Both the pacing and the story is a mess after the end of the Heng yue sect arc. It's like seeing mc growing like your son. Then suddenly mc becomes something you are unfamiliar with, and what makes it more of a mess is the unclear ranking system.
Author seems to have difficulty sometimes to put a meaningful line together
The ranking system itself isn't explained, and author suddenly wants you to figure out enemies power based on loose stage naming, when the only thing that we knew is numbered stages.
I don't think it is worth to read +1000 chapters novel just because manhua author decided to give us a summarized version, and to find at the end of it there was only some details skipped when overall story is the same.
Edit: If you're a masochist like me that can put up with +100 chapters of horrible pacing, the plot in my pov become more interesting in the chapters +120 and characters interactions become more immersing and interesting