Recaps

Shen Tang’s forces concealed her survival, cut off the Northern Desert army’s supplies, and prepared a trap around Shexing Pass while Yun Da pursued his plan to destroy humanity. The arc ended with Kang Kingdom’s ambush breaking the Northern Desert assault, as Tudege hesitated and Yun Da arrived.

• Zhao Feng prepared Kang Country for war after Gao Country returned its envoy’s severed head, while Wu Xian’s family collapsed into deaths and factional conflict.
• Shen Tang sent Liao Jia and Gu Wangchao to Gao Country, where Wu Xian rejected her message and Gu Chi discovered that Mei Jinghe was connected to Lü Jue’s former lover.
• After rumors claimed Shen Tang had died at Shexing Pass, Zhao Feng revealed that she had survived, and Gu Chi experienced her dream of an ancient civilization and a laboratory studying her.
• Shen Tang rejected reports that Yun Ce and Xianyu Jian had surrendered, exchanged ordinary prisoners, and ordered Bei Jiu to help cut off the Northern Desert’s supplies around Shexing Pass.
• Yun Da crippled Yun Ce’s cultivation but spared him, while Kang’s forces dug trenches and used explosives to destroy Northern Desert provisions.
• Yun Da revealed to Yun Ce that he believed humanity should be cleansed, then met Shen Tang and demanded that she return to her place as the Mother Goddess.
• Tudege launched a surprise attack on Kang’s camp, but Shen Tang’s forces raised the National Border Barrier and Xun Zhen’s reinforcements helped repel the Northern Desert assault.
• Lin Feng’s intelligence helped Kang’s commanders lure Tudege’s forces into a trap, where wooden walls, explosions, cavalry, and Kang’s fighters divided and battered the invaders as Yun Da arrived.

Shen Tang defeated the Northern Desert army and began absorbing its territory into Kang Country before redeploying toward Heyin. As her allies settled personal disputes and investigated Mei Meng, preparations for war with Gao Country exposed the Eternal Life Cult’s powerful commanders.

• Shen Tang and Chu Yao broke the Northern Desert army, captured Tudege, and exposed Liu Guan as his impostor before she killed herself.
• Gong Cheng surrendered and later killed himself, while Yun Da’s letter warned Shen Tang that his true body would sink the continent unless the world united within twelve years.
• Shen Tang reclaimed Shexing Pass and demanded Northern Desert’s incorporation as Desert Province, while Gongshu Wu took in Yimamusong and Qi Shan accepted her as his student.
• Shen Tang sent Cui Hui and Qi Shan toward Heyin, where Cui Hui persuaded Cui Xiao to set aside his grudge against Qi Shan.
• Qi Shan exposed Mei Meng’s spies in Fugu City and thwarted her attempt to use a Word Spirit hidden in Lü Jue’s Martial Gall Tiger Tally to destroy their corpses.
• Shen Tang arrived in Heyin, ordered an investigation into Mei Meng’s Way of the Scholar, and sheltered the White-eyed Girl after hearing her warning about the Eternal Life Cult.
• Shen Tang decided to attack Gao Country, and Kang Shi revealed its alliance with the Eternal Life Cult and the powerful skeletal general and ancient Literary Scholar behind it.
• Gongxi Chou brought his brother’s warning that the skeletal Che Hou had an exploitable weakness, but the Literary Scholar posed the greater threat and required them to use their forces in reverse.

Shen Tang’s forces uncovered Gao Country’s plans and fought to defend Shang Nan, while Mei Jinghe pursued her own path to perfecting her Way of the Scholar. At Wei Gorge, the National Teacher reversed civil and martial abilities, leaving Shen Tang’s army transformed as the battle began.

• Jimò Qiu explained that He Shu’s Way of the Scholar could reverse people’s stronger paths, and Shen Tang sent Luan Xin, Qi Shan, and Cui Xiao to gather intelligence in Gao Country.
• Luan Xin copied He Shu’s perfected Way of the Scholar and used Gu Chi’s Way to record Gao Country’s plans, revealing its three-pronged attack and surprise strike on Shang Nan.
• Shen Tang sent Chao Lian and Fang Yan to reinforce Shang Nan, where Fang Yan uncovered forged orders and secret troop movements as He Shu’s sacrifice ritual brought lightning down on the city.
• Qi Shan, He Xin, and Cui Xiao reached Shang Nan and helped stop the lightning, while Yun Ce arrived after an ambush had turned his troops against the city’s forces.
• Shen Tang attacked Wu Xian’s territory, while Ning Yan revealed that Mei Jinghe planned to perfect her Way by helping raise a traitor who would steal a state and then killing him.
• Wu Xian chose Wei Gorge for the battle, and Qian Yong provoked his army before the National Teacher used “Invert Heaven and Earth” and “Life and Death Change Masters” to reverse the battlefield’s forces.
• Yu Zi discovered that her transformed ability could seize martial aura, and Gu Chi’s thoughts helped her defeat Yu Weiheng before the National Teacher warned Gao Country’s forces to adapt.

Shen Tang defeated Gao Country’s army, freed the battlefield’s dead, and captured Wu Xian while uncovering Wei Lou’s reasons for opposing her. She then used conflicting abdication edicts to provoke a succession struggle, leaving Fourth Young Master poised to take the throne within Mei Meng’s trap.

• Yu Zi captured Gao Country’s general in the first duel, and Shen Tang chose Jimò Qiu for the second bout against Wei Cheng.
• Jimò Qiu fought Wei Cheng with his divine blood, and Jimò Cong sacrificed her remaining soul to seal Wei Cheng after an ancient burial ground opened beneath the battlefield.
• Lin Feng and Shen Tang’s other commanders resisted the skeletal army, and Shen Tang played “Soul Ferry” to restore the dead soldiers’ awareness and help them pass on.
• Gongxi Chou captured Wu Xian while Chu Yao and Ning Yan routed and pursued Gao Country’s army.
• Shen Tang confronted Wei Lou underground, learned that he had feared divine rule over Wu, and heard that Yun Da planned to realize his ideal in twelve years.
• Shen Tang persuaded Wu Xian to abdicate and distributed genuine edicts naming different sons to provoke a succession clash and disrupt Mei Jinghe’s plans.
• Consort Mi seized control of the inner palace, and Fourth Young Master defeated Fifth Young Master, who revealed his abdication edict before taking his own life.
• Fourth Young Master gained provisional support for the throne amid competing edicts, while Mei Meng planned to enthrone him, expose him, and kill him to complete the Way of the Scholar.