for larger battles ahead.
• Growth through experience: Shen Ni’s progress—and Tongtian’s plans for his disciples—emphasizes that talent and instruction may not be enough; confronting the wider world is essential.

Plot points and events

• Beast Emperor Shen Ni breaks through to the late Primordial Origin Realm by comprehending the Great Way of Power. After surviving the Primordial World’s weak Heavenly Tribulation, he quickly absorbs the gains from his breakthrough.
• Tongtian considers sending Shen Ni into the wider myriad worlds, but recognizes that his origins and connection to Tongtian would make him a target. He concludes Shen Ni will need a safer identity.
• Shen Ni’s power now exceeds the Primordial World’s limits. The Heavenly Dao and the Heavenly Dao Sage fear that he could destroy them, especially because the God-Slaying Spear is particularly dangerous to the Heavenly Dao.
• Once Shen Ni turns his attention back to the defeated Heavenly Dao Sage, the Sage begs for mercy and blames the Heavenly Dao. This surprises both the Heavenly Dao and the Primordial World’s inhabitants.
• Observers lose faith in the merit-sainthood method the Sage taught and decide that proving the Dao through force is the more dependable path.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Ni has gained confidence after his breakthrough and believes he can kill the Heavenly Dao Sage with a single thrust. His immense strength also makes him a potential threat to the Heavenly Dao.
• Tongtian shifts from assessing Shen Ni’s readiness to worrying about how to protect him beyond the Primordial World.
• The Heavenly Dao Sage abandons his earlier imposing confidence and tries to escape blame, despite having ignored the Heavenly Dao’s warning to make peace.
• The Heavenly Dao, which has developed emotions and fears death, feels betrayed and wronged by the Sage’s accusation. It remains vulnerable because it is still necessary to the Primordial World’s order.

Significant themes

• Power and its limits: Shen Ni’s strength surpasses the world that produced him, while the Heavenly Dao’s authority does not translate into a reliable ability to fight.
• Accountability and cowardice: The Sage’s sudden surrender and blame-shifting contrast with his earlier arrogance.
• Trust in doctrine: The Sage’s failure damages confidence in merit-based sainthood and reinforces the appeal of proving the Dao through force.
• Fear of death and usefulness: The Heavenly Dao’s survival depends partly on its essential role in maintaining the world’s laws.

Plot points

• The spectators lose interest and disperse after the expected clash ends without a real fight, though they continue watching to see what will happen to the Heavenly Dao Sage.
• Beast Emperor Shen Ni intends to kill the Sage, reasoning that his forced breakthrough has made him useless to their master, Tongtian.
• The Sage claims that killing him would require killing the Heavenly Dao too. Tongtian secretly intervenes, extracts the Sage’s essence from the Heavenly Dao, and leaves the Heavenly Dao too frightened to resist.
• The Sage briefly believes his life is safe. But when his essence is returned, he loses the protection of being bound to the Heavenly Dao.
• Shen Ni declares that Tongtian has authorized him to kill the Heavenly Dao if it interferes. The Sage tries to bargain, but Shen Ni swiftly defeats and kills him. The Heavenly Tribulation disappears, and the Heavenly Dao submits rather than challenge Tongtian.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Ni remains fiercely loyal and obedient to Tongtian: he is ready to kill the Sage—and even the Heavenly Dao—but waits for his master’s permission. Once authorized, he acts without hesitation.
• Tongtian demonstrates overwhelming power and begins taking control of the Heavenly Dao, preferring to tame the existing one rather than cultivate a replacement.
• The Heavenly Dao reveals a strong instinct for self-preservation, readily cooperating with Tongtian and abandoning the Sage to avoid a confrontation.
• The Heavenly Dao Sage shifts from smug confidence to panic as his supposed protection fails. His attempts to threaten, reason, and bargain with Shen Ni all come too late.

Significant themes

• Power and obedience: The Heavenly Dao’s principles—and the Sage’s confidence—collapse before a superior force.
• Loyalty and authority: Shen Ni’s restraint comes from waiting for Tongtian’s command, not from mercy.
• Self-preservation: Both the Heavenly Dao and the Sage prioritize survival, but only the Heavenly Dao successfully adapts.

Chapter summary

• The Heavenly Dao Sage is forced into a final fight. Beast Emperor Shen Ni refuses to accept surrender, both because he believes enemies must be eliminated completely and because he wants to protect Nuwa from possible retaliation. The Sage blames the Heavenly Dao for returning his primordial spirit and leaving him with no chance to escape.
• Shen Ni steadily gains the upper hand. The Sage’s unstable realm, doubts, and the God-Slaying Spear’s baleful energy leave him unable to match Shen Ni. Their battle lasts several hundred years, devastating the surrounding land. The Sage’s uncontrolled attacks kill many nearby onlookers, while Shen Ni keeps his own power contained.
• The Sage’s last stand fails. Driven to desperation, he burns his primordial spirit and spiritual power, but the extra strength only makes his attacks harder to control. Shen Ni eventually finds an opening and drives the God-Slaying Spear into him.
• The spear’s powers overwhelm him. Its baleful energy ravages the Sage’s body and primordial spirit. The great way of power then enters through the spear and shatters the Heavenly Dao laws within him. The Sage faces death—and, if his spirit is consumed first, the possibility of becoming a mindless monster who would threaten the entire world.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Ni is resolute and protective: he sees killing the Sage as the safest way to shield Nuwa. His disciplined control of his power contrasts sharply with the Sage’s recklessness.
• The Heavenly Dao Sage shifts from resentment and reluctant resistance to madness and self-destruction. He resents both Shen Ni’s relentless attack and the Heavenly Dao’s role in trapping him, but he is too weakened and conflicted to fight effectively.
• The Heavenly Dao is portrayed as an interested power that controls its representatives and suppresses threats beyond its reach. The chapter also suggests it helped bring about Pangu’s fall.
• Nuwa and Yuanfeng do not take part in the battle, but their safety—especially Nuwa’s—is central to Shen Ni’s decision.

Significant themes

• Survival and power: In this world, weakness invites elimination, and surrender offers no protection.
• Control versus uncontrolled strength: The Sage’s inability to govern his power harms bystanders and hastens his defeat.
• The limits of the Heavenly Dao’s control: The great way of power can break its laws, while beings protected by Tongtian can stand beyond its influence.
• The cost of desperation: Burning one’s life force may increase strength, but without control it brings destruction rather than victory.

Key plot points and events

• The Heavenly Dao Sage realizes the Heavenly Dao will not help him advance further. The world cannot reach a level where it can safely support primordial-origin experts for many eras, and the Heavenly Dao will not risk empowering someone who might escape its control.
• He recognizes that he should have followed the Heavenly Dao’s original advice: spread the three-corpse severing technique and merit-based sainthood rather than pursue greater power himself.
• Beast Emperor Shen Ni kills him with the God-Slaying Spear. Its baleful energy and power shatter the Sage’s body, while the spear devours his primordial spirit.
• The narration explains that the spear is a formidable weapon forged by Tongtian. It can grow by consuming souls, though advancing it further would require vast resources and an enormous number of victims.
• Shen Ni had not fought at full strength. The Sage’s defeat was swift partly because he lacked real combat experience and had not adapted to the primordial-origin realm.

Character developments and interactions

• The Heavenly Dao Sage moves from desperate ambition to resignation. He understands that the Heavenly Dao has abandoned him and accepts that his death is partly the consequence of pursuing power without the experience to wield it.
• Beast Emperor Shen Ni is shown as overwhelmingly powerful and composed. His fighting spirit, physique, presence, and the God-Slaying Spear combine to make him a terrifying opponent.
• The Heavenly Dao is portrayed as calculating: it empowered the Sage only up to a limit, then refused to help him surpass it.
• The Sage’s clash with Shen Ni is his first battle against a primordial-origin opponent. He senses that Shen Ni is holding back, which helps break his composure. Shen Ni, by contrast, has trained through repeated fights with Tongtian, even when Tongtian suppresses his cultivation.

Significant themes

• Power without mastery: A high cultivation realm cannot substitute for combat experience or the ability to control one’s strength.
• The limits of ambition: The Sage’s pursuit of advancement conflicts with the Heavenly Dao’s need to retain control over him.
• A changing world: As the Primordial World grows stronger, the standards for survival rise; ranks once considered powerful no longer guarantee security.
• Power and sacrifice: The God-Slaying Spear’s potential comes at a steep cost in souls and resources, while Shen Ni’s victory shows the strength of experience and innate combat ability.
  The chapter ends mid-thought, beginning to compare Shen Ni’s experience with Tongtian to his opponent’s inexperience.

Plot and events

• Beast Emperor Shen Ni defeats and kills the Heavenly Dao Sage with the God-Slaying Spear. Despite hoping for an exciting challenge, Shen Ni finds the fight disappointing.
• The Sage’s death triggers a rain of blood across the Primordial World, destroys Zixiao Palace, and returns the Sage’s laws and accumulated spiritual energy to the world. The resulting energy helps many creatures advance in cultivation, though no one reaches the primordial origin realm.
• The Demon Heavenly Court pauses plans to prepare Yingzhao and Jiu Ying for breakthroughs. With the Sage dead, powerful creatures weigh whether to align with the Heavenly Dao, but none rush to do so.
• The Primordial World grows quiet on the surface, while fighting between the Demon Heavenly Court and the Witch Clan continues through their lesser forces.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Ni remains overwhelmingly powerful and breaks through during the battle. His frustration at lacking worthy opponents, and his fear that Nuwa may eventually surpass him, help explain why he sought out the Sage.
• Nuwa is portrayed as a formidable rising rival: though still in the early primordial origin realm, she has mastered two complementary Great Dao laws and is nearing another breakthrough.
• The Heavenly Dao Sage is revealed as a being empowered by the Heavenly Dao rather than a true, self-made primordial origin expert. His defeat demonstrates the limits of that borrowed power.
• The wider world responds cautiously to Shen Ni’s victory. Potential Heavenly Dao allies recognize that joining it could make them enemies of Shen Ni and his powerful faction, including the Three Clans and Nuwa.

Significant themes

• Power and isolation: Shen Ni’s unmatched strength leaves him without a satisfying opponent.
• Earned strength versus borrowed power: The Sage’s defeat underscores the difference between Heavenly Dao-granted status and genuine achievement.
• Fear and political caution: The Sage’s death reshapes the balance of power, discouraging others from choosing sides.
• Peace masking conflict: The world appears calm, but the Demon–Witch struggle continues beneath the surface.

Key plot points and events

• Tongtian decides not to gather the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots, judging them of little use to those at his level. Nuwa, by contrast, travels to the Primordial World after sensing a powerful summons and claims a treasure with the declaration that it is “bound to me by fate.” Others yield, chiefly because of her strength and powerful connections.
• Nuwa’s appearance attracts Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi, who need support and seek answers about her significance to the Demon Race. Di Jun politely invites her to join the Demon Heavenly Court, emphasizing that she would only lend it her name and need not perform any duties.
• Nuwa accepts, recognizing that her cultivation and fortune benefited from the Demon Race’s fortune and that joining would repay this karmic debt. But remembering her master’s warning that both the Demon Court and the Witch Clan will fare badly in their coming war, she immediately withdraws.
• Di Jun and Taiyi are left baffled by her sudden reversal; Nuwa senses the fortune she had contributed to the court draining away.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa acts confidently among lesser powers but remains mindful of her obligations and her master’s counsel. Her brief membership is a calculated way to repay a debt without binding herself to the Demon Court’s future conflict.
• Di Jun shows deference, aware that Nuwa’s connections to Yuanfeng and Beast Emperor Shen Ni make coercing or exploiting her dangerous. He sees her affiliation as valuable protection and prestige.
• Eastern Emperor Taiyi accompanies Di Jun and steps aside while he makes the invitation; both brothers are delighted by Nuwa’s acceptance, then confused by her immediate withdrawal.
• Tongtian and his disciples are portrayed as focused on cultivation rather than collecting treasures that offer them little benefit.

Significant themes

• Strength and status govern respect: Nuwa’s claim is accepted not just because of fate, but because no one wishes to challenge her power or allies.
• Fortune, karma, and obligation: Nuwa’s rise partly relied on Demon Race fortune, creating a debt she feels compelled to repay.
• The limits of political allegiance: Joining a faction can be useful, but Nuwa refuses to remain tied to one she expects to be destroyed.
• Pragmatism over accumulation: Tongtian dismisses treasures that cannot meaningfully advance his cultivation.

Key plot points and events

• Nuwa joins the Demon Heavenly Court only long enough to repay her karmic debt. Her share of Fortune transfers to the court and cannot be reclaimed, but she promptly leaves, making clear she owes the Demon Race nothing further.
• Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi had hoped to use Nuwa’s influence—and possibly pressure her into intervening in the war with the Witch Clan. They are frustrated that her brief membership brings Fortune but no immediate military advantage.
• They consider exploiting Nuwa’s brother, Fuxi, to provoke her into action, but realize that doing so could lead her to destroy the Demon Heavenly Court. They abandon the idea.
• After returning to court, Di Jun orders Yingzhao to prepare for a breakthrough. Jiu Ying also prepares, and the Demon Race plans to have both attempt to reach the primordial origin realm.
• Tongtian understands that the conflict between the Demon and Witch Clans is being fueled by the Heavenly Dao, which wants to keep them too occupied to grow stronger. He intends to oppose that manipulation and preserve the Primordial World’s strength against future threats from the Myriad Heavens and Worlds.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa remains independent and composed: she fulfills her promise and settles her debt without accepting further obligations. She leaves without waiting for the two Demon leaders to depart.
• Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi are dismayed but recognize they have no grounds to control Nuwa. Their exchange reveals their disappointment and their limited options; they ultimately settle for the Fortune gained.
• Yingzhao accepts Di Jun’s instruction and begins preparing to break through. Jiu Ying follows suit, giving the Demon Race two potential candidates for advancement.
• Tongtian shifts from observing events to actively opposing the Heavenly Dao’s strategy, motivated by the need to defend the Primordial World’s future.

Significant themes

• Independence and obligation: Nuwa repays what she owes but refuses to be drawn into the Demon Race’s plans.
• The limits of political schemes: Di Jun and Taiyi gain Fortune but fail to secure the influence they wanted.
• Manipulation through conflict: The Heavenly Dao sustains war to prevent the Demon and Witch Clans from becoming powerful enough to escape its control.
• Collective survival: Tongtian looks beyond the current conflict toward the Primordial World’s ability to withstand future invasions.

Key plot points

• Tongtian decides to intervene more directly in the Primordial World, aiming to raise its overall strength and eventually bring it under his rule in place of the Heavenly Dao.
• Yingzhao and Jiu Ying begin breakthroughs into the Primordial Origin Realm, backed by the Demon Heavenly Court. Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi guard them against possible Witch Clan interference.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches learn of the attempt but decide not to sabotage it. They believe it is more honorable to face the Demon Race openly after the breakthroughs.
• Despite Dijiang’s concern that stronger demons could threaten the Witch Clan, the other Ancestral Witches dismiss the risk. Meanwhile, Yingzhao and Jiu Ying’s auras pass the threshold of the new realm and begin to stabilize, prompting hopes that the Demon Heavenly Court will soon gain its first Primordial Origin experts.

Character developments and interactions

• Di Jun senses that the danger surrounding the breakthroughs may not come from the Witches, though he and Taiyi still take precautions. Their excitement grows as the breakthroughs appear successful.
• Dijiang acts as the cautious leader, worrying about the Witch Clan’s future and considering the consequences of stronger rivals.
• Zhurong and Gonggong turn a discussion about the Demon Race into their familiar argument and near-fight, showing how their personal hostility routinely disrupts serious deliberations.
• Xuanming and the other Ancestral Witches share the view that they should not use underhanded tactics. Houtu might be more receptive to Dijiang’s concerns, but the clan’s rigid attitude toward battle limits her influence.
• Tongtian shifts from occasional, impulsive interference toward a far-reaching plan for control of the Primordial World.

Significant themes

• Honor versus strategy: The Witches reject attacking enemies during their breakthroughs, even when Dijiang sees the danger of doing so.
• Factional strength and rivalry: The Demon Race’s rise could upset the balance of power between the Demon Heavenly Court and the Witch Clan.
• Temperament and leadership: The Ancestral Witches’ bluntness and readiness to fight contrast with Dijiang’s responsibility to think strategically.
• Ambition and control: Tongtian’s plans extend beyond strengthening the world to ultimately ruling it.

Plot points and events

• Yingzhao and Jiu Ying’s successful breakthroughs make Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi optimistic that many Demon Heavenly Court experts may soon reach the Primordial Origin Realm.
• They imagine the Heavenly Court becoming the Primordial World’s dominant power, but remind themselves that breakthroughs are uncertain and the Witch Clan could interfere.
• Lightning Tribulations form over Yingzhao and Jiu Ying. Their fellow demons retreat, while both candidates focus entirely on surviving.
• The chapter emphasizes the Heavenly Court’s unequal distribution of resources: Di Jun and Taiyi reserve the rarest life-saving treasures for themselves, even withholding them from Kunpeng.
• The growing number of Primordial Origin Realm experts threatens the rulers’ authority. Yingzhao is considered loyal, but Jiu Ying might leave for the Phoenix Clan or demand a higher position.
• Empress Wa’s brief association with the Heavenly Court is another source of embarrassment: she is now known as Tongtian’s disciple, not a member of their court.
• The Beast Emperor Palace, already home to seven Primordial Origin Realm experts and connected to the Three Clans, has decided to enter worldly affairs. As Yingzhao and Jiu Ying face their tribulations, a Primordial Origin Realm aura suddenly spreads across the world.

Character developments and interactions

• Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi swing between excitement over a stronger Heavenly Court and anxiety about failed breakthroughs, Witch Clan interference, and the loss of their authority. Their treatment of other demons is revealed as pragmatic and hierarchical.
• Yingzhao and Jiu Ying are intensely focused on surviving their tribulations, knowing failure could leave them without support or precious resources. Their impending advancement may alter their standing in the court.
• Kunpeng is named as an example of even high-ranking subordinates being denied the rulers’ best resources.
• The Beast Emperor Palace acts in support of Tongtian’s decision to enter the world, setting the stage for a major shift in the balance of power.

Significant themes

• Power and legitimacy: The rulers’ authority depends on remaining stronger than their subordinates; rising experts could challenge that order.
• Scarcity and favoritism: Resources are concentrated among the leadership, leaving others vulnerable.
• Ambition versus uncertainty: The Demon rulers envision supremacy, but tribulations, rivals, and shifting allegiances threaten their plans.
• Changing balance of power: The Beast Emperor Palace’s move into worldly affairs signals that the existing struggle for dominance may soon be transformed.

Chapter Summary

Beast Emperor Shen Ni’s aura spreads across the Primordial World, alarming Demon Emperor Di Jun, who fears the Beast Emperor Palace may target the Demon Heavenly Court. His concern eases briefly when the aura does not disrupt Yingzhao and Jiu Ying’s tribulations, but the Palace’s sudden declaration soon confirms that it intends to intervene in worldly affairs.
Shen Ni announces that the Beast Emperor Palace is formally emerging under the authority of his master, Tongtian. The Palace forbids large-scale warfare, bars quasi-saint experts and above from participating in battles, and warns the Demon Heavenly Court to stop waging major campaigns against the Witch Clan. Quasi-saints are also invited to the Palace for instruction. Di Jun must accept the restrictions, while the wider world is stunned that the previously aloof Palace has begun exercising its authority.
Shen Ni also declares Houtu of the Twelve Ancestral Witches to be his junior sister. Houtu is bewildered, since she has never met Shen Ni or the Palace’s other origin-realm experts, but quickly sees potential benefits for her people. She hopes Tongtian may provide cultivation methods that would let the Witch Clan grow stronger beyond its fixed, inherited talents.
Houtu prepares to travel to the Palace, with Xuanming supporting her decision. The other Ancestral Witches raise no objections, though Xuanming suggests that Houtu bring gifts when visiting her new master.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Di Jun shifts from cautious relief to renewed anxiety as the Beast Emperor Palace makes its position explicit. His Heavenly Court is now under direct pressure to limit its war with the Witch Clan.
• Houtu moves from confusion to practical optimism, treating her unexpected new status as a chance to improve the Witch Clan’s future.
• Xuanming questions Houtu about her supposed connection to Shen Ni, then advises her to prepare a gift. Their exchange shows both her concern and her pragmatism.
• Shen Ni and Tongtian assert the Palace’s authority through a public decree, reshaping the balance of power without yet engaging in battle.

Significant Themes

• Power and political authority: The Beast Emperor Palace’s emergence establishes a force capable of restraining the Demon Heavenly Court and the Witch Clan.
• The costs of war: Restrictions on large-scale conflict aim to prevent powerful beings from escalating the Demon–Witch struggle.
• Inherited limits versus cultivation: The Witch Clan’s fixed bloodline potential contrasts with the prospect of cultivation methods that could allow its members to advance independently.
• Unexpected status and opportunity: Houtu’s unexplained elevation creates confusion, but she quickly recognizes its possible value to her people.

Key plot points and events

• Houtu prepares to visit Beast Emperor Shen Ni and meet her fellow disciples. Though she considers bringing gifts, the other Ancestral Witches persuade her that the Witch Clan has nothing suitable, so she travels without them.
• Yingzhao and Jiu Ying near the end of their Heavenly Tribulations. Their trials are difficult but survivable, and both successfully reach the primordial origin realm.
• Their breakthroughs give the Demon Heavenly Court two cultivators of that level. Di Jun briefly considers using this advantage to destroy the Witch Clan.
• That prospect changes when Shen Ni’s new rules bar Quasi-Saints and stronger cultivators from participating in battles. Since Houtu has also become Shen Ni’s junior sister, Di Jun wonders whether the decree is meant to favor her or target the Demon Race.
• Di Jun concludes that the restrictions apply to both sides and may actually protect the Demon Heavenly Court, since they prevent powerful Ancestral Witches from joining the fighting too.
• Many ordinary demons, who expected Yingzhao and Jiu Ying’s breakthroughs to trigger a decisive war, are frustrated that the conflict has effectively been halted. After completing his own breakthrough, Jiu Ying asks Di Jun what Shen Ni’s order means.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu shows deference to her new master and consideration toward her future fellow disciples, but follows her siblings’ advice and travels lightly.
• Di Jun weighs the political and military implications of Shen Ni’s decree. Though suspicious at first, he reasons that it restrains both the Witch and Demon Clans.
• Eastern Emperor Taiyi shares the Demon Race’s confusion, despite being less openly angry. He turns to Di Jun for an explanation.
• Yingzhao and Jiu Ying endure their tribulations and emerge as powerful new members of the Demon Heavenly Court.
• The Ancestral Witches’ confidence rests on their collective strength, while ordinary demons’ desire for war clashes with the leaders’ need to consider the wider balance of power.

Significant themes

• Power and its limits: Even mighty cultivators can die in Heavenly Tribulations, and strength alone does not guarantee survival.
• Talent and cultivation: Strength helps one withstand a tribulation; talent shapes how effectively one can do so.
• Deterrence and restraint: Shen Ni’s ban on powerful fighters may prevent a catastrophic war, even as it frustrates those hoping for victory.
• Leadership and perspective: Di Jun sees strategic consequences that ordinary members of the Demon Race overlook.

Key plot points and events

• Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi discuss Beast Emperor Shen Ni’s ban on war. They do not understand its purpose, but know they cannot defy the Beast Emperor Palace.
• Di Jun leaves the Demon Heavenly Court to investigate the order in person, hoping to question the powerful figures at the Beast Emperor Palace. Taiyi stays behind to govern and postpones his own breakthrough until Di Jun returns.
• Di Jun’s departure becomes widely known, prompting some Demon leaders to consider exploiting his absence and the new Primordial Origin Realm strength within their ranks.
• Newly promoted Jiu Ying is secluded in cultivation, digesting the rewards and insights from his breakthrough. Unlike naturally advanced cultivators such as Nuwa and Shen Ni, he and Yingzhao must work to understand and assimilate their new power.
• A Demon General petitions to attack the Witch Clan. Taiyi rejects the proposal, citing Shen Ni’s prohibition, despite believing the Demon forces could now challenge the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Character developments

• Di Jun acts cautiously: he obeys the Beast Emperor Palace while seeking clarity, and entrusts Taiyi with protecting the Heavenly Court.
• Eastern Emperor Taiyi shows restraint and responsibility. Though eager to fight and prepare for his own breakthrough, he prioritizes stability and compliance.
• Jiu Ying faces the difficult work of mastering his new realm, highlighting that a breakthrough does not immediately translate into fully usable strength.
• Demon faction leaders reveal growing ambition: some seek a powerful patron for protection, while others want conquest and independence from the Beast Emperor Palace.

Character interactions

• Di Jun and Taiyi coordinate over the crisis, with Di Jun assigning Taiyi to remain in command.
• Taiyi confronts the warmongering Demon General and shuts down his proposal by invoking Shen Ni’s decree.
• The Demon leaders gather outside Jiu Ying’s palace, silently united by their interest in the shifting balance of power.

Significant themes

• Power and obedience: The Demon Heavenly Court’s strength has grown, but it remains subordinate to the far greater Beast Emperor Palace.
• Political instability: New powerful cultivators reshape internal hierarchies and encourage rival ambitions.
• Patience and responsibility: Taiyi restrains his desire for war and delays his breakthrough to protect the realm.
• Growth through understanding: Cultivators must comprehend and absorb the lessons of a breakthrough before they can fully wield its rewards.

Key plot points and events

• Many lower-ranking demons believe the Demon Race has grown strong enough to rival the Beast Emperor Palace and the Witch Clan. Seeing the Demon Heavenly Court’s two Primordial Origin Realm experts as proof of its growing power, they gather outside Jiu Ying’s palace and urge him to break away and establish himself as another demon emperor.
• Jiu Ying rejects the proposal. Having witnessed the Beast Emperor Palace’s strength while serving Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi, he knows the Demon Race cannot safely challenge it. He warns that even the Heavenly Court and Witch Clan could be destroyed if the Beast Emperor Palace chose to act.
• Jiu Ying sends the demons away after telling them to abandon the idea. They comply for now, though the chapter suggests their frustration may persist because resources within the Demon Race are unevenly distributed.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiu Ying emerges from seclusion as a newly advanced Primordial Origin Realm expert. Rather than becoming ambitious, he shows caution and a clear understanding of the power imbalance in the Primordial World. He feels both fear and helplessness at the other demons’ ignorance, but still takes time to warn them.
• The gathered demons reveal their inexperience and overconfidence. They mistake the Demon Race’s recent gains for the ability to stand independently, and are bewildered when Jiu Ying refuses to lead them.
• Yingzhao is mentioned as an obvious loyalist to Di Jun, making him an unsuitable target for recruitment. His fierce temper also makes approaching him with a rebellion proposal dangerous.
• The chapter highlights the contrast between Jiu Ying’s firsthand knowledge and the lower-ranking demons’ limited perspective.

Significant themes

• Power and perspective: Those who have witnessed the strongest factions understand how limited their own strength is; those who have not tend to overestimate it.
• Ambition versus survival: Jiu Ying rejects independence not out of deep loyalty, but because remaining within the Heavenly Court offers the best chance of influence and security.
• Internal inequality and future unrest: Uneven resource allocation is presented as a lasting source of resentment, even though the chapter argues that resources are generally directed toward the most talented and promising demons.

Key plot points and events

• Jiu Ying tells Eastern Emperor Taiyi that some demons resent the Beast Emperor Palace and may want to challenge its authority. He reports the incident to avoid later blame, not out of deep loyalty.
• Taiyi is unsurprised: the Demon Race is powerful by reputation but still far weaker than the Beast Emperor Palace. Di Jun intends to gauge the Palace’s intentions and submit rather than risk a hopeless fight.
• On his way to the Palace, Di Jun senses Houtu but avoids contact. The Witch and Demon Clans have opposing positions, though Houtu herself would prefer peaceful coexistence and questions why her people must prey on demons.
• Houtu enters the Beast Emperor Palace without trouble, but Di Jun is stopped at the gate. Though humiliated, he dares not openly protest.
• Yuanfeng asks why he has come. Di Jun seeks clarification about the Palace’s decree restricting powerful beings from acting in the Primordial World. Yuanfeng makes clear that the rule applies equally to the Demon Heavenly Court and the Witch Clan, with no special exemption for the demons.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiu Ying shows practical caution: he informs Taiyi to protect himself, while remaining within the Demon Heavenly Court until he knows it is safe to leave.
• Taiyi understands the Demon Race’s weakness and the need to avoid provoking the Palace.
• Di Jun is pragmatic and respectful toward Yuanfeng, but still hopes the Demon Race might receive favorable treatment. Being barred from entry leaves him frustrated and exposes the limits of his standing.
• Houtu and Di Jun avoid direct interaction because of their factions’ hostility, though Houtu is open in principle to peaceful relations.
• Yuanfeng calmly reinforces the Palace’s authority and impartiality.

Significant themes

• Unequal power and resources: Unequal distribution is portrayed as normal; fairness does not mean equal shares.
• Pragmatism over pride: Di Jun chooses submission over a futile confrontation, despite his status and resentment.
• Universal equality before authority: The Beast Emperor Palace treats all races alike and will not grant the Demon Race special consideration.
• The difficulty of peace: Houtu’s wish for coexistence conflicts with the Witch Clan’s innate dependence on demon-beast bloodlines and mutual distrust between the factions.

Key plot points and events

• The Beast Emperor Palace declares that it will oversee the Primordial World, forbidding the Demon Heavenly Court and the Witch Clan from fighting. It warns that any faction that disobeys may be punished.
• Di Jun considers resisting but concludes that the Demon Heavenly Court has no chance against the Palace. Its hundreds of millions of soldiers and powerful battle formations cannot match the Palace’s hundreds of thousands of Quasi-Saints and seven primordial-origin beings.
• Yuanfeng urges Di Jun to keep the Demon Heavenly Court calm, saying the Palace does not wish to harm the world’s creatures. Her warning suggests there are hidden factors behind the Palace’s intervention.
• Di Jun leaves unsettled, unable to explain the ban to his subjects. He sees conflict with the Witch Clan as essential to maintaining the Demon Race’s unity and fighting spirit.
• After Di Jun departs, Yuanfeng returns to the Palace, where Houtu sits with Beast Emperor Shen Ni. Shen Ni offers to accept Houtu as his master’s disciple.

Character developments

• Di Jun shifts from defiant pride to reluctant recognition of the Palace’s overwhelming power. Though he avoids open resistance, he remains troubled by the political and practical consequences of obeying.
• Yuanfeng acts as a firm but restrained authority: she enforces the Palace’s command while hinting that its motives are more complex than Di Jun understands.
• Houtu appears in a new, significant position at the Palace, with the prospect of becoming a disciple.
• Shen Ni takes a direct role in Houtu’s future by offering to arrange her discipleship.

Significant themes

• Power and submission: The Palace’s strength makes its authority effectively unquestionable.
• War as political glue: Di Jun believes fighting is necessary to unify and control the Demon Race.
• Hidden motives and unequal advantage: The Palace’s intervention seems tied to secrets beyond Di Jun’s knowledge, while the Three Clans’ extraordinary number of Quasi-Saints raises questions about their privileged resources.
• Authority versus autonomy: Di Jun remains Heavenly Emperor, but his ability to govern is constrained by both his subjects’ demands and the Palace’s orders.

Character interactions

• Di Jun challenges the Palace’s authority only inwardly; in conversation with Yuanfeng, he accepts the situation and prepares to leave.
• Yuanfeng warns him not to let the Demon Heavenly Court escalate the conflict, and her meaningful look deepens his suspicion that he lacks important information.
• Shen Ni addresses Houtu directly with an offer of discipleship, setting up a new relationship and likely development.

Plot points and events

• Beast Emperor Shen Ni offers Houtu the chance to become Tongtian’s disciple, explaining that Tongtian does not force anyone to accept.
• Houtu hesitates because her duty to the Witch Clan conflicts with the protection and status she would gain as a disciple.
• Yuanfeng reassures her that the Beast Emperor Palace has forbidden powerful beings from intervening and banned slaughter of ordinary creatures and large-scale battles. These restrictions are meant to prevent devastating wars across the Primordial World.
• Shen Ni adds that Tongtian has prepared cultivation methods for the Witch Clan and permits Houtu to teach them to her people.
• Houtu realizes the offer will help protect and strengthen her clan. She accepts, receives several techniques, and plans to return to the Witch Clan to share them. Yuanfeng is assigned to accompany her.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu shows her compassion and loyalty: she initially fears that becoming Tongtian’s disciple would leave the Witch Clan vulnerable, but accepts once she understands the new protections and resources available to them. She is grateful that Tongtian has considered her people’s future.
• Shen Ni acts as a respectful intermediary, following Tongtian’s orders without pretending to know his motives. He welcomes Houtu as his junior sister after she bows.
• Yuanfeng clarifies the Beast Emperor Palace’s peacekeeping rules and is later tasked with accompanying Houtu.
• Tongtian, though absent, shapes the chapter through his policies and gifts. He offers the Witch Clan a path to grow while leaving Houtu free to choose her own cultivation direction.

Significant themes

• Duty versus personal advancement: Houtu’s decision is guided by concern for her clan, not merely her own safety.
• Peace through restraint: The Beast Emperor Palace seeks to prevent mass violence and protect ordinary beings.
• Equality and opportunity: Tongtian regards the Witch Clan as part of the wider world and believes it deserves its own cultivation methods.
• Freedom of choice: Houtu receives several techniques but must choose for herself, making her future her responsibility.