Recaps

Prefect An Chengyu and Zhang Haocun fought over the balance of power in Ascending Dragon Prefecture, until An used the Prefectural Seal and Liu Family Old Ancestor intervened. An escaped after Liu and Zhang tried to force him to surrender, and he planned to report them to the person behind him.

• An Chengyu and Zhang Haocun began their duel in the sky, trading attacks until Zhang fell behind.
• An summoned the Prefectural Seal, draining the prefecture's fortune as he pressed Zhang with its power.
• Zhang struck the seal with his family's strongest sword technique, while disasters erupted across several counties and his weapon began to crack.
• Liu Family Old Ancestor ambushed An, allowing Zhang to seize the weakened Prefectural Seal.
• Liu demanded that An surrender and remain in his official residence, but An fled using a secret speed technique.
• After escaping Zhang and Liu, An resolved to report them to the person behind him, then heard an unidentified figure say he had kept them waiting.

Li Xinge and Jiang Yinshu ambushed and killed Prefect An, with Li Xinge claiming the Prefect’s Golden Core and consuming his soul through the Three Sha Demon God. The Zhang and Liu Family Old Ancestors arrived afterward, believing Prefect An had escaped and agreeing to target the Li Family next.

• Li Xinge assured Prefect An that the Li Family would cover his retreat while secretly preparing to kill him.
• A masked attacker sent by Prefectural Assistant Liu attacked Prefect An, and Li Xinge stabbed him from behind and took his Golden Core.
• Li Xinge summoned the Three Sha Demon God to devour Prefect An’s soul, then ordered Jiang Yinshu to carry out a scheme.
• The Zhang and Liu Family Old Ancestors arrived, mistakenly concluded Prefect An had escaped, and agreed to remove the Li Family.

The Zhang and Liu families’ plot to remove Prefect An collapsed when a Demonic Cultivator delivered An Chengyu’s head, exposing their collusion and turning Ascending Dragon Prefecture against them. In Yang Province, Governor ordered Fu Yu to take a thousand Heavenly Phoenix Army troops to the prefecture.

• Zhang Haocun displayed Prefect An’s seal and offered leniency to those who had supported him, prompting them to switch allegiance.
• A veiled Demonic Cultivator tossed Liu Xuansheng a bundle containing Prefect An’s head and declared their arrangement complete.
• The crowd condemned the Zhang and Liu families for murdering An Chengyu, and their allies rushed to disavow them.
• Fu Yu reported An Chengyu’s murder to the Governor in Yang Province.
• The Governor ordered Fu Yu to take a thousand Heavenly Phoenix Army troops to Ascending Dragon Prefecture.

Li Xinge rallied the Five County Alliance to attack the Zhang and Liu Families, revealing that Elder Jiang was an Innate Realm cultivator and assigning him and Dou Changgeng to seize the Zhang Family’s heavy cavalry. As Zhang and Liu prepared for their families’ possible destruction, Fu Yu arrived over the prefectural city with the Heavenly Phoenix Army.

• Li Xinge called the Zhang and Liu Families traitors for colluding with Demonic Path fiends to murder Prefect An and announced a punitive campaign against them.
• Elder Jiang suppressed the Council Hall with his aura, revealing himself as a True Person, and Dou Changgeng agreed to seize the Zhang Family’s heavy cavalry with his help.
• Li Xinge ordered Dou Changgeng and Elder Jiang to take the heavy cavalry while he led the remaining alliance forces to the prefectural city.
• Zhang Haocun told Zhang Xingyi that the Governor’s Heavenly Phoenix Army had mobilized and urged him to preserve the Zhang bloodline; Zhang Xingyi said he had sent the lineage’s heirs away.
• Zhang Haocun chose to stay behind and fight, and the Liu Family Old Ancestor made the same choice.
• Fu Yu arrived above the prefectural city with ten demon birds and the Heavenly Phoenix Army.

Fu Yu gathered the Heavenly Phoenix Army to arrest the Zhang and Liu Families, while Li Xinge led the Five County Alliance to join him after breaking through to the Innate Realm. Fu Yu welcomed Li Xinge and introduced him to Wang Dong, then rebuked Wang Dong for slighting the newly arrived clan leader.

• Fu Yu declared the Zhang and Liu Families rebels and ordered the Heavenly Phoenix Army to apprehend them without mercy.
• Li Xinge halted the Five County Alliance when scouts reported approaching heavy cavalry, and Dou Changgeng reported that he and Elder Jiang had seized the force.
• Li Xinge sent Elder Jiang back to guard the Li Family’s ancestral grounds, then revealed his breakthrough to the Innate Realm by flying toward the Heavenly Phoenix Army.
• Li Xinge offered the Five County Alliance’s assistance to Fu Yu, who congratulated him and invited him to call him Uncle.
• Fu Yu introduced Wang Dong to Li Xinge, and corrected Wang Dong when he arrogantly dismissed Li Xinge’s status.

After learning that Li Xinge had reached the Innate Realm before twenty, Wang Dong changed his attitude, and Fu Yu launched an assault on the Zhang and Liu families. Li Xinge took on Liu Xuansheng to settle their families’ feud, and their battle began as the chapter ended.

• Fu Yu revealed Li Xinge’s age and cultivation to Wang Dong, who apologized and offered him a warm welcome.
• The Xie and Wang families arrived to aid Fu Yu, who ordered the Heavenly Phoenix Army and other factions to attack the Zhang and Liu estates.
• Fu Yu accused the Liu and Zhang ancestors of treason and collusion with Demonic Path fiends, and they refused to surrender.
• Li Xinge asked to fight Liu Xuansheng, while cultivators from the Xie and Wang families took on Zhang Haocun.
• Li Xinge struck Liu Xuansheng with a palm and sent him flying, then drew the Void Cutter Sword and clashed with him as the other fight began.

Li Xinge killed Liu Xuansheng with a devastating sword strike and survived the Golden Core explosion, helping the coalition crush the Zhang and Liu families. Zhang Haocun escaped Fu Yu’s pursuit after being wounded, but Fu Yu believed he would not survive the day; the chapter ended with the two clans wiped out and Li Xinge looking toward his family’s rise.

• Fu Yu discussed recruiting Li Xinge into the State Governor’s camp after the Zhang and Liu families were destroyed.
• Li Xinge used the Void Cutter Sword to shatter Liu Xuansheng’s halberd and split Liu Xuansheng and his Golden Core in two.
• Li Xinge survived the Golden Core’s explosion, and Fu Yu praised his strength and promised the State Governor would recognize his contribution.
• Zhang Haocun tricked Xie and Wang and fled, then escaped Fu Yu despite being struck and gravely wounded.
• The coalition slaughtered the Zhang and Liu families and their collateral branches, killing nearly four hundred thousand people.
• Li Xinge reflected on the clans’ destruction and thought that it was time for his Li family to rise further.

After the Zhang Family fell, Zhang Haocun reached its hidden refuge, where Zhang Qin Hu killed him and used the survivors’ corpses and his Golden Core to empower himself with the Devouring Kin Gu. Meanwhile, Fu Yu divided the Zhang and Liu Families’ seized wealth, and the Xie and Wang Family Old Ancestors were displeased with Li Xinge’s share.

• Fu Yu praised the cultivators who had suppressed the traitors and promised to distribute half the Zhang and Liu Families’ treasuries as rewards.
• Zhang Haocun entered the Zhang Family’s hidden cave and told Zhang Qin Hu that the Zhang Family had been destroyed.
• Zhang Qin Hu stabbed Zhang Haocun with a poisoned dagger, took his Golden Core, and killed the two cultivators who witnessed the murder.
• Zhang Qin Hu used the Devouring Kin Gu to drain the Qi and Blood from the corpses, swallowed Zhang Haocun’s Golden Core, and left the cave seeking Jiang Zhou.
• Fu Yu announced that the court would take half the seized wealth and allocated four-tenths of the remainder to Li Xinge for killing a Liu Family Innate.
• The Xie and Wang Family Old Ancestors showed displeasure at Fu Yu’s decision.

Li Xinge secured the Li Family’s largest share of the spoils and thanked Fu Yu, who offered him valuable techniques and discussed placing him in charge of Ascending Dragon Prefecture. Fu Yu told Li Xinge to keep their conversation secret while he arranged matters with the state government.

• Li Xinge silenced Xie and Wang’s objections to the division of spoils by challenging them to fight him.
• Fu Yu awarded the Li Family four shares, the Xie and Wang families two each, and divided the remainder among the others.
• Li Xinge visited Fu Yu after the victory banquet and offered him three thousand spirit stones in gratitude.
• Fu Yu refused the gift and offered Li Xinge Profound Rank techniques and martial skills taken from the Zhang and Liu families.
• Fu Yu asked Li Xinge how he would govern Ascending Dragon Prefecture, and Li Xinge said he would eliminate the families’ remnants and stabilize the region.
• Fu Yu said he would make arrangements with the state government and instructed Li Xinge to keep their discussion secret.

Fu Yu secured the Governor’s approval to appoint Li Xinge Prefect of Ascending Dragon Prefecture, triggering major rewards for the Li Family and the awakening of Li Xuanzong’s Barbarian God Physique. Three days later, Li Xinge waited at the prefectural yamen as Zhang Huaiming arrived to deliver his appointment.

• Fu Yu told the Governor that Li Xinge was worth recruiting and received approval to offer him the Prefect’s position.
• The Governor approved the appointment, and the Clerk Division drafted the official document, causing the Li Family’s fortune to rise.
• Li Xinge received system rewards, including the Burning Blood Scripture, spirit artifacts, an upgraded Clan Protection Array, new pill formulas, and a cultivation buff; Li Xuanzong awakened the Barbarian God Physique and advanced to the Qi and Blood Minor Accomplishment Realm.
• Li Xuanzong visited Li Xinge to share his breakthrough, while Li Xinge pretended not to know about the awakening.
• Three days later, Li Xinge arrived at the prefectural yamen as officials awaited the new Prefect.
• Zhang Huaiming entered the yamen with the appointment document and recognized Li Xinge as the new Prefect.

Li Xinge took office as Ascending Dragon Prefecture’s new Prefect and purged officials tied to the Zhang and Liu families. He consolidated control over most of the prefecture while leaving the eight counties held by the Xie, Wang, and Ge families alone for now.

• Zhang Huaiming read the Governor’s appointment, and Li Xinge accepted the post of Prefect of Ascending Dragon Prefecture.
• Li Xinge condemned officials who had aided the Zhang and Liu families, ordered one defiant official executed, and sent many others to prison.
• Li Xinge spared the officials who remained and prepared to appoint people loyal to the Li family.
• The heads of the Xie, Wang, and Ge families met secretly after news of Li Xinge’s appointment spread.
• Li Xinge installed loyalists and expanded his authority across two cities and ten counties, while the three great clans retained control of the other eight counties.

Li Xinge officially took up the Prefect's seal at a grand ceremony attended by Ascending Dragon Prefecture's officials and powerful families. The system told him the Li Family qualified for promotion to Level 3, but he declined and took his seat as Prefect.

• Li Xingzong learned that Old Man Fengshan planned to attend Li Xinge's seal-taking ceremony and secretly considered taking his master's Profound Rank weapon as a gift.
• The Li Family spent a month preparing for Li Xinge's appointment ceremony, where officials and prominent clans arrived with lavish gifts.
• Old Man Fengshan and Li Xingzong arrived late after a stop at Green Willow Tower, and Fengshan presented Li Xinge with a Profound Tier intermediate treasure sword.
• Zhang Huaiming fastened the Prefectural Seal to Li Xinge, prompting the system to offer to promote the Li Family to Level 3; Li Xinge refused.
• Li Xinge took his seat as Prefect while the assembled officials and family heads bowed to him, and he vowed to make even stronger cultivators submit one day.

Li Xinge consulted Old Man Fengshan about the mysterious growth of his Void Cutter Sword, then advanced the Li Family to Level 3 and received a host of rewards. He was left stunned by the system’s gifts, especially the Supreme Emperor Armament, the Tianyuan Cauldron.

• Li Xinge asked Old Man Fengshan to examine the sword the Zheng Family Head had given him.
• Old Man Fengshan discovered that Void Cutter Sword absorbed blood essence, had once possessed an Earth Rank weapon spirit, and could grow stronger.
• Three days later, Li Xinge advanced the Li Family to Level 3 and received spirit veins, weapons, cultivation resources, talent rewards, and upgraded buffs.
• The system granted Li Xinge a Special Physique Plunder Card and the Supreme Emperor Armament, the Tianyuan Cauldron, which could refine spirit-energy-rich objects into immortal pills.
• Li Xinge stared at the many rewards, dumbfounded.

Li Xinge awakened the Spirit Vein beneath Green Maple Valley, strengthening the clan’s cultivation and resources, then ordered a reform of Li Family’s ranking and resource system. The elders unanimously approved the new tiers, leaving the reform’s implementation to them.

• Li Xinge merged the system-rewarded Spirit Vein beneath Green Maple Valley, boosting spiritual energy, cultivation, and the growth of crops and fruits.
• Li Xinge reassured the gathered clanspeople about the Spirit Vein, and they praised him as their family head.
• Li Xinge visited Li Wuyou, encouraged her resolve to protect those she cared about, and ordered that her cultivation resources no longer be restricted.
• The First Elder presented a six-tier family ranking system at the elders’ meeting, assigning resources and benefits according to talent, strength, and contributions.
• Li Xuanyong and the other elders supported the reform, and Li Xinge tasked them with assigning clanspeople to their new tiers.

Li Family members reacted to the coming resource reforms with excitement and suspicion, while Li Xuanqi disciplined his son for criticizing the family head and seeking favoritism. Li Xuanyong defended his impartial service to the family despite his household’s hardship, leaving his wife to cut off his apology.

• Some Li Family members welcomed the new ranking system as a chance to earn more resources through talent and service, while others questioned whether the elders would assign tiers fairly.
• Li Yanjiang complained about the reforms, and Li Xuanqi slapped him for criticizing the family head and warned him not to seek a higher tier through family connections.
• Li Xuanqi reflected that his eldest son had revealed his true character and resolved to focus on raising his younger son and grandson.
• Li Xuanyong’s wife worried that the reforms could cost him his position and leave their family vulnerable, but he said he would be glad if younger members surpassed him.
• Li Xuanyong explained that he had remained loyal and impartial as an elder, then admitted he had failed his wife and daughter, and she stopped his apology by twisting his ear.

Li Xinge established new systems for ranking Li Family members and organizing its leadership. A month later, Seventh Elder Li Yanxiu demonstrated the powerful Purple Blade Thorn, a Second-order attack-type spiritual plant whose fruits Li Family members could control as weapons.

• Li Xinge announced a five-tier hierarchy for Li Family members, placing Li Wuyou and Li Xingzong in the second tier.
• Li Xinge established a leadership structure with a highest Elder Council, an ordinary Elder Council, Protectors, and ranked staff and clan members.
• Li Yanxiu showed Li Xinge and the elders the Purple Blade Thorn he had cultivated in Green Maple Valley.
• Li Yanxiu activated the Purple Blade Thorn, which cut through trees and blasted a deep crater into a cliff with its spiked fruits.
• The Fourth Elder bound himself to one of the Thorn's fruits with his blood and demonstrated that he could trigger it as a controllable weapon.
• Li Xinge praised Li Yanxiu, awarded him three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, and the elders congratulated him on becoming a Second-tier Spiritual Plant Master.

Li Xinge decided the Li Family would deal with the Jing River water bandits, and he sent Li Wuyou along with the family’s response. The chapter ended as a Li Family caravan carrying valuable forging materials departed, with Elder Jiang secretly assigned to watch over the group.

• The Grand Elder told Li Xinge that water bandits led by a Qi and Blood Great Accomplishment commander had been robbing Li Family shipments, and Li Xinge chose to eliminate them and use the fight to train his clansmen.
• Li Wuyou told the Grand Elder she wanted to kill people to grow stronger, and he urged her to avoid sounding like a Demonic Cultivator.
• Li Wuyou asked Li Xinge to let her go out again after refining the Qi and Blood power from her previous killings, and he warned her to conceal her demonic technique.
• Li Xinge sent Li Wuyou to the Grand Elder to join the arrangements and ordered Elder Jiang to follow secretly unless the group faced a life-or-death crisis.
• The next day, a Li Family caravan carrying rare forging materials worth tens of thousands of gold set out toward the provincial capital by way of the harbor and Jing River.

Li Wuyou’s convoy was attacked by Water Bandits while transporting valuable goods for the Baihe Li Clan. She killed the Second Chieftain with ease, leaving the Great Chieftain facing her.

• The convoy leader spotted Water Bandits approaching and ordered the guards to fire as the attackers boarded the ships.
• Black-clad cultivators from the convoy fought back, while the Great Chieftain and Second Chieftain watched from a small boat and prepared to attack.
• The Great Chieftain struck at the convoy leader and dismissed the Baihe Li Clan as a threat.
• Li Wuyou appeared on the mast, and the Second Chieftain lunged at her, intending to capture her.
• Li Wuyou cut the Second Chieftain’s throat and burned the black qi rising from him, shocking everyone nearby.

Li Wuyou pursued the Water Bandits' Great Chieftain after killing the Second Chieftain and revealed her powerful secret arts during their duel. She defeated him with blood-red demonic power, then turned her gaze toward Elder Jiang.

• Li Wuyou ordered Zhang Xingchen to stand down and dodged the Great Chieftain's attack before striking him from behind.
• The Great Chieftain fled across the river, and Li Wuyou chased him to a small island with Zhang Xingchen following behind.
• The Great Chieftain revealed his Qi and Blood Great Perfection cultivation and attacked Li Wuyou with a powerful blade-light.
• Li Wuyou used the Burning Blood Scripture to raise her strength, then unleashed blood-red chains that drained the Great Chieftain until he crumbled to dust.
• Li Wuyou turned toward Elder Jiang's hiding place, terrifying him.

Li Wuyou collapsed after displaying her demonic power, and the Li Family claimed the Water Bandits' stolen goods. Elsewhere, Xue Kai's demon-hunting team crossed a deadly marsh to pursue a wounded Wind Chasing Leopard and reached its cave.

• Elder Jiang revealed that he had been secretly sent to protect Li Wuyou, who lost consciousness after her demonic aura subsided.
• Zhang Xingchen found Li Wuyou alive, and the Li Family later searched the island and claimed the Water Bandits' plunder, worth over three hundred thousand gold.
• Chen Ziyi tracked a wounded Wind Chasing Leopard to a miasma marsh, and Xue Kai ordered his team to enter despite the danger.
• Xue Kai forced team members to scout the marsh, where several died to its hazards or his saber, leaving fewer than twenty survivors.
• Chen Ziyi found the leopard's cave, and Xue Kai led the team inside until they heard the beast roar.

Xue Kai and Chen Ziyi discovered a Spirit Stone Mine after killing a Wind Chasing Leopard, then turned on their squadmates and each other to claim it. Chen Ziyi escaped and learned the Jinshan Xie Clan was hunting him, so he began planning to retaliate.

• Xue Kai and the demon-hunting squad killed the wounded Wind Chasing Leopard and extracted its Demonic Core.
• Xue Kai found a Spirit Stone Mine in the cave and killed the squad members with Chen Ziyi, intending to keep the discovery for themselves.
• Xue Kai tried to kill Chen Ziyi, but Chen Ziyi revealed he had reached Qi and Blood Minor Accomplishment and fought back.
• Xue Kai defeated Chen Ziyi after a half-hour battle, but Chen Ziyi escaped; Xue Kai hurried away to limit his losses.
• The Jinshan Xie Clan began hunting Chen Ziyi, who decided to seek help from another power in Ascending Dragon Prefecture and retaliate.

After Chen Ziyi revealed the Spirit Stone Mine to the Jin Chuan Wang Clan, the Wang and Xie families joined forces to blockade Lingdang Mountain. Li Xinge sent 100,000 Prefecture Army troops to surround it, leaving the two patriarchs preparing to confront Zheng Cangfeng and the force behind him.

• Chen Ziyi disguised himself and traveled to Jin Chuan County to tell the Wang Clan about the Spirit Stone Mine.
• The Wang and Xie families met in Lingdang Mountain and joined forces to keep outsiders from entering or leaving.
• After Night Owl Hall reported the blockade, Li Xinge ordered Zheng Cangfeng to send 100,000 Prefecture Army troops to surround Lingdang Mountain.
• Zheng Cangfeng led the army out of the Right Army camp and surrounded the mountain range.
• Xie Baifeng and Wang Tongyun learned of the army's arrival and suspected Li Xinge wanted a share of the Spirit Stone Mine.
• Xie Baifeng and Wang Tongyun reaffirmed their alliance and prepared to meet Zheng Cangfeng.

Zheng Cangfeng forced the Xie and Wang families to let the imperial army into Mount Lingdang, where they discovered a Spirit Stone Mine. Li Xuantong negotiated a division of the mine, and the two families reluctantly agreed to share it with the Li Family and Sima Fu.

• Zheng Cangfeng confronted Xie Baifeng and Wang Tongyun, invoking the Prefect's orders until they let the army enter Mount Lingdang.
• The imperial troops and Li Family experts found a large Spirit Stone Mine in less than half a day.
• Zheng Cangfeng accused the Xie and Wang families of hiding the mine from the imperial court, and Xie Baifeng challenged his motives.
• Li Xuantong explained that the Li Family and Sima Fu would claim half the mine, with forty percent going to the Li Family and ten percent to Sima Fu.
• Xie Baifeng and Wang Tongyun accepted the division, fearing the consequences of refusing the Li Family and its powerful allies.

Li Xinge arranged for Luo Mo to oversee the newly discovered Spirit Stone mine and reminded the First Elder to prioritize steady development. Li Wu claimed a dangerous task to hunt a Liu Family remnant for a Qi and Blood Pill, while Li Yanyuan quietly sent a subordinate after him.

• The families agreed to mine the Spirit Stone deposits with cultivators and mining slaves, while the Ascending Dragon Prefecture's Right Army would guard the site.
• The First Elder reported to Li Xinge, who praised him and ordered him to send Luo Mo to oversee the mine.
• The Li Family posted several tasks, and clansmen gathered to discuss the rewards and requirements.
• Li Wu decided to claim the task to kill a Liu Family remnant at Body Cultivation Grand Perfection for the Qi and Blood Pill.
• Li Yanyuan warned Li Wu about the danger but registered him after Li Wu insisted, then whispered instructions to a subordinate.

Li Wu collected information on the Liu Family remnant Li Zhen and traveled to Qinghua Town to investigate him at Huayue Tower. After an unexpected encounter with Yue Niang left him exhausted, he noticed a hunched waiter carrying the food.

• Li Wu obtained a dossier from the Hall of Law Enforcement identifying Li Zhen as a dangerous, elusive Body Cultivation Grand Perfection cultivator last seen at Huayue Tower.
• Li Wu packed supplies, left Green Maple Valley, and reached Qinghua Town after a day of travel.
• Li Wu entered Huayue Tower, ordered its signature dishes and a vat of wine, and broke his chair by sitting on it.
• Yue Niang flirted with Li Wu, who slapped her; she enjoyed the blow and asked him to hit her again until he was exhausted.
• Li Wu declared that he was only eleven, and then recognized something about the hunched waiter bringing out the dishes.