Recaps

Ji Xunjiang hosted Du Tianwu and Su Fei, then accepted their assurances after giving them one hundred thousand taels to support the defense of Upper Valley Commandery. After more than ten days of preparations, a White Lotus Sect force of seventy to eighty thousand appeared thirty li from the city.

• Ji Xunjiang praised Du Tianwu and Su Fei at a banquet and presented them with one hundred thousand taels in banknotes, which both men accepted.
• Du Tianwu drilled the Great Xuan Army while Su Fei surveyed the terrain and had Imperial Guards uncover hidden White Lotus Sect followers in the city.
• Ji Xunjiang strengthened the city's defenses and organized local officials and residents to prepare provisions and repair the battlements.
• After more than ten days, scouts reported that seventy to eighty thousand White Lotus Sect rebels had encamped on a hillside thirty li outside the city.

As the White Lotus Sect’s massive rebel army approached Upper Valley Commandery, Du Tianwu prepared the Great Xuan Army for battle while Su Fei guarded the command tent. Su Fei killed the assassin Xuan Feng before he could reach Du Tianwu, and Du Tianwu rushed out after hearing the commotion.

• Ji Xunjiang summoned Su Fei and Du Tianwu after learning that seventy or eighty thousand White Lotus Sect rebels were approaching Upper Valley Commandery.
• Du Tianwu reassured Ji Xunjiang that the Great Xuan Army could defeat the rebels and asked Su Fei to protect him from the sect’s Celestial Person Realm assassins.
• Ji Xunjiang agreed to defend the commandery city and its supplies while Du Tianwu returned to camp to deploy the army.
• Su Fei went with Du Tianwu and secretly watched over the command tent as Du Tianwu summoned his generals.
• At the third watch, Xuan Feng infiltrated the camp to assassinate Du Tianwu, but Su Fei intercepted and killed him with a single saber strike.
• Du Tianwu heard the noise and rushed out of the command tent with his sword.

Su Fei and Du Tianwu learned that Ji Xunjiang had been assassinated, then prepared Upper Valley Commandery for the White Lotus Sect’s expected assault. The rebels attacked the city, where the Great Xuan Army’s defenses and first volley of arrows met their charge.

• Su Fei killed an assassin who had targeted Du Tianwu and warned him to strengthen security.
• A celestial person realm assassin killed Ji Xunjiang in his study, beheaded him, and left a White Lotus Sect token.
• After hearing of Ji Xunjiang’s murder, Su Fei ordered troops to maintain order and vowed to make the White Lotus Sect pay.
• Su Fei and Du Tianwu arranged the Great Xuan Army’s defenses as the White Lotus Sect approached Upper Valley Commandery with nearly seventy or eighty thousand rebels.
• The rebels charged the city, and Great Xuan archers opened fire, cutting through the front ranks.

Su Fei destroyed the White Lotus Sect’s Martial Saint elders, turning the battle outside Upper Valley Commandery City into a decisive Great Xuan victory. Afterward, he urged Du Tianwu to restore order and hunt down the sect’s remaining forces and its hidden mastermind.

• The White Lotus Sect elders attacked Great Xuan’s defenders, and Su Fei leaped from the tower to confront them.
• Su Fei used A Glimpse of Startling Frost to break the elders’ array and kill every Martial Saint elder.
• With the rebel leaders dead, Du Tianwu ordered the gates opened and the Great Xuan Army to pursue the fleeing rebels.
• Great Xuan’s troops and Imperial Guards routed the rebels, leaving the battlefield covered with casualties and fallen banners.
• Du Tianwu praised Su Fei, who warned that the White Lotus Sect’s mastermind remained a threat and called for the rebels’ strongholds to be found.
• Du Tianwu ordered the battlefield cleared, Upper Valley Commandery’s people reassured, and scouts sent to track the White Lotus Sect.

After the White Lotus Sect’s attack on Upper Valley Commandery was defeated, Su Fei kept watch for the assassin who had killed Ji Xunjiang. In Fishing Sun Commandery, Dugu Fengming learned of the defeat and ordered a renewed assault, intending to confront Su Fei himself and subjugate the Southwestern Lesser Continent.

• Su Fei watched the battlefield cleanup and searched the surrounding area for the missing Celestial Person Realm assassin, but no attack came.
• Dugu Fengming cultivated with spirit stones in the occupied commandery governor’s residence and complained that the continent’s natural energy was sparse.
• Xuan Ling reported that he had killed Ji Xunjiang, while Xuan Feng and the White Lotus Sect’s Martial Saint Realm leaders had died after encountering a powerful young Celestial Person Realm expert.
• Dugu Fengming suspected that the young expert had killed three outer disciples and ordered his identity investigated.
• Dugu Fengming ordered the White Lotus Sect to gather its followers and attack Upper Valley Commandery again, declaring that he would avenge Xuan Feng and personally confront the expert.

After Ji Xunjiang’s assassination, Wang Huai'an arrived as the new governor of Upper Valley Commandery but hid inside his residence, leaving the Great Xuan Army to take charge of the defenses. Du Tianwu and Su Fei accepted responsibility for stabilizing the commandery and began planning its defense and the suppression of the remaining rebels.

• Dugu Fengming ordered Xuan Ling to act against someone suspected of being the culprit, then resumed cultivating with spirit stones.
• Wang Huai'an learned that Ji Xunjiang had been killed by a White Lotus Sect assassin and shut himself inside the governor's residence, avoiding his duties and the public.
• Wang Huai'an sent his adviser Zhang Qian to Du Tianwu and Su Fei, offering them full control of Upper Valley Commandery's defenses and access to the governor's provisions and funds.
• Du Tianwu condemned Wang Huai'an for abandoning his duties, while Su Fei instructed Zhang Qian to have the governor's residence supply provisions and reassure the people.
• Du Tianwu agreed to take charge of the defenses and turned to the sand table to plan for Upper Valley Commandery.

Du Tianwu and Su Fei secured Upper Valley Commandery City against White Lotus Sect infiltrators and prepared its defenses, but nearly a month later Dugu Fengming returned with a 300,000-strong rebel army. Dugu Fengming hovered over the east gate and began addressing the city and its defenders.

• Du Tianwu ordered troops to take over the city gates, patrol the streets and surrounding roads, and enforce strict discipline among soldiers.
• Su Fei reported that the Imperial Guard had deployed teams to hunt White Lotus Sect cells and protect the commandery governor's residence and the provisions storehouse.
• Du Tianwu and Su Fei coordinated the city's defenses and agreed to remain vigilant against White Lotus Sect assassins and its celestial person realm rebel.
• The Great Xuan Army's patrols reassured the civilians, and Wang Huai'an sent Zhang Qian with gifts to the army encampment.
• Nearly a month later, Dugu Fengming led almost 300,000 White Lotus Sect rebels to Upper Valley Commandery City.
• Dugu Fengming hovered above the east gate, released the pressure of his celestial person realm ninth level, and began addressing the people and Great Xuan Army on the walls.

Dugu Fengming led 300,000 White Lotus Sect rebels to Upper Valley Commandery and demanded the city surrender and hand over Su Fei. Su Fei and Du Tianwu went to face him together, leaving the soldiers steadier but the battle still ahead.

• Dugu Fengming announced his identity and threatened to destroy Upper Valley Commandery unless it surrendered and handed over the martial artist who killed Xuan Ling.
• Dugu Fengming unleashed his ninth-level Celestial Person Realm aura, overwhelming the soldiers on the eastern gate tower.
• Officers rushed to Du Tianwu and Su Fei and reported that 300,000 White Lotus Sect rebels and Dugu Fengming had arrived outside the city.
• Su Fei decided to confront Dugu Fengming, and Du Tianwu insisted on accompanying him despite warning that the enemy was extremely dangerous.
• Su Fei and Du Tianwu headed for the eastern gate, and Du Tianwu reassured the panicked soldiers that they would hold the city.

Su Fei revealed his Celestial Person Realm Ninth Level cultivation and confronted Dugu Fengming in the sky above the city. After admitting he had killed Xuan Ling and threatening to destroy the White Lotus Sect, he faced Dugu Fengming’s surging killing intent.

• Su Fei and Du Tianwu climbed the eastern gate tower as the soldiers struggled under Dugu Fengming’s pressure.
• Su Fei released his Celestial Person Realm Ninth Level aura, clashing with Dugu Fengming’s and restoring the Great Xuan soldiers’ courage.
• Su Fei rose into the sky, identified himself as Great Xuan’s Imperial Guard commander, and admitted he had killed Xuan Ling.
• Dugu Fengming angrily accused Su Fei of challenging him and the White Lotus Sect, then unleashed a wave of killing intent.
• Su Fei said he had killed other White Lotus Sect Celestial Persons and vowed to eradicate the sect if it continued its atrocities.
• Dugu Fengming’s aura surged to its peak and pressed toward Su Fei as the two remained facing each other in midair.

Su Fei confronted Dugu Fengming, the White Lotus Sect young sect master, above Upper Valley Commandery as both prepared to fight. Du Tianwu steadied the defenders while Dugu Fengming launched the first attack with his Cold Snow Saber.

• Dugu Fengming recognized Su Fei as the killer of the White Lotus Sect’s Celestial Persons and vowed to torture him and avenge Xuan Ling.
• Su Fei activated his Indestructible Golden Body and calmly withstood Dugu Fengming’s pressure.
• Du Tianwu ordered the Great Xuan defenders to hold Upper Valley Commandery and resist any rebel assault.
• The White Lotus Sect rebels watched the confrontation, while displaced recruits grew fearful and began to regret joining them.
• Su Fei challenged Dugu Fengming to fight or withdraw from the Yan Kingdom, and Dugu Fengming boasted of his strength before attacking with the Cold Snow Saber.

Su Fei shattered Dugu Fengming’s Snow Saber Nine Heavens with a single strike, turning the battle’s momentum and restoring the defenders’ confidence. Dugu Fengming vowed to use his strongest move against Su Fei and fight to the death.

• Dugu Fengming unleashed Snow Saber Nine Heavens, sending nine enormous ice dragons at Su Fei.
• Su Fei countered with Red Apricot Blossoms in Snow, destroying all nine dragons with one strike.
• Dugu Fengming reacted with disbelief as Su Fei mocked his abilities.
• Du Tianwu and the Great Xuan defenders cheered, while the White Lotus Sect rebels grew frightened and began to lose confidence.
• Dugu Fengming renewed his killing intent and prepared to use his strongest move against Su Fei.

Dugu Fengming unleashed his strongest technique, World of Ice and Snow, engulfing Upper Valley Commandery’s eastern gate and freezing both armies. Su Fei answered with Treading Snow to Seek Plum Blossoms, sending his saber qi against the storm.

• Dugu Fengming resolved to kill Su Fei and raised the Cold Snow Saber his master had given him.
• Dugu Fengming unleashed World of Ice and Snow, freezing the eastern gate and bringing suffering to soldiers and rebels alike.
• Du Tianwu sensed the technique’s power and worried for Su Fei.
• Su Fei remained calm, strengthened his Indestructible Golden Body, and prepared the fourth strike of the Six Proud Frost Arts.
• Su Fei swung Treading Snow to Seek Plum Blossoms, sending blue saber qi toward Dugu Fengming’s storm of ice and snow.

Su Fei broke Dugu Fengming’s World of Ice and Snow and gravely wounded him, turning the battle in Upper Valley Commandery into a rout for the White Lotus Sect rebels. Dugu Fengming threatened retaliation from his master and the White Lotus Sect Headquarters as Su Fei raised his saber against him.

• Su Fei found the weakness in Dugu Fengming’s World of Ice and Snow and pierced his defenses with a saber strike.
• Dugu Fengming was gravely wounded, and the wind and snow dissipated as the battlefield’s cold receded.
• Du Tianwu and the Great Xuan Army cheered Su Fei, while the White Lotus Sect rebels panicked, fled, or begged for mercy.
• Su Fei taunted Dugu Fengming and demanded to know what he had left to say.
• Dugu Fengming refused to accept defeat and threatened Su Fei with retaliation from his master and the White Lotus Sect Headquarters.
• Su Fei raised the Spring Embroidered Saber and pointed it at Dugu Fengming.

After Su Fei defeated Dugu Fengming, he spared the wounded commander to interrogate him about the White Lotus Sect Headquarters and the Profound Origin Divine Dynasty. Du Tianwu led the Great Xuan Army in surrounding and crushing the rebels, while Su Fei kept Dugu Fengming bound and watched over the battle.

• Su Fei stopped before killing Dugu Fengming and agreed with Du Tianwu that the commander might reveal secrets about the White Lotus Sect and the Profound Origin Divine Dynasty.
• Su Fei warned Dugu Fengming that he would be tortured if he lied, while the Great Xuan Army cheered and the White Lotus Sect rebels broke into a rout.
• Du Tianwu ordered the Great Xuan Army to leave Upper Valley Commandery City, surround the rebels, spare those who surrendered, and kill those who resisted.
• The Great Xuan Army poured out of the city and slaughtered the resisting White Lotus Sect followers while binding refugees who surrendered and pursuing fleeing rebels.
• Du Tianwu fought and directed the troops, while Su Fei killed escaping rebel leaders and stopped ambushes from the air.
• Bound by Su Fei, Dugu Fengming watched helplessly as the White Lotus Sect army he had led was surrounded and wiped out.

Su Fei and the Great Xuan Army crushed the White Lotus Sect rebellion in Upper Valley Commandery, capturing Dugu Fengming and most of the rebels. After ordering interrogations and tighter security, Su Fei carried Dugu Fengming away to question him himself.

• Du Tianwu reported that the Great Xuan Army had captured over two hundred thousand rebels, killed more than twenty thousand, and failed to catch about fifty thousand who escaped.
• Su Fei ordered the prisoners guarded and the core followers interrogated for information about the White Lotus Sect and the Profound Origin Divine Dynasty, while displaced civilians were to be judged according to their crimes.
• The people of Upper Valley Commandery celebrated the army's victory and the end of the immediate threat.
• Su Fei told Du Tianwu to interrogate the core followers, strengthen security, and leave Dugu Fengming to him.
• Su Fei carried the restrained Dugu Fengming through the army camp at night, avoiding the patrols.

Su Fei took the wounded Dugu Fengming to an isolated tent and offered to return the Cold Snow Saber in exchange for information about the Profound Origin Divine Dynasty and White Lotus Sect. Dugu Fengming accepted his defeat and praised Su Fei, then appeared ready to make a decision as Su Fei waited for him to speak.

• Su Fei brought Dugu Fengming into a storage tent and threw him onto the ground.
• Dugu Fengming asked Su Fei to return the Cold Snow Saber, which his master had given him.
• Su Fei planted the saber within Dugu Fengming's reach and demanded that he reveal everything about the Profound Origin Divine Dynasty and White Lotus Sect.
• Dugu Fengming was astonished that Su Fei did not covet the divine weapon and admitted that he had been utterly defeated.
• Dugu Fengming praised Su Fei's talent and character, then seemed to make up his mind while Su Fei waited for him to speak.

Dugu Fengming explained the immense scale and power of the Profound Origin Divine Dynasty to Su Fei, revealing how small the Southwestern Lesser Continent was by comparison. Meanwhile, the reclusive commandery governor Wang Huai'an heard that the fighting outside Upper Valley Commandery City had ended.

• Dugu Fengming told Su Fei that the Profound Origin Divine Dynasty was vastly larger and richer in vital energy than the Southwestern Lesser Continent, where spirit stones were unknown.
• Dugu Fengming described the Origin Emperor, the Ten Divisions of Profound Origin, the five kinds of beings, and the White Lotus Sect leader's Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivation.
• Su Fei realized that the Celestial Person Realm was only an intermediate level in the wider world, far below the Nirvana and Dharma Manifestation realms.
• Wang Huai'an remained hidden in his residence while the battle outside Upper Valley Commandery City raged, refusing to take responsibility for protecting the people.
• A servant reported that the fighting outside Upper Valley Commandery City was over, and Wang Huai'an's indifference abruptly vanished.

After learning that Marquis Su and General Du had crushed the White Lotus Sect rebellion, Wang Huai'an decided to seek their favor and protection. He left the governor’s residence at night with gifts, eager to meet them at the military camp.

• A servant told Wang Huai'an that the Great Xuan Army had routed the three hundred thousand White Lotus Sect rebels and captured Dugu Fengming.
• Wang Huai'an learned that Marquis Su had defeated the ninth-level celestial person realm Dugu Fengming with one saber strike and rejoiced that he had stayed neutral.
• Wang Huai'an ordered his servant to prepare his official robes so he could visit General Du and Marquis Su.
• Wang Huai'an planned how to win Marquis Su’s favor and secure his own future as governor.
• Wang Huai'an left the governor’s residence with two servants carrying gifts for General Du and Marquis Su.

Wang Huai'an visited the Great Xuan Army camp to pay respects to Du Tianwu and seek an audience with Marquis Su, offering gifts and pledging support. Du Tianwu accepted the gifts but said Marquis Su was interrogating Dugu Fengming and sent Wang Huai'an back to attend to the city.

• Wang Huai'an arrived at the Great Xuan Army camp and gave silver to a sentry to announce his visit.
• A deputy general escorted Wang Huai'an to Du Tianwu's command tent.
• Wang Huai'an presented Du Tianwu with lavish gifts and promised to provide provisions and fodder for the army.
• Wang Huai'an asked to meet Marquis Su, but Du Tianwu said Marquis Su was interrogating Dugu Fengming and could not be disturbed.
• Du Tianwu told Wang Huai'an to return to the city and focus on government affairs, and Wang Huai'an prepared to leave.

Wang Huai'an failed to meet Marquis Su overnight, then returned to the Great Xuan Army camp at dawn with more lavish gifts to request an audience. Inside the camp, Su Fei assigned Du Tianwu to destroy the remaining White Lotus Sect forces so Great Xuan could claim three commanderies from the Yan Kingdom.

• Wang Huai'an left Du Tianwu's tent disappointed after learning that Marquis Su was occupied interrogating a prisoner.
• Wang Huai'an spent the night planning how to win Marquis Su's favor, then set out at dawn with four servants carrying lavish gifts.
• Wang Huai'an paid a soldier to announce his request for an audience and waited outside the camp.
• Su Fei discussed the White Lotus Sect with Du Tianwu while examining Dugu Fengming's storage ring and its spirit stones.
• Du Tianwu volunteered to lead the army in hunting down the remaining White Lotus Sect forces, and Su Fei approved the plan to secure the three commanderies for Great Xuan.

Su Fei discussed the campaign against the White Lotus Sect rebels with Du Tianwu, then received Wang Huai'an, the governor of Upper Valley Commandery, who sought his favor with lavish gifts and extravagant praise. Su Fei accepted the gifts as Wang promised to cooperate and manage the commandery.

• Su Fei and Du Tianwu discussed hunting down the rebels and pacifying Upper Valley Commandery.
• A soldier announced that Wang Huai'an had been waiting outside to report important matters, and Su Fei agreed to receive him.
• Wang Huai'an bowed to Su Fei, praised his victory over the rebels, and presented him with lavish gifts as an apology and gesture of loyalty.
• Su Fei accepted Wang Huai'an's gifts, relieving the governor's anxiety.
• Wang Huai'an continued praising Su Fei and pledged to manage Upper Valley Commandery, gather provisions, and follow Su Fei and Du Tianwu's instructions.

Su Fei kept Wang Huai'an in charge of Upper Valley Commandery while Du Tianwu led the main Great Xuan Army force to pursue the White Lotus Sect's remnants. With Dugu Fengming imprisoned and refusing to reveal the sect's secrets, the rebels scattered across Yan Kingdom as the campaign continued.

• Wang Huai'an praised Su Fei, offered his continued service, and left after Su Fei accepted his gifts.
• Su Fei ordered a portion of Wang Huai'an's gifts distributed among the soldiers and told Du Tianwu to prioritize crushing the White Lotus Sect's remaining forces and reclaiming three commanderies.
• Du Tianwu led eighty thousand Great Xuan Army soldiers out of Upper Valley Commandery, leaving twenty thousand to guard the city.
• Su Fei leniently punished soldiers who caused trouble after missing the campaign and continued overseeing Wang Huai'an's administration and interrogating the imprisoned Dugu Fengming.
• Du Tianwu's forces encircled and pursued the scattered White Lotus Sect rebels across Yan Kingdom's mountains and villages.

Du Tianwu returned to Upper Valley Commandery City after the Great Xuan Army wiped out the remaining White Lotus Sect forces in the Yan Kingdom and captured tens of thousands of prisoners. He ordered the captives secured before any welcoming banquet, and Wang Huai'an mobilized commandery soldiers to help escort them to prison.

• Du Tianwu led the Great Xuan Army through the Yan Kingdom, destroying White Lotus Sect strongholds and capturing tens of thousands of core devotees and surrendered rebels.
• Du Tianwu brought eighty thousand soldiers and the prisoners back to Upper Valley Commandery City.
• Wang Huai'an and the commandery officials, local gentry, and renowned figures welcomed Du Tianwu outside the city gates.
• Du Tianwu postponed the banquet and ordered the core devotees and surrendered rebels imprisoned separately according to Su Fei's instructions.
• Wang Huai'an ordered commandery soldiers to assist in escorting the prisoners to the Heavenly Prison under strict guard.

After Du Tianwu returned victorious and reported the White Lotus Sect’s destruction to Su Fei, they planned to travel to the Yan Kingdom’s capital and demand the three promised commanderies. They left the Great Xuan Army stationed in Upper Valley Commandery and began arranging a small escort for the journey.

• Du Tianwu escorted the White Lotus Sect prisoners into Upper Valley Commandery and asked Wang Huai'an to report his victory to Marquis Su.
• Su Fei received Du Tianwu’s report that the rebels had been eliminated, thousands of sect members captured, and more than forty thousand surrendered civilians confined.
• Su Fei and Du Tianwu agreed to visit the Yan Kingdom’s capital in person to demand the three commanderies promised by Emperor Yan.
• Su Fei ordered the one hundred thousand Great Xuan Army soldiers to remain in Upper Valley Commandery under a deputy general while he and Du Tianwu traveled with a few dozen elite cavalrymen.
• Du Tianwu left for the military camp to appoint the deputy general, select the escort, and prepare supplies for the trip.

Su Fei and Du Tianwu traveled from Upper Valley Commandery to Yan Capital City so Su Fei could claim three commanderies for Great Xuan. At the capital’s gates, Zheng Donglin welcomed them on behalf of the Yan Kingdom’s court.

• Du Tianwu escorted Su Fei out of Upper Valley Commandery City with dozens of elite cavalrymen.
• During the journey, Du Tianwu guarded the party while Su Fei meditated and resolved to secure the three commanderies.
• Su Fei’s party reached Yan Capital City and drew the attention of its residents.
• Zheng Donglin, a fourth-rank official of the Yan Kingdom’s Ministry of Rites, greeted Su Fei and Du Tianwu by order of the court.