Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Drive Back the True Luo Crown Prince”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yun Qingyao reveals that she has cultivated to the mid-stage Ninth-Rank Ghost Emperor realm by absorbing energy from the Yin Soul Tide, making her one of the Yin Realm’s strongest figures.
• The True Luo Crown Prince dismisses her threat and attacks her with the True Luo Immortal Sword.
• Yun Qingyao counters with the Death Immortal Diagram, which creates a terrifying Death Kingdom. Although the Crown Prince uses a dark-gold banner to disperse the deathly energy, Yun Qingyao still wounds and forces him back with a death spear.
• Lu Ren joins the battle, attacking the Crown Prince from behind with the Chaos Ancient Sword. Together, Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao overwhelm him.
• The Crown Prince activates the True Luo Ancient Scripture and unleashes powerful Transcendence Power, but Lu Ren counters with the Azure Dragon Ancient Scripture and suppresses him instead.
• After repeated clashes, the Crown Prince is badly beaten and ultimately escapes by transforming into a strand of Chaos Calamity. His retreat shocks the surrounding cultivators, as he is the leading powerhouse of True Luo Heaven.
• Lu Ren drives away the remaining faction cultivators. He, Yun Qingyao, and Mu Hanxue then follow the Yin Soul Tide underground into a vast Underground World.
• Yun Qingyao realizes that the Yin Soul Tide is moving faster and may soon reach the Taixu Immortal Bone, which would allow her to obtain the Yin Soul Ghost Pearl.
• Before they can proceed far, a group of female cultivators from Floral Heaven appears and surrounds them. Their leader reveals that she secretly marked Yun Qingyao with special flower pollen, allowing them to track and identify the true Yin Soul Tide.
• The Floral Heaven cultivators announce their intention to compete for the Taixu Immortal Bone, provoking Lu Ren’s hostility.

Character Developments

• Yun Qingyao: Demonstrates her immense growth and combat strength as a Ninth-Rank Ghost Emperor. Her Death Immortal Diagram and death spears prove powerful enough to seriously threaten the True Luo Crown Prince. Her ambition to obtain the Yin Soul Ghost Pearl becomes clearer.
• Lu Ren: Shows that his Azure Dragon Ancient Scripture has reached an advanced, possibly perfected level. He successfully suppresses the Crown Prince’s True Luo Ancient Scripture and proves capable of defeating a top-tier opponent when cooperating with Yun Qingyao.
• True Luo Crown Prince: His arrogance is shattered when he is overwhelmed by Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao. Forced to flee, he remains determined to take revenge and is likely to pursue them secretly.
• Mu Hanxue: Remains alongside Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao as they enter the Underground World, though she does not directly participate in the battle.
• Floral Heaven’s female cultivators: They are revealed to be observant and strategically resourceful, having tracked Yun Qingyao through hidden pollen.

Significant Themes

• The power of cooperation: Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao’s combined attacks defeat an opponent neither might easily overcome alone.
• Arrogance versus strength: The True Luo Crown Prince initially underestimates Yun Qingyao but is forced to retreat when her power and Lu Ren’s abilities exceed his expectations.
• Competition over supreme treasures: The Taixu Immortal Bone and Yin Soul Ghost Pearl attract powerful factions, escalating the conflict.
• Pursuit and hidden schemes: The Crown Prince’s escape and Floral Heaven’s secret tracking show that the struggle will continue through pursuit, surveillance, and factional maneuvering.
• Advancement through rare resources: Yun Qingyao’s cultivation and the factions’ interest in the Yin Soul Tide emphasize the importance of extraordinary treasures and environments.

Character Interactions

• Yun Qingyao directly challenges the dismissive True Luo Crown Prince and battles him with the Death Immortal Diagram.
• Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao coordinate their attacks, repeatedly suppressing and injuring the Crown Prince.
• Lu Ren taunts the surrounding cultivators after the Crown Prince’s escape, ordering them to leave.
• Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao discuss the accelerating Yin Soul Tide and the urgency of reaching the Taixu Immortal Bone.
• The Floral Heaven leader admits to secretly marking Yun Qingyao, creating a new confrontation with Lu Ren and his group over control of the treasure.

Chapter Summary: “Treasury Appears”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hua Suiyi, Young Sect Master of the Flower Immortal Sect, approaches Lu Ren and proposes an alliance to obtain the Taixu Immortal Bone.
• She offers Lu Ren the Taixu Immortal Bone while claiming all the Immortal Slaying Soldiers within the treasury. Any other resources will be divided equally.
• Hua Suiyi reveals that the Taixu Immortal Bone is hidden inside a treasury protected by eighteen grand formations, each guarded by a powerful Immortal Slaying Soldier. The formations must be broken one by one.
• Lu Ren consults Yun Qingyao and Mu Hanxue. Although Mu Hanxue distrusts Hua Suiyi, Lu Ren accepts the alliance, recognizing that both sides intend to use each other.
• The group follows the Yin Soul Tide for three days until it transforms into a violent Yin Soul Storm, tearing open a spatial rift and revealing the treasury.
• Yun Qingyao determines that the storm is gradually weakening and explains that removing the Yin Soul Ghost Pearl will cause it to disappear.
• After waiting three hours, Yun Qingyao enters the storm. One hour later, the storm dissipates, revealing a massive golden treasury floating in the Underground World.
• The group enters the treasury, where they discover an illusory passage containing the first of the eighteen grand formations.
• Lu Ren urges everyone to move quickly, since outside forces will be able to pass through any formations already broken. The group enters the first formation and is immediately subjected to a powerful, body-tearing force.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren remains cautious and pragmatic. He initially distrusts Hua Suiyi’s proposal but accepts after realizing that cooperation gives his group a better chance of reaching the Taixu Immortal Bone.
• Hua Suiyi demonstrates intelligence, confidence, and strategic ambition. She openly admits her limited chances of obtaining the bone alone and seeks the Immortal Slaying Soldiers as compensation for her assistance.
• Yun Qingyao displays exceptional knowledge and ability. She identifies the treasury’s location, understands the Yin Soul Storm’s nature, and successfully enters it to remove the Yin Soul Ghost Pearl.
• Mu Hanxue serves as the group’s voice of caution, warning Lu Ren that Hua Suiyi and her followers may betray them.
• The Flower Immortal Sect’s eleven Nine Calamities Transcendence experts join the expedition, significantly increasing the group’s strength.

Significant Themes

• Strategic cooperation and mutual exploitation: Both Lu Ren’s group and Hua Suiyi’s faction recognize that their alliance is based on shared advantage rather than trust.
• Competition and urgency: The groups must break the treasury’s formations before rival experts arrive and benefit from their efforts.
• Risk versus reward: The Taixu Immortal Bone and Immortal Slaying Soldiers are valuable enough to justify facing the deadly storm and formations.
• Power and preparation: Success depends not only on individual strength but also on intelligence, timing, and specialized abilities.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Hua Suiyi negotiate the terms of their alliance, with Lu Ren warning her against betrayal.
• Lu Ren consults Yun Qingyao and Mu Hanxue before accepting the cooperation.
• Hua Suiyi praises Yun Qingyao’s insight after she identifies the treasury.
• Lu Ren shows concern for Yun Qingyao’s safety before she enters the Yin Soul Storm.
• Once inside, Hua Suiyi takes the lead into the treasury, while Lu Ren emphasizes the need to break the formations before competing factions arrive.

Chapter Summary: Spatial Tidal Grand Formation

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren awakens trapped inside the Spatial Tidal Grand Formation, a storm made of violent spatial energy rather than wind.
• Hua Suiyi identifies the formation and explains that its core is the Tidal Immortal Gourd, an Immortal-Smiting weapon. Removing it will break the formation.
• The group struggles against the storm’s currents and the weapons formed from spatial power. Everyone is injured or repeatedly forced back.
• Lu Ren consults the Immortal-Smiting Iron, which advises him to locate the area where the tidal energy is most concentrated.
• After enduring the storm long enough to sense the energy flow, Lu Ren asks the others to protect him while he reaches the formation core.
• Yun Qingyao, Mu Hanxue, Hua Suiyi, and the other cultivators destroy the spatial weapons blocking his path. Lu Ren reaches the altar and uses the Chaos Ancient Sword to destroy the formation.
• Lu Ren retrieves the Tidal Immortal Gourd, but refuses to hand it immediately to Hua Suiyi. He argues that the person who breaks a formation should collect its treasure first, promising to give her all the Immortal-Smiting treasures after obtaining the Taixu Immortal Bone.
• Before the group can recover and continue, Huang Xuanwu of Golden Luo Heaven arrives. Seeing their weakened state, he intends to kill them and claim the Taixu Immortal Bone.
• Yun Qingyao recognizes Huang Xuanwu as an old enemy who once besieged her. Huang Xuanwu also remembers her and vows revenge.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Lu Ren demonstrates strong adaptability and leadership. Though initially unable to control himself within the formation, he studies the tidal energy, identifies the core, and successfully breaks the formation.
• Hua Suiyi begins doubting her decision to cooperate with Lu Ren when he appears unable to resist the formation. Her confidence returns after he succeeds, confirming her belief in his talent. Their exchange also reveals underlying mistrust: Lu Ren suspects she sees him merely as a tool.
• Yun Qingyao, Mu Hanxue, Hua Suiyi, and the Flower Immortal Sect cultivators work together to defend Lu Ren, showing cooperation despite their competing interests.
• Huang Xuanwu is introduced as a powerful and vengeful opponent. His past conflict with Yun Qingyao immediately creates a personal dimension to the coming confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Teamwork and mutual dependence: Lu Ren can locate and destroy the core, but he needs the others to protect him from the formation’s attacks.
• Trust and ulterior motives: The alliance is practical rather than fully sincere, especially between Lu Ren and Hua Suiyi.
• Resourcefulness over brute strength: Lu Ren succeeds by observing the formation and finding its energy center instead of simply overpowering it.
• Risk and ambition: The group endures serious danger to pursue the Taixu Immortal Bone and the treasures within the formations.
• Past grudges: Huang Xuanwu’s arrival introduces revenge as a major motivation and threatens to turn the group’s victory into a new crisis.

Chapter Summary: “The Second Grand Array”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren confronts Huang Xuanwu, warning him not to harm Yun Qingyao. Huang dismisses the injured group and attacks Lu Ren with his spear.
• Lu Ren, Yun Qingyao, Hua Suiyi, and the others join forces against Huang Xuanwu. Although Huang possesses immense power—at least 850 million calamities—the combined group gains the upper hand, especially because Yun Qingyao uses the Death Immortal Diagram to restrain him.
• After several exchanges, Huang is forced to retreat. Hua Suiyi proposes cooperation so they can pass through the Taixu Treasury’s eighteen grand arrays, agreeing that they will compete separately for the Taixu Immortal Bone later.
• Huang arrogantly enters the Second Grand Array alone but soon emerges wounded, having failed to overcome it. He explains that the array manifests a Primordial Flood Crocodile with nearly impenetrable defenses and suggests that killing it may be the key to breaking the array.
• While everyone heals, Lu Ren assesses Huang as potentially stronger than the True Luo Crown Prince but believes their united group can still suppress him. Yun Qingyao privately warns Lu Ren that both Huang and Hua Suiyi may betray them once the Taixu Immortal Bone is within reach.
• The group enters the Second Grand Array and finds themselves in an ancient city surrounded by a powerful, primordial calamity aura that strengthens their Calamity Origin and Calamity Power.
• The Primordial Flood Crocodile suddenly attacks Mu Hanxue. Lu Ren attempts to defend him but is knocked back by the creature’s tail, revealing its extraordinary defensive strength.
• Mu Hanxue freezes the crocodile with blood-colored frost, allowing Huang Xuanwu to pierce its head with his spear. However, the creature breaks free, injures no one decisively, and begins fleeing. Huang warns that it must be stopped before it can recover and return.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Demonstrates leadership and courage by confronting Huang and protecting his companions. He remains confident in his group’s strength but harbors a clear willingness to kill Huang if betrayed.
• Yun Qingyao: Shows her importance in battle through the Death Immortal Diagram. She is cautious and perceptive, recognizing that both Huang Xuanwu and Hua Suiyi may become enemies later.
• Huang Xuanwu: His arrogance is challenged when he fails to break the array alone and is forced to cooperate. Though extremely powerful, he is shown to be vulnerable and reliant on the group’s assistance.
• Hua Suiyi: Acts as a practical negotiator by proposing temporary cooperation, while her motives remain uncertain due to the immense value of the Taixu Immortal Bone.
• Mu Hanxue: Reveals a powerful blood-frost ability capable of temporarily immobilizing the Primordial Flood Crocodile, establishing him as a crucial asset against the array’s guardian.

Significant Themes

• Temporary alliances and mistrust: The characters must cooperate to survive the grand arrays, even while anticipating betrayal over the Taixu Immortal Bone.
• Arrogance versus reality: Huang Xuanwu’s confidence is undermined when the Second Grand Array proves beyond his individual ability.
• Collective strength: The group’s combined power, particularly Yun Qingyao’s restraint and Mu Hanxue’s freezing technique, allows them to challenge enemies stronger than any one member.
• Danger and strategic combat: The grand array is not merely a battlefield but a self-contained trial with unique rules, powerful guardians, and the possibility that escape may allow enemies to recover.
• Competition for ultimate treasure: Cooperation is only temporary, since all factions ultimately intend to fight for the Taixu Immortal Bone.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Huang Xuanwu openly clash, with Lu Ren defending Yun Qingyao and Huang responding with contempt.
• Hua Suiyi mediates between the two sides, persuading Huang to cooperate rather than continue a battle that could weaken everyone.
• Yun Qingyao privately counsels Lu Ren to remain wary of both Huang and Hua Suiyi, strengthening their strategic partnership.
• Lu Ren attempts to protect Mu Hanxue from the crocodile, while Mu Hanxue independently restrains it with frost.
• Huang Xuanwu and Mu Hanxue’s abilities combine effectively against the crocodile, but the creature survives and escapes, setting up the next stage of the conflict.

Chapter Summary: “Calamity Spirit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yun Qingyao, Hua Suiyi, Lu Ren, Huang Xuanwu, and the others combine their attacks to kill the Primordial Flood Crocodile. Despite its death, the formation trapping them remains intact.
• The crocodile’s corpse transforms into a Calamity Spirit, a rare energy source closely connected to the Immortal Path Origin. Little Broken Tower explains that refining it can greatly increase one’s Calamity Power.
• Lu Ren attempts to seize the Calamity Spirit, but Huang Xuanwu attacks him to claim it. Lu Ren uses Destiny Transfer, redirecting Huang’s spear attack back onto Huang while remaining unharmed. He successfully obtains the first Calamity Spirit.
• A powerful but extremely fast Dragon Sparrow suddenly attacks the group, targeting Mu Hanxue because he is the weakest. Lu Ren protects Mu Hanxue and drives the beast back.
• The Dragon Sparrow then attacks a Flower Immortal Sect cultivator, severing one of his arms. Hua Suiyi proposes that the group cooperate to restrain it while Lu Ren and Huang Xuanwu compete to kill it.
• Hua Suiyi and the other Flower Immortal Sect members deploy the Flower Realm Formation, trapping the Dragon Sparrow inside a shrinking lotus barrier.
• Huang Xuanwu enters the barrier to kill the beast, but Lu Ren tricks him again: Lu Ren asks Yun Qingyao to attack him, then uses Destiny Transfer to redirect her sword strike onto Huang. This interrupts Huang’s attack and allows Lu Ren to kill the Dragon Sparrow with one sword strike.
• The Dragon Sparrow also transforms into a Calamity Spirit, which Lu Ren claims.
• Huang Xuanwu angrily accuses Lu Ren of unfairly using Yun Qingyao’s assistance. Lu Ren points out that their agreement only concerned who killed the beast, not whether others could help.
• Rather than abandon the contest, Huang insists on continuing, hoping to obtain enough Calamity Power to become stronger even if the formation cannot be broken. Lu Ren accepts the challenge.
• The group searches the city but finds no more beasts, and the surroundings fall into an ominous silence.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren displays confidence, tactical ingenuity, and a willingness to exploit the exact wording of agreements. His Destiny Transfer technique proves extremely effective against stronger opponents, allowing him to claim both Calamity Spirits.
• Huang Xuanwu becomes increasingly frustrated and competitive after being repeatedly outmaneuvered by Lu Ren. His desire for the Calamity Spirits—worth roughly twenty million calamities of power—drives him to continue competing despite the setbacks.
• Yun Qingyao quickly understands Lu Ren’s plan and cooperates with him, demonstrating trust and strong combat coordination.
• Hua Suiyi acts as a practical leader, organizing the Flower Immortal Sect’s formation and encouraging cooperation when the Dragon Sparrow’s speed makes individual combat difficult.
• Mu Hanxue is established as the weakest member of the group and becomes a natural target for the monsters, prompting Lu Ren to protect him.
• The Flower Immortal Sect cultivators demonstrate their collective strength by forming the Flower Realm Formation, though one member is seriously injured.

Significant Themes

• Competition versus cooperation: The characters must work together against powerful beasts, yet their desire for rare treasures repeatedly creates internal rivalry.
• Strategy over brute strength: Lu Ren’s Destiny Transfer allows him to defeat or disrupt stronger opponents through clever manipulation rather than direct power.
• Greed and ambition: The enormous value of Calamity Spirits causes Huang Xuanwu and Lu Ren to compete even while trapped in an unknown formation.
• Trust and coordination: Yun Qingyao and Hua Suiyi support the group effectively, contrasting with Huang’s increasingly self-centered pursuit of treasure.
• Ominous uncertainty: The unbroken formation and sudden silence of the city suggest that the true danger may not be the beasts already encountered.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Huang Xuanwu become direct rivals over the Calamity Spirits, repeatedly trying to outmaneuver one another.
• Lu Ren relies on Yun Qingyao’s understanding and cooperation to redirect attacks and defeat the Dragon Sparrow.
• Hua Suiyi coordinates the Flower Immortal Sect’s cultivators and negotiates a temporary cooperative arrangement between Lu Ren and Huang.
• Lu Ren protects Mu Hanxue from the Dragon Sparrow, reinforcing his role as a capable defender of the group.
• Huang challenges Lu Ren’s methods as unfair, but Lu Ren counters that he has violated none of their agreed rules.

Chapter Summary: “Five Ferocious Beasts”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hua Suiyi questions why no third ferocious beast has appeared after the first two.
• Yun Qingyao suggests splitting into groups to search the ancient city and lure out any hidden beasts so everyone can cooperate against them.
• The group divides into:
  • Lu Ren, Yun Qingyao, and Mu Hanxue
  • Hua Suiyi
  • Huang Xuanwu
• Immortal-Smiting Iron identifies the formation as the Illusory Extinction Calamity Beast Array, powered by the Beast-Summoning Soul Banner.
• It explains that the array contains ten ferocious beasts divided into two groups of five. The second group will only appear ten years after the first five are killed, meaning the array is designed to force successive entrants into conflict.
• Yun Qingyao struggles against the array’s powerful calamity aura, though the Death Immortal Diagram protects her. Lu Ren advises her to hide and refine the Yin Soul Ghost Pearl while he and Mu Hanxue continue searching.
• A giant black spider ambushes Lu Ren and Mu Hanxue with a web reinforced by killing intent. The web resists both Lu Ren’s sword and Mu Hanxue’s ice.
• Lu Ren uses Void of Destiny to escape the web, then kills the spider by piercing its head with the Chaos Ancient Sword. He collects its Calamity Spirit and frees Mu Hanxue.
• Hua Suiyi and Huang Xuanwu each report killing another ferocious beast and obtaining a Calamity Spirit.
• With the two beasts previously killed, the spider and the beasts slain by Hua Suiyi and Huang Xuanwu account for all five beasts in the first group.
• Lu Ren claims there are no beasts left and suggests everyone cultivate within the array, while Huang Xuanwu and Hua Suiyi initially intend to continue searching.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren becomes more cautious and strategic after learning the true nature of the array. Rather than merely hunting beasts, he recognizes that the participants are being manipulated by a hidden “Chess Player.”
• He demonstrates improved combat ability and composure by escaping the spider’s trap and killing it quickly.
• Yun Qingyao shows resilience despite discomfort from the calamity aura. She agrees to withdraw temporarily and refine the Yin Soul Ghost Pearl.
• Mu Hanxue remains confident and playful during the ambush, even joking about being trapped against Lu Ren, but becomes frightened when the spider approaches. Her trust in Lu Ren is reinforced by his rescue.
• Hua Suiyi and Huang Xuanwu each successfully defeat a ferocious beast, proving their combat capabilities, though Huang Xuanwu remains eager to keep searching.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and being used as chess pieces: The array’s creator has engineered a long-term trial that forces powerful individuals to fight repeatedly for survival.
• Strategy over brute force: Understanding the array’s rules becomes as important as defeating its beasts.
• Trust and cooperation: The group divides their responsibilities, with Yun Qingyao supporting Lu Ren’s plan and Lu Ren protecting Mu Hanxue.
• Hidden danger and deception: The beasts rely on ambushes, while Lu Ren may be concealing the truth about the first group’s completion to control the others’ actions.
• Cultivation amid danger: Even a deadly battlefield can provide opportunities for growth, prompting the characters to balance immediate threats with long-term advancement.

Character Interactions

• Yun Qingyao proposes the search strategy and later accepts Lu Ren’s advice to cultivate in hiding.
• Lu Ren warns Mu Hanxue about the hidden beasts and protects her after the spider’s attack.
• Mu Hanxue’s teasing remark while trapped creates a moment of intimacy with Lu Ren, contrasting with the danger around them.
• Immortal-Smiting Iron acts as Lu Ren’s source of crucial information, revealing the array’s structure and purpose.
• Lu Ren attempts to persuade both Huang Xuanwu and Hua Suiyi to stop searching and cultivate, suggesting he may be deliberately withholding the array’s true completion status.

Chapter Summary: “Eight Hundred Forty Million Calamity Power”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren reveals that the grand formation contains two waves of ferocious beasts, with the second wave appearing only after ten years. Since the first wave has already been defeated, the group must wait for the next wave.
• Realizing that other major factions will arrive before then, the group decides to use the formation’s dense calamity aura for cultivation.
• Hua Suiyi gives Lu Ren one of her Calamity Spirits, recognizing that her own Seven Hundred Million Calamity Power has reached its limit and that Lu Ren can benefit from it more.
• Lu Ren enters the Reincarnation Ancient Pagoda and refines the Calamity Spirits. One spirit increases his power from Eight Hundred Million to Eight Hundred Ten Million in only an hour.
• He consumes the remaining three spirits, raising his total to Eight Hundred Forty Million Calamity Power. This confirms the extraordinary effectiveness of Calamity Spirits, which provide centuries or millennia of cultivation progress in a matter of hours.
• Lu Ren spends the next several years deepening his comprehension of the Chaos Dao.
• After seven years, powerful cultivators from the various major camps begin arriving at the ancient city. Their arrival makes competition for the Taixu Immortal Bone far more dangerous.
• Lu Ren decides to confront True Luo Crown Prince and settle their previous grudge. Meanwhile, the newly arrived experts inspect the formation and discuss the possibility that Lu Ren and the others may have died inside it.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Demonstrates astonishing cultivation talent by reaching Eight Hundred Million Calamity Power immediately after entering Eight Tribulation Transcendence, then advancing to Eight Hundred Forty Million through the Calamity Spirits. His confidence and hostility toward True Luo Crown Prince also intensify.
• Hua Suiyi: Becomes more convinced that cooperating with Lu Ren was the correct choice. She recognizes that his combat strength is already comparable to True Luo Crown Prince’s and supports him by giving him a Calamity Spirit.
• Mu Hanxue and Hua Suiyi’s group: Act as Lu Ren’s guardians while he cultivates, allowing him to focus without fear of interruption.
• True Luo Crown Prince: Returns with additional powerful allies and remains a major threat. He is uncertain whether Lu Ren and the others are still alive.
• The arriving experts: Their appearance establishes that the conflict will soon involve the strongest cultivators from every major Dao and faction.

Significant Themes

• Extraordinary talent and rapid advancement: Lu Ren’s cultivation speed far surpasses normal expectations, emphasizing his exceptional potential.
• Preparation before conflict: The characters use the ten-year interval to strengthen themselves before the second beast wave and the arrival of rival factions.
• Competition and survival: The Taixu Immortal Bone is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain as elite cultivators converge on the ancient city.
• Trust and cooperation: Hua Suiyi’s gift reflects her growing trust in Lu Ren and her willingness to invest in their alliance.
• Past grudges and impending confrontation: Lu Ren’s determination to kill True Luo Crown Prince shifts the story toward a direct clash.

Character Interactions

• Hua Suiyi questions Lu Ren about his cultivation limit and is shocked to learn that he can still advance.
• She gives him a Calamity Spirit, and Lu Ren accepts it without hesitation.
• Mu Hanxue questions whether Lu Ren intends to kill True Luo Crown Prince, prompting him to openly declare his intention to settle their conflict.
• The newly arrived cultivators discuss the formation, Lu Ren’s group, and whether they have survived, setting up the next stage of confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Crushing the True Luo Crown Prince”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The True Luo Crown Prince arrives at the Taixu Treasury and asks Zhou Cang, the foremost formation master of the True Luo Immortal Dynasty, to identify the surrounding formation.
• Zhou Cang recognizes it as the Illusory Extinction Calamity Beast Array, explaining that it produces two waves of Calamity Beasts, with a ten-year interval between them. They infer that Lu Ren’s group has already defeated the first wave.
• Before they can proceed, Lu Ren suddenly attacks the True Luo Crown Prince with the Void Collapse Method, sending him flying despite his defensive use of the True Luo Immortal Sword.
• Lu Ren openly declares that the Crown Prince will not escape as he did previously. The Crown Prince, emboldened by Lu Ren’s apparent lack of support from Yun Qingyao, initially underestimates him.
• Lu Ren reveals that his strength has advanced to Eight Hundred Forty Million Calamity Power. He overwhelms the Crown Prince in their sword clash, shatters his attacks and defenses, and repeatedly drives him back.
• Lu Ren’s relentless assault eventually pierces the Crown Prince’s chest, leaving him seriously wounded and in immediate danger of death.
• Zhou Cang orders the Seven Hundred Million Calamity Power expert Zi Chong to restrain Lu Ren while he attempts to establish an Immortal Talisman Grand Formation.
• Zi Chong attacks with a Chaos Yin-Yang Formation, but Lu Ren’s Five Elements Grand Formation—empowered by his five Calamity Soldiers—completely blocks the assault.
• The surrounding prodigies are stunned by Lu Ren’s overwhelming strength, with one openly admitting that he is inferior to Lu Ren.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren has grown dramatically stronger since his previous encounters with the Crown Prince. His increased Calamity Power allows him to dominate the battle alone, without Yun Qingyao’s assistance.
• The True Luo Crown Prince suffers a major defeat and is shocked to discover that Lu Ren has surpassed him. His confidence turns into fear and desperation as he is repeatedly injured.
• Zhou Cang demonstrates his expertise in formations and reacts quickly to protect the Crown Prince, though he is forced into a defensive and emergency role.
• Zi Chong serves as the Crown Prince’s first reinforcement but fails to threaten Lu Ren.
• The various experts and prodigies reassess Lu Ren, recognizing him as an extraordinary talent despite his origin from the relatively weak Profound Luo Heaven.

Significant Themes

• Rapid growth and surpassing former rivals: Lu Ren’s advancement transforms the balance of power between him and the True Luo Crown Prince.
• Overwhelming individual strength: Lu Ren’s ability to defeat the Crown Prince without assistance emphasizes his exceptional talent and combat power.
• Pride versus reality: The Crown Prince’s arrogance leads him to underestimate Lu Ren, only for the battle to expose the vast gap between them.
• Reputation and recognition: Lu Ren’s performance shocks observers from every faction and elevates his standing among the strongest young cultivators.
• Formation and combat strategy: The chapter contrasts Lu Ren’s direct offensive power with Zhou Cang and Zi Chong’s reliance on formations, talismans, and coordinated defense.

Character Interactions

• The Crown Prince consults Zhou Cang about the mysterious formation, establishing Zhou Cang’s role as his trusted formation expert.
• Lu Ren directly confronts and taunts the Crown Prince over his previous escape, turning their past conflict into a decisive personal showdown.
• The Crown Prince and Lu Ren exchange powerful sword attacks, but Lu Ren dominates the confrontation.
• Zhou Cang and Zi Chong intervene when the Crown Prince is near death, coordinating an attempt to restrain Lu Ren and rescue their leader.
• The watching experts react with shock and admiration, reinforcing Lu Ren’s rapidly growing reputation.

Summary: “A Disgraceful Escape”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The gathered prodigies discuss Lu Ren’s overwhelming talent, speculating that he may successfully sever his Dao and become one of the era’s greatest Immortal Path prodigies.
• Emperor Lord Guiyi watches Lu Ren closely, viewing him as the ideal Ghost Path Puppet and planning to act once Lu Ren reaches Nine Calamities Transcendence. The Nethernight Imperial Daughter questions whether Lu Ren can overcome the many experts competing for the Taixu Immortal Bone.
• Lu Ren attacks Zhou Cang before he can establish a powerful formation. Zhou Cang deploys the Heaven-Destroying Black Baleful Diagram, but Lu Ren tears through its killing storm and damages the Calamity Soldier with a single sword strike.
• Zi Chong joins Zhou Cang in defending the True Luo Crown Prince, using the Heavenly Ruins Tier technique, Chaos Annihilation Technique. Lu Ren withstands and destroys their attacks, severely injuring both men.
• Lu Ren confronts the True Luo Crown Prince, openly declaring that he will kill him despite the immense power of True Luo Heaven. He overwhelms the Crown Prince in direct combat, forcing him backward and causing him to vomit blood.
• Just as Lu Ren is about to finish the Crown Prince with Chaos Star Light, a mysterious rune appears on the Crown Prince’s brow. It neutralizes the attack and creates a spatial black vortex.
• The Crown Prince escapes through the vortex, threatening revenge and invoking the might of True Luo Heaven. Lu Ren accepts the challenge and declares that he will eventually visit True Luo Heaven to deal with him.
• Lu Ren also resolves to investigate the possible connection between the True Luo Immortal Dynasty and the Chaos Clan.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Demonstrates overwhelming combat strength, fearlessness, and confidence. He defeats or severely wounds multiple powerful opponents and refuses to be intimidated by the higher-ranking True Luo Heaven. His victory is incomplete because the Crown Prince escapes, but his determination to pursue the matter grows stronger.
• True Luo Crown Prince: Initially relies on his retainers for protection but is steadily overwhelmed by Lu Ren. His hidden spatial ability or protective rune allows him to escape, preserving his life while intensifying his hatred and desire for revenge.
• Zhou Cang and Zi Chong: Act as desperate protectors of the Crown Prince. Despite deploying powerful techniques and treasures, both are badly injured and unable to stop Lu Ren.
• Emperor Lord Guiyi: Reveals his intention to capture Lu Ren as a Ghost Path Puppet once Lu Ren reaches a suitable cultivation level. He remains highly confident in Lu Ren’s abilities.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter: Publicly acknowledges Lu Ren’s strength but privately feels conflicted, realizing that his transformation into a puppet might free her from his control while also showing signs of emotional attachment or disappointment at that prospect.
• The observing prodigies: Become increasingly impressed by Lu Ren’s courage, viewing his defiance of True Luo Heaven as evidence of the qualities necessary for Profound Luo Heaven to rise.

Significant Themes

• Courage against overwhelming power: Lu Ren refuses to fear the higher-ranked True Luo Heaven, emphasizing that rising in status requires top-tier figures willing to challenge stronger powers.
• Talent and destiny: The chapter highlights Lu Ren’s extraordinary potential and the possibility that he may become a legendary Immortal Path figure.
• Power and political hierarchy: The conflict between the Thirty-Second Heaven and the Twenty-Fourth Heaven demonstrates the enormous risks involved in challenging an established superior power.
• Escape versus victory: Although Lu Ren dominates the battle, the Crown Prince’s escape shows that superior strength does not always guarantee a complete victory.
• Control and conflicted loyalty: Guiyi’s plans for Lu Ren and the Nethernight Imperial Daughter’s mixed feelings introduce the themes of manipulation, freedom, and complicated attachment.
• Hidden alliances and mysteries: The possible relationship between True Luo Heaven and the Chaos Clan creates a larger political and historical mystery for Lu Ren to investigate.

Important Character Interactions

• Guiyi and the Nethernight Imperial Daughter: They discuss Lu Ren’s prospects and the difficulty of obtaining the Taixu Immortal Bone. Guiyi expresses absolute faith in Lu Ren, while the Imperial Daughter privately struggles with her feelings toward him.
• Lu Ren versus Zhou Cang and Zi Chong: Lu Ren ignores their combined attacks, breaks Zhou Cang’s defensive treasure, and leaves both severely wounded.
• Lu Ren versus the True Luo Crown Prince: Their confrontation is both physical and ideological. The Crown Prince threatens retaliation from True Luo Heaven, while Lu Ren rejects intimidation and vows to kill him.
• Lu Ren and the observing prodigies: His battle causes the spectators to reassess him, with many admiring his willingness to defend the future of Profound Luo Heaven.

Chapter Summary: Slaying Two Great Nine Calamities Transcendence Experts

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren’s defeat and intimidation of the True Luo Crown Prince establishes him as a major threat among the contestants for the Taixu Immortal Bone. Although he is only at the Eight Tribulation Transcendence realm, his strength already surpasses many Nine Calamities experts.
• Emperor Lord Guiyi observes that Lu Ren’s Chaos Dao has reached the peak of the Incomplete Stage and is close to entering the Unflawed Stage—an achievement normally associated with Supreme Realm powerhouses.
• Lu Ren turns his attention to Zhou Cang and Zi Chong, who attempt to flee. He strikes both with the Void Collapse Method, severely injuring them.
• Zhou Cang abandons his physical body and escapes as an immortal soul, but Lu Ren uses the Eight Divisions Pagoda Mountain to absorb and suppress him.
• Zi Chong threatens Lu Ren with retaliation from the True Luo Immortal Dynasty. Lu Ren responds by destroying his physical body with the Chaos Ancient Sword and sealing his immortal soul in the Eight Divisions Pagoda Mountain.
• Of the True Luo Immortal Dynasty’s three experts, one escapes while Zhou Cang and Zi Chong are captured and suppressed.
• Lu Ren’s overwhelming performance shocks the surrounding cultivators, especially former acquaintances from the Demonic Path. Mo Qingge, Mo Yi, and Mo Qing realize how dramatically Lu Ren has surpassed his former level.
• Hua Suiyi and her companions acknowledge Lu Ren as a peerless genius who may genuinely contend for the Taixu Immortal Bone and potentially become a Battle Body.
• Before Lu Ren can rejoin Mu Hanxue, Hua Suiyi, and the others, a powerful purple-black battle axe attacks him. Lu Ren blocks it with the Chaos Ancient Sword but is forced backward.
• The attacker is revealed to be the Overlord Demon Emperor, a terrifying Primordial Dragon Lion whose power is comparable to roughly nine hundred million units of Calamity Power. His arrival shocks the Immortal Path forces and signals a major escalation in the conflict.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Demonstrates overwhelming combat ability, defeating two powerful Nine Calamities Transcendence experts and revealing an effective method for suppressing immortal souls. His near-Unflawed Chaos Dao further confirms his extraordinary talent. However, the Overlord Demon Emperor’s sudden attack shows that Lu Ren still faces opponents capable of challenging him.
• Zhou Cang: Reduced to fleeing through immortal soul shedding after Lu Ren destroys his body. His soul is ultimately captured and suppressed.
• Zi Chong: Relies on his imperial status to threaten Lu Ren, but his position offers no protection. Lu Ren destroys his body and seals his immortal soul.
• True Luo Crown Prince: Though absent from the immediate battle, his earlier defeat establishes Lu Ren’s intimidating reputation and causes weaker cultivators to fear him.
• Mo Qingge, Mo Yi, and Mo Qing: Their shock highlights Lu Ren’s dramatic growth over six hundred years. Mo Qing, once vastly superior to Lu Ren, now recognizes that he could likely be killed without being able to escape.
• Hua Suiyi: Her prior faith in Lu Ren’s potential is validated. She now considers him a serious contender for the Taixu Immortal Bone and the Battle Body.
• Overlord Demon Emperor: Introduced as a powerful new antagonist or rival whose arrival immediately interrupts Lu Ren’s triumph and raises the stakes of the contest.

Significant Themes

• Extraordinary growth and reversal of power: Lu Ren’s transformation from someone once easily defeated by Mo Qing into a figure capable of suppressing elite experts emphasizes the scale of his cultivation progress.
• Talent beyond conventional limits: His advancement toward the Unflawed Stage while still young marks him as an exceptional cultivator, possibly capable of surpassing normal realm limitations.
• The value and danger of the Taixu Immortal Bone: The bone represents a chance to enter the Battle Body and dominate an entire era, explaining why even powerful factions are willing to fight without mercy.
• Status versus strength: Zi Chong’s imperial identity cannot save him. The chapter emphasizes that personal power, rather than lineage or political authority, determines survival.
• Escalating competition: Lu Ren’s victories attract admiration but also bring stronger enemies. His success directly draws the attention of even more formidable figures such as the Overlord Demon Emperor.
• Suppression and survival: The use of immortal soul shedding and soul-sealing treasures highlights the importance of methods that prevent powerful cultivators from escaping death.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren confronts Zhou Cang and Zi Chong, defeating both and suppressing their immortal souls despite their attempts to flee.
• Zi Chong verbally invokes the authority of the True Luo Immortal Dynasty, but Lu Ren dismisses the threat and executes him.
• Observers from the various factions react with fear, admiration, and astonishment to Lu Ren’s strength.
• Mo Qingge, Mo Yi, and Mo Qing compare Lu Ren’s present strength with his former weakness, underscoring his remarkable transformation.
• Hua Suiyi and her companions discuss Lu Ren’s potential to obtain the Taixu Immortal Bone and become a Battle Body.
• The chapter ends with the Overlord Demon Emperor directly attacking Lu Ren, creating an immediate confrontation between two exceptional powers.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The renowned Overlord Demon Emperor appears and challenges Lu Ren after Lu Ren killed Demon Emperor Tu and Yao Lie.
• The crowd is puzzled that the Overlord Demon Emperor’s cultivation is below the expected pinnacle of the Ninth Tier Demon Emperor. An elder explains that he is likely using the Rebirth Demon Embryo Art, having destroyed his original Demon Path Source to recultivate from the beginning. If successful, this could allow him to condense an exceptionally powerful Dao Seed and enter the Supreme Realm.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor attacks Lu Ren with his battle axe, overwhelming him through immense demonic power and a terrifying Ba Tian Axe Dao, which has reached the Unflawed Stage.
• Lu Ren attempts to use his Void of Destiny Qi and Destiny Transfer, but the Overlord Demon Emperor’s powerful Axe Dao disperses the technique before it can take effect.
• As Lu Ren is nearly defeated, Hua Suiyi prepares to intervene. Before she can act, Emperor Lord Guiyi arrives and blocks the Overlord Demon Emperor’s killing blow.
• Guiyi is revealed to have possessed and refined the famous Yao Tian Child into a Ghost Path puppet. He declares that Lu Ren is a puppet he intends to claim, giving him a reason to protect Lu Ren.
• Emperor Lord Guiyi and the Overlord Demon Emperor clash directly. Guiyi’s gourd releases a torrent of black sword lights, which collides with the Overlord Demon Emperor’s axe radiance. Both are forced backward, shocking the onlookers.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Remains defiant despite being heavily suppressed. He recognizes the overwhelming strength of the Overlord Demon Emperor and realizes that his usual Destiny Transfer technique is ineffective against the opponent’s superior Dao.
• Overlord Demon Emperor: Is revealed to be deliberately rebuilding his cultivation through a dangerous secret art. Though his current demonic power is not at its former peak, his refined and dominant Ba Tian Axe Dao makes him an extremely dangerous opponent.
• Emperor Lord Guiyi: Demonstrates both his ambition and strength by intervening to preserve Lu Ren for himself. His possession of Yao Tian Child confirms the frightening capabilities of the Ghost Path.
• Hua Suiyi: Shows concern for Lu Ren and is prepared to risk a group intervention when his situation becomes critical.
• Yao Tian Child: His transformation into a Ghost Path puppet emphasizes the cost and cruelty of Guiyi’s methods.

Significant Themes

• Past glory versus present power: Lu Ren dismisses the Overlord Demon Emperor’s former reputation, insisting that the current era belongs to new powers.
• The danger of cultivation and rebirth: The Rebirth Demon Embryo Art illustrates the extreme sacrifices powerful cultivators may make to reach a higher realm.
• Dao mastery over raw cultivation: The Overlord Demon Emperor’s superior Axe Dao allows him to dominate despite not possessing overwhelming demonic power.
• Control and possession: Guiyi’s desire to turn Lu Ren into a puppet, along with his control of Yao Tian Child, highlights the chapter’s recurring theme of individuals treating powerful beings as tools.
• Conflict among prodigies: The Battlefield of Dimensions is portrayed as a gathering place for extraordinary talents from different eras and worlds.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and the Overlord Demon Emperor exchange insults over their differing eras and reputations before battling.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor nearly kills Lu Ren, forcing Hua Suiyi and her allies to consider intervening.
• Emperor Lord Guiyi interrupts the fight, claiming Lu Ren as his intended puppet and challenging the Overlord Demon Emperor’s authority.
• Guiyi and the Overlord Demon Emperor then engage in a dramatic clash between sword and axe Dao, ending with both combatants driven back and the spectators stunned.

Chapter Summary: “Emperor Lord Guiyi Takes Action”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Emperor Lord Guiyi intervenes when the Overlord Demon Emperor attacks Lu Ren, blocking the attack with the Yao Tian Black Soul Gourd, a powerful Calamity Soldier and Evil Weapon capable of unleashing Black Soul Sword Qi.
• Lu Ren and Emperor Lord Guiyi temporarily join forces. Lu Ren uses the Chaos Star Disc, while Guiyi attacks with Black Soul Sword Light.
• Their combined assault overwhelms the Overlord Demon Emperor, forcing him and the surrounding demon experts to retreat.
• Guiyi reveals that his goal is still to refine Lu Ren into his “most perfect Ghost Path Puppet.” Lu Ren remains defiant, despite Guiyi’s confidence that no target he pursues has ever escaped.
• Lu Ren reunites with Mu Hanxue, Hua Suiyi, and the others. The group discusses the coming struggle for the Taixu Immortal Bone, recognizing that even stronger experts may soon appear.
• Mu Hanxue worries that her limited strength makes her a burden. Lu Ren tells her about a city containing numerous Calamity Heavenly Tribulations, allowing her to seek a breakthrough. She leaves immediately to cultivate.
• Hua Suiyi agrees to help Lu Ren compete for the Taixu Immortal Bone in exchange for the Immortal Slaying Soldiers found within the formations.
• With three years remaining before the contest, Lu Ren retreats into the Reincarnation Ancient Pagoda to improve his strength.
• His Chaos Dao has reached a bottleneck at the peak short of perfection. Little Broken Tower explains that a powerful Chaos Immortal Path Technique may help him advance into the Flawless or Immaculate Realm.
• Lu Ren realizes that Zi Chong’s Chaos Annihilation Technique, a top-tier Heavenly Ruins Tier technique, may provide the breakthrough he needs. Since Zi Chong is already under his control, obtaining the technique should be easy.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren demonstrates greater combat power by surviving the Overlord Demon Emperor’s attacks and coordinating with Emperor Lord Guiyi. He remains calm and confident despite Guiyi’s threat.
• Emperor Lord Guiyi is established as both a dangerous rival and an unpredictable temporary ally. He values Lu Ren’s potential and sees his increasing strength as proof that Lu Ren would make an ideal Ghost Path Puppet.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor is shown to be extremely powerful, but he is forced to retreat when faced with Guiyi and Lu Ren together.
• Mu Hanxue feels frustrated by her inability to assist Lu Ren. Rather than remain dependent on him, she chooses to pursue a breakthrough in a city rich with heavenly tribulations.
• Hua Suiyi continues supporting Lu Ren while pragmatically negotiating for the Immortal Slaying Soldiers as compensation.
• Little Broken Tower provides crucial guidance, identifying the technique that could help Lu Ren overcome his Chaos Dao bottleneck.

Significant Themes

• Temporary alliances and hidden motives: Guiyi aids Lu Ren, but only because he intends to capture and refine him later.
• Strength and potential: Guiyi’s respect for Lu Ren is based on his immense potential, while Lu Ren recognizes that greater strength is essential for surviving the upcoming conflict.
• Growth through independence: Mu Hanxue’s decision to cultivate separately reflects her desire to become strong enough to stand beside Lu Ren rather than rely on his protection.
• The escalating competition for power: The battle foreshadows a massive confrontation over the Taixu Immortal Bone, with many formidable experts still waiting to enter the struggle.
• Breaking through limits: Lu Ren’s stalled Chaos Dao emphasizes that progress at higher realms requires exceptional techniques and new insights, not merely prolonged cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Guiyi and Lu Ren cooperate in battle but exchange veiled threats afterward, making clear that their alliance is purely temporary.
• Lu Ren reassures Mu Hanxue when she blames herself for being weak and directs her toward a path of personal advancement.
• Hua Suiyi and Lu Ren negotiate their cooperation in the upcoming contest.
• Lu Ren consults Little Broken Tower, whose advice leads him to consider obtaining Zi Chong’s Chaos Annihilation Technique.

Chapter Summary: Stepping into the Flawless Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren enters the Eight Divisions Pagoda Mountain and converts Zhou Cang and Zi Chong, acquiring the cultivation methods for the Chaos Annihilation Technique and other Chaos Immortal Path Techniques.
• Because Lu Ren’s Chaos Dao has reached a bottleneck, ordinary techniques are no longer useful. He begins cultivating the Heavenly Ruins Tier Chaos Annihilation Technique, but after ten years reaches only the beginner stage and fails to break through.
• Princess Zi Qian offers him the more powerful Chaos Slaughter Technique, an inherited secret art of the True Luo Immortal Dynasty. Though even the True Luo Crown Prince has failed to master it, Zi Qian learned its circulation method after studying it for three thousand years.
• Lu Ren cultivates the technique by combining his formidable killing intent with Chaos Calamity to form a destructive Chaos Slaughter Demon Blade.
• His comprehension of Chaos Dao rapidly increases. Upon successfully cultivating the technique, his Chaos Dao breaks through into the Flawless Realm.
• Lu Ren realizes that his newly advanced Chaos Dao has terrifying destructive power and believes he could now defeat the Overlord Demon Emperor.
• However, the Chaos Ancient Sword shows no reaction despite Lu Ren’s breakthrough. Little Broken Tower speculates that its Artifact Spirit may still be asleep. Lu Ren decides to seek answers from the Chaos Clan’s Seventeenth Ancestor after the Battlefield of Dimensions ends.
• The chapter ends as the second wave of ferocious beasts attacks the ancient city. Five enormous beasts emerge, possessing bodies so powerful that the combined attacks of the various camps cannot harm them.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren advances from a bottlenecked Chaos Dao cultivator to one who has reached the Flawless Realm. His power and confidence rise dramatically.
• He also demonstrates his ability to learn and master exceptionally difficult techniques, successfully cultivating an art that even the True Luo Crown Prince could not master.
• Princess Zi Qian becomes an important source of knowledge and support. Her long study of the Chaos Slaughter Technique enables Lu Ren to obtain the final insight needed for his breakthrough.
• Little Broken Tower continues serving as Lu Ren’s adviser, offering theories about the Chaos Ancient Sword’s dormant Artifact Spirit.
• Hua Suiyi remains vigilant during Lu Ren’s seclusion and is the first to assess the danger posed by the new beast wave.

Significant Themes

• 突破 through persistence and superior techniques: Lu Ren cannot advance through ordinary methods and must seek a higher-level technique to overcome the final barrier.
• Power hidden within ancient artifacts: The Chaos Ancient Sword’s dormant Artifact Spirit suggests that its true origins and potential remain unknown.
• The limits of inherited knowledge: Even powerful figures such as the True Luo Crown Prince cannot master every supreme technique, while Lu Ren’s unique abilities allow him to succeed.
• Escalating danger: Lu Ren’s breakthrough is immediately followed by the emergence of vastly stronger enemies, emphasizing that greater power brings new challenges rather than safety.
• Destruction and primordial chaos: The Chaos Slaughter Technique deepens Lu Ren’s connection to the fundamental, annihilating nature of Chaos Dao.

Character Interactions

• Zi Chong provides Lu Ren with the Chaos Annihilation Technique and related cultivation knowledge after being converted.
• Lu Ren and Princess Zi Qian discuss the stronger Chaos Slaughter Technique, with Zi Qian explaining its rarity and sharing the method she painstakingly studied.
• Lu Ren consults Little Broken Tower about the Chaos Ancient Sword’s lack of response, learning that its Artifact Spirit may be asleep.
• Hua Suiyi urgently informs Lu Ren that the second beast wave has arrived, prompting him to leave seclusion and confront the new threat.

Chapter Summary: “Disaster Essence”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren and his companions encounter the second wave of five ferocious beasts, which are far larger, stronger, and more heavily defended than the first wave.
• While many experts struggle to injure the beasts, the Overlord Demon Emperor breaks through one beast’s defenses with a single axe strike and kills it.
• The slain beast transforms into a large mass of white light. Unlike ordinary Calamity Spirits, it is revealed to be a Disaster Essence, a sentient and highly valuable form of calamity energy.
• The Disaster Essence evades the Overlord Demon Emperor’s initial attempt to seize it. He then uses his demonic power to seal it in place.
• Little Broken Tower explains to Lu Ren that Disaster Essences possess intelligence and must be nurtured with vast resources before they can be refined. Lu Ren therefore realizes that taking it would bring more trouble than benefit.
• Nevertheless, to avoid arousing suspicion, Lu Ren pretends to compete for the Disaster Essence. He attacks the Overlord Demon Emperor but is easily knocked away. The Overlord Demon Emperor claims the essence and mocks Lu Ren for making no progress over the past three years.
• The remaining four ferocious beasts are killed, and their Disaster Essences are seized by four powerful figures: a golden-robed monk, a scholar, a horned demonic cultivator, and a formidable woman in green.
• After the beasts are defeated, an altar appears in the ancient city with the legendary Beast-Summoning Soul Banner, a treasure supposedly capable of controlling countless beasts.
• Huang Xuanwu suddenly reveals that he had been hiding nearby, waiting for this opportunity. He seizes the banner and escapes through a Teleportation Grand Formation that appears on the altar.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor pursues Huang Xuanwu, and the other experts—including Lu Ren, Hua Suiyi, and their allies—follow, believing the formation leads to the third stage of the ancient formation.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Shows caution and strategic awareness by initially choosing not to fight the powerful beasts directly. He learns the difference between Calamity Spirits and Disaster Essences and deliberately attacks the Overlord Demon Emperor only to conceal his true intentions. However, his failed clash emphasizes the current gap between his strength and that of the Overlord Demon Emperor.
• Overlord Demon Emperor: Demonstrates overwhelming physical and combat power by destroying a ferocious beast that many experts could barely injure. He successfully obtains a Disaster Essence and views it as a potential resource for recruiting powerful cultivators to compete for the Taixu Immortal Bone. His confidence and disdain toward Lu Ren become increasingly clear.
• Little Broken Tower: Provides crucial knowledge about Disaster Essences, preventing Lu Ren from making an unprofitable or dangerous attempt to claim one.
• Huang Xuanwu: Reveals himself as a patient and opportunistic strategist. Rather than competing directly for the Disaster Essences, he hides and waits for the appearance of the Beast-Summoning Soul Banner, successfully taking it before most experts can react.
• Hua Suiyi and Lu Ren’s companions: Continue following Lu Ren’s lead and enter the teleportation formation with him, maintaining their role as his allies.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus strategy: The strongest fighters dominate direct battles, but Huang Xuanwu’s deception and Lu Ren’s caution show that intelligence and timing are equally important.
• The value and burden of power: Disaster Essences are powerful but require enormous resources to cultivate, illustrating that valuable treasures can also become liabilities.
• Competition and opportunism: Every faction seeks an advantage, whether through combat, deception, or exploiting the confusion after a major battle.
• Hidden dangers and escalating trials: The appearance of the Beast-Summoning Soul Banner and the teleportation formation suggests that the ancient city’s true challenges—and the struggle over the Taixu Immortal Bone—are only beginning.
• Rivalry and humiliation: The Overlord Demon Emperor’s effortless defeat of Lu Ren reinforces their unresolved rivalry and highlights Lu Ren’s need to grow stronger.

Important Character Interactions

• Hua Suiyi asks whether Lu Ren’s group should join the battle, but Lu Ren initially orders everyone to wait and observe.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor rallies the surrounding experts to attack the wounded beast after breaking its defenses.
• Lu Ren attempts to seize the Disaster Essence, leading to a brief clash in which the Overlord Demon Emperor easily repels him and mocks his lack of progress.
• The four other powerful cultivators independently claim the remaining Disaster Essences, establishing them as major competitors.
• Huang Xuanwu’s sudden theft of the Beast-Summoning Soul Banner provokes the Overlord Demon Emperor’s pursuit and draws all the major factions into the teleportation formation toward the next stage.

Chapter Summary: Myriad Withered Immortal-Binding Staff

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren is transported into the next of the Taixu Treasury’s eighteen grand formations, a vast, desolate forest filled with ancient trees, withered auras, and hidden sealing formations.
• Golden Light explains that the formation can be broken by locating its formation eye. The various factions split up to search, temporarily setting aside their rivalries because everyone must pass all eighteen formations to reach the treasury’s depths.
• Lu Ren searches for an entire year with guidance from the Immortal-Smiting Iron, avoiding the forest’s traps but finding no progress.
• He eventually discovers that the Nethernight Imperial Daughter, Qianye, has been following him. She claims she had been forced to flee after being pursued by a powerful Demon Path expert and later joined the Ghost Path army.
• Qianye reveals that she has found the formation eye and leads Lu Ren, Hua Suiyi, and the others to an apparently ordinary towering tree.
• She identifies the tree as the formation eye because the area around it contains no sealing formations—a deceptive sign that it is actually the safest and most important location.
• Qianye destroys the tree with her whip, revealing an altar hidden inside. A pitch-black vine-like staff, the Myriad Withered Immortal-Binding Staff, emerges from it.
• The staff is an Immortal Slaying Soldier capable of transforming into a powerful sealing grand formation and trapping enemies.
• Lu Ren attempts to claim it but is violently repelled, injuring his hand. The Immortal-Smiting Iron concludes that each person can possess only one Immortal Slaying Soldier.
• Hua Suiyi successfully takes the staff, greatly increasing the strength of the Flower Immortal Sect’s sealing techniques.
• The formation begins collapsing, and a teleportation formation appears. Other contestants rush toward it, realizing someone has already broken the formation.
• Lu Ren’s group waits until the others enter before revealing themselves, hoping to avoid attention. However, they are immediately surrounded by hostile figures led by a thin, feminine-looking man, who demands that they surrender the Myriad Withered Immortal-Binding Staff.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren remains cautious and analytical, relying on the Immortal-Smiting Iron to navigate the dangerous forest. He also demonstrates confidence in Qianye despite their uncertain history.
• Qianye, the Nethernight Imperial Daughter, reappears and attempts to restore Lu Ren’s trust. Her knowledge of the formation and ability to identify the hidden altar suggest she is resourceful and possibly seeking to prove her loyalty.
• Hua Suiyi gains a major power upgrade by obtaining the Myriad Withered Immortal-Binding Staff. The weapon is especially suited to the Flower Immortal Sect’s specialty in sealing and entrapment.
• The Immortal-Smiting Iron continues to act as Lu Ren’s guide, warning him about the forest’s traps and explaining why he cannot claim a second Immortal Slaying Soldier.

Significant Themes

• Trust and suspicion: Lu Ren questions whether Qianye betrayed him by revealing their relationship to Emperor Lord Guiyi, yet still chooses to trust her when she offers valuable information.
• Deception and hidden danger: The safest-looking area conceals the formation eye, while the forest’s dangers are designed to mislead and trap those who search carelessly.
• Power and compatibility: The staff cannot be claimed by Lu Ren because he already possesses an Immortal Slaying Soldier, showing that powerful treasures have strict limitations and individual compatibility.
• Competition amid temporary cooperation: The factions must cooperate indirectly to escape the formations, but their rivalry immediately resumes once a valuable treasure appears.
• Strategic patience: Lu Ren’s group deliberately waits for the others to teleport before proceeding, showing their preference for avoiding unnecessary conflict—though this plan fails when enemies surround them.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Hua Suiyi cooperate closely while searching the forest, with Hua Suiyi following his judgment despite her doubts about Qianye.
• Qianye addresses Lu Ren as “Master,” emphasizing their former relationship, while Lu Ren responds coldly and questions her loyalty.
• Hua Suiyi initially distrusts Qianye, but Lu Ren assures her that Qianye will not betray him.
• The Immortal-Smiting Iron advises Lu Ren throughout the search and explains the staff’s rejection of him.
• The chapter ends with a confrontation between Lu Ren’s group and the newly arrived attackers, who demand Hua Suiyi surrender the newly acquired treasure.

Chapter Summary: “Final Grand Formation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren confronts cultivators from Zhouluo Heaven, who attempt to hold him back while stealing the Myriad Wither Immortal-Sealing Staff.
• He orders Qianye, Hua Suiyi, and the others to proceed while he stays behind. When Zhouluo Heaven’s experts attack, Lu Ren releases his powerful Chaos Dao, overwhelming them.
• Lu Ren’s Chaos Sword Dao reaches a terrifying level, allowing him to kill all thirteen Nine Calamities Transcendence cultivators—including one possessing seven hundred million calamities—with a single sword strike.
• He suppresses their surviving Immortal Soul Bodies using the Eight Divisions Pagoda Mountain and then joins the others in the next grand formation.
• The formation is a world of deadly storms. After searching for a month without finding any treasures, the group abandons the search and cultivates while waiting.
• Over the following years, the remaining formations are gradually broken. The formation cores are seized by powerful figures, including the monk Golden Light, the Overlord Demon Emperor, Emperor Lord Guiyi, and Mo Qingge. Many major geniuses obtain Immortal Slaying Soldier treasures.
• After more than a decade, only the final grand formation remains. The group enters a strange realm filled with countless altars, each bearing a Seven-Colored Immortal Lamp that appears to possess the power of an Immortal Slaying Soldier.
• When a young cultivator touches one altar, it erupts in flames and injures him before disappearing, proving that many of the altars are dangerous fakes.
• Bai Yichen admits that distinguishing the genuine altar will be extremely difficult. The Overlord Demon Emperor then claims he can identify the true altars, offering his help to anyone willing to assist him in competing for the Taixu Immortal Bone.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren demonstrates overwhelming growth and dominance. His Chaos Dao appears to have reached the Flawless Realm, making him powerful enough to annihilate an entire elite faction instantly.
• Hua Suiyi continues to show concern for Lu Ren, but his effortless victory reassures her and the others of his strength.
• Bai Yichen is revealed as calm, calculating, and willing to use others as test subjects. His decision injures the young man, who openly criticizes him.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor positions himself as an important power broker in the final trial, using his apparent ability to distinguish real altars as leverage to recruit allies.
• Several major figures—Golden Light, Emperor Lord Guiyi, Mo Qingge, and others—successfully acquire Immortal Slaying Soldiers, intensifying the competition for the Taixu Immortal Bone.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming strength and deterrence: Lu Ren’s victory establishes him as one of the most dangerous figures in the treasury.
• Risk and deception: The final formation is built around uncertainty, with identical altars concealing deadly traps.
• Competition and alliance-building: As the treasure hunt reaches its climax, powerful cultivators must decide whether to cooperate temporarily or compete directly.
• Greed versus survival: The desire for Immortal Slaying Soldiers and the Taixu Immortal Bone drives cultivators to take dangerous risks.
• Testing and manipulation: Characters such as Bai Yichen and the Overlord Demon Emperor exploit others to gather information or gain strategic advantages.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren firmly rejects Zhouluo Heaven’s attempt to threaten his group and protects Hua Suiyi and the others by confronting their attackers alone.
• Hua Suiyi reacts with shock when Lu Ren casually reveals that he killed all thirteen enemies.
• Bai Yichen directs the young man to test an altar, resulting in the man’s injury and an angry accusation that Bai Yichen sacrifices others without consequence.
• Bai Yichen defends his actions as a test, while admitting that the true altar cannot yet be identified.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor interrupts the discussion by offering knowledge of the genuine altars in exchange for support in the coming struggle over the Taixu Immortal Bone.

Chapter Summary: Taixu Immortal Bone

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Overlord Demon Emperor reveals that he can rapidly mature the Disaster Essence and promises to give it to anyone who successfully cooperates with him.
• To select qualified allies, he challenges cultivators to withstand a single strike from his axe. Nearly every prodigy is defeated, demonstrating his overwhelming strength.
• Yun Qingyao emerges from seclusion with greatly increased power. She successfully blocks the Overlord Demon Emperor’s attack, earning the right to cooperate with him.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor directs Yun Qingyao to the true altar. She retrieves the Seven-Colored Immortal Lamp without being rejected by it, proving that he can distinguish the genuine altar from the illusions.
• The altar activates a Teleportation Grand Formation, transporting the cultivators to a vast battlefield where ancient experts are still engaged in a deadly, seemingly endless slaughter.
• The group witnesses the image of a mysterious Evil Path Cultivator, shocking everyone because the Evil Path was believed to have been eradicated.
• A black stone hall appears, bearing eighteen slots that match the eighteen Immortal Slaying Soldiers acquired by the various prodigies.
• The cultivators place the Immortal Slaying Soldiers into the slots, opening the stone hall. All eighteen participants are drawn inside.
• Within the hall, they discover the legendary Taixu Immortal Bone: a golden, ribcage-shaped bone floating above a blood-soaked boulder and radiating terrifying power.
• The bone is completely bound by seals from numerous cultivation paths. The Overlord Demon Emperor calls on everyone to attack together and break them.

Character Developments

• Overlord Demon Emperor: Establishes himself as vastly stronger than the other prodigies and demonstrates both his combat dominance and his ability to recognize the true altar. He takes control of the group’s progress toward the stone hall.
• Yun Qingyao: Makes a powerful return from seclusion. Her ability to withstand the Overlord Demon Emperor’s axe confirms her rapid growth and makes her one of the few people capable of cooperating with him.
• Lu Ren: Reacts with happiness at Yun Qingyao’s return and remains focused on the potential of the Taixu Immortal Bone, imagining the strength it could grant him.
• Bai Yichen: Quickly deduces that the Immortal Slaying Soldiers are keys to the stone hall and recognizes the significance of the Taixu Immortal Bone.
• The other prodigies: Their repeated defeats reveal the enormous gap between them and the Overlord Demon Emperor, though they remain united by their desire to obtain the bone.

Significant Themes

• Strength as the basis of authority: The Overlord Demon Emperor demands proof of power before accepting allies, reinforcing the cultivation world’s emphasis on strength.
• Cooperation amid rivalry: Although the cultivators compete for treasures, they must temporarily cooperate to open the stone hall and break the bone’s seals.
• Truth versus illusion: The genuine altar is hidden among false ones, highlighting the importance of perception, wisdom, and discernment in addition to combat ability.
• Ancient mysteries and forbidden forces: The Evil Path’s appearance and the blood-stained stone hall suggest that long-suppressed powers and secrets are resurfacing.
• The pursuit of transcendent power: The Taixu Immortal Bone represents an extraordinary opportunity to create an invincible battle body, intensifying the characters’ ambition and desire.

Important Character Interactions

• The Overlord Demon Emperor challenges multiple prodigies and defeats them with single axe strikes.
• Yun Qingyao directly confronts him, blocks his attack, and earns his respect and cooperation.
• He guides Yun Qingyao to the true altar, allowing her to claim the Seven-Colored Immortal Lamp.
• Bai Yichen points out the connection between the eighteen Immortal Slaying Soldiers and the stone hall’s eighteen slots.
• All eighteen cultivators cooperate to open the hall, but once inside, their shared attention turns toward the sealed Taixu Immortal Bone and the struggle over who may ultimately claim it.

Chapter Summary: Chaotic Era Evil Ancestor

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Overlord Demon Emperor and fifteen other prodigies attack the seal covering the Taixu Immortal Bone.
• Lu Ren discovers that the seal contains multiple Great Dao seals, including the Divine Path Seal, suggesting that divine power is needed to break it.
• The sixteen cultivators combine their abilities and eventually shatter the seal.
• Instead of merely revealing the Taixu Immortal Bone, the broken seal releases terrifying Evil Path energy from a blood-colored boulder.
• The cultivators realize they have accidentally broken the seal imprisoning the Chaotic Era Evil Ancestor’s evil intent.
• Powerhouses across the various Great Worlds sense the disturbance and awaken. They recognize the event as a deliberate conspiracy designed to use the prodigies’ combined powers to release the Evil Ancestor.
• The chapter reveals the history of the Chaotic Era Evil Ancestor, who once caused immense destruction throughout the Great Worlds. Unable to kill him, the strongest cultivators sealed his physical body in the Evil-Suppressing Bloodstone and imprisoned his evil intent with a multi-Dao seal.
• Bloody qi gathers from the bloodstone and forms the figure of a bald, black-robed man covered in strange violet runes—the Evil Ancestor’s resurrected evil intent.
• The Evil Ancestor thanks the sixteen cultivators for freeing him, then declares that he will repay them by granting them death.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren remains observant and cautious, recognizing the presence of the Divine Path Seal and understanding that the seal is more dangerous than it first appears.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor and the other prodigies begin the chapter confidently attacking the seal but are quickly overwhelmed by the revelation that they have caused a catastrophic release.
• The white-haired young man is revealed as a suspicious Divine Path cultivator. Lu Ren suspects that he may have orchestrated the entire incident, using the Taixu Immortal Bone to lure the prodigies into breaking the seal.
• The Chaotic Era Evil Ancestor emerges as an ancient, immensely powerful threat. His evil intent is already strong enough to repel all sixteen cultivators with a single burst of aura.

Significant Themes

• Deception and manipulation: The Taixu Immortal Bone is exposed as bait in a long-prepared scheme.
• Ancient evil returning: A threat believed to be permanently contained begins to reawaken, suggesting the return of a past catastrophe.
• The limits of power: Even sixteen elite cultivators acting together can unintentionally unleash a danger far beyond their control.
• Consequences of ignorance: The prodigies attack without understanding the seal’s true purpose, demonstrating how incomplete knowledge can lead to disaster.
• The decline of the Divine Path: The missing or weakened Divine Path has allowed the ancient seal to become vulnerable and has made the Great Worlds less prepared to respond.

Character Interactions

• The Overlord Demon Emperor calls for a coordinated attack after Bai Yichen identifies the seal’s complexity.
• Lu Ren cooperates with the group but independently analyzes the seal and notices its Divine Path component.
• The sixteen cultivators’ combined powers break the seal, though none initially realize they are freeing an Evil Path entity.
• After the release, the various Great World powerhouses recognize the danger and discuss the need to reseal the Evil Ancestor, but they cannot easily enter the Land of Chaotic Antiquity.
• Lu Ren focuses on the white-haired Divine Path cultivator, suspecting betrayal or hidden involvement.
• The newly awakened Evil Ancestor addresses all sixteen cultivators directly, thanking them before threatening to kill them.

Chapter Summary: Power of the Immortal Bone

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Chaotic Era Evil Ancestor’s escaped strand of evil thought reveals that, by borrowing the power of the Taixu Immortal Bone, he has enough strength to defeat any Emperor Realm cultivator.
• His goal is to slaughter the gathered geniuses and use their blood to destroy the Evil-Suppressing Bloodstone, thereby breaking his seal completely.
• Powerful beings from across the void become aware of the crisis and urge the geniuses to kill the Evil Ancestor before he can escape.
• The white-haired youth, Xie Mobai, ambushes and kills one of the gathered cultivators, then reveals that he orchestrated the entire situation. He discovered the Taixu Immortal Bone and lured the geniuses there to help awaken the Evil Ancestor.
• Xie Mobai identifies himself as a descendant of the Evil Tiger Emperor and declares his loyalty to the Chaotic Era Evil Ancestor.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor attacks Xie Mobai and then turns his fury toward the Evil Ancestor. Bai Yichen repeatedly warns him not to act recklessly, explaining that even a strand of the Evil Ancestor’s thought is extraordinarily dangerous.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor unleashes his strongest axe techniques, but the Evil Ancestor effortlessly evades every strike without visibly moving.
• When the Overlord Demon Emperor launches a massive final axe attack, the Evil Ancestor catches it with one hand and shatters it, overwhelming him completely.
• The Evil Ancestor explains that this immense power comes from the Taixu Immortal Bone, combined with his own experience and abilities.
• The sixteen remaining geniuses realize that they face an opponent vastly beyond ordinary Emperor Realm cultivators.

Character Developments

• Chaotic Era Evil Ancestor: Demonstrates absolute confidence, terrifying combat ability, and a calm, almost emotionless cruelty. His past reputation is reinforced when he reveals that he once slaughtered countless members of the powerful Primordial Dragon Lion Clan and defeated numerous Supreme Realm experts.
• Xie Mobai: Is exposed as the mastermind behind the awakening. His devotion to the Evil Ancestor and pride in his lineage reveal him as a deliberate traitor who views the gathered geniuses as expendable tools.
• Overlord Demon Emperor: His confidence and fearlessness turn into anger and disbelief after his strongest attacks fail. He is forced to recognize the overwhelming gap between himself and the Evil Ancestor.
• Bai Yichen: Acts as the voice of caution and reason, preventing the Overlord Demon Emperor from acting impulsively and emphasizing the Evil Ancestor’s superior experience and cultivation history.
• Lu Ren and the other geniuses: Their initial confidence gives way to shock and solemn apprehension as they witness the Evil Ancestor’s impossible speed and strength.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power versus youthful talent: The gathered geniuses are exceptional figures, but talent and current cultivation cannot compensate for the Evil Ancestor’s experience, history, and access to the Immortal Bone’s power.
• Betrayal and manipulation: Xie Mobai’s plan shows how the geniuses were unknowingly used to weaken the seal and release a greater evil.
• The danger of ancient beings: The Evil Ancestor’s calm recollection of massacring powerful clans emphasizes the terrifying scale of ancient Supreme Realm figures.
• Borrowed power and latent potential: The Taixu Immortal Bone transforms even a mere strand of evil thought into a threat capable of suppressing all Emperor Realm experts.
• Pride confronted by reality: The Overlord Demon Emperor’s boldness is broken by the Evil Ancestor’s effortless defense, illustrating the limits of relying on brute strength.

Character Interactions

• The Evil Ancestor dismisses the warnings from the distant powers and openly challenges all the geniuses to attack him together.
• Xie Mobai respectfully reports his success to the Evil Ancestor, confirming their master-servant alliance.
• Bai Yichen restrains the enraged Overlord Demon Emperor and warns him that the Evil Ancestor cannot be treated as an ordinary opponent.
• The Overlord Demon Emperor challenges the Evil Ancestor directly, but the latter mocks his lineage and casually neutralizes his attacks.
• Xie Mobai further provokes the geniuses by proclaiming the Evil Ancestor’s superiority, intensifying their fear and hostility.

Chapter Summary: “Join Forces Against the Evil Ancestor”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Powerful beings outside the Land of Chaotic Antiquity realize that the Chaotic Era Evil Ancestor has borrowed the power of the Taixu Immortal Bone and become nearly invincible below the Supreme Realm. They are furious but cannot reach the battlefield quickly enough to intervene.
• Inside the Land of Chaotic Antiquity, the Evil Ancestor urges the sixteen remaining geniuses to attack him together, claiming that cooperation is their only chance of defeating him.
• Bai Yichen, Emperor Lord Guiyi, the Demonrock Race powerhouse, Monk Golden Light, Lu Ren, Yun Qingyao, and the others agree to temporarily set aside their competition for the Taixu Immortal Bone. Their goal becomes killing the Evil Ancestor and erasing his evil will before deciding who will claim the Immortal Bone.
• Little Broken Tower confirms that the Taixu Immortal Bone is unbeatable beneath the Supreme Realm, leaving them no option except an all-out battle.
• The sixteen geniuses launch a coordinated attack, but the Evil Ancestor effortlessly overwhelms them one by one:
  • He knocks away the Overlord Demon Emperor.
  • He destroys Bai Yichen’s rune attack and then defeats him with a barrage of blood-colored palm strikes.
  • He praises the Demonrock warrior’s standing among the Devil Race before similarly blasting him into the ground.
  • He shatters Emperor Lord Guiyi’s soul sword lights, pierces his manifested body, and insults the Ghost Path Cultivators.
  • He breaks Monk Golden Light’s giant Buddha phantom and severely injures him.
  • He damages Yun Qingyao’s Ghost-Headed Zither and drives her back, though she protects herself with Hell’s Ghost Gate.
• Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao attack the Evil Ancestor together from opposite sides. After witnessing Lu Ren’s sword strike and the power of his Chaos Dao, the Evil Ancestor finally becomes excited and declares Lu Ren the strongest and most monstrous of the sixteen.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Emerges as the strongest combatant among the gathered geniuses. His Chaos Dao impresses even the Evil Ancestor, marking him as the group’s greatest hope.
• Yun Qingyao: Demonstrates courage and resilience by fighting alongside Lu Ren and surviving a potentially fatal palm strike with Hell’s Ghost Gate, despite losing much of her zither’s strings.
• Bai Yichen: Initially appears to be one of the strongest fighters and receives the Evil Ancestor’s highest ranking, but is quickly incapacitated, highlighting the vast power gap between them.
• Emperor Lord Guiyi: Continues using his Ghost Path techniques and Yao Tian’s body, but his attacks are easily countered. His true body is exposed after the Evil Ancestor pierces his manifested form.
• Monk Golden Light: His Buddhist power and enormous Buddha phantom prove insufficient against the Evil Ancestor, leaving him badly injured.
• Demonrock powerhouse and Overlord Demon Emperor: Both attack with great physical force but are repelled almost instantly, reinforcing the Evil Ancestor’s overwhelming superiority.
• Chaotic Era Evil Ancestor: Remains calm, confident, and condescending throughout the battle. He evaluates his opponents as though judging their worth, revealing both immense experience and arrogance. Lu Ren’s strength is the first thing to genuinely interest him.

Significant Themes

• Unity against a greater threat: Rivals temporarily abandon their individual ambitions and cooperate because the Evil Ancestor threatens both their lives and the wider myriad heavens.
• Overwhelming power versus collective resistance: Even sixteen elite geniuses attacking together struggle to harm a foe empowered by the Immortal Bone.
• The decline of the current era: The Evil Ancestor repeatedly compares the present geniuses unfavorably with those of his own age, suggesting that the Great Dao and current cultivation era have weakened.
• Hope in an exceptional individual: While the group effort fails to suppress the Evil Ancestor, Lu Ren’s appearance introduces the possibility that one extraordinary cultivator may challenge him.
• Arrogance and judgment: The Evil Ancestor treats the battle as an examination, ranking his opponents and insulting their origins while remaining largely unconcerned for his own safety.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yichen proposes joining forces, and Emperor Lord Guiyi and the Demonrock warrior support the plan.
• Lu Ren questions whether the Immortal Bone’s power is truly unbeatable, prompting Little Broken Tower to explain their desperate situation.
• Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao exchange a glance before launching a coordinated attack, showing their mutual understanding in battle.
• The Evil Ancestor verbally evaluates several opponents, praising Bai Yichen and the Demonrock warrior while mocking Emperor Lord Guiyi’s Ghost Path.
• The Evil Ancestor’s attitude changes when Lu Ren attacks: for the first time, he expresses genuine excitement and acknowledges Lu Ren as the strongest among the sixteen.