Chapter Summaries

Luo Kui and five other Attendants threatened to destroy the Barbarian Suppression Army and Barbarian Suppression City after Wang Yunxi and four others sided with Xu Qingshan and Lin Baichuan. Lin Baichuan seized on Luo Kui’s contempt for the soldiers, leaving the army’s allegiance poised to shift toward him.

• Luo Kui questioned Wang Yunxi’s decision to support Xu Qingshan, while Wang Yunxi and the other Attendants condemned Luo Kui’s faction for its secret crimes.
• Luo Kui declared that his group would fight and threatened to drag the Barbarian Suppression Army and Barbarian Suppression City down with them if they lost.
• Luo Kui called the soldiers ants and cannon fodder, enraging the army and chilling the three hundred thousand soldiers formerly commanded by Marquis Beichen.
• Lin Baichuan denounced Luo Kui and privately welcomed the chance to turn the five hundred thousand soldiers against Luo Kui’s faction and make himself their savior.

Lin Baichuan revealed a grand array that removed the Barbarian Suppression Army soldiers from the parade ground and trapped Marquis Beichen’s supporters with him. Luo Kui threatened to destroy Barbarian Suppression City, but Lin Baichuan challenged him to first break out of the array.

• Lin Baichuan denounced Luo Kui and the other high-ranking supporters of Marquis Beichen while calling the ordinary soldiers his comrades-in-arms.
• Luo Kui threatened to join forces with the barbarian tribes and demanded that Lin Baichuan kneel and beg for mercy.
• Lin Baichuan summoned 108 array disks and activated the Five Elements Wind and Thunder Air-Sealing World-Destruction Grand Array.
• Lin Baichuan used the array to teleport hundreds of thousands of soldiers away, leaving Luo Kui, the other Attendants, and Liu Zehu’s group on the parade ground.
• Luo Kui and another Attendant threatened to destroy Barbarian Suppression City, and Lin Baichuan told them to try escaping the array first.

Lin Baichuan trapped Luo Kui and the other six Attendants inside an Array Derivation Realm, then killed Liu Zehu and the other commanders to gain 820,000 merit. He suppressed his enemies with the realm and led the attack, leaving the battle against the Attendants underway.

• Luo Kui realized Lin Baichuan had sealed the parade ground inside an Array Derivation Realm, and Xu Qingshan and the others recognized the power of his array mastery.
• Lin Baichuan unleashed a Blade Qi storm that sliced Liu Zehu and dozens of Barbarian Suppression Army commanders into skeletons, earning 820,000 merit.
• Luo Kui confronted Lin Baichuan over his attack, but Lin Baichuan declared he would fight them to the death.
• Lin Baichuan drove the Derivative Realm to suppress Luo Kui and the other six Attendants by at least thirty percent, and intercepted Luo Kui's secret plan to escape and join the barbarians.
• Lin Baichuan called on the seniors to attack and charged toward an Attendant of the Enlightenment Realm.

Lin Baichuan attacked Wan Qianyu inside the Derivative Realm, using his advantage there to badly wound the Enlightenment Realm expert and expose his secret ties to the Longevity Cult. As Lin Baichuan pressed his attack, Xu Qingshan and Wang Yunxi also charged at Luo Kui.

• Lin Baichuan chose Wan Qianyu as his opponent after discovering through his Insight Eye that the attendant was a Green Robe Envoy of the Longevity Cult with a Karma Value exceeding thirty thousand.
• Xu Qingshan and Wang Yunxi attacked Luo Kui, who met them in a furious clash.
• Lin Baichuan used his Wind Thunder Wings to strike Wan Qianyu from behind with his battle saber, breaking through the attendant’s Fist Gang with his Blade Domain.
• Wan Qianyu’s hand was severed, and Lin Baichuan’s Blade Qi tore through his body.
• Wan Qianyu tried to purge the Blade Qi but coughed blood after realizing Lin Baichuan had poisoned him.
• Lin Baichuan dismissed Wan Qianyu’s accusation of fighting unfairly and closed in to slash again.

Lin Baichuan killed Wan Qianyu and then used the grand formation’s Five Elements Wind and Thunder to overwhelm Luo Kui and the other Attendants. He ended the chapter striking Luo Kui with a blade carrying the formation’s full power.

• Lin Baichuan exploited Wan Qianyu’s poisoned, weakened state and split him in two with a single slash.
• Lin Baichuan received a system notification granting him merit for killing Wan Qianyu, while Wang Yunxi and the others reacted in shock.
• Luo Kui threatened Lin Baichuan over Wan Qianyu’s death, but Xu Qingshan wounded him when he let his guard down.
• Lin Baichuan merged with the grand formation and summoned a storm of Five Elements Wind and Thunder against Luo Kui and the four other Attendants.
• Lin Baichuan gathered the formation’s power on his war blade and sent a river of Five Elements Wind and Thunder crashing down on Luo Kui.

Lin Baichuan and his allies killed Luo Kui and the four remaining hostile Attendants, leaving Lin with more than one million taels of merit. He promised Xu Qingshan, Wang Yunxi, and the others their payment within seven days as he planned to take control of the Barbarian Suppression Army and improve his strength.

• Xu Qingshan severely wounded Luo Kui, and Lin Baichuan appeared and beheaded him, earning merit.
• Lin Baichuan and Xu Qingshan and Wang Yunxi attacked the four remaining hostile Attendants, and the grand array's Five Elements Wind and Thunder destroyed them.
• Lin Baichuan checked his Attribute Panel and found that his merit had surpassed one million taels.
• Lin Baichuan thanked Xu Qingshan, Wang Yunxi, and the others for helping him, and promised to deliver their rewards within seven days.

After taking control of the Barbarian Suppression Army, Lin Baichuan spent five days refining pills and artifacts to reward his allies and strengthen the army. He left seclusion determined to prepare for a barbarian invasion, secure the city, and eventually conquer the tribes, while turning his attention to spending his merit points to grow stronger.

• News spread across Barbarian Suppression City and the Great Xia Dynasty that Lin Baichuan and his allies had killed Marquis Beichen's commanders and taken control of the Barbarian Suppression Army.
• Lin Baichuan entered seclusion for five days after clearing away the army's factions.
• Lin Baichuan refined more than a hundred Innate Treasure Pills, tens of thousands of other spirit pills, and several spirit artifacts, using up the ingredients in his treasure gourd.
• Lin Baichuan planned to select new commanders, strengthen the army and the city's defenses, and prepare for the barbarian tribes to march south.
• Lin Baichuan resolved to conquer the barbarian tribes and claim the Barren Land, then focused on using his merit points to increase his strength.

Lin Baichuan spent one million merit to strengthen his cultivation and arts, advancing to the peak of the Divine Ability Seventh Layer with a Three Cun Three Chi Innate Divine Ability Talisman. The merit ran out, leaving him far stronger and with his Alchemy Dao, Artifact Dao, and Array Dao greatly advanced.

• Lin Baichuan burned one million merit to improve his cultivation methods, divine abilities, and arts.
• His Heaven and Earth Furnace talisman grew to Three Cun Three Chi, formed a Divine Ability Soul, and devoured the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Grand Array and his dantian’s star vortex.
• Lin Baichuan reached the peak of the Divine Ability Seventh Layer: Spirit Nourishing Realm, then suppressed his cultivation as he sensed the coming Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations.
• The merit flames faded, and Lin Baichuan checked his Attribute Panel, finding his Alchemy Dao at sixth rank, Artifact Dao at sixth rank, and Array Dao at seventh rank.
• Lin Baichuan noted that improving his cultivation had consumed less than a third of the merit, while advancing his arts—especially Array Dao—had cost far more.

After emerging from seclusion, Lin Baichuan summoned the Barbarian Suppression Army’s senior officers to begin reorganizing the army and asserting control over Barbarian Suppression City. Once the twenty-eight officers had gathered, Chen Zhong explained that Commander Niu Tao and Legion Commander Li Jianan led special units outside the army’s usual structure.

• Lin Baichuan left seclusion and ordered every officer of Legion Commander rank or higher to assemble in the council hall.
• Lin Baichuan took Marquis Beichen’s seat in the council hall and planned to strengthen the army while bringing every faction in Barbarian Suppression City under his rules.
• Chen Zhong and the other senior officers arrived and waited in silence, wary of Lin Baichuan’s power.
• Twenty-eight surviving senior officers gathered, and Lin Baichuan noticed that Commander Niu Tao and Legion Commander Li Jianan had not attended the earlier drill-ground events.
• Chen Zhong explained that Niu Tao commanded the independent Tiger Leopard Battalion and Li Jianan commanded the special Shadow Guard.

Lin Baichuan announced a military competition to fill vacant posts in the Barbarian Suppression Army and promised lavish rewards to the top contenders. After displaying thousands of valuable pills and spirit artifacts, he left the gathered officers eager to compete.

• Lin Baichuan used the Insight Eye to discover that Zhu Tao was secretly a Divine Ability Eighth Layer expert and that Li Jianan had reached the peak of the Divine Ability Nine Stages and served the Seventh Prince.
• Lin Baichuan suspected Zhu Tao of heinous deeds and a sinister conspiracy while recognizing the Seventh Prince's influence in the Barbarian Suppression Army.
• Lin Baichuan announced a competition open to every soldier, promising the top hundred positions and prizes, including Innate Treasure Pills and divine abilities.
• Lin Baichuan promised the winner three Innate Treasure Pills, a Quasi-Treasure Artifact, and a top-tier Heavenly Gang Divine Ability.
• Lin Baichuan displayed thousands of spirit pills and artifacts, leaving the officers astonished and eager for the competition.

Lin Baichuan displayed his wealth to the Barbarian Suppression Army and planned to eliminate Zhu Tao and Li Jianan, whose influence threatened his control. He ordered preparations for a competition and announced a powerful new battle formation and a future reorganization of the army.

• Lin Baichuan recalled the spirit pills and spirit artifacts he had displayed, leaving the gathered officers stunned by his wealth.
• Zhu Tao hid his anger and plotted to wait for the court to move against Lin Baichuan, while Lin Baichuan recognized his hostility and decided to kill him for his Karma Value.
• Lin Baichuan judged Li Jianan to be another threat but resolved to take control of the Shadow Guard before removing her.
• Lin Baichuan assigned Chen Zhong to devise the competition's system and procedures, promising to provide a list of rewards the next day.
• Lin Baichuan announced that he would give the army a battle formation more than ten times as powerful as its current formations and reorganize its camps and legions after the competition.

Lin Baichuan pushed to reorganize the Tiger Leopard Battalion and the Shadow Guard, then used Zhu Tao’s resistance and retreat to strip him of command. He demoted Zhu Tao and ordered him to train in the Barren Land, while secretly deciding that Zhu Tao must eventually die.

• Lin Baichuan proposed reorganizing the Barbarian Suppression Army after the military tournament, prompting Zhu Tao to argue that the Tiger Leopard Battalion should remain unchanged.
• Li Jianan readily agreed to the Shadow Guard’s reorganization, surprising Lin Baichuan, who suspected she had an ulterior plan.
• Lin Baichuan accused Zhu Tao of clinging to the Tiger Leopard Battalion, and Zhu Tao swallowed his anger and professed support for the reform.
• Lin Baichuan decided that Zhu Tao was too dangerous to leave alive, then removed him as commander of the Tiger Leopard Battalion.
• Lin Baichuan demoted Zhu Tao to a Battalion Commander in the Scout Battalion and ordered him to leave Barbarian Suppression City for training in the Barren Land.

Lin Baichuan confronted Zhu Tao and offered a lavish reward for evidence of his crimes, turning the hall against him. Li Jianan then claimed to possess proof that Zhu Tao had colluded with the barbarians, leaving him exposed.

• Lin Baichuan moved to strip Zhu Tao of command, and Zhu Tao angrily warned that powerful figures at court were coming for him.
• Lin Baichuan asked Chen Zhong to state the penalties for disobeying and insulting a superior, then accused Zhu Tao of wrongdoing and suspected collusion with the barbarians.
• Zhu Tao demanded evidence, believing Lin Baichuan would not dare kill him without a proper pretext.
• Lin Baichuan ordered a bounty of one Innate Treasure Pill and one Heavenly Gang Divine Ability for anyone who could prove Zhu Tao's crimes.
• Li Jianan stepped forward and told Lin Baichuan that she had evidence of Zhu Tao's collusion with the barbarians, shocking the hall and rattling Zhu Tao.

Li Jianan presented evidence that Zhu Tao had colluded with the barbarians and committed numerous crimes, and Lin Baichuan confirmed it. Zhu Tao tried to flee, but Lin Baichuan killed him with his perfected Blade Domain, leaving no remains.

• Li Jianan offered Lin Baichuan letters bearing Zhu Tao’s and Barbarian Commander Li’s will imprints as proof of Zhu Tao’s collusion.
• Zhu Tao attacked Li Jianan to seize the box, but Lin Baichuan stopped him and took the evidence.
• Lin Baichuan exposed Zhu Tao’s betrayal, weapons sales, leaks of military secrets, and other crimes.
• Zhu Tao attempted to escape, but Lin Baichuan’s perfected Blade Domain crushed him and pinned him down.
• Lin Baichuan killed Zhu Tao with a river of Blade Qi and incinerated his remains, leaving those present in awe.

Lin Baichuan condemned collusion with the barbarians, then rewarded Li Jianan for exposing Zhu Tao and ordered preparations for a fair military competition. Li Jianan accepted the rewards while concealing her service to the Seventh Prince, and Chen Zhong took charge of publicizing the competition.

• Lin Baichuan warned the officers that anyone who colluded with the barbarians would be executed.
• Lin Baichuan gave Li Jianan a Low-grade Treasure Pill and a jade booklet containing the Heavenly Gang Divine Ability Great River Sword Qi for her evidence against Zhu Tao.
• Li Jianan reflected that she had exposed Zhu Tao to gain Lin Baichuan's trust, while secretly serving the Seventh Prince, and accepted the rewards despite her bewilderment.
• Lin Baichuan ordered Chen Zhong to announce the military competition throughout the Barbarian Suppression Army within three days and ensure it was fair.
• Chen Zhong pledged to organize the competition impartially and looked forward to the rewards Lin Baichuan promised.

Lin Baichuan exposed Li Jianan as one of the Seventh Prince’s Twelve Beauties and a spy overseeing the Barbarian Suppression Army. He offered to spare and cultivate her if she handed over the Shadow Guard and helped connect him with the Seventh Prince for possible cooperation.

• Li Jianan stayed behind after Lin Baichuan dismissed the others and offered to bring him evidence of more people’s crimes.
• Lin Baichuan revealed that he knew Li Jianan was one of the Seventh Prince’s Twelve Beauties, planted in the Barbarian Suppression Army to monitor it and help the prince seize control.
• Li Jianan admitted her identity and asked how Lin Baichuan had discovered it and what he planned to do with her.
• Li Jianan refused to betray the Seventh Prince, who had enabled her position and success.
• Lin Baichuan promised not to kill Li Jianan if she cooperated, asking her to hand over the Shadow Guard, train a successor, and build a bridge between him and the Seventh Prince.

Li Jianan left Lin Baichuan’s residence believing she had gained an opportunity, while Lin Baichuan secretly prepared to use her to contact the Seventh Prince and retained hidden control over her. The military tournament distracted the Barbarian Suppression Army from Zhu Tao’s execution, but powerful factions in Barbarian Suppression City began plotting against Lin Baichuan.

• Li Jianan left Lin Baichuan’s residence, planning to use her pill, divine ability, and possible connection to the Seventh Prince to advance her position.
• Lin Baichuan considered an alliance with the Seventh Prince against the Imperial Court’s elder statesmen and revealed that he had secretly tampered with Li Jianan’s pill and divine ability.
• Chen Zhong and the others announced a military tournament and its rewards to the Barbarian Suppression Army, drawing attention away from Zhu Tao’s execution.
• People in Barbarian Suppression City praised Lin Baichuan’s schemes, while weaker factions resolved not to provoke him.
• Powerful factions grew wary of Lin Baichuan’s wealth and ambitions and sent word to the Imperial Capital to take action against him.

As the Barbarian Suppression Army's grand competition advanced, Lin Baichuan hosted Jiang Ying and Xu Qingshan, who warned him that the barbarian tribes planned to attack Barbarian Suppression City with powerful allies. Lin Baichuan learned that Chaos Hole Realm experts might join the invasion, and Xu Qingshan's warning left him reassessing the danger.

• Lin Baichuan finalized generous rewards for the grand competition, including a Mid-grade Innate Treasure Pill for first place, to display his abilities as a master alchemist.
• Jiang Ying visited Lin Baichuan with Xu Qingshan, and she reported that Barbarian Commander Li had reached an agreement with people in the Great Xia Dynasty and planned to march south.
• Lin Baichuan said he had already reinforced Barbarian Suppression City's Guardian Array and believed it could stop the invasion.
• Jiang Ying warned that the barbarian tribes had allied with Alien Races, demonic cultivators, and others, and that Chaos Hole Realm experts might be involved.
• Xu Qingshan told Lin Baichuan that even an early-stage Chaos Hole Realm expert could kill him without needing a single move, alarming Lin Baichuan.

Lin Baichuan learned that the barbarians might send multiple Chaos Hole Realm experts and decided to gather resources from Barbarian Suppression City’s factions to strengthen its defenses. After Xu Qingshan warned him that the Yunzhou Governor had dispatched an assassin, Lin Baichuan placed a bounty on the governor’s life.

• Jiang Ying confirmed that the barbarian invasion could involve multiple Chaos Hole Realm experts, while Xu Qingshan said the Venerable Pavilion’s absent master could not be contacted.
• Lin Baichuan decided he needed a sixth-tier formation to defend Barbarian Suppression City and planned to obtain its scarce materials from the city’s factions.
• Lin Baichuan asked Jiang Ying to invite all the factions to a meeting at First Grade Tower the next day.
• Xu Qingshan warned Lin Baichuan that the Yunzhou Governor had sent a Casting Platform Realm expert to assassinate him.
• Lin Baichuan offered ten Innate Treasure Pills for the assassination of the Yunzhou Governor and asked Jiang Ying to spread the bounty.

Lin Baichuan learned from Jiang Ying and Xu Qingshan how scarce and valuable Innate Treasure Pills were throughout the cultivation world, but he remained willing to offer ten as a bounty on the Governor of Yun Province. He ordered Jiang Ying to gather Barbarian Suppression City's factions and arrange the bounty, while looking ahead to dealing with the barbarians and eventually exploring the Outer Sect Domain.

• Lin Baichuan proposed offering ten Innate Treasure Pills as a reward, and Jiang Ying and Xu Qingshan warned that the bounty would attract countless experts and assassins.
• Xu Qingshan and Jiang Ying explained that Treasure Pills were scarce and highly valued because few alchemists could refine them and demand far exceeded supply.
• Lin Baichuan realized that his pills could hire powerful guards and grew curious about visiting the Outer Sect Domain, though he prioritized resolving the barbarian problem.
• Lin Baichuan instructed Jiang Ying to gather the factions in Barbarian Suppression City and place the bounty on the Governor of Yun Province, promising to provide the pills the next day and reward her work.
• Jiang Ying welcomed the offer and resolved to remain sincerely allied with Lin Baichuan, knowing betrayal would leave her no escape.