Chapter Summaries

Jinxia City's vanguard flew toward Silver Star Tree Boat while Xia Fan and Ning Wanjun discussed the changing nature of the war. On Silver Star, Fann's group set out to guide the approaching reinforcements, but an Imperial patrol neared their hidden signal site.

• Olina Okan and Chi carried the Jinxia vanguard toward Silver Star Tree Boat, and Li told Xia Fan their flight was going smoothly.
• Ning Wanjun told Xia Fan she was thrilled by the aerial and maritime battlefield and saw the Yao as another form of humanity.
• Heim Shaman told Fann that the vanguard had reached nearby waters and needed ground guidance, so Fann gathered the group to leave.
• Zhuofulan volunteered as a guide, left her younger brother sheltered in the Tree Boat, and joined Fann's party.
• Fann led the group to a fish-drying yard, where they lit two green signal tubes behind huts to guide the vanguard.
• An Elf on watch warned that an Imperial patrol was approaching, and the group hid behind the thatched huts.

Fann ambushed an Empire patrol with his Air Rifle to protect the signal flare, then faced an Iron Knight when the next pair of soldiers approached. Olina struck the knight down before he could defeat Fann, while the rest of the patrol remained under attack.

• Fann ordered four companions to circle the block while Heim and Tier guarded the girls and kept the signal flare burning.
• Fann shot two patrolmen with his Air Rifle, overcoming his fear of having never defeated an Empire soldier.
• Fann tried to ambush two more soldiers but discovered that one was an Iron Knight, whose shield deflected his shots.
• Fann drew his short sword and stood his ground as the Iron Knight advanced and threatened him.
• Olina crashed into the Iron Knight, crushing him and his armor beneath her.

Luo Qingqing and the other reinforcements arrived at the Silver Star Tree Boat and planned how to free its captured Elves and protect the Spirit Tree. The teams split up to carry out their missions while Chi and Olina left to support the wider campaign.

• Chi flew Fang Xiandao and the others to the Tree Boat, frightening Zhuofulan before transforming back into her original appearance.
• Fann thanked the reinforcements, and Luo Qingqing explained that they would rescue the captured Elves and rally them to reclaim the Tree Boat.
• Fang Xiandao divined that protecting the Spirit Tree would be more dangerous than rescuing the Elves.
• Yan Qing and Luo Qingqing volunteered to protect the Tree Spirit, while Qian Zhi stayed with Young Master and the others prepared to aid the clansmen.
• Fann and two warriors headed for the Spirit Tree's core as the rest went to help the clansmen; Chi departed for Jinxia City, and Olina took to the air to watch the enemy ships and disrupt their communications.

Fang Xiandao’s rescue party infiltrated Silver Star’s Ritual Grounds to free the captured Elves. After silently eliminating the guards at one camp, they revealed their mission and planned to help reclaim Silver Star.

• Fann identified the Ritual Grounds as the place where the Elves were being held, and the party planned to approach from the perimeter.
• Kong Xuanzi used his sword-control technique to kill a sentry on the nearest watchtower without alerting the camp.
• Shanhui killed the two guards outside a tent while Qian Zhi and Kong Xuanzi killed the sleeping soldiers inside.
• Heim told the freed Elves they had come to rescue them, and Zhuofulan confirmed they were from the Noah Tree Boat and wanted to retake Silver Star.
• One of the Elves recognized Zhuofulan as the elder’s child.

Zhuofulan rallied the captured Islanders to rise against the Empire, promising refuge on the nearby Noah Tree Boat and urging them to reclaim their home. The uprising overwhelmed the Ritual Grounds, while Empire calls for reinforcements failed to reach the warships because Olina ate the carrier pigeons.

• Zhuofulan told the captives that the Noah Tree Boat could shelter them and called on them to retake the Silver Star Tree Boat.
• Heim freed the captives, and Zhuofulan armed herself as the Islanders began joining the fight.
• When Empire soldiers ordered the Islanders to kneel, an ice wall blocked their gunfire and the captives charged the patrol.
• The rebellion spread through the Ritual Grounds as Qian Zhi, Shanhui, and Kong Xuanzi attacked Empire soldiers and disrupted their commanders.
• Empire troops sent carrier pigeons for help, but Olina ate every messenger.

Fann accompanied Luo Qingqing, Yan Qing, and Li into the Silver Star Tree Boat’s Spirit Tree cavern, where they wiped out the guards and drew the Empire’s forces toward them. Yan Qing unleashed her Star-Net technique against the gathered soldiers, leaving the battle’s outcome unresolved.

• Fann led Luo Qingqing, Yan Qing, and Li to the Spirit Tree’s entrance, and they chose to charge straight inside.
• Luo Qingqing’s illusion left the Imperial guards helpless, and chains pierced them as the group entered the cavern.
• An Imperial Descendant broke free of Li’s Kan Technique, but two golden flashes cut him apart before Fann finished him off.
• More than a hundred Imperial soldiers converged on the intruders, and Yan Qing judged that they represented the forces stationed in the cavern.
• Yan Qing cast Kun Technique: Serpent—Star-Net, filling the cavern with interwoven chains that ground apart everyone caught beyond the tiny gaps.

Jinxia’s three spellcasters ambushed the Empire’s camp, overwhelming its soldiers while Luo Qingqing fought the mage Songxing. Songxing survived Luo Qingqing’s lightning strike by swapping places with a wounded Iron Knight, then summoned the Gate of Hell as her magic waned.

• Jinxia’s Star-Net attack killed or wounded more than half the Empire’s soldiers, and Luo Qingqing and Li charged the remaining foes.
• Yan Qing told Fann that he was a former Azure Blade of the Bureau of Military Affairs.
• Songxing cast a Grease Spell, but Luo Qingqing leapt over it and blocked Songxing’s Acid with her Dragon Scales.
• Luo Qingqing struck Songxing’s position with the Zhen Technique, but Songxing used Transposition Trick to exchange places with a wounded Iron Knight.
• Songxing smashed a bottle of souls and cast Summon—Gate of Hell.

Songxing summoned an uncontrollable Great Demon from the Gate of Hell to hinder Li, Luo Qingqing, and Yan Qing, but the Demon’s presence began distorting their perception and slowing their magic. Yan Qing recognized the danger and tried to stop Li and Luo Qingqing as Luo Qingqing’s Dragon Scale flew toward Songxing.

• Songxing bound the garrison commander, offered the cave’s living people as sacrifices, and opened the Gate of Hell.
• A towering, hooded Demon emerged, and Songxing retreated toward the darkness, unaware that she seemed unable to move away from it.
• Li and Luo Qingqing sensed the Demon’s oppressive qi, while Yan Qing identified it as a Great Demon closely connected to Chaos.
• Yan Qing sent Fann to search the Spirit Tree for elders and urge them to leave the cave, then ordered Li and Luo Qingqing to flank the Demon and target Songxing.
• Yan Qing discovered that her chains were moving abnormally slowly near the Demon and tried to stop Li and Luo Qingqing as Luo Qingqing launched her Dragon Scale at Songxing.

Luo Qingqing and her companions discovered that the Evil Spirit slowed time around itself, while they remained unaware of the effect. After Luo Qingqing’s Dragon Scale killed the mage, the Evil Spirit absorbed a vast amount of qi and began to take on a more complete, physical form.

• Luo Qingqing’s attack slowed near the Evil Spirit, and Yan Qing’s chain dragged her out after she spent nearly sixty breaths inside its affected area.
• Luo Qingqing and Li watched the first Dragon Scale slowly pierce the mage while Yan Qing and Li realized the Evil Spirit created a zone where time flowed slowly.
• Luo Qingqing struck the Evil Spirit with five bolts of Heavenly Thunder, but the attacks slowed near it and left her nearly out of qi.
• Luo Qingqing noticed black qi threads retracting into the Evil Spirit and saw its hands, robe, and hood becoming more substantial, with eyes visible beneath its hands.
• The Dragon Scale severed the mage’s head, sending a surge of qi into the Evil Spirit as its eyes turned toward Luo Qingqing, Yan Qing, and Li.

Luo Qingqing planned to seal the awakening Demon by sinking it beneath the sea, and rallied the Silver Star Tree Boat’s survivors to prepare the ground. As dawn approached, she summoned a colossal Dragon-Slaying Sword to cut through the roots beneath the Demon.

• Yan Qing urged Luo Qingqing to evacuate because the Demon was awakening by consuming the living, but Luo Qingqing proposed sinking it into the deep sea instead.
• Luo Qingqing told Li to capture Qi Sense Users alive and explained that the Demon could not forcibly consume their qi while they lived.
• Luo Qingqing asked Fero Matni whether the Spirit Tree could open a pit beneath the Demon, and Fero said it could redirect its roots by concentrating its magic power.
• Fero used the Spirit Tree to restructure the Tree Boat’s roots while Li and Yan Qing helped Jinxia’s forces defeat the pirates and Imperial soldiers at the Ritual Grounds.
• As dawn neared, Azure Blade marked the root network around the Demon, and Luo Qingqing formed the Dragon Scales into a colossal Dragon-Slaying Sword.

Luo Qingqing and the others trapped Demon beneath the sea, then Silver Star headed toward Jinxia City. As Imperial warships approached the city, Tural ordered his fleet to form a battle line while preparing to send envoys.

• Luo Qingqing used the Dragon-Slaying Sword to cut through the roots beneath the Tree Boat while enduring Demon's malice.
• Qian Zhi's Ice-Making Technique added weight to the severed ground, sending Demon and a massive section of roots plunging into the sea.
• Luo Qingqing confirmed Demon was trapped beneath the seabed, then ordered Silver Star to sail at full speed toward Jinxia City.
• Tural learned that many Elves had hidden in Jinxia City and identified it as a border city of Qi State with no known large shipyard.
• Tural ordered the pirate ships to raise their battle flags and approach Jinxia City in line-of-battle formation while the fleet prepared to send envoys.

Ning Wanjun negotiated with an envoy from the Natating Empire, who demanded help capturing the Elves in Jinxia City, while Tural arranged to send an armed force ashore. The first advance force of roughly four hundred men, mostly pirates, entered the city.

• Xia Fan introduced Ning Wanjun to the envoy as the princess with authority over Jinxia City.
• The envoy said Tural Nat wanted the city to capture the Elves and offered a gold coin in compensation for each household harmed by the pirates.
• Ning Wanjun questioned the envoy about the Natating Empire's treatment of Elves, and he defended his own rise to Imperial citizenship.
• Tural ordered the fleet to remain offshore and sent the pirates ashore in small boats to lead the captures.
• The first advance force of about four hundred men marched into Jinxia City, with George, captain of the Black Crow, among them.

George led Black Crow sailors into Jinxia City to hunt elves, but they were ambushed by armed defenders and found the streets and houses deserted. As George tried to retreat, he saw a huge black bipedal monster, while Tural grew impatient aboard ship and noticed the wind had died.

• George led his sailors toward Jinxia City's wealthy southern district, where he and the first mate noticed the empty streets and the city's strange quiet.
• George's crew chased a group of elves into an ambush, where hidden defenders shot them with weapons that made no sound or smoke.
• Blood Shark sailors attacked the defenders from the rooftops, but concentrated fire pinned them down and prevented them from advancing.
• George searched nearby houses, found them empty, and learned that the other street south had also been blocked, so he ordered a retreat.
• George spotted an enormous black bipedal monster at the end of the street as he prepared to gather the Blood Shark men.
• Tural questioned why the pirates had brought back no captives, then noticed that the sea wind had suddenly stopped.

After the pirates fled Jinxia City, Tural ordered the Imperial fleet to bombard the city, but rain hindered the fires. As strange, sail-less ships approached through a magically windless sea, Tural prepared for battle and discovered they were made of ice.

• Tural saw the pirates fleeing Jinxia City with the Elves pursuing them and concluded that the Elves and Qi State had joined forces.
• Tural ordered the pirate ships to bombard Jinxia City, and the fleet began firing cannonballs into the city.
• Rain began falling and threatened to extinguish the fires, while Tural noticed that the wind had been absent for an unusually long time.
• A lookout spotted fast, sail-less ships approaching from the southeast, and Tural ordered the fleet to prepare for battle and move east.
• A shipboard mage told Tural that a powerful spell was keeping the sea windless, while Feilin and the Elves began moving the Invincible.
• Tural used the Observation Mirror to identify the approaching vessels as ships made entirely of ice.

As the Empire fleet turned to face Jinxia’s advancing Ice Boats, Xia Fan’s allies prepared for a close-range boarding assault while Mo Yun watched her mechanical creations enter battle from the city wall. The Invincible opened fire on the approaching boats, leaving their attack under heavy cannon barrage.

• Pang Ting reflected on Xia Fan’s daring Ice Boat strategy and recognized that the battle would greatly increase Xia Fan’s prestige among the Tree Boat Islanders.
• Mo Yun stayed on the East City Wall to observe the Ice Boats despite Luo You’er’s warnings, explaining that a mechanist had to witness a creation’s first use in battle.
• The Invincible completed most of its turn as the Ice Boats closed within two li, bringing its forward guns to bear.
• Lord Tural ordered the Invincible’s gunners to fire at will, and its twelve-pounders and twenty-four-pounders launched a barrage at the Jinxia Ice Boats.

The Empire’s fleet tried to stop Jinxia City’s Ice Boats, but its cannonballs mostly bounced off their reinforced, sloped ice hulls. The Ice Boats rammed the Invincible, leaving the Imperial flagship breached as the battle continued.

• Captain Feilin ordered the Imperial gunners to fire on the rapidly approaching Ice Boats, but their speed made accurate targeting difficult.
• Tural saw cannonballs strike the Ice Boats without breaking them and ordered the gunners to switch back to regular shells.
• The Imperial fleet’s heavy guns cracked some Ice Boat hulls, but the vessels continued their charge toward the broadside of the Invincible.
• An Ice Boat rammed the Invincible, shaking the ship and driving its bow into the hull as water froze around the impact.
• The narration explained how Xia Fan’s plan used cold, reinforced, sloped ice hulls to make Ice Boats strong, quick to build, and suited for ramming.

Jinxia’s forces turned the naval engagement into a land battle by freezing the fleet in place and boarding through Ice Boats, rescuing captive Elves and overwhelming the Imperial ships. As Jinxia soldiers reached the Invincible’s deck, Tural refused to surrender and prepared to fight on.

• Qian Yan, Xia Fan, and Ning Wanjun opened the Ice Boat’s hatch, and Ning Wanjun led Suzaku and Aili’s Xuanwu into the enemy ship.
• Ning Wanjun’s Mechanical Beast broke through the Imperial defenders while Jinxia warriors followed and began seizing the vessel.
• Aili revealed herself to the imprisoned Elves, freed them from their cages, and invited them to come to Jinxia City.
• Ning Wanjun ordered her troops to follow her onto the deck and kill the invaders, leaving Aili to guide the rescued Elves.
• Tural watched Jinxia forces advance across the frozen fleet as the battle turned against the Empire.
• Tural rejected the captain’s suggestion to surrender and declared that he would fight until the end.

Tural transformed into a powerful monster and fought Ning Wanjun, Qian Yan, and Xia Fan aboard the warship. As Chi flew off to help the other ships, Xia Fan prepared a new spell to counter Tural’s darkness and regeneration.

• Tural transformed into a horned, iron-blue monster and knocked Ning Wanjun back in a clash of strength.
• Tural shrugged off the Jinxia soldiers’ bullets as his wounds healed, and Qian Yan told the soldiers to leave the fight to her, Xia Fan, and Ning Wanjun.
• Tural used black smoke to attack Qian Yan, but her ice armor stopped his claws, and Xia Fan’s Flowing Light spell only briefly injured him.
• Ning Wanjun and Qian Yan continued fighting Tural as Xia Fan realized the enemy was fast, strong, and rapidly regenerative.
• Chi communicated with Xia Fan, then flew away to deal with similar enemies on the other ships.
• Xia Fan took out a bamboo-filament spellcasting catalyst and prepared to create a light source.

Xia Fan used an amplified Radiant Light spell to immobilize Tural, allowing Ning Wanjun and Qian Yan to trap him before Xia Fan killed him with an overloaded Flowing Light Spell. In the Empire’s capital, a red-haired woman reported Tural’s death to the emperor, who ordered diplomats to investigate and insisted that the Empire secure the Holy Grail.

• Xia Fan hurled a Glass Bamboo Filament Bottle and cast Radiant Light, burning Tural and stopping his swift movements.
• Ning Wanjun speared Tural against the mast, and Qian Yan sealed him inside an ice bastion.
• Xia Fan used the Copper Wire Pendant and Immortal Art Talismans to unleash an Ultimate Flowing Light Spell through the spear.
• Tural’s body was carbonized and crumbled, settling the battle in Xia Fan’s side’s favor.
• In the Grand Cathedral, a red-haired woman told the emperor that Tural Nat had died and described seeing a continental city opposite the Empire’s warships.
• The emperor ordered diplomats to investigate Tural’s death and told the woman that the Empire must claim the Holy Grail.

In Shangyuan City, Ning Qianshi presented Qian with policies to centralize the training and recruitment of Qi Sense Users under the Bureau of Military Affairs. He planned to begin replacing local officials immediately and to pressure Jinxia City after spring, first gathering intelligence on Xia Fan.

• Ning Qianshi showed Qian his new policies for establishing Qi Sense User institutions and forbidding Lineages from privately controlling them.
• Ning Qianshi said the Bureau of Military Affairs had trained 168 Qi Sense Users and 3,251 ordinary officials, and would begin replacing local officials at once.
• Qian read the plan for centralized sorcery training in Shangyuan City and annual Scholar Examinations, while Ning Qianshi said the wealth redistribution would fund the policy.
• Qian asked what Ning Qianshi intended to do about Jinxia City, and Ning Qianshi said he would gather intelligence on Xia Fan before starting operations after spring.
• Ning Qianshi told Qian that he had several ways to pressure Xia Fan and Jinxia City without necessarily sending troops.