Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Immortal Soul Collision”

Key Plot Points and Events

• White Ape Ancestor confronts Blood Soul Ancestor and demands that Lu Ren be released, urging Blood Soul Ancestor to submit to Lu Ren. Blood Soul Ancestor refuses, doubting Lu Ren’s future as a Battle Body cultivator.
• Lu Ren emerges and is immediately attacked by Yunxi Ancestor through an Immortal Soul assault. She uses both her innate soul techniques and an azure flute to amplify the attack.
• Lu Ren easily blocks Yunxi’s attacks with his Chaos Eyes and reveals the overwhelming strength of his Eternal Level Immortal Soul, defeating her and forcing her to retreat.
• Lu Ren claims that Wu Zhen Ancestor deceived everyone by taking all the inheritance resources from Chu Shanhe’s cave abode. He explains that Wu Zhen could not truly have allowed him to escape unless he had ulterior motives.
• Blood Soul Ancestor and the others believe Lu Ren’s explanation and rush to confront Wu Zhen Ancestor. Lu Ren secretly follows, intending to exploit the conflict and kill Wu Zhen.
• White Ape Ancestor worries that Lu Ren may be unable to defeat Wu Zhen without revealing his true strength. Lu Ren reassures him that the combined forces of Blood Soul Ancestor’s group can severely injure Wu Zhen, allowing Lu Ren to finish him without exposing his Six-Marked Battle Body.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor is attacked at his secluded island by Blood Soul Ancestor, Devouring Demon Ancestor, Yunxi Ancestor, and five Sixth-Step Supreme cultivators. Blood Soul accuses him of stealing Chu Shanhe’s inheritance and deceiving them.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren demonstrates immense confidence and strategic intelligence. His Eternal Level Immortal Soul allows him to completely suppress Yunxi Ancestor, and he manipulates the other ancestors by exploiting their suspicions of Wu Zhen.
• Yunxi Ancestor suffers a major defeat and realizes that Lu Ren has reached the Eternal Level Immortal Soul realm, far exceeding her expectations.
• Blood Soul Ancestor shifts from dismissing Lu Ren to believing his accusation against Wu Zhen. His anger and sense of betrayal drive him to attack Wu Zhen.
• White Ape Ancestor remains loyal and protective toward Lu Ren, but his concern highlights the danger of Lu Ren’s plan.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor is placed in a precarious position as the group he deceived turns against him.

Significant Themes

• Strength concealed beneath appearances: Lu Ren presents himself as only a Four-Marked Battle Body, hiding both his Eternal Level Immortal Soul and Six-Marked Battle Body.
• Deception and manipulation: Lu Ren turns Wu Zhen’s scheme against him, while Wu Zhen’s attempt to monopolize the inheritance provokes a powerful coalition.
• Loyalty versus reputation: White Ape Ancestor follows Lu Ren despite the ridicule of others, while Blood Soul initially values his established reputation over uncertain allegiance.
• Strategic power: The chapter emphasizes that intelligence and manipulation can be as decisive as direct combat.
• Underestimation of Lu Ren: The ancestors repeatedly misjudge Lu Ren’s abilities, allowing him to control the situation from the shadows.

Character Interactions

• White Ape and Blood Soul clash over whether Lu Ren is worthy of allegiance.
• Yunxi directly tests Lu Ren’s Immortal Soul and is decisively defeated.
• Lu Ren persuades Blood Soul and the others that Wu Zhen betrayed them.
• White Ape questions Lu Ren’s plan, but Lu Ren confidently explains how the others’ attack will create an opportunity.
• Blood Soul and his allies confront Wu Zhen, beginning a major conflict fueled by Lu Ren’s manipulation.

Chapter Summary: “Besieging Wu Zhen Ancestor”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Blood Soul Ancestor, Yunxi Ancestor, Devouring Demon Ancestor, and five other Early-Stage Sixth-Step Supremes confront Wu Zhen Ancestor.
• They accuse Wu Zhen Ancestor of taking all of Chu Shanhe’s inheritance resources, based on information from Lu Ren.
• Blood Soul Ancestor demands thirty percent of the inheritance, threatening to fight Wu Zhen Ancestor if he refuses.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor denies possessing the resources and insists that Lu Ren has deceived them, but the group refuses to believe him.
• Yunxi Ancestor initiates the attack with her Nine-Bend Immortal River Flute, using Immortal Soul attacks to weaken and disrupt Wu Zhen Ancestor.
• The other cultivators join forces, unleashing blood rivers, a Taotie phantom, and numerous Immortal Path Techniques.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor initially defends himself with the Nine-Star Cosmic Cauldron and its nine Star Cauldrons, but the combined assault gradually overwhelms him.
• After more than a hundred exchanges, Wu Zhen Ancestor is injured and repeatedly urges the group not to trust Lu Ren.
• Just as the attackers prepare to severely injure him and force him to surrender the inheritance, Wu Zhen Ancestor reveals a powerful Evil Dao Technique: the Sword Lotus Dao-Severing Technique.
• The lotus releases countless devastating sword lights, overwhelming the attackers’ treasures and piercing all eight opponents.
• Although Wu Zhen Ancestor suffers backlash, he uses the opportunity to escape, promising to settle accounts with them later.

Character Developments

• Wu Zhen Ancestor: Revealed to possess a hidden and extremely dangerous Evil Dao Technique. His desperation and fury intensify as the others refuse to believe his denial. Despite being injured and outnumbered, he demonstrates that he still has formidable trump cards and escapes before being defeated.
• Blood Soul Ancestor: Acts as the leader of the group, attempting to negotiate before resorting to violence. However, he becomes convinced that Wu Zhen Ancestor is lying and commits fully to the assault.
• Yunxi Ancestor: Her Immortal Soul cultivation has significantly improved. Her flute technique becomes the key factor suppressing Wu Zhen Ancestor’s strength, though she is later badly wounded by his counterattack.
• Devouring Demon Ancestor: Encourages Blood Soul Ancestor to abandon negotiations and attack directly, motivated by the enormous value of Chu Shanhe’s inheritance.
• The other five Supremes: Serve as the group’s collective combat force, helping overwhelm Wu Zhen Ancestor but ultimately suffering serious injuries from his hidden technique.
• Lu Ren: Though absent from the confrontation, he becomes central to the conflict because his information—or deception—causes the group to target Wu Zhen Ancestor.

Significant Themes

• Mistrust and deception: The central conflict is built on conflicting claims about Lu Ren and Chu Shanhe’s inheritance. The attackers’ refusal to consider Wu Zhen Ancestor’s explanation highlights how suspicion can escalate into violence.
• Greed and competition: The inheritance’s valuable treasures, including Enlightenment Pills, Battle Marks, and the Eight-Wastelands Reincarnation Sword, motivate powerful cultivators to risk a deadly confrontation.
• Hidden strength and trump cards: Wu Zhen Ancestor conceals his Evil Dao Technique until he is nearly defeated, showing that apparent weakness may conceal decisive power.
• Reputation and honor: Blood Soul Ancestor notes that experts of their stature care deeply about their reputations, while Wu Zhen Ancestor risks being branded selfish or deceitful by refusing to surrender resources he claims not to possess.
• Teamwork versus individual power: The combined force of eight cultivators initially suppresses Wu Zhen Ancestor, but his superior technique allows him to reverse the situation and escape.

Character Interactions

• Blood Soul Ancestor repeatedly demands an explanation and a share of the inheritance, while Wu Zhen Ancestor insists he has been framed.
• Yunxi Ancestor pushes the group toward direct violence, believing Wu Zhen Ancestor will only surrender after being severely injured.
• Devouring Demon Ancestor reinforces the accusation, arguing that no one would willingly share such valuable treasures.
• The group’s coordinated attacks rely heavily on Yunxi Ancestor’s Immortal Soul interference.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor’s final counterattack dramatically shifts the power balance, injuring all eight attackers and forcing them to retreat from the immediate confrontation.

Summary: “Subduing Wu Zhen Ancestor”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Wu Zhen Ancestor uses the powerful Evil Path Technique and suffers severe backlash, Lu Ren secretly follows him for three days.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor hides in a secluded mountain range to establish a cave and recover from his injuries.
• Lu Ren launches a surprise attack. Wu Zhen Ancestor activates the Nine-Star Cosmic Cauldron, but Lu Ren’s punch destroys its phantom and gravely wounds him.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor retaliates with black sword lights released from an evil lotus, but Lu Ren counters with Mountains and Rivers Shaking the World, overwhelming and crushing him.
• Lu Ren interrogates the defeated ancestor about who arranged the attack against him.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor reveals that the Star River Imperial Clan, specifically Elder Wang Quan and a young clan genius, ordered him to target Lu Ren. Chu Shanhe’s cave dwelling was used as part of their scheme.
• Lu Ren orders Wu Zhen Ancestor to contact the two Star River Imperial Clan members and lure them to the location.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor refuses to submit, so Lu Ren reveals that he has secretly advanced to a Six-Marked Battle Body, despite appearing to possess only four marks.
• The chapter ends with Lu Ren asking whether this strength is enough to convince Wu Zhen Ancestor to follow him.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren demonstrates increased strength, tactical patience, and ruthlessness. Rather than kill Wu Zhen Ancestor immediately, he exploits his weakened state to extract information.
• Lu Ren reveals that he has mastered Chu Shanhe’s Battle Body divine ability in only a few years and possesses a secret technique that conceals his true Battle Body inscriptions.
• His revelation that he is a Six-Marked Battle Body explains how he previously escaped the Nine-Star Cosmic Cauldron and shows that his strength exceeds what his enemies believed.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor, once regarded as the foremost of the Tenth Heaven’s Ten True Ancestors, is reduced to a helpless and severely injured captive.
• Wu initially remains defiant and refuses to submit, but Lu Ren’s revelation leaves him shocked and uncertain.

Significant Themes

• Power concealed beneath appearances: Lu Ren’s hidden sixth mark allows him to surprise enemies who underestimate him.
• Reversal of predator and prey: Wu Zhen Ancestor ambushed Lu Ren earlier, but Lu Ren turns the tables through stealth and preparation.
• Submission versus pride: Wu must choose between preserving his independence and accepting Lu Ren’s overwhelming authority.
• Larger political conspiracy: The conflict is revealed to involve the Star River Imperial Clan rather than being merely Wu Zhen Ancestor’s personal ambition.
• Strategic strength: Lu Ren combines direct combat ability with interrogation, manipulation, and long-term planning.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Wu Zhen Ancestor engage in a tense exchange of threats and denials. Wu claims he only wanted Lu Ren’s resources, while Lu Ren insists the attack was intended to kill him.
• Lu Ren offers Wu a chance to live if he cooperates and submits, paralleling the earlier submission of White Ape Ancestor and others.
• Wu rejects this offer out of pride and fear of the Star River Imperial Clan’s retaliation.
• Lu Ren’s final revelation about his Six-Marked Battle Body is intended to break Wu’s resistance and force him to reconsider whom he should serve.

Chapter Summary: “Evil Burial Grotto”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren reveals that he has reached the Six-Marked Battle Body, shocking Wu Zhen Ancestor and giving him overwhelming leverage.
• Lu Ren demands that Wu Zhen Ancestor submit or die. Wu Zhen hesitates because betraying the Star River Imperial Clan could bring destruction upon his enormous Wu Family lineage.
• Lu Ren promises to protect the Wu Family under the authority of the Chaos Clan. Wu Zhen ultimately submits, kneeling before Lu Ren and pledging allegiance.
• Unlike White Ape Ancestor and the others, Wu Zhen is not required to sign a Master-Servant Contract. Lu Ren explains that his current strength is sufficient to kill Wu Zhen if necessary and grants him only one chance to remain loyal.
• Wu Zhen reveals that he obtained an Evil Path Technique from the dangerous Evil Burial Grotto in the Ninth Heaven. He had planned to use news of the grotto to lure Lu Ren from the Tenth Heaven, where the Star River Imperial Clan intended to ambush him.
• Lu Ren admits he is genuinely interested in the Evil Burial Grotto, though he plans to explore it after reaching the Seven-Marked Battle Body.
• Wu Zhen explains that Elder Wang Quan and Wang Tianfeng were waiting to attack Lu Ren, while the Star River Imperial Clan was preparing to send additional reinforcements.
• Rather than kill Wang Quan and Wang Tianfeng immediately, Lu Ren orders Wu Zhen to cooperate with them and uncover the identity and strength of their reinforcements. His goal is to destroy the enemies together in a single ambush.
• Wu Zhen returns to his side and provides Lu Ren with several Sound Transmission Talismans.
• Lu Ren informs White Ape Ancestor and the others that Wu Zhen has been subdued. He then prepares to enter seclusion and cultivate.
• Before he can do so, Wu Zhen reports that the Star River Imperial Clan has already sent Wang Tianyun, known as the Skyfall King, to reinforce the others.
• Lu Ren recognizes Wang Tianyun as a dangerous Battle Body cultivator and orders Wu Zhen to continue following the plan. Lu Ren retreats into the Reincarnation Ancient Pagoda for a month, strengthening his Battle Body divine abilities and solidifying his six Battle Marks.
• The chapter ends when White Ape Ancestor arrives with “earth-shattering” news from the Ninth Heaven, leaving the new development unresolved.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren demonstrates immense confidence after attaining the Six-Marked Battle Body. He relies on strength, strategy, and psychological pressure rather than coercive contracts.
• Lu Ren’s decision to spare Wu Zhen from a Master-Servant Contract shows both confidence and a willingness to inspire genuine loyalty. His authority over his followers grows as a result.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor shifts from enemy conspirator to reluctant subordinate. Though initially motivated by fear for his family, he begins to respect Lu Ren’s power and leadership.
• Wu Zhen also becomes a valuable source of intelligence regarding the Evil Burial Grotto and the Star River Imperial Clan’s plans.
• White Ape Ancestor and the other followers become increasingly devoted to Lu Ren, admiring that even a powerful figure like Wu Zhen has submitted to him.
• Wang Tianyun is established as a major threat. His arrival significantly raises the stakes because he is both a powerful cultivator and a Battle Body expert.

Significant Themes

• Power and loyalty: Lu Ren’s overwhelming strength allows him to command submission, but his refusal to use a restrictive contract encourages more sincere allegiance.
• Trust and controlled risk: Lu Ren gives Wu Zhen freedom while making clear that betrayal will result in death, balancing trust with intimidation.
• Strategy over brute force: Although Lu Ren could easily kill the initial enemies, he chooses to gather information and arrange a larger ambush.
• Conflict between lineages and personal allegiance: Wu Zhen’s fear for the survival of his family initially outweighs his personal interests, highlighting the political power of the Star River Imperial Clan.
• Growth and preparation: Lu Ren’s cultivation of his Battle Body abilities emphasizes that continued advancement is necessary despite his current dominance.
• Dangerous opportunities: The Evil Burial Grotto represents both a source of extraordinary power and a deadly trap, blending opportunity with danger.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Ren confronts Wu Zhen and forces him to choose between submission and death.
• Wu Zhen explains his betrayal plan and reveals the Star River Imperial Clan’s involvement.
• Lu Ren reassures Wu Zhen that the Chaos Clan will protect the Wu Family, persuading him to submit.
• Lu Ren and Wu Zhen devise a plan to deceive Wang Quan, Wang Tianfeng, and the incoming reinforcements.
• Lu Ren reunites with White Ape Ancestor and the other followers, announcing Wu Zhen’s allegiance and reinforcing his authority.
• Lu Ren communicates with Wu Zhen through Sound Transmission Talismans after learning of Wang Tianyun’s arrival.
• White Ape Ancestor returns at the end with urgent news from the Ninth Heaven, creating a cliffhanger for the next chapter.

Chapter Summary: “Wang Tianyun Arrives”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren emerges from the Reincarnation Ancient Pagoda and learns that an Evil Burial Grotto has appeared in the Ninth Heaven. The grotto, a remnant of the ancient war between Evil Path and Immortal Path cultivators, reportedly contains immense treasures, including an Immortal Dao Spirit Root capable of helping cultivators break through bottlenecks.
• Realizing that the news has spread to the Tenth Heaven and that powerful experts are already moving, Lu Ren decides to leave immediately for the Ninth Heaven.
• He entrusts Lu Lunhui, Xiao Huohuo, Reincarnation, and the others to White Ape Ancestor, Xuanling Ancestor, and Fire Crocodile Ancestor. Using the Thirty-Three Heavens Void Silkworm, granted by the Taixu Immortal Sect, Lu Ren teleports through the void toward the Ninth Heaven.
• Meanwhile, Wang Tianyun, the legendary Skyfall King, meets with Wu Zhen Ancestor and his allies. They plan to use Wu Zhen’s old friend from the Ninth Heaven to help ambush and kill Lu Ren inside the Evil Burial Grotto.
• Three of the Tenth Heaven’s Ten Great True Ancestors and five other Sixth-Step Supreme cultivators arrive to confront Wu Zhen Ancestor. Wang Tianyun reveals his identity and orders them to submit.
• Recognizing Wang Tianyun as the prodigy who dominated two eras, the experts immediately surrender, awed by his reputation and overwhelming potential.
• Although the group initially intends to travel to the Ninth Heaven, Elder Wang Quan discovers that Lu Ren’s son remains behind. Wang Tianyun decides to capture Lu Lunhui, planning to use him as leverage to kill Lu Ren.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor secretly attempts to warn Lu Ren, but Lu Ren has already left the Tenth Heaven and cannot receive the message.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren demonstrates decisiveness and confidence by immediately pursuing the Evil Burial Grotto. His possession of the Void Silkworm also highlights his growing status and special advantages as a Battle Body.
• Lu Lunhui shows emotional maturity and independence. Rather than becoming distressed by his father’s departure, he accepts it calmly and recognizes that he cannot remain protected forever.
• Wang Tianyun is established as an exceptionally dominant and charismatic figure. His legendary reputation alone compels powerful cultivators to submit without a fight.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor continues to plot against Lu Ren but is also willing to cooperate with Wang Tianyun and seek outside assistance.
• Elder Wang Quan proves strategically ruthless, redirecting the group’s plan toward capturing Lu Ren’s son.
• Lu Lunhui becomes the new target in the conflict, placing him in immediate danger despite Lu Ren’s departure.

Significant Themes

• Power and reputation: Wang Tianyun’s historical achievements give him authority far beyond that of ordinary Battle Bodies, showing how reputation can inspire fear and loyalty.
• Parental protection versus independence: Lu Lunhui’s response suggests that growth requires eventually leaving the protection of one’s elders, even as this independence exposes him to danger.
• Strategic manipulation: Rather than confronting Lu Ren directly, Wang Tianyun’s group plans to exploit his emotional attachment to his son.
• Opportunity and conflict: The Evil Burial Grotto acts as both a source of extraordinary cultivation opportunities and a gathering point for rival forces.
• Generational contrast: Lu Ren is a rising Battle Body whose potential is still developing, while Wang Tianyun is a proven prodigy whose past achievements already command universal respect.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and White Ape Ancestor: Lu Ren entrusts his companions to White Ape Ancestor before departing, showing both leadership and trust.
• Lu Ren and Lu Lunhui: Their farewell emphasizes Lu Lunhui’s calm acceptance and desire to become self-reliant.
• Wang Tianyun and Wu Zhen Ancestor: They discuss recruiting Wu Zhen’s Ninth Heaven ally to help eliminate Lu Ren.
• Wang Tianyun and the Ten Great True Ancestors: Wang Tianyun demands their submission, and they immediately comply after recognizing him as the Skyfall King.
• Elder Wang Quan and Wang Tianyun: Wang Quan proposes abducting Lu Ren’s son, leading to the new plan to capture Lu Lunhui.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor’s failed warning: Wu Zhen attempts to alert Lu Ren, but the message cannot reach him, leaving Lu Lunhui vulnerable.

Chapter Summary: “Capture Lu Lunhui Alive”

Key Plot Points and Events

• White Ape Ancestor, Xuanling Ancestor, and Fire Crocodile Ancestor continue teaching Lu Lunhui and Xiao Huohuo while Luo Qianli watches Lu Lunhui’s growth with affection.
• Luo Qianli suddenly senses a powerful enemy approaching. The group attempts to split up and escape.
• Wang Tianyun of the Star River Imperial Clan blocks White Ape Ancestor, Xuanling Ancestor, Lu Lunhui, and Luo Qianli, while Blood Soul Ancestor and others intercept Fire Crocodile Ancestor and Xiao Huohuo.
• Wang Tianyun confirms that Lu Lunhui is Lu Ren’s son and reveals that he has come to capture him.
• Lu Lunhui offers himself to protect the others, but his three masters refuse to abandon him, regarding him as their own child.
• Wang Tianyun overwhelms White Ape Ancestor and Xuanling Ancestor with a single attack, demonstrating strength comparable to the late Sixth-Step Supreme stage.
• White Ape Ancestor and Xuanling Ancestor attempt to create a spatial escape route for Lu Lunhui. White Ape Ancestor sacrifices himself, holding open the rift despite Wang Tianyun’s attack.
• Wang Tianyun kills White Ape Ancestor by shattering his head and annihilating his immortal soul.
• Lu Lunhui enters the spatial rift with Luo Qianli, but Wang Tianyun begins forcibly dragging them back.
• Xuanling Ancestor uses her essence blood and the Nine-Bend Immortal River Flute to restrain Wang Tianyun, but he kills her as well, blasting her body into blood mist.
• With escape impossible, Luo Qianli urges Lu Lunhui to use the Eight-Wastelands Reincarnation Sword. Wang Tianyun recognizes it as Chu Shanhe’s Dao Restricting Soldier and is shocked that Lu Ren entrusted it to his son.

Character Developments

• Lu Lunhui displays courage and responsibility, willingly offering himself to save his masters and declaring that he will one day seek revenge against the Star River Imperial Clan.
• Luo Qianli becomes increasingly emotionally attached to Lu Lunhui and refuses to let him face danger alone. Her quick decision to have him use the Eight-Wastelands Reincarnation Sword shows both loyalty and composure under pressure.
• White Ape Ancestor and Xuanling Ancestor fully demonstrate their parental devotion to Lu Lunhui, sacrificing themselves to give him a chance to escape.
• Wang Tianyun is established as a vastly superior and ruthless opponent. He remains calm and dismissive while destroying Lu Lunhui’s protectors.
• Xiao Huohuo is separated from Lu Lunhui during the escape, leaving his fate uncertain in this confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and guardianship: White Ape Ancestor and Xuanling Ancestor give their lives to protect someone they have come to regard as their child.
• Family beyond blood: Lu Lunhui’s bond with his three masters and Luo Qianli is portrayed as deeply familial, strengthened through shared cultivation and danger.
• Inheritance and legacy: The Eight-Wastelands Reincarnation Sword links Lu Lunhui to his father Lu Ren and to the powerful figure Chu Shanhe.
• Powerlessness against overwhelming strength: Despite their status as True Ancestors, White Ape and Xuanling are helpless before Wang Tianyun, emphasizing the vast power gap.
• Vengeance and resolve: Lu Lunhui’s grief transforms into a vow to oppose the Star River Imperial Clan and avenge his fallen master.

Important Character Interactions

• Luo Qianli and Lu Lunhui share a close, affectionate bond, with her initially refusing to release his hand.
• Lu Lunhui tries to persuade Luo Qianli and his masters to abandon him, prioritizing their safety over his own.
• White Ape Ancestor and Xuanling Ancestor reject his request, affirming their role as his protectors.
• Wang Tianyun taunts and dismisses the group while demanding that Lu Lunhui surrender.
• After White Ape Ancestor’s death, Lu Lunhui openly threatens Wang Tianyun with future revenge.
• Luo Qianli supports Lu Lunhui in his final desperate resistance by directing him to use his inherited sword.

Chapter Summary:

Black Evil City

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Tianyun attempts to seize both Lu Lunhui and the Eight-Wastelands Reincarnation Sword. Luo Qianli sacrifices another drop of essence blood, allowing Lu Lunhui to unleash the sword’s full power and destroy Wang Tianyun’s enormous hand.
• The attack severely backfires, sweeping Lu Lunhui and Luo Qianli into the void torrent, but enabling their escape.
• Meanwhile, Fire Crocodile Ancestor is overwhelmed by Blood Soul Ancestor and the other experts. Xiao Huohuo offers himself as a hostage, revealing that he is Lu Ren’s sworn brother.
• Wang Tianyun orders Xiao Huohuo’s capture but kills Fire Crocodile Ancestor anyway, reducing his original body to blood mist. Xiao Huohuo condemns him as despicable, but Wang Tianyun refuses to negotiate.
• Wang Tianyun and his followers enter the Thirty-Three Heavens Void Silkworm and travel toward the Ninth Heaven, likely intending to use Xiao Huohuo to threaten Lu Ren.
• After a month of travel, Lu Ren independently reaches the Ninth Heaven. He discovers Black Evil City, a dangerous city located within the void of a Third-Rank Heaven and protected by a powerful black barrier.
• Disguising himself as an old man, Lu Ren enters Black Evil City, where evil cultivators gather alongside powerful righteous-path cultivators. Many have come because of rumors concerning the Evil Burial Grotto.
• Lu Ren asks a long-faced young man for information and learns that the Black Treasure Pavilion is the busiest location in the city. The pavilion trades in “black treasures”—powerful artifacts obtained by killing their previous owners, making their possession dangerous because of possible revenge from the owners’ allies.
• Lu Ren goes to the Black Treasure Pavilion, where a black-clad woman demands an entrance fee of one hundred Enlightenment Pills.

Character Developments

• Lu Lunhui and Luo Qianli: Their cooperation deepens as Luo willingly sacrifices essence blood to empower Lu Lunhui and the Eight-Wastelands Reincarnation Sword. Their escape demonstrates both trust and desperation.
• Wang Tianyun: He is shown to be overwhelmingly powerful, ruthless, and unwilling to honor bargains. His strength as a Battle Body is emphasized by his effortless destruction of Fire Crocodile Ancestor.
• Xiao Huohuo: He displays loyalty and courage by offering himself to save his master. His declaration that he is Lu Ren’s brother establishes a strong personal connection between him and Lu Ren.
• Lu Ren: He remains calm, resourceful, and cautious. He disguises his appearance, uses Enlightenment Pills to obtain information, and begins investigating Black Evil City and the Evil Burial Grotto.
• Fire Crocodile Ancestor: Despite Xiao Huohuo’s attempt to save him, he is killed by Wang Tianyun, marking a major loss for Xiao Huohuo and his allies.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and loyalty: Luo Qianli sacrifices her essence blood for Lu Lunhui, while Xiao Huohuo risks capture to protect Fire Crocodile Ancestor.
• Power and ruthlessness: Wang Tianyun’s actions demonstrate the brutal hierarchy of the cultivation world, where overwhelming strength eliminates the need for negotiation.
• Dangerous alliances and vengeance: The Black Treasure Pavilion represents a world where powerful treasures carry the grudges of their former owners, making every gain potentially dangerous.
• Chaos and moral ambiguity: Black Evil City is dominated by cultivators whose methods are considered evil, though not all are practitioners of explicitly wicked paths. The city blurs the distinction between righteous and evil cultivation.
• Preparation and intelligence: Rather than rushing into danger, Lu Ren first seeks information and a place to stay, showing the importance of caution in the Ninth Heaven.

Character Interactions

• Luo Qianli empowers Lu Lunhui through her essence blood, allowing him to repel Wang Tianyun.
• Xiao Huohuo confronts Wang Tianyun and attempts to negotiate through his own capture, but Wang Tianyun rejects the offer and kills Fire Crocodile Ancestor.
• Lu Ren exchanges information with a long-faced young man, paying him with Enlightenment Pills. The young man warns Lu Ren not to enter the Black Treasure Pavilion because of his low cultivation.
• At the pavilion, Lu Ren encounters a seductive black-clad woman who demands payment before allowing him entry.

Chapter Summary: “Black Treasure Pavilion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren pays 100 Enlightenment Pills to enter the Black Treasure Pavilion, a luxurious gathering place for powerful cultivators.
• Inside, he is shocked to find Supreme Realm cultivators serving as greeters and attendants. The pavilion’s immortal wine also contains rare herbs with effects similar to Enlightenment Pills, convincing him that the entrance fee was worthwhile.
• He learns that many powerful cultivators have gathered for a treasure duel involving Miss Chan Yan, who possesses the rare Soul-Communing Immortal Body. The winner of the duel will become her dual-cultivation companion for one month and may gain a major cultivation breakthrough.
• Lu Ren discovers that Chan Yan’s body has helped previous companions advance rapidly, making her especially attractive to cultivators stuck at bottlenecks. However, the method is considered a form of evil cultivation and may carry long-term consequences.
• The pavilion becomes increasingly crowded with True Ancestor-level experts. Fights occasionally break out, though the pavilion’s personnel quickly suppress them.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor, ranked second among the Ten Great True Ancestors of the Ninth Heaven, arrives and openly behaves arrogantly and indecently toward the serving maids. He intends to use Chan Yan’s body to break through to the Seventh-Step Ancient Ancestor realm.
• Lu Ren realizes that the Ninth Heaven contains far more powerful figures than the Tenth Heaven and worries that participating in the treasure duel could expose him to dangerous enemies.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor suddenly contacts Lu Ren and reveals that Wang Tianyun has arrived in the Ninth Heaven. Worse, Wang Tianyun and several others pursued Lu Ren’s son, while White Ape Ancestor, Xuanling Ancestor, and Fire Crocodile Ancestor died protecting him.
• The chapter ends with Lu Ren erupting in terrifying killing intent upon hearing of the three deaths and the threat to his son.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Initially relaxed and curious, Lu Ren becomes increasingly cautious after observing the gathering’s powerful cultivators. His calm is shattered when he learns that Wang Tianyun has attacked his son and killed his allies, revealing the depth of his rage and protective instincts.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor: Acts as Lu Ren’s informant, keeping him updated on Wang Tianyun’s movements and the crisis involving Lu Ren’s son.
• Miss Chan Yan: Though she does not appear directly, her Soul-Communing Immortal Body is established as extraordinarily valuable and potentially capable of helping cultivators overcome major cultivation bottlenecks.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor: Introduced as a powerful, arrogant, and crude figure. His goal of reaching the Seventh Step demonstrates both his ambition and the intense competition among Ninth Heaven powerhouses.
• White Ape Ancestor, Xuanling Ancestor, and Fire Crocodile Ancestor: Their deaths establish the seriousness of Wang Tianyun’s threat and raise the personal stakes for Lu Ren.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: The Ninth Heaven is shown to contain an enormous number of high-level cultivators, making it much more dangerous than the Tenth Heaven.
• Cultivation at any cost: Many cultivators are willing to use morally questionable or harmful methods to break through their limits, emphasizing the desperation created by cultivation bottlenecks.
• Wealth and risk: The treasure duel requires participants to reveal valuable treasures, creating the danger of exposing their strength and becoming targets.
• Luxury masking danger: The Black Treasure Pavilion appears extravagant and entertaining, but violence, manipulation, and predatory competition exist beneath its polished surface.
• Family loyalty and vengeance: Lu Ren’s reaction to the attack on his son marks a major emotional turning point, suggesting that Wang Tianyun’s actions will provoke a fierce retaliation.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Ren negotiates with the black-dressed woman and pays the entrance fee before being welcomed into the pavilion.
• He questions an attendant about Miss Chan Yan, learning the rules and dangers of the treasure duel.
• The attendant warns Lu Ren not to participate because his Second-Step Supreme Realm cultivation would make him vulnerable if he revealed a powerful treasure.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor interacts disrespectfully with the pavilion’s maids before being escorted to a distinguished seat.
• Wu Zhen Ancestor contacts Lu Ren telepathically and delivers the devastating news about Wang Tianyun, his son, and the fallen protectors.

Chapter Summary: “Miss Chan Yan”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren receives a transmission from Wu Zhen Ancestor revealing that Wang Tianyun has escaped with his Dao Companion while Xiao Huohuo remains in Wang’s hands. Lu Ren is furious and resolves to kill Wang Tianyun, even though Wang possesses a powerful Battle Body.
• The Golden Snake Young Master, ranked first among the ten True Ancestors, arrives at the Black Treasure Pavilion with two Third-Step Supreme Realm women. Although he previously rejected dual cultivation as harmful to one’s foundation, he now accepts it as a means of reaching the Seventh-Step Supreme Realm.
• Over the next seven days, numerous powerful cultivators gather for the treasure contest, hoping to obtain the chance to dual cultivate with Miss Chan Yan.
• Miss Chan Yan makes a dramatic entrance, descending amid falling petals while veiled in purple gauze. Her beauty captivates the entire pavilion.
• Lu Ren uses his Chaos Eyes and is shocked to discover that Miss Chan Yan appears to be the Nethernight Imperial Daughter. This confuses him because the Imperial Daughter had already signed a contract with him, raising the possibility that she somehow dissolved or bypassed it.
• Miss Chan Yan announces that contestants must present their most valuable magical treasures. The treasure contest begins, though many participants hesitate because revealing their treasures may make them targets.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor takes the initiative and displays the Dharma Immortal Staff, ranked seventeenth in the Dao-Restricting Chapter. Its appearance causes an immediate sensation and establishes him as the early favorite.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: His restrained anger turns into firm murderous intent after learning of Xiao Huohuo’s danger. He regrets not taking the others with him earlier and becomes more determined to confront the Star River Imperial Clan and Wang Tianyun. His discovery about Miss Chan Yan also introduces a new mystery concerning the Nethernight Imperial Daughter.
• Golden Snake Young Master: He shifts from proudly rejecting dual cultivation to pragmatically accepting it. His willingness to compromise reveals his desire to advance to the Seventh-Step Supreme Realm, despite his former ideals.
• Miss Chan Yan: She is presented as both extraordinarily beautiful and strategically powerful. Her stated fascination with magical treasures forms the basis of the contest and makes her the central figure sought by the assembled cultivators.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor: He openly embraces competition and seeks to dominate the event. By revealing a top-ranked treasure first, he demonstrates confidence and attempts to intimidate or outshine the other contestants.
• The Pavilion Maid: She initially underestimates Lu Ren, viewing him as an ordinary Second-Step Supreme Realm cultivator, while playfully offering herself to him. Her attitude highlights the gap between Lu Ren’s apparent cultivation and his actual danger.

Significant Themes

• Power and survival over principle: The Golden Snake Young Master abandons his previous disdain for dual cultivation because advancement and survival have become more important than maintaining his former ideals.
• Hidden identities and deception: Miss Chan Yan’s resemblance or identity as the Nethernight Imperial Daughter creates uncertainty about contracts, appearances, and concealed abilities.
• Competition and danger: The treasure contest is not merely a romantic or cultivation opportunity; revealing a powerful treasure may expose its owner to assassination or theft.
• Appearance versus true strength: Lu Ren appears to be an ordinary Second-Step Supreme Realm cultivator, yet his killing intent terrifies a fellow Supreme Realm expert. Likewise, Miss Chan Yan’s veiled beauty conceals deeper secrets.
• Desire and ambition: Many cultivators are motivated by the promise of dual cultivation, improved realms, status, or access to resources, turning Chan Yan’s beauty and abilities into the center of a high-stakes power struggle.

Character Interactions

• Wu Zhen Ancestor’s warning intensifies Lu Ren’s hatred toward Wang Tianyun and concern for Xiao Huohuo.
• Lu Ren and the maid exchange teasing remarks about Miss Chan Yan and the possibility of the maid serving him; Lu Ren dismisses her and declares that only someone like Chan Yan is worthy of his attention.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor challenges the Golden Snake Young Master, mocking his decision to accept dual cultivation. Golden Snake responds confidently, promising to compete and see what treasures Mad Ape has acquired.
• The assembled cultivators react with awe to Miss Chan Yan’s entrance and compete for her attention, while she calmly directs them toward the treasure contest.
• Mad Ape’s unveiling of the Dharma Immortal Staff shocks the crowd and immediately establishes a competitive challenge for every other participant.

Chapter Summary: “Battle of Treasures”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mad Ape True Ancestor begins the treasure battle by displaying the Dharma Immortal Staff, ranked seventeenth among the Dao-Restricting Soldiers.
• Golden Snake Young Master immediately outdoes him by revealing the Golden Snake Soul-Seizing Shuttle, ranked fifteenth. The weapon can attack both an opponent’s body and immortal soul.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor is furious but forced to concede, since Golden Snake Young Master is both stronger and possesses the superior treasure.
• With no one apparently able to produce a treasure surpassing the shuttle, Golden Snake Young Master assumes victory.
• Lu Ren unexpectedly interrupts the proceedings and claims to possess an even more precious treasure, shocking everyone because he appears to be only a Second-Step Supreme Realm cultivator.
• Despite warnings that revealing a valuable treasure could make him a target, Lu Ren summons the Three-Eyed Demon Cauldron, a powerful demonic weapon whose strength rivals the top ten Dao-Restricting Soldiers.
• The cauldron provokes intense greed among the surrounding evil cultivators. Mad Ape True Ancestor even offers to protect Lu Ren if Lu Ren gives it to him.
• Lu Ren refuses and confidently declares that he is not afraid of anyone attempting to seize the cauldron.
• Miss Chan Yan clarifies that the contest is specifically limited to Dao-Restricting Soldiers, meaning the demonic cauldron cannot be counted.
• Lu Ren appears to have lost the battle and attracted unwanted attention, but he then reveals that he also possesses a Dao-Restricting Soldier, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Golden Snake Young Master is established as arrogant, confident, and significantly stronger than Mad Ape True Ancestor. His possession of the fifteenth-ranked shuttle reinforces his superiority, though his confidence begins to falter when Lu Ren introduces the cauldron.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor shifts from smug confidence to humiliation and anger after being surpassed. He becomes eager to exploit Lu Ren’s treasure, showing both greed and concern over Golden Snake Young Master’s potential rise in power.
• Lu Ren is revealed to be far more mysterious and fearless than his low cultivation level suggests. His calm refusal to submit to Mad Ape and his willingness to reveal the cauldron imply that he possesses unusual power, backing, or confidence.
• Miss Chan Yan remains composed and authoritative, enforcing the rules despite the dangerous personalities present. Her interest in seeing rare treasures motivates the contest, but she refuses to allow the cauldron to qualify.
• The surrounding cultivators are portrayed as opportunistic and covetous, quickly becoming interested in Lu Ren’s treasure despite the risks.

Significant Themes

• Power and status: The value and ranking of treasures reflect the cultivators’ strength and social standing.
• Greed and danger: Rare treasures immediately attract murderous attention, emphasizing that great wealth can also bring catastrophe.
• Hidden strength: Lu Ren’s humble appearance contrasts sharply with his confidence and extraordinary possessions.
• Rules versus raw power: The cauldron may be stronger than many qualifying treasures, but it is excluded because it does not meet the contest’s technical requirements.
• Pride and rivalry: Golden Snake Young Master and Mad Ape True Ancestor engage in a contest of superiority, with each reacting strongly to being challenged.

Important Character Interactions

• Golden Snake Young Master humiliates Mad Ape True Ancestor by surpassing his Dharma Immortal Staff and taunting him afterward.
• Lu Ren challenges Golden Snake Young Master’s presumed victory by claiming to possess a superior treasure.
• Mad Ape attempts to form a transactional alliance with Lu Ren, offering protection in exchange for the Three-Eyed Demon Cauldron, but Lu Ren dismisses him.
• Miss Chan Yan’s ruling prevents Lu Ren’s cauldron from winning, while Golden Snake Young Master uses the rule to regain confidence.
• Lu Ren’s final declaration that he possesses a genuine Dao-Restricting Soldier restores suspense and suggests that an even greater confrontation is about to begin.

Chapter Summary:

Seizing the Crown

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren shocks everyone in the Black Treasure Pavilion by revealing a second supreme treasure: the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock, a renowned Dao Restricting Soldier ranked seventh in the Dao-Restricting Chapter.
• He demonstrates the lock’s power by creating a heaven-sealing chain cage, confirming its authenticity.
• The Golden Snake Young Master becomes enraged and attacks Lu Ren, attempting to kill him and seize the treasure. Lu Ren blocks the attack with the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock but is forced backward by the impact.
• Lu Ren appeals to Miss Chan Yan, who intervenes because the attack violates the Black Treasure Pavilion’s rules. The Golden Snake Young Master withdraws but vows to kill Lu Ren once he leaves.
• The Mad Ape True Ancestor offers to protect Lu Ren in exchange for the Three-Eyed Demon Cauldron. Lu Ren agrees, but only after completing a month of “dual cultivation” with Miss Chan Yan.
• Miss Chan Yan takes Lu Ren into a sealed room, claiming the restrictions will prevent outside interference.
• Inside, she reveals her true intentions. Her seductive dance is actually an Immortal Soul technique designed to weaken Lu Ren and manipulate his memories.
• Lu Ren’s Eternal-Level Immortal Soul dispels the illusion, exposing her scheme. Miss Chan Yan admits she intends to erase and alter his memories, or kill him if he resists.
• As she attacks, Lu Ren reveals that he knows her true identity: the Nethernight Imperial Daughter, his former master.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren demonstrates exceptional composure, strategic thinking, and hidden strength. His Eternal-Level Immortal Soul allows him to resist Miss Chan Yan’s mental technique, suggesting he is far more powerful and prepared than others assume.
• Golden Snake Young Master is portrayed as arrogant, violent, and possessive. His desire for the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock quickly overcomes his concern for propriety, though political pressure forces him to retreat.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor presents himself as a practical opportunist. He offers protection not out of loyalty but in exchange for one of Lu Ren’s treasures.
• Miss Chan Yan shifts from a seductive host to a dangerous conspirator. Her apparent offer of dual cultivation is revealed as a trap intended to control Lu Ren’s memories.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter is revealed to be connected to Miss Chan Yan, likely possessing or controlling her body through a Ghost Path Puppet. Lu Ren’s accusation implies a master-disciple relationship and a betrayal of that bond.

Significant Themes

• Deception beneath appearances: The treasure contest, the offer of dual cultivation, and Miss Chan Yan’s beauty all conceal ulterior motives.
• Power and possession: The supreme treasures provoke greed, violence, and political maneuvering among the powerful cultivators.
• Strategic survival: Lu Ren survives by exploiting the rivalries and reputations of the True Ancestors rather than relying solely on force.
• Master-disciple betrayal: The final revelation introduces a personal conflict involving loyalty, treachery, and rebellion against one’s master.
• Hidden strength: Lu Ren’s true capabilities, especially his Eternal-Level Immortal Soul, remain far greater than his opponents expect.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Ren openly challenges the Golden Snake Young Master, refusing to explain how he obtained the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock.
• Miss Chan Yan stops the Golden Snake Young Master from attacking further, preserving the pavilion’s authority.
• Lu Ren bargains with the Mad Ape True Ancestor, promising the Three-Eyed Demon Cauldron in exchange for protection.
• Miss Chan Yan attempts to seduce and mentally subdue Lu Ren, but he sees through the technique.
• The chapter ends with Lu Ren confronting her as the Nethernight Imperial Daughter, transforming the encounter from a supposed romantic arrangement into a direct master-versus-disciple confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miss Chan Yan’s identity is exposed: she is actually the Nethernight Imperial Daughter, and Lu Ren reveals that he recognized her from the beginning.
• Lu Ren removes his disguise and confronts her over dissolving their Supreme Evil Master-Servant Contract without telling him.
• The Nethernight Imperial Daughter initially mocks him, believing she has grown powerful enough to defeat him. Lu Ren proves otherwise by revealing his Four-Marked Battle Body and striking her down.
• He threatens to destroy her Ghost Path Puppet and expose her true body within the Black Treasure Pavilion unless she submits to him again within one month.
• The Nethernight Imperial Daughter explains that she dissolved their contract by forcibly transferring it to Qianye, sacrificing Qianye and paying a significant personal price.
• She also reveals that she disguised herself as Miss Chan Yan to kill the Golden Snake Young Master and obtain an item crucial to the Strange Dao.
• Lu Ren offers to help kill the Golden Snake Young Master, but demands that she become his subordinate again.
• She refuses, insisting on her status as the imperial daughter of the Ghost Path Great World and rejecting the idea of submitting now that he knows her true identity.
• The Nethernight Imperial Daughter explains the terrifying power of her Supreme Yin Ghost Physique, which even Ninth-Rank Ghost Ancestors cannot withstand. Only someone who reaches the Nine-Marked Battle Body might be able to cultivate with her safely.
• During their argument, she tearfully confesses that she has realized she already likes Lu Ren, leaving him shocked and unable to believe her words.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren is revealed to have deliberately concealed his knowledge of the Nethernight Imperial Daughter’s identity. He is stronger and more confident than she expected, using both physical dominance and psychological pressure to control the situation.
• Though Lu Ren claims to distrust all Ghost Path Cultivators, his willingness to negotiate and help her suggests that he is not entirely indifferent to her.
• The Nethernight Imperial Daughter shifts from arrogance and defiance to vulnerability. Despite her pride, she admits that she has developed genuine feelings for Lu Ren.
• Her history becomes clearer: she is extremely powerful, politically important, and dangerous, but her relationship with Lu Ren has affected her emotionally.
• Qianye is indirectly shown to have suffered greatly because of the contract transfer.

Significant Themes

• Power and control: Lu Ren’s superior strength allows him to reverse their former dynamic and place the Nethernight Imperial Daughter at his mercy.
• Betrayal and deception: Both characters concealed important truths from one another—her identity and contract escape, as well as Lu Ren’s knowledge of who she really was.
• Pride versus vulnerability: The Nethernight Imperial Daughter fiercely protects her dignity and imperial status, yet finally exposes her emotional weakness by confessing her love.
• Moral conflict between factions: Lu Ren’s hatred of Ghost Path Cultivators reflects the long-standing conflict between the Immortal Dao and Ghost Path worlds, complicating his relationship with her.
• Cooperation and personal motives: The proposed alliance against the Golden Snake Young Master blends strategic interests with the unresolved emotional tension between the two protagonists.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and the Nethernight Imperial Daughter engage in a hostile but charged confrontation, trading threats, sarcasm, and accusations.
• She challenges his strength, only to be defeated almost instantly.
• Lu Ren questions her about the dissolved contract and her mission in the Black Treasure Pavilion.
• Their negotiation becomes personal when Lu Ren demands renewed submission and she angrily argues for equal cooperation.
• She reminds him of the help she once gave him and accuses him of being heartless.
• The chapter ends with her emotional confession, dramatically overturning the power struggle and leaving Lu Ren stunned.

Summary: “Cooperation Once More”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nethernight Imperial Daughter reveals that she has fallen in love with Lu Ren. Her feelings developed after Lu Ren was transformed into a Ghost Path Puppet, though she later realized he had known her identity and had deliberately deceived her to use her against the Ghost Path.
• Despite her anger and sense of betrayal, Nethernight refuses to submit again. Lu Ren agrees to cooperate with her temporarily, declaring that they will be enemies when they next meet.
• Lu Ren offers to help Nethernight kill Golden Snake Young Master in exchange for her assistance with an undisclosed matter. He plans to falsely claim that he and “Miss Chan Yan” completed dual cultivation, provoking Golden Snake Young Master and Mad Ape True Ancestor into attacking him.
• Nethernight worries about Lu Ren’s safety, though she insists her concern is only because she needs him alive to kill Golden Snake Young Master. Lu Ren also warns that her plan is extremely dangerous, since she is only a Second-Order Ghost Ancestor facing a much stronger opponent.
• After a month of preparation, Nethernight proposes killing Mad Ape True Ancestor first and refining him into a Ghost Path Puppet. She possesses a secret technique that allows her to control a powerful puppet remotely for the duration of one incense stick, which she believes will be long enough to defeat Golden Snake Young Master.
• Lu Ren disguises himself as an old man and publicly emerges from Black Treasure Pavilion, boasting crudely about his supposed encounter with Miss Chan Yan. This causes the surrounding cultivators to focus on him and confirms the rumor that he possesses two supreme treasures.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor attempts to escort Lu Ren out of Black Evil City, but numerous Sixth-Step Supreme Realm rogue cultivators surround them, hoping to seize Lu Ren’s treasures.
• Golden Snake Young Master arrives and forces the other cultivators to retreat. He accuses Mad Ape True Ancestor of intending to help Lu Ren escape before taking both treasures for himself.
• Mad Ape claims he only wants the Three-Eyed Demon Cauldron, but Golden Snake Young Master and the spectators mock this claim, knowing that the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock is considerably more valuable.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Remains calculating and emotionally guarded. He acknowledges that Nethernight helped him but treats their relationship as a temporary alliance rather than a romantic reconciliation. He is willing to use deception and public provocation to manipulate his enemies.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter: Reveals deep emotional vulnerability beneath her normally cold exterior. Her love for Lu Ren conflicts with her anger over his betrayal. Nevertheless, she remains pragmatic and determined to complete her mission, even at great personal risk.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor: Presents himself as an honorable ally, but his motives are questioned by Golden Snake Young Master and the surrounding cultivators. His true intentions regarding Lu Ren’s treasures remain uncertain.
• Golden Snake Young Master: Demonstrates authority and confidence by controlling the gathered experts. He is suspicious of Mad Ape and clearly intends to claim Lu Ren’s treasures, especially the more valuable Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock.

Significant Themes

• Love versus betrayal: Nethernight’s feelings for Lu Ren persist despite his earlier manipulation, creating tension between emotional attachment and political hostility.
• Temporary alliances: Former enemies cooperate out of necessity, while fully recognizing that their partnership is fragile and will end in renewed conflict.
• Deception and strategic manipulation: Lu Ren deliberately spreads a false story to provoke his enemies and arrange the battlefield to his advantage.
• Power and possession: The conflict is driven not only by personal grudges but also by the immense value of Lu Ren’s two supreme treasures.
• Trust and suspicion: Nearly every character doubts the motives of the others, particularly Mad Ape True Ancestor’s claim that he wants only one treasure.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Nethernight openly confront the history of their relationship, with Nethernight accusing him of deceiving her and Lu Ren refusing to offer emotional reassurance.
• Their exchange nevertheless reveals mutual concern: Nethernight worries about Lu Ren’s survival, while Lu Ren fears that her assassination attempt on Golden Snake Young Master will get her killed.
• Mad Ape acts as Lu Ren’s escort, but Golden Snake publicly challenges his loyalty and motives.
• The surrounding cultivators serve as both an audience and potential attackers, reacting to Lu Ren’s provocative claims and the rivalry between Mad Ape and Golden Snake.

Chapter Summary: “Mad Ape True Form”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren bargains with Mad Ape True Ancestor, offering him the two treasures he possesses in exchange for protection from Golden Snake Young Master.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor accepts the deal and immediately reveals his true form: a massive, pitch-black giant ape. His power rises dramatically.
• Golden Snake Young Master attacks with the Golden Snake Soul-Seizing Shuttle, but Mad Ape True Ancestor destroys the attack with his Dharma Immortal Staff.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor’s counterattack forces Golden Snake Young Master back. Rather than prolonging the battle, he grabs Lu Ren and escapes Black Evil City.
• Golden Snake Young Master and numerous Sixth-Step Supreme Realm cultivators pursue and attack Mad Ape, but their combined attacks cause little damage. Mad Ape successfully leaves the city with Lu Ren.
• Golden Snake Young Master worries that Mad Ape may obtain the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock, a powerful treasure ranked eighth in the Dao-Restricting Chapter. If Mad Ape acquires it, defeating him will become much harder.
• His maid suggests that he seek dual cultivation with Miss Chanyan, which could help him break through to the Seventh-Step Supreme Realm and decisively surpass Mad Ape.
• Returning to the Black Treasure Pavilion, Golden Snake Young Master openly asks Miss Chanyan for one night with him, offering to obtain an even stronger Dao-Restricting Soldier in exchange.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter, posing as Miss Chanyan, meets with him privately and reveals that her true purpose is revenge. Her father was killed, and his weapon, the Evil Emperor Banner, was taken.
• She claims that whoever possesses the Evil Emperor Banner is her father’s murderer and asks Golden Snake Young Master to help find it.
• Golden Snake Young Master eagerly agrees, believing that helping her will secure the opportunity for dual cultivation.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter kneels and promises to become his servant if he avenges her father.

Character Developments

• Mad Ape True Ancestor demonstrates that his true form greatly enhances his combat strength. He proves capable of defeating or repelling Golden Snake Young Master temporarily and escaping despite being surrounded.
• Lu Ren shows desperation and cunning by trading his treasures for survival, abandoning any previous intention of keeping them.
• Golden Snake Young Master becomes increasingly frustrated and calculating. Although confident in his strength, he recognizes the threat posed by Mad Ape obtaining the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock.
• Golden Snake Young Master’s maid acts as an adviser, encouraging him to pursue Miss Chanyan and manipulate the situation to achieve a breakthrough.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter reveals herself as a schemer with a hidden agenda. Her apparent interest in collecting Dao-Restricting Soldiers masks her desire to locate her father’s killer and recover the Evil Emperor Banner.

Significant Themes

• Power and transformation: Mad Ape’s true form dramatically changes the balance of power, emphasizing the importance of hidden abilities and racial transformations.
• Betrayal and manipulation: Lu Ren gives away treasures to survive, while Nethernight Imperial Daughter manipulates Golden Snake Young Master by presenting herself as vulnerable.
• Desire and ambition: Golden Snake Young Master’s lust for Miss Chanyan and his hunger for greater cultivation power influence his decisions.
• Treasure as a source of power: The Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock, Golden Snake Soul-Seizing Shuttle, and Evil Emperor Banner determine alliances and conflicts.
• Revenge: Nethernight Imperial Daughter’s supposed desire to avenge her father introduces a new motive that may connect the characters to a larger conflict involving the Ninth Heaven.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Mad Ape True Ancestor: Lu Ren bargains for his life, and Mad Ape agrees to protect him in exchange for his treasures.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor and Golden Snake Young Master: Their brief clash reveals Mad Ape’s superior strength after transforming, though he chooses escape over continued battle.
• Golden Snake Young Master and his maid: The maid advises him to pursue dual cultivation as a means of breaking through to the Seventh-Step Supreme Realm.
• Golden Snake Young Master and Nethernight Imperial Daughter: She lures him into cooperation by offering herself as a servant if he avenges her father, while he hopes to gain access to her through desire and cultivation.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter and her deceased father: Her stated quest for revenge becomes the foundation of her scheme and her future alliance with Golden Snake Young Master.

Chapter Summary: “Golden Snake Young Master Takes the Bait”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nethernight Imperial Daughter asks Golden Snake Young Master to help find the cultivator who killed her father and recover the Evil Emperor Banner.
• Golden Snake Young Master agrees to search for anyone wielding the banner when the Evil Burial Grotto’s evil aura disperses in roughly a hundred years.
• He worries that Mad Ape True Ancestor will become too powerful after obtaining the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock and Three-Eyed Demon Cauldron. Nethernight Imperial Daughter offers to help him break through to the Seventh Step through dual cultivation.
• She reveals her beautiful face, enticing Golden Snake Young Master, but postpones their cultivation because she claims she must recover for three months after cultivating with another guest.
• Meanwhile, Wang Tianyun, Blood Soul Ancestor, Wu Zhen Ancestor, and the others arrive in Black Evil City after being forced out of the Evil Burial Grotto by its dense evil aura. They plan to return after a hundred years.
• The group learns that Mad Ape True Ancestor is escorting Lu Ren, who possesses the two powerful treasures. They realize Lu Ren may have deliberately exposed the treasures to lure Mad Ape into danger.
• Wang Tianyun infers that Mad Ape has likely fallen into a trap, though his companions suggest remaining hidden and using the opportunity to kill Lu Ren later.
• Mad Ape takes Lu Ren to a floating ruined continent surrounded by dangerous Void Turbulence and demands that he hand over the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock and Three-Eyed Demon Cauldron.

Character Developments

• Nethernight Imperial Daughter demonstrates manipulation and strategic seduction. She exploits Golden Snake Young Master’s desire for power and beauty while concealing her own intentions.
• Golden Snake Young Master is lured by the promise of dual cultivation and a possible breakthrough to the Seventh Step. His attraction causes him to lower his guard.
• Wang Tianyun displays calm authority and sharp insight. He recognizes that Lu Ren likely revealed the treasures intentionally and suspects Mad Ape has been baited.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor appears confident and ambitious, believing he can seize the two supreme treasures after protecting Lu Ren.
• Lu Ren is increasingly revealed as calculating, possibly using Mad Ape as protection while setting him up for a larger conflict.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and hidden motives: Nethernight Imperial Daughter and Lu Ren both appear to be using others to achieve their goals.
• Power and cultivation advancement: The characters are willing to risk alliances, morality, and danger to obtain treasures or reach higher cultivation realms.
• Bait and deception: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes traps—Golden Snake Young Master takes the bait offered by Nethernight Imperial Daughter, while Mad Ape may have taken Lu Ren’s bait.
• Instability and impending conflict: The eventual opening of the Evil Burial Grotto is expected to trigger a massive struggle among powerful cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Nethernight Imperial Daughter persuades Golden Snake Young Master to pursue the Evil Emperor Banner and tempts him with the possibility of a cultivation breakthrough.
• Wang Tianyun intimidates a local cultivator into revealing the truth about the treasure duel and Mad Ape’s actions.
• Wang Tianyun’s group debates whether to warn Mad Ape or exploit his vulnerable position.
• The chapter ends with Mad Ape confronting Lu Ren and demanding the two treasures, setting up a likely betrayal or battle.

Chapter Summary: Battle Against the Mad Ape True Ancestor

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren thanks the Mad Ape True Ancestor for “protecting” him, then deliberately reveals that he was only manipulating him.
• Enraged, the Mad Ape True Ancestor attacks Lu Ren with the Dharma Immortal Staff, though he initially restrains his power to avoid damaging Lu Ren’s Immortal Soul Body.
• Lu Ren reveals his powerful Battle Body and blocks the attack, shocking the Mad Ape True Ancestor with the strength of his Battle Marks and Late-Stage Second-Step Supreme Realm cultivation.
• Lu Ren launches Mountains and Rivers Shaking Heaven, using enormous fist and palm techniques that manifest as mountains and rivers. The attack overwhelms the Mad Ape True Ancestor’s huge true form and forces him back into human shape.
• The battle escalates as both combatants unleash repeated attacks. Lu Ren summons the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock to bind the Mad Ape True Ancestor, followed by the Three-Eyed Demon Cauldron, allowing him to attack with two Dao Restricting Soldiers simultaneously.
• The Mad Ape True Ancestor counters with the Frenzied Demon Sun Method, a Primordial Tier Immortal Path Technique. Although the demonic sun destroys the cauldron’s demonic light, the cauldron itself smashes through the technique and injures him.
• Lu Ren’s chains restrain the Mad Ape True Ancestor again, while his mountain-and-river attacks batter the defensive Mad Ape Unmoving Domain. After sustained bombardment, the domain cracks and collapses.
• The Mad Ape True Ancestor is repeatedly injured, vomits blood, and has his body shattered, but his immense cultivation and Dao Rhyme allow him to survive.
• He taunts Lu Ren, confident that Lu Ren’s Second-Step Supreme Realm energy will eventually run out. Lu Ren acknowledges that the Mad Ape True Ancestor’s Sixth-Step Supreme Realm defense makes killing him extremely difficult.
• The Nethernight Imperial Daughter arrives and reveals that she has a method to deal with him. She provocatively offers to fulfill the Mad Ape True Ancestor’s earlier desire to dual cultivate with her, leaving him alarmed and uncertain of her intentions.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren reveals himself as far more powerful and deceptive than the Mad Ape True Ancestor expected. He possesses a formidable Battle Body, exceptional combat skill, and the ability to control multiple powerful artifacts at once.
• Lu Ren demonstrates both confidence and tactical patience. Although he cannot easily kill the Mad Ape True Ancestor, he successfully suppresses and controls him through coordinated attacks and restraints.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor shifts from arrogant aggression to shock, frustration, and unease. Despite his superior cultivation and powerful defensive Dao Rhyme, he is repeatedly outmaneuvered and trapped.
• The Mad Ape True Ancestor’s enormous true form becomes a disadvantage because it prevents him from evading Lu Ren’s mountain-and-river attacks.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter emerges as a calculating figure who intends to exploit the Mad Ape True Ancestor’s lust or previous desire for dual cultivation as part of a larger strategy.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deception: Lu Ren’s harmless appearance conceals extraordinary power, allowing him to surprise and manipulate his opponent.
• Cultivation versus battle prowess: Although Lu Ren’s realm is much lower, his Battle Body, techniques, and artifacts let him contend with a far stronger Sixth-Step Supreme Realm expert.
• Attrition and endurance: The conflict emphasizes the limitations of Lu Ren’s energy against the Mad Ape True Ancestor’s overwhelming defensive cultivation.
• Control versus brute force: Lu Ren gains the upper hand not through a single decisive attack, but by combining restraints, artifacts, and continuous pressure.
• Arrogance turning into vulnerability: The Mad Ape True Ancestor’s confidence and earlier desire for the Nethernight Imperial Daughter may now be used against him.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Ren openly mocks and provokes the Mad Ape True Ancestor after deceiving him, turning their earlier relationship into direct hostility.
• The Mad Ape True Ancestor repeatedly belittles Lu Ren’s lower cultivation, insisting that Lu Ren cannot sustain the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock indefinitely.
• Lu Ren acknowledges the Mad Ape True Ancestor’s formidable strength even while continuing to attack him, showing respect for his opponent’s resilience.
• The Nethernight Imperial Daughter intervenes after witnessing Lu Ren suppress the Mad Ape True Ancestor and offers a suspiciously direct solution involving dual cultivation.
• Her proposal immediately unsettles the Mad Ape True Ancestor, suggesting that the chapter ends just as a new trap or confrontation is about to begin.

Chapter Summary: Stepping into the Third-Step Supreme Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nethernight Imperial Daughter seduces and subdues Mad Ape True Ancestor, using the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock to restrain him.
• She spends a month refining him into a Ghost Path Puppet while Lu Ren guards the area.
• After the refinement, Mad Ape becomes completely controlled by Nethernight Imperial Daughter and reveals an Immortal Dao Golden Fruit found in his inner world.
• The fruit can greatly enhance comprehension of the Immortal Path Origin and potentially allow a cultivator to break through to the Third-Step Supreme Realm.
• Nethernight reveals that she has deceived Golden Snake Young Master into agreeing to dual cultivation in two months. However, because Golden Snake is cautious and accompanied by a powerful maid, she plans to ambush and kill him with Lu Ren’s assistance.
• Lu Ren enters seclusion inside the Reincarnation Ancient Pagoda and consumes the Immortal Dao Golden Fruit.
• Although the fruit brings his comprehension to an extremely high level, it is not quite enough to complete his breakthrough. He consumes more than a thousand Enlightenment Pills to push his understanding further.
• His Dao Seed finally cracks open, producing a golden shoot. Lu Ren takes the first, second, and third steps of the Immortal Dao, successfully entering the Third-Step Supreme Realm.
• He receives the spatial coordinates from Nethernight Imperial Daughter, signaling that her operation against Golden Snake Young Master has begun. Confident in his increased strength, Lu Ren departs to join her.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Makes a major advancement from the Late-Stage Second-Step Supreme Realm to the Third-Step Supreme Realm. His Immortal Dao cultivation becomes closer to matching the power of his Battle Body, significantly increasing his potential combat strength.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter: Demonstrates her formidable Ghost Path abilities by refining Mad Ape into a puppet and successfully manipulating Golden Snake Young Master. She remains cautious about Golden Snake’s strength and relies on Lu Ren for the planned assassination.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor: Loses his freedom and identity after being transformed into Nethernight’s Ghost Path Puppet. His remaining value lies in the treasures stored within his inner world.
• Golden Snake Young Master: Is established as a far more careful and difficult opponent than Mad Ape, making his impending ambush more dangerous.

Significant Themes

• Power gained through opportunity: Lu Ren’s breakthrough depends on rare treasures, Enlightenment Pills, and prior accumulation rather than cultivation alone.
• The risks of relying on external treasures: The Immortal Dao Golden Fruit nearly enables the breakthrough but proves insufficient by itself, forcing Lu Ren to expend more resources.
• Manipulation and control: Nethernight’s conversion of Mad Ape into a puppet and deception of Golden Snake highlight the importance of strategy and psychological manipulation alongside raw strength.
• The pursuit of greater power: Lu Ren’s determination to advance reflects the increasingly dangerous environment and the need to keep pace with powerful enemies.
• Dao cultivation: The chapter emphasizes the connection between comprehension of the Immortal Path Origin, the formation of the Dao Fruit, and advancement through the Supreme Realm steps.

Character Interactions

• Nethernight taunts and overpowers Mad Ape before transforming him into her puppet.
• She coordinates closely with Lu Ren, asking him to guard her during the refinement and later requesting his help against Golden Snake.
• Lu Ren accepts the Immortal Dao Golden Fruit from Nethernight and trusts her plan despite the danger.
• Their partnership becomes increasingly strategic: Nethernight handles deception and entrapment, while Lu Ren is expected to provide the decisive combat power.

Chapter Summary: “Ambush to Kill Golden Snake Young Master”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nethernight Imperial Daughter lures Golden Snake Young Master to her mountain residence in Myriad Net Heaven under the pretense of becoming his companion and allowing him to use her residence.
• She sends the two maidservants outside to stand guard, then attempts to distract Golden Snake Young Master inside the pavilion.
• Her dancing creates multiple illusions, alerting Golden Snake Young Master that she is hiding her true intentions and does not possess the Passage Immortal Body.
• The ambush is revealed when Mad Ape True Ancestor attacks from behind. Golden Snake Young Master recognizes that Mad Ape has been refined into a Ghost Path puppet controlled by Nethernight Imperial Daughter.
• Golden Snake Young Master attempts to kill Nethernight Imperial Daughter, but Lu Ren—disguised as the old man—intervenes.
• Lu Ren overwhelms Golden Snake Young Master with powerful palm strikes and the “Mountains and Rivers Shaking Heaven” Battle Body divine ability, while Mad Ape continues attacking from behind.
• Golden Snake Young Master unleashes his full strength, transforming his Dao Rhyme into a giant golden python and using the Golden Snake Soul-Seizing Shuttle, but neither attack harms Lu Ren.
• Lu Ren reveals that he has already knocked out the two maidservants, preventing them from coming to Golden Snake Young Master’s aid.
• After being struck by Lu Ren’s fist, Golden Snake Young Master activates a Demon Race “shedding skin” ability. His wounds heal, his strength increases, and golden snake scales cover his body.
• Revitalized and enraged, Golden Snake Young Master charges at Lu Ren, attempting to swallow him whole.

Character Developments

• Nethernight Imperial Daughter is exposed as a Ghost Path Cultivator rather than the person she pretended to be. She demonstrates careful planning, deception, and control over powerful puppets.
• Golden Snake Young Master, initially arrogant and confident, becomes increasingly alarmed as the ambush unfolds. Despite his fear, he reveals formidable defensive abilities and a powerful Demon Race transformation that makes him even stronger after suffering severe injuries.
• Lu Ren emerges as the decisive force in the battle. He possesses immense physical strength, mastery of Chu Shanhe’s Battle Body ability, and enough confidence to withstand both physical and soul attacks.
• Mad Ape True Ancestor has lost his independence, having been refined into Nethernight Imperial Daughter’s Ghost Path puppet.
• The two maidservants are rendered helpless when Lu Ren secretly knocks them unconscious before the battle begins.

Significant Themes

• Deception and hidden identities: Nethernight Imperial Daughter’s seductive performance masks a carefully arranged assassination attempt.
• Power through cooperation: A Ghost Path Cultivator and a Battle Body expert join forces, showing that unconventional alliances can overcome individual strength and ideological boundaries.
• Arrogance versus adaptability: Golden Snake Young Master begins the chapter believing himself superior, but is repeatedly forced to reassess the threat before unveiling his strongest ability.
• Transformation and survival: The shedding-skin technique symbolizes the Demon Race’s resilience, allowing Golden Snake Young Master to turn near defeat into renewed strength.
• Ideological conflict: Golden Snake Young Master condemns Lu Ren as a “traitor” and “scum” for working with a Ghost Path Cultivator, while Lu Ren rejects his judgment and prioritizes the battle.

Character Interactions

• Nethernight Imperial Daughter manipulates Golden Snake Young Master by pretending to submit to him and promising him a residence and future support.
• Golden Snake Young Master responds with arrogance, promising to avenge her father once he reaches the Seventh-Step Supreme Realm.
• Nethernight openly reveals that she has trapped him and controls Mad Ape True Ancestor.
• Lu Ren and Nethernight coordinate their attacks, combining Lu Ren’s overwhelming Battle Body techniques with Mad Ape’s relentless assaults.
• Golden Snake Young Master verbally challenges both opponents, especially Lu Ren, but his attacks are repeatedly neutralized.
• The chapter ends with Golden Snake Young Master’s renewed assault on Lu Ren, leaving the battle unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Successfully Slain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Golden Snake Young Master transforms into a gigantic golden python and swallows Lu Ren, believing his innate devouring ability can refine even a Battle Body.
• Lu Ren survives inside him and violently tears through the python’s body, revealing that he possesses a Six-Marked Battle Body, not merely the Four-Marked Battle Body previously assumed.
• Lu Ren destroys the Golden Snake Young Master’s physical body with his Mountains and Rivers Shaking the World technique, leaving only his Immortal Soul Body.
• The Golden Snake Young Master attempts to intimidate Lu Ren by invoking the Nine Nether Clan, but Lu Ren remains unconcerned.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter captures and tortures the Golden Snake Young Master’s soul until he reveals the resources stored in his internal cave dwelling. Among them are over two thousand Enlightenment Pills, which she and Lu Ren divide.
• Lu Ren asks Nethernight Imperial Daughter to help him assassinate Wang Tianyun, the Star River Imperial Clan’s Battle Body prodigy known as the Skyfall King.
• Nethernight agrees to gather intelligence and assist with an ambush, though she warns that killing a Battle Body is extremely difficult because of their immense defenses, powerful backing, and numerous life-saving techniques.
• Lu Ren enters seclusion and refines all the Enlightenment Pills, but his cultivation remains stuck at the Early-Stage Third-Step Supreme Realm.
• Nethernight later reports that the evil aura in the Evil Burial Grotto will take roughly a hundred years to disperse. Once it does, experts from multiple heavens—including the Eighth Heaven—will likely gather there, creating an intense conflict.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren is revealed to be far more powerful than expected. His Six-Marked Battle Body places him among the highest-ranking Battle Body cultivators and gives him confidence even against the Nine Nether Clan.
• Lu Ren becomes more strategically minded, choosing not to confront Wang Tianyun alone and instead planning an ambush with Nethernight’s assistance.
• Despite acquiring a large number of Enlightenment Pills, Lu Ren’s cultivation progress slows, emphasizing the increasing difficulty of advancing at higher realms.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter demonstrates her ability to manipulate and torture souls, successfully extracting the Golden Snake Young Master’s resources. Her status and influence in the Ghost Path Great World may rise because of what she obtained.
• Nethernight continues to tease Lu Ren about caring for her, while Lu Ren insists that he regards her only as a useful tool.
• Golden Snake Young Master shifts from arrogance and confidence to terror after discovering Lu Ren’s true strength. His reliance on his clan’s reputation proves useless.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and surprise reversals: Lu Ren’s concealed Six-Marked Battle Body completely overturns the Golden Snake Young Master’s belief that he could devour him.
• Power versus backing: The Golden Snake Young Master’s threat of the Nine Nether Clan cannot protect him once Lu Ren’s own strength reaches an extraordinary level.
• Pragmatic alliances: Lu Ren and Nethernight cooperate for mutual benefit, despite their distrust and emotionally antagonistic relationship.
• The difficulty of advancement: Even thousands of Enlightenment Pills cannot immediately improve Lu Ren’s cultivation, showing how progress becomes increasingly arduous at higher realms.
• Escalating conflict: The planned battle with Wang Tianyun and the future opening of the Evil Burial Grotto suggest that even greater experts and dangers are approaching.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren brutally defeats the Golden Snake Young Master and rejects his threats.
• Nethernight assists Lu Ren by subduing and interrogating the Golden Snake Young Master’s soul, then negotiates an equal division of the recovered Enlightenment Pills.
• Lu Ren recruits Nethernight to help kill Wang Tianyun, while she questions the feasibility of defeating such a renowned Battle Body.
• Nethernight jokingly suggests that Lu Ren is worried about her; he coldly denies any concern and calls her a tool, reinforcing the tense, teasing, and transactional nature of their relationship.

Chapter Summary: “Seven-Marked Battle Body”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren decides to spend a century attempting to advance from the Six-Marked Battle Body to the Seven-Marked Battle Body.
• He asks Nethernight Imperial Daughter to isolate the area with a powerful formation so that his cultivation breakthrough will not attract attention. She reluctantly agrees after reminding him of the assistance she provided in subduing Mad Ape True Ancestor and Golden Snake Young Master.
• To ensure complete secrecy, Lu Ren adds another layer of protection using the Life-and-Death Ghost Soul Lock before entering the Reincarnation Ancient Pagoda.
• Lu Ren first attempts to inscribe Sixth-Grade Ancestral Battle Marks. His first ten attempts fail because the existing six Battle Marks violently repel the new marks, causing severe internal injuries and cracks in his Battle Body.
• With less than ten years remaining before the Evil Burial Grotto opens, Lu Ren risks using his sole Seventh-Grade Ancestral Battle Mark.
• The seventh mark struggles violently against the existing six. Lu Ren relies on his Void of Destiny Force and the Five Elements Grand Formation to stabilize the marks and withstand the destructive repulsion.
• After prolonged effort, the seven Battle Marks finally coexist, and Lu Ren successfully advances to the Seven-Marked Battle Body.
• His breakthrough releases overwhelming power, destroying the pavilion and shattering the protective formation. The resulting aura would have shaken the entire Thirty-Three Heavens if it had not initially been shielded.
• The Seven-Marked Battle Body gives Lu Ren strength comparable to an early Seventh-Step Supreme, allowing him to overpower Sixth-Step Supreme cultivators such as Golden Snake Young Master and Mad Ape True Ancestor with ease.
• Lu Ren sets his next goal: kill Wang Tianyun, obtain higher-grade Ancestral Battle Marks, and attempt to reach the Eight-Marked Battle Body.
• After estimating that a hundred years have passed, Lu Ren leaves to investigate the opening of the Evil Burial Grotto, disguising himself again as the old man who once accepted Xiao Huohuo as a disciple.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren grows dramatically in power, crossing the major boundary between the sixth and seventh cultivation levels through Battle Body cultivation alone.
• His perseverance and willingness to take risks are emphasized through repeated failed inscriptions and his decision to use the dangerous Seventh-Grade Battle Mark.
• His confidence increases after the breakthrough. He now views Sixth-Step Supreme cultivators as insignificant threats and begins planning for the Eight-Marked Battle Body.
• Nethernight Imperial Daughter remains powerful but visibly annoyed by Lu Ren’s commanding attitude. Despite her complaints, she continues to assist him, suggesting a reluctant but practical alliance.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance and risk: Lu Ren succeeds only after enduring numerous failures, serious injuries, and a life-threatening final attempt.
• Power through an unconventional path: Rather than cultivating the Immortal Dao, Lu Ren advances solely through the Battle Body, allowing him to cross an immense cultivation threshold.
• Preparation and secrecy: Lu Ren carefully shields his breakthrough, reflecting the dangers of revealing his true strength too early.
• Ambition and escalation: Each achievement leads to a greater objective, with Lu Ren immediately setting his sights on Wang Tianyun and the Eight-Marked Battle Body.
• The overwhelming strength of the Battle Body: The chapter establishes that high-level Battle Body cultivators can challenge or even surpass conventional Supreme cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren orders Nethernight Imperial Daughter to establish a sealing formation, provoking her irritation.
• She reminds him that she helped subdue Mad Ape True Ancestor and Golden Snake Young Master, implying that she expects recognition or compensation for her efforts.
• Despite their friction, she fulfills his request and returns to Black Evil City.
• Lu Ren’s memories of Chu Shanhe’s failed breakthrough and later dominance influence his understanding of the dangers and potential of the Battle Body path.