Chapter Summaries

With the Void Faction stalling near the imperial city, Xiao Tianyang and his commanders weighed a risky siege against waiting for the other armies. Xiao Tianyang ordered an attack for the next day, and Yue Fei set the forces and strategy for the assault.

• Yue Fei, Wang Jian, and Li Mu advanced slowly as the enemy yielded territory and used guerrilla tactics.
• Xiao Tianyang arrived at the frontline as the advance stalled near the imperial city, where Yue Fei and the commanders debated waiting for the other armies or attacking the city.
• Xiao Tianyang ordered the army to prepare for battle and attack the imperial city the next day.
• Yue Fei assigned the Big Dipper as the main siege force, the Sun Legion to provide cover, and the Tianwu Dragon Guards to exploit any chance to take the walls.

Yue Fei approved Xie Yue's plan to attack the imperial city, then revised it after learning that Wang Jian and Li Mu had swiftly defeated enemy forces. He ordered Xie Yue to turn all three routes into main assaults while keeping the victorious legions hidden as a reserve.

• Yue Fei accepted Xie Yue's plan because their forces had little time and few alternatives.
• Xie Yue told Hu Liena that Yue Fei had approved the plan, and she advised him to listen carefully when summoned again.
• Yue Fei summoned Xie Yue to the command post, where Yuwen Chengdu and Sky Lion had also gathered.
• Xie Yue read reports describing Wang Jian's and Li Mu's legions defeating large enemy forces in brief engagements.
• Yue Fei ordered Xie Yue to make all three attack routes main assaults and planned to use Wang Jian's and Li Mu's hidden legions when an opportunity arose.

Xiao Tianyang faced Kankuli, Void Empress Belvis, and their allies while trying to stall until his army’s breakthroughs secured victory. After White Robe and Ram Horn took on Jax and the Fire Lord, Belvis wounded Xiao Tianyang and severed his connection to the Void, leaving the Void Blade powerless.

• Xiao Tianyang recognized Kankuli, Void Empress Belvis, and the Fire Lord among the opponents, while Yue Fei’s news of breakthroughs on both flanks gave him reason to stall for time.
• Ram Horn charged the Fire Lord, and White Robe engaged Jax, leaving Xiao Tianyang to face Kankuli and Belvis.
• Xiao Tianyang and Kankuli clashed their weapons, and their attacks sent them both flying while worsening Kankuli’s injuries.
• Belvis ambushed Xiao Tianyang along his retreat and pierced his chest before he healed the wound with Life Energy.
• Belvis sealed Xiao Tianyang’s connection to the Void and attacked with a rain of wing spikes, rendering the Void Blade ineffective.

Yue Fei began the siege while William organized the War God Kingdom’s remaining troops to defend the city. With the two flanks already breached, William accepted that defeat was inevitable and ordered his officers to hold their positions and inflict as much damage as possible.

• After more than ten minutes of fighting between Xiao Tianyang and Kankuli overhead, Yue Fei drew his sword and ordered the siege to begin.
• William assigned Swain and Atalia four thousand elite soldiers each to defend the left and right walls, warning them not to abandon their posts to support him.
• Swain questioned what would happen if the enemy concentrated its forces on the front, and William ordered him to hold to the death without sending reinforcements.
• Atalia suggested killing Xiao Tianyang, but William warned that it would not change the battle’s outcome and could only strengthen the enemy’s resolve.
• Atalia went to his assigned post, while William prepared to inflict losses on Yue Fei’s forces despite believing the battle was already decided.

Xiao Tianyang struggled against Belvis and the injured Kankuli in the sky above the Imperial City, until the seal on his abilities suddenly lifted and he briefly turned the fight around. He chose to stop pursuing Belvis and avoid a desperate fight with Kankuli, relying instead on the ground war and his larger objective.

• Xiao Tianyang assessed how Belvis’s speed and Void-imbued True Damage, together with Kankuli’s attacks, kept him under pressure while White Robe and Ram Horn fought their own opponents.
• Belvis attacked through a deep-purple rift, and Xiao Tianyang broke through it with his blade before she closed in.
• Belvis reacted in alarm when Xiao Tianyang’s seal suddenly lifted, and he struck at her with Extreme of Martial Arts: Severing Sky.
• Kankuli hit Xiao Tianyang with a Golden Spear, interrupting his attack on Belvis.
• Xiao Tianyang decided not to pursue Belvis or engage Kankuli in a fight to the death, choosing to draw things out while the ground war favored his side.

The Tianwu Dynasty captured the Elemental Kingdom’s imperial city after a grueling siege led by Yue Fei, Wang Jian, and Li Mu, while Xiao Tianyang fought Kankuli and his allies overhead. Kankuli withdrew after warning Xiao Tianyang that the Void would retaliate and would not wait for him to grow stronger.

• Wang Jian took command of the western-district assault, and Esdeath and Dongfang Lan secured a foothold on the walls after six hours of fighting.
• Wang Ben broke through the city gates, allowing the Xiao brothers to lead troops into the city, while Wang Jian’s forces captured the northern district.
• Yuwen Chengdu, Xie Yue, and Gui Ya defeated William as the eastern district fell, while Atalia continued resisting Li Cunxiao and the other generals.
• After forty hours of battle, the Tianwu Dynasty captured the imperial city, suffering heavy casualties and losing more than twenty thousand soldiers to exhaustion alone.
• With cannons aimed at them, Kankuli and his allies stopped fighting, and Kankuli warned Xiao Tianyang that the Void Will would not let him grow stronger before withdrawing into the Void.

After the battle for the Elemental Kingdom’s capital, Xiao Tianyang recovered from severe injuries while considering the kingdom’s defenses and Bai Qi’s unexplained inactivity. He left the story curious about the plan Bai Qi was pursuing in the Northward Mountain Region.

• Xiao Tianyang arranged the aftermath of the battle while Yue Fei and the others prepared the capital’s defenses.
• Duanmu Rong treated Xiao Tianyang’s wounds and estimated that he needed ten days for his wounds to heal and at least half a month more to regain his combat strength.
• Yue Shen told Xiao Tianyang that Bai Qi had begun moving and that marching south could disrupt his plans, prompting Xiao Tianyang to consider Bai Qi’s intentions.
• Xiao Tianyang reflected on the court’s resentment toward Bai Qi, whose Demon Slaying Legion had earned little visible military merit despite its generous salary.
• Xiao Tianyang allowed memorials criticizing Bai Qi to reach him so he could observe the court’s pursuit of profit, but he remained focused on discovering Bai Qi’s scheme.

Xiao Tianyang received reports on the battle’s heavy losses and the retreating Kankuli, then learned the Plane Core had been hidden in the imperial city’s repair system. He approved a cautious defense of the Elemental Kingdom and planned a scouting party to mislead Kankuli.

• Yue Fei reported that repairs to the imperial city would take three days, Kankuli had withdrawn into a distant forest, and Belvis had stayed behind.
• Yue Fei reported severe casualties, and Xiao Tianyang doubled military merit for soldiers who had killed more than ten enemies and ordered double pensions and support for fallen soldiers’ families.
• Yue Fei revealed that the Science Department had removed a Plane Core from the city’s repair system, and Xiao Tianyang examined it before returning it to the iron box.
• Yue Fei recommended that the army hold its positions and scout for Kankuli, and Xiao Tianyang approved the plan and added a scouting party to confuse him.

Kankuli received one hundred thousand reinforcements from the Void Will and planned to disrupt Xiao Tianyang’s defenses before they could be completed. He attacked Li Mu’s position at Icefire Gorge, where Li Mu prepared to hold the city and exploit the enemy’s weaknesses.

• The Void Will warned Kankuli that one hundred thousand troops was the limit and told him to withdraw if the operation failed, then sent reinforcements through the gate.
• Kankuli ordered his adjutant to monitor the imperial city and obtain a map of the Tianwu Dynasty’s defenses as Xiao Tianyang’s forces fortified their positions.
• After lying dormant for two days, Kankuli’s forces attacked Li Mu, whom Kankuli considered the weakest of the three defending generals.
• Zhao She reported that William commanded the enemy’s central army and that Kankuli was absent from the camp; Li Mu concluded Kankuli was directing the attack from elsewhere.
• Li Mu ordered Tian Dan and Zhao She to defend the city while Zhao Kuo concealed his troops inside, and he prepared to hold the defensive line.

William’s siege of Li Mu’s defenses at Icefire Gorge was shattered by artillery, mines, trenches, and reinforcements, while Xiao Tianyang learned that the Void forces might be receiving troops at an alarming rate. The chapter ended with Xiao Tianyang entrusting Yue Shen to bring the Ice Plains Legion forward and prepare the Elemental Kingdom for the coming threat.

• William ordered ten thousand God Kingdom Warriors to attack Li Mu’s defensive line, but artillery and fragmentation mines killed nearly four thousand before they reached the walls.
• The surviving warriors raised siege ladders, but Li Mu’s defenses stopped their advance, and reinforcements were trapped by burning trenches.
• A messenger reported the battle to Yue Shen, who told Xiao Tianyang that Kankuli had not appeared and William had commanded the attack.
• Xiao Tianyang learned that the Void forces had suffered heavy losses yet seemed to have received new reinforcements within four days, raising the possibility that Kankuli was being given special privileges.
• Xiao Tianyang ordered Yue Shen to arrange for the Ice Plains Legion to arrive within five days and consider opening the latter half of the Elemental Kingdom to Hundred-Level Soul Masters.

Xiao Tianyang received news that Bai Qi’s Demon Slaying Legion had conquered the North Mountain Area and killed two of the Evil God Faction’s strongest fighters. He considered recruiting hidden generals to command a new legion, but Yue Shen questioned whether a Talent Recruitment Order would be enough to draw them out.

• Yue Shen brought Xiao Tianyang an urgent report detailing Bai Qi’s and his commanders’ victories across the North Mountain Area, including the deaths of Alvin and Surenbu.
• Xiao Tianyang and Yue Shen assessed the Demon Slaying Legion’s achievements, while Xiao Tianyang speculated that other famous generals from the late Qin Dynasty and Warring States period might be on the Douluo Continent.
• Yue Shen warned that moving northern legions south was too risky, though a New Legion could change the situation.
• Xiao Tianyang proposed issuing a Talent Recruitment Order to attract hidden talents who could command a New Legion.
• Yue Shen argued that high office, rewards, and authority might not be enough to draw capable people out of hiding.

Xiao Tianyang and Yue Shen discussed how to recruit capable people while preparing for a worsening conflict involving the God Realm, the Evil God Faction, and the Void Will. Yue Shen argued that Bibi Dong should oversee the Talent Recruitment Hall, while Saber should stay out of politics, and Xiao Tianyang accepted the reasoning.

• Xiao Tianyang considered the motives of Meng Ao and Meng Wu and reflected on how to discover what talented people wanted.
• Yue Shen proposed pairing the Talent Recruitment Order with a Talent Recruitment Hall so candidates could state their requests directly.
• Yue Shen warned that General Bai Qi needed at least sixty thousand reinforcements, while the Evil God Faction and the Void Will could threaten the Douluo Continent.
• Yue Shen recommended that Bibi Dong manage the recruitment effort because Saber’s high status and susceptibility to influence could create future political risks.
• Xiao Tianyang recalled his decision to keep Saber out of politics after the Knight incident, and he fell silent as Yue Shen explained her concerns.

Xiao Tianyang asked Bibi Dong to return to the imperial capital and oversee the Talent Recruitment Order and Talent Recruitment Hall. After she agreed, he sent Wuxin to investigate several people on the Douluo Continent, setting a recruitment effort in motion.

• Xiao Tianyang dismissed Yue Shen and contacted Bibi Dong, asking her to come discuss an urgent matter.
• Bibi Dong recounted her battle against Master Yi, Xin Zhao, and Trundle, as well as Pantheon and Aurelion Sol, explaining that her Power of Death countered their divinity.
• Xiao Tianyang explained the Talent Recruitment Order and Talent Recruitment Hall, and Bibi Dong agreed to return to the imperial capital despite her doubts about recruiting and finding exceptional talent.
• Xiao Tianyang told Bibi Dong to seek help from Mingzhu or the prime minister if she ran into trouble.
• Xiao Tianyang handed Wuxin a list and ordered him to investigate several people on the Douluo Continent.

Bibi Dong and Madam Mingzhu prepared the Talent Recruitment Hall and traveled to Taiyin Mountain to seek the Chancellor’s friend, Zhang Liang, for help attracting talent. They met Zhang Liang at his cottage, where Madam Mingzhu began the conversation.

• Bibi Dong asked Madam Mingzhu to oversee the Talent Recruitment Hall and commissioned Xiao He to draft the Talent Recruitment Order.
• Madam Mingzhu helped Bibi Dong complete the hall and order within two days, and Bibi Dong reimbursed her thirteen thousand seven hundred taels.
• Bibi Dong explained that Zhang Liang might help the recruitment effort and traveled with Madam Mingzhu through the imperial palace’s Teleportation Array to Wushan City.
• A young book attendant met Bibi Dong and Madam Mingzhu on Taiyin Mountain and led them on a Big Green Ox to his master’s cottage.
• Bibi Dong and Madam Mingzhu met Zhang Liang, who greeted them as the Martial Princess Consort and Ming Princess Consort, and Madam Mingzhu opened their conversation.

Bibi Dong and Madam Mingzhu visited Zhang Liang to recruit him for the Tianwu Dynasty, explaining Xiao Tianyang’s need for talent as the dynasty faced threats and prepared to expand. Zhang Liang agreed to help promote the Talent Recruitment Order and hoped to persuade his secluded friends, but postponed meeting the king until he had rendered service.

• Zhang Liang welcomed Bibi Dong and Madam Mingzhu into his courtyard and asked why they had come.
• Madam Mingzhu described Xiao Tianyang’s trust in his officials, the dynasty’s military needs, and presented the Talent Recruitment Order.
• Zhang Liang asked whether Yue Shen was Xiao Tianyang’s strategist, and Madam Mingzhu acknowledged the king’s affection for her.
• Zhang Liang agreed to help recruit talent and asked the two princess consorts to introduce him to Xiao Tianyang after he had done some service.
• Zhang Liang said he would seek out his secluded friends and hoped they would respond to the Talent Recruitment Order.

Zhang Liang warned Xiao Tianyang that the Void’s attacks might be part of a larger plan targeting Douluo Continent, then chose to join the Tianwu Dynasty despite Xiao Tianyang’s inability to promise him the freedom he sought. The chapter ends with Xiao Tianyang asking how Zhang Liang’s idea of freedom differs from his own.

• On the fourth day after Bibi Dong left, the Talent Recruitment Order stirred the Douluo Continent, and unfamiliar faces appeared in the Imperial City.
• Xiao Tianyang met Zhang Liang and asked for his assessment of the situation after granting him access to the dynasty’s information.
• Zhang Liang warned that the Void might be preparing to bring an army directly to Douluo Continent and suggested the Elemental Kingdom’s leaders could have been manipulated.
• Xiao Tianyang admitted that Douluo Continent faced two powerful planes and could not promise Zhang Liang the freedom he wanted.
• Zhang Liang said his idea of freedom differed from Xiao Tianyang’s, and Xiao Tianyang realized he had chosen to join the Tianwu Dynasty.

Zhang Liang secured Xiao Tianyang’s promise that he could leave official service once the nation was peaceful, then advised him on military defenses and proposed forming a New Legion. He revealed that six renowned military strategists and generals were on their way to the imperial city, leaving Xiao Tianyang delighted at the prospect of recruiting them.

• Zhang Liang asked Xiao Tianyang to let him return to the fields once the nation was peaceful, and Xiao Tianyang agreed while warning that he would not tolerate anyone constraining him.
• Xiao Tianyang appointed Zhang Liang as his minister and strategist and took him to inspect the map and sand table.
• Zhang Liang recommended forming a New Legion to rotate with Grand Commandant and the others, support the south, and strengthen defenses on Crescent Continent and Starfall Continent.
• Xiao Tianyang wondered whether a New Legion could be assembled quickly, and Zhang Liang said he had friends who might help.
• Zhang Liang named Han Xin, Wu Qi, Yue Yi, Xiang Yan, Chuli Ji, and Gongsun Yan as his six friends, who were likely already near the imperial city.
• Xiao Tianyang recognized their reputations and was thrilled by the possibility of recruiting six outstanding military talents.

Xiao Tianyang discussed military organization and the imperial city’s defenses with Zhang Liang, then became so absorbed in Zhang Liang’s teachings that he recognized him as a teacher. The chapter left Xiao Tianyang lost in thought while Bibi Dong and Yue Shen considered how to bring him back to the matter of assigning newly recruited generals.

• Xiao Tianyang asked Zhang Liang whether six new armies could replace the Grand Commandant and other forces, and Zhang Liang warned that their strength gap made that too risky.
• Zhang Liang proposed troop transport routes and stronger internal defenses, explaining how Shenwu City could unite officials and people into an impregnable stronghold.
• Xiao Tianyang questioned Zhang Liang about the imperial city’s role and became his student as Zhang Liang taught him about the kingly way, the hegemonic way, and the Imperial Dao.
• Xiao Tianyang remained immersed in thought after Zhang Liang left, while Yue Shen praised Zhang Liang’s talent and said he could serve as Imperial Tutor.
• Bibi Dong noted that the Talent Recruitment Hall had nearly finished selecting its first wave, including six General Talents recommended by Zhang Liang, and worried that delaying their assignments could harm the Tianwu Dynasty’s reputation.

Xiao Tianyang met the military and civil talents drawn by the Talent Recruitment Order and began planning appointments to bring them into the Tianwu Dynasty’s government. After working through the night, he sent Snow Woman to deliver his confidential proposal and summoned the Grand Commandant and others.

• Xiao Tianyang asked Bibi Dong to arrange individual meetings with the selected talents, while Yue Shen left for the palace to help Mingzhu manage affairs.
• Xiao Tianyang met the selected candidates from noon until the following evening, including generals from the Qin era and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Han Shizhong, and civil officials such as Fan Li, Li Kui, and Shen Buhai.
• Xiao Tianyang decided how to place the new talents, including having Fei Yan and others withdraw from the imperial court, and worked through the night drafting appointments.
• Xiao Tianyang gave Snow Woman a confidential letter and appointment list to deliver to the Prime Minister and instructed her to visit the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue.
• After Snow Woman departed, Xiao Tianyang ordered Han Ling to summon the Grand Commandant and the others, and Yan Lingji left without urging him to rest.

Xiao Tianyang appointed eight new Legion Commanders and ordered their legions into the Elemental Kingdom to support Bai Qi while the Tianwu Dynasty held its defensive line. After the commanders left to prepare, Xiao Tianyang went to sleep, and Yan Lingji asked Snow Woman whether the Chancellor had sent a reply.

• Xiao Tianyang proposed expanding by eight legions and appointed Han Xin, Wu Qi, Yue Yi, Xiang Yan, Meng Ao, Chuli Ji, Gongsun Yan, and Han Shizhong as their commanders, with Yue Fei approving.
• Xiao Tianyang ordered Yue Fei to lead the eight legions into the Elemental Kingdom to support Bai Qi, while Xiao Tianyang, Wang Jian, and other forces stayed to defend the line.
• Xiao Tianyang assigned the new legions their names and authorized the commanders to select officers and recruits.
• Yue Fei and the eight commanders left to prepare their troops and learn about the Tianwu Dynasty.
• Xiao Tianyang went to sleep and told Yan Lingji to wake him if the Chancellor sent a letter; Yan Lingji then asked Snow Woman whether the Chancellor had replied.