Chapter Summaries

General Xiong led thirty thousand elite Holy Dynasty soldiers into battle against the Snake Demon Army as the Flood Dragon’s revival shook Cloud Ridge. A wounded cultivator crashed into a poor boy’s wheat field, but the boy killed him rather than trust his offer of inheritance.

• General Xiong accepted the Old Eunuch’s assurance that reinforcements would arrive, then led his troops against the Snake Demon Soldiers and forced his old rival, the Red Robe Official, to remain at the battlefield.
• The Snake Demon Soldiers held their ground against the far larger Holy Dynasty army while the first unit established defenses and recovered its dead.
• The Flood Dragon’s fusion advanced, its heart began beating, and a spreading current shook the mountains and stirred storm clouds.
• A badly wounded Aristocratic Clan cultivator fell into a wheat field, burying much of the skinny boy’s crop.
• The cultivator offered the boy his cultivation method and pills, then asked him to pull out the saber in his chest.
• Remembering the village chief’s warning about free gifts, the boy twisted the saber and killed the cultivator.

A starving village boy looted a dead cultivator’s belongings and struggled to claim the cultivator’s blade, whose Baleful Intent had repeatedly overwhelmed him. After praying to the Dragon Empress to protect his village and avenge his parents, he successfully drew the blade, while a Snake Demon Soldier in the distant battle lost her connection to it.

• The boy tried to make sure the fallen cultivator was dead, then hacked at the corpse and stripped off its clothes, boots, jewelry, and other possessions.
• The boy found pills in a brocade pouch and swallowed them, briefly reliving a tender memory of his mother before realizing night had fallen.
• The boy repeatedly tried to take the blade, but its Baleful Intent overwhelmed him each time.
• Desperate to protect the village and avenge his parents, the boy kowtowed toward the Dragon Empress Temple and prayed for the weapon.
• Bai Yujun’s eyes flashed deep inside Sky Pillar Peak, and the boy took hold of the blade without being rejected and pulled it free.
• A Snake Demon Soldier in the Snake Demon Army realized she had lost her connection to the straight blade.

The Red Robe Official forced local Lineages and sects into battle as the Saint Dynasty struggled against the Snake Demon Soldiers at Cloud Ridge. A Purple Robe Elder arrived, began pouring reinforcements through a teleportation array, and prepared the human race to fight as a massive Snake Demon fleet appeared.

• The Red Robe Official ordered small Lineages and Rogue Cultivators to charge the ridge, then sent additional Lineages and sects against the Snake Demon Soldiers.
• A silver flying vessel arrived carrying ten immortals, who began constructing an enormous teleportation array while the Purple Robe Elder took command.
• The Purple Robe Elder explained that more Snake Demon forces might arrive and declared that the human race had to strengthen itself and fight rather than rely on immortal gods.
• Tens of thousands of Saint Dynasty soldiers, warships, and equipment emerged through the completed teleportation array.
• A super Metal Warship and more than ten escort ships appeared beyond Cloud Ridge, and Qiao Jin ordered twenty thousand Snake Demon Soldiers to deploy.
• The Flood Dragon stopped Merging Earth Vein and reinforced the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range.

General Xiong withdrew with his surviving troops while the Snake Demon Army surrounded the Yunling Dragon Vein, and local cultivators feared what the war and the Human Emperor might bring. In the Human Saint Dynasty’s capital, Zi Jie ordered mysterious feather-cloaked figures to capture the Flood Dragon alive, agreeing to their demand for resources before insulting them and driving them from court.

• General Xiong brought his remaining soldiers to the rear, secretly welcoming his losses as a chance to claim rewards and avoid future battles.
• The Yunling Dragon Vein restorers watched the Snake Demon Army seal off the ridge, and several cultivators worried that the Human Emperor might kill the Flood Dragon or threaten humanity.
• The officials and Mysterious Persons in the Human Saint Dynasty’s capital observed the Snake Demon Army and the Flood Dragon through a bronze mirror.
• Human Emperor Zi Jie restrained his desire to lead the expedition himself and ordered the feather-cloaked Mysterious Persons to capture the Flood Dragon alive.
• The Mysterious Persons demanded resources for the operation, and Zi Jie agreed before mocking them; they left the hall in anger.

Feng Ying and Rain sheltered from a battle between the Sacred Dynasty and the Snake Demon Soldiers, then tried to save a wounded Snake Demon Soldier who died in their arms. They saw her spirit rise in a Light Pillar and realized the Snake Demon Soldiers’ dead returned to the heavens, unlike the Sacred Dynasty’s fallen.

• Feng Ying and Rain hid behind a boulder as the battle raged and learned from a ghost that the opposing army consisted of Snake Demon Soldiers who returned to the heavens after death.
• Feng Ying and Rain discussed the suffering caused by war and hoped the Chaotic Times would end so they could return to their former lives.
• At dawn, Feng Ying’s Rusty Saber warned her and Rain to duck as saber qi split the boulder and five Sacred Dynasty soldiers landed nearby.
• A wounded female Snake Demon Soldier killed the five soldiers, then collapsed; Feng Ying and Rain tried to treat her but she died after they opened her visor.
• A Light Pillar carried the Snake Demon Soldier’s translucent spirit into the sky, and Rain recognized the process as resembling the Heavenly Court’s way of returning dead soldiers for rebirth.

The Saint Dynasty’s army suffered catastrophic losses against the Snake Demon Army, while the Purple Robe Elder feared the battle would expose the dynasty’s weakness. A secret imperial decree promised that True Immortal Attendants would rout the snake demons and ordered the capture of the Flood Dragon.

• Human soldiers sacrificed themselves to break the Golden Shield Wall and overwhelm isolated Snake Demon Soldiers, while both armies suffered heavy casualties through the night.
• The Purple Robe Elder learned that the Saint Dynasty had lost nearly seventy thousand soldiers and thirty-two warships, while the Snake Demon Army had lost just over twelve hundred soldiers.
• A Ministry of War official suggested summoning the Saint Dynasty’s newly established legion, but the Purple Robe Elder said the court would find another solution.
• A secret letter arrived by Teleportation Array, and the Purple Robe Elder announced that True Immortal Attendants would sweep away the snake demons before the army sealed the earth veins and captured the Flood Dragon.

The Saint Dynasty and Snake Demon armies halted their battle when four Mysterious Feathered People and four Half-Dragon People arrived to face off. Negotiations began with the Snake Demon Immortal General accusing the Saint Dynasty of attacking its deity, then handing the dispute to the Half-Dragon People.

• The Saint Dynasty’s teleportation array brought four Mysterious Feathered People to the battlefield, prompting the Snake Demon Commander to withdraw and form a defensive stronghold.
• Feng Ying and Yu watched from hiding as the armies disengaged and the Mysterious Feathered People ignored the Saint Dynasty officials who greeted them.
• Four Half-Dragon People arrived from the Snake Demon warship, and the Purple Robe Elder realized the battle’s outcome was uncertain.
• The Mysterious Feathered People demanded to know whether the Snake Demon side intended to negotiate, and the Snake Demon Immortal General came forward with the Half-Dragon People.
• The Snake Demon Immortal General accused the Saint Dynasty of being evil fiends and claimed the Flood Dragon was an officially registered divine general whose territory included Cloud Ridge.
• The Snake Demon Immortal General left the remaining negotiations to the four Half-Dragon People and returned to the army formation.

The four Half-Dragon People fought the four Mysterious Feathered Persons, breaking their fire-element Wutong Tree manifestation and overwhelming them with coordinated attacks. The battle ended without deaths, and the demon immortal general said one final contest remained before the war ended.

• The four Half-Dragon People used synchronized saber strikes to shatter the Mysterious Feathered Persons' Wutong Tree manifestation and disperse the fiery haze.
• The Half-Dragon People charged into close combat, using teamwork to pressure the four youths and exploit one becoming separated from his companions.
• The leading Mysterious Feathered Person stopped his endangered companion from revealing his true form, and the youth survived the coordinated attack by relying on his defensive treasure.
• The Mysterious Feathered Persons' treasure unleashed blazing fire that forced the Half-Dragon People to retreat, after which both sides ended the fight.
• The demon immortal general watched the troops continue to arrive through the Teleportation Array and declared that one final contest remained.

The Cloud Ridge Mountain Range’s earth vein recovered faster as the blood of fallen soldiers fueled its restoration, bringing storms and rain to the drought-stricken land. A girl intercepted an assassination attempt on the Flood Dragon and drove off the attacker, while the rival armies remained at a standoff in the rain.

• The Snake Demon Army commander and the old man in purple robes realized that the bloodshed was accelerating the earth vein’s recovery and that the deaths might be a sacrifice tied to the dragon vein scheme.
• Dark clouds gathered over the drought-stricken region, frightening the thin boy and the villagers as lightning and thunder began.
• A pale-red sword struck toward the Yunling Dragon Vein, but a girl appeared, blocked it with an imitation dragon spear, and sealed it inside a Lightning Ball.
• The middle-aged man in splendid robes recognized the girl as an Innate Deity, conceded defeat, and vanished with the four youths, abandoning his sword.
• Rain fell across the region, delighting the thin boy, villagers, cultivators, and demons as the armies of both sides continued facing one another.

Zi Jie ordered the Sacred Dynasty to send massive reinforcements against the Snake Demon Army after its defeat, forcing the great clans to provide troops. As the reluctant recruits arrived at Cloud Ridge, they saw the battlefield’s wreckage and learned from a weary soldier not to fight alone.

• Zi Jie rejected surrender and ordered five hundred thousand garrison troops from each of three provinces and ten thousand cultivators from every great clan to join the campaign.
• The ministers hurried home to select clan members, while a Strange Girl bought up healing pills and resold them at triple the price before vanishing.
• Before dawn, the clans sent their chosen members through the Imperial Capital’s Teleportation Arrays to Cloud Ridge.
• A young collateral descendant arrived in old armor and saw damaged warships, bloodstained wreckage, and carts full of ruined equipment.
• A weary soldier told the young man not to force himself or fight alone as more troops and warships arrived beneath the storm-dark sky.

Lu Mou and the Saint Dynasty representatives met with Qing Zhi aboard a Snake Demon warship after the Snake Demon Army’s sudden arrival at Cloud Ridge alarmed the Human Saint Dynasty. The meeting began amid tensions over the war and the humans who served the Snake Demon Empire.

• The Snake Demon Army sent five hundred thousand recruits to Cloud Ridge, and the arrival of its warships frightened the Saint Dynasty officials into suspecting an invasion.
• Lu Mou accepted an invitation to meet Qing Zhi and traveled through the clouds with representatives of the Saint Dynasty’s Aristocratic Clans.
• Lu Mou led the nervous delegation aboard the Snake Demon warship, where Qing Zhi welcomed them and arranged a meeting in Hangar Two.
• Saint Dynasty guards accused three human workers of betraying humanity, but the workers defended their lives in the empire, and a Black Bear demon immortal warned the guards off.
• Lu Mou and Qing Zhi sat down with their delegations and began their conversation.

Qing Zhi negotiated with Governor Lu and the Saint Dynasty representatives, revealing that the Snake Demon Empire’s goal was to protect the spirit flood dragon until it merged with the dragon vein. The talks eased tensions as both sides accepted a face-saving path toward limited fighting, and Old Man Lu prepared the Lineage representatives for battle the next day.

• Qing Zhi confronted Old Man Lu over the Saint Dynasty’s troop buildup and revealed that the Snake Demon Empire had deployed another five hundred thousand troops.
• Qing Zhi said the Empire would withdraw once the spirit flood dragon merged with the dragon vein, while Old Man Lu avoided directly addressing the dragon vein and insisted the Saint Dynasty would not abandon its territory.
• A former Heavenly Court official explained the sides’ real aims to Qing Zhi, who understood that the Saint Dynasty wanted to preserve face while the Empire wanted to train recruits.
• Qing Zhi reassured the representatives that the newly deployed troops were recruits and that the Empire’s twenty thousand elite soldiers would protect the spirit flood dragon, easing the talks.
• Old Man Lu returned to the Saint Dynasty’s ship and told the Lineage representatives to keep the negotiations secret and follow the rules during the battle scheduled for the next day.

As the Human Saint Dynasty and the Snake Demon Army prepared for a massive battle, a poor village boy fled the battlefield and encountered a mysterious merchant. The Strange Girl opened her Myriad Realms General Store and displayed a bewildering array of goods, while the boy sensed that her paper umbrella was the real treasure.

• The Human Saint Dynasty deployed over seven hundred thousand troops against the Snake Demon Army, which prepared one hundred thousand soldiers for the battle.
• A skinny boy watched Flying Devices pass through a valley, then decided to return to his village and seek the Dragon Empress's protection.
• The boy stopped at a river to fill his waterskin and was startled by a beautiful Strange Girl who appeared behind him.
• The Strange Girl offered him cultivation manuals, but learned that he could not read and set up her Myriad Realms General Store instead.
• The Strange Girl displayed weapons, medicine, poisons, a flying boat, and other goods, while the boy's intuition fixed on a paper umbrella.

The Strange Girl traded a newly made paper umbrella to a skinny boy in exchange for his promise to speak one heartfelt sentence when he fulfilled his destiny. After visiting the Flood Dragon in the Yunling Dragon Vein, she left the battlefield as Snake Demon forces launched a surprise attack on the Saint Dynasty fleet.

• The skinny boy offered his scavenged treasures and saber for the umbrella, and the Strange Girl agreed to trade it for a future sentence from him.
• The skinny boy accepted the bargain, received the umbrella, and traded his remaining odds and ends for useful goods before the Strange Girl packed up and vanished.
• The Strange Girl visited the Flood Dragon at the Yunling Dragon Vein, and they discussed their awakened self-awareness and plans to transform into dragons.
• More than ten thousand Snake Demon Flying Mechs descended through the storm clouds and slipped past Saint Dynasty patrol ships.
• The Snake Demon leader emerged among the undefended Saint Dynasty fleet and dove toward a large warship.

The Snake Demon Empire ambushed the Sacred Dynasty fleet, overwhelming its forces in a brutal boarding battle and forcing a retreat. After witnessing the defeat, Old Man Lu warned the officials and Aristocratic Clan representatives to change their tactics and remove incompetent commanders.

• Strange Flying Devices struck the Sacred Dynasty warships, plunging its central army into chaos as Snake Demon warships broke through the battle line.
• Snake Demon Soldiers boarded the Sacred Dynasty ships and slaughtered their crews while veterans struggled to organize a defense.
• A Sacred Dynasty veteran fired an energy weapon into a melee of both armies, killing soldiers on both sides before a Snake Demon Army Mecha Puppet destroyed the weapon and killed the defenders.
• A Sacred Dynasty commander ordered his crew to destroy the ship's formation core and ram the Snake Demon warships, but the enemy vessels evaded it as the ship fell apart.
• Less than an hour after the fighting began, the Sacred Dynasty retreated and the Snake Demon Army stopped its attack to recover soldiers, ships, and resources.
• Old Man Lu showed the officials and Aristocratic Clan representatives evidence of the Snake Demon Empire's long war against the Devil Race and ordered them to replace incompetent commanders before sunset.

Gou Wa returned to his village with food and weapons, but the villagers coveted his saber until they discovered that only he could wield it. After offering the saber and a beast heart at the Dragon Empress’s temple, the story shifted to Feng Ying and Yu meeting the Strange Girl, who recognized Feng Ying’s dragon-qi saber and opened her General Store to them.

• Gou Wa returned to the village with a large beast and damaged Magic Tools, while the villagers eyed the straight saber on his back.
• Gou Wa revealed the saber and demonstrated its power, but the villagers who tried to wield it suffered painful backlash.
• Gou Wa pulled the saber free, and a shaft of golden sunlight struck the Dragon Girl statue as the villagers watched him in awe.
• Gou Wa carried the saber and beast heart to the Stone Temple, offered them to the Dragon Empress, and thanked her for her blessing.
• The Strange Girl appeared beneath a Dripping Rock, examined Yu, and recognized dragon qi around the saber Feng Ying carried.
• The Strange Girl brought out her full stock and set up a large General Store beneath the rock for Feng Ying and Yu.

At the General Store beneath Dripping Rock, Feng Ying asked the Strange Girl to restore Yu’s lost memories, but the attempt failed. Feng Ying nevertheless promised to say the sentence the Strange Girl needed, and the girl vanished amid heavenly lightning as a colossal creature emerged in the clouds.

• The Strange Girl demonstrated a Snake Demon Army precision crossbow and offered it to Feng Ying as a gift if she made a purchase.
• Feng Ying asked the Strange Girl to help Yu recover her memories, and the Strange Girl tried but could not see into Yu’s soul.
• The Strange Girl told Feng Ying that an immortal at Sky Pillar Mountain could find her deceased relatives and cure Yu, though the journey would involve wars.
• Feng Ying promised to say the Strange Girl’s needed sentence, explaining that she wanted to help even though their transaction had failed.
• The Strange Girl put away her store, thanked Feng Ying and Yu, and disappeared as lightning struck and a colossal creature appeared within the clouds.

A flood dragon’s tribulation drew armies and immortals into a tense standoff, but the divine generals Yun and Lei prevented a battle. After the dragon succeeded and departed, its auspicious Spirit Rain transformed the barren land, while Feng Ying and Yu watched the renewed landscape.

• The flood dragon’s lightning tribulation swept up soldiers from both armies, and Qing Zhi surrounded the Saint Dynasty forces with warships.
• Mysterious Feathered People and Saint Dynasty Immortal Attendants arrived, followed by the divine generals Yun and Lei, who intimidated both sides and guarded the flood dragon.
• Feng Ying and Yu sheltered from the storm, studied the Mysterious Girl’s crossbow and arm guard, and made a warm place to wait out the three-day tribulation.
• The flood dragon completed its tribulation, became nearly dragon-like, and vanished into the clouds as the immortals returned to their respective realms.
• The dragon’s golden auspicious clouds became Spirit Rain, restoring the barren mountains with grass, saplings, and flowers.
• Feng Ying and Yu emerged to admire the transformed land, while villagers tasted the fresh grass and flowers and wept at the truth of their inherited legends.

Feng Ying and Rain fled after a Human Saint Dynasty warship crashed and Snake Demon Soldiers seized survivors, then searched the devastated battlefield for shelter. They found a village protected by a Stone Temple, but a warning arrow from its wall landed beside them.

• Feng Ying and Rain watched a flaming warship crash into the mountainside, killing many aboard.
• More than twenty Snake Demon Soldiers captured surviving Aristocratic Clan disciples and carried them away.
• Feng Ying and Rain fled the area and encountered a swamp littered with battlefield wreckage and corpses.
• Feng Ying and Rain saw a wounded Human Saint Dynasty general mourning his dead son, then continued looking for shelter.
• Feng Ying and Rain found a village beneath a protected Stone Temple and approached its gate.
• A hunter on the village wall fired a warning arrow that missed Feng Ying and Rain because the wind blew it off course.

Feng Ying and Rain sought shelter from a mountain storm at a village that initially refused to admit them, but the Stone Temple’s flowers prompted the villagers to open the gate. After the women offered food and weapons in exchange for lodging, they settled into a house as the rain intensified.

• Feng Ying and Rain asked to enter the village, but the villagers turned them away because they feared strangers.
• Rain saw an auspicious vision in the clear pond and mountain, while the villagers offered pond water at the Stone Temple.
• Two flowers bloomed beside the Stone Temple, and the old village chief took them as a sign to admit the women.
• Gou Wa followed the villagers to the gate and recalled how the Weapon Spirit was teaching him to read and cultivate through his paper umbrella’s Ink Wash Secret Realm.
• Feng Ying and Rain offered smoked meat, a blade, and a dagger for lodging, and the old village chief welcomed them into the village.
• Gou Wa noticed that his blade feared Feng Ying’s rusty weapon, while lightning and heavy rain closed in after the women settled into a house.