Chapter Summaries

Huang Shaojie and Princess Pingyang, Xiang Qingyang, held their grand wedding and consummated their marriage. Dongfang Bubai, Vermilion Bird, and Nangong Feixue watched from a nearby roof, drinking and lamenting that Huang Shaojie had married someone else.

• Huang Shaojie arrived at Spring Tranquility Palace, where Emperor Xuande and the Empress welcomed him before Xiang Qingyang left the palace in a lavish bridal procession.
• Huang Shaojie and Xiang Qingyang traveled to Huang Manor, where officials and wealthy guests presented lavish wedding gifts.
• Huang Shaojie and Xiang Qingyang completed the wedding rites before their gathered guests and entered the bridal chamber.
• Huang Shaojie lifted Xiang Qingyang’s veil, and the newlyweds kissed and became intimate after the attendants left.
• Dongfang Bubai, Vermilion Bird, and Nangong Feixue drank on a nearby roof and listened as Xiang Qingyang cried out from the bridal chamber.

After marrying Xiang Qingyang, Huang Shaojie returned with her to the Imperial Palace to pay respects to the Emperor and Empress, while the women at Huang Manor waited out the newlyweds’ first days together. By the third month of spring, Huang Shaojie received an urgent report from Taizhou at Imperial Guard Headquarters, and his expression changed as he read it.

• Xiao Qiuyue grieved that Huang Shaojie had married Xiang Qingyang, but wished them happiness.
• Huang Shaojie and Xiang Qingyang greeted Huang Baiwan and Madam Huang, and Xiang Qingyang asked to be treated as their daughter rather than as a princess.
• Xiang Qingyang questioned why Vermilion Bird, Dongfang Bubai, and Nangong Feixue were staying at Huang Manor, but welcomed them as Shaojie's friends.
• Huang Shaojie and Xiang Qingyang visited the Imperial Palace to pay respects to the Emperor and Empress, then spent the following days together as newlyweds.
• In the third month of spring, Huang Shaojie received an urgent 800 Li Express from Taizhou and reacted with surprise after reading it.

After Japan invaded Great Chu, Huang Shaojie went to court, where Emperor Xuande appointed him to lead 300,000 soldiers against the invading Japanese Army. Huang Shaojie planned to preserve the ailing emperor’s life without using his precious Great Return Pill, while Dongfang Bubai and Nangong Feixue volunteered to join his campaign.

• Huang Shaojie rushed to Qingxiao Palace after learning that hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops had landed in Taizhou, Jiaxing, and Quanzhou.
• Xiang Qingyang reported the invasion to Emperor Xuande, who collapsed after coughing up black blood; Huang Shaojie used his Nine Yang Divine Skill to temporarily stabilize him.
• Huang Shaojie withheld his Great Return Pill because he wanted Xiang Qingyang to eventually inherit the throne, but promised to treat Emperor Xuande with his true qi.
• Emperor Xuande appointed Huang Shaojie Great General Who Conquers Barbarians and ordered him to lead 300,000 soldiers to Zhejiang to defeat the Japanese Army.
• At Huang Manor, Huang Baiwan and Madam Huang supported Huang Shaojie’s expedition, while Dongfang Bubai and Nangong Feixue volunteered to go with him.

Huang Shaojie and Xiang Qingyang discussed the succession and agreed she would avoid forcing the palace while he campaigned against the Japanese pirates. Before he could set out, India invaded Annam with a million soldiers, and the court gathered to consider a response.

• Huang Shaojie told Dongfang Bubai and Nangong Feixue to remain at Huang Manor while he prepared to lead an army against the Japanese pirates.
• Huang Shaojie suggested forcing Emperor Xuande to pass the throne to Xiang Qingyang, but she refused because it could trigger civil war.
• Huang Shaojie urged Xiang Qingyang to wait for his return if the emperor died and asked Dongfang Bubai to protect her while he was away.
• Huang Shaojie began preparing to mobilize troops against the Japanese pirates.
• An 800 Li Express dispatch reported that India had invaded Annam with an army of one million, and Emperor Xuande convened his court to discuss sending reinforcements.

With Emperor Xuande gravely ill and Great Chu facing an invasion of Annam, Prince Qi and Prince Han each tried to avoid leading the campaign. Xiang Qingyang volunteered to command the expedition, while Emperor Xuande pressed the neutral Prime Minister Zhuge Changqing to advise him on choosing an heir.

• Prince Qi recommended Prince Han to command the campaign against the India Army, but Prince Han countered by recommending Prince Qi.
• Emperor Xuande revealed through his thoughts that he had intended to appoint whichever prince volunteered as Crown Prince and had already chosen Princess Pingyang as commander.
• Xiang Qingyang volunteered to lead the campaign, and Emperor Xuande appointed her General of Cavalry with three hundred thousand troops.
• After the court left, Zhuge Changqing urged Emperor Xuande to appoint a Crown Prince, then declined to favor either Prince Qi or Prince Han.
• Emperor Xuande asked Zhuge Changqing directly which of the two princes was the more suitable heir.

Huang Shaojie and Xiang Qingyang prepared to lead separate armies against Japan and India, and Huang Shaojie arranged stronger support for Xiang Qingyang’s campaign in Annam. He persuaded Dongfang Bubai to accompany her, leaving Xiang’s expedition with more troops and powerful fighters.

• Emperor Xuande asked Zhuge Changqing to advise him on choosing a Crown Prince, but Zhuge Changqing left the decision to the Emperor.
• Huang Shaojie and Xiang Qingyang mustered troops for campaigns against Japan and India, with Xiang ordered to lead an army to Annam.
• Huang Shaojie worried that Xiang’s forces might face Indian Great Grandmasters and Great Mages, so he offered to transfer one hundred thousand troops and send Dongfang Bubai with her.
• Dongfang Bubai initially refused Huang Shaojie’s request, but agreed after he persuaded her, and he told her to bring the Divine Moon Cult’s disciples to Annam.

Huang Shaojie prepared to defend Great Chu against simultaneous invasions by Japan and India, while Prince Ning and Xiao Qiuyue planned to exploit the crisis for their own ambitions. The chapter left Huang Shaojie and Xiang Qingyang marching to separate fronts as Western Shu prepared to rise and Persia learned of Prince William’s death.

• Huang Shaojie asked Dongfang Bubai to lead five thousand Divine Moon Cult disciples to Annam and arranged for the Seven Peaks Sword Sect to join the defense.
• Prince Ning told Azure Dragon that he planned to use the invasions and a coming succession struggle to seize the throne, while identifying Huang Shaojie as his chief obstacle.
• Huang Shaojie recruited the Seven Peaks Sword Sect, then set out with two hundred thousand troops for Zhejiang; Xiang Qingyang marched toward Annam with four hundred thousand troops, joined by Dongfang Bubai and the sect disciples.
• Xiao Qiuyue agreed with Xuan Wuji and the former Western Shu officials to reclaim Western Shu and later march into Chang'an.
• Persian envoys told the King of Persia that Prince William had died after fleeing Great Chu, and urged him to avenge his son.

After Persian envoys reported Prince William’s death, King Charles ordered Xerxes to invade Great Chu. Meanwhile, Funamura Shunsuke’s Japanese forces breached Jiaxing’s defenses, killed General Li Yunfeng, and pressed their assault against the city.

• The Persian envoys claimed Prince William had died in Great Chu, and King Charles ordered Xerxes to lead five hundred thousand cavalry against Great Chu.
• Funamura Shunsuke led eighty thousand Japanese soldiers in an attack on Jiaxing, where Li Yunfeng commanded fifty thousand Chu troops.
• Li Yunfeng ordered Jiaxing’s archers to fire, but the Japanese soldiers reached the walls and began climbing them.
• Funamura Shunsuke blasted open a section of Jiaxing’s wall and defeated Li Yunfeng in combat.
• Funamura Shunsuke killed Li Yunfeng’s guards and cut Li Yunfeng in two, while the Chu defenders continued fighting the Japanese forces.

After Funamura Shunsuke captured and devastated Jiaxing, Zhang Jian led Hangzhou’s troops out to fight the Japanese pirates. Huang Shaojie rushed to reinforce Hangzhou and left his cavalry behind by flying ahead on his saber.

• Funamura Shunsuke’s forces killed Jiaxing’s fifty thousand defenders, then slaughtered and plundered the city for ten days before marching toward Hangzhou.
• After scouts reported the Japanese advance, Zhang Jian ordered Hangzhou’s army to meet Funamura Shunsuke outside the city.
• Huang Shaojie learned that Hangzhou was under attack and rode ahead with three thousand elite cavalry while ordering the infantry to hurry after him.
• Zhang Jian led seventy thousand troops against the more than sixty thousand Japanese pirates, and Funamura Shunsuke attacked him after spotting his fighting prowess.
• Huang Shaojie decided the cavalry was too slow, flew ahead on his curved saber, and left the generals and soldiers astonished.

Huang Shaojie arrived at the battlefield outside Hangzhou and killed the Japanese commander Funamura Shunsuke, turning the battle in the Chu Army’s favor. The Japanese forces fled as Huang Shaojie attacked them from above and Zhang Jian rallied his soldiers to pursue.

• Funamura Shunsuke overwhelmed Zhang Jian and his three generals, leaving them badly wounded and in mortal danger.
• Huang Shaojie flew in on a scabbard, shattered Funamura Shunsuke’s sword with his Three Points Divine Finger, and beheaded him.
• Huang Shaojie announced Funamura Shunsuke’s death, and the Japanese soldiers panicked and began retreating.
• Zhang Jian told the Chu soldiers their reinforcements had arrived and urged them to attack the fleeing Japanese forces.
• Huang Shaojie threw Funamura Shunsuke’s head into the Japanese ranks and slashed at their soldiers from above with the Full Moon Scimitar.

Huang Shaojie and the Chu Army destroyed Funamura Shunsuke’s Japanese left-wing army outside Hangzhou, though the battle cost Great Chu dearly. The chapter left Great Chu facing further invasions, rebellion, and a looming succession war.

• Huang Shaojie slaughtered thousands of Japanese raiders with the Full Moon Scimitar and his martial arts, breaking their morale and turning the Chu Army’s retreat into a pursuit.
• Zhang Jian and the Hangzhou soldiers joined the counterattack as Huang Shaojie’s three thousand armored cavalry arrived and encircled the fleeing raiders.
• Huang Shaojie captured a Japanese raider and learned that three thousand raiders guarded more than three hundred tower ships at Jiaxing’s seaport.
• The Chu Army killed the remaining Japanese raiders, annihilating Funamura Shunsuke’s eighty-thousand-strong left-wing army, while suffering heavy losses and the deaths of fifty thousand defenders at Jiaxing.
• Huang Shaojie’s two hundred thousand infantry arrived at Hangzhou and saw the battlefield covered with corpses.
• Great Chu’s other crises remained: the Western Shu Restoration Organization plotted a revolt, Persia prepared an invasion, and Prince Qi, Prince Han, and Prince Ning faced a struggle for the throne as the Emperor neared death.

After defeating Funamura Shunsuke’s army, Huang Shaojie advanced to Intermediate Great Grandmaster and strengthened his standing among the Chu Army’s commanders and soldiers. After learning of the devastation at Quanzhou and the fighting at Taizhou, he resolved to destroy Fujita Taiwa’s force first, then confront Yagyu Muneyoshi and invade Japan.

• Huang Shaojie received two hundred years of internal energy from the system and broke through to Intermediate Great Grandmaster.
• The Chu Army buried the dead and distributed captured wealth, while Huang Shaojie shared his portion with his elite cavalry and earned the troops’ respect at a victory banquet.
• Zhang Jian reported that General Commander Hu’s forces were struggling at Taizhou and that Yagyu Muneyoshi’s army had captured Quanzhou and slaughtered its people.
• Huang Shaojie promised the generals he would destroy the invading Japanese forces and carry the war to Japan.
• Huang Shaojie chose to march on Fujita Taiwa’s army at Taizhou before turning against Yagyu Muneyoshi’s main force.

Huang Shaojie led two hundred thousand troops toward Taizhou while the city’s defenders struggled against Fujita Taiwa’s Japanese pirates. With Hu Guoan mortally wounded and Fujita’s Cross Slash bearing down on him and two generals, the battle reached a desperate turning point.

• Huang Shaojie ordered Zhang Jian to send naval troops and infantry to seize the tower ships at Jiaxing, then marched with two hundred thousand soldiers toward Taizhou.
• Fujita Taiwa’s thirty thousand remaining pirates launched a fierce assault on Taizhou, where Hu Guoan’s army had endured a month of fighting and heavy losses.
• Hu Guoan and two Ninth Rank Grandmasters fought Fujita to keep him from breaking the city’s defenses, but Fujita struck Hu Guoan and shattered his internal organs.
• The two generals caught the falling Hu Guoan as he warned that Taizhou was finished, and they raised their weapons to block Fujita’s Cross Slash.

Huang Shaojie arrived at Taizhou just as Fujita was about to kill two Great Chu generals, then defeated and killed the Japanese Right General. With Fujita’s death turning the battle, Huang Shaojie flew over the Japanese pirates and struck them with Buddha’s Palm.

• Fujita overwhelmed the wounded Great Chu generals, but Huang Shaojie arrived and intercepted his attack with a palm strike.
• Huang Shaojie endured Fujita’s blade radiance and killed him with the second form of Heavenly Frost Fist.
• Huang Shaojie blasted Fujita’s guards into pulp, and a Great Chu general raised Fujita’s corpse to announce his death.
• The Great Chu Army counterattacked with renewed morale while the Japanese pirates lost heart upon recognizing Fujita’s corpse.
• Huang Shaojie flew above the Japanese pirates and struck the densest group with the first form of Buddha’s Palm.

Huang Shaojie used his divine martial skills to destroy Fujita Taiwa’s seventy-thousand-strong Japanese pirate army and then healed the gravely wounded Hu Guoan. Hu Guoan woke and began recovering with Huang Shaojie’s help.

• Huang Shaojie unleashed two forms of Buddha’s Palm, killing thousands of Japanese pirates and sending the survivors fleeing.
• Huang Shaojie pursued the pirates with more Peerless Divine Skills as Chu Army soldiers charged from the city, reducing the enemy to a few thousand.
• Huang Shaojie’s three thousand elite cavalry slaughtered the remaining pirates, wiping out Fujita Taiwa’s entire right-wing army.
• Huang Shaojie introduced himself to Hu Guoan’s generals as the Great General Who Conquers Barbarians and asked to see their commander.
• Huang Shaojie treated Hu Guoan with the Nine Yang Divine Skill, awakening him and beginning to repair his shattered internal organs.

Huang Shaojie healed Hu Guoan, won the loyalty of Taizhou’s forces, and marched south to confront the Japanese pirates. After learning that Yagyu Muneyoshi’s army was nearing Luling and its defenders had fled, Huang Shaojie raced ahead with three thousand cavalry to protect the city.

• Huang Shaojie healed part of Hu Guoan’s internal injuries, and Hu Guoan learned that his savior was the famed Imperial Son-in-Law and Great General Who Conquers Barbarians.
• Huang Shaojie praised Taizhou’s soldiers for defending the city, then sent troops to destroy the Japanese pirates guarding their warships and received two hundred years of internal energy from the system.
• Huang Shaojie spent three days treating Hu Guoan and winning the trust of the southeastern troops before leading two hundred thousand soldiers south toward Fujian.
• A scout reported that Yagyu Muneyoshi had led more than one hundred thousand Japanese pirates into Jiangnan West Province toward Luling, so Huang Shaojie redirected his army.
• After learning that Zhang Cheng and Luling’s prefect had fled with the defenders, Huang Shaojie led three thousand cavalry toward Luling while the infantry force-marched behind him.

Huang Shaojie flew to Luling City and routed Yagyu Muneyoshi’s invading Japanese pirates with his extraordinary abilities. Yagyu rallied his shaken army and confronted Huang Shaojie in the air, demanding to know who he was.

• Yagyu Muneyoshi ordered his more than one hundred thousand Japanese pirates to enter Luling City and slaughter its inhabitants.
• Huang Shaojie arrived by Sword Flight and smashed thousands of pirates with Buddha’s Palm.
• Huang Shaojie’s Nine Yang Divine Skill barrier rebounded a volley of arrows, causing the Japanese pirates to flee.
• Yagyu Muneyoshi roared at his troops to stop their retreat, and they regained confidence in their commander.
• Yagyu Muneyoshi flew up to face Huang Shaojie and demanded to know who he was.

Huang Shaojie defeated Yagyu Muneyoshi and helped annihilate all three hundred thousand Japanese pirates invading Great Chu. The system rewarded him with five hundred years of internal energy and Sea God skills, leaving him an Advanced Great Grandmaster with mastery over the sea.

• Huang Shaojie revealed that he was responsible for the deaths of Yagyu Muneyoshi’s children, and Yagyu Muneyoshi attacked him with nine lightning-fast blade strikes.
• Huang Shaojie dodged Yagyu Muneyoshi’s attack and defeated him with one punch, then killed him and more than ten thousand pirates with Buddha’s Palm.
• Huang Shaojie unleashed more divine skills against the fleeing pirates while three thousand Great Chu cavalrymen charged in and slaughtered them.
• The remaining Japanese pirates fled toward Huang Shaojie’s two hundred thousand soldiers, who wiped them out, completing the annihilation of all three hundred thousand invaders.
• The system rewarded Huang Shaojie with five hundred years of internal energy and Sea God skills, advancing his cultivation to Advanced Great Grandmaster and granting him command over the sea.

After the Western Shu rebels seized the region, Emperor Xuande ordered Prince Ning to lead 200,000 troops to suppress them. At court, the officials learned that Huang Shaojie had destroyed the Japanese pirates’ Left Route Army, while the fighting in Annam remained unknown.

• Xuan Wuji led the Western Shu Restoration Organization in an uprising and took control of Western Shu within ten days.
• Emperor Xuande fainted after hearing the news, then summoned Prince Ning and tasked him with pacifying the rebels.
• Prince Ning accepted the campaign and requested 200,000 troops, which Emperor Xuande approved.
• At a later court session, Prince Ning suspected Emperor Xuande might appoint a Crown Prince as his health worsened.
• Gao Feng reported that Huang Shaojie had killed the Japanese pirates’ Left General and annihilated their 70,000-strong Left Route Army near Hangzhou, while no dispatch had arrived from Annam.

Emperor Xuande appointed Prince Qi as Crown Prince, prompting Prince Han and his confidants to plot a coup to kill him and seize power. Prince Ning remained focused on his coming campaign to Western Shu, reassuring his Princess Consort that Xuan Wuji posed no threat.

• Emperor Xuande announced Prince Qi’s appointment as Crown Prince, and the court officials endorsed his decision.
• Prince Han’s confidants urged him to kill Prince Qi and force the Emperor to choose a new heir.
• Xiang Hu agreed to stake everything on a coup and began discussing their plan with his allies.
• Prince Ning told his Princess Consort he would leave for Western Shu in about ten days and assured her he could defeat Xuan Wuji.