Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• After Ye Li’s breakthrough, the gathered Guardians and elders congratulate him. Su Lieyang is left humbled by the gap between them, while Qin Fa of the Jade Dais Palace decides it is wiser to build ties with Ye Li than let earlier friction stand in the way.
• Ye Li asks Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator to go to the Yin-Yang Sect and watch Wu Guang, the True Cultivator who once tried to kill him, so Wu Guang cannot escape. Ye Li insists he intends to settle the matter himself. She agrees, trusting Ye Li to handle the cave abode’s containment.
• Qin Fa introduces himself formally and offers future help. His disciple Pei Xuandu, previously eager to challenge Ye Li after reaching the Path Opening Realm, is now too far behind to press the matter. Ning Zhiwei apologizes for her earlier remarks, and Ye Li lets the offense go.
• The cave abode suddenly erupts with immense blood energy, alarming everyone. The Alliance Association’s True Cultivators move to contain it, while the younger cultivators retreat.
• Ye Li activates the three Water Dragon Platforms, sealing the cave abode entrance and trapping the energy inside. Moments later, Hidden Edge True Cultivator emerges wounded and warns that something has gone terribly wrong.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Li displays newfound power and confidence, taking responsibility for containing a dangerous situation while pursuing personal justice against Wu Guang.
• Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator shifts from guarding Ye Li to trusting him with the cave-abode defenses, and departs to keep watch on Wu Guang.
• Qin Fa sets aside his earlier reservations and seeks an alliance with Ye Li; Ye Li responds graciously.
• Pei Xuandu is humbled by Ye Li’s enormous advancement, while Ning Zhiwei apologizes and is relieved when Ye Li forgives her.
• Su Lieyang silently accepts his defeat, and the gathered cultivators unite when the cave abode becomes unstable.

Significant themes

• Power changes relationships: Ye Li’s breakthrough reshapes how rivals and allies regard him.
• Pragmatism over pride: Qin Fa chooses reconciliation and cooperation over embarrassment or sect rivalry.
• Justice and revenge: Ye Li refuses to tolerate Wu Guang’s attempted murder.
• Trust and responsibility: Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator entrusts Ye Li with a critical duty, which he immediately fulfills.
• A new threat: Hidden Edge’s bloody return signals that the cave-abode crisis is more serious than expected.

Summary

• Hidden Edge True Cultivator returns alone and wounded from the Cave Abode. He demands that the barrier be opened so he can escape and explain what happened.
• Ye Li refuses, insisting that Hidden Edge explain first—especially since Qingyuan and Liuli remain inside. Qin Fa initially urges Ye Li to release the injured cultivator, but ultimately agrees that he must account for the situation.
• Hidden Edge claims a demon brought two additional Demon Kings concealed within its body. He says Liuli was ambushed and badly injured, while he and Qingyuan were trapped by the Cave Abode’s restrictions after triggering safeguards left by Heavy Water True Cultivator. According to him, Qingyuan created an opening for Hidden Edge to escape and seek help.
• The revelation alarms the assembled Guardians, who fear the three Demon Kings could break out and cause devastation.
• Ye Li sees through the story. He points out that Hidden Edge concealed his spiritual platform with immortal essence to evade detection, but declares that his own Divine Ability works differently. He concludes that Hidden Edge’s account is a lie.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Li is calm, firm, and increasingly suspicious. He prioritizes finding out what happened to Qingyuan and Liuli over showing deference to an injured elder, then openly accuses Hidden Edge of deception.
• Hidden Edge shifts from pleading for release to angry appeals to seniority and finally to a detailed explanation. His attempt to mask his spiritual fluctuations strengthens Ye Li’s suspicion.
• Qin Fa serves as the cautious intermediary: he first asks for an explanation, then argues that Hidden Edge should be released, but acknowledges Ye Li’s authority to speak for the Supreme Clarity Palace.
• The exchange between Ye Li and Hidden Edge turns the crowd’s alarm into confrontation, ending on Ye Li’s accusation.

Themes

• Trust and deception: A signed alliance and apparent injury do not prevent suspicion when the facts do not add up.
• Authority versus seniority: Ye Li refuses to defer to an elder when others’ lives may be at stake.
• Urgency and responsibility: With Qingyuan and Liuli still inside and powerful demons supposedly loose, decisions about the barrier carry grave consequences.

• Ye Li exposes Hidden Edge True Cultivator as a liar. Using his divine ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, Ye Li accuses him of secretly colluding with the Demon Kings of the Vast Wild Continent. The others grow suspicious when Hidden Edge cannot explain why he concealed the fluctuations of his Spiritual Platform.
• Hidden Edge admits to trapping Qingyuan and Liuli. He reveals that their confinement was part of his own scheme, and his injuries suddenly heal, exposing that he had only pretended to be weakened. The surrounding cultivators erupt in alarm.
• Hidden Edge’s escape plan is revealed. He had hoped to get the seal lifted, flee with a True Lord’s Supreme Treasure, and hide until he could pursue a position in the New Divine Court. Ye Li’s breakthrough and intervention have disrupted that plan.
• Ye Li enters the sealed area to confront him. Hidden Edge taunts Ye Li with the possibility that Qingyuan may die inside the Cave Abode and argues that the seal protects him from the other True Cultivators. Ye Li asks Qin Fa and the others to keep the surrounding space sealed, then walks inside alone. Qin Fa reinforces the barrier.
• Ye Li overwhelms Hidden Edge. Believing he can seize Ye Li and use him as leverage, Hidden Edge attacks with a powerful sword strike. Ye Li shatters it with a raised hand, then rushes forward and knocks Hidden Edge into the barrier with a single punch, leaving the experienced True Cultivator stunned by Ye Li’s strength.
  Character developments and interactions: Ye Li is calm, decisive, and protective of Qingyuan, willingly risking a solo fight rather than letting Hidden Edge escape. Qin Fa and the other True Cultivators shift from cautious suspicion to supporting Ye Li by maintaining the seal. Hidden Edge moves from feigned desperation to open confidence, then shock when Ye Li proves far stronger than expected.
  Themes: The chapter emphasizes truth versus deception, the danger of underestimated talent, and the tension between protecting captives and preventing an enemy’s escape.

Plot points and events

• Hidden Edge True Cultivator attacks Ye Li with a vast storm of sword light, but Ye Li’s blood vitality quickly heals the minor wounds he suffers.
• Using the blue-black ring’s Heaven and Earth United power, Ye Li withstands the assault and closes in. He then overwhelms the True Cultivator with relentless punches, cracking the barrier formed by the three Water Dragon Platforms.
• Ye Li’s Jade Clarity Dao Mark fixes his opponent’s body and Immortal Essence in their current state, preventing him from powering up with a secret technique.
• Desperate, Hidden Edge True Cultivator tries to activate Sword Song Valley’s True Lord Supreme Treasure, a Sword Talisman capable of producing a Dao Source-level strike. Ye Li’s Heaven-Intercepting Spirit-Plundering Technique snatches it before it can be used.
• Ye Li seizes his opponent and tears off his head, killing him.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Li demonstrates overwhelming physical strength, resilience, and tactical use of several powerful techniques and treasures. He remains calm under pressure and dismisses his opponent’s shocked questions with the claim that his power comes from hard cultivation.
• Hidden Edge True Cultivator shifts from confidence to disbelief, fury, and desperation as his attacks fail, his power-up is suppressed, and his trump card is stolen.
• Their encounter is a direct contest of escalating force and countermeasures: Hidden Edge relies on sword arts and a final artifact, while Ye Li counters with endurance, close-range pressure, Dao-mark suppression, and disarming power.

Significant themes

• Cultivation and earned strength: Ye Li’s flippant insistence that his astonishing power came from “hard cultivation” contrasts with the extraordinary abilities he displays.
• Adaptation and overwhelming momentum: Ye Li keeps his opponent from recovering or using his strongest techniques.
• Betrayal and ambition: Hidden Edge’s defeat follows his calculated plot to deceive the Demon Kings, ambush Qingyuan and Liuli, and seize the Heavy Water True Source.

Plot points and events

• Ye Li overwhelms Hidden Edge True Cultivator, a late-fourth-level Fortune-Mastery cultivator, and takes his head and sword talisman.
• Hidden Edge confesses that he allied with the Demon King, gained Qingyuan and Liuli’s trust, then used the cave’s restrictions to ambush them. He offers to atone and help rescue them.
• Ye Li rejects the offer, destroys Hidden Edge’s body and divine soul, and collects his ring and five portions of true origin.
• Ye Li learns that Heavy Water True Cultivator’s restrictions bar everyone but the Water Dragon Platform’s controller from entering the cave. He goes in alone to rescue the others; Qin Fa and the other True Cultivators guard the entrance.
• The witnesses are stunned by Ye Li’s victory. Pei Xuandu, crushed by the comparison, decides to enter the forbidden grounds after recovering.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Li displays overwhelming strength and unwavering ruthlessness, refusing to spare Hidden Edge even when he offers useful cooperation. He prioritizes rescuing his companions and takes sole responsibility for entering the cave.
• Hidden Edge shifts from arrogance and scheming to fear and desperate pleading, but his confession and offer fail to save him.
• Qin Fa is impressed by Ye Li and supports his plan, while also trying—unsuccessfully—to comfort Pei Xuandu.
• Pei Xuandu moves from shock and humiliation to a resolve to seek a harsher path through the forbidden grounds.
• Lu Wan and Pei You’an agree to wait outside as Ye Li instructs.

Significant themes

• Exceptional talent and the limits of comparison: Ye Li’s achievement makes even celebrated prodigies seem ordinary.
• Consequences and ruthlessness: Hidden Edge’s betrayal ends in death despite his plea to make amends.
• Ambition and resilience: Pei Xuandu’s wounded pride pushes him toward a dangerous new challenge.
• Duty and protection: Ye Li’s focus remains on rescuing those trapped inside the cave.

Key plot points and events

• Glass True Cultivator Liuli is trapped in Heavy Water True Cultivator’s miniature world, where she fights the Violet-Eyed Snake Demon across a frozen sea.
• Liuli is badly wounded and poisoned. The Snake Demon avoids direct combat, taunting her and waiting for the poison to weaken her further.
• The Snake Demon reveals that Hidden Edge True Cultivator betrayed the group after they had broken through the cave’s defenses, leaving the survivors trapped inside.
• Just as Liuli begins a desperate final assault, Ye Li arrives in a flash of golden lightning and knocks the Snake Demon away with one punch.
• Ye Li tells Liuli to stay put, then rushes after the Snake Demon. He has sent a soul ahead as an anchor for Rook Exchange, intending to defeat the Snake Demon and then teleport to Qingyuan, who is also in danger.

Character developments

• Liuli remains defiant despite her injuries and worsening poison, but her brief hope that Ye Li might help is tempered by her belief that a Heaven-Grasping cultivator cannot affect the battle.
• The Violet-Eyed Snake Demon is confident and manipulative, using taunts and retreat to exploit Liuli’s poison—until Ye Li’s sudden attack overturns her advantage.
• Ye Li demonstrates overwhelming speed and strength, surprising even Liuli. His focus is practical and urgent: save Liuli, then reach Qingyuan.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and misplaced trust: Hidden Edge’s evasion of their contract has left the others trapped and fighting for survival.
• Persistence under pressure: Liuli continues to fight despite poison and severe injury.
• Unexpected power and overturned expectations: Ye Li’s arrival challenges assumptions about the limits of his cultivation realm.
• Urgency and sacrifice: Ye Li must act quickly to save both Liuli and Qingyuan.

Character interactions

• The Snake Demon taunts Liuli, trying to provoke her into wasting strength while the poison spreads.
• Liuli rejects the Demon’s suggestion that she surrender and vows to kill her if she escapes.
• Ye Li gives Liuli brief instructions rather than explaining himself, then immediately pursues the Snake Demon—leaving Liuli stunned by his speed and the force of his first blow.

Plot points

• Glass True Cultivator wonders whether Ye Li has somehow reached the Fortune-Mastery Realm, since he entered the Cave Abode through a platform supposedly usable only by cultivators below Path Opening.
• Ye Li overwhelms the Violet-Eyed Snake Demon with his speed and strength, repeatedly smashing her through ice and mountains. Her attempts to flee—using speed, buried tunnels, and decoy auras—fail.
• The demon unleashes her Great Dao of erosion, an invisible corruption that begins marking Ye Li’s skin. He counters it by using the Jade Clarity Dao Mark to stabilize his body and golden soul, rendering the erosion ineffective and extending his Golden Soul Revival.
• Recognizing the Dao Mark, the demon realizes Ye Li has recently advanced to the Path Opening Realm. He confirms this playfully, then traps the area with pure qi.
• Ye Li opens a golden eye at his brow and unleashes a storm of sword qi, destroying the demon’s escape forms and exposing her true body. He seizes and kills her with crimson-gold divine fire.
• The demon’s Dao patterns vanish with her death, and the system records the kill. Glass True Cultivator is left stunned.

Character developments

• Ye Li reveals that he has reached the Path Opening Realm and demonstrates far greater combat ability than his opponents expect. He applies his newly comprehended Dao Mark and other techniques with increasing control.
• Glass True Cultivator shifts from suspicion about Ye Li’s realm to astonishment at his power, having believed the Snake Demon nearly impossible to defeat.
• The Violet-Eyed Snake Demon goes from confident and aggressive to desperate and terrified as her strongest ability and escape tactics prove useless.

Themes

• Power and transformation: Ye Li’s recent advancement has dramatically altered what he can do.
• Adaptation and mastery: Understanding how to stabilize his body and soul lets Ye Li overcome an insidious Great Dao rather than simply endure it.
• The gap between reputation and reality: Both observers struggle to reconcile Ye Li’s realm with his extraordinary strength.
• Overwhelming force and reversal: A formidable Demon King becomes helpless once Ye Li takes control of the fight.

Character interactions

• The Snake Demon repeatedly demands to know who Ye Li is and how he entered the Cave Abode; he answers evasively, then confirms her guess about his realm.
• Glass True Cultivator warns Ye Li about the erosion ability, but he neutralizes it before it can stop him.
• The Snake Demon tries to plead that Hidden Edge tricked her into coming and that she holds no grudge against Ye Li. He ignores the appeal and kills her.

Plot points

• Ye Li kills the serpentine Demon King, astonishing Glass True Cultivator, who had considered the creature a serious threat.
• Glass’s poison flares up again, leaving her near death. Ye Li uses his Jade Clarity Dao Mark to stabilize her.
• He then gives her a drop of his golden blood. Its extraordinary power purges the poison from her body and Divine Soul, repairs her meridians, and heals lingering injuries.
• Once Glass has recovered, Ye Li says he is going to rescue Qingyuan True Cultivator and leaves abruptly before Glass can join him.

Character developments and interactions

• Glass shifts from treating Ye Li as a junior to recognizing his exceptional power and feeling deeply indebted to him. She is also intrigued by his mysterious blood, but chooses not to pry.
• Ye Li shows compassion toward Glass, whom he considers decent, while remaining guarded about revealing his abilities. He helps her but sets a clear limit when she unconsciously draws too much from his blood.
• Their exchange carries a brief, awkward intimacy: Glass blushes when he feeds her the blood, then touches her flushed face after he vanishes.

Themes

• Hidden power and reversed expectations: Ye Li’s strength far exceeds what Glass had assumed.
• Gratitude and discretion: Glass accepts Ye Li’s help without demanding explanations about his secrets.
• Compassion balanced by caution: Ye Li acts generously, but keeps control over what he shares and where he goes.

Key plot points and events

• Deep inside the Cave Abode, Qingyuan True Cultivator is trapped and badly wounded, fighting Azure Roc Demon King and Golden Toad Demon King. The demons have sealed the realm, and Qingyuan’s attempts to escape fail.
• Golden Toad explains that the demons targeted Qingyuan because he was an easier opponent than Hidden Edge True Cultivator, who escaped with a powerful treasure. It boasts of the Demon Race’s plans to take control of the Seven Continents.
• Qingyuan counters that Cold Sea Continent will produce a Dao Source True Lord within decades to a little over a century. The demons are skeptical, but his confidence makes Golden Toad worry that the claim may be true.
• As Qingyuan nears defeat, he wonders whether Ye Li will stay safely outside. Instead, Ye Li breaks through the demons’ sealing barrier and crashes into Azure Roc, knocking it into the sea.
• Ye Li appears beside Qingyuan and tells him to leave the rest to him.

Character developments and interactions

• Qingyuan True Cultivator remains defiant despite severe injuries, criticizing the demons’ opportunism and refusing to lose faith in his people’s future. He is also concerned for Ye Li’s safety.
• Golden Toad Demon King is pragmatic and politically ambitious, prioritizing a strategic advantage over pursuing Hidden Edge. Qingyuan’s revelation about a coming True Lord unsettles it, revealing its fear that the Demon Race’s plans may be threatened.
• Azure Roc Demon King focuses on relentless pursuit and dismisses Qingyuan’s warning as a human lie.
• Ye Li arrives unexpectedly and demonstrates overwhelming force by breaking through the barrier and striking Azure Roc. His calm reassurance contrasts with Qingyuan’s desperate predicament.

Significant themes

• Defiance in the face of defeat: Qingyuan maintains his resolve even when he expects to die.
• Political rivalry and strategic calculation: Both sides weigh immediate advantage against the future balance of power.
• Hope and reversal: Ye Li’s sudden arrival transforms an apparent last stand into a potential rescue.
• Trust and concern: Qingyuan’s thoughts about Ye Li reveal his care for the younger cultivator, while Ye Li’s promise signals loyalty and support.

Plot points and events

• Azure Roc Demon King bursts from the sea and accuses Golden Toad Demon King of letting Ye Li into the restricted area. Golden Toad insists that beings on the Water Dragon Platforms can enter, but both are shocked by Ye Li’s strength, which seems far beyond the Heaven-Grasping Realm.
• Golden Roc notices Violet-Eyed Demon King’s aura has vanished and demands to know what Ye Li did to her. Ye Li summons Violet-Eyed and Hidden Edge True Cultivator, revealing that he has apparently killed them and can now bring them forth under his control.
• Hidden Edge attacks Golden Toad while Violet-Eyed and Ye Li confront Azure Roc. Violet-Eyed’s corrosive power weakens Azure Roc’s wings, allowing Ye Li to tear them off.
• Unable to use its speed, Azure Roc reveals its enormous true form and attacks. Ye Li defeats it with a series of overwhelming punches, smashing its body apart. Golden Toad watches in disbelief.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Li displays immense physical power, tactical coordination, and apparent Soul Dao abilities. His casual confidence contrasts with the others’ shock.
• Qingyuan True Cultivator is stunned by Ye Li’s transformation and initially assumes the Supreme Clarity Palace arranged it. He admits his uncertainty but accepts Ye Li’s presence, then offers help, which Ye Li declines.
• Golden Toad Demon King tries to understand how Ye Li entered and what happened to Violet-Eyed; it is left baffled by Ye Li’s strength.
• Azure Roc Demon King shifts from anger and confidence in its speed to panic as Violet-Eyed’s corrosion disables its wings and Ye Li overwhelms it.
• Violet-Eyed and Hidden Edge return as Ye Li’s apparent allies or controlled manifestations, immediately joining the fight against the Demon Kings.

Significant themes

• Hidden power and misjudgment: Ye Li’s apparent cultivation level badly understates his actual strength.
• Control and reversal: Formerly formidable opponents reappear on Ye Li’s side, turning the battle against the Demon Kings.
• Overwhelming force: Azure Roc’s celebrated speed and true form prove useless against Ye Li’s strength and teamwork.

Plot points and events

• Ye Li defeats the Azure Roc Demon King with three punches, destroying its body. As the demon king flees as a divine soul, Ye Li catches and incinerates it with Three-Hour Divine Fire.
• The Golden Toad Demon King unleashes a devastating sonic attack. It shakes Qingyuan, Hidden Edge, Violet-Eyes, and the fleeing Azure Roc, but Ye Li’s powerful soul remains unaffected.
• Ye Li turns on Golden Toad, breaks through its defenses, and pounds its enormous body apart. Golden Toad escapes as a divine soul, but the summoned soul of Azure Roc intercepts it.
• Ye Li and the Alliance Association cultivators corner Golden Toad. Ye Li suppresses and burns away its soul, killing it and ending the battle.
• Qingyuan realizes Ye Li may become a Dao Source True Lord far sooner than he had predicted.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Li demonstrates overwhelming strength, resilience to soul attacks, and control over the souls of defeated enemies. He calmly accepts Qingyuan’s prediction that he may become a future True Lord, while correcting its wording.
• Golden Toad shifts from confidence to despair as its attacks fail and its escape is blocked. It is stunned to discover that Ye Li can summon slain opponents’ souls at full strength.
• Azure Roc goes from terror-driven flight to serving as the force that prevents Golden Toad’s escape, despite having just been killed.
• Qingyuan moves from a desperate position to astonished admiration, praising Ye Li and reconsidering how quickly his power may grow.
• Hidden Edge and Violet-Eyes fight alongside Ye Li and help contain Golden Toad, while its sonic assault briefly disrupts them.

Significant themes

• Reversal of power: The Demon Kings’ apparent advantage collapses as Ye Li takes control of the battle.
• Power beyond conventional limits: Ye Li’s Path Opening cultivation lets him defeat Fortune-Mastery opponents, challenging expectations about the gap between realms.
• Death as a source of power: Ye Li’s ability to command the souls of the slain turns his enemies’ defeat into a further tactical advantage.
• Foresight and underestimated potential: Qingyuan’s prediction of Ye Li’s future status proves too cautious in light of his present strength.

Key plot points and events

• Qingyuan True Cultivator recovers enough to ask Ye Li what happened. Ye Li explains that he killed Hidden Edge True Cultivator after catching him in a lie, then broke through to Path Opening while inside the Water Dragon Platform.
• Qingyuan thanks Ye Li for saving his life and admits that their intertwined karma—and Ye Li’s breakthrough—helped restore much of his depleted Immortal Essence during the fight.
• Ye Li announces his intention to kill Wu Guang and destroy the Yin-Yang Sect. Qingyuan warns that the Three Continents Alliance’s political balance makes action against the sect difficult, but Ye Li remains resolute.
• The two travel to the frozen sea, where they reunite with Glass True Cultivator. Qingyuan confirms that Ye Li killed both Demon Kings and saved him.
• To repay Ye Li, Qingyuan offers him all the treasures he found in the Cave Abode. Glass also offers everything she obtained, citing Ye Li’s rescue and the precious treasure he used to heal her.

Character developments

• Ye Li remains confident and direct, treating his breakthrough and victories as matter-of-fact. His growing power is matched by a willingness to challenge political constraints.
• Qingyuan True Cultivator is grateful and candid about his selfish motives, but recognizes that Ye Li’s actions matter more than the benefits he gained. He also becomes quietly pleased when Glass offers her treasures too.
• Glass True Cultivator is relieved and increasingly impressed by Ye Li. She recognizes that she is fortunate not to have opposed him and willingly offers her rewards in gratitude.

Significant themes

• Gratitude and reciprocity: Ye Li sees helping Qingyuan as repayment for past kindness; both True Cultivators seek to repay Ye Li in turn.
• Motives versus actions: Ye Li argues that good deeds matter more than the helper’s private reasons.
• Power and political restraint: Ye Li’s plans threaten the Alliance’s fragile balance, showing the tension between personal justice and collective stability.
• The rewards of advancement: Ye Li’s breakthrough benefits Qingyuan through their shared karma, while his new status gives his words greater political weight.

Character interactions

• Ye Li and Qingyuan speak frankly: Qingyuan expresses thanks and explains their karmic connection, while Ye Li dismisses the need for repayment.
• Qingyuan cautions Ye Li about attacking the Yin-Yang Sect; Ye Li refuses to back down and invites any objectors to confront him.
• Qingyuan proudly tells Glass that Ye Li killed the Demon Kings. Glass responds with admiration and relief.
• Qingyuan offers his Cave Abode treasures, and Glass insists on contributing her own, turning repayment into a shared gesture of gratitude.

Plot points and events

• Ye Li refuses most of the rewards Qingyuan and Glass offer, explaining that he already has plenty of cultivation resources. He accepts one orb of Heavy Water True Cultivator’s Great Dao essence from each of them, but refuses any more.
• Glass pledges to help the Cold Purity Palace join the Three Continents Alliance, arguing that the alliance would benefit the palace as well as repay Ye Li. Ye Li leaves the decision to her.
• The three return from the Cave Abode, where the waiting cultivators learn that Ye Li killed all three Demon Kings inside. Qingyuan and Glass recount the feat, astonishing the crowd.
• Qin Fa praises Ye Li and jokingly invites him to join the Jade Dais Palace, prompting a jealous protest from Qingyuan.
• Pei Xuandu vows to catch up to Ye Li, but Ye Li doubts he believes his own promise. Ning Zhiwei then invites Ye Li to visit the Jade Dais Palace and offers to show him around. Ye Li departs with Lu Wan and Pei You’an.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Li remains modest and disinterested in accumulating more rewards, accepting only a limited share. His confidence is evident when he bluntly challenges Pei Xuandu’s resolve.
• Glass True Cultivator shows strong gratitude and trust toward Ye Li, even considering a major change in her palace’s political alignment.
• Qingyuan True Cultivator is grateful to Ye Li and proud of his achievements, but grows uneasy at Glass’s devotion and bristles when Qin Fa tries to recruit Ye Li.
• Pei Xuandu admires Ye Li but struggles to believe he can match him.
• Ning Zhiwei’s sudden warmth toward Ye Li contrasts with her earlier reserve. Pei Xuandu notices and questions it, while she dismisses his suspicion.

Significant themes

• Gratitude and restraint: Ye Li accepts thanks without exploiting the others’ generosity.
• Reputation and ambition: His extraordinary victory is made public, potentially strengthening his standing in future contests.
• Rivalry and insecurity: Pei Xuandu’s aspiration to catch up with Ye Li is undermined by his own doubts.
• Political allegiance and personal loyalty: Glass’s willingness to reconsider her palace’s neutrality highlights how personal gratitude may affect broader political decisions.

Plot points

• Wuguang True Cultivator grows alarmed by Ye Li’s rapid rise from the peak of the Sea-Illuminating Realm to the Heaven-Grasping Realm, and by the Supreme Clarity Palace entrusting him with Heaven and Earth United, a True Lord’s protective treasure.
• Suspecting Ye Li has demonstrated exceptional importance to the palace, Wuguang summons the Yin-Yang Sect’s new Saintess, White Crane Fairy, and orders her to arrange a meeting with him.
• White Crane is baffled: Wuguang’s supposed evidence of her friendship with Ye Li is that she once gave him a Qi-Recovery Pill. Under pressure, she agrees to try to contact him.
• Wuguang attempts to reach the absent Sect Master, but receives no reply. He weighs fleeing against remaining bound by a Great Dao Contract to guard the sect for nearly ten thousand more years.
• Fearing that Ye Li may soon become powerful enough to threaten him, Wuguang decides to leave the sect briefly and assess the situation. At the Mountain Gate, Xuanwei appears and blocks his way.

Character developments and interactions

• Wuguang True Cultivator shifts from anxious speculation to desperation, torn between his duty-bound contract and self-preservation. He uses his authority to pressure White Crane, then tries unsuccessfully to contact the Sect Master before attempting to escape.
• White Crane Fairy is newly elevated and enjoying her status, but remains intimidated by Wuguang. She is surprised by his demand and doubts that her brief interaction with Ye Li gives her any influence over him.
• Xuanwei confronts Wuguang at the sect boundary, immediately halting his attempted departure and leaving him facing a new obstacle.
• The Sect Master’s silence frustrates Wuguang and heightens his sense of isolation and danger.

Significant themes

• Fear of rising power: Ye Li’s astonishing progress makes Wuguang feel that time is running out.
• Duty versus survival: Wuguang’s contract binds him to the sect even as he considers abandoning it to save himself.
• Power and coercion: Wuguang exploits his authority over White Crane, while Xuanwei’s arrival demonstrates that Wuguang may not control his own escape.
• Uncertainty and isolation: Wuguang lacks reliable information or support, forcing him to act on anxious guesses.

Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator stopped Wuguang True Cultivator from escaping and kept the Yin-Yang Sect blockaded after its attack on Ye Li. Wuguang told the Yin-Yang Sect Master what had happened, and the Master said he would report it to the True Lord.

• Wuguang True Cultivator tried to flee Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator, but she trapped him and drove him back to the Yin-Yang Sect.
• White Crane Fairy worried that Wuguang True Cultivator wanted her to lure Ye Li out, and considered sending him a letter to buy time.
• Wuguang True Cultivator refused to explain the clash to an elder, then returned to his cave abode in frustration.
• The Yin-Yang Sect Master contacted Wuguang True Cultivator, who recounted Ye Li's rise, the failed ambush, and Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator's blockade.
• The Yin-Yang Sect Master told Wuguang True Cultivator to wait while he reported the crisis to the True Lord.

Wuguang True Cultivator learned that a True Lord would return to the True Source World next month, while Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator kept watch on the Yin-Yang Sect. Ye Li arrived after resolving the crisis at Heavy Water True Cultivator’s cave abode and asked Qingyuan True Cultivator why Dao Source True Lords were rarely present in the True Source World.

• The Yin-Yang Sect Master told Wuguang True Cultivator that a True Lord would return next month, easing Wuguang’s fear of Ye Li.
• Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator stayed outside the Yin-Yang Sect to prevent Wu Guang from escaping.
• Ye Li told Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator that Hidden Edge True Cultivator had betrayed them and that he had dealt with three Demon Kings at Heavy Water True Cultivator’s cave abode.
• Qingyuan True Cultivator appeared through the Communication Jade and thanked Xuanwei for keeping watch.
• Ye Li told Qingyuan True Cultivator to return to the palace and recover, then asked how long Fortune-Mastery True Cultivators and True Lords could live.
• Ye Li asked Qingyuan True Cultivator where the Dao Source True Lords had gone and why they were rarely heard of in the True Source World.

Qingyuan True Cultivator explained how the Heavenly Official connected the True Source World to the Outer World and how its strongest cultivators could leave. Ye Li returned to the Yin-Yang Sect and attacked its mountain-protecting formations, calling for Wu Guang.

• Qingyuan True Cultivator told Ye Li about the Outer World, the New Divine Court, and the Heavenly Official who guided cultivators out of the True Source World.
• Qingyuan True Cultivator explained that the Heavenly Official usually opened the way every fifty years and that Supreme Clarity Palace could contact him through a Magic Treasure.
• Ye Li learned that some True Lords remained in the Seven Continents and asked Qingyuan True Cultivator about the region's powers as their Treasure Ship neared the Yin-Yang Sect.
• Ye Li leaped from the Treasure Ship, resolved to handle the threats in the Seven Continents before going to the Outer World, and arrived above the Yin-Yang Sect.
• Ye Li called for Wu Guang and smashed through the Yin-Yang Sect's protective formations, shaking its mountains and destroying array runes.

Ye Li stormed into Yin-Yang Sect and confronted Wuguang True Cultivator, displaying power that shocked the sect. The chapter ended with Ye Li kicking Wuguang True Cultivator into the ground and collapsing the surrounding mountains.

• White Crane Fairy struggled to write a letter to Ye Li, fearing that Wuguang True Cultivator would use her to lure him into danger.
• Ye Li appeared above Yin-Yang Sect, and his overwhelming pressure forced the disciples to the ground.
• Wuguang True Cultivator flew out to confront Ye Li and was shocked by his aura and presence.
• Ye Li disappeared from Wuguang True Cultivator's sight, broke through his defenses, and shattered the dark sun forming behind him.
• Ye Li kicked Wuguang True Cultivator into the ground, causing a devastating impact that ruptured the earth and shattered nearby mountains.

Ye Li overwhelmed Wuguang True Cultivator at the Yin-Yang Sect, defeated the power of a True Lord talisman, and burned Wuguang’s divine soul to death. With the Deputy Sect Master dead and the sect’s Great Dao manifestations dissolving, the Yin-Yang Sect was left in turmoil.

• Ye Li battered Wuguang True Cultivator across the sealed Mountain Gate while protecting the fleeing Yin-Yang Sect disciples from the battle’s shock waves.
• Wuguang True Cultivator burned the remaining power of a talisman bestowed by the Yin-Yang True Lord, but Ye Li countered it with the Blue-Black Ring’s Heaven and Earth United technique.
• Ye Li struck Wuguang True Cultivator’s body apart, leaving only his divine soul to flee from the Mountain Gate.
• Ye Li trapped Wuguang True Cultivator’s divine soul and burned it to death with Three-Hour Divine Fire after rejecting his offers to surrender and betray the Yin-Yang True Lord.
• The Great Dao manifestations above the Yin-Yang Sect dissolved into a rain of light after Wuguang True Cultivator died.

Ye Li killed Wuguang True Cultivator and ordered him to slaughter most of the Yin-Yang Sect’s cultivators. He put White Crane Fairy in charge of coordinating the Supreme Clarity Palace’s takeover, then reminded Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator that she had promised him a grand gift for killing a True Cultivator.

• After Wuguang True Cultivator died, White Crane Fairy and the Yin-Yang Sect’s disciples and elders submitted to Ye Li.
• Ye Li warned the cultivators that many of them still had to die, then Wuguang True Cultivator killed all but a fraction of the sect’s people.
• Ye Li told White Crane Fairy to coordinate with the Supreme Clarity Palace when it arrived to take over the Yin-Yang Sect, and she agreed.
• Ye Li checked his status panel and saw that he had gained 100 million malice points from killing Wuguang True Cultivator.
• Mysterious Subtlety True Cultivator praised Ye Li, and he asked her to deliver the grand gift she had promised after he killed a True Cultivator.