Chapter Summaries

At Mo Huihuang’s farewell, Tang Mingyue presented Song Ankang’s poem Man Jiang Hong, which moved Mo Huihuang, the Emperor of Xia Kingdom, and the gathered soldiers. The poem raised the soldiers’ fighting spirit, while Tang Mingyue admired her brother-in-law’s supposed poetic genius and regretted not competing with her sister for him.

• Mo Huihuang praised the poem Tang Mingyue had given him as the finest Battle Poetry since ancient times and thanked her for it.
• The Emperor of Xia Kingdom read Man Jiang Hong, praised its value to the Human Race, and said poetry deserved greater attention.
• The Emperor passed the poem around, and the gathering reacted to its calls to fight Demonic Creatures and Ghosts.
• Man Jiang Hong stirred the soldiers’ morale, while Mo Huihuang became emotional and Tang Mingyue thought of Song Ankang and regretted not pursuing him.
• The narration revealed that Song Ankang’s poetic skill was actually poor and that he could only think of mundane modern verses.

Song Ankang reached the Eight Yang Body after receiving feedback from the Boy Demonic Cultivation Technique. Meanwhile, Tang Mingyue celebrated the fame Man Jiang Hong brought her, and Tang Liuli secretly encouraged her to pursue its author before reacting in shock to something Tang Mingyue said.

• Song Ankang received feedback that strengthened his cultivation and aptitude, forming the rudiment of an eighth sun and completing his Eight Yang Body.
• Tang Mingyue returned to the Tang Family Mansion delighted that Man Jiang Hong had won praise from the Imperial Court and spread throughout Xia Kingdom.
• Tang Liuli urged Tang Mingyue to interact more with the poem's author, privately concealing that she knew he was Song Ankang.
• Tang Mingyue explained how great Masters of Poetry could inspire the Human Race and affect war, while Tang Liuli listened eagerly because she admired her brother-in-law.
• Tang Mingyue said something that made Tang Liuli leap up and demand to know whether it was true.

Song Ankang improved his Eight Yang Body at Anxuan Residence while Man Jiang Hong made him famous throughout Kyoto and the Xia Kingdom. Tang Liuli urged Tang Mingyue to pursue him as an Equal Wife, and Mingyue began to consider her growing feelings for her brother-in-law.

• Song Ankang planned to relax and improve his strength at Anxuan Residence after benefiting from the Eight Yang Body.
• Tang Mingyue told Tang Liuli that the new army had been named the Mountain River Army after Man Jiang Hong and that officials planned to use the lyric for other legions.
• Tang Liuli urged Tang Mingyue to secure a place as Song Ankang's Equal Wife before other families sought him out.
• Tang Mingyue reflected on Song Ankang's literary and martial talents and realized he had taken a large place in her heart.
• Tang Liuli promised that someone would help if another marriage proposal, like the one from Pingyao King's Mansion, threatened them.

Song Ankang noticed that Tang Liuli and Tang Mingyue were visiting him more often while the Tang Family’s rapid expansion drew growing opposition. The Ou Family questioned whether the Tang Family truly had a Golden Core Invincible ancestor and planned to pressure it alongside other factions to test the claim.

• Song Ankang observed that Tang Liuli and Tang Mingyue increasingly visited Huanxiang Residence, and he adjusted his routines to avoid Tang Yelan’s schedule.
• The Tang Family’s seizure of businesses and resources angered rival forces, which began obstructing it and demanding proof of its Golden Core Invincible ancestor.
• Ou Mingzhi asked Ou Changyuan what the Sun Patrol Division had learned about the Tang Family’s ancestor.
• Ou Changyuan reported that the Sun Patrol Division had never seen the ancestor and argued that the evidence for his existence was uncertain and contradictory.
• Ou Changyuan told Ou Mingzhi he had contacted dozens of factions to pressure the Tang Family and see whether its supposed ancestor would intervene.

The Tang Family faced growing pressure as the Ou Family and other forces questioned whether its Golden Core Invincible Ancestor truly supported it. Tang Yelan learned that Tang Zhijia could not reach the Ancestor, while Tang Liuli suspected he was simply ignoring the First Elder.

• The Ou Family poached the Qingtie Forest Weaver Girls and, after investigating the Tang Family, helped spread doubts about its Golden Core Invincible Ancestor.
• More than a dozen forces delayed handing over promised resources, distanced themselves from the Tang Family, and spread claims that its Ancestor had left.
• Tang Yelan asked Tang Zhijia to have the Ancestor show himself, but he admitted he had received no response after trying to contact him.
• Tang Yelan asked Tang Zhijia to keep contacting the Ancestor and left to seek another solution.
• Tang Liuli told Tang Yelan that Brother-in-law had seemed unbusy when she visited, and suspected he was ignoring Tang Zhijia.

Tang Liuli visited Song Ankang to report threats against the Tang Family and learned that he planned to let their enemies reveal themselves before dealing with them. Their conversation turned to her attempts to act coquettishly, which Song Ankang rejected until she pointed out that he seemed to enjoy that behavior from courtesans.

• Tang Liuli left the Tang Family Mansion and found Song Ankang in the White Jade Tower study to tell him that forces were threatening the Tang Family.
• Song Ankang explained that he was letting the threats grow so he could draw out more enemies before sweeping them up, and Tang Liuli offered to record their names.
• Tang Liuli praised Song Ankang for punishing Tang Zhijia and other elders, then said she wished she could slap them too.
• Song Ankang objected to Tang Liuli's newly coquettish manner and learned that Cao Yingying had been teaching her how to act that way.
• Tang Liuli reminded Song Ankang that she had seen him embrace and kiss courtesans who spoke coyly, leaving him confronted with her accusation.

As opposition to the Tang Family grew, Song Ankang decided to confront the faction behind the alliance and infiltrated the Ou Family estate. He subdued Ou Mingzhi and demanded three million Low-grade Spirit Stones in compensation.

• Song Ankang drove his sister-in-law out of the White Jade Mulberry Forest, then welcomed Dong Xinjie into his study.
• More factions joined the opposition to the Tang Family, which lost much of its tribute income as rumors about its ancestor spread.
• Song Ankang used Tang Liuli's list to target the Ou Family, which had initiated the Prober's Alliance and Opposition Alliance.
• Song Ankang infiltrated the Ou Family estate with the Black Luo Bell and subdued Ou Mingzhi in his bedroom.
• Song Ankang revealed himself as the Tang Family's ancestor and demanded three million Low-grade Spirit Stones from Ou Mingzhi as compensation.

Song Ankang punished forty-four individuals and forces that had targeted the Tang Family, collecting nearly twenty million Low-grade Spirit Stones and establishing the family’s prestige. Tang Zhijia and Tang Yelan discussed the ancestor’s intervention as the Tang Family’s influence rose, while expecting the Sun Patrol Division and Night Watch Division to approach him again.

• Song Ankang forced Ou Mingzhi to pay three million Low-grade Spirit Stones, then compelled Ma Taliang to pay five million and extorted the Shang Family and other offenders.
• Song Ankang dealt with all forty-four individuals and forces within days, collecting treasures and resources worth nearly twenty million Low-grade Spirit Stones.
• News of Song Ankang’s punishments spread, discouraging other forces from joining the Prober's Alliance and the Anti-Tang Family Alliance and sparking conflict among the punished groups.
• The Tang Family’s prestige and resources surged, and several hundred forces sought to befriend it after Song Ankang’s strength was confirmed.
• Tang Yelan praised the ancestor’s intervention, while Tang Zhijia concealed that he had not received any message from him.
• Tang Yelan told Tang Zhijia that the Sun Patrol Division and Night Watch Division would likely try to recruit the ancestor again.

Song Ankang rewarded Tang Liuli for helping him defeat the Tang Family’s enemies, then continued his cultivation and broke through to the Eighth Turn Golden Core. The chapter left him at a higher level of strength.

• Tang Liuli congratulated Song Ankang on wiping out the Tang Family’s enemies and asked for a share of his gains.
• Song Ankang gave Tang Liuli a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones and a hundred Nourishing Origin Pills, and she thanked him while massaging his shoulders.
• Song Ankang told Tang Liuli that his plundered resources and treasures were worth a little over ten million Low-grade Spirit Stones.
• Song Ankang visited Dong Xinjie, returned to Huanxiang Residence, and spent the night with Qiushi.
• Song Ankang gathered his Childhood Purity True Qi and broke through the bottleneck to reach the Eighth Turn Golden Core.

After reaching the Eighth Turn Golden Core realm, Song Ankang considered the Sacred Heart Manual as the technique he would use to advance into the seventh rank. Its slow cultivation and dangerous side effects suited him because the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance could transform them into advantages, but he had not yet begun cultivating it.

• Song Ankang stabilized his Eighth Turn Golden Core cultivation, and his strength, spiritual will, constitution, and aptitude improved.
• Song Ankang chose the Sacred Heart Manual, a comprehensive Human Race spiritual and soul-refining divine manual, as his intended seventh-rank technique.
• Song Ankang learned that the Sacred Heart Art’s layers took progressively longer to cultivate, making its highest levels nearly impossible for most Human Race Divine Beings to reach.
• Song Ankang realized the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance could turn the manual’s slow progress and harmful side effects into benefits for him.
• Song Ankang considered using the Sea Absorbing Sacred Heart Curse to absorb enemies’ true soul power and memories without suffering its usual corruption.

Song Ankang continued advancing his cultivation and strengthened his techniques before the Tang Family First Courtyard tried to take over Song’s Workshop. He punished its cultivators and blamed the attack on an enemy seeking revenge, leaving the First Courtyard’s members afraid to stay.

• Song Ankang chose the Sacred Heart Manual for his future soul-refining cultivation and made rapid progress as his Soul Seizing Technique and Blood Thunder Technique reached great accomplishment.
• The Tang Family First Courtyard tried to reclaim Song’s Workshop, despite Tang Yelan having established it as Song Ankang’s personal property.
• After Tang Liuli told him about the scheme, Song Ankang stormed the First Courtyard and beat its cultivators and stewards, leaving them unable to get out of bed for three months.
• Song Ankang left a message claiming an enemy of the Tang Family was retaliating over Tang Quanli’s offenses and warning that the First Courtyard would face further attacks.
• The next morning, members of the First Courtyard blamed Tang Quanli and began discussing leaving for the Second Courtyard.

The Tang Family First Courtyard lost most of its members to the Second and Third Courtyards after Song Ankang’s retaliation, while Great Elder Tang Zhijia failed to get help from the family’s Golden Core Invincible ancestor. Song Ankang continued advancing his strength with spirit pills and discovered something unexpected as his spiritual power surpassed its limits.

• Most of the First Courtyard’s members joined the Second and Third Courtyards, and Tang Yelan welcomed them into the Second Courtyard.
• Great Elder Tang Zhijia sought help from the Tang Family’s Golden Core Invincible ancestor, but Song Ankang ignored him as Tang Liuli mocked him.
• The depleted First Courtyard abandoned its plan to seize Song’s Workshop, while Tang Quanli’s children and grandchildren blamed him for their troubles.
• Song Ankang used half-ruined Hundred Refinement Pills, True Essence Pills, and other resources to push his physical qualities and spiritual will to their limits.
• Song Ankang used the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance to expand his spiritual power beyond its limits and made a tremendous discovery.

Song Ankang strengthened his spiritual power and cultivated his Golden Core while preparing for the Spirit Refining Great Realm. After sensing all ten True Soul Seeds, he delayed his breakthrough again to wait for the tenth pattern of his Yin-Yang Golden Core to fully emerge.

• Song Ankang realized that his powerful spiritual energy let him sense a True Soul Seed before breaking through, so he chose to raise his spiritual power until he could sense all ten.
• Over the next half year, Song Ankang focused on breaking his spiritual limits while continuing to improve his other abilities.
• Song Ankang's body surpassed the level of an Eighth-Rank High-Grade Spiritual Artifact, and his true qi exceeded Golden Core Nine Revolutions.
• After Song Ankang cultivated a Nine Yang Body, his Childhood Golden Core became an Ultimate Yin Ultimate Yang Childhood Golden Core with immense power.
• Song Ankang sensed all ten True Soul Seeds but postponed his breakthrough because a tenth pattern was emerging on his Golden Core.

Song Ankang’s influence and the Tang Family’s power continued to grow while his close companions advanced in cultivation. As summer ended, his Ultimate Yin Ultimate Yang Childhood Golden Core completed its tenth revolution, and its ten patterns began to merge.

• The Tang Family prospered under the protection of Song Ankang’s Golden Core Invincible reputation, while he collected his share of its profits and refused to interfere in ordinary business disputes.
• Tang Yelan advanced to the Qi Nourishing Stage with Song Ankang’s help, while Qiushi, Peng Xuan’er, and Dong Xinjie rose rapidly through his baptisms; Tang Mingyue and Tang Liuli progressed more slowly.
• As summer drew to a close, Song Ankang went to the Training Room after pushing the Boy Demonic Cultivation Technique to its limit to prepare for another wave of feedback.
• The feedback completed the tenth pattern on Song Ankang’s Ultimate Yin Ultimate Yang Childhood Golden Core, which expanded to three cubic meters and surpassed other Golden Cores in power and purity.
• The Golden Core’s ten patterns began to merge into one, and Song Ankang watched the change with grave attention.

Song Ankang gained the Size As You Wish divine ability after reaching Golden Core Ten Revolutions and prepared to break through to the Spirit Refining Great Realm. He left himself ready to challenge the perilous breakthrough after spending his wealth on pills that raised his chances of success and survival.

• Song Ankang fused the ten golden core patterns and gained the Size As You Wish divine ability, which let him alter his size and trade strength for speed.
• Song Ankang decided not to test himself against gods or reveal his identity, choosing instead to keep developing his strength.
• Song Ankang assessed the three dangerous trials involved in breaking through to the Spirit Refining Great Realm and judged his chances of success to be below seventy percent.
• Song Ankang spent all his resources on Spirit Pills for assistance and survival, raising his estimated success chance to around ninety percent before preparing to challenge the bottleneck.

Song Ankang began the second life-and-death hurdle of advancing to the Divine Realm by using the Sacred Heart Art to burn his spiritual power and assimilate his ten True Soul Seeds. His formidable foundation let him unexpectedly condense his soul with ease, and he prepared to face the third hurdle.

• Song Ankang used the Sacred Heart Art to burn his spiritual power and release Quasi-Saint Soul Power toward his ten True Soul Seeds.
• The True Soul Seeds devoured the power and grew as Song Ankang carefully controlled the flames and used the Netherworld Divine Eye to monitor his condition.
• After assimilating nearly all of the ten seeds, Song Ankang attempted to test their repulsion, but they merged into a tiny soul and completed Soul Condensation.
• Song Ankang realized he had passed the second life-and-death hurdle far more easily than expected, thanks to his deep foundation.
• Song Ankang began preparing for the third life-and-death hurdle.

Song Ankang completed the breakthrough into the Spirit Refining Great Realm, condensing his Quasi-True Soul into a powerful Sacred Heart True Soul. He then began tempering his body with the power of heaven and earth, and a crack signaled that his physical constitution had reached a new level.

• Song Ankang burned his remaining spiritual power to strengthen his Quasi-True Soul until it stood three inches tall.
• Song Ankang sensed a fleeting opportunity and drew down the power of heaven and earth, compressing his Quasi-True Soul before dispersing the force to prevent it from collapsing.
• Song Ankang achieved the Spirit Refining Great Realm, gaining a highly condensed Sacred Heart True Soul and the ability to draw upon the power of heaven and earth.
• Song Ankang stabilized his Sacred Heart True Soul and used the Sacred Heart Art to temper his body with the power of heaven and earth.
• Song Ankang heard a crack within his body and abruptly opened his eyes as his physical constitution advanced to a new level.

After reaching the Spirit Refining Great Realm, Song Ankang’s body became a Divine Artifact and his strength rose enough to rival Mid Gods. He investigated the Human Race’s circumstances and discovered that drought, famine, and escalating invasions had brought the race to the brink of danger.

• Song Ankang’s body advanced to the strength of a Seventh-Rank Low-Grade Divine Artifact, and the power of heaven and earth compressed and strengthened his Childhood Golden Core.
• Song Ankang spent several days adapting to his increased strength and integrating his martial arts secret techniques while keeping his breakthrough secret, even from Tang Liuli.
• Song Ankang realized that he needed to understand the Human Race’s situation now that he had become one of its powerful protectors.
• Song Ankang used his concealment abilities to investigate Kyoto and infiltrate important grounds of the Sun Patrol Division and Night Watch Division.
• Song Ankang learned that a severe drought had caused famine and millions of deaths, while the Angel Race and Merman Race continued their invasions and the Human Race’s war fronts faced imminent collapse.

Song Ankang learned that drought and war had left the Human Race dangerously understaffed, with even Kyoto’s gods and protectors wounded or away fighting. He decided to keep his strength hidden while cautiously hunting weaker Demonic Creatures and Ghosts, leaving stronger foes alone for now.

• Song Ankang learned that most Human Race gods and forces were defending border fiefs or fighting the Angel Race and Merman Race, leaving little protection within the kingdom.
• He realized the Sun Patrol Division and Night Watch Division had lacked experts to protect the Tang Family because their personnel were stretched across the frontlines and demon attacks.
• Song Ankang discovered that even the gods guarding Kyoto had been injured while battling powerful Demonic Creatures and Ghosts.
• Song Ankang gave up on showing off his newly gained Divine Realm strength and chose to keep cultivating in secret.
• Song Ankang resolved to hunt weaker Ninth Rank and Eighth Rank Demonic Creatures and Ghosts, while avoiding dangerous gods and stronger enemies.

After exhausting his wealth to reach the Seventh Grade Divine Realm, Song Ankang cultivated Spirit Control and prepared to enslave Demonic Creatures and Ghosts for information and resources. He targeted the Pen Immortal haunting Qu Shu Lou, where four Golden Core Nine Revolutions Great True Persons had gathered to confront it.

• Song Ankang, having sold nearly all his possessions, decided to hunt Demonic Creatures and Ghosts for resources while protecting the Human Race.
• Song Ankang cultivated the Seventh-Rank High-Grade Demonic Path Secret Technique Spirit Control, whose Imperial Order could enslave Demonic Creatures and Ghosts.
• Song Ankang adapted to his new strength and soon reached Minor Accomplishment in Spirit Control.
• Four Great Families sent He Yingyan, Wang Xin Jing, Li Yanyan, and Liang Jingyan to investigate the deaths at Qu Shu Lou.
• He Yingyan and the others learned that the anomaly haunting Qu Shu Lou was likely the Pen Immortal's true body, perhaps exposed because it was nearing advancement.