Recaps

Jie Ning and Arannis visited Gru to learn why Korur and Dinar planned to leave for the Supreme Plane and hand over their empires. After hearing the history behind their decision, Jie Ning declined both empires and offered them to Gru.

• Jie Ning and Arannis went to the Temple of the Fire God, where Gru explained that Korur and Dinar wanted to pursue greater strength in the Supreme Plane.
• Gru revealed that Korur and Dinar had become gods before age one hundred, ended the continent's city-state wars, and had reached a bottleneck in their cultivation.
• Gru recounted how the two Highnesses obtained Divine Sparks, including one given to Dinar by the sleeping Divine Beast Dikas, and learned that refining a Divine Spark left no room for further improvement.
• Gru explained that Korur and Dinar wanted Jie Ning and Gru to rule the two empires separately so the continent would remain peaceful and each ruler could retain Faith Power.
• Gru said Duke Darut had concealed his identity and gone traveling after deciding he did not need a Divine Spark, then asked Jie Ning which empire he wanted.
• Jie Ning calmly told Gru that he wanted neither empire and that Gru could have both.

Jie Ning refused Gru’s offer of Faith Power and agreed to help the two Highnesses with his Spirit Nourishing Technique. In Corul City, he met Korur and proposed merging the two empires under the God of Fire’s faith, then offered to share his Secret Art.

• Jie Ning showed Gru that his soul was stronger than Gru’s and explained that he had already solved his soul problem, so he did not need Faith Power.
• Gru asked Jie Ning to use his Spirit Nourishing Technique to help the two Highnesses, and Jie Ning agreed.
• Jie Ning, Gru, and Arannis flew to Corul City and met Korur, who welcomed them into his home.
• Jie Ning told Korur that he and Gru believed the two empires should merge and that the new empire could worship only the God of Fire.
• Jie Ning explained his soul-strengthening method to Korur and offered to share his Secret Art as thanks for Korur’s good deeds.

Jie Ning offered Korur a chance to use his Spirit Nourishing Technique, then reunited with his family and learned how Chris had gained strength while evading Melinda. Later, Jie Ning discovered that a Seed’s Life Force transformed into Soul Power as it matured, leaving him eager to investigate how new souls were created.

• Jie Ning explained his Spirit Nourishing Technique to Korur, who hesitated but agreed to tell Dinar about the offer.
• Jie Ning exchanged cultivation insights with Gru and Korur, then returned to Life Duke's Territory and sent his Divine Avatars into seclusion.
• At a family banquet, Jie Ning questioned Chris's Saint Realm breakthrough, and Haba teased their father before Melinda scolded them both about cultivation and marriage.
• Dale told Jie Ning that Chris had secretly avoided Melinda for years and had comprehended a Dark Element escape mystery while fleeing her supervision.
• Jie Ning examined Seeds in ripening fruit and discovered that their Life Force transformed into Soul Power as they matured.

Jie Ning helped Korur and Dinar begin strengthening their souls by growing modified Seeds infused with their Soul Power. Dinar chose to serve Jie Ning for five hundred years, while Korur swore to perform three tasks for him if they met again, and the work continued as Jie Ning cultivated.

• Jie Ning led Korur and Dinar to an empty plain and showed them how to inject Soul Power into the modified Seeds.
• Jie Ning planted their Seeds and used divine power to grow them, making the souls connected to their Soul Power slightly stronger.
• Dinar decided to postpone his journey to the Supreme Plane and offered to obey Jie Ning for five hundred years.
• Korur chose to travel to the Supreme Plane and swore to perform any three tasks for Jie Ning Darut if they met again.
• Jie Ning stayed nearby to tend the growing plants while his main body returned to the cultivation chamber, and the plain gradually became a forest.

Jie Ning completed the Earth-walking Technique Mystery, became a Middle-God through the Earth Law, and began considering a journey to Hell. After Arannis encouraged him to face the decision, he agreed to go and to have a child with her.

• Jie Ning merged with Earth Elements, completed the Earth-walking Technique Mystery, and fused it with the Earth Element Mystery.
• Jie Ning's Earth God Avatar became a Middle-God, surprising Arannis, Korur, and Dinar.
• Korur invited Jie Ning's Earth God Avatar to travel with him to Hell, and Jie Ning said he needed time to decide and strengthen the avatar's soul.
• Jie Ning told Arannis he wanted to send his Earth God Avatar to Hell, then realized he had no reason to hesitate.
• Arannis asked Jie Ning to have a child, and he agreed.

After decades of cultivation, Jie Ning traveled to Hell with Korur and Dinar, where they encountered the Blade Army and its leader, Beile. Jie Ning joined the force to learn about Hell and protect his companions, then left with the newcomers under Beile’s control.

• Korur and Dinar agreed to travel to Hell with Jie Ning, while their empires merged into the Gru Empire and named Lord Gru their guardian deity.
• Jie Ning, Korur, and Dinar used a Teleportation Array to reach Hell and met Beile, a High-God who invited them to join the Blade Army.
• Jie Ning accepted Beile’s offer and arranged for Korur and Dinar to become reserve members; he also formed a tentative alliance with Mosang.
• Beile declared that most newcomers were slaves and reserve members of the Blade Army, while explaining that the Teleportation Arrays were fiercely contested by major forces.
• Beile transported the group away, and Jie Ning saw the corpses of newcomers who had left the array area.

Jie Ning and the Blade Army traveled through Hell, sharing stories as they neared their destination. Their journey ended in an ambush by a force led by two High-Gods, and Beile confronted the apparent leader, Qiukadi.

• Kami told Jie Ning and Mosang how he escaped slavery, came to Hell as a Saint, and was summoned by the Army Lord after witnessing an Overgod.
• Jie Ning explained that his Material Plane had been peaceful and that the Overgod had descended there long before he was born.
• Kami estimated that the group still had half a month of travel remaining and warned them that bandits could attack at any time.
• A powerful attack erupted from the mountain range, and Beile countered it before arranging the Blade Army into a defensive formation around the Low-Gods.
• More than twenty enemies, including two High-Gods, flew out from the mountains, and Beile challenged Qiukadi over the attack.

The Blade Army and Black Dragon Fortress clashed after Qiukadi’s group tried to rob them, while Beile engaged the two enemy upper gods. Jie Ning faced Delta, an Earth-element god whose powerful body and force-based attacks threatened his doppelgangers, but Jie Ning’s techniques let a destroyed doppelganger reappear.

• Qiukadi admitted that Black Dragon Fortress had attacked for profit and welcomed the prospect of war, while Kami explained the fortress’s strength and warned that Qiukadi was a battle-obsessed lunatic.
• Kami coordinated the Blade Army’s abilities, and Kala arranged for the group to test their opponents before choosing individual matchups.
• Beile attacked Qiukadi and Mubale, drawing the two upper gods away as the remaining fighters began battling.
• Kala engaged a Lightning-element god, Mosang trapped a Dark-element opponent, and Jie Ning confronted Delta, an Earth-element god.
• Delta shattered one of Jie Ning’s doppelgangers with a forceful punch, but the doppelganger reappeared, surprising him.

Jie Ning defeated Delta by using Earth Seeds to study and drain his power, then helped the Blade Army finish the remaining battles against Black Dragon Fortress. The survivors collected their spoils, and Beile returned after killing Qiukadi while Mubale escaped.

• Jie Ning used his avatars to keep Delta occupied while Earth Seeds secretly took root on Delta and helped Jie Ning study the Mystery of Strength.
• Delta unleashed his Berserk Battle Body, but Jie Ning strengthened his remaining avatars and drained Delta's divine power with the Earth Seeds, killing his Divine Avatar.
• Kala killed her opponent, and Jie Ning helped Mosang defeat his by binding him with earth divine power so Mosang could land a Soul Attack.
• The Black Dragon Fortress fighters fled after Beile returned victorious, and Kala explained that a Sanctuary Main Body could refine a matching Divine Spark after its Divine Avatar died.
• Mosang gave Jie Ning the defeated opponent's Divine Spark, while Jie Ning accepted it after learning how Divine Avatars and Sanctuary Main Bodies preserved combat strength.
• Beile told the group he had killed Qiukadi while fighting two opponents, though Mubale had escaped, and Jie Ning recognized how much Beile enjoyed being praised.

Jie Ning and the others reached Blade City, where Beile registered Jie Ning, Mosang, and Korur as members of the Blade Army. The chapter ended with Beile leading them to their new lodgings after they received their badges and learned how Blade Points and Ink Stones worked.

• Korur broke through to Middle-God and became eligible to join the Blade Army, while Jie Ning and Korur each chose new Reserve Army members.
• Brother Beile led Jie Ning, Mosang, and Korur to Blade City and brought them to Blade Castle to register.
• Beile told Befona that the Blade Army had defeated an attack by Black Dragon Fortress, killing Qiukadi while Mubale escaped; the news excited the people in the hall.
• Befona registered Jie Ning, Mosang, and Korur, awarded Jie Ning and Mosang ten Blade Points each, and explained the Army's badges, currency, and membership rules.
• Jie Ning gave subsidiary badges to Dinar and another Reserve Army member, and Beile led the newly registered members away to find their lodgings.

Jie Ning and his companions chose homes in Blade City, and Jie Ning read the Blade Army Handbook to learn about the army’s ranks, duties, and privileges. He settled in, planning to use Blade City as his starting point for understanding Hell.

• Beile showed Jie Ning, Mosang, and Korur the southwestern residential district and explained how to choose or build homes.
• Kala advised the group about traces left by former owners, and Korur chose a vacant house that had belonged to a Lightning-element Mid-level God.
• Jie Ning moved into a house with no traces of its previous owner and received useful gifts from Blade Army acquaintances.
• Korur arranged for Dinar to stay in his house, and Jie Ning agreed.
• Jie Ning read the Blade Army Handbook and learned about its ranks, mission requirements, Blade Points, and authority in the city.

Jie Ning learned that Overgod's Envoys wielded formidable sets of Sovereign Artifacts, then spent decades cultivating in Blade City. When Kala revealed that the Blade Army was rapidly expanding and preparing for an unknown threat, Jie Ning joined his friends in planning to take missions and strengthen themselves.

• Jie Ning bought books about Hell and cultivation, explored Blade City's shops, and purchased a Gravity Bead while surveying the outer district.
• After more than thirty years of cultivation, Jie Ning learned that Dinar had become a Middle-God.
• Mosang and Korur told Jie Ning that Blade Castle would sell Combat Projections, including rumored recordings of Seven-star Demon battles, and that Blade Army members were rushing to earn Points.
• Kala revealed that the Blade Army would massively expand by lowering its recruitment threshold to Middle-Gods and would offer Combat Projections and High-level Divine Artifacts to attract recruits.
• Kala said upcoming missions would target bandit forces near Blade City, and Jie Ning agreed to join him, Mosang, Korur, and Dinar in taking missions.
• Jie Ning helped Dinar register with the Castle, but Dinar could no longer choose a personal Reserve Army subordinate.

Jie Ning’s Life God Avatar discovered how gathered elements could gain spirituality and used the Tree of Light to recreate an Elf Divine Beast, while also reaching mid-level godhood. In Blade City, the insight helped Jie Ning complete the Mystery of the Power of Life and transform his soul, which might eventually form a Soul Divine Artifact.

• Jie Ning’s Life God Avatar planted a prepared Tree of Light cutting, and the surrounding offspring trees helped gather Wind Elements above the Mother Tree’s crown.
• After years of tending the Wind Element Cluster, Jie Ning watched it gain spirituality and realized that the laws of Heaven and Earth could give energy a soul.
• Jie Ning’s Life God Avatar flew away to keep Heavenly Law’s fluctuations from disturbing the new Elf’s gestation, then reached mid-level godhood and learned to convert divine power into Soul Power.
• In Blade City, Jie Ning used the insight from his Life God Avatar to merge with Earth Elements and felt the earth nurture and protect his soul.
• Jie Ning completed the Mystery of the Power of Life and formed a vitality-filled garment around his soul that might one day become a Soul Divine Artifact.

Jie Ning, Kala, and their companions took missions to eliminate bandits, earning Points and large sums of Ink Stones over more than ten years. Kala explained that the Blade Army had cleared powerful bandit factions from its territory, leaving the group with few nearby targets for future missions.

• Kala arranged for Kachishan to select missions for the group in exchange for five Points, then led them to ambush a bandit gang with four Middle-Gods and a dozen Low-Gods.
• Jie Ning blocked the bandits’ opening attack and spotted a hidden Middle-God, allowing Korur and Dinar to ambush him while the group fought the others.
• Jie Ning and Kala quickly defeated their opponents, and Korur helped Mosang kill Eagle-Nose Man as Dinar and the Reserve Army subdued the Low-Gods.
• The group divided the bandits’ spoils, including more than three million Ink Stones, and went on to complete four more missions before returning to Blade City.
• After more than ten years of repeated missions, Kala revealed that the Blade Army had driven High-God-backed factions from its territory, while nearby bandit groups had largely been wiped out.

Kala revealed that the Blade Army’s coming expansion might be tied to a Fire Element Sovereign, and Jie Ning foresaw the spread of faith leading to conflict. Jie Ning worried that the Bana Continent could become a battleground and ended the chapter with a new understanding of Fate.

• Kala told Jie Ning, Korur, Mosang, and Dinar that the Blade Army planned to recruit everyone who came and showed them a fire magic grimoire from the Army Lord.
• Kala explained that the grimoire’s spells matched those given to him by a Sovereign, and he suspected the Army Lord had become an Overgod's Envoy and was preparing the Blade Army to spread faith.
• Jie Ning concluded that Sovereigns might imitate the Blade Army’s expansion, causing a War of Faith, but focused on surviving the immediate danger.
• Jie Ning’s true self worried that the Bana Continent might be selected for spreading the Fire Element Sovereign’s faith and that this could provoke the Four Divine Beasts.
• Jie Ning imagined the Bana Continent becoming the eye of a conflict between Sovereigns, then stopped himself and sensed a new understanding of Fate.

During a Blade City patrol, Kala’s contemplation of his emotions and soul led him to new insights into the Fire Element and a sudden infatuation with Daisy Lin. After the patrol, Kala planned to cultivate in seclusion, while Jie Ning and Dinar also chose to train and Korur and Mosang decided to keep taking missions.

• Kala and his companions discussed his Captain rank and the large number of Middle-Gods gathering in Blade City, including possible spies among them.
• As Kala reflected on Soul Fire, he began acting on his emotions, confronting people he thought were mistreating others; Jie Ning studied the change and gained ideas for his own cultivation.
• Kala saw Daisy Lin and, amid a surge of insight, asked her to become his wife; Daisy rejected him and left, challenging him to prove his strength.
• Kala admitted he still wanted to marry Daisy Lin and said he would enter seclusion to cultivate after the expansion ended.
• Jie Ning and Dinar also planned to cultivate, while Korur chose to continue doing missions and Mosang decided to join him.
• Kala offered to introduce Korur and Mosang to Kachishan so they could find suitable missions.

Kala told Jie Ning and the others that the Blade Army was restructuring and that its members would compete for promotions as hundreds of thousands of recruits joined. As the competition approached, the group reviewed information on likely opponents, and Jie Ning identified a dangerous Earth-element fighter who could challenge Mosang and Dinar.

• Kala explained that Soldiers and Captains would compete for promotions as the Blade Army expanded, with new ranks and direct chains of command being established.
• Kala warned that large-scale conflict might be coming, noted that an Overgod could stand behind the Blade Army, and gave the group dossiers and Combat Projections of contestants.
• Jie Ning recognized Daisy Lin in a dossier, while Kala concealed her Combat Projection after the others noticed his interest in her.
• Mosang activated a Combat Projection of an Earth-element fighter, and Jie Ning judged that the opponent used Puppets with strong defenses and could be especially dangerous for Mosang and Dinar.

Jie Ning entered the Blade Army’s Expansion Competition, where Beile oversaw his arena and secretly arranged favorable matchups for him and his comrades. After defeating Tamu, Jie Ning learned that the challengers had bought altered information about him, and he chose to continue fighting.

• The Army Lord welcomed the contestants and announced that winning three arena matches would earn a Captain position in the Blade Army.
• Beile assigned Jie Ning, Mosang, Korur, and other familiar veterans to the first round, then secretly told Jie Ning which challengers to select.
• Jie Ning chose three opponents and defeated Tamu, who had comprehended the Power Profound Mystery, using his Doppelgangers.
• Beile told Jie Ning that the challengers had bought information on him and that the Blade Army had altered it, so Jie Ning ordered the next opponent to enter without taking a rest.

Jie Ning won his third arena match against Yikas by using Earth armor and an Earth Seed that drained his opponent’s divine power, earning promotion to Captain. The Blade Army’s expansion contest ended with everyone except Dinar advancing, and news of the Army’s growth stirred unrest in the shadows.

• Jie Ning defeated Limus by summoning nine Mud Golems, prompting Limus to surrender and giving Arena 201 its second victory.
• Jie Ning faced Yikas, who filled the arena with mist and attacked with Ice Arrows, but Jie Ning’s Earth armor withstood the assault.
• Jie Ning overwhelmed Yikas with his figures and used Earth Seed to drain his divine power until Yikas surrendered.
• Beile congratulated Jie Ning on becoming a Blade Army Captain and praised his Mystery Fusion, while Jie Ning invited him to celebrate after the matches.
• Jie Ning watched Mosang and Korur gain the advantage in their matches, while eliminated Dinar resolved to pursue fusing Mysteries.
• The expansion contest ended with everyone except Dinar advancing; Kala became a Hundred Guard, Beile and the others became Sergeants, and news of the Blade Army’s growth stirred the shadows.

At Jie Ning’s home, Beile explained the Blade Army’s plans, the Army Lord’s secret alliance with a Fire Element Overgod, and the new Demon Fortress mission system. The group learned they had time to strengthen themselves before upheaval, while Kala was assigned to work with Daisy Lin.

• Beile warned Jie Ning, Mosang, Kala, and the others that the Blade Army might become the only nearby force within two hundred years and urged them to improve their strength.
• Beile confirmed that the Army Lord had become an Overgod’s Envoy to a Fire Element Overgod and warned the group to keep the news secret.
• Beile said returning from Hell to the Material Plane was effectively impossible for them for now, even though powerful High-Gods had tried activating the Teleportation Array.
• Beile explained that missions would move from Blade Castle to the Demon Fortress, outlined its seven Demon ranks, and said Jie Ning had at least the strength of a Three-star Demon.
• Beile told Kala that Daisy Lin would be placed under his command and warned him about her violent temper, but Kala confidently accepted the arrangement.

After a century of cultivation, Jie Ning considered sending his Life God Avatar to the Life Supreme Plane, while Arannis and his adopted daughter Serina became gods. As Serina prepared to search for Anton, the Bana Continent's Teleportation Array began to glow, and Jie Ning's avatars reacted grimly.

• Over a hundred years, Jie Ning and his companions advanced their cultivation, and Jie Ning's Death God Avatar became a Middle-God.
• Jie Ning judged that his Earth God Avatar was nearing power comparable to a Five-star Demon and decided to send his Life God Avatar to the Life Supreme Plane.
• Fifty years earlier, the Tree of Light gave birth to Serina, and Jie Ning and Arannis adopted her as their daughter.
• Jie Ning welcomed Arannis and Serina after they became gods, and Serina said she wanted to find her brother Anton.
• The Teleportation Array on the Bana Continent began glowing, and Jie Ning's two Divine Avatars opened their eyes with grim expressions.

Jie Ning faced Stan Bowen, a Highgod from Hell who challenged him to a fight after arriving through the Teleportation Array. Jie Ning escaped Stan’s Earth Fortress using specially cultivated Seeds, but their battle continued above the West Sea.

• Jie Ning hurried away with Arannis and Serina after receiving alarming news, while his Life God Avatar and Death God Avatar waited near the Teleportation Array.
• Stan Bowen emerged from the array, identified Jie Ning’s opposing Life and Death Divine Avatars, and challenged him to fight.
• Jie Ning led Stan west over the sea, where Stan trapped the two Avatars separately inside an Earth Fortress and filled it with Mud Puppet Soldiers.
• Jie Ning realized the Mud Golems stopped appearing when he avoided damaging the fortress, then scattered Seeds that absorbed its earth divine power and caused it to collapse.
• Stan drew a hammer and attacked Jie Ning, whose two Avatars split apart and struck back from both sides.

Jie Ning fought Stan, a powerful visitor from a Supreme Plane, and discovered Stan was connected to the four Overgods who once descended on the Bana Continent. After they stopped fighting, Stan gave Jie Ning a jar of Sovereign's Might, and Jie Ning invited him to the Hall of Life.

• Stan’s defenses withstood Jie Ning’s Life and Death God Avatar attacks, so Jie Ning made their divine powers collide and explode to escape Stan’s gravity-bound hammer.
• Stan survived the blast using a Sovereign Artifact and ended the fight, revealing that he also carried a Soul Defense Divine Artifact.
• Jie Ning told Stan he had another Divine Avatar in a Supreme Plane, and Stan explained that his father was Progenitor God Xuanwu and his elders were Progenitor Gods Qinglong, Zhuque, and Baihu.
• Jie Ning invited Stan to his residence, and Stan accepted while giving him a jar filled with Sovereign's Might.
• Jie Ning’s true body stopped Arannis and Serina from continuing onward and told them to return to the Hall of Life and prepare a meal for his close friend.

During a banquet, Stan explained how Sovereigns became Overgods and why the Four Divine Beasts were losing faith in the Bana Continent. He persuaded Jie Ning to establish their church, then departed after it was founded, leaving Jie Ning to reckon with the bargain and their unequal friendship.

• Stan told Jie Ning that Highgods could become Overgods through Sovereign Sparks, while Faith Power helped Overgods grow stronger.
• Stan explained that some Overgods had founded religions and suppressed the Four Divine Beasts’ elemental systems, cutting into their faith.
• Stan asked Jie Ning to establish a Four Divine Beasts Church on the Bana Continent, and Jie Ning agreed despite sensing the pressure behind Stan’s offer.
• A few days later, Jie Ning reached an agreement with Fire God Gru, and a month later the Bana Continent established the church with Gru as its pontiff.
• Two months later, Stan left the Bana Continent after promising to visit Jie Ning again with gifts, and Jie Ning reflected that he was Stan’s friend only while he remained weaker.

Jie Ning decided to warn the Blade Army’s Overgod that the Four Divine Beasts had claimed his home Material Plane. Dibo believed the report offered him cover to spread Fire Element magic, so he ordered Gould to send the Blade Army to other Material Planes while avoiding any existing Overgod faith.

• Jie Ning reconsidered his position after receiving Stan’s Sovereign’s Might and decided he needed to prevent a conflict between the Four Divine Beasts and the Blade Army’s Overgod.
• Jie Ning told Beile that an Overgod’s Envoy had appeared in his hometown, and Beile took him to meet Army Lord Gould.
• Jie Ning reported that the envoy had established a temple for the Four Divine Beasts and forbidden worship of other Overgods, so Gould brought him to meet Dibo.
• Dibo confirmed that the envoy served the Four Divine Beasts and decided their presence could draw attention away from his own efforts to spread faith.
• Dibo gave Gould Sovereign’s Might to activate a Teleportation Array and ordered the Blade Army to spread Fire Element magic only in Material Planes without an established Overgod faith.