Recaps

Li Wensong proved he had cultivated the Rule of Cause and Effect to its peak and agreed to join the Nether Emperor Holy Sect. When Sect Master Luo Qiushan arrived, she initially mistook Lu Qing'an for the extraordinary cultivator and welcomed him instead, then invited him to look around the sect.

• Li Wensong demonstrated the peak Rule of Cause and Effect, convincing the old man that his cultivation was genuine.
• The old man sent word to Sect Master Luo Qiushan, who arrived through a spatial rift to welcome the newcomer.
• Luo Qiushan addressed Lu Qing'an as a fellow Daoist, mistaking him for the one who had cultivated the Rule of Cause and Effect.
• Li Wensong introduced Lu Qing'an as his brother, and Luo Qiushan greeted Li Wensong before turning her attention back to Lu Qing'an.
• Lu Qing'an introduced himself as a Rogue Cultivator who had come along with Wensong, and Luo Qiushan invited him to look around the sect.

Lu Qing'an went to the Alchemist Guild with Li Wensong to begin a Heavenly Dao assessment, but his claim that he had mastered every Rule shocked Luo Qiushan and the others. He manifested more than three thousand Rules at once, shaking the guild and drawing the attention of the entire Underworld Emperor Holy City.

• Lu Qing'an asked Luo Qiushan whether he and Li Wensong could take the Heavenly Dao Assessment immediately, and she explained that the Five Elements assessment was available at once but the Cause and Effect assessment required normal procedures.
• Lu Qing'an told Li Wensong that the first Great Dao did not matter to him, then told Luo Qiushan he had cultivated every Rule to the utmost.
• Lu Qing'an manifested phenomena of more than three thousand Rules behind him, overwhelming Luo Qiushan, the old man, and Li Wensong.
• The Rule phenomena tore through the Alchemist Guild's protective formations and sent a multicolored pillar of light into the sky above the Underworld Emperor Holy City.
• Cultivators across the city saw the pillar and rushed to learn what had happened at the Alchemist Guild, while Luo Qiushan and the old man stood petrified.

Lu Qing'an revealed that he had cultivated more than three thousand rules to perfection, stunning Luo Qiushan and Li Wensong. He agreed to join the Nether Emperor Holy Sect and pursue the Great Dao of the Five Elements first before seeking other Heavenly Dao Assessments, then followed Luo Qiushan to the sect.

• Lu Qing'an manifested more than three thousand rules, leaving Luo Qiushan, an elder, and Li Wensong in shock.
• Luo Qiushan praised Lu Qing'an's talent and confirmed that he still wanted to join the Nether Emperor Holy Sect.
• Lu Qing'an asked about finding a Heavenly Dao Assessment, and Luo Qiushan advised him to pursue higher-ranked Great Daos first.
• Luo Qiushan admitted her sect could arrange only the Five Elements assessment and that other Heavenly Dao Assessments required long waits.
• Lu Qing'an chose to cultivate the Great Dao of the Five Elements first, then followed Luo Qiushan through a spatial rift with Li Wensong.

Lu Qing'an learned that Luo Qiushan had cultivated twenty Great Daos and was among the Hongmeng Holy Realm’s strongest experts, then asked her to spar so he could gauge his own strength. Luo Qiushan agreed and began opening her Great Dao of Darkness Domain, where they could fight without damaging the sect master’s hall.

• Luo Qiushan welcomed Lu Qing'an and Li Wensong into the Nether Emperor Holy Sect’s sect master’s hall and told Lu Qing'an he could come to her with questions.
• Luo Qiushan said she had cultivated twenty Great Daos, with the Great Dao of Darkness as her strongest.
• Li Wensong told Lu Qing'an that Luo Qiushan ranked among the Hongmeng Holy Realm’s top experts and that few surpassed her in the Dao of Darkness.
• Lu Qing'an asked Luo Qiushan to spar with him so he could test his strength, despite still being in the Eternal Realm.
• Li Wensong assured Luo Qiushan that underestimating Lu Qing'an because of his realm would be a mistake, and she agreed to spar.
• Luo Qiushan offered to fight inside her Great Dao of Darkness Domain and unleashed its terrifying presence.

Lu Qing'an and Luo Qiushan entered her Great Dao of Darkness Domain to test his strength, and she initially believed her twenty cultivated Great Daos made her invulnerable to an Eternal Realm cultivator. Lu Qing'an extracted ten thousand times his cultivation, leaving Luo Qiushan stunned as his power continued to rise.

• Luo Qiushan transformed the great hall into her Darkness Domain, where Lu Qing'an felt his strength suppressed by more than a hundredfold.
• Lu Qing'an warned Luo Qiushan that he would use three moves and told her to speak up if she could not withstand them.
• Luo Qiushan dismissed Lu Qing'an's warning, confident that a Great Dao Realm cultivator of her standing could endure an Eternal Realm attack.
• Lu Qing'an extracted ten thousand times his cultivation, and his rising presence began to crack and shake the Darkness Domain.
• Luo Qiushan stepped back in shock as she realized Lu Qing'an had meant his warning, while his power continued to grow.

Lu Qing'an unleashed a strike powered by ten thousand times his cultivation, gathering more than three thousand rules into one finger and firing it at Luo Qiushan within her Great Dao of Darkness Domain. Luo Qiushan's layered dark barriers failed one after another as the attack broke through them.

• Lu Qing'an warned Luo Qiushan that he was about to attack, while she trusted her Great Dao of Darkness Domain to weaken his strike.
• Lu Qing'an mobilized more than three thousand rules and concentrated their power into his index finger.
• Lu Qing'an thrust his finger forward, sending a beam of rule power through the dark domain toward Luo Qiushan.
• Luo Qiushan cast up dozens of barriers using the Great Dao of Darkness, but the beam pierced and shattered them in succession.

Lu Qing'an tested his power against Luo Qiushan, and his first strike, driven by ten thousand times his cultivation, rivaled a Great Dao Realm expert despite coming from an Eternal Realm cultivator. He then raised his power to a hundred thousand times, leaving Luo Qiushan horrified as she faced his second strike.

• Luo Qiushan neutralized Lu Qing'an's first strike after her layers of darkness barriers stripped away most of its power.
• Luo Qiushan told Lu Qing'an that his attack rivaled the strength of someone who had just entered the Great Dao Realm, and he realized ten thousand times his cultivation had reached that level.
• Lu Qing'an drew upon a hundred thousand times his cultivation, causing his presence to surge and cracks to spread through the Darkness Domain.
• Lu Qing'an warned Luo Qiushan to speak up if she could not withstand his second strike, and she asked whether he was even human.

Lu Qing'an launched a second, vastly stronger attack that tore through Luo Qiushan’s darkness defenses. Luo Qiushan summoned the power of all twenty Great Daos to meet it, leaving their clash poised to intensify.

• Lu Qing'an gathered the power of more than three thousand Rules into his finger and fired a second beam at Luo Qiushan.
• Luo Qiushan sensed the beam’s danger and raised hundreds of layered darkness barriers against it.
• Lu Qing'an’s beam pierced and burned through Luo Qiushan’s defenses with little loss of force.
• Luo Qiushan activated the halos of all twenty Great Daos and thrust both hands forward, shouting for the attack to be gone.

Lu Qing'an's second attack nearly destroyed Luo Qiushan's Darkness Domain, but she managed to stabilize it. As he began gathering power for a vastly stronger final strike, Luo Qiushan realized she could not withstand it and desperately begged him to stop.

• Luo Qiushan combined the power of her twenty Great Daos to counter Lu Qing'an's finger ray, and their collision cracked the Darkness Domain.
• Luo Qiushan used her Great Dao power to repair the domain and prevent it from collapsing completely.
• Lu Qing'an praised Luo Qiushan's technique while she struggled to comprehend how his Eternal Realm power had nearly matched hers.
• Lu Qing'an began drawing on five hundred thousand times his cultivation, causing the Darkness Domain to fracture beyond repair.
• Luo Qiushan cried out for Lu Qing'an to stop because she could not withstand his coming strike.

Lu Qing'an overwhelmed Luo Qiushan in her Darkness Domain, forcing her to stop their spar before his strongest attack. After confirming that he had not cultivated a Great Dao, he concluded that he was likely still invincible in the Hongmeng Holy Realm and would need to test himself against a Heavenly Dao.

• Lu Qing'an gathered five hundred thousand times his cultivation for an attack, and Luo Qiushan frantically begged him to stop because she would die if it landed.
• Lu Qing'an withdrew his power, and Luo Qiushan admitted that his strike would have killed her.
• Luo Qiushan confirmed that Lu Qing'an was still at the Eternal Realm because he had not cultivated a Great Dao, and she marveled at his strength.
• Lu Qing'an assessed that five hundred thousand times his cultivation could crush Luo Qiushan and that his full strength likely made him invincible among cultivators in the Hongmeng Holy Realm.
• Lu Qing'an decided he would need to test himself against a Heavenly Dao to find out whether he was truly invincible.

Lu Qing'an and Luo Qiushan ended their spar, and Lu Qing'an returned to the hall as Luo Qiushan struggled with her growing attraction to him. She finally asked whether he had a dao companion, leaving the hall silent.

• Luo Qiushan withdrew her Darkness Domain, restoring the hall and its furnishings after the spar.
• Li Wensong asked Lu Qing'an how the spar had gone, and Lu Qing'an replied that everything had been under control.
• Luo Qiushan watched Lu Qing'an and realized she felt an unfamiliar attraction to him despite her defeat.
• Luo Qiushan resolved to speak plainly and asked Lu Qing'an whether he had a dao companion.

Liu Jin barged into the Nether Emperor Holy Sect's sect master's hall after hearing that his junior sister planned to cultivate the dangerous Dao of Heartlessness. He mistakenly believed Luo Qiushan intended to match her with Lu Qing'an, confessed his love for her, and ended the chapter demanding to know what Luo Qiushan meant.

• Liu Jin tore open space and challenged Luo Qiushan after seeing Lu Qing'an in the hall.
• Liu Jin urged Luo Qiushan to stop his junior sister from cultivating the Dao of Heartlessness, then proposed making her fall in love instead.
• Liu Jin assumed Luo Qiushan planned to introduce his junior sister to Lu Qing'an as a dao companion.
• Liu Jin confessed that he had loved his junior sister at first sight and pleaded with Luo Qiushan not to introduce her to another man.
• Lu Qing'an realized Liu Jin had mistaken him for a rival, while Luo Qiushan said Liu Jin had misunderstood.
• Liu Jin asked Luo Qiushan what she had meant if she had not intended to introduce his junior sister to Lu Qing'an.

Lu Qing'an told Luo Qiushan that he already had a beloved dao companion, while Liu Jin realized his master had been interested in him. Luo Qiushan accepted that Lu Qing'an had a partner and introduced him to Liu Jin as his new Uncle Lu, ordering Liu Jin to obey him.

• Lu Qing'an told Luo Qiushan that he had a dao companion and that they loved each other deeply.
• Liu Jin reconsidered Luo Qiushan's earlier question and realized she had been trying to express interest in Lu Qing'an.
• Luo Qiushan hid her disappointment and decided she was willing to share Lu Qing'an with his existing dao companion.
• Luo Qiushan introduced Lu Qing'an to Liu Jin as his Uncle Lu and ordered Liu Jin to obey him.

Liu Jin resisted Luo Qiushan’s demand that he call Lu Qing'an “Uncle Lu,” but backed down when she threatened to expel him. After Luo Qiushan refused to help him win Xu Qingying’s heart, Lu Qing'an sensed a faint thread of karma connecting him to Liu Jin.

• Luo Qiushan ordered Liu Jin to address Lu Qing'an as Uncle Lu, and Liu Jin protested because Lu Qing'an was only in the Eternal Realm.
• Luo Qiushan threatened to end their master-disciple relationship, so Liu Jin knelt and agreed to obey her.
• Lu Qing'an suggested that he and Liu Jin address each other as they wished, but Luo Qiushan apologized for Liu Jin and warned that she would discipline him.
• Liu Jin asked Luo Qiushan to help him win Xu Qingying’s heart, but she refused and told him to pursue her himself.
• As Liu Jin wondered whether someone in the lower realm had broken Xu Qingying’s heart, Lu Qing'an sensed a faint karmic connection pointing toward Liu Jin.

Lu Qing'an used the Rule of Cause and Effect to investigate Liu Jin after sensing a hostile connection, provoking Liu Jin and prompting Luo Qiushan to defend Lu. When Luo Qiushan threatened to discipline Liu Jin for supposedly resenting Lu, Liu Jin insisted he had only cursed the person who wronged his junior sister, leaving Luo and Lu confused.

• Lu Qing'an sensed a hostile fluctuation of cause and effect from Liu Jin and used the Rule of Cause and Effect to investigate him.
• Liu Jin detected Lu Qing'an's probing and complained to Luo Qiushan that Lu had disrespected him.
• Luo Qiushan dismissed Liu Jin's complaint and invited Lu Qing'an to look all he wanted.
• Lu Qing'an explained that he had investigated because he sensed an entanglement of cause and effect, and Luo Qiushan asked Liu Jin whether he had met Lu before.
• After Liu Jin denied ever meeting Lu, Luo Qiushan accused him of cursing Lu and raised her fist to discipline him.
• Liu Jin shouted that he had been cursing the person who wronged his junior sister, stopping Luo Qiushan and surprising both her and Lu Qing'an.

Lu Qing'an discovered that Liu Jin's junior sister, Xu Qingying, was his ex-wife and realized how she had reached the Hongmeng Holy Realm. Xu Qingying then appeared at the sect master's hall, unaware of the revelation.

• Liu Jin said the man he had cursed was the person who had wronged his junior sister, startling Luo Qiushan, Li Wensong, and Lu Qing'an.
• Li Wensong became convinced that Lu Qing'an had planned the events surrounding their visit to the Nether Emperor Holy Sect.
• Lu Qing'an asked Liu Jin for his junior sister's full name, and Liu Jin identified her as Xu Qingying.
• Lu Qing'an recognized Xu Qingying as his ex-wife and worked out that she had entered the Hongmeng Holy Realm through the same passage he had used.
• Xu Qingying arrived at the hall looking for Liu Jin and appeared before Lu Qing'an.

Xu Qingying unexpectedly reunited with Lu Qing'an in the Nether Emperor Holy Sect and learned that her master considered him her Uncle Lu. Luo Qiushan praised Lu Qing'an's extraordinary cultivation and strength, leaving Xu Qingying and Liu Jin struggling to understand his power.

• Xu Qingying entered the hall and froze when she saw Lu Qing'an sitting there, alive and well.
• Luo Qiushan introduced Lu Qing'an as Xu Qingying's Uncle Lu, and Xu Qingying struggled to hide her shock at seeing her former partner again.
• Xu Qingying asked Luo Qiushan about her relationship with Lu Qing'an, and Luo Qiushan explained that he had recently joined the Nether Emperor Holy Sect.
• Luo Qiushan praised Lu Qing'an for perfecting every rule and claimed that an ordinary Great Dao Realm expert could not withstand one of his moves.
• Liu Jin challenged Luo Qiushan's claims about Lu Qing'an, and she silenced him with an angry rebuke.

Luo Qiushan revealed that Lu Qing'an had nearly killed her despite being in the Eternal Realm, leaving Liu Jin stunned and Xu Qingying struggling to explain her reaction to him. Lu Qing'an then claimed he and Xu Qingying had only met a few times and were not very close.

• Xu Qingying asked whether an Eternal Realm cultivator could rival someone in the Great Dao Realm, and Luo Qiushan admitted she could not defeat Lu Qing'an.
• Liu Jin privately questioned Luo Qiushan, who told him Lu Qing'an had nearly killed her in an instant.
• Liu Jin fell silent as he tried to process Luo Qiushan's account of Lu Qing'an's strength.
• Luo Qiushan asked Xu Qingying whether she knew Lu Qing'an, and Xu Qingying struggled to answer.
• Lu Qing'an said he and Xu Qingying had only met a few times and were not very close.

Lu Qing'an pretended that he and Xu Qingying barely knew each other, while Luo Qiushan encouraged them to grow closer and seek his guidance. The chapter ended with Luo Qiushan urging Xu Qingying to learn the Dao of Heartlessness from Lu Qing'an, leaving Xu Qingying inwardly distressed at the prospect of cultivating it with her ex-husband.

• Lu Qing'an told Luo Qiushan that he and Xu Qingying had only met a few times, and Luo Qiushan accepted his explanation.
• Lu Qing'an offered to help Xu Qingying as her Uncle Lu, and Luo Qiushan encouraged her to ask him for cultivation advice.
• Xu Qingying struggled to hide her heartbreak as she thanked Lu Qing'an and heard him addressed as her uncle.
• Li Wensong secretly recorded the exchange with an image-recording stone.
• Luo Qiushan realized Lu Qing'an had perfected the Rule of Heartlessness and urged Xu Qingying to learn from him, while Xu Qingying dreaded cultivating the Dao of Heartlessness with her ex-husband.

Xu Qingying realized that Lu Qing'an's return made it impossible for her to sincerely cultivate the Dao of Heartlessness, especially while she hoped to reunite with her children. She told her master, Luo Qiushan, that she had decided to give it up, and Luo Qiushan accepted her choice.

• Xu Qingying questioned whether she could cultivate the Dao of Heartlessness while still caring for Lu Qing'an and longing for her children.
• Xu Qingying decided to abandon the Dao of Heartlessness and told Luo Qiushan, "Master."
• Liu Jin celebrated Xu Qingying's decision and argued that the Dao of Heartlessness was difficult and isolating.
• Xu Qingying exchanged a brief glance with Lu Qing'an and quickly looked away, while he faintly smiled.
• Luo Qiushan accepted Xu Qingying's decision and said she had finally thought it through.

Xu Qingying rejected the Dao of Heartlessness after Luo Qiushan offered to teach her the Great Dao of Darkness, and Liu Jin offered help with the Five Elements. Lu Qing'an was relieved for the sake of their daughter Miaomiao, but Luo Qiushan then proposed that he and Xu Qingying seek out the Heavenly Dao of the Five Elements together.

• Luo Qiushan explained that a Great Dao's strength depended on its cultivator and demonstrated the Great Dao of Darkness to Xu Qingying.
• Luo Qiushan offered to teach Xu Qingying the Great Dao of Darkness, and Liu Jin offered to help her cultivate the Great Dao of the Five Elements.
• Xu Qingying chose not to cultivate the Dao of Heartlessness, deciding she could not sever her feelings for Lu Qing'an.
• Lu Qing'an felt relieved that Xu Qingying had given up the Dao of Heartlessness, partly because he worried about how Miaomiao would react if her mother disowned her family.
• Luo Qiushan suggested that Lu Qing'an wait for Xu Qingying to master the Rule of the Five Elements so they could seek out the Heavenly Dao of the Five Elements together.

Lu Qing'an agreed to wait while Xu Qingying prepared to seek the Heavenly Dao of the Five Elements, but Xu Qingying tried to avoid him by choosing to cultivate the Great Dao of Darkness first. Luo Qiushan explained that observing Lu Qing'an's breakthrough could greatly benefit Xu Qingying, so she agreed to accompany him when he sought the Five Elements Dao.

• Lu Qing'an agreed that Xu Qingying could seek the Heavenly Dao of the Five Elements within a month, and Luo Qiushan said the sect's time treasure could reduce the wait to two or three days.
• Xu Qingying asked Luo Qiushan to guide her in cultivating the Great Dao of Darkness first so she could avoid Lu Qing'an.
• Luo Qiushan told Xu Qingying privately that Lu Qing'an had perfected every rule and that his breakthrough would create a valuable Dao resonance for her to observe.
• Xu Qingying agreed to accompany Lu Qing'an when he sought the Heavenly Dao of the Five Elements, and Liu Jin offered to go with her.
• Xu Qingying and Liu Jin left the hall, while Lu Qing'an reflected on their remaining bond of fate and decided to let nature take its course.

Lu Qing'an and Li Wensong explored the Nether Emperor Holy Sect's vast, dark heartland and learned about the Holy Land Peak Vein, where the sect's most powerful elders lived. They settled on carving out cave abodes near Luo Qiushan, and Lu Qing'an asked Li Wensong to explain the sect and his enemy once they had settled in.

• Luo Qiushan agreed to help Lu Qing'an find the Heavenly Dao of the Five Elements in three days and explained the Hongmeng Holy Realm's forces and forbidden lands.
• Luo Qiushan led Lu Qing'an and Li Wensong through the sect's dark heartland, where Lu Qing'an saw an elder who had spent over twenty thousand years comprehending the Dao.
• Li Wensong explained that the Holy Land Peak Vein helped cultivators comprehend all Great Daos, with stronger effects higher up the mountain.
• Luo Qiushan revealed that the sect's grand elders lived above her on the peak, and that she could move higher only after cultivating thirty Great Daos.
• Lu Qing'an and Li Wensong chose to carve out cave abodes near Luo Qiushan, who left to teach her disciple the Great Dao of Darkness.
• Lu Qing'an asked Li Wensong to tell him more about the Hongmeng Holy Domain, the Nether Emperor Holy Sect, and his enemy after their cave abodes were ready.

Lu Qing'an and Li Wensong carved out cave abodes in the Nether Emperor Holy Sect before the Nether Emperor appeared, drawn by a sudden surge in the sect's fortune. After discovering that both men had cultivated the Rule of Cause and Effect to its peak, he fell silent.

• Lu Qing'an and Li Wensong carved out neighboring cave abodes near Luo Qiushan's residence.
• Lu Qing'an noticed a black-robed man hovering in the distance, and Li Wensong identified him as the Nether Emperor, the true master of the Nether Emperor Holy Sect.
• The Nether Emperor appeared before them and questioned why two Eternal Realm cultivators had been allowed to settle there.
• Lu Qing'an explained that they had joined the sect that day and that Luo Qiushan had approved their stay.
• The Nether Emperor revealed that the sect's fortune had suddenly surged, prompting him to leave seclusion and find the two men.
• After sensing the Rule of Cause and Effect in both cultivators, the Nether Emperor heard Lu Qing'an confirm that they had each cultivated it to its peak.

The Nether Emperor learned that Lu Qing'an and Li Wensong had cultivated the Rule of Cause and Effect to its peak and offered to help them prepare for the Great Dao Realm. Luo Qiushan then revealed that Lu Qing'an had cultivated every rule to its peak, leaving the Nether Emperor stunned.

• The Nether Emperor questioned why Lu Qing'an and Li Wensong had joined his sect instead of seeking help from the Rebirth Holy Sect, and Lu Qing'an said they had a greater affinity with the Nether Emperor Holy Sect.
• The Nether Emperor promised to connect them with people close to the Heavenly Dao of Cause and Effect when they prepared to break through.
• The Nether Emperor summoned Luo Qiushan and learned that she had brought Lu Qing'an and Li Wensong into the sect.
• The Nether Emperor gave Luo Qiushan a token and asked her to bring her Uncle Luo, a Middle Stage Great Dao cultivator of Cause and Effect, to advise the two newcomers.
• Luo Qiushan privately told the Nether Emperor that Lu Qing'an had cultivated every rule to its peak, and the Nether Emperor stared at Lu Qing'an in shock.