Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “I Am Lu Ren”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Young Master Gui Ao shocks E Wan Tong and the others by revealing that he is actually Lu Ren, who had been disguised as Gui Ao through the Ghost Dao.
• Lu Ren removes his disguise, confirming his identity and exposing that he had been beside his enemies while they openly discussed hunting him.
• He explains that his challenge to Ren Tianxu was a calculated trap designed to draw out everyone plotting against him and eliminate them together in the Heavenly Void Territory.
• Lu Ren acknowledges that E Wan Tong unintentionally helped him grow stronger by bringing him to the Ancient Evil Battlefield and providing the Heaven Evolution Tongxuan Pill. These resources allowed Lu Ren to advance from the Mid Dao-Controlling Realm to the Peak Dao-Controlling Realm.
• Yun Qingyao also reveals her true identity, transforming from her disguise as Su Jiyuan and unleashing the power of the Kṣitigarbha Great Dao.
• Lu Ren switches from the Ghost Dao to his true Chaos Great Dao and attacks with the Chaos Ancient Sword.
• A single barrage of Chaos Sword Lights kills Luo Yan, the Old Man of Ten Thousand Bones, the Black Demon Island Lord, and more than ten other enemies by destroying their Great Dao Origins and divine souls.
• E Wan Tong barely blocks one attack with the Black Crocodile Shield but is severely wounded. He attempts to flee while warning everyone that Gui Ao is actually Lu Ren.
• Before he can escape, Lu Ren’s sword light pierces E Wan Tong’s chest, shatters his Great Dao Origin, and kills him. The revelation leaves the surrounding cultivators stunned and the scene completely silent.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Revealed as highly strategic, patient, and confident. He has advanced dramatically in cultivation and is now powerful enough to annihilate multiple Peak Dao-Controlling experts with ease.
• E Wan Tong: His confidence turns into fear and regret when he realizes that his own resources helped Lu Ren become stronger. He is ultimately killed after attempting to expose Lu Ren’s identity.
• Yun Qingyao: Demonstrates her loyalty to Lu Ren and reveals her own disguise and powerful Kṣitigarbha Great Dao cultivation.
• Luo Yan, Old Man of Ten Thousand Bones, Black Demon Island Lord, and the other hunters: Their hostility and certainty collapse into terror once Lu Ren reveals his true strength; they are swiftly destroyed.

Significant Themes

• Deception and hidden identity: Lu Ren’s disguise allows him to remain among his enemies and manipulate their actions without being detected.
• Strategic patience and revenge: Rather than confronting enemies individually, Lu Ren creates a trap that gathers them all in one place.
• Irony and unintended consequences: E Wan Tong’s efforts to prepare for Lu Ren’s death instead provide Lu Ren with the resources needed to reach the Peak Dao-Controlling Realm.
• Overwhelming power and reversal of status: Those who believed they were hunting Lu Ren discover that they had entered his trap and are powerless before his true Chaos Great Dao.
• Shock and exposure: The public revelation that Gui Ao is Lu Ren changes the surrounding cultivators’ understanding of the entire situation.

Character Interactions

• E Wan Tong confronts Lu Ren’s claim, refusing to believe that Gui Ao could be the Chaos Dao cultivator Lu Ren until the disguise is removed.
• Lu Ren taunts E Wan Tong by thanking him for unknowingly aiding his cultivation, deepening E Wan Tong’s humiliation and anger.
• E Wan Tong threatens Lu Ren with the forces gathered at Heavenly Void Manor, but Lu Ren dismisses him and immediately demonstrates his superiority.
• Yun Qingyao joins Lu Ren in revealing her true identity, confirming that the two had coordinated their disguises and ambush.
• E Wan Tong attempts to warn the surrounding cultivators about Lu Ren’s identity, but Lu Ren kills him before he can say more, ending the confrontation decisively.

Chapter Summary: Sky-Tomb Dao-Burying Formation

Key Plot Points and Events

• After killing E Wan Tong, Lu Ren calmly loots the resources from E Wan Tong’s inner world, as well as those previously taken from Luo Yan, the Old Man of Ten Thousand Bones, the Black Demon Island Lord, and others.
• He also obtains the nine violet-gold talismans forming the Nine-Thunder Heart-Shattering Dao Formation, turning E Wan Tong’s attempted killing trap into a personal gain.
• Lu Ren’s true identity is revealed: Young Master Gui Ao was actually Lu Ren in disguise. The surrounding cultivators are stunned, realizing that the man who had killed the Chaos Demon Lord and intimidated the Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord was Lu Ren all along.
• Because of Lu Ren’s overwhelming strength, no one dares move against him or attempt to seize his Remnant Qi. The Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord are embarrassed after realizing they had unknowingly pledged support to Lu Ren.
• Lu Ren detects Mu Aogu and the forces of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor hiding nearby. He openly challenges Mu Aogu, or Mu Jiuwang if Mu Aogu lacks the courage to appear.
• Mu Aogu recognizes that Lu Ren’s public battle with Ren Tianxu was a calculated trap designed to lure out enemies seeking to kill him. Nevertheless, he orders Prince Mu’s forces to attack.
• More than one hundred experts emerge, all at the Late-Stage Dao-Controlling Realm or higher, including over a dozen Peak Dao-Controlling Realm experts. Their appearance reveals the terrifying military foundation of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor.
• The group forms the Sky-Tomb Dao-Burying Formation, condensing a thousand-zhang black tombstone filled with runes of suppression, sealing, and destruction.
• Mu Aogu declares that the formation can suppress and kill even Peak Dao-Controlling Realm experts. The chapter ends as the massive Sky Tomb descends toward Lu Ren.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren is shown to be both exceptionally powerful and highly calculating. His Gui Ao identity was a deliberate disguise, and his public challenge was part of a larger plan to expose and eliminate those plotting against him. He remains composed and confident even when surrounded by an overwhelming enemy force.
• Mu Aogu becomes increasingly cautious and desperate. Having previously been forced back by Lu Ren, he now lacks the confidence to fight him alone and relies on the combined strength of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor.
• Mu Kuang and the other commanders realize that Lu Ren has outmaneuvered them from the beginning, but they remain determined to kill him under Mu Aogu’s orders.
• The Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord suffer a loss of prestige after learning they had unknowingly submitted to Lu Ren rather than Gui Ao.
• The surrounding cultivators shift from greed and curiosity to fear and awe, recognizing that Lu Ren’s true strength far exceeds what he displayed while disguised.

Significant Themes

• Deception and strategic manipulation: Lu Ren uses his disguise and apparent vulnerability to lure enemies into revealing themselves.
• Overwhelming individual power versus organized force: The chapter contrasts Lu Ren’s personal strength with the vast military power of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor.
• Fear and reputation: Lu Ren’s revealed identity instantly changes the behavior of everyone around him, proving that reputation can determine whether enemies dare to act.
• Confidence versus desperation: Lu Ren remains calm and provocative, while Mu Aogu must depend on a large-scale formation because he fears confronting Lu Ren directly.
• Turning an enemy’s scheme against them: The Nine-Thunder Heart-Shattering Dao Formation talismans, originally prepared to kill Lu Ren, are seized by him and become his spoils.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren indirectly humiliates the surrounding cultivators by revealing that their feared “Young Master Gui Ao” was merely his disguise.
• He challenges Mu Aogu publicly, forcing Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor out of hiding.
• Mu Aogu and Lu Ren exchange threats: Mu Aogu claims Lu Ren will die, while Lu Ren recalls Mu Aogu’s earlier escape and vows to kill everyone present.
• Mu Aogu’s commanders respond to Lu Ren’s provocation by forming the Sky-Tomb Dao-Burying Formation, transforming the confrontation into a massive battle between Lu Ren and the united forces of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor.

Chapter Summary: “Mighty Power”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yun Qingyao prepares to help Lu Ren as Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor activates the Sky-Tomb Dao-Burying Formation, a powerful formation controlled by over a hundred Late-Stage Dao-Controlling Realm experts under Mu Aogu.
• Lu Ren confidently stops her and reveals his true strength by unleashing the power of his Chaos Great Dao.
• He confronts the descending thousand-zhang Sky Tomb directly, blocking its immense suppressive force with a single strike of the Chaos Ancient Sword.
• The formation attacks repeatedly. Despite more than ten devastating clashes that shatter the surrounding void and damage Heavenly Void Island, Lu Ren never retreats or shows signs of exhaustion.
• Mu Aogu and the formation’s commanders become increasingly desperate, realizing their combined strength cannot suppress Lu Ren and that their own energy will eventually run out.
• Mu Aogu calls for Ren Tianxu, hoping to combine the strength of the two major powers against Lu Ren.
• Lu Ren shocks everyone by declaring that Ren Tianxu has already been killed by him, ending their long-standing feud.
• The chapter closes with the spectators, Mu Aogu, and the Myriad Demon River Region’s lords reacting with disbelief, since Ren Tianxu’s Void Phantom Qi had made him exceptionally difficult to defeat.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Fully reveals that his earlier battle while disguised as Gui Ao did not represent his true power. His mastery of the Chaos Great Dao allows him to withstand an attack beyond the ordinary Peak Dao-Controlling Realm. His confidence, composure, and claim of having killed Ren Tianxu establish him as an overwhelming and highly dangerous force.
• Yun Qingyao: Shows concern for Lu Ren but trusts his judgment when he tells her not to intervene.
• Mu Aogu: Shifts from confidence to anxiety and desperation as the formation repeatedly fails. He attempts to summon Ren Tianxu to prevent defeat.
• Mu Jun and Mu Kuang: React with shock and growing alarm at Lu Ren’s strength, recognizing that the Sky-Tomb Formation cannot defeat him.
• Ren Tianxu: Though absent, his reputation is emphasized through the characters’ disbelief that Lu Ren could have killed him.
• Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord: Realize that Lu Ren had concealed most of his strength during their earlier battle and understand how far beyond them his true power is.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and revelation: Lu Ren’s true ability is far greater than previously believed, overturning everyone’s assumptions about him.
• Overwhelming individual power: The chapter contrasts Lu Ren’s solitary strength with the combined might of a massive battle formation.
• Composure versus desperation: Lu Ren remains calm and immovable, while Mu Aogu and his forces grow increasingly frantic.
• Reputation and disbelief: Ren Tianxu’s legendary abilities make Lu Ren’s claim of killing him almost impossible for others to accept.
• Power imbalance: The failure of a formation powered by more than a hundred experts demonstrates Lu Ren’s extraordinary status among Dao-Controlling Realm cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Yun Qingyao offers implicit support, but Lu Ren firmly assures her that he can handle the attack alone.
• Lu Ren repeatedly counters the Sky Tomb while Mu Aogu commands his forces to intensify the suppression.
• Mu Kuang asks Mu Aogu how they should proceed, exposing the formation’s weakening position.
• Mu Aogu tries to pressure Ren Tianxu into appearing, warning that both sides will die if they do not cooperate.
• Lu Ren directly undermines Mu Aogu’s plan by revealing Ren Tianxu’s death, leaving the entire battlefield stunned.

Chapter Summary: “Mu Jiuwang Appears”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren reveals that he has obtained Ren Tianxu’s Primordial Divine Ability, Void Afterimages, proving that Ren Tianxu is truly dead and that Lu Ren possesses his Void Phantom Qi.
• He creates more than a hundred indistinguishable afterimages, each wielding a Chaos Ancient Sword and carrying the power of the Chaos Great Dao.
• Mu Aogu orders Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor experts to activate the Sky-Tomb Dao-Burying Formation. However, the Void Afterimages pass straight through the formation, rendering it ineffective.
• Lu Ren’s afterimages attack the formation’s participants, killing more than half of the Heaven Manor’s commanders within moments. Their Great Dao True Intents, Dao Origins, and divine souls are destroyed.
• The Sky-Tomb Dao-Burying Formation collapses under the assault.
• Lu Ren then targets Mu Aogu, declaring that Mu Aogu will not escape a second time. Just as Lu Ren is about to kill him, Mu Jiuwang, the lord of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor, appears and blocks the attack.
• Mu Jiuwang uses the Tomb-Burying Great Dao to create an enormous tombstone that shatters Lu Ren’s sword light.
• The spectators are shocked because Mu Jiuwang is a Dao-Unity Realm expert, while the Great Dao Sect forbids experts of that level from directly attacking Dao-Controlling Realm cultivators.
• Mu Jiuwang justifies his intervention by claiming that Lu Ren has attracted the attention of upper-realm powers and must be killed to prevent Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor from suffering their wrath.
• Lu Ren remains calm and declares that, unlike in the past, Mu Jiuwang can no longer kill him so easily.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren demonstrates a major increase in strength after reaching the Peak Dao-Controlling Realm. His mastery of Void Afterimages allows him to overwhelm an entire army and destroy Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor’s strongest formation.
• Mu Aogu is exposed as helpless against Lu Ren’s current power. His confidence turns into terror when the formation fails and Lu Ren personally moves to kill him.
• Mu Jiuwang reveals that he is willing to violate or test the Great Dao Sect’s rules to protect his manor and appease upper-realm forces. His formerly dismissive attitude toward Lu Ren has shifted to serious concern.
• Ren Tianxu’s death is effectively confirmed, and his legacy has become one of Lu Ren’s greatest weapons.

Significant Themes

• Power reversal and growth: Lu Ren, once vulnerable to Mu Jiuwang, now possesses enough strength to massacre Prince Mu’s forces and challenge the pressure of a Dao-Unity expert.
• Truth versus illusion: Void Afterimages blur the distinction between reality and deception, making Lu Ren impossible to locate or attack.
• Consequences of broken promises: Lu Ren confronts Mu Jiuwang over reneging on his earlier claim that their conflict would be settled, emphasizing betrayal and shifting circumstances.
• Political pressure from higher powers: Mu Jiuwang’s actions show how upper-realm forces influence conflicts among lower-realm factions.
• Defiance against authority: Mu Jiuwang risks punishment from the Great Dao Sect, while Lu Ren openly challenges a stronger realm of cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren psychologically pressures the surrounding lords by revealing Ren Tianxu’s technique and forcing them to acknowledge Ren Tianxu’s death.
• Mu Aogu desperately attempts to defend his forces through the Sky-Tomb Dao-Burying Formation, but Lu Ren’s ability completely bypasses it.
• Lu Ren and Mu Aogu confront each other directly, with Lu Ren seeking revenge for Mu Aogu’s earlier escape.
• Mu Jiuwang intervenes to save Mu Aogu, destroying Lu Ren’s attack and establishing himself as a far greater threat.
• The chapter ends with a tense confrontation between Lu Ren and Mu Jiuwang: Mu Jiuwang believes Lu Ren is doomed because of upper-realm attention, while Lu Ren confidently insists that he is no longer the powerless opponent Mu Jiuwang once knew.

Chapter Summary: Origin-Fusing Powerhouse

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Jiuwang confronts Lu Ren and is surprised by how dramatically Lu Ren has grown since their previous encounter. Despite this, Mu Jiuwang dismisses him as an “ant” because Lu Ren remains in the Peak Dao-Controlling Realm, while Mu Jiuwang has reached the First-Stage Origin-Fusing Dao-Unity Realm.
• Lu Ren confidently challenges Mu Jiuwang, determined to test whether a Dao-Controlling cultivator can truly contend with an Origin-Fusing powerhouse.
• Yun Qingyao offers to help Lu Ren, but he assigns her to attack Mu Aogu and the other enemies while he handles Mu Jiuwang alone.
• Yun Qingyao confronts Mu Aogu. Although she is only at the Mid Dao-Controlling Realm, she uses her Kṣitigarbha Great Dao True Intent and the phantom of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva to block Mu Aogu’s powerful Proud-World Great Dao attack.
• Their clash shocks the surrounding cultivators, who realize Yun Qingyao possesses combat strength far beyond what her cultivation level suggests.
• Elders from the Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan identify Yun Qingyao as Su Jiyuan. They are astonished that she abandoned the Azure Kite Great Dao associated with her bloodline and recultivated the Kṣitigarbha Great Dao, ranked thirty-fifth among the Three Thousand Great Daos.
• The elders speculate that Su Jiyuan’s already powerful Primordial Bloodline would make her even stronger if fully activated. They choose not to intervene, instead observing whether Lu Ren can challenge Mu Jiuwang.
• Lu Ren and Mu Jiuwang begin their confrontation. Lu Ren summons the Six Paths of Reincarnation through his Six Paths Reincarnation True Meaning, while Mu Jiuwang reveals the terrifying nature of the Origin-Fusing realm by merging the Tomb-Burying Great Dao into his body, bones, and soul.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Demonstrates immense confidence and rapid growth. He is no longer intimidated by Mu Jiuwang and believes he can fight beyond his realm. His mastery of the Chaos Great Dao and Six Paths Reincarnation True Meaning suggests he has reached an extraordinary level among Dao-Controlling cultivators.
• Yun Qingyao/Su Jiyuan: Reveals exceptional combat ability. Despite being at the Mid Dao-Controlling Realm, she can fight Mu Aogu, a Peak Dao-Controlling cultivator, head-on. Her decision to cultivate the Kṣitigarbha Great Dao instead of her clan’s Azure Kite Great Dao marks a major transformation in her cultivation path.
• Mu Jiuwang: Remains arrogant and confident in the superiority of the Origin-Fusing realm. He sees the gap between Dao-Controlling and Dao-Unity as absolute, but his attention is drawn to Lu Ren’s unexpected strength.
• Mu Aogu: Recovers from his fear of Lu Ren and redirects his anger toward Yun Qingyao, only to discover that she is far more powerful than he expected.
• Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan Elders: Move from surprise at Su Jiyuan’s identity and cultivation to cautious curiosity about Lu Ren’s potential. They recognize that Lu Ren’s possession of the Void of Destiny Battle Body and the Void Phantom Qi may bring significant karma.

Significant Themes

• Challenging established realms: Lu Ren’s willingness to fight an Origin-Fusing powerhouse questions the accepted boundary between cultivation realms.
• Hidden strength and transformation: Both Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao possess abilities that greatly exceed what their cultivation levels imply.
• The cost and significance of changing one’s path: Su Jiyuan’s abandonment of the clan-compatible Azure Kite Great Dao for the Kṣitigarbha Great Dao highlights the risks and rewards of recultivation.
• Power fused with the body: The chapter emphasizes the defining feature of the Origin-Fusing realm—the Great Dao Origin becoming integrated into the cultivator’s physical body and soul.
• Observation and political calculation: The Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan elders refrain from acting, choosing to gather information about Lu Ren and Su Jiyuan before revealing themselves.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Mu Jiuwang: Their confrontation is ideological as well as physical. Mu Jiuwang treats Lu Ren as an insignificant lower-realm cultivator, while Lu Ren rejects that judgment and directly challenges the authority of the Origin-Fusing realm.
• Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao: Their cooperation shows mutual trust. Yun Qingyao worries about Lu Ren facing Mu Jiuwang alone, but accepts his decision and follows his tactical arrangement.
• Yun Qingyao and Mu Aogu: Their battle overturns Mu Aogu’s assumption that she is an easy target. Her Kṣitigarbha Great Dao allows her to withstand his stronger cultivation.
• Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan and Su Jiyuan: The elders recognize Su Jiyuan as a clan member who has undergone an extraordinary transformation, though they remain puzzled by her alliance with Lu Ren.
• Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan and Lu Ren: The elders view Lu Ren as both a dangerous figure carrying heavy karma and a potential anomaly capable of breaking the assumed limits between cultivation realms.

Summary of “Battle Mu Jiuwang”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Jiuwang, a powerful Source-Integration expert, attacks Lu Ren with a casual palm strike using the Burial-Tomb Great Dao Origin. The power manifests as a massive ancient tombstone and forces Lu Ren back three steps.
• Mu Jiuwang declares that the difference between the Dao-Controlling Realm and Source-Integration is an uncrossable “heavenly chasm.”
• Lu Ren refuses to be intimidated. He counters with the Beast Path True Meaning, summoning nearly a hundred powerful ghost beasts.
• Mu Jiuwang activates his twelve Battle Marks and uses his body, empowered by the Burial-Tomb Great Dao Origin, to crush the beasts before they can reach him. The resulting force sends Lu Ren flying and leaves him bleeding.
• Despite the overwhelming disparity in cultivation, Lu Ren insists that Mu Jiuwang’s strength is still insufficient to defeat him.
• Lu Ren then reveals his major trump card: Heaven-Chaos Great Dao True Intent at the Intent-Transformation Stage. A phantom Chaos World appears behind him, containing at least nine different Great Dao powers that continually collide and fuse.
• By merging this True Intent into his body, Lu Ren dramatically increases his strength and partially disrupts Mu Jiuwang’s Burial-Tomb aura.
• Lu Ren launches a Chaos Sword Light containing the nine interacting Great Dao powers. Mu Jiuwang blocks it with a giant tombstone, but cracks appear in the tombstone for the first time.
• Although Lu Ren is still pushed back, he withstands the attack far better than before, proving that his Heaven-Chaos True Intent can temporarily bridge the gap between Dao-Controlling and Source-Integration.
• Mu Jiuwang acknowledges Lu Ren’s extraordinary talent but points out that the technique consumes enormous energy. Lu Ren responds defiantly.
• The chapter ends with Lu Ren summoning one hundred Great Dao Weapon swords, each enhanced by the Heaven-Chaos True Intent and empowered by nine converging Great Dao forces, preparing for the next stage of the battle.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Demonstrates extraordinary resilience, refusing to retreat despite being repeatedly overwhelmed. He advances from merely surviving Mu Jiuwang’s attacks to directly challenging them. His mastery of the Heaven-Chaos Great Dao True Intent reveals an unprecedented level of talent and gives him a means to contend with a much higher realm.
• Mu Jiuwang: Initially completely confident and dismissive, treating Lu Ren as someone who cannot overcome the realm difference. After Lu Ren reveals the Intent-Transformation-stage True Intent and damages his tombstone defense, Mu Jiuwang becomes more serious and cautious, though he remains confident that Lu Ren’s technique cannot be sustained indefinitely.
• Su Qinghong and the spectators: Their initial belief that Lu Ren cannot challenge a Source-Integration expert is shaken. They recognize that his nine-fold Great Dao fusion is exceptionally rare and nearly inconceivable for someone at his cultivation level.

Significant Themes

• The gap between cultivation realms: The battle emphasizes the enormous difference between Dao-Controlling and Source-Integration, especially the latter’s ability to embody Great Dao Origin physically.
• Talent versus realm: Lu Ren’s extraordinary comprehension and techniques allow him to temporarily overcome an otherwise absolute cultivation disparity.
• Persistence and defiance: Lu Ren repeatedly refuses to accept defeat, using each setback to reveal greater strength.
• Power through fusion: The Heaven-Chaos Great Dao True Intent represents strength created by the collision and integration of multiple Great Dao powers rather than reliance on a single path.
• Limits and endurance: Even Lu Ren’s overwhelming trump card has a cost, establishing a tension between explosive power and how long he can maintain it.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Mu Jiuwang: Their exchange is both physical and ideological. Mu Jiuwang argues that realm determines victory, while Lu Ren challenges that assumption through successive counterattacks.
• Mu Jiuwang and the spectators: His initial dominance reinforces the crowd’s belief in the superiority of Source-Integration experts. Lu Ren’s resistance gradually turns their awe toward shock and uncertainty.
• Su Qinghong and the Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan elders: They analyze Lu Ren’s techniques and recognize the unprecedented nature of his nine Great Dao fusion, helping explain the significance of his power to the observers.

Chapter Summary: Nine-Thunder Heart-Shattering Dao Formation

Key plot points and events

• Lu Ren unleashes the Myriad Weapons Severing the Dao Secret Art, controlling one hundred Great Dao Weapon longswords enhanced by the Heaven-Chaos Great Dao True Intent.
• The swords’ repeated collisions gradually weaken Mu Jiuwang’s Burial-Tomb Great Dao Origin defense, eventually breaking through and forcing the Origin-Fusing expert several steps backward.
• Mu Jiuwang responds by fully resonating his Burial-Tomb Great Dao Origin with his Battle Body, transforming himself into a powerful, tombstone-like embodiment of the Great Dao.
• His counterattack crushes Lu Ren’s sword formation, sends him flying, and causes him to spit blood and develop cracks across his Battle Body.
• Rather than retreat, Lu Ren employs over a hundred Void Afterimages and uses nine of them to activate the Nine-Thunder Heart-Shattering Dao Formation.
• The formation attacks both Mu Jiuwang’s body and soul. The remaining afterimages add sword attacks, preventing Mu Jiuwang from breaking free.
• The formation briefly disrupts Mu Jiuwang’s Great Dao power, allowing Lu Ren’s true body to appear and deliver a decisive Chaos Ancient Sword slash.
• Lu Ren’s strike tears open the tomb markings on Mu Jiuwang’s chest, causing golden blood to spill and sending him flying. The spectators are left stunned that a Dao-Controlling cultivator has injured an Origin-Fusing expert.

Character developments

• Lu Ren demonstrates extraordinary combat ability, revealing that he possesses the Slaughter Dao Emperor’s inheritance and can combine multiple powerful techniques. Even after being injured, he remains composed and devises a strategy to exploit Mu Jiuwang’s weakness.
• Mu Jiuwang initially underestimates Lu Ren, believing the realm gap makes the Void Afterimages harmless. His confidence gives way to anger and alarm when the formation affects his soul and leaves him vulnerable.
• Yun Qingyao is visibly concerned when Lu Ren is wounded, but she is kept from helping because Mu Aogu continues attacking her.
• Elder Su Qinghong and the Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan elders react with shock upon recognizing the Myriad Weapons Severing the Dao Secret Art.

Significant themes

• Ingenuity overcoming realm disparity: Lu Ren compensates for his lower cultivation realm through layered techniques, formations, and tactical timing.
• Hidden inheritances and escalating power: The revelation of the Slaughter Dao Emperor’s secret art raises the stakes and suggests Lu Ren possesses even greater secrets.
• Strength versus strategy: Mu Jiuwang has overwhelming direct power, but Lu Ren wins the exchange by combining illusions, formation attacks, soul disruption, and a precisely timed sword strike.
• Underestimation and reversal: Mu Jiuwang’s belief that Lu Ren cannot threaten him is overturned when Lu Ren successfully injures him.

Character interactions

• Lu Ren and Mu Jiuwang engage in a fierce contest, with each alternately suppressing the other.
• Mu Jiuwang taunts Lu Ren after countering his sword formation, while Lu Ren confidently warns him not to celebrate too soon.
• The battle between Lu Ren and Mu Jiuwang unfolds alongside Yun Qingyao’s continued struggle against Mu Aogu.
• The surrounding elders and spectators serve as witnesses, repeatedly reacting with disbelief as Lu Ren first forces Mu Jiuwang back and then wounds him.

Chapter Summary: Myriad Tombs Burying the Dao

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren continues his desperate battle against Mu Jiuwang, a First-Level Source-Integration Realm expert and Prefecture Lord.
• Lu Ren’s earlier attack wounded Mu Jiuwang, shocking everyone because a Dao-Controlling Realm cultivator had injured a Source-Integration expert.
• Mu Jiuwang’s injury begins healing through the power of his Tomb-Burying Great Dao Origin, demonstrating the overwhelming resilience of the Source-Integration Realm.
• Realizing that his Chaos Great Dao and Void of Destiny Qi are rapidly being depleted, Lu Ren launches an all-out offensive:
  • The

Nine-Thunder Heart-Shattering Dao Formation

Myriad Weapons Slaying the Dao

Void Afterimages

• The

Heaven-Chaos Great Dao True Intent

• These techniques temporarily suppress and trap Mu Jiuwang, forcing him to defend against relentless lightning and sword attacks.
• Lu Ren’s attacks are carefully coordinated. The lightning disrupts Mu Jiuwang’s Great Dao circulation and divine soul, creating openings for the sword river to tear open his wounds.
• Mu Jiuwang realizes that Lu Ren is deliberately exhausting him and becomes enraged. He unleashes his Grand Dao True Intent, Myriad Tombs Burying the Dao, summoning countless enormous tombstones that devastate the formation and shatter several Great Dao Weapon swords.
• Just as Mu Jiuwang appears ready to break free, Lu Ren reveals another major trump card: the combined True Intents of the Heavenly God Path and the Human Path.
• These techniques unleash a powerful divine-soul attack. Su Qinghong recognizes that Lu Ren possesses a terrifying Four-Leaf Realm divine soul, explaining his confidence in challenging Mu Jiuwang.
• The chapter ends with the revelation that Lu Ren’s entire offensive was designed to provoke Mu Jiuwang into overcommitting his Great Dao Origin, leaving his divine soul temporarily vulnerable.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Demonstrates exceptional battle strategy, patience, and fearlessness. Rather than trying to overpower Mu Jiuwang directly, he methodically combines formations, weapons, lightning, and psychological pressure to create an opening for a divine-soul assault. However, his power reserves are rapidly declining, making the battle a dangerous gamble.
• Mu Jiuwang: Initially confident that Lu Ren cannot defeat him, he becomes increasingly frustrated and enraged after being trapped and repeatedly injured. His anger causes him to overextend himself, ultimately falling into Lu Ren’s carefully prepared strategy.
• Su Qinghong and the observers: Their view of Lu Ren shifts from seeing him as merely reckless or monstrously talented to recognizing that he possesses extraordinary tactical ability and an unusually powerful divine soul.

Significant Themes

• Strategic intelligence versus raw cultivation: Lu Ren’s lower cultivation realm is offset by superior planning and the layered use of multiple abilities.
• The danger of overconfidence and rage: Mu Jiuwang’s belief in his overwhelming strength causes him to underestimate Lu Ren and lose control of the battle.
• Limits and sacrifice: Lu Ren’s strategy consumes enormous amounts of energy, emphasizing that even his brilliant plan may fail if he cannot finish the fight quickly.
• Hidden strength: Lu Ren’s Four-Leaf Realm divine soul reveals that his true capabilities extend far beyond what his cultivation realm suggests.
• Fate and extraordinary talent: The earlier discussion of Lu Ren’s two strands of Remnant Qi reinforces the idea that his existence is unusual and destined to attract powerful enemies.

Character Interactions

• Su Qinghong and the elders discuss Lu Ren’s fate, believing that the mysterious figure seeking his Remnant Qi will ultimately target him.
• Lu Ren and Mu Jiuwang exchange threats throughout the battle, with Mu Jiuwang dismissing Lu Ren’s attacks and Lu Ren silently using those reactions to guide his strategy.
• The surrounding experts comment on the battle, first marveling that Lu Ren can suppress a Source-Integration expert, then recognizing that he is gambling everything on killing Mu Jiuwang before his strength runs out.
• Su Qinghong’s shocked reaction to Lu Ren’s Four-Leaf divine soul confirms the true significance of Lu Ren’s final attack.

Chapter Summary: Heavily Wounding the Great Dao Origin

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Jiuwang briefly falls into a daze under the combined effects of Lu Ren’s Heavenly God Path Intent and Human Path Intent, but quickly recovers by relying on the protection of his Tomb-Burying Great Dao Origin.
• Lu Ren exploits that moment of disruption to launch a coordinated attack:
  • Nine Void Afterimages activate the Nine-Thunder Heart-Shattering Dao Formation.
  • One hundred Great Dao Weapon longswords form a deadly sword river.
• The attacks overwhelm Mu Jiuwang before he can fully activate his Great Dao Origin. He is blasted backward and spits blood, though his twelve tombstone-like Battle Marks help him withstand the assault.
• Mu Jiuwang retaliates with a massive torrent of gravestones, shattering the Nine-Thunder formation and destroying or dispersing most of Lu Ren’s sword weapons.
• Rather than retreat, Lu Ren immediately reveals over a hundred Void Afterimages wielding Chaos Ancient Sword phantoms. Using the Void Instant-Kill Sword, he targets Mu Jiuwang’s Great Dao Origin directly.
• More than one hundred sword lights pierce Mu Jiuwang’s abdomen and tear apart his Great Dao Origin, shocking everyone present.
• The attack nearly exhausts Lu Ren’s Void of Destiny Qi, leaving him pale and weakened. However, he continues fighting instead of withdrawing.
• Lu Ren repeatedly clashes physically with Mu Jiuwang. Although Mu Jiuwang’s Battle Body is stronger, every collision worsens the cracks in his damaged Great Dao Origin.
• As the battle continues, Mu Jiuwang repeatedly bleeds, his aura weakens, and his Dao Origin approaches collapse.
• Realizing he can no longer endure the fight, Mu Jiuwang finally calls on Mu Aogu and the other experts from Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor for assistance.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Demonstrates exceptional combat strategy, ruthlessness, and resolve. He carefully chains mental disruption, lightning, sword formations, and a precise attack on Mu Jiuwang’s Dao Origin. Even after exhausting most of his strength and losing his weapons, he refuses to retreat and instead relies on relentless close combat.
• Mu Jiuwang: Initially confident in his status as an Origin-Fusing expert, he is gradually forced into desperation. His wounded Great Dao Origin leaves him vulnerable, and his fear becomes evident as Lu Ren repeatedly exploits the injury. His eventual request for help marks a major loss of dignity and authority.
• Mu Aogu and Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor’s forces: Though not actively intervening in the excerpt, they become crucial when Mu Jiuwang publicly appeals to them for rescue.

Significant Themes

• Strategy overcoming superior cultivation: Lu Ren defeats Mu Jiuwang not through raw strength alone, but by timing his attacks around moments of weakness and targeting the core of his opponent’s power.
• The vulnerability of the Great Dao Origin: Even a powerful Origin-Fusing expert can be brought to the brink of death once his Dao Origin is damaged.
• Relentless determination: Lu Ren continues fighting despite severe exhaustion and the destruction of his techniques and weapons.
• The collapse of pride and authority: Mu Jiuwang’s desperate cry for aid highlights his fall from a dominant expert to a cornered and fearful combatant.
• Accumulated injury: The repeated physical clashes demonstrate how a damaged foundation can cause every subsequent attack to become increasingly devastating.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Mu Jiuwang engage in an escalating duel in which Lu Ren repeatedly pressures and provokes his opponent.
• Lu Ren’s attacks exploit Mu Jiuwang’s momentary mental lapse, then transition into a direct assault on his Dao Origin.
• After the Dao Origin is wounded, Lu Ren uses repeated Battle Body collisions to aggravate the injury, while Mu Jiuwang struggles defensively.
• Mu Jiuwang ultimately abandons his solitary resistance and publicly asks Mu Aogu and the other members of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor to save him, shocking everyone who witnesses the scene.

Summary of “Slaying Mu Jiuwang”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Aogu remains completely suppressed by Yun Qingyao’s Kṣitigarbha Great Dao True Intent and cannot intervene in the battle between Lu Ren and Mu Jiuwang.
• After hearing Mu Jiuwang call for help, Mu Aogu realizes that Lu Ren has driven the master of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor into a critically weakened state. Mu Jiuwang’s twelve Battle Marks have dimmed, and his Great Dao Origin has already been damaged.
• Mu Aogu orders the manor’s commanders—including Mu Jun and Mu Kuang—to rescue Mu Jiuwang. Yun Qingyao prevents them from intervening by unleashing Soul-Calming Brahma Sound, a powerful soul attack that immobilizes them.
• Lu Ren uses the last of his strength to activate the Heaven-Chaos Great Dao True Intent. A beam of chaotic light pierces Mu Jiuwang’s Great Dao Origin and tears apart his soul.
• Mu Jiuwang, a First-Stage Origin-Fusing Dao-Unity Realm expert and the master of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor, is killed by Lu Ren, a peak Dao Dominion Realm cultivator.
• Lu Ren is nearly exhausted after the attack. Before Mu Aogu and the other commanders can kill him, Yun Qingyao blocks their assault, is injured in the process, and carries Lu Ren into Heavenly Void Manor.
• Enraged by Mu Jiuwang’s death, Mu Aogu orders the entire Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor to attack Heavenly Void Manor.
• Hidden forces known as the Mu King’s Heavenly Guards emerge from ambush around the Heavenly Void Territory, signaling the beginning of a larger siege.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Demonstrates extraordinary power by killing an Origin-Fusing Dao-Unity Realm expert despite being only at peak Dao Dominion Realm. However, the victory leaves him severely weakened, with his Chaos Great Dao power, Void of Destiny Qi, and soul strength nearly exhausted.
• Yun Qingyao: Shows overwhelming control over soul-based techniques and unwavering loyalty to Lu Ren. She restrains the enemy commanders, shields Lu Ren from their retaliatory attack, and sacrifices her own condition to escort him to safety.
• Mu Jiuwang: Falls from a position of confidence and authority into helpless terror before being decisively killed. His death marks a devastating blow to Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor.
• Mu Aogu and the commanders: Their initial confidence turns into shock, rage, and desperation. After failing to save Mu Jiuwang, they commit their forces to an all-out assault.
• Observers: Powerful figures such as Thunder Dragon Lord, Scarlet Flame Lord, and elders of the Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan are deeply shaken by Lu Ren’s achievement and recognize that it will cause major upheaval in the Great Dao River.

Significant Themes

• Unexpected strength and reversal: Lu Ren overturns the presumed gap between realms by defeating and killing a much stronger opponent.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Yun Qingyao repeatedly protects Lu Ren, even while suffering injuries herself.
• The cost of victory: Lu Ren’s triumph comes at the price of nearly exhausting his body, energy, and soul.
• Escalation and retaliation: Mu Jiuwang’s death transforms a personal confrontation into an open war between Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor and Heavenly Void Manor.
• Fear and reputation: Lu Ren’s victory changes how other factions perceive him, establishing him as a dangerous figure capable of disrupting the balance of power.

Character Interactions

• Yun Qingyao dominates Mu Aogu through her Kṣitigarbha techniques and blocks him from assisting Mu Jiuwang.
• Mu Aogu desperately commands his subordinates to save Mu Jiuwang, but Yun Qingyao’s soul attack freezes them in place.
• Lu Ren confronts and kills Mu Jiuwang after declaring that he must die.
• Following Mu Jiuwang’s death, Mu Aogu condemns Lu Ren and launches a collective attack against him.
• Yun Qingyao intervenes to protect the exhausted Lu Ren, carrying him into Heavenly Void Manor while Prince Mu’s forces pursue them.

Chapter Summary: Attack on Heavenly Void Manor

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor unleashes its entire military force: nearly 20,000 Mu King’s Heavenly Guards, all at the Dao Fusion Realm or higher, including many Dao-Controlling Realm experts.
• The guards surround Heavenly Void Manor and demand that Lu Ren be handed over for killing Mu Jiuwang. Mu Aogu threatens to destroy the entire manor if Lu Ren is not surrendered.
• Inside the manor, many elders panic and urge Territory Lord Ren Huaian to give Lu Ren up, arguing that Heavenly Void Manor cannot withstand Prince Mu’s forces.
• Ren Huaian refuses. He declares that Heavenly Void Territory has already submitted to Lu Ren and explains that his father, Ren Tianxu, accepted the battle and his fate as a Void of Destiny Battle Body.
• Ren Huaian asserts his authority as Heavenly Void Lord, threatens to treat anyone advocating surrender as a traitor, and orders the manor’s defensive formation to be activated.
• The manor-protecting formation rises around Heavenly Void Manor. Ren Huaian personally confronts Mu Aogu and declares that Prince Mu’s forces must destroy the manor before reaching Lu Ren.
• Mu Aogu orders the attack. The 20,000 guards form 200 battle formations, each producing a powerful Tombstone Phantom that repeatedly strikes the defensive formation.
• The formation begins to crack under the assault, alarming the surrounding observers and causing panic among the manor’s elders.
• Meanwhile, Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao recover inside the manor. Lu Ren restores his depleted Great Dao power by refining pills while Yun Qingyao meditates.
• Lu Ren asks about the progress of a countermeasure being prepared by Iron Master, suggesting that the manor has another plan.
• The Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan considers intervening because Su Jiyuan remains inside the manor, but Su Qinghong orders them to wait, believing Lu Ren and Su Jiyuan have prepared more than a simple escape.
• As the defensive formation deteriorates, Wan Jiang again urges the elders to force Ren Huaian to surrender Lu Ren, claiming it is the only way to save the manor’s tens of thousands of inhabitants.

Character Developments

• Ren Huaian demonstrates decisive leadership and loyalty to his father’s final wishes. Despite Lu Ren killing Ren Tianxu, he accepts Lu Ren’s authority and chooses to defend him against overwhelming forces.
• Lu Ren remains calm and focused, recovering his strength and relying on an unseen countermeasure rather than surrendering.
• Yun Qingyao is weakened from earlier exertion but continues recovering alongside Lu Ren.
• Mu Aogu becomes consumed by revenge after Mu Jiuwang’s death and commits Prince Mu’s full army to destroying Heavenly Void Manor.
• Wan Jiang emerges as the main internal opponent to Ren Huaian’s decision, prioritizing survival and surrender over loyalty or principle.
• Su Qinghong shows strategic patience, suspecting that Lu Ren and Su Jiyuan have prepared a hidden move.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty versus survival: Ren Huaian chooses loyalty to Lu Ren and his father’s final decision despite the apparent destruction awaiting Heavenly Void Manor.
• Authority and responsibility: Ren Huaian asserts his position as lord by silencing dissent and accepting responsibility for defending the territory.
• Fate and destined conflict: Ren Huaian frames Ren Tianxu’s death as part of the inevitable struggle between Void of Destiny Battle Bodies.
• Overwhelming power versus hidden strategy: Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor relies on sheer military strength, while Lu Ren’s side appears to depend on preparation, endurance, and an undisclosed counterattack.
• Internal division under crisis: The external siege intensifies conflict among Heavenly Void Manor’s elders, exposing the tension between principle and self-preservation.

Character Interactions

• Mu Aogu and Ren Huaian: They exchange threats, with Mu Aogu demanding Lu Ren’s surrender and Ren Huaian openly challenging him to destroy the manor first.
• Ren Huaian and the manor elders: The elders repeatedly pressure him to surrender Lu Ren, but Ren Huaian suppresses their opposition through his authority and cultivation.
• Lu Ren and Ren Huaian: Lu Ren relies on Ren Huaian’s defense while asking about Iron Master’s preparations, indicating coordination between them.
• Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao: Both recover within the manor, supporting the impression that they are preparing for a decisive next move.
• Su Qinghong and the Taiqing elder: Su Qinghong rejects immediate intervention, trusting that Su Jiyuan and Lu Ren have a deeper plan.
• Wan Jiang and the other elders: Wan Jiang attempts to rally the elders against Ren Huaian, presenting surrender as the only means of survival.

Chapter Summary: “Blade-Pinning Dao Formation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The elders of Heavenly Void Manor decide to surrender Lu Ren, believing that although he is exceptionally talented, he cannot survive the current crisis.
• Wan Jiang attacks Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao while they are exhausted and unable to defend themselves. Ren Huaian intervenes, but Wan Jiang’s overwhelming Great Dao power defeats and seriously injures him.
• Several elders move to seize Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao, but Immortal-Smiting Iron arrives and protects them. In its turtle-shell-like form, it easily knocks away the attacking elder.
• Wan Jiang attacks Immortal-Smiting Iron, but the weapon shatters his giant palm and sends him flying. It then overwhelms the other elders as well, leaving the Heavenly Void Manor guards stunned.
• Wan Jiang threatens mutual destruction if Heavenly Void Manor is destroyed, but Immortal-Smiting Iron dismisses him and declares that Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor will not be able to invade while it is present.
• Lu Ren asks about the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation. Immortal-Smiting Iron reveals that it has been completed and claims that only an expert above the Third Dao-Integration Realm could break it.
• Outside the manor, Mu King’s twenty thousand Heavenly Guards finally destroy Heavenly Void Manor’s original protective formation.
• As the army prepares to enter, the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation activates, covering the entire manor in a seemingly ordinary black-gold barrier.
• Mu Aogu underestimates the new formation and orders the army to continue attacking. Two hundred battle formations launch tombstone-shaped attacks, causing cracks to spread across the formation and ending the chapter on a tense cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Remains composed despite exhaustion and betrayal, focusing on whether the newly completed formation can withstand the enemy. His trust in Immortal-Smiting Iron’s preparations gives him renewed confidence.
• Yun Qingyao: Is too exhausted to fight and depends on Lu Ren’s allies for protection during the assault.
• Ren Huaian: Demonstrates loyalty by defending Lu Ren despite Wan Jiang’s overwhelming strength, but is badly injured and knocked away.
• Wan Jiang: Fully abandons neutrality and attempts to sacrifice Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao to protect Heavenly Void Manor. His confidence is shaken when Immortal-Smiting Iron defeats him effortlessly.
• Immortal-Smiting Iron: Reveals its formidable combat strength and fiercely protects Lu Ren. Its arrogant, humorous personality contrasts with its overwhelming power and confidence in the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation.
• The Heavenly Void Manor elders: Show cowardice and self-preservation by deciding to hand Lu Ren over, only to be beaten down when they attempt to act.
• Mu Aogu: Remains confident in the attacking army’s superiority and dismisses the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation, possibly underestimating its true power.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal versus loyalty: The elders choose to sacrifice Lu Ren, while Ren Huaian and Immortal-Smiting Iron risk themselves to protect him.
• Hidden strength and misjudgment: Immortal-Smiting Iron and the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation appear unimpressive but possess tremendous power, emphasizing that appearances can be deceptive.
• Desperation under siege: The collapse of Heavenly Void Manor’s first formation reflects the growing pressure on its defenders, while the second formation represents a final hidden safeguard.
• Defiance against overwhelming power: Despite being vastly outnumbered, Lu Ren’s side continues resisting through preparation, strategy, and loyal allies.
• Pride and humiliation: Wan Jiang and Mu Aogu both underestimate their opponents, while Immortal-Smiting Iron’s victories undermine their confidence.

Character Interactions

• Wan Jiang confronts Ren Huaian and attempts to seize Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao, creating a direct conflict between political expediency and personal loyalty.
• Immortal-Smiting Iron mocks Wan Jiang’s description of it as a Great Dao Weapon and then defeats him and the elders in succession.
• Lu Ren and Immortal-Smiting Iron discuss the completed formation, showing their tactical cooperation and mutual reliance.
• Mu Aogu commands the Heavenly Guards to attack the new formation, while the surrounding cultivators watch in surprise and doubt whether it can withstand the assault.

Chapter Summary: Still One Slash Short

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor launches repeated, powerful attacks against the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation protecting Heavenly Void Manor.
• The formation appears close to collapse after every assault, but it never actually breaks. Although cracks continue to form, each successive wave produces finer fissures rather than worsening the damage.
• The surrounding cultivators and Heavenly Void Manor’s elders are confused and astonished by the formation’s resilience. Wan Jiang realizes that Immortal-Smiting Iron’s earlier confidence was justified and apologizes for doubting him.
• Mu Aogu becomes increasingly enraged and orders the Mu King’s Heavenly Guards to attack without pause. Immortal-Smiting Iron taunts them, repeatedly claiming that the formation is merely “one slash short” of breaking.
• Just as the battle reaches a stalemate, a powerful black-robed figure appears. His aura is stronger than Mu Jiuwang’s, revealing him to be another Source-Integration Realm expert.
• Lu Ren recognizes him as the person supporting E Wan Tong. The stranger confirms that he serves E Wan Tong’s master, who is connected to Lu Ren through a struggle between Void of Destiny Battle Bodies.
• The black-robed expert unleashes the terrifying Erosion Abyss Dao, a corrosive power capable of eroding Great Dao Origin and weakening other forms of power. Since it appears especially effective against formations, Heavenly Void Manor’s defenders fear that the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation may finally be unable to withstand the coming attack.

Character Developments

• Wan Jiang shifts from skepticism to respect after witnessing the formation survive repeated assaults. He acknowledges that Immortal-Smiting Iron was not boasting.
• Immortal-Smiting Iron remains confident and provocative, using the formation’s strange resilience to mock Prince Mu’s forces.
• Mu Aogu grows increasingly furious and desperate as his army repeatedly fails to destroy the formation.
• Lu Ren remains composed but becomes wary when the hidden Source-Integration Realm expert finally appears. He directly confronts the man and demands to know his identity and allegiance.
• The black-robed expert is established as a powerful enemy connected to E Wan Tong’s master. He regards Lu Ren as unworthy of learning his master’s identity and openly intends to kill him.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deceptive appearances: The formation looks damaged and nearly destroyed, yet its apparent weakness conceals remarkable defensive power.
• Persistence against overwhelming force: Repeated attacks fail despite appearing to be on the verge of success, emphasizing endurance and patience.
• Escalation of conflict: The battle shifts from a military assault to a confrontation involving an even stronger personal enemy.
• Fated rivalry: The black-robed man frames Lu Ren’s conflict with his master as an inevitable struggle between Void of Destiny Battle Bodies.
• Hope undermined by new danger: The defenders briefly regain confidence when the formation holds, only for a stronger enemy with a power that may specifically counter it to arrive.

Character Interactions

• Wan Jiang and Immortal-Smiting Iron: Wan Jiang apologizes for previously doubting Immortal-Smiting Iron’s claims, but Immortal-Smiting Iron sarcastically rejects the apology.
• Mu Aogu and Immortal-Smiting Iron: Mu Aogu orders relentless attacks while Immortal-Smiting Iron taunts him by insisting the formation is always “one final slash” from breaking.
• Lu Ren and the black-robed expert: Lu Ren accuses him of being behind E Wan Tong. The man confirms his connection to E Wan Tong’s master, refuses to reveal the master’s identity, and declares that Lu Ren will soon die.
• The defenders and attacking forces: The changing condition of the formation affects both sides’ morale—Heavenly Void Manor moves from despair to cautious hope, while Prince Mu’s forces become increasingly frustrated and enraged.

Chapter Summary: “Drinking Wine and Watching the Show”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan elders consider intervening because Su Jiyuan and Lu Ren are inside Heavenly Void Manor. Elder Su Qinghong orders them to wait unless the two are truly endangered, warning that the mysterious power behind the black-robed attacker is too dangerous to antagonize.
• The Immortal-Smiting Iron confidently declares that the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation cannot be breached and that the attacking Source-Integration Realm expert will die if he persists.
• In an outrageous display of confidence, it orders Ren Huaian to prepare a banquet inside the manor. Lu Ren, Yun Qingyao, Ren Huaian, Wan Jiang, and the manor’s leaders sit down to drink and watch the attackers attempt to break through.
• The black-robed man, enraged by the humiliation, unleashes his Erosion Abyss Dao against the formation. His attack is far more powerful than Mu Jiuwang’s, but the formation withstands it.
• He repeatedly bombards the formation with black torrents of corrosive Dao power. Although cracks appear each time, they stop short of destroying it, and the damage gradually becomes less significant.
• The black-robed man then summons a pitch-black abyss and uses his meticulous-level Grand Dao True Intent, the Erosion Abyss Dao Lock, to attack with countless terrifying chains.
• Despite the overwhelming power of this technique, the formation again survives. The Immortal-Smiting Iron continues taunting him, urging him to attack harder while Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao drink openly nearby.

Character Developments

• Su Qinghong displays caution and political wisdom. He prioritizes protecting his clan members but avoids becoming deeply entangled in karma with the powerful figure supporting the black-robed man.
• The Immortal-Smiting Iron emerges as supremely confident, provocative, and completely unconcerned with the apparent danger. Its knowledge of the formation’s strength allows it to turn a siege into entertainment.
• Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao maintain outward calm while secretly refining the Origin Dao Stones within their bodies to restore their Grand Dao power. Their willingness to participate in the feast shows their growing trust in the Immortal-Smiting Iron.
• The black-robed man shifts from contemptuous confidence to surprise and fury as both his ordinary attacks and his powerful Grand Dao True Intent fail.
• Mu Aogu and the members of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor are humiliated by seeing the black-robed man suffer the same frustration they experienced while attacking the formation.

Significant Themes

• Absolute confidence versus apparent danger: The banquet symbolizes the Immortal-Smiting Iron’s certainty that the formation is invincible, contrasting with the attackers’ desperation.
• Humiliation and psychological warfare: By drinking and watching the assault as though it were a performance, the defenders mock and destabilize their enemies.
• The limits of overwhelming power: Even a Source-Integration Realm expert with meticulous-level Grand Dao True Intent cannot overcome the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation.
• Caution and karma: Su Qinghong’s decision not to intervene highlights the importance of avoiding unnecessary entanglement with powerful forces.
• Calm beneath pressure: Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao use the apparent pause to recover their strength while maintaining composure.

Character Interactions

• Su Qinghong restrains the Taiqing Yuan elders from immediately rescuing Su Jiyuan and Lu Ren.
• The Immortal-Smiting Iron orders Ren Huaian to prepare the feast, shocking everyone in Heavenly Void Manor.
• It invites Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao to drink while observing the battle, and they reluctantly but calmly join it.
• The black-robed man repeatedly challenges the formation, while the Immortal-Smiting Iron mocks every failed attempt.
• The Immortal-Smiting Iron directly taunts the attacker by emphasizing that Lu Ren is sitting nearby and daring him to kill him, intensifying the confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Take My Blade”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The black-robed man repeatedly attacks the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation with the Erosion Abyss Dao, but the formation withstands his assault despite appearing close to collapse.
• Hoping to overwhelm the formation, he summons nearby cultivators by promising them merit from his powerful master. Lords from the Myriad Demon River Region, merchant-guild experts, rogue cultivators, and Mu King’s Heavenly Guards join the attack.
• Nearly fifty thousand cultivators unleash various Dao techniques simultaneously, causing countless cracks to appear across the formation. However, the cracks stabilize and become hair-thin rather than destroying it.
• The attackers stop after exhausting a significant amount of their Dao power. The black-robed man taunts Lu Ren, challenging him to remain hidden inside the Heavenly Void Manor.
• Lu Ren reveals that the formation has successfully bought him time to recover his strength.
• Immortal-Smiting Iron explains that the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation is not only defensive: its Myriad-Blade Mystic Crystal cores have absorbed the power of every attack.
• Immortal-Smiting Iron activates the formation’s offensive ability, causing a massive black-gold blade to condense above the Heavenly Void Manor. The blade contains the combined force of the attackers’ previous bombardments.
• The black-robed man attempts to block the strike with his Erosion Abyss Dao Locks, but the blade destroys them and severely injures him.
• His disguise is torn away, revealing that he is a member of the Erosion Abyss Clan rather than a human.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Remains calm and uses the formation’s defense to recover his depleted Dao power. His confidence increases once he learns that the formation can counterattack.
• Immortal-Smiting Iron: Demonstrates cleverness and control over the Blade-Pinning Dao Formation. Its mocking personality is reinforced as it taunts the attackers before returning their own power against them.
• The black-robed man: Shifts from confidence to fury and humiliation. His failure to break the formation exposes the limits of his strength and reveals his true Erosion Abyss Clan identity.
• Mu Aogu and Mu King’s Heavenly Guards: Participate in the mass assault but are left shocked and enraged when their combined attack fails.
• The surrounding cultivators: Initially motivated by greed and the promise of future benefits, they become astonished and uneasy after witnessing the formation’s resilience and retaliatory power.

Significant Themes

• Strength through strategy rather than brute force: The formation cannot simply be overwhelmed because it converts the enemy’s power into its own weapon.
• Overconfidence and reversal: The attackers believe their numbers guarantee victory, only to have their combined strength turned back against them.
• Hidden identities and dangerous origins: The black-robed man’s revelation as an Erosion Abyss Clan member suggests deeper political or racial implications behind the conflict.
• Endurance and preparation: Lu Ren survives because the formation buys him time, emphasizing patience and tactical defense.
• Mockery and psychological warfare: Immortal-Smiting Iron’s taunts aggravate the attackers and highlight their growing helplessness.

Character Interactions

• The black-robed man rallies surrounding cultivators by invoking his master’s authority and promising merit.
• Mu Aogu and the Heavenly Guards respond to his call, joining the collective assault.
• Immortal-Smiting Iron repeatedly provokes the black-robed man, first mocking his inability to break the formation and later announcing the counterattack.
• Lu Ren communicates with Immortal-Smiting Iron and learns that the formation has absorbed the attackers’ Dao power.
• The black-robed man directly challenges Lu Ren, but the formation responds on Lu Ren’s behalf, turning his threat into a humiliating defeat.

Chapter Summary: “Mysterious Eye Pupil”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren’s Blade-Pinning Dao Formation severely injures the black-robed Source-Integration Realm expert, forcing him to flee. Lu Ren taunts him, declaring that only the man’s master is worthy of challenging him.
• Seeing the black-robed man escape, Mu Aogu orders the Mu King’s Heavenly Guards to retreat. However, the Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord block their path.
• The two Lords mock Mu Aogu, pointing out that the manor lord of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor is already dead. They attack together, overwhelming Mu Aogu.
• The Thunder Dragon Lord pierces Mu Aogu with his spear, and the Scarlet Flame Lord destroys his divine soul and Great Dao Origin with a burning palm. Mu Aogu dies.
• Mu Jun, Mu Kuang, the remaining guards, and the cultivators who assisted the black-robed man flee in panic. The battle ends with one Source-Integration expert dead, another severely wounded, and Lu Ren still standing.
• Ren Huaian praises the Immortal-Smiting Iron for creating the formation protecting Heavenly Void Manor. The Immortal-Smiting Iron reveals that he intends to dismantle it and reuse its valuable materials for himself.
• Before the aftermath can settle, a massive fissure opens in the sky above Heavenly Void Manor. A terrifying dark-gold eye pupil appears, filled with patterns resembling fate, karma, and tribulation.
• The eye focuses on Lu Ren, causing the two Remnant Qi strands within him—Void-Splitting Sky Qi and Void Phantom Qi—to tremble violently.
• Lu Ren experiences the sensation of being completely exposed and sees a horrifying possible future in which he is defeated, pierced by tribulation light, and stripped of both Remnant Qi strands by a mysterious figure who appears to control fate.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Demonstrates overwhelming battle strength and confidence after defeating or repelling two Source-Integration Realm opponents. However, the mysterious eye introduces genuine fear and uncertainty, forcing him to confront the possibility that his fate may already lead toward defeat.
• Mu Aogu: Shifts from an arrogant commander attempting to retreat to a helpless victim of the Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord. His death marks the collapse of Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor’s authority in the region.
• Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord: Act decisively and cooperatively, killing Mu Aogu after the manor lord’s death removes their fear of retaliation.
• Ren Huaian: Shows gratitude and admiration toward the Immortal-Smiting Iron, while also trying unsuccessfully to persuade him to leave the protective formation in place.
• Immortal-Smiting Iron: Remains blunt, irritable, and self-interested, emphasizing the enormous value of the materials used to build the formation.

Significant Themes

• The reversal of power: Formerly intimidating forces such as Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor are suddenly destroyed, while Lu Ren’s reputation rises dramatically.
• Consequences and retribution: Those who helped attack Lu Ren immediately flee once the battle turns against them, fearing retaliation.
• The limits of strength: Even after surviving attacks from powerful Source-Integration experts, Lu Ren faces a presence so frightening that it can directly affect his Remnant Qi and expose his destiny.
• Fate versus free will: The eye’s vision of Lu Ren’s possible death raises the question of whether his future is predetermined or can still be changed.
• Protection and possession: The formation symbolizes security for Heavenly Void Manor, but the Immortal-Smiting Iron views it as his own valuable resource rather than a permanent gift.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Ren verbally challenges the black-robed man and dismisses him as unworthy without his master.
• The Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord confront Mu Aogu, ridicule his reliance on Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor, and jointly execute him.
• Ren Huaian flatters the Immortal-Smiting Iron and attempts to purchase the formation, but the Iron refuses and mocks his inability to afford it.
• Lu Ren silently observes their exchange before sensing the ominous presence in the sky and becoming the eye pupil’s target.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A mysterious giant pupil appears in the void and scrutinizes Lu Ren, claiming to have seen his fate and destiny.
• An unseen, powerful voice declares that Lu Ren will be destroyed by the Great Dao Sect, creating the sensation that his fate has already been decided.
• The pupil activates the Fate-Calamity Divine Eyes, sending dark-gold calamity light toward Lu Ren and probing his karma.
• Su Qinghong arrives and uses his Azure Kite Great Dao to break the pupil’s power, forcing it to disappear.
• Lu Ren, Yun Qingyao, and Su Qinghong retreat to the Ten Thousand Shadows Secret Realm, where Su Qinghong explains that the attack was meant to investigate Lu Ren rather than kill him.
• The divine eyes belong to Cang Xuanming, the wielder of the Remnant Qi known as Fate-Calamity Heaven-Pupil Qi, and the person seeking Lu Ren’s death.
• Su Qinghong reveals Cang Xuanming’s extraordinary background: despite possessing only an Ordinary Battle Body, he entered the Great Dao Sect and became its only Dao Disciple without a Primordial Battle Body.
• Cang Xuanming’s rise has inspired many races lacking Primordial Bloodlines to support him, including the Erosion Abyss Clan.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren remains cautious and strategically restrained. Rather than activate his Origin Qi and expose more of his secrets, he endures the divine scrutiny until Su Qinghong intervenes.
• Lu Ren learns the identity and immense influence of his enemy, Cang Xuanming, and recognizes that the conflict extends beyond personal hostility into a broader struggle over status and bloodline hierarchy.
• Yun Qingyao shows immediate concern for Lu Ren and gratitude toward Su Qinghong. Her reaction to Cang Xuanming’s identity demonstrates that she understands the seriousness of the threat.
• Su Qinghong establishes himself as a powerful protector and an important source of information. He successfully counters the Fate-Calamity Divine Eyes and explains their purpose and origin.
• Cang Xuanming, though never physically appearing, is portrayed as exceptionally powerful, politically influential, and ideologically significant to cultivators with Ordinary Battle Bodies.

Significant Themes

• Fate versus resistance: The divine pupil’s claim that Lu Ren’s fate is already determined contrasts with Lu Ren’s refusal to surrender and his careful effort to conceal his abilities.
• The power of status and bloodline: The Great Dao Sect traditionally favors Primordial Battle Bodies and bloodlines, making Cang Xuanming’s success a direct challenge to its established hierarchy.
• Rebellion against social limitations: Cang Xuanming has become a symbol for races and cultivators without Primordial Bloodlines, showing how exceptional individuals can inspire broader political movements.
• Hidden strength and strategic secrecy: Lu Ren’s choice not to reveal his Origin Qi emphasizes the importance of concealing one’s true capabilities in a dangerous cultivation world.
• Fate and karma as weapons: The chapter expands the conflict beyond physical combat, introducing divine abilities capable of examining, manipulating, or judging a person’s destiny.

Character Interactions

• Yun Qingyao rushes to Lu Ren’s side when she senses danger, reinforcing their close bond.
• Su Qinghong protects both Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao, then guides the discussion by identifying the divine ability and its user.
• Lu Ren respectfully questions Su Qinghong and leads him and Yun Qingyao to a secure location for further discussion.
• Su Qinghong’s explanation allows Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao to understand Cang Xuanming’s history, abilities, and growing alliance network.
• Lu Ren connects the Erosion Abyss Clan’s allegiance to Cang Xuanming with the larger movement of Ordinary-Battle-Body races supporting him.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren asks about the other Void of Destiny Battle Bodies in the Upper River Region. Su Qinghong explains that both were defeated by Cang Xuanming, who absorbed their Remnant Qi.
• Cang Xuanming possesses three powerful strands of Remnant Qi: Heavenly Mandate Soul-Sealing Qi, Void Dao-Cutting Qi, and Fate-Calamity Heaven-Pupil Qi. However, he obtained them only after becoming the Xuanming Dao Son.
• Lu Ren learns that Cang Xuanming’s Fate-Calamity Divine Eyes may have revealed his hidden connection to a Low-level Myriad Heavens Plane. Lu fears that if the Great Dao Sect discovers his origins, it could destroy not only him but the entire plane behind him.
• Su Qinghong clarifies that the Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan will not become deeply involved in Lu Ren’s conflict with Cang Xuanming. Though he intervened earlier because Yun Qingyao was present, the clan cannot oppose the Great Dao Sect on Lu Ren’s behalf.
• Yun Qingyao pleads for Su Qinghong’s help, but he insists that the struggle between the two Void of Destiny Battle Bodies must ultimately be resolved by Lu Ren himself.
• Su Qinghong warns Lu Ren about the dangers of advancing to the Source-Integration stage. As an Ordinary Battle Body, Lu Ren can absorb only a limited amount of Great Dao Origin, and his cultivation of the powerful Chaos Great Dao makes bodily collapse especially likely.
• Before leaving, Su Qinghong directs Lu Ren toward the Ten Thousand Dao Source Ruins, implying that it may offer his only chance of successfully entering Source-Integration.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren recognizes the seriousness of his conflict with Cang Xuanming and becomes increasingly determined to protect his origins and the Myriad Heavens Plane connected to him.
• He accepts that he cannot depend on the Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan and resolves to defeat Cang Xuanming himself, while also viewing Cang’s Remnant Qi as something he can potentially claim.
• Yun Qingyao shows deep concern and loyalty toward Lu Ren, but accepts that remaining with him could endanger both him and her clan. She chooses to return to the Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan to strengthen herself.
• Su Qinghong acts as a pragmatic adviser. Although unwilling to involve his clan in Lu Ren’s fate, he acknowledges Lu Ren’s extraordinary combat ability and offers him a possible path forward.

Significant Themes

• Fate and karmic conflict: Lu Ren and Cang Xuanming are portrayed as destined rivals whose struggle cannot be avoided or delegated.
• Isolation and self-reliance: Lu Ren must face the Great Dao Sect and Cang Xuanming largely without outside protection.
• The limitations of talent and lineage: Despite Lu Ren’s ability to kill an Origin-Fusing Dao-Unity expert while only at Peak Dao-Controlling Realm, his Ordinary Battle Body places severe limits on his future advancement.
• Power versus political alliances: The Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan values Yun Qingyao but cannot risk open conflict with the Great Dao Sect.
• Sacrifice and separation: Yun Qingyao and Lu Ren part ways for their mutual protection, with both understanding that personal attachment may carry wider consequences.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Su Qinghong discuss Cang Xuanming’s strength, his Remnant Qi, and the threat posed by the Great Dao Sect.
• Su Qinghong warns Lu Ren about the dangers of Source-Integration, while Lu Ren calmly accepts the challenge.
• Yun Qingyao argues that Su Qinghong should protect Lu Ren because he is her Dao Companion, but Su Qinghong maintains that Lu Ren must fight his own fated battle.
• Lu Ren reassures Yun Qingyao and encourages her to return to her clan.
• Before departing, Su Qinghong gives Lu Ren the crucial clue of the Ten Thousand Dao Source Ruins, leaving Lu Ren with a possible route to overcome his physical limitations.

Summary: “Ten Thousand Dao Source Ruins”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Su Qinghong takes Yun Qingyao away, the Ten Thousand Shadows Secret Realm falls silent. Lu Ren feels her absence deeply, since she has accompanied him throughout his journey along the Great Dao River.
• Little Broken Tower reassures Lu Ren that Yun Qingyao’s return to the Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan may benefit her. Her bloodline concentration has reportedly reached at least seventy percent, making her a likely future core figure of the clan.
• Lu Ren learns about the Ten Thousand Dao Source Ruins, a dangerous trial ground in the upper reaches of the Great Dao River. It is the only route by which cultivators with Ordinary Battle Bodies can qualify to enter the Great Dao Sect.
• The trial is extraordinarily lethal; Cang Xuanming is believed to be the only Ordinary Battle Body in roughly one hundred thousand years to survive it and join the Great Dao Sect.
• The ruins contain Ten Thousand Dao Origin Crystals, which can strengthen a Battle Body’s defenses and improve its ability to withstand Great Dao Origin. These crystals may provide Ordinary Battle Bodies with a chance to reach the Dao-Unity Realm.
• Lu Ren realizes that Su Qinghong likely directed him toward the ruins so he can temper his Battle Body, pursue Source-Integration, and temporarily separate himself from Yun Qingyao. Although Su may have strategic motives, Lu Ren concludes that the advice is not malicious.
• Lu Ren’s fusion with the Void of Destiny Force’s Origin Qi has actually transformed his Battle Body into a Primordial Battle Body. However, Little Broken Tower has sealed its Primordial power, causing him to appear to be an Ordinary Battle Body.
• Removing the seal would allow Lu Ren to complete Source-Integration easily, but it could expose his possession of Origin Qi and make him a target of the Primordial Clans, the Great Dao Sect, and even stronger forces.
• Lu Ren therefore chooses to remain sealed and enter the Ten Thousand Dao Source Ruins. By cultivating as an apparent Ordinary Battle Body, he can strengthen himself while concealing his true nature.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren: Shows emotional attachment to Yun Qingyao but accepts that they must follow separate paths. He becomes more determined to pursue his own cultivation and recognizes the danger of revealing his Origin Qi. He embraces the ruins as both a necessary trial and a means of creating an unprecedented Battle Body.
• Yun Qingyao: Though absent from the chapter, she is positioned to receive elite cultivation within the Taiqing Yuan Celestial Clan because of her powerful bloodline.
• Su Qinghong: His decision to separate Yun Qingyao and Lu Ren is reinterpreted as potentially protective rather than hostile. He may be guiding Lu Ren toward an opportunity for survival and advancement.
• Little Broken Tower: Acts as Lu Ren’s adviser, explaining the ruins, exposing the risks behind different choices, and revealing the long-term advantages of keeping Lu Ren’s Primordial power sealed.

Significant Themes

• Separation for growth: Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao must part because remaining together could draw them into greater danger and karma.
• Concealment versus power: Lu Ren must suppress his true strength to avoid becoming a target, choosing hidden development over immediate advancement.
• Trial and survival: The Ten Thousand Dao Source Ruins represent both an almost-certain death sentence and a rare path to transcendence for Ordinary Battle Bodies.
• Potential beyond established limits: By combining the tempering of an Ordinary Battle Body with the foundation of a Primordial Battle Body, Lu Ren may eventually create a far more powerful physique than either type alone.
• Ambiguous motives: Su Qinghong’s actions may serve multiple purposes, but Lu Ren judges them by their apparent benefit and lack of direct harm.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Yun Qingyao’s relationship is reflected through Lu Ren’s loneliness after her departure and his concern that his dangers may affect her.
• Little Broken Tower repeatedly challenges Lu Ren’s assumptions, reassures him about Yun Qingyao, explains the significance of the ruins, and warns him about the consequences of revealing his Origin Qi.
• Lu Ren evaluates Su Qinghong’s intentions through Little Broken Tower’s analysis and ultimately accepts the path Su has suggested.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Ren resolves to travel to the Ten Thousand Dao Source Ruins to break through to the Dao-Unity Realm and seek entry into the Great Dao Sect, believing it may be his only path to survival against Cang Xuanming and the sect’s potential pursuit.
• He realizes that if Cang Xuanming exposes his origins in a Low-level Myriad Heavens Plane, the Great Dao Sect could use its Cause-Tracing Heavenly Compass to locate and destroy that plane.
• Little Broken Tower reveals the existence of the Mysterious-Female Cause-Hiding Formation, which can conceal karmic traces and prevent the Great Dao Sect from finding Lu Ren’s homeland.
• Lu Ren consults Immortal-Smiting Iron, who knows how to arrange the formation but explains that it requires four rare materials:
  • Mystic-Female Cause Stone
  • Formless Life-Hiding Sand
  • Void-Ruin Woodheart
  • Cause-Severing Dao Soil
• After searching the resources seized from Lu Ren’s enemies, Immortal-Smiting Iron finds one Mystic-Female Cause Stone, but the other three materials remain missing.
• Lu Ren orders Ren Huaian to mobilize Heavenly Void Territory’s merchant associations and forces to search for them. He also asks the Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord to have their territories assist.
• Lu Ren then decides to investigate Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor, hoping its vast treasury contains the needed materials. He leaves with Immortal-Smiting Iron to search it personally.
• Meanwhile, Exquisite Heaven Manor launches an attack on the weakened Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor after the deaths of Mu Jiuwang and Mu Aogu. Bai Luo, Black Qilin, and Zhenlong Xiyue lead more than ten thousand guards against the manor.
• Prince Mu’s remaining commanders, Mu Jun and Mu Kuang, organize a desperate defense behind the manor’s powerful protective formation. Exquisite Heaven Manor struggles to break through without its own manor lord intervening.
• The chapter ends as a powerful, unknown figure approaches the battlefield, drawing everyone’s attention.

Character Developments

• Lu Ren becomes more urgent and strategically focused. His concern expands beyond personal survival to protecting his entire Low-level Myriad Heavens Plane from destruction.
• He demonstrates leadership by delegating the search for the formation materials to Ren Huaian and recruiting the Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord.
• Little Broken Tower provides crucial knowledge about the Cause-Tracing Heavenly Compass and the protective formation.
• Immortal-Smiting Iron reveals its expertise in formations, though it retains its usual sarcastic and teasing personality. Despite joking about Qing Yao’s absence, it recognizes the seriousness of Lu Ren’s situation.
• The Thunder Dragon Lord and Scarlet Flame Lord openly seek Lu Ren’s protection and eagerly cooperate, showing their growing willingness to submit to his authority.
• Ren Huaian responds seriously and efficiently, mobilizing the resources of Heavenly Void Territory.
• Zhenlong Xiyue remains determined to destroy or subdue Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor, but her confidence is tested by its powerful defenses.
• Mu Jun and Mu Kuang display loyalty and defiance despite their manor’s leadership crisis, refusing to surrender after Mu Jiuwang’s death.

Significant Themes

• Survival through preparation: Lu Ren understands that raw strength alone is insufficient and seeks defensive measures to conceal his origins.
• Protection of one’s homeland: The threat to the Low-level Myriad Heavens Plane gives Lu Ren’s journey greater emotional and strategic importance.
• Power vacuums and shifting alliances: The deaths of Prince Mu’s leaders leave the manor vulnerable, while surrounding forces move quickly to seize control.
• Resource and information scarcity: Rare materials and specialized knowledge become essential to survival, emphasizing the importance of networks, treasures, and trusted allies.
• Escalating conflict: The Great Dao Sect’s potential intervention and the battle for Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor suggest that Lu Ren is becoming entangled in conflicts involving increasingly powerful forces.

Character Interactions

• Lu Ren and Little Broken Tower discuss the threat posed by the Great Dao Sect and devise a possible countermeasure.
• Lu Ren intimidates Immortal-Smiting Iron into focusing on the formation, while their exchange retains a humorous, familiar tone.
• Lu Ren recruits Ren Huaian, the Thunder Dragon Lord, and the Scarlet Flame Lord to search for the missing materials.
• At Prince Mu’s Heaven Manor, Zhenlong Xiyue demands surrender from Mu Jun and Mu Kuang, but they reject her authority and continue resisting.
• Bai Luo and Black Qilin acknowledge that the manor’s defenses are too strong to overcome easily without their lord’s direct intervention.
• The chapter concludes with the arrival of an unidentified powerful figure, setting up a major confrontation.