Ch. 961How Powerful Is Your Trump Card?

Key plot points and events

  • As the Star Sea Alliance assigns fighters to the five regions of the War Pact, Chen Yu refuses Ye Li’s offer to take him to the dangerous Central Region. He chooses the Eastern Region with Elder Wang instead.
  • A long-bearded alliance elder volunteers to accompany Ye Li to the Central Region. Red Lotus Star Lord Dongfang Li also offers, confident she can defeat a demon Exalted Lord alone.
  • Ye Li selects the elder, partly because he prioritizes his alliance ally and suspects Dongfang Li wants to compete for kills. Dongfang Li hides her disappointment and opts for the Northern Region.
  • A white-browed elder from Myriad Forms Mountain reluctantly accepts the Southern Region assignment with the badly injured Monk Changle as his teammate. Lu Xuan promises the alliance will restore Changle before the War Pact begins.
  • After the others leave, Lu Xuan gives Ye Li a highly classified, powerful Creation Art on a jade slip. Ye Li then asks how strong her best offensive divine ability would be against a Sacred Lord in the Creation Realm.

Character developments and interactions

  • Chen Yu shows humility and resolve, refusing to become a burden to Ye Li.
  • Ye Li is generous but strategic: he honors his connection to the alliance, gives clear instructions to his chosen companion, and declines Dongfang Li despite her strength.
  • Dongfang Li reveals her fierce ambition and pride; her disappointment at being passed over is visible even as she pretends not to care.
  • The long-bearded elder willingly follows Ye Li’s lead, while the Myriad Forms Mountain elder is anxious about being paired with Changle.
  • Lu Xuan shifts from playful teasing to serious trust, entrusting Ye Li with a secret technique.

Significant themes

  • Duty versus self-interest: Chen Yu chooses a safer role rather than risk hindering Ye Li, while Ye Li balances alliance loyalty against battlefield advantage.
  • Pride and competition: Dongfang Li’s eagerness to fight—and perhaps claim kills—creates tension beneath the assignment process.
  • Trust and secrecy: Lu Xuan’s transfer of the Creation Art signals confidence in Ye Li, along with the responsibility to protect restricted knowledge.
  • Preparation for danger: The regional assignments, Changle’s promised recovery, and Ye Li’s final question all emphasize the looming conflict and the need to understand the combatants’ true power.

Ch. 962A brand-new Creation Realm trump card!

Plot points and events

  • While traveling toward the Wutong Star Domain, Ye Li has destroyed several corrupt factions and gained Malice Points, but not nearly enough to reach the Creation Realm.
  • Looking for another way to strengthen himself, he asks Lu Xuan how powerful her Creation Realm killing move is. She claims it could gravely injure an unprepared Demon Saint Venerable below the fifth level of that realm.
  • Ye Li suggests he could do the same, prompting Lu Xuan to offer a demonstration. They travel to an uninhabited, ruined star domain.
  • Lu Xuan unleashes a spacetime-based technique: it freezes the surrounding galaxy, then a vast black-and-white millstone grinds the entire star domain into nothing.
  • Rather than being impressed or intimidated, Ye Li watches with excitement. His Dao Scripture My Book records the Creation Realm technique, filling its pages with a killing move of that level.
  • Ye Li thanks Lu Xuan and leaves without explaining why. Lu Xuan is left confused and mildly disappointed by his unexpected reaction.

Character developments

  • Ye Li shows that he is less interested in testing his own strength than in learning and improving his abilities. His calm response conceals his excitement at gaining a powerful new technique.
  • Lu Xuan reveals the immense power—and personal cost—of her killing move. She also takes on a playful mentor’s attitude, expecting to humble Ye Li, but ends up baffled by him instead.

Significant themes

  • Growth through observation: Ye Li finds a way to advance despite being unable to quickly increase his raw power.
  • Knowledge as power: The Dao Scripture’s ability to record and preserve techniques gives Ye Li a new strategic advantage.
  • The gap between realms: Lu Xuan’s demonstration emphasizes how far Creation Realm power exceeds ordinary star-level combat.
  • Different perspectives on strength: Lu Xuan sees the demonstration as a lesson in humility; Ye Li sees it as an opportunity.

Character interactions

  • Ye Li challenges Lu Xuan’s claim, prompting her to demonstrate her ability.
  • Lu Xuan assumes Ye Li wants to measure himself against a Creation Realm expert, while he is actually studying her technique.
  • Afterward, Ye Li’s unexplained thanks and departure leave Lu Xuan wondering what he gained from the encounter.

Ch. 963The Great Battle Begins

Key plot points and events

  • The Heavenly Domain War draws enormous attention across the Myriad Laws Celestial Domain. The battlefield is surrounded by spectator platforms, where the two sides’ Creation Realm leaders gather.
  • The Demonic Heavenly Domain fields seven Creation Realm Saint Venerables, compared with only five from the Myriad Laws Celestial Domain. Two of the latter are detached observers, leaving the Alliance’s three directors as its main representatives.
  • The Universal Sword Tomb’s Sword Ancestor and Sword Venerable Ku Rong arrive. Ku Rong is shaken by the demons’ power, while the Sword Ancestor warns him that the enemy must not be underestimated.
  • In the Alliance’s sealed staging area, Ye Li and the other nine Venerables prepare to enter the Central Domain Battle. Gu He asks Ye Li for a plan, but Ye Li says he will explain it only after they enter.
  • Ye Li records his peak physical, spiritual, and energy state in the Dao Scripture My Book, preparing himself for battle. Lu Xuan then tells him that teleportation is about to begin.

Character developments and interactions

  • Lu Xuan remains outwardly composed but is worried by the enemy’s numerical and strategic advantage. She checks on Ye Li before the teleportation.
  • Ye Li is calm and deliberate, keeping his tactics private and carefully preparing himself at full strength.
  • Gu He is respectful but uncertain; he accepts Ye Li’s authority despite being given no immediate explanation.
  • Sword Venerable Ku Rong fears the demons and still seeks revenge on Ye Li for his disciple Tianshu’s death. The Sword Ancestor reins him in, warning him not to voice such intentions.
  • The Sword Ancestor appears cautious and pragmatic, acknowledging the Demonic Heavenly Domain’s growing strength while believing the visitors are unlikely to be attacked before the war.

Significant themes

  • Uneven power and looming danger: The Myriad Laws side is outnumbered, and its leaders suspect the demons have prepared countermeasures.
  • Trust and secrecy: Ye Li’s companions must rely on his judgment without knowing his plan in advance.
  • Preparation and restraint: Ye Li methodically readies himself, while the Sword Ancestor urges Ku Rong to control his hostility.
  • Personal vengeance amid larger conflict: Ku Rong’s grudge against Ye Li persists even as the Heavenly Domain War approaches.

Ch. 964Ye Li's fearsome reputation

Key plot points and events

  • Lu Xuan confirms that Ye Li has approved the plan, allowing the long-awaited battle pact to proceed.
  • You Tiancheng, the Star Sea Merchant Alliance’s most powerful figure, steps forward to represent the Myriad Laws Celestial Domain. Though he appears unremarkable, both allied cultivators and demonic Saint Venerables fear him because he has killed Creation Realm opponents and earned the title Immortal Saint Venerable.
  • The Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form taunts You Tiancheng and reveals that the Demonic Heavenly Domain knows Ye Li has been recruited for the contest. He vows to kill Ye Li, citing his undefeated record, powerful victories, and terrifying reputation.
  • You Tiancheng warns that if Ye Li is harmed, he will kill the Demon Venerable in return. The demon withdraws rather than challenge him directly.
  • After the demon announces that the war pact will begin in ten breaths, You Tiancheng suppresses his desire to attack, activates the teleportation formations, and sends up ten pillars of light. The decisive conflict between the two domains begins.

Character developments and interactions

  • Lu Xuan regains her composure once Ye Li agrees, then informs You Tiancheng that preparations can begin.
  • You Tiancheng is revealed as a formidable, restrained protector of the alliance. He responds to provocation with a direct threat but holds back from striking to preserve the larger plan.
  • The Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form uses intelligence and mockery to unsettle You Tiancheng and openly targets Ye Li, but his confidence falters when confronted with You Tiancheng’s threat.
  • Their exchange establishes a tense mutual deterrence: each knows the other is dangerous, and neither acts rashly before the war pact begins.

Significant themes

  • Reputation as power: Ye Li’s bloody record inspires fear across the Star Sea, while You Tiancheng’s legendary strength helps steady the alliance.
  • Restraint and strategy: You Tiancheng chooses not to attack despite his anger, prioritizing the broader plan over immediate revenge.
  • Escalating conflict: Threats, hidden intelligence, and the activation of the formations mark the transition from political tension to open war.

Ch. 965Everything Was Under Control

Key plot points and events

  • In the Demonic Heavenly Domain’s camp, the Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form assigns ten demons to attack the human Venerable Lords. He sends a pair of pure-blooded Silver-Horned Demon Rhinoceros twins to confront Ye Li, ordering them to exhaust his Immortal Power and expose his hidden abilities if they cannot kill him.
  • He urges the demons to fight at any cost, promising to resurrect those who die. The demons accept eagerly. When other Demon Race Saint Venerables question whether the plan can defeat Ye Li, Annihilating Form insists that everything is under control.
  • Ye Li and his group arrive in Qingfeng Continent’s central region, a beautiful valley enclosed by a vast magical boundary.
  • Ye Li senses that the continent has been ritually altered by Annihilating Form, turning the battlefield into a trap. Though Ye Li could reshape the area with his divine ability, he decides against revealing that he has discovered the scheme.
  • Instead, he immediately unleashes his powerful divine sense to scout the region, largely overcoming the strengthened laws’ suppression. Gu He, alarmed at the apparent waste of Ye Li’s strength, urges him to conserve himself and leave the scouting to others.

Character developments and interactions

  • Annihilating Form appears confident and calculating, using threats and the promise of resurrection to secure his demons’ obedience. His fellow Saint Venerables remain wary but are reassured by his assurance.
  • Ye Li recognizes the enemy’s preparation but chooses not to counter it openly. He favors a direct approach and confidently demonstrates how little the battlefield’s suppression hinders him.
  • Gu He is cautious and protective of Ye Li, worried that the alliance’s strongest fighter is spending too much strength too soon.
  • The rhinoceros twins show fierce loyalty and confidence, while the other demons respond eagerly to the prospect of combat without fear of permanent death.

Significant themes

  • Hidden plans and counterplans: Annihilating Form has prepared the battlefield as a trap, but Ye Li detects the scheme.
  • Confidence versus caution: Annihilating Form claims control, Ye Li acts boldly, and Gu He urges restraint.
  • Sacrifice and manipulation: The demons are pushed toward suicidal tactics through threats and the promise of resurrection.

Ch. 966I can handle it myself

Key plot points and events

  • Ye Li rejects Gu He’s offer to help scout, claiming Gu He would be too slow. Rather than hiding his presence, Ye Li releases a tremendous aura that openly draws the demons toward them.
  • Two demon rhinos arrive in a mass of demonic clouds. Their power is near the peak of the Melding Dao realm, alarming Gu He.
  • Ye Li orders Gu He to withdraw, taking sole control of the battlefield. He silently sends Gu hundreds of miles away as the rhinos begin their charge.
  • The brothers, having learned that Ye Li excels in close combat, attack together with their full strength. Ye Li meets them head-on and unleashes a single overwhelming blow, stopping and overturning both rhinos and carving enormous furrows across the land.

Character developments

  • Ye Li displays absolute confidence and control. His deliberate provocation and calm response to two powerful enemies suggest he has little fear of their combined attack.
  • Gu He shifts from confusion to terror. He recognizes the scale of the threat and doubts Ye Li’s decision to face it alone, but cannot resist being sent away.
  • The demon rhino brothers are aggressive and confident, believing their combined charge can overwhelm Ye Li. Their certainty is shaken when he halts them with one strike.

Significant themes

  • Confidence versus caution: Ye Li acts boldly where Gu He sees near-certain disaster.
  • Overwhelming individual strength: The confrontation emphasizes Ye Li’s ability to dominate formidable opponents without support or elaborate tactics.
  • Power and command: Ye Li’s authority is shown not through discussion, but through his calm orders and effortless control of Gu He’s retreat.

Character interactions

  • Ye Li dismisses Gu He’s help and orders him away; Gu He is frightened but obeys.
  • The rhino brothers discuss Ye Li’s reputation and coordinate a direct assault, only to have their charge abruptly stopped by his attack.

Ch. 967A Young Man with Nothing but Brute Strength

Plot points and events

  • The two Silver-Horned Demon Rhinos recover from Ye Li’s first distant punch, stunned by its power.
  • Ye Li launches an even stronger shock wave. The rhinos brace with their enormous silver horns, which absorb the blow with little damage.
  • Believing their horns can withstand Ye Li’s physical attacks, the brothers plan to overwhelm him before he can use other abilities.
  • Ye Li rushes in and punches one rhino’s horn clean off, proving their confidence misplaced.
  • He seizes the injured rhino and smashes its head, killing it. The Three-Hour Divine Fire burns its blood, and a five-colored wheel of light grinds up its body.
  • The surviving brother’s desperate attempt to intervene fails: Ye Li knocks him aside. Ye Li then turns to face him and says, “Next.”

Character developments

  • Ye Li is calm, confident, and brutally efficient. He treats the fight as a chance to reacquaint himself with combat, then quickly demonstrates that his strength exceeds the rhinos’ defenses.
  • The rhino brothers shift from shock to confidence when their horns withstand the shock wave. That confidence collapses when Ye Li breaks one horn and kills its owner.
  • The surviving rhino is left terrified and helpless after witnessing his brother’s death.

Significant themes

  • False confidence and misjudged power: The rhinos mistake surviving one attack for being safe from Ye Li.
  • Raw strength as overwhelming force: Ye Li’s physical power alone defeats a defense the rhinos consider nearly invulnerable.
  • The brutality of combat: The fight escalates rapidly from an exchange of blows to a grisly killing, leaving the survivor facing the same fate.

Character interactions

  • The brothers coordinate around their shared confidence in their horns, with one proposing an aggressive strategy.
  • Ye Li ignores the surviving brother’s attempt to rescue his sibling, kills the injured rhino, and then directly challenges the survivor.

Ch. 968Battle Against the Silver-Horned Demon Rhinoceros

Plot points and events

  • After killing one peak Melding Dao Realm demon, Ye Li immediately turns on the surviving Silver-Horned Demon Rhinoceros.
  • The rhinoceros realizes Ye Li is far beyond anything he can safely challenge. Rather than flee—fearing the punishment of the Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form—he burns his life essence and attempts to fight to the death.
  • Ye Li overwhelms him with a series of devastating attacks, shattering his remaining horn and driving his enormous body into the ground.
  • Ye Li finishes the demon with a five-colored wheel of laws. Its strike carves a vast chasm through the land, visible across the Qingfeng Central Region.
  • A system notification credits Ye Li with publicly killing another Earthshaking Demon Rhino at the peak of the ninth level of the Melding Dao Realm. He notes that the two battles consumed about thirty percent of his Immortal Power.
  • Gu He arrives and stops at a distance, stunned by the destruction and Ye Li’s strength.

Character developments

  • Ye Li remains composed and confident after defeating two powerful demons in succession. He recognizes the cost of the fight but considers it manageable, especially against physically strong opponents.
  • The surviving rhinoceros shifts from terror to desperate defiance. Trapped by both Ye Li and fear of his master’s retribution, he chooses to risk everything rather than attempt escape.
  • Gu He is forced to revise his understanding of Ye Li. Though experienced, he is astonished by the new lord of Xuanjian Mansion’s power.

Significant themes

  • Overwhelming power and spectacle: Ye Li’s victory is demonstrated through devastation on a continental scale.
  • Desperation and fear: The demon’s choice to fight to the death is shaped as much by fear of his superior as by his immediate predicament.
  • Confidence tempered by calculation: Ye Li is formidable, but he still tracks his energy expenditure and assesses which enemies suit his strengths.

Character interactions

  • Ye Li gives the rhinoceros no opportunity to regroup, repeatedly overpowering its attacks and pinning it down for the finishing blow.
  • The rhinoceros’s last stand is a direct response to Ye Li’s relentless assault and its fear of the Demon Venerable.
  • Gu He approaches Ye Li but can only watch from afar, ending the encounter with a stunned, admiring remark: “Fucking amazing.”

Ch. 969The next move

Plot points and events

  • The battle is broadcast across the star sea, bringing hundreds of millions of cultivators’ attention to Ye Li’s confrontation.
  • Ye Li kills two peak Melding Dao Realm Silver-Horned Demon Rhinoceroses with two punches, without giving them a chance to fight back.
  • The Sword Ancestor, shocked by Ye Li’s strength and relieved he avoided a serious conflict with him, decides to apologize in person after the battle.
  • Alliance leaders You Tiancheng and Lu Xuan discuss Ye Li’s performance. You Tiancheng concludes that Ye Li’s martial foundation surpasses that of any Melding Dao cultivator in history.
  • The Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form tries to hide its alarm, insisting the battle is still undecided. It plans to exploit the demons’ secret alterations to Qingfeng Continent and expects other demon forces to join once the realm’s barriers fall.
  • Instead of resting after the fight, Ye Li flies toward the continent’s distant boundary wall, leaving the onlookers—and the Demon Venerable—wondering what he intends to do.

Character developments and interactions

  • The Sword Ancestor shifts from confidence to respect and caution, choosing reconciliation over risking Ye Li’s hostility. Sword Venerable Ku Rong accepts his master’s decision despite his former pride.
  • You Tiancheng acknowledges that Ye Li’s power is far beyond his expectations, while Lu Xuan takes satisfaction in having supported him.
  • The Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form struggles to contain its shock but regains composure by relying on the demons’ hidden preparations. A bird-headed Saint Venerable challenges its dismissive assessment, then falls silent when it explains the larger strategy.
  • Ye Li’s decisive victory strengthens his reputation, and his immediate move toward the boundary suggests he is already pursuing a next objective.

Significant themes

  • Overwhelming individual power: Ye Li’s ability to defeat two formidable opponents instantly upends expectations.
  • Pragmatism and changing hierarchies: Even powerful figures reconsider their pride and choose deference when confronted with a greater force.
  • Confidence versus contingency: The demons remain dangerous not because of their opening attack, but because of their secret preparations and plans to overwhelm Ye Li later.
  • Suspense and momentum: Ye Li’s unexplained flight toward the boundary closes the chapter with a new question about his next move.

Ch. 970Stay where you are and await orders

Key plot points and events

  • After killing two Silver-Horned Demon Rhinoceroses, Ye Li notes that he has spent about 30% of his Immortal Power. He believes he can still handle the remaining eight demon venerables and wants to gather points to advance his cultivation.
  • Though the Central Domain Barrier is supposed to remain intact until battles across all regions conclude, Ye Li decides not to wait. He intends to find the remaining demon venerables himself rather than let anyone else claim them.
  • Gu He explains that the so-called Demonic Heavenly Domain also contains many oppressed human factions, who live under demon rule and are often hunted for food. Ye Li recognizes that rescuing them would be a costly undertaking and that the Myriad Laws Celestial Domain’s major powers are unlikely to act.
  • Ye Li tells Gu He to stay put and keep himself alive. Gu He assumes Ye Li needs time to recover, but Ye Li says the others will soon be gone.
  • Ye Li suddenly flies toward the Central Domain Barrier, stunning Gu He and drawing the attention of the Saint Venerables watching the battle. They assume he plans to break it.
  • The Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form and the other powerful observers believe the law-built barrier cannot be breached by someone at the Melding Dao Realm. Ye Li reaches it, intending to use his divine weapon while conserving his power and keeping his trump card, Dao Scripture My Book, hidden.

Character developments and interactions

  • Ye Li remains pragmatic, confident, and driven by advancement. Rather than follow the expected rules of the battle, he chooses to pursue the remaining demon venerables directly. He also shows tactical restraint, weighing the costs of his abilities and protecting his secret trump card.
  • Gu He admires Ye Li’s strength and tries to build rapport by sharing background about the enemy domain. He misunderstands Ye Li’s order as a request for recovery time, then is shocked by Ye Li’s sudden charge.
  • The Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form and the observers move from suspicion to alarm as Ye Li approaches the barrier. Their certainty that a Melding Dao Realm cultivator cannot break it highlights how extraordinary—and potentially reckless—his move appears.

Significant themes

  • Ambition versus convention: Ye Li rejects the “correct” strategy of waiting and acts on his own priorities.
  • Power and restraint: Despite his confidence, Ye Li carefully manages his remaining strength and conceals his most valuable ability.
  • Political indifference and suffering: Humans in the enemy domain endure oppression, while the powerful factions of Ye Li’s own domain show little willingness to risk helping them.
  • Underestimation and defiance: The observers’ belief that Ye Li cannot challenge the barrier sets up a direct test of the limits of his power.

Ch. 971Ye Li Prepared to Clear the Field

Key plot points and events

  • Ye Li manifests the Myriad Transformation Divine Soldier Iron as a silver-white spear, unleashing a tremendous aura.
  • With one sweep, he shatters the Eastern Region’s supposedly indestructible realm barrier, exposing the battle beyond.
  • Chen Yu and the other venerable lord of the Myriad Laws Celestial Domain are trapped in the center of an encirclement by two powerful demons. Chen Yu is badly wounded and believes he is about to die.
  • Ye Li’s arrival and the barrier’s destruction rescue Chen Yu from despair—but Ye Li immediately turns his attention to the remaining three realm barriers.
  • He spins his spear toward them, apparently intending to break them all at once and confront the forces behind them together.

Character developments

  • Ye Li displays overwhelming power and boldness, moving beyond simply rescuing allies: he appears ready to take on every remaining threat in one sweeping assault.
  • Chen Yu, usually resolute and composed, is so astonished by Ye Li’s feat that he briefly doubts his own senses. Once convinced it is real, he recognizes Ye Li as someone who arrives at the bleakest moments and overturns the situation through sheer force.
  • The Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form loses his composure, realizing he badly underestimated Ye Li.
  • You Tiancheng, normally calm, is struck by Ye Li’s audacity and voices the spectators’ disbelief.

Significant themes

  • Hope breaking through despair: Ye Li’s arrival overturns Chen Yu’s certainty of death.
  • Power challenging accepted limits: A barrier believed to be indestructible is destroyed in a single blow.
  • Audacity and escalation: Ye Li does not stop after a rescue; he appears prepared to confront all remaining enemies at once.
  • Reputation earned through action: Chen Yu’s faith in Ye Li comes from his repeated, dramatic interventions.

Character interactions

  • Ye Li’s intervention saves Chen Yu and shocks him into renewed hope.
  • The demons watch Ye Li’s actions with fear and fury, while You Tiancheng and other observers react with disbelief at the scale of his plan.

Ch. 972Eight Venerables closed in for the kill!

Plot points

  • Dongfang Li and Elder Crimson Sun are losing a battle against two Azure-Scaled Bloodbird Beast Venerables in Qingfeng Continent’s Northern Region. Dongfang is badly injured, while Crimson Sun’s attacks have failed to penetrate the beasts’ defenses.
  • Crimson Sun suspects the beasts have unusual resistance to laws; Dongfang doubts his explanation and sees little hope of escape or victory, since barriers seal off the region.
  • A tremendous pillar of light erupts from the Central Region and races across the continent. It shatters the barriers separating all five regions and blasts the two Bloodbirds far away.
  • The destruction reveals that Ye Li caused the upheaval. The surviving eight Beast Venerables—after the two Demon Rhinoceroses have fallen—recognize that they can now join forces.
  • The eight converge on Ye Li. Dongfang warns him of the danger, but he calmly awakens a formidable golden-eyed state and invites them to attack.

Character developments and interactions

  • Dongfang Li shifts from confidence in her own combat experience to fear and disbelief as her usual advantage over powerful beasts fails. She remains alert enough to warn Ye Li when the eight Venerables unite.
  • Elder Crimson Sun is exhausted, injured, and regretful. His failed attack leaves him unable to help Dongfang, and their exchange highlights his frustration and her skepticism.
  • Ye Li arrives as the decisive, self-assured challenger: he has shattered the continent’s barriers by himself and faces the assembled enemies without visible concern.
  • The Beast Venerables move from surprise at Ye Li’s power to coordinated aggression, turning the former regional battles into a united assault.

Significant themes

  • Power and reversal: The humans’ apparent defeat is abruptly overturned by Ye Li’s arrival, while the beasts’ numerical advantage creates a new threat.
  • Unity through crisis: The broken barriers remove the regions’ isolation and allow the Beast Venerables to combine forces.
  • Limits of conventional knowledge: Dongfang’s experience that humans generally outperform beasts proves unreliable against these unusually resilient opponents.
  • Defiance in the face of overwhelming odds: Ye Li’s calm challenge sets up a confrontation between individual might and collective force.

Ch. 973Battle against eight venerables!

Chapter summary: “Battle against Eight Venerables!”

Key events

  • Ye Li confronts eight powerful demon venerables, whose combined strength they believe can overwhelm even a Sacred Venerable. He openly releases his pressure, making the threat clear.
  • The Bone-Melting Demon Ape charges first to test him. Ye Li repels it with a bare-handed strike, then kills it with a second, devastating punch empowered by Golden Soul Revival.
  • Shaken by the Demon Ape’s death, the remaining seven hesitate. The Azure-Scaled Demon Venerable urges them to attack together, citing their leader’s orders.
  • Ye Li moves before they can coordinate: he smashes the Azure-Scaled Demon Venerable’s skull and incinerates its body with divine flame. Two of the eight are now dead.

Character developments and interactions

  • Ye Li’s calm, restrained manner contrasts with his overwhelming strength. By fighting without his spear, he demonstrates that his physical power alone is enough to defeat formidable foes. The battle confirms to him that, with Golden Soul Revival active, he can face a large group by himself.
  • The Demon Ape’s confidence turns to fury and desperation as Ye Li overwhelms it; its appeal for help comes too late.
  • The Azure-Scaled Venerable recognizes that the group cannot survive individually and tries to rally a joint assault, but Ye Li kills it before the others can act.
  • The remaining six demon venerables shift from wary confidence to terror after witnessing Ye Li’s effortless kills. Meanwhile, the watching Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form mistakenly interprets Ye Li’s confidence as arrogance and expects the group to defeat him.

Significant themes

  • Overwhelming strength and intimidation: Ye Li’s demonstrated power dismantles the demons’ confidence before they can mount a coordinated attack.
  • Misjudgment: The Annihilating Form Venerable underestimates Ye Li, while the demon fighters misread his spear as the source of his strength.
  • Action versus hesitation: The demons’ attempt to organize comes too late; Ye Li’s speed and decisive violence give them no time to respond.

Ch. 974The Use of Demon Swarm Tactics

Plot points and events

  • Six remaining demon venerables launch a desperate combined attack, using their innate abilities and burning blood essence. Their powers devastate the landscape and overwhelm Ye Li’s five-colored law barrier, shattering it.
  • The assault fails to injure Ye Li. His formidable body withstands the attacks, and the energy only strengthens his aura and killing intent.
  • Ye Li immediately targets three demon venerables whose strength is depleted after their attack. He kills all three in a single breath, destroying both their bodies and their true spirits.
  • With three demons left from the original eight, the surviving venerables are paralyzed by fear. Their planned strategy of exhausting Ye Li has become pointless if they are killed before they can wear him down.

Character developments and interactions

  • Ye Li remains calm under a coordinated assault and proves his physical durability exceeds even his ability to withstand attacks with laws. He responds with swift, tactical violence, exploiting the demons’ moment of weakness.
  • The demon venerables shift from desperate confidence to disbelief and terror. Their combined power cannot harm Ye Li, and the sudden deaths of their allies leave the survivors questioning their orders and chances of survival.
  • Lu Xuan, watching from the alliance seating area, is stunned. Her knowledge of history offers no precedent for a cultivator killing peers of the same realm so effortlessly; she begins to suspect Ye Li may be the strongest Melding Dao cultivator ever.

Significant themes

  • Overwhelming strength and resilience: Ye Li turns an attack that should have weakened him into fuel for his growing power.
  • Tactical decisiveness: He seizes the brief opening created by the demons’ expenditure of strength and eliminates the most vulnerable targets.
  • Fear and the collapse of strategy: The demons’ attrition plan fails as their survival becomes more urgent than weakening their opponent.
  • Reputation and historical significance: Ye Li’s feats challenge what even well-informed observers believe possible.

Ch. 975The Demon Venerables' Deception

Key plot points and events

  • After Ye Li destroys one demon venerable’s true spirit, the three remaining enemies lose their nerve and flee in different directions.
  • Ye Li pursues them effortlessly: he blasts the Earthshaking Black Lizard from underground with his Divine Spear and lightning, then catches and smashes the fleeing Red-Scaled Demon Venerable.
  • The human venerables watching celebrate, but Monk Changle is terrified. He regrets having insulted Ye Li and fears Ye Li will eventually kill him for the offense.
  • The final demon venerable concludes that the campaign was a trap arranged by Ye Li and the Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form. It believes the invasion was staged to draw the Heavenly Domain’s leaders into reach.
  • The last demon attacks with a destructive beam, but Ye Li tears it apart and kills it with a single palm strike. All eight invading demon venerables are now dead.

Character developments

  • Ye Li is established as overwhelmingly powerful: none of the demon venerables can escape or withstand him, and he remains cold and decisive throughout.
  • The demon venerables shift from confidence to panic and desperation. The final survivor dies convinced that they were deliberately lured into a slaughter.
  • Monk Changle changes from contemptuous confidence to abject fear, recognizing that his earlier disrespect may have earned him a deadly enemy.

Significant themes

  • Power and fear: Ye Li’s strength overwhelms not only his opponents’ bodies but their will to fight.
  • Deception and conspiracy: The final demon’s accusation raises the possibility that the campaign was engineered to eliminate the Heavenly Domain’s strongest demons.
  • Consequences of disrespect: Changle’s fear reflects a world where status and survival depend on strength.
  • Inevitability: The fleeing demons’ efforts and final desperate attack prove futile against Ye Li.

Character interactions

  • Ye Li pursues and kills each fleeing demon without negotiation or hesitation.
  • The demons briefly coordinate their retreat, then are picked off one by one.
  • The final demon curses the Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form, believing it was betrayed.
  • Changle watches Ye Li’s victories and privately fears the consequences of his own past behavior.

Ch. 976The Show Had Only Just Begun

Key plot points and events

  • The War Pact ends in a crushing human victory: Ye Li defeats the demon forces, killing the eight Beast Venerables after earlier destroying two Demon Rhinoceroses and breaking the world barrier.
  • The Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form initially reels with humiliation, but soon becomes obsessed with Ye Li’s extraordinary vitality and power. He believes consuming Ye Li could break through his own long-standing cultivation bottleneck.
  • Although the agreement gives the Qingfeng Continent to the humans, Annihilating Form realizes he can still use the formation’s controls to transport the continent—and its inhabitants—into demon territory.
  • He weighs the risks, including Ye Li’s strength and the likely retaliation of powerful human backers, then decides to act quickly and covertly.
  • Fox Qianqiu proposes that Annihilating Form activate the formation and send the human venerables into her domain, asking for Ye Li alone in exchange for helping fend off the Alliance. Annihilating Form pretends to agree but intends to claim Ye Li himself.
  • He secretly urges the other greedy Demon Race Saint Venerables to prepare for an ambush.

Character developments and interactions

  • Annihilating Form shifts from wounded pride to cold opportunism. His shame over defeat is quickly eclipsed by greed, and he begins plotting a betrayal rather than accepting the War Pact’s outcome.
  • Fox Qianqiu openly reveals her desire to consume Ye Li and offers territory and assistance to secure him. Annihilating Form placates her while concealing his own plans.
  • Ye Li, though absent from the demon leaders’ conversation, becomes the object of their fear, envy, and hunger after demonstrating overwhelming strength.
  • The demon Saint Venerables’ shared greed creates a fragile alliance: Annihilating Form encourages them to cooperate while privately seeking advantage.

Significant themes

  • Greed overriding defeat: The demons turn a clear loss into an opportunity to seize Ye Li.
  • Betrayal and broken rules: The War Pact’s formal result matters less to Annihilating Form than the chance to exploit the formation.
  • Power as both threat and temptation: Ye Li’s strength secures victory but makes him a coveted prize.
  • Escalating conflict: The chapter ends not with the battle’s resolution, but with the demons preparing a new attack.

Ch. 977Not Going Back to Eat Just Yet

Key plot points and events

  • After defeating the Beast Venerables, Ye Li recovers and realizes he still has substantial Immortal Power remaining. He plans to delay using his trump card, [Dao Scripture My Book], so he can surprise a Creation Realm enemy.
  • The system rewards him with a large number of Malice Points for killing the Heavy Peak Beast Venerable and Jade Birch Tree Venerable. His gains should let him reach the peak of the ninth Melding Dao stage and improve his Creation Art, but he believes he still lacks the strength to defeat many Creation Realm opponents.
  • Ye Li senses hostile watchers in the starry sky, where the Demon Race Saint Venerables are gathered.
  • The surviving human venerable lords praise him for saving them. Dongfang Li, the Red Lotus Star Lord, thanks him and apologizes for her earlier offense, then invites him to Red Lotus Star. Others also compete to invite him.
  • Ye Li postpones their offers and urges everyone to recover and prepare for further danger. Before Dongfang Li can ask why, a massive upheaval strikes: the continent and nearby space shake, spatial barriers shatter, and a terrifying Creation-level force seals off every escape route.

Character developments and interactions

  • Ye Li remains controlled despite his victory. He assesses his strength strategically, keeps his trump card in reserve, and recognizes that the battle may not be over.
  • Dongfang Li shifts from pride and competitiveness to sincere gratitude and humility after witnessing Ye Li’s power. She apologizes and tries to repay him with an invitation.
  • The surviving human lords’ doubts turn to awe. They openly credit Ye Li with saving their lives and enthusiastically seek his favor.
  • Ye Li’s warning about preparing for the unexpected contrasts with the others’ assumption that the danger has passed—an assumption the sudden catastrophe immediately disproves.

Significant themes

  • Power and humility: Ye Li’s overwhelming victory earns admiration, but he remains aware of his limits.
  • Gratitude and changing loyalties: Dongfang Li’s attitude changes as she recognizes both Ye Li’s strength and his kindness.
  • Vigilance after victory: Apparent success does not end the danger; unseen enemies remain, and the chapter closes on a new, greater threat.

Ch. 978The Star Sea Alliance's Desperate Rescue

Plot points and events

  • As the Myriad Laws Alliance celebrates its apparent victory in the war pact, the Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form begins forcibly transporting the Qingfeng Continent through space, aiming to abduct Ye Li.
  • You Tiancheng reacts immediately, summoning an enormous azure jade palm to stop the transport. Five Demon Race Saint Venerables attack together, shattering his strike, though the effort leaves them shaken.
  • Annihilating Form offers each demon Saint Venerable exclusive access to Ye Li as a “blood medicine” to help them break through their bottlenecks. Tempted, they join the fight against You Tiancheng.
  • Lu Xuan calls on the local Saint Venerables to help. Annihilating Form then releases the eight surviving human Venerable Lords, claiming he will take only Ye Li.
  • With their own people safe, two local Saint Venerables hesitate and withdraw their support. The Sword Tomb patriarch is secretly pleased that Ye Li may be eliminated.
  • Lu Xuan condemns their self-interest and warns that the alliance will remember their inaction. She joins You Tiancheng and two other alliance Saint Venerables in an all-out battle.
  • The alliance’s three Saint Venerables begin forcing the demons back. You Tiancheng breaks through their defenses and reaches toward the sealed continent. Inside, Ye Li senses the help outside—but unexpectedly stops moving.

Character developments and interactions

  • You Tiancheng proves his reputation as a formidable protector, taking on multiple demon Saint Venerables and continuing to fight despite being outnumbered.
  • Lu Xuan shifts from relief to alarm, then anger. She remains committed to rescuing Ye Li and directly confronts the local factions for abandoning him.
  • Annihilating Form reveals the depth of his plan and his willingness to manipulate his fellow demons with a coveted promise.
  • The local Saint Venerables expose their divided loyalties: two prioritize their own factions’ safety, while the Sword Tomb patriarch welcomes Ye Li’s possible death.
  • Ye Li remains trapped within the transported continent. His sudden pause as rescue nears creates a suspenseful cliffhanger.

Significant themes

  • Loyalty versus self-interest: The crisis reveals who will risk themselves for an ally and who will withdraw once their own people are safe.
  • Political division: The alliance’s strength is undermined by rivalry and distrust among its factions.
  • Temptation and manipulation: The demons’ desire to use Ye Li as a means of advancement makes them willing pawns in Annihilating Form’s scheme.
  • Protective resolve: Lu Xuan and You Tiancheng stand by Ye Li despite the danger and lack of broader support.

Ch. 979An Unexpected Turn of Events

Key plot points and events

  • Ye Li is trapped by the Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form and is secretly trying to avoid being rescued by Alliance Director You Tiancheng, since being treated as an Alliance ally could threaten his plans.
  • A vast, illusory white tower suddenly appears. Its light weakens the Alliance Saint Venerables’ laws, while the six Demon Saint Venerables remain unaffected.
  • The tower’s intervention turns the battle. Unable to withstand the suppression, You Tiancheng cannot reach Ye Li.
  • The Demon Venerable intensifies his spatial technique, makes the Qingfeng Continent vanish along with Ye Li, and escapes. The other Demon Venerables flee as well.
  • You Tiancheng holds back from pursuit, wary of the tower’s unknown power. He says he has captured traces of the fleeing Beast Venerables’ auras and can use them to track Ye Li.
  • You Tiancheng and Lu Xuan agree to return, rally support, keep Ye Li’s abduction secret, and investigate the White Tower Church. Lu Xuan plans to head to the Demonic Heavenly Domain.

Character developments and interactions

  • Ye Li remains caught between maintaining his cover and allowing the Alliance to rescue him; the sudden intervention prevents him from choosing a course.
  • You Tiancheng shows how much he values Ye Li, viewing him as a rare martial prodigy and potential future Divine-level colleague. Though furious, he prioritizes caution and a rescue plan.
  • Lu Xuan is shaken and blames herself for failing to protect Ye Li, but regains her composure and focuses on the response.
  • The Demon Venerable of Annihilating Form exploits the tower’s arrival immediately, taunting You Tiancheng before abducting Ye Li.
  • You Tiancheng consoles Lu Xuan, asks her to alert the Cosmic Profound Mirror Prefecture’s leaders, and promises Alliance support. Lu Xuan accepts, while reserving judgment on the absent Myriad Laws Saint Venerables.

Significant themes

  • Betrayal and uncertainty: The White Tower Church’s intervention on the demons’ behalf overturns expectations and raises questions about its allegiance.
  • Powerlessness and peril: Even extensive preparation cannot prevent Ye Li’s abduction once a greater force enters the conflict.
  • Duty and restraint: You Tiancheng suppresses his desire for immediate revenge to protect his forces and pursue Ye Li more effectively.
  • Secrecy and political stability: The Alliance fears that news of Ye Li’s capture could unsettle the wider Heavenly Domain.

Ch. 980Ye Li's temptation

Plot points and events

  • Six Demon Race Saint Venerables escape the Myriad Laws Celestial Domain after being driven off by You Tiancheng. They realize their ally, Annihilating Form, never told them where he took Ye Li—and suspect he intends to claim Ye Li’s power for himself.
  • Annihilating Form transports the ruined Qingfeng Continent into the Demonic Heavenly Domain, a region filled with overwhelming demonic energy.
  • Ye Li recognizes the danger but sees that Annihilating Form has arranged a one-on-one confrontation by sending the other demons away. Though Ye Li’s Immortal Power has fallen below forty percent, he is prepared to fight.
  • Annihilating Form seals the space around the continent and reveals that he wants to consume Ye Li, whose unusual strength and vital essence could help him break through a long-standing cultivation bottleneck.
  • Ye Li mocks him as a “pig demon” pretending to be a scholar. Annihilating Form remains composed, then unleashes crushing spatial pressure against him.

Character developments

  • Ye Li stays cool and calculating despite being depleted and transported into enemy territory. He anticipated Annihilating Form’s plan and intends to turn the isolated confrontation to his advantage.
  • Annihilating Form is exposed as greedy and predatory: he sees Ye Li not as an opponent but as a rare source of nourishment and power. His polite scholar’s manner gives way to a savage eagerness.
  • The six Demon Venerables shift from boasting about their escape to anger and suspicion once they realize Annihilating Form has kept Ye Li’s location—and likely the prize—to himself.

Significant themes

  • Greed and betrayal: Annihilating Form’s allies may have helped him, but he appears intent on monopolizing the reward.
  • Appearance versus reality: The refined, fan-wielding scholar is actually a demon driven by appetite and ambition.
  • Predator and prey: Both sides view the encounter as a contest over who will consume or defeat the other.
  • Confidence under pressure: Ye Li’s composure contrasts with the danger of his depleted state and isolated surroundings.

Character interactions

  • The escaped demons curse You Tiancheng, then turn on Annihilating Form when they realize he concealed Ye Li’s whereabouts.
  • Ye Li refuses Annihilating Form’s attempt at conversation and trades insults with him.
  • Annihilating Form treats Ye Li as a future breakthrough resource; Ye Li, in turn, treats the demon’s scheme as a mistake he can exploit.
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