Chapter Summaries

Zhu Ying fought Dugu Qiubai, the half-step Aura Realm Sword Demon, after Dugu Qiubai attacked the capital and tried to kill him for the aura in his body. Zhu Ying ultimately defeated Dugu Qiubai with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms while Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao watched from below.

• Dugu Qiubai pierced Zhu Ying’s aura shield with his attack, but Zhu Ying endured the blow unharmed using the Indestructible Vajra Body.
• Liu Lei reported the destruction in the capital to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, who went to the scene with Wang Wei escorts despite Xiongying’s order to keep them safe.
• Dugu Qiubai identified himself as the Sword Demon and used Dugu Nine Swords, breaking Zhu Ying’s Indestructible Vajra Body with the ninth sword.
• Dugu Qiubai unleashed a stronger attack, but Zhu Ying countered with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, which extinguished the sword qi and shattered Dugu Qiubai’s martial domain.
• The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms struck Dugu Qiubai and sent him crashing from the sky.

After killing Dugu Qiubai, Zhu Ying ordered a search for the strongest martial arts experts and sent Zhu Wushi and Liu Lei to find A Qing and Shi Potian. Zhu Ying confronted A Qing in Wild Bamboo Grove, and after overpowering her defenses, left the fight unresolved as his attack struck her.

• Zhu Ying absorbed Dugu Qiubai's remaining True Qi, then agreed with Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao that hidden martial arts masters threatened Grand Ming's rule.
• Zhu Ying ordered Liu Lei to search the realm with the Wang Wei and tasked Zhu Wushi with finding hidden masters; Zhu Wushi identified A Qing and Shi Potian as two of the strongest.
• Zhu Ying ordered Zhu Wushi and Liu Lei to find and capture A Qing and Shi Potian within a month, and Zhu Wushi used Dragon Guard Manor intelligence to locate A Qing in Wild Bamboo Grove.
• Liu Lei's Wang Wei guards charged into the grove, where A Qing attacked them with bamboo and True Qi; Zhu Wushi fought her but was badly injured and overpowered.
• Zhu Ying arrived, blocked A Qing's Maiden of Yue Swordsmanship, and attacked with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms; A Qing's bamboo wall collapsed and his dragon-shaped force struck her.

Zhu Ying killed A Qing and sensed Shi Potian hiding on Chivalry Island, then joined Zhu Wushi’s attack on the island. As the Grand Ming forces faltered against Shi Potian, Zhu Ying revealed his Aura Realm strength and launched the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms at him.

• Zhu Ying defeated A Qing with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, absorbed her aura, and ordered Zhu Wushi to find Shi Potian.
• After half a month of searching, Zhu Ying sensed Shi Potian on an island off the southeastern coast and sent Zhu Wushi and Liu Lei there.
• Zhu Wushi led Grand Ming warships to Chivalry Island and ordered the Red-Clad Cannons to fire at Shi Potian, but Shi Potian blocked the shells with the Great Profound Scripture and injured Zhu Wushi.
• Liu Lei rescued Zhu Wushi with a pterosaur, but Shi Potian’s black aura shield repelled the Pterosaur Army and threatened the warships.
• Zhu Ying appeared before Shi Potian, revealed that he had reached the Aura Realm, and attacked with golden dragons formed by the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

Zhu Ying defeated and absorbed Shi Potian, then led the Ming court back from the Comprehensive Martial World after appointing Zhu Wushi to govern it. Back in the main world, the court welcomed them and reported major infrastructure progress, including railways, subways, and widespread electricity.

• Zhu Ying defeated Shi Potian with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, absorbed his True Qi and aura qi, and received 10 attribute points.
• Zhu Ying told the officials that the Comprehensive Martial World was unified and its powerful martial experts had been eliminated, then said the Ming court would return to the main world.
• Zhu Yuanzhang approved Zhu Ying's choice of Zhu Wushi to control the Comprehensive Martial World, and Zhu Wushi pledged to govern it well.
• Zhu Ying, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and their forces passed through the Spatial Portal and were welcomed in the main world by Zhu Wenxi and the officials.
• Zhu Yuanzhang admired the modernized Fengtian Hall, where Zhu Wenxi had installed a large screen and cameras to broadcast court assemblies.
• Qin Da reported that railways covered the main world, subways operated in more than a dozen regions, and electricity had reached households; Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the Ministry of Works to aid development in the Comprehensive Martial World and other realms.

Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang began an incognito inspection of the Grand Ming Empire after agreeing to let the army recuperate before launching new conquests. They experienced the imperial capital’s subway and train, then set off for the Great Grassland before planning to visit the Western Continent.

• Zhu Ying rejected Zhu Yuanzhang’s call to conquer more worlds immediately, and Zhu Biao agreed that the army needed time to rest.
• Zhu Ying proposed inspecting the empire, and Zhu Yuanzhang decided to join him in disguise while Zhu Biao and Zhu Wenxi stayed in the capital to govern.
• Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang rode the subway, where a commoner praised its convenience but suggested adding more carriages for rush hour.
• Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang boarded a modern train, and Zhu Yuanzhang tried its air-conditioned soft-sleeper berth and massage function.
• Zhu Ying told Zhu Yuanzhang they were heading to the Great Grassland, then planned to fly to the Western Continent; Zhu Ying noticed the newly arrived commoners had traces of True Qi.

Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang inspected the Grand Ming Empire’s development, discussed expanding Imperial Capital Academy students’ access to cultivation, and traveled to the Western Continent. After noticing severe industrial pollution there, they confronted Governor Zhang Heng and demanded an explanation.

• Zhu Ying questioned Imperial Capital Academy students on the train and learned that lower-ranked students received only one seven-day visit to the Northern Desert Martial Dao Sacred Ground each year.
• Zhu Ying proposed letting academy students cultivate in the Martial Arts World through the Spatial Portal, and Zhu Yuanzhang approved the plan and supported forming a martial arts army from academy talent.
• Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang reached Northern Desert, took the subway to the airport, and flew to the Western Continent, where Zhu Yuanzhang marveled at the airplane.
• Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang noticed the Western Continent’s foul air and citizens wearing masks, and they decided to question its governor.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying arrived at the Governor’s Residence, where Zhang Heng knelt to greet them before Zhu Yuanzhang demanded to know why the air quality was so poor.

After inspecting Western Continent, Zhu Ying returned to the imperial capital and announced policies to address pollution, transportation, education, and martial arts training. The chapter ended with officials accepting his plans to guide the Grand Ming Empire’s continued development.

• Zhang Heng explained that Western Continent’s factories caused its polluted air, and Zhu Ying ordered clean-energy development and reduced emissions.
• Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang heard Western Continent residents praise the Grand Ming Empire, then returned to the imperial capital after several days.
• Zhu Ying ordered more subways and faster, more plentiful trains and airplanes, while directing regions to reduce industrial pollution.
• Zhu Ying arranged for martial arts students to train in the Martial Arts World and ordered Grandmaster Realm students to form a Martial Arts Legion.
• Zhu Ying ordered Liu Jing to reform the imperial examinations to include science and mathematics and to establish free cultural academies.

Zhu Ying helped Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao use Ming’s national destiny to break through to the Supernatural Realm. Zhu Yuanzhang discovered he could fly only briefly, and Zhu Ying explained that reaching the Aura Realm would require further cultivation and a stronger Ming Dynasty.

• Zhu Yuanzhang proposed abdicating in favor of Zhu Biao, but Zhu Biao and Zhu Ying urged him to remain emperor and leave state affairs to them.
• Over the following months, Zhu Ying’s policies advanced education, industry, and martial arts across the Grand Ming Empire and its other worlds, strengthening Ming’s national destiny.
• Zhu Ying summoned Zhu Biao to Wenyuan Pavilion and used Ming’s national destiny to help Zhu Biao and Zhu Yuanzhang break through to the Supernatural Realm.
• Zhu Yuanzhang tried to fly after his breakthrough, but Zhu Ying taught him how to gather True Qi beneath his feet so he could rise briefly.
• Zhu Yuanzhang fell when his True Qi ran out, and Zhu Ying explained that long-distance flight required reaching the Aura Realm through cultivation and a stronger national destiny.

Zhu Ying chose the Joy of Life World as the Grand Ming Empire’s next target and organized an expedition, with Zhu Yuanzhang insisting on joining him. The Ming forces arrived near Dongyi City, where Zhu Ying warned them to be cautious as soldiers approached.

• Zhu Ying told Zhu Yuanzhang that conquering other worlds would raise the Grand Ming Empire’s national fortune, and announced that Joy of Life would be their next target.
• Zhu Yuanzhang persuaded Zhu Ying to let him join the expedition, while Zhu Biao stayed behind to govern the main world.
• Zhu Ying ordered the Wang Wei Army and Imperial Guards to spearhead the campaign, and reassured Lan Yu, Mu Ying, and other generals that they could join later.
• Three days later, Zhu Ying opened the Spatial Portal and led the Wang Wei Army, Zhu Yuanzhang, Guo Zhen, and tens of thousands of Imperial Guards into Joy of Life.
• The Ming forces arrived near Dongyi City, and Zhu Ying explained its strength before a group of Dongyi City soldiers approached.

Zhu Ying's army reached Dongyi City, where Guo Zhen's Imperial Guards overwhelmed the defenders despite resistance from Sigu Jian's disciples. Guo Zhen ordered hundreds of Red-Clad Cannons to bombard the city, leaving Dongyi City's fate uncertain.

• Zhu Ying killed Dongyi City's leading general, and Guo Zhen's Imperial Guards wiped out the soldiers who had encountered them.
• Zhu Ying warned Zhu Yuanzhang that Sigu Jian was an Aura Realm expert, then ordered Guo Zhen to lead twenty thousand Imperial Guards to capture Dongyi City.
• Sigu Jian sensed the approaching force, sent Yun Zhilan to meet it, and prepared Dongyi City to fight.
• Dongyi City's arrows bounced off the Imperial Guards' armor, and Yun Zhilan sent his junior brothers to attack Guo Zhen's troops.
• The Imperial Guards surrounded and wounded Sigu Jian's disciples, while the battle cost the Guards many casualties.
• Guo Zhen ordered the Red-Clad Cannons to fire on Dongyi City.

Zhu Yuanzhang joined the assault on Dongyi City and used his Supernatural Realm strength to overwhelm Yun Zhilan. As Four Gu Sword sent Shadow to confront the invaders, Zhu Yuanzhang defeated Yun Zhilan, leaving the city’s defenders badly wounded.

• Yun Zhilan destroyed the first cannon shells with the Four Gu Sword Technique and sent Li Bohua to summon Four Gu Sword.
• Zhu Ying allowed Zhu Yuanzhang to attack Yun Zhilan, and Zhu Yuanzhang flew toward Dongyi City on the Wind God Pterosaur.
• Li Bohua warned Four Gu Sword about the cannons, and Four Gu Sword ordered Shadow to face the invading army.
• Zhu Yuanzhang blasted Dongyi City’s defenders with True Qi, then identified himself to Yun Zhilan as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
• Yun Zhilan attacked Zhu Yuanzhang with the Four Gu Sword Technique, but Zhu Yuanzhang’s Black Dragons crushed his sword qi and left him vomiting blood.

Zhu Yuanzhang defeated Yun Zhilan and pressured Dongyi City, but Shadow’s ambush led Zhu Ying to confront the city’s peak Supernatural Realm swordsman. Zhu Ying overwhelmed Shadow with his Martial Domain and powerful techniques, severing Shadow’s right arm before Shadow unleashed his Wind-Thunder Sword.

• Zhu Yuanzhang struck Yun Zhilan down and reduced him to ashes, while Li Bohua returned and learned that Sigu Jian was in secluded cultivation.
• Li Bohua attacked Zhu Yuanzhang, but Zhu Yuanzhang easily destroyed his sword qi before Shadow launched a stronger surprise attack.
• Zhu Ying intercepted Shadow’s next attack and told Zhu Yuanzhang that Shadow was a peak Supernatural Realm expert, then took over the fight.
• Zhu Ying lured Shadow into revealing himself, withstood the Four Gu Sword Technique using his Indestructible Vajra Body, and trapped Dongyi City in his Martial Domain.
• Zhu Ying attacked Shadow with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and Six Vein Divine Sword, severing Shadow’s right arm.
• Shadow resolved to fight to the death and unleashed his Wind-Thunder Sword.

Zhu Ying defeated Sigu Jian and Shadow in Dongyi City, overcoming their attacks with his martial arts and absorbing their energy. With the city’s defenders eliminated, he ordered Guo Zhen to lead the Imperial Guards in an attack on the city.

• Shadow ambushed Zhu Ying with the Wind-Thunder Sword, but Zhu Ying’s Indestructible Vajra Body blocked it, and his Melancholic Soul-Devouring Palm forced Sigu Jian to intervene.
• Sigu Jian blocked Zhu Ying’s attack and demanded to know who he was; Zhu Ying declared himself the Imperial Grandson of the Grand Ming Empire and claimed Dongyi City for it.
• Zhu Ying attacked Sigu Jian with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, but Sigu Jian countered with the Four Gu Sword Technique and the Sky-Piercing Sword Radiance.
• Zhu Ying vanished, overwhelmed Sigu Jian’s martial domain, and reappeared when Sigu Jian attacked Zhu Yuanzhang; he absorbed Sigu Jian’s sword energy and aura with the Energy-Absorbing Technique.
• Shadow tried to intervene, but Zhu Ying engulfed him and drained Sigu Jian’s power, defeating both men.
• Zhu Ying ordered Guo Zhen to attack Dongyi City.

The Grand Ming Empire captured Dongyi City and made it its base, while Zhu Ying expected the nations of the Joy of Life World to attack. In the Qing Kingdom, the emperor and his officials learned that Sigu Jian had been killed and debated how to respond, with the emperor deciding to let Northern Qi test the Ming Kingdom first.

• Guo Zhen's army breached Dongyi City, killed its defending soldiers, and reported the victory to Zhu Ying.
• Zhu Ying ordered Dongyi City rebuilt as the Grand Ming Empire's base and told Zhu Yuanzhang he would personally defeat any forces that attacked it.
• Chen Pingping and Yan Ruohai informed the Qing Emperor that Dongyi City had fallen, Sigu Jian had died, and the attackers carried a banner marked with the character 'Ming.'
• The Qing Emperor summoned the court, where Lin Ruofu doubted the reports and Chen Pingping and the emperor confirmed their accuracy.
• Fan Jian and Chen Pingping urged the Qing Emperor to attack Dongyi City, but he chose to let Northern Qi fight the Ming Kingdom first and planned to intervene after both sides were weakened.

After learning that Zhu Ying and the Ming Dynasty had destroyed Dongyi City and killed Sigu Jian, Zhan Doudou tried to seize the city before Qing Kingdom could. The Empress Dowager blocked her plan, so Zhan Doudou ordered the Imperial Guard to gather intelligence on Qing Kingdom and Dongyi City.

• The Qing Emperor approved a plan to watch Northern Qi and Dongyi City clash, while Chen Pingping was ordered to monitor both and investigate the Ming Dynasty.
• Shen Zhong told Zhan Doudou that Zhu Ying had killed Sigu Jian and other Dongyi City fighters, prompting her to plan an attack led by Shang Shanhu.
• The Empress Dowager confronted Zhan Doudou and argued that Ming Kingdom’s powerful army and cannons made an assault on Dongyi City too dangerous.
• The Empress Dowager forbade an attack and ordered Northern Qi to wait for Qing Kingdom’s response.
• Zhan Doudou swallowed her anger and ordered Shen Zhong to send Imperial Guard agents into Qing Kingdom and Dongyi City to gather intelligence.

Qing Kingdom and Northern Qi sent spies to investigate Dongyi City, whose modern defenses astonished Fan Xian and Shen Zhong. After Zhu Ying ordered the gate security disabled and unleashed the Pterosaur Army, Fan Xian defended his companions with the Four Gu Sword Technique, and Zhu Ying set out to confront him.

• Qing Kingdom and Northern Qi dispatched experts to gather intelligence on Dongyi City, while Zhu Ying learned of their movements and ordered the gate security system shut down to let them enter.
• Fan Xian, Yan Ruohai, and Fei Jie arrived at Dongyi City, where its concrete walls, cameras, and machine guns alarmed Fan Xian, but Yan Ruohai and Fei Jie entered anyway.
• Fan Xian followed them inside and saw Dongyi City's modern streets and military equipment, while Shen Zhong and Wei Hua also entered and marveled at the city's transformation.
• Zhu Ying ordered Liu Lei to send the Wang Wei against the Qing and Northern Qi experts, and three thousand Pterosaur Army troops appeared above Dongyi City.
• Fan Xian recognized the pterosaurs and used the Four Gu Sword Technique to shield himself, Yan Ruohai, Fei Jie, and the others from their attack.
• Zhu Ying told Zhu Yuanzhang that Fan Xian was the strongest combatant in the Joy of Life World, then went to meet him personally.

Zhu Ying overwhelmed Fan Xian and Fei Jie, then fought Fan Xian using the Four Gu Sword Technique. The battle left Fan Xian shocked when he realized Zhu Ying knew the same technique.

• Fan Xian attacked Zhu Ying, but Zhu Ying caught his sword with two fingers and sent him flying with a snap.
• Fan Xian urged Yan Ruohai and Fei Jie to leave; Zhu Ying struck Fan Xian and Fei Jie down before Yan Ruohai could get away.
• Fei Jie revealed that he had poisoned Zhu Ying, but Zhu Ying dismissed the poison and kicked Fei Jie away again.
• Fan Xian helped Fei Jie, then faced Zhu Ying alone as Fei Jie struggled to leave.
• Fan Xian unleashed the Four Gu Sword Technique, but Zhu Ying blocked his attacks with one hand and returned a barrage of sword qi.
• Fan Xian was blasted out of the dust and asked why Zhu Ying also knew the Four Gu Sword Technique.

Zhu Ying overwhelmed Fan Xian with a more refined Four Gu Sword Technique, wounding him repeatedly and revealing that he was a Grandmaster. Fan Xian unleashed his own Grandmaster power and charged into battle with Zhu Ying, while Yan Ruohai, Fei Jie, Shen Zhong, and the others reacted to the clash.

• Zhu Ying used a refined Four Gu Sword Technique to suppress Fan Xian and pierce his chest and shoulder.
• Zhu Ying slashed Fan Xian's neck, but Fan Xian survived and revealed that he had secretly poisoned Zhu Ying.
• Zhu Ying released his Grandmaster aura and dismissed Fan Xian's poison, prompting Fan Xian to unleash his own hidden Grandmaster strength.
• Fan Xian warned Zhu Ying to leave, but Zhu Ying refused, and the two charged at each other in a battle that shook the area.
• Fei Jie recognized the clash as a battle between Grandmasters, while Yan Ruohai was stunned that Zhu Ying was one.

Shen Zhong watched Fan Xian and Zhu Ying’s Grandmaster battle, hoping the Qing and Ming Kingdoms would weaken each other. Zhu Ying outmatched Fan Xian with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, leaving Fan Xian stunned when he recognized the technique and saw Zhu Yuanzhang arrive.

• Shen Zhong recognized Fan Xian as a newly advanced Grandmaster and decided to watch his fight with Zhu Ying rather than intervene.
• Fan Xian concealed himself in the sand and attempted a surprise attack, but Zhu Ying dodged him and appeared behind him.
• Zhu Yuanzhang left Dongyi City to check on Zhu Ying and arrived as the battle continued.
• Zhu Ying unleashed the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, summoning golden dragons that forced Fan Xian to evade their attacks.
• Fan Xian recognized the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and called out in astonishment to Zhu Yuanzhang.