Chapter Summaries

After killing Wheel-Turning King, Jiang Ning chose to hold the eight thousand Great Snow Dragon Steeds for ransom rather than risk angering the God of the Great Snow Mountain. He offered Ashina a chance to rule the Northern Barbarian Royal Court, but made the horses’ survival depend on the resources her family provided.

• Jiang Ning decided to spare the Great Snow Dragon Steeds and demand rare treasures and cultivation resources from the Northern Barbarian Royal Court in exchange.
• Jiang Ning instructed Zhenbei King Xu Zhen and King Beicang to handle negotiations, and a messenger reported that the Royal Court’s second heir had requested an audience.
• Ashina arrived and asked Jiang Ning to spare the eight thousand Great Snow Dragon Steeds, acknowledging that the Northern Barbarian army could not defeat him.
• Jiang Ning asked Ashina whether she wanted to become ruler of the Northern Barbarians and demanded resources as ransom for the horses.
• Ashina agreed that the horses were essential to her rule, while Jiang Ning warned that only some might survive if her family’s offer lacked sincerity.

Ashina asked Jiang Ning to help her seize the Northern Barbarian Royal Court and stir the eighteen tribes into mutiny, and he agreed to act after they rebelled. During the victory banquet in Tianque City, reports of fighting outside drew Jiang Ning to the wall, where he watched the tribesmen charge toward the blockade as Ashina’s agents urged them on.

• Ashina promised Jiang Ning a share of the Royal Court’s resources if he helped her, and explained that she wanted her eldest brother dead because he had caused their mother’s death.
• Jiang Ning agreed to help Ashina and told her to provoke the eighteen tribes into mutiny that night, promising to make them pay for their actions.
• Tianque City celebrated the Wheel-Turning King’s death at a victory banquet hosted in the North Cang King’s Mansion.
• A guard reported movement outside the city, and Jiang Ning left the banquet with the Zhenbei King Xu Zhen and the North Cang King to investigate.
• Northern Barbarian warriors charged the Martial Path experts guarding the foothills, believing escape to the grasslands and Great Snow Mountain was their only hope.
• Jiang Ning spotted Ashina’s agents inciting the warriors and waited as the fighting intensified.

Jiang Ning revealed his overwhelming power during the Northern Barbarian uprising, crushing a hill with one punch before Zhenbei King Xu Zhen and the King Beicang led their cavalry to rout the rebels. The slaughter ended with Ashina and the surviving tribal leaders facing defeat, while Jiang Ning turned his attention to the God of Great Snow Mountain and the grasslands’ future.

• Ashina rejected the tribal leaders’ calls to attack, warning them that Jiang Ning had killed the blessed Imperial Advisor and might be beyond Great Snow Mountain’s power.
• Jiang Ning appeared above the camp in his Sixteen-Foot Golden Body and killed countless Northern Barbarian warriors with a single punch that devastated a hill.
• Zhenbei King Xu Zhen and the King Beicang ordered their cavalry to kill those who resisted or refused to surrender, and their forces charged into the shattered Northern Barbarian army.
• Jiang Ning watched the cavalry massacre the routed rebels while Ashina and the tribal leaders realized their tribes had lost the strength to stand independently.
• Jiang Ning sensed the God of Great Snow Mountain watching from the north and decided to wait for the ransom for the eight thousand Great Snow Dragon Steeds before seeking out the God.
• The battle ended as surviving Northern Barbarian soldiers surrendered or fled, while Jiang Ning let the few escapees go.

Jiang Ning returned to Tianque City after defeating the Northern Barbarians and left Ashina to navigate the tribes’ accusations while he recovered. Reflecting on the Wheel-Turning King’s power, he realized his earlier confidence about visiting the God of Great Snow Mountain may have been manipulated, and feared the god could pose a deadly threat.

• Jiang Ning praised Ashina for keeping the Great Snow Dragon Steeds out of the battle, then left as Golden Tribe leaders began accusing her of betraying them.
• The Golden Tribe leaders presented Tuota as proof that Ashina had incited their warriors, but Tuota claimed he had been forced to frame her to save his family before dying from poison.
• Jiang Ning returned to Tianque City and told Zhenbei King Xu Zhen and the North Cang King to leave Ashina alone, promising to support her claim to the throne if she delivered the ransom and stabilized the Royal Court.
• Jiang Ning entered seclusion in the North Cang King's Mansion and reviewed his battle against the Wheel-Turning King and the Eight-Armed Heavenly Dragon Dharma Form.
• Jiang Ning reconsidered the God of Great Snow Mountain’s power and suspected that his earlier belief that the god posed no threat had been twisted, leaving him afraid that a visit to the grasslands could be fatal.

Jiang Ning broke through the Indestructible Vajra Body, raised Dragon Elephant Power, and gained a clearer understanding of how physical cultivation could help him perceive the body's secrets. Ashina Long arrived at Tianque City to ransom the Great Snow Dragon Steeds and the Golden Tribe chieftains, but Jiang Ning rejected his offer as too low.

• Jiang Ning cultivated the Indestructible Vajra Body until it reached its experience limit, then spent Origin Points to break through and enhance Dragon Elephant Power.
• Jiang Ning realized that his spirit could observe the body's secrets, but a stronger physical body was needed to shake them, so he resumed cultivating the Indestructible Vajra Body.
• The King Beicang informed Jiang Ning that Ashina Long had come to ransom the eight thousand Great Snow Dragon Steeds, the Golden Tribe chieftains, and Ashina.
• Ashina Long entered Tianque City with carriages of ransom goods and met Jiang Ning at the Zhenbei King's Mansion.
• Ashina Long offered fifty cartloads of rare ores and one hundred and thirty cartloads of spiritual medicines, then promised an equal second payment if Jiang Ning released the captives and horses.
• Jiang Ning told Ashina Long that the offer was too low because the Great Snow Dragon Steeds secured the Royal Court's dominion over the grasslands.

Jiang Ning secured Ashina’s promise to pay a greater price in exchange for sparing the Golden Tribe, then refined the resources she had sent and advanced the Spirit Platform Illuminating True Self Method. The breakthrough granted him the Light Gold trait Fish in the River, an innate ability to stir the River of Time.

• Jiang Ning killed Ashina Long and warned Ashina that she would pay with her life if she broke their agreement; Ashina promised to honor their deal and led the Golden Tribe leaders out of Zhenbei King's Mansion.
• Ashina told the Golden Tribe leaders that she had made a deal with Jiang Ning and urged them not to try to evade it, explaining that his strength made such a gamble too dangerous.
• Jiang Ning refined Ashina Long’s rare resources, raising his Origin Points to 731.3, then spent three days cultivating and brought the Spirit Platform Illuminating True Self Method’s progress to its limit.
• Jiang Ning used 1,000 Origin Points to advance the Spirit Platform Illuminating True Self Method to the Tenth Limit Break and experienced a vision of the River of Time.
• Jiang Ning discovered the new Light Gold trait Fish in the River and realized he could instinctively stir the waters of time, slightly affecting its flow.

After advancing the Spirit Platform Illuminating True Self Method, Jiang Ning discovered the human body's Shackles and realized that breaking them was the Martial Saint's path beyond First Grade. He shattered six Shackles in his right arm before reaching his current limit, and concluded that further progress would require a stronger Physical Body.

• Jiang Ning tested his new grasp of time and found that altering its flow could double his speed and the force of his punches.
• Jiang Ning observed dark golden Shackles throughout his body, counted ninety in total, and understood them as restraints keeping people within mortal limits.
• Jiang Ning exerted himself and broke one Shackle in his right arm, feeling his body become lighter and the arm's power rise.
• Jiang Ning broke two more Shackles in his right arm and found that each broken Shackle increased its strength by roughly ten percent, while the remaining Shackles grew more resilient.
• Jiang Ning continued until he had broken six Shackles in his right arm, nearly doubling its power and toughness, then judged that he needed to strengthen his Physical Body to go further.

Jiang Ning used Ashina’s tribute to strengthen the Indestructible Vajra Body, then spent Origin Points to break through to its Ninth Limit Break and improve his defense. With his new strength, he shattered the remaining three Shackles in his right arm and gained a clearer understanding of the path ahead.

• Zhenbei King Xu Zhen told Jiang Ning that Ashina’s delegation had arrived with tribute, and Jiang Ning ordered the resources brought to his courtyard.
• Jiang Ning cultivated the Indestructible Vajra Body while refining the first shipment, raising his Origin Points to 903.1.
• After several days, Jiang Ning perfected the Eight Times Limit Break of the Indestructible Vajra Body, but the expected second shipment had not arrived.
• Jiang Ning spent 500 Origin Points to advance the Indestructible Vajra Body to the Ninth Limit Break, upgrading his Indestructible Golden Body trait and greatly strengthening his defense.
• Jiang Ning broke the remaining three Shackles in his right arm and realized the power released by breaking the Shackles.

After learning that the Martial Saint had died, Jiang Ning hurried back to the Royal Capital, where Xiao Wuque confirmed the news and gave him a box containing something the Martial Saint had left for his future path. Jiang Ning left to see his family, carrying the box and facing an uncertain world without the Martial Saint.

• Jiang Ning discovered that his body and right arm had changed after breaking through, then received Xiao Wuque's message that the Martial Saint had passed away.
• Jiang Ning left Zhenbei King's Mansion and rushed toward the Royal Capital, remembering the Martial Saint's guidance and worrying about the turmoil ahead.
• Jiang Ning entered the Royal Capital unnoticed, sensed the city, and went directly to Xiao Wuque's residence.
• Xiao Wuque confirmed the Martial Saint's death and gave Jiang Ning a black wooden box the Martial Saint had left for him to open when the time was right.
• Jiang Ning left Xiao Wuque's residence with the box, while Xiao Wuque wondered whether Jiang Ning had used space to disappear.

Jiang Ning read Martial Saint’s final guidance, visited his Grotto-heaven, and accepted that he would have to rely on himself after Martial Saint’s death. Back at the Dongling Marquis Mansion, he discovered that Qingyi was carrying the perfect lifeform and learned that the Moon Lake Woman wanted to see him about the imbalance in his Nascent Soul.

• Jiang Ning read Martial Saint’s letter, learned about the method for severing Shackles, and concluded that he would keep breaking them through sheer strength.
• Jiang Ning entered Martial Saint’s Grotto-heaven, found a note offering it as a refuge, and left after searching the cottage.
• Jiang Ning reflected that Martial Saint’s death would soon unsettle the world and resolved to rely on himself.
• Jiang Ning returned to the Dongling Marquis Mansion, where Luyi urged him to visit Qingyi.
• Jiang Ning sensed that Qingyi had reached Hunyuan Realm perfection and discovered the perfect lifeform in her womb.
• Qingyi told Jiang Ning that the Moon Lake Woman wanted him to visit her because the Yin and Yang of his Nascent Soul were unbalanced from cultivating the Taiyin-taiyang True Sutra together.

Jiang Ning received the Moon Scripture from the Moon Palace Woman and became her disciple, bringing his Yin and Yang origins into harmony. After warning him about the dangers ahead and the perfect life form in Qingyi’s womb, she began using the osmanthus pollen to help him advance his Moon Scripture cultivation.

• Jiang Ning left Qingyi and traveled to the Water Moon Sword Palace to meet the Moon Palace Woman at Moon Lake.
• The Moon Palace Woman passed the Moon Scripture to Jiang Ning, allowing his Taiyin Origin to grow and balance the Great Sun within him.
• Jiang Ning formally accepted the Moon Palace Woman as his master, and she told him to protect the perfect life form in Qingyi’s womb.
• The Moon Palace Woman explained that the Martial Saint had died, chaos would soon erupt, and Jiang Ning had little time to grow.
• The Moon Palace Woman brought Jiang Ning beneath a huge Osmanthus Tree, explained how pollen and Dao Fruits related to the Immortal Path, and began boosting his Moon Scripture experience with falling pollen.

After the Martial Saint’s death, Ji Minghao sought the Nine Heavens’ protection to preserve Great Xia, while Jiang Ning weighed the Immortal Path against continuing his Martial Path. A white-robed Sword Immortal headed for the Royal Capital, where the Blind Old Man and White Granny prepared to test him.

• Ji Minghao told Xu Xiao that he had chosen to seek the Nine Heavens’ protection and revealed that he had already made a deal with them.
• Jiang Ning left Water Moon Sword Palace, assessed his progress in the Sun Sutra and Moon Scripture, and decided to focus on the Sun Sutra while continuing the Martial Path.
• A white-robed Sword Immortal cleaved through the Eastern Sea and set off toward Great Xia’s Royal Capital after learning that the Martial Saint had passed away.
• The Blind Old Man and White Granny discussed whether the Martial Saint was truly dead, and White Granny prepared to send her Paper Doll to test the approaching Sword Immortal.
• A dazzling sword light appeared in the clear sky beyond the Royal Capital and cut across the heavens.

A white-robed Sword Immortal attacked the Royal Capital to test whether the Martial Saint had truly died, destroying White Granny’s ten paper Heavenly Soldiers and threatening to kill ten thousand people. Jiang Ning returned to Qingyi and prepared to intervene as the Sword Immortal gathered a massive blade over the city.

• White Granny sent ten paper dolls that transformed into Silver-Armored Heavenly Soldiers, but the Sword Immortal destroyed them despite their formation’s ability to rebuild them.
• The Blind Old Man left the Star Gazing Platform after the Sword Immortal located White Granny, and the Sword Immortal annihilated all ten Heavenly Soldiers.
• Xiang Yuan and Xiao Wuque decided to wait and see whether the Sword Immortal attacked the Imperial Palace or the city, while Ji Xuan agreed to defend the palace but planned to use an attack on civilians to gauge the enemy.
• Jiang Ning returned to Qingyi and told her he had to act because the Sword Immortal’s test could make her a target; he also confirmed that the Martial Saint had passed away in meditation.
• The Sword Immortal declared that ten thousand people would die if no one answered his challenge, then gathered the phantom of an enormous sword above the Royal Capital.

Su Qingying and the Martial King tried to stop the white-robed Sword Immortal, but both were defeated by his sword techniques. Jiang Ning stepped forward to face the attacker, who launched Seeing the Blue Sky at him.

• Su Qingying intercepted the white-robed Sword Immortal’s attack, but his Seeing the Blue Sky pierced her and sent her falling.
• Jiang Ning caught Su Qingying as the Martial King stepped forward to challenge the Sword Immortal.
• The Sword Immortal struck the Martial King’s Spirit Soul with a Nascent Soul sword, leaving him badly injured.
• Jiang Ning recognized the Sword Immortal’s powerful Nascent Soul and learned that he had come to draw out and kill Jiang Ning.
• The white-robed Sword Immortal unleashed Seeing the Blue Sky against Jiang Ning, turning the sky azure and the world black and white.

Jiang Ning endured the white-robed Sword Immortal’s attacks, destroyed his Flying Sword and Sword Array, and overcame his Nascent Soul Sword with Sun and Moon Shining Together. Recognizing Jiang Ning’s exceptional foundation, the Sword Immortal finally began to draw the Immortal’s sword he had kept sheathed.

• Jiang Ning caught the white-robed Sword Immortal’s Seeing the Blue Sky with his bare hand, then punched away and shattered a Flying Sword before swallowing its remains.
• The white-robed Sword Immortal unleashed his Sword Array, but Jiang Ning withstood its tiny swords and swallowed them as they attacked.
• The white-robed Sword Immortal struck at Jiang Ning’s spirit with his Nascent Soul Sword, but Jiang Ning’s Sun and Moon Shining Together melted the attack and disabled the Sword Array.
• Jiang Ning swallowed the fallen Flying Swords and revealed his manifested Nascent Soul, prompting the white-robed Sword Immortal to recognize his top-grade foundation.
• Ji Minghao and Ji Xuan watched Jiang Ning’s power from the Imperial Palace and feared how far he had surpassed them.
• The white-robed Sword Immortal declared Jiang Ning qualified to face his Immortal’s sword and began drawing it from its sheath.

Jiang Ning survived the Sword of the Immortal, killed the white-robed Sword Immortal, and returned to his family after the battle. After tending to Su Qingying and sharing a brief reunion at the Dongling Marquis Mansion, he left to visit his first Master, Wang Jin.

• The white-robed Sword Immortal unleashed the Sword of the Immortal, but Jiang Ning endured its strike with his Sixteen-Foot Golden Body.
• Jiang Ning used the power of time to accelerate and killed the white-robed Sword Immortal with one punch, then took and swallowed the damaged sword.
• Xia Xuanyan watched Jiang Ning descend and concluded that they were destined to be enemies, while Ji Minghao and Ji Xuan discussed whether Jiang Ning had reached the Martial Saint's level.
• Jiang Ning healed Su Qingying's lingering sword wound and took his leave of Xiao Wuque and Xiang Yuan.
• Jiang Ning returned to the Dongling Marquis Mansion, reunited with Jiang Li and his family, and shared a meal with them.
• Jiang Ning told Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan that he was going to visit his first Master, Wang Jin.

Jiang Ning returned to Luoshui and reunited with Li Qing and Wang Jin at Canglang Martial Hall, where he shared Dream Immortal wine with his former teacher. While waiting for Wang Jin, Jiang Ning considered how to strengthen his Nascent Soul and left the chapter resolved to advance it further.

• Jiang Ning entered Luoshui and found Li Qing practicing at Canglang Martial Hall.
• Li Qing told Jiang Ning that the Nine-Pecks-of-Rice Church had spread through Bashu and that she had returned because the region felt unsafe.
• Jiang Ning visited Wang Jin and brought him Dream Immortal wine, and Wang Jin went out to buy food for them to share.
• While waiting for Wang Jin, Jiang Ning reviewed his gains from battle and concluded that he needed to advance his Nascent Soul using the origins of Taiyin and Taiyang.
• Jiang Ning and Wang Jin shared wine and ordinary cooked dishes, and Wang Jin told Jiang Ning not to spend his precious time on an old teacher.

Jiang Ning toasted Wang Jin and discussed the dangers following the Martial Saint’s death before returning to the Royal Capital. At Lishui Imperial Palace, he began cultivating the Sun Scripture to balance and strengthen his Nascent Soul, and its golden radiance illuminated the palace grounds.

• Jiang Ning thanked Wang Jin for his past protection and told him he had accepted another master, while Wang Jin supported his decision.
• Jiang Ning told Wang Jin that the Martial Saint had passed away, and Wang Jin warned that powerful figures and the Imperial Clan might fear Jiang Ning and seek to remove him.
• Jiang Ning returned to the Royal Capital, told Luyi he would cultivate at Lishui Imperial Palace, and agreed to attend the Emperor’s Court Assembly the next day.
• Jiang Ning reviewed his Moon Scripture and Sun Scripture progress, changed the Panel’s displays to percentages, and resolved to cultivate the Sun Scripture to balance his Nascent Soul.
• Jiang Ning visualized the Great Sun and Golden Crow as he cultivated, and golden light spread from him across Lake Heart Island while his Sun Scripture experience increased.

Jiang Ning discovered that the Moon Scripture progressed faster under moonlight and the Sun Scripture advanced much faster in Yang Lake Grotto-heaven beneath its ten suns. After a night of cultivation, he left at dawn to attend the Court Assembly he had promised to join.

• Jiang Ning compared his scripture progress at Lishui Imperial Palace and found that moonlight made cultivating the Moon Scripture roughly four times more efficient.
• Jiang Ning traveled to Yang Lake Grotto-heaven, where the ten suns and dense Pure Yang Qi provided an ideal setting for the Sun Scripture.
• Jiang Ning cultivated on a barren crimson-rock island and deepened his understanding of the Sun Scripture as he absorbed the suns’ radiance.
• After a little over three hours, Jiang Ning’s Sun Scripture reached 3.1% initiation, advancing far faster than it had outside the grotto-heaven.
• When darkness made further cultivation unsuitable, Jiang Ning returned to Yang Lake and remembered Ji Minghao’s invitation to the Court Assembly.
• Jiang Ning set off toward the Royal Capital at dawn so he could keep his promise to attend.

Jiang Ning declined the Victory Banquet, received a secret invitation from Ji Mingyue, and returned to the Dongling Marquis Mansion, where he praised Jiang Yiming’s resolve and spent time with his family. He told Qingyi about his reward from Ji Minghao, including access to the Imperial Clan’s Inner Treasury to choose three treasures.

• Jiang Ning refused Ji Minghao’s invitation to the Victory Banquet, rebuked Ji Xuan, and accepted a letter from Ji Mingyue asking to meet at the Vermilion Bird Gate at Xu Time.
• Jiang Ning found Jiang Yiming training with a 3,500-jin iron lock and urged him to balance martial practice with study.
• Jiang Yiming told Jiang Ning that Xiao Jia had ended their relationship, and he firmly rejected the idea of trying to win her back.
• Jiang Ning praised Jiang Yiming’s maturity, then greeted Jiang Li and ate buns prepared by Liu Wanwan.
• Jiang Ning combed Qingyi’s hair and told her Ji Minghao had rewarded him with resources and permission to choose three treasures from the Imperial Clan’s Inner Treasury, including one of the Nine Treasury-Suppressing Treasures.