Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Profound Ice City commander Murong Xue learns that an Abnormal Army of roughly fifty thousand, including at least two Great Emperors, is approaching after taking three cities. Outnumbered and short on experienced soldiers, she fortifies the city, mobilizes civilians and distributes supplies while requesting help.
• Alliance leaders realize the enemy’s apparent retreat was a feint: it struck the vulnerable Far North while drawing attention elsewhere. Losing the city would expose the Northern Border and threaten the Heavenly Chasm Defense Line.
• With Su Ming in the middle of a crucial breakthrough, Ye Wushuang takes ten thousand cavalry north to reinforce the city. Great Emperor Fury ambushes them in a valley. After two hours of fighting and over three thousand casualties, Ye leads the survivors out—but Fury lets them retreat so his army can follow them to the city.
• The battered survivors reach Profound Ice City, worsening its already desperate defense. At Headquarters, Xuanyuan Tian Ji refuses to interrupt Su Ming’s breakthrough, fearing it could permanently damage his cultivation. Instead, she orders northern garrisons, Qingqiu forces, and Blood Shadow’s army to converge. The nearest aid will take days, leaving the city’s ability to hold in doubt.
• The chapter ends as a scout rushes into the Council Hall with an urgent report.

Character developments and interactions

• Murong Xue acts decisively under pressure, organizing both soldiers and civilians to defend the city.
• Ye Wushuang volunteers to lead the relief force and fights fiercely, but the ambush exposes the limits of his strength against Great Emperor Fury. His retreat brings survivors to the city but also draws the enemy closer.
• Xuanyuan Tian Ji must choose between saving the city immediately and protecting Su Ming’s breakthrough, which she sees as essential to the Alliance’s future. She chooses to mobilize every available outside force rather than disturb him.
• Feng Xuanzi and Iron Mountain Immortal Emperor voice the strategic danger of losing the Far North, while the Council debates how to respond. The enemy’s coordinated deception leaves the leadership with no easy option.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and strategic trade-offs: The Alliance must balance the lives and territory at risk against preserving its strongest leader.
• Deception and miscalculation: The enemy exploits the Alliance’s confidence and uses linked feints and ambushes to turn a relief effort into another threat.
• Leadership under pressure: Murong Xue, Ye Wushuang, and Xuanyuan Tian Ji each take responsibility despite facing overwhelming odds.
• Hope against a narrowing deadline: The Alliance’s plan depends on reinforcements arriving before the city falls—and on Su Ming completing his breakthrough.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Profound Ice City sends an urgent report: Great Emperor Fury has personally attacked, blasted a thirty-foot breach in the northeastern wall, and inflicted heavy casualties. General Murong estimates the city can survive for only half an hour.
• The Council Hall despairs, knowing reinforcements cannot arrive in time. Xuanyuan Tian Ji struggles between preserving Su Ming’s breakthrough and saving the city’s defenders and civilians.
• At that moment, Su Ming breaks through in seclusion. A gray pillar of light and overwhelming aura reveal that he has entered the Immortal Emperor Supreme Realm.
• Su Ming emerges transformed. His Void Power has evolved into the fully controlled Return-to-Silence Origin, eliminating its former backlash and making him unrivaled beneath the Emperor Realm. He is now capable of fighting an ordinary Great Emperor Initial Stage cultivator.
• After learning of Profound Ice City’s desperate situation, Su Ming immediately orders ten thousand elite cavalry to assemble, along with half the army’s Healing Pills.
• Despite Xuanyuan Tian Ji’s concern that his breakthrough is too recent for immediate combat, Su Ming refuses to rest, insisting that every delay costs lives.
• Su Ming leads the army north. He uses Return-to-Silence power to reduce wind resistance and Spatial Power to shorten the journey, allowing the cavalry to travel roughly a thousand miles in one day and one night.
• Along the route, the army discovers villages destroyed by the Abnormal Army, with civilians—including children and the elderly—murdered and their Living Souls ripped away. The soldiers become enraged, while Su Ming silently gathers murderous intent and vows to repay the blood debt.
• The army finally sees Profound Ice City under attack, with smoke, battle cries, and collapsing walls visible from afar. Su Ming orders the cavalry to advance faster.

Character Developments

• Su Ming completes his breakthrough from Half-Step Immortal Emperor Supreme to Immortal Emperor Supreme. His power becomes more stable, profound, and completely controllable.
• His breakthrough does not make him arrogant or distracted. Instead, he remains focused on the war and immediately prioritizes the lives of Profound Ice City’s defenders and civilians.
• Su Ming demonstrates stronger leadership and strategic ability by personally leading the relief force and using his newly perfected powers to accelerate the army’s march.
• Xuanyuan Tian Ji shows deep concern for Su Ming’s health and is emotionally relieved by his breakthrough. Her hesitation over whether to disturb him reveals both her respect for his cultivation and her compassion for the city’s people.
• The soldiers and commanders gain renewed hope and confidence upon witnessing Su Ming’s advancement. His presence transforms their despair into determination.

Significant Themes

• Duty over personal advancement: Su Ming refuses to enjoy or consolidate his breakthrough while thousands remain in danger.
• The turning point of power: His advancement marks a major shift in the war, establishing him as a force capable of challenging Great Emperor-level enemies.
• Leadership through action: Rather than giving a long speech, Su Ming inspires the army through decisive commands and by personally leading the charge.
• War’s brutality and righteous vengeance: The destroyed villages and slaughtered civilians expose the Abnormal Army’s cruelty, fueling the army’s resolve and Su Ming’s determination to make them pay.
• Controlled strength: Su Ming’s perfected Return-to-Silence Origin symbolizes his transition from possessing dangerous power to mastering it completely.

Character Interactions

• The scout’s report plunges the Council Hall into panic, while Xuanyuan Tian Ji and Feng Xuanzi react with grave concern.
• Xuanyuan Tian Ji initially considers waking Su Ming but ultimately waits for his breakthrough.
• After Su Ming emerges, the leaders congratulate and bow to him, recognizing his new status.
• Xuanyuan Tian Ji warns him against rushing into battle immediately after breaking through, but Su Ming calmly rejects the suggestion, emphasizing the urgency of the crisis.
• Su Ming’s brief command—“Follow me north. Kill the enemy.”—unites the ten thousand cavalry and sets the army into motion.

Key events

• Profound Ice City is on the verge of falling. Murong Xue and fewer than five thousand wounded defenders hold a wide breach against the Abnormal Army, while Great Emperor Fury prepares an attack capable of destroying much of the city.
• Su Ming arrives with a single sword strike, dispersing Fury’s flames and forcing him back. He then counters Fury’s axe technique with “Return to Silence,” cracking the weapon and damaging Fury’s arm with void power.
• Su Ming offers Fury a chance to retreat. Uncertain he can win without paying a heavy price, Fury orders the Abnormal Army to withdraw. The siege ends, and the city and Northern Border’s defense line are saved.

Character developments and interactions

• Murong Xue remains defiant despite grave injuries, rallying the defenders to fight to the death. Su Ming’s arrival brings her visible relief.
• Su Ming demonstrates immense new power after reaching Immortal Emperor Supreme, but remains measured: he avoids pursuing Fury because his cultivation is not yet stabilized and protecting the city is the priority.
• Great Emperor Fury begins confident and contemptuous but becomes wary after Su Ming’s attacks. Though furious at being challenged, he chooses retreat over a potentially costly battle.
• The exhausted defenders shift from despair to jubilation, hailing Su Ming as their savior.

Significant themes

• Defiance and sacrifice: The defenders refuse to yield because their families and city lie behind them.
• Power tempered by restraint: Su Ming’s strength wins the confrontation, but he prioritizes stability and avoids unnecessary risk.
• Victory amid a larger conflict: Profound Ice City is secure for now, but Su Ming recognizes that the Northern Border’s turmoil—and the debt of blood—remain unresolved.

Key plot points and events

• After three days of fierce fighting, Profound Ice City begins repairing its walls and tending to its dead and wounded. The defenders lost over 7,300 soldiers, more than 4,000 were wounded, and nearly 20,000 civilians died. Although over 20,000 eldritch creatures were killed, none of their Emperor-tier leaders fell.
• Su Ming concludes that the enemy’s main force is intact and that his forces cannot defend the entire Northern Border alone. He summons the Profound Sun Sword Sect, Qingqiu Demon Kingdom, and Blood Fiend Devil Abyss to discuss a campaign into the Far North.
• Murong Xue warns that the three powers distrust one another and may refuse to risk their forces or follow Su Ming’s command. He remains confident that the danger posed by the eldritch creatures will eventually compel them to cooperate.
• The three contingents arrive in Profound Ice City: Qingyunzi leads the Profound Sun Sword Sect, Bai Xuan the Qingqiu Demon Kingdom, and Blood Vigor the Blood Fiend Devil Abyss.
• At the Council Hall, Su Ming proposes exploiting the enemy’s recent defeat to drive the eldritch creatures from the Far North in a decisive campaign.
• The elders reveal conflicting priorities. Qingyunzi and Bai Xuan favor strengthening the existing defenses and advancing cautiously, while Blood Vigor advocates an immediate strike on the enemy’s Icefield Camp and offers to lead the vanguard. His enthusiasm is partly driven by the prospect of claiming the region’s mineral wealth. The chapter ends as Qingyunzi challenges his confidence and warns of the danger of an ambush.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Ming acts with firm strategic resolve. His calm authority reflects his new status as an Immortal Emperor Supreme, though he intends to persuade—and, if necessary, compel—the allied powers to act together.
• Murong Xue serves as a practical, cautious adviser, voicing doubts about the alliance’s unity and Su Ming’s ability to command it.
• Qingyunzi respects Su Ming’s victory but doubts his experience and favors a defensive, gradual approach.
• Bai Xuan supports Qingyunzi, citing Qingqiu’s need to recover from the war.
• Blood Vigor presents himself as bold and eager to attack, but self-interest underlies his position.
• The elders’ courteous exchanges mask suspicion and rivalry; their first council meeting immediately exposes the lack of a shared strategy.

Significant themes

• Unity versus factional self-interest: The allied powers face a common enemy but remain divided by their own priorities.
• Caution versus decisive action: The elders disagree over whether to consolidate defenses or exploit the enemy’s weakened position.
• Leadership and authority: Su Ming must turn his personal strength and battlefield success into effective command of a coalition.
• The cost of war: The city’s extensive military and civilian losses underscore the urgency and human cost of the conflict.

Plot and events

• At a council meeting, leaders of the Profound Sun Sword Sect, Qingqiu, and the Blood Fiend Devil Abyss argue over how to conduct the Northern Border campaign—and, beneath that, who should command the allied army and claim its rewards.
• Though the factions had previously relied on Su Ming, they now doubt his leadership, attributing his victories to favorable circumstances and questioning his experience.
• Su Ming lets the argument run its course, then declares that the army must have one commander. He proposes a martial demonstration: anyone who can withstand three moves from him will lead the army and control the expedition’s tactics.
• The three faction leaders accept, each believing the challenge offers a chance to take command. They spend the night planning how to counter him.
• The next morning, fifty thousand allied troops gather in Profound Ice City. Su Ming faces Qingyunzi, Bai Xuan, Blood Vigor, and two other elders on the platform. He permits them to challenge him individually, in succession, or together; forcing him back even one step will count as victory.
• Qingyunzi cautions that the contest should be a friendly exchange. Su Ming dismisses the concern and asks who will fight first. The demonstration—and its outcome—remain unresolved at the chapter’s end.

Character developments

• Su Ming remains outwardly calm through the dispute, but reveals a ruthless approach to authority: he intends to end dissent through overwhelming force rather than further discussion.
• Xuanyuan Tian Ji is frustrated by the elders’ self-interest and worries that Su Ming is taking an unnecessary risk. She supports his leadership but cannot dissuade him.
• Qingyunzi, Bai Xuan, and Blood Vigor openly contest Su Ming’s authority, yet accept the challenge because they believe their experience and strength give them a chance to win.

Themes

• Authority and legitimacy: The factions question whether Su Ming deserves command, while Su Ming asserts that leadership must be settled decisively.
• Factional self-interest: The dispute over military plans masks competition for credit, territory, and influence.
• Strength as political power: Both sides accept martial ability as the final measure of who should rule the allied army.
• Overconfidence and misjudgment: The elders underestimate Su Ming, setting up the possibility of a dramatic reversal.

Character interactions

• Bai Xuan tries to mediate between the quarrelling elders, though he is also calculating how to protect Qingqiu’s interests.
• Xuanyuan Tian Ji is ready to defend Su Ming, but he silently stops her and handles the challenge himself.
• The elders agree to Su Ming’s terms, each hoping to gain command, while Su Ming’s blunt confidence intensifies their resentment and raises the stakes.

Key events

• Li Changfeng of the Profound Sun Sword Sect challenges Su Ming with the Radiant Sun Slash. Su Ming remains still and pierces the attack with a single burst of Void Power, damaging Li’s sword and forcing him back.
• Zhang Xuan follows with a defensive bronze-mirror shield and a storm of wind blades. Su Ming’s void sword erases both the blades and shield, then strikes Zhang, leaving him badly hurt.
• Elder Bai Xuan of the Qingqiu Demon Kingdom, whose cultivation is close to the Great Emperor Realm, unleashes the Nine-Tailed Heaven-Burning Art. Su Ming blocks the nine flames without moving. The force rebounds, injuring Bai Xuan and making him retreat three steps.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Ming’s effortless victories reveal that his Void Power can dissolve both spiritual attacks and defenses, not merely counter sinister forces. He stays calm and stationary throughout.
• Li and Zhang’s confidence gives way to disbelief and defeat; their losses silence the arena.
• Bai Xuan approaches cautiously, hoping to prove Qingqiu’s strength, but is thoroughly overpowered even without Su Ming striking him directly.
• Qingyunzi grows increasingly grim as it becomes clear that neither the Profound Sun elders nor Bai Xuan can meaningfully challenge Su Ming.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming power: Su Ming’s opponents are formidable cultivators, yet he defeats or withstands them with ease.
• Composure and control: Su Ming’s stillness contrasts with the spectacle and force of the attacks.
• Reputation and political standing: The demonstrations reshape how the assembled sects and kingdom view Su Ming—and underscore the implications for Qingqiu’s status.

Plot points and events

• To secure command of the allied army, Su Ming defeats Elder Bai Xuan, the Qingqiu Demon Kingdom’s second-strongest fighter. Qingyunzi and Elder Blood Vigor then accept his leadership, and the troops acclaim him.
• Su Ming sets the northern campaign’s guiding principle: advance steadily and fortify every position, denying the aberrations opportunities to ambush or divide the army.
• He establishes a five-pronged deployment and plans to meet the enemy near Icecrack Valley, where the aberrations’ main force is reportedly stationed.
• At dawn, 50,000 allied soldiers march north in five columns. Each advances in coordination, while the central force builds defensive formations every ten li.
• The first skirmishes go well for the alliance: Blood Shadow’s western column destroys an ambush of more than 300 aberrations, and Ye Wushuang’s eastern column defeats most of a force of over 500 riders, though a few escape.

Character developments

• Su Ming demonstrates both overwhelming strength and calm strategic authority, turning control of the army into a practical, disciplined campaign.
• Bai Xuan, Qingyunzi, and Blood Vigor abandon their resistance and submit. Blood Vigor, in particular, becomes more pragmatic, hoping to earn rewards through military merit.
• Ye Wushuang shows increased confidence and deadliness after reaching the Immortal Emperor Realm.
• Blood Shadow uses his former experience as an aberration to anticipate enemy tactics.

Character interactions

• Su Ming’s defeat of Bai Xuan settles the challenge to his authority. The three faction elders publicly pledge obedience, and the troops respond with enthusiastic loyalty.
• Su Ming gives the commanders their orders; each takes responsibility for a column or flank, while the Ruthless Great Emperor accompanies him at the center.

Significant themes

• Authority earned through strength: Su Ming’s power wins the elders’ submission and the army’s confidence.
• Discipline over haste: The campaign prioritizes secure progress and connected defenses over speed.
• Cooperation and adaptation: The allied factions work within a coordinated formation, using their different strengths to counter the aberrations’ ambush tactics.

Plot points

• The Abnormal Army’s small-unit ambushes fail because Su Ming has ordered the allied forces to repel attackers without pursuing them. Over three days, the coalition advances steadily, captures twelve watchposts and three strongholds, and turns each into a fortified outpost.
• Frustrated by the advance, Great Emperor Fury berates his generals. Great Emperor Sloth proposes a trap at Icecrack Valley: lure Su Ming with the false promise of a supply camp, then seal the narrow gorge and attack from above.
• Su Ming recognizes the plan but decides to use it against the Abnormal Army. He secretly orders Blood Shadow, Ye Wushuang, and Wuqing to position forces on the valley’s flanks, while the main army appears to march as expected.
• When scouts report a lightly defended supply camp, Su Ming pretends to take the bait and orders the eighteen-thousand-strong central army into the gorge.
• Once the army reaches the middle, the entrance is sealed by falling ice and stone. Abnormal troops appear along the cliffs and bombard the trapped coalition with boulders, poisoned arrows, and Turbid Qi Cannon fire. Fury declares that Su Ming has fallen into his trap.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Ming demonstrates patience and tactical foresight: he prevents the coalition from being drawn into early ambushes, then anticipates the enemy’s larger plan and prepares a counterattack.
• Great Emperor Fury is volatile and impatient, blaming his commanders for the failed harassment campaign. He eagerly embraces Sloth’s plan and believes the trap has succeeded.
• Great Emperor Sloth is calm and calculating. He identifies Su Ming’s cautious advance as a strength that must be exploited through a carefully staged lure.
• Xuanyuan Tian Ji questions whether the reported supply camp is a trap, then supports Su Ming’s apparent decision to attack. She admires his strategic skill.
• The allied commanders and troops follow Su Ming’s orders, maintaining formation and discipline despite repeated attacks.

Significant themes

• Patience versus provocation: The coalition’s disciplined refusal to pursue prevents the Abnormal Army from controlling the pace of the campaign.
• Deception and counter-deception: Both sides attempt to manipulate the other, leaving the true balance of advantage uncertain at the chapter’s cliffhanger.
• Discipline and coordinated warfare: The allied advance relies on holding formation, fortifying captured ground, and coordinating forces across multiple routes.

Key plot points and events

• Great Emperor Fury and Great Emperor Sloth spring an ambush on the allied army in Icecrack Valley, expecting Su Ming’s troops to be caught off guard.
• The allied soldiers quickly form a Defensive Square Formation, shielding themselves from the bombardment. Su Ming reveals that the ambush was anticipated and orders a counterattack.
• Allied forces led by the Blood Shadow Immortal Emperor and Ye Wushuang emerge from the western and eastern sides of the gorge, trapping the Abnormal Army between three fronts.
• The Ruthless Great Emperor slips toward the Abnormal Army camp, while Su Ming’s central force fights back. Luo Yiyi’s illusions sow confusion among the defenders.
• Blood Shadow engages Great Emperor Sloth, and the Ruthless Great Emperor confronts Great Emperor Fury. Both duels remain unresolved as the wider allied attack pushes the Abnormal Army into retreat.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Ming remains composed and strategic, having prepared for the ambush; he directs the battle rather than joining the fighting himself.
• The Ruthless Great Emperor demonstrates greater strength than in his previous clash with Fury, reflecting his improved cultivation after joining Su Ming. Their rivalry turns into a direct, violent duel.
• Blood Shadow fights with characteristic aggression and uses his knowledge of the Abnormal Army to hold Sloth at bay, despite being outmatched in rank.
• Luo Yiyi supports the counterattack by using illusions to make enemy soldiers turn on one another.
• Fury and Sloth lose their confidence as the ambush backfires. Fury tries to salvage the battle by concentrating attacks on the central army, while Sloth is frustrated by Blood Shadow’s relentless pressure.

Significant themes

• Preparation and strategy: The allied army’s discipline and hidden flanking forces turn the enemy’s ambush against them.
• Loyalty and transformation: The Ruthless Great Emperor’s alliance with Su Ming has strengthened him and put him face-to-face with his former faction.
• Unity and coordinated resistance: The three-pronged assault, defensive formation, and varied abilities combine to break the Abnormal Army’s morale.
• The cost of war: The gorge becomes a bloodied battlefield, and the chapter ends with Su Ming mindful that the allies must win quickly before enemy reinforcements arrive.

Key plot points and events

• Su Ming joins Ruthless Great Emperor (Wuqing) against Great Emperor Fury. Su Ming’s Return-to-Silence Threads slow Fury long enough for Wuqing to wound him, forcing Fury to order a retreat.
• The allied army pursues the fleeing Abnormal Army, inflicting heavy casualties and capturing thousands. Blood Shadow and Luo Yiyi help corner Great Emperor Sloth; Wuqing wounds him, but Sloth escapes after burning some of his origin power.
• Su Ming calls off the pursuit, warning that the abnormalities may have hidden defenses deeper in the icefield. The allies have killed nearly thirty thousand enemies, seized large stores of supplies and ore, and badly injured both enemy Great Emperors.
• The allied forces advance three hundred li but stop before the fortified Frost Camp. Rather than risk a costly assault, Su Ming orders a new defensive line built.
• Three days later, Su Ming divides the conquered territory among the Alliance and the Three Factions, establishes coordinated joint defense, and introduces a military merit system that lets all allied members earn rewards—including cultivation resources and Array Dao blueprints.

Character developments

• Su Ming proves himself both a formidable fighter and a cautious strategist: he presses an advantage but refuses to chase the enemy into dangerous territory or assault a fortified camp.
• Wuqing plays a decisive role in wounding Fury and later Sloth, demonstrating the value of the allies’ coordinated attacks.
• Blood Shadow fights with reckless determination but accepts Su Ming’s decision to stop pursuing Sloth.
• The elders of the Three Factions increasingly trust Su Ming. Their assigned territories and access to Alliance rewards strengthen their commitment to him.

Significant themes

• Coordination and shared strength: Combined attacks turn brief openings into decisive wounds, while allied armies and factions succeed through cooperation.
• Restraint as sound leadership: Su Ming recognizes when further pursuit or an assault would be too dangerous.
• Order and mutual responsibility: Divided sectors, shared intelligence, unified command, and a mutual-aid pact turn conquest into a sustainable defense.
• Loyalty through fair rewards: Extending military merits and access to Alliance legacies to all factions deepens their allegiance.

Character interactions

• Su Ming and Wuqing coordinate their attacks to force Fury’s retreat.
• Blood Shadow’s aggressive pursuit of Sloth is checked by Su Ming, who explains the danger of chasing a desperate enemy.
• Su Ming assigns Qingyunzi, Bai Xuan, and Blood Vigor distinct defensive responsibilities; each accepts the arrangement, seeing benefits for their faction.
• The elders pledge to follow the joint-defense system, and the merit program further reinforces their cooperation with the Alliance.

Key plot points and events

• Following the alliance’s victory over the Abnormal Clan, Su Ming orders the three factions to strengthen their defenses, train recruits, and maintain supplies. He warns that the victory is temporary and plans to investigate the Human Emperor Secret Hall once the frontier is secure.
• An urgent report reveals that eight patrol squads—and thirty-two soldiers—have disappeared near Falling Wind Valley. A search party also suffered losses, with its lone survivor babbling about black talismans and stolen souls.
• Su Ming examines a rune-marked bone fragment and recognizes it as evidence of Evil Path soul-refining: a forbidden practice he has encountered before, used to extract living souls.
• He suspects hidden evil cultivators are exploiting the wartime chaos and orders the area’s passes watched. He forbids further unauthorized searches and says he will deal with the threat personally.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Ming remains focused despite the alliance’s success. He looks ahead to the greater danger posed by the Abnormal Clan and Black Shadow, then shifts quickly to confronting the new, covert threat. His experience with evil cultivators informs his cautious response.
• Xuanyuan Tian Ji praises Su Ming’s leadership and recognizes the strange disappearances do not match the Abnormal Clan’s direct fighting style. Angered by the security failure, she offers to summon Qingyunzi, but accepts Su Ming’s decision to prioritize containment over blame.
• Qingyunzi, though absent, is implicated as the commander responsible for the western sector, where the disappearances went unnoticed.
• The scout delivers the report and evidence, enabling Su Ming to identify the danger.

Significant themes

• Vigilance after victory: Su Ming sees the battlefield success as temporary and insists on preparing for renewed conflict.
• Leadership and restraint: Rather than punish Qingyunzi immediately or rush into the valley, Su Ming weighs the risks to captives and soldiers.
• Hidden dangers amid war: The disappearances reveal a threat distinct from the open conflict with the Abnormal Clan.
• Forbidden power and its human cost: The soul-refining talismans recall the atrocities Su Ming once witnessed and signal the grave stakes of the new investigation.

Plot points and events

• Su Ming decides to investigate the Heretical Cultivators at Falling Wind Valley himself. Xuanyuan Tian Ji urges him not to risk himself, but he insists that she remain at camp to manage the army and keep the recently subdued Three Factions under control. General Blood Shadow must stay at the northwestern Defense Line.
• Su Ming travels alone through a snowbound wasteland, passing abandoned and ruined villages whose inhabitants were killed or driven south by the Abnormal Clan.
• Concealing his aura, he discovers several guarded outposts and overhears two Black Baleful Church disciples discussing their plan: they have captured people—including allied patrolmen—to gather 150 Living Souls for a full-moon sacrifice. The ritual is meant to summon a lord from the Netherworld and establish the Church’s foothold on the Icefield.
• Recognizing the danger, Su Ming avoids attacking the sentries so he won’t alert the Chief Priest or endanger the captives. He slips past the guards and reaches the desolate village, where black mist and a sinister presence surround an ancestral hall containing the Living Soul altar.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Ming shows confidence in his strength and authority, refusing Xuanyuan Tian Ji’s attempt to dissuade him. His caution at the valley also reveals strategic restraint: he prioritizes rescuing the captives and catching the cultists together over an immediate attack.
• Xuanyuan Tian Ji displays sincere concern for Su Ming and for the army’s stability. Though troubled by his decision to go alone, she ultimately accepts his command.
• The two sentries casually discuss the captives and their planned sacrifice, revealing the Church’s cruelty and the scale of its intentions.

Significant themes

• Duty and leadership: Su Ming assigns Xuanyuan Tian Ji responsibility for protecting the army while he confronts the threat.
• Power balanced by strategy: Su Ming’s confidence does not lead him to act recklessly; he chooses stealth to avoid triggering the ritual.
• Dehumanization and cruelty: The cultists treat their captives as materials for sacrifice, including allied soldiers.
• Threat beneath the surface: What first seemed like a minor group of heretics is revealed to be preparing a dangerous supernatural summoning.

Key plot points and events

• Su Ming surveys a heavily guarded village occupied by roughly thirty to forty heretical-path disciples. He decides to wait until night, when the black fog will conceal his attack.
• After nightfall, he infiltrates the village and uses his Return-to-Silence Threads to kill three patrol squads before they can raise an alarm. He hides the bodies beneath snow and continues toward the Old Ancestral Hall.
• Near the hall, he captures a drunk, low-ranking disciple carrying food. In a storage room, he threatens the captive into revealing the branch altar’s numbers and leadership.

Character developments

• Su Ming is shown to be patient, observant, and ruthlessly methodical: he waits for the right conditions, kills quietly and decisively, and conceals evidence.
• The captive is inexperienced and terrified, quickly surrendering information under pressure.

Character interactions

• Su Ming’s encounter with the patrols is one-sided; his silent attacks leave them no chance to defend themselves or alert the village.
• With the captured disciple, Su Ming takes control through threats, while the disciple pleads for his life and answers without resistance.

Significant themes

• Stealth and preparation: Su Ming prioritizes timing and information over a reckless assault.
• Lethal efficiency: He aims to eliminate threats completely and prevent warnings from spreading.
• Power and fear: The captive’s obedience contrasts with Su Ming’s overwhelming control.
  The captive reports 37 people at the altar: a chief officiant at the Initial Immortal Sovereign stage, four guardians at the peak Immortal Emperor realm, and the remaining disciples at the Immortal Lord level.

Key plot points and events

• Su Ming interrogates a Black Baleful Church disciple and learns that the Western Sub-Altar has captured 137 people for a Living Soul Altar sacrifice. The cult plans to seize 13 more before holding the ritual on the night of the full moon, two days later.
• He discovers that two other regional sub-altars—the Eastern and Northeastern—are preparing simultaneous sacrifices to summon three Evil Generals from the Netherworld.
• The Church has allied with the Abnormal Clan, led by Lord Black Shadow. Once the Evil Generals arrive, they intend to attack the allied forces’ defensive line from both sides and divide the Far North Icefield.
• Su Ming kills the informant, then enters the ancestral hall’s rear courtyard to find the captives before the ritual.
• He silently kills three disciples drinking in a hut and two guards at a woodshed. Inside, he finds a crowd of starving, frightened captives and tells them he has come to rescue them.

Character developments

• Su Ming proves perceptive and decisive, quickly recognizing the scale of the threat and prioritizing the captives’ rescue. His hostility toward the Church is uncompromising: he shows no mercy to those responsible for atrocities.
• The captured disciple is cowardly and self-preserving, revealing the plot in hopes of being spared.
• The captives are introduced as physically weakened and terrified, having endured imprisonment and starvation.

Significant themes

• Cruelty and moral corruption: The Church treats innocent people as sacrificial material and its members prey on captives.
• Loyalty and betrayal: The Church’s secret alliance with the Abnormal Clan threatens the allied forces from within and without.
• Justice without mercy: Su Ming regards the cultists’ crimes as unforgivable and acts decisively against them.
• Strategic urgency: The approaching full-moon ritual gives Su Ming little time to prevent a military catastrophe.

Character interactions

• Su Ming interrogates the disciple, using his fear to uncover the Church’s plans and alliance.
• The disciple begs for his life, but Su Ming kills him.
• Su Ming dispatches the guards and drinking disciples without raising an alarm.
• When the captives mistake him for another cultist, Su Ming reassures them that he is there to rescue them.

Plot points and events

• Su Ming rescues the captured patrol team and other prisoners in the rear courtyard. He orders them to stay hidden and warns them not to jeopardize his plan.
• He scouts the Ancestral Hall’s main hall from the roof, discovering a sinister altar powered by yin energy and stolen living souls. The Chief Priest is conducting a ritual with his followers.
• Su Ming overhears that the cult still needs thirteen souls and plans another kidnapping the next morning. The Chief Priest hopes the sacrifice will help him advance, and he intends to join forces with the Abnormal Army to seize the Western Defense Zone.
• Learning that the First Guardian will leave with five disciples at dawn, Su Ming decides to attack after their departure. He hides overnight, then waits another hour after the group leaves before emerging to confront the remaining cultists.

Character developments

• Su Ming shows strategic patience: he protects the captives, gathers intelligence, and chooses a moment when the enemy is weakened rather than attacking immediately.
• The captives, led by the patrol captain, shift from despair to cautious hope and agree to follow Su Ming’s instructions.
• The Chief Priest is revealed as ambitious and self-serving, exploiting human souls for power and promising rewards to loyal subordinates.
• The Guardians and disciples are devoted to the Chief Priest and eager to benefit from the planned sacrifice.

Significant themes

• Rescue and responsibility: Su Ming saves the prisoners but expects them to obey so they do not endanger others.
• Strategic patience: Information and timing give Su Ming an advantage over the larger force.
• Fanaticism and exploitation: The cult disguises murder and soul-harvesting as sacred ritual.
• Power and conquest: The Chief Priest’s personal advancement is tied to the group’s plan for military expansion.

Character interactions

• Su Ming gives the rescued prisoners firm instructions; they respond with gratitude and promise to remain hidden.
• The Chief Priest directs the First Guardian to capture more victims and discusses his ambitions with the Guardians, who eagerly thank him.
• The Chief Priest asks about the sentry posts, unaware that Su Ming has already eliminated them—an oversight that leaves the cult vulnerable.

Key plot points and events

• At the Black Baleful Church’s branch altar, the Chief Priest and three guardians are gathered beside the Living Soul Altar, which has grown stronger through the accumulation of sacrificed souls.
• Su Ming arrives after the entrance guards are killed. He declares that he has come to destroy the altar and the entire branch for its slaughter of innocents and cooperation with the uncanny.
• Su Ming kills the Second Guardian instantly by crushing his throat. He then effortlessly blocks the Third and Fourth Guardians’ coordinated attacks and kills both with Return-to-Silence Threads.
• The surviving disciples are too terrified to intervene. The Chief Priest offers Su Ming the branch’s resources and promises to leave the allied army’s defense zone, but Su Ming refuses, insisting that everyone involved in the sacrifices must die.
• With ordinary combat no longer an option, the Chief Priest turns to the Living Soul Altar and begins chanting to draw on its power. The confrontation remains unresolved at the chapter’s end.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Ming is revealed as overwhelmingly powerful, calm, and uncompromising. His mission is driven by the branch’s crimes, and he rejects the Chief Priest’s attempt to bargain.
• The Chief Priest shifts from defiance to caution and then desperation as he realizes Su Ming is stronger than he is. He ultimately stakes his survival on the altar.
• The three guardians initially attack under orders, but their confidence collapses when Su Ming’s defenses nullify their techniques; all three are killed in moments.
• The disciples go from readiness to surround Su Ming to frightened inaction after witnessing the guardians’ deaths.

Significant themes

• Justice and retribution: Su Ming treats the sacrifices as crimes demanding punishment, not as grounds for negotiation.
• Power and terror: The branch’s hierarchy and confidence crumble when confronted with an opponent beyond its strength.
• Fanaticism versus self-preservation: The disciples may be devoted to the Church, but fear keeps them from fighting.
• Consequences of corruption: The Church’s reliance on human sacrifice and forbidden power leads directly to its destruction.

Plot points and events

• The Chief Priest activates the Living Soul Altar, sacrificing the souls stored in its jars to strengthen himself. His power rises from Immortal Sovereign Initial Stage to Mid Stage, and he boasts that Su Ming cannot defeat him.
• Su Ming dismisses the boost as borrowed power that damages the user’s foundation and lifespan.
• The Chief Priest attacks with a black palm imprint. Su Ming counters with a punch using Return to Silence power, driving the Chief Priest back and killing or badly injuring several weaker disciples in the blast.
• Desperate, the Chief Priest draws in more soul energy and launches his strongest technique, Nether Soul Skull Slaughter. Su Ming’s gray vortex devours the skull attack completely.
• Su Ming closes in and strikes the Chief Priest, crushing his ribs and internal organs. Defeated, the Chief Priest threatens him with the Black Baleful Church headquarters and its Lord Nether General, but Su Ming remains unmoved and kills him.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Ming remains composed and confident throughout. He reveals the overwhelming effectiveness of his Return to Silence power and shows no concern about the Church’s promised retaliation.
• The Chief Priest shifts from arrogant triumph to disbelief, desperation, and finally fear and spite as his borrowed strength and techniques fail. He tries to intimidate Su Ming with threats, but they have no effect.
• The Evil Path disciples briefly regain hope when the altar empowers their leader, then are overwhelmed by the clash between the two fighters.

Significant themes

• Borrowed power has a cost: The altar grants immense temporary strength but harms the user’s body, foundation, and lifespan.
• Confidence versus arrogance: The Chief Priest’s boasts collapse against Su Ming’s calm, superior ability.
• Escalating threats do not guarantee victory: Even the Chief Priest’s strongest attack and threats of future enemies cannot change the outcome.

Plot points and events

• Su Ming kills the Chief Priest, then executes the surviving evil-sect disciples who beg for mercy, rejecting their claim that they were forced to commit their crimes.
• He turns to destroy the damaged Living Soul Altar, but it suddenly flares and opens a rift—a Netherworld Passage.
• A Nether Soul Imp emerges, drawn to the altar’s living-soul energy. It attacks Su Ming and threatens him, but he catches it, snaps its neck, and consumes its body and soul with Return-to-Silence Power.
• The rift continues to widen, with more creatures gathering beyond it. Su Ming unleashes his full power and strikes the altar with a massive gray sword. The chapter ends as the blow shakes the Ancestral Hall; the altar’s fate and whether the passage is sealed remain unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Ming is shown as merciless toward the sect members, whom he regards as responsible for their actions. He remains calm and confident even when confronted by a powerful Netherworld creature.
• The Nether Soul Imp is arrogant and predatory, viewing humans as food, but quickly discovers that Su Ming’s power overwhelms it.
• The surviving disciples plead with Su Ming for their lives, while the Imp threatens him and invokes the Netherworld. Neither appeal affects his actions.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: Su Ming rejects excuses from those who harmed innocents.
• Power and its limits: The Imp’s strength is formidable, but Su Ming’s Return-to-Silence Power counters its sinister energy.
• Escalating danger: The altar is more than a source of power—it can open a passage to the Netherworld, suggesting the Black Baleful Church’s aims were far-reaching.
• Containment and responsibility: With more creatures approaching, destroying the altar becomes an urgent effort to prevent a larger threat.

Su Ming destroyed the Western Sub-Altar’s Living Soul Altar and found evidence of the Black Baleful Church’s plan to summon three Nether Generals and attack the allied army. He freed the surviving captives and sent them toward the allied army’s western defense sector, leaving the Eastern and Northeastern Sub-Altars as threats he still needed to eliminate.

• Su Ming shattered the altar’s barrier and destroyed the Living Soul Altar, closing the expanding space rift.
• Su Ming found a map showing two remaining sub-altars and secret routes into the allied army’s rear, along with a letter detailing the Church headquarters’ planned sacrifices and attack.
• Su Ming collected evidence and useful items from the Chief Priest and the other Evil Path disciples, discarding the Nether Soul Refining Art.
• Su Ming freed the survivors and directed them thirty li east to the allied army’s western defense sector.
• Zhou Hu identified himself as the allied army patrol team captain and pledged his group’s help to Su Ming.

Su Ming returned to the allied army's camp after destroying the Black Baleful Church's Western Sub-Altar and revealed the Church's plan to summon Nether Generals. He summoned the elders to arrange a response to the two remaining sub-altars, and Qingyunzi immediately took responsibility for failing to detect the threat.

• Su Ming refused Zhou Hu's offer of thanks, warned the survivors to flee, and burned the Ancestral Hall to erase traces of the battle.
• Su Ming checked the map, learned that the Eastern and Northeastern Sub-Altars remained, and hurried back to the allied army's camp to plan before the full moon.
• A black-robed man watched the burning Desolate Village and remarked that the destruction of the Western Sub-Altar had revealed intriguing prey.
• Su Ming showed Xuanyuan Tian Ji the map and secret letter, explaining that the two remaining sub-altars had to be destroyed before the sacrifices on the night after next.
• Xuanyuan Tian Ji summoned the elders of the Three Factions, and Su Ming told them that the Black Baleful Church had captured people to create Living Soul Altars and colluded with the Abnormals.
• Qingyunzi fell to his knees and apologized to Su Ming for failing to detect the Black Baleful Church in his defense sector.