Chapter Summaries

Bai Xiaowen reorganized his forces and learned that Cao Cao had secured grain and horses through deceptive deals before secretly supporting Cao Xiong’s advance into Jizhou. After scouts confirmed Cao Cao had bypassed Fanyang to reinforce Cao Xiong, Bai Xiaowen’s advisers urged him to send troops to Wei County.

• Tian Yu and Murong Ping selected sixty thousand capable soldiers to reinforce Anyang and sent the remaining soldiers to farm or defend Ye City.
• Bai Xiaowen received reports that Cao Cao had borrowed grain from Zhang Lu and traded the Three Dependencies to Ma Teng for grain and horses.
• Tian Feng warned that Cao Cao’s pause at Anyang might conceal an attack on Fanyang or Wei County, and a scout reported that Fanyang had fallen and Cao Xiong was advancing on Wei County with three thousand men.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered more scouting while trusting Tian Yu, Qiao Rui, and Murong Ping to defend Wei County with ten thousand elite soldiers.
• Scouts reported that Cao Cao had secretly led troops around Fanyang to reinforce Cao Xiong, and Tian Feng and Dong Zhao urged Bai Xiaowen to send help to Wei County.

Bai Xiaowen used the Map of Mountains and Rivers to see through Cao Cao’s feint and prepared to counter a raid on the western camp. Cao Cao’s vanguard stormed into the camp, leaving the outcome of Bai Xiaowen’s trap unresolved.

• Bai Xiaowen checked the Map of Mountains and Rivers and found Cao Cao’s senior generals gathered before Anyang, confirming that the reported support for Cao Xiong was a deception.
• Bai Xiaowen concluded Cao Cao planned to lure Yuan’s forces toward Wei County before raiding the western camp, and he secretly arranged his troops to counter the attack.
• Bai Xiaowen refused requests to reinforce Wei County or attack Cao Cao’s main camp, while Tian Feng recognized that Bai Xiaowen’s plan matched his own.
• At the fourth watch, Xu Chu led three thousand Cao soldiers in a silent raid on the western camp, and Cao Cao ordered the rest of his army to follow after Xu Chu entered.

Bai Xiaowen’s trap set Cao Cao’s army ablaze and routed its troops, but Cao’s generals organized a defense as Yuan forces attacked. The battle remained fierce, with Zhang Liao and Xu Huang held off by Zhang He and Han Meng while Gao Lan reached Cao Cao’s central army and Bai Xiaowen’s talisman left Le Jin helpless before him.

• Xu Chu discovered that the western camp was filled with oil-soaked straw men, and fire arrows ignited the camp as Cao Cao ordered a retreat.
• Bai Xiaowen led Yuan troops from Anyang and announced that the ambush had succeeded as Cao Cao’s army entered the Routed State.
• Zhang He intercepted Zhang Liao, while Han Meng’s light cavalry charged Xu Huang and gained the upper hand.
• Gao Lan cut down Zhong Shen and Zhong Jin, then Le Jin rode out and stopped his advance toward Cao Cao.
• Bai Xiaowen struck Le Jin with a Heart-Confounding Talisman, preventing him from breaking free as Gao Lan raised his blade to attack.

Bai Xiaowen unleashed Delifa’s resurrected skeletons, Eden’s Horn, and the Death Knight’s Legion Charge, turning the battle against Cao Cao’s army. Cao Cao ordered a retreat after Li Shuyi wounded him, just as a scorched general burst from the burning stockade.

• Gao Lan wounded Le Jin, but Yu Jin’s shield formation let Le Jin escape back to the Cao Army’s lines.
• Bai Xiaowen empowered Delifa with the Berserk Talisman and Symbiosis, and she raised a vast army of Skeleton Soldiers from the battlefield’s corpses.
• Bai Xiaowen sounded Eden’s Horn, giving the Yuan Army and Skeleton Soldiers courage, pain immunity, and attacks that dealt additional true damage.
• The Cao Army’s central force began to buckle as its generals struggled against the relentless Skeleton Soldiers and the Yuan Army’s empowered attacks.
• Bai Xiaowen sent the Death Knight and nearly four thousand cavalry charging into Cao Cao’s rear; Li Dian died beneath the charge, and Cao Cao ordered a retreat.
• Li Shuyi attacked Cao Cao and wounded him before a blackened general burst from the burning stockade.

Xu Chu rescued Cao Cao from Bai Xiaowen’s ambush and escorted him south as the Cao Army collapsed. Cao Cao met Xiahou Dun’s reinforcements, then realized the main camp had also fallen.

• Xu Chu charged through the burning western camp with a blazing log and fought his way to Cao Cao.
• Li Shuyi withdrew, and Xu Chu put Cao Cao in his chariot and shielded him from Cecilia’s Winged Cavalry as they fled south.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered Cecilia to harry the retreat from a distance and stayed behind to deal with the remaining Cao generals.
• After a chariot horse collapsed, Cao Cao and Xu Chu continued on horseback until Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong met them.
• Cao Cao learned that the guard who had summoned Xiahou Dun was dead, then saw the main camp burning and realized it had been lost.

Cao Cao abandoned his burning main camp and fled toward Liyang while Bai Xiaowen’s army defeated his forces and captured several of his generals and advisers. Bai Xiaowen ordered a relentless pursuit, determined to capture Cao Cao and destroy his power in the north.

• Cao Cao learned that his main camp had burned and ordered his army to cross the White River and retreat to Liyang, leaving Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai behind.
• Han Xu, Ju Hu, and Gao Huai guarded the southern camp as they discussed Yuan Xi’s plans to seize Liyang and block Cao Cao’s retreat.
• Bai Xiaowen’s army routed Cao Cao’s forces beneath Anyang, captured Yu Jin and Le Jin, and grievously wounded and captured Zhang Liao and Xu Huang.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered the army to pursue Cao Cao and learned from Han Xu that Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai had been captured at the camp.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered his troops to pursue Cao Cao day and night, promising great rewards to whoever captured or killed him.

Bai Xiaowen pursued Cao Cao’s defeated army despite Zhang He’s warning, determined to keep Cao Cao from recovering in Henan. He caught up with the retreating forces at the White River, where Xiahou Dun stood as rearguard.

• Bai Xiaowen told Zhang He that he had contingencies in place and ordered the army to pursue Cao Cao.
• Bai Xiaowen urged Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai to submit to the court, but both refused to betray Cao Cao and were sent to strict confinement in Anyang City.
• Bai Xiaowen’s army caught up with Cao Cao’s forces at the White River after Cecilia’s Winged Cavalry harassed their retreat.
• Xiahou Dun volunteered to hold off the pursuers while Xu Chu protected Cao Cao during the river crossing.
• Bai Xiaowen appraised Xiahou Dun and discovered his powerful defensive abilities and morale-lowering Fierce Eye skill.

Bai Xiaowen broke through Xiahou Dun’s blockade and continued pursuing Cao Cao, while Cao Cao’s fleeing army ran into an ambush led by Han Qiong. Cao Cao escaped south as Cao Ren and Cao Hong engaged the ambushing generals.

• Zhang He and Han Meng fought Xiahou Dun, whose Fearlessness skill resisted control and rallied his troops.
• Bai Xiaowen split his forces, leaving Zhang He and Han Meng to hold Xiahou Dun while the rest pursued Cao Cao.
• Gao Lan killed enemy officers, and Bai Xiaowen’s army drove Xiahou Dun’s troops onto the frozen White River.
• Bai Xiaowen crossed the river with Cecilia’s Winged Cavalry and three thousand elite horsemen to continue the pursuit.
• Cao Cao’s force entered an ambush where Han Qiong, Lü Kuang, and Lü Xiang attacked from the valley and ridges.
• Cao Ren and Cao Hong moved to fight the ambushing generals while Cao Cao fled south with Xu Chu and the remaining troops.

Cao Cao’s defeated army was driven from Liyang and pursued to Baima Ford, where Bai Xiaowen killed Xu Chu and continued after Cao Cao. Elsewhere, Cao Xiong and Abota realized Cao Cao had used them as a diversion, then learned that his main army had suffered a crushing defeat.

• Cao Cao found Yuan Xi’s forces occupying Liyang and retreated toward Henan after Gao Ping’s troops fired on his army.
• At Baima Ford, Yuan Xi’s army caught up with Cao Cao, and Xu Chu stayed behind to hold off the pursuers while Cao Cao’s guards hurried him toward the frozen river.
• Bai Xiaowen used Butcher and the Bone Archers to defeat Xu Chu, refused to spare him after his rejection, and then rode south after Cao Cao.
• Outside Wei County, Abota explained to Richard that Cao Cao had used Cao Xiong’s force to draw Yuan Xi away from Anyang and had likely suspected Cao Xiong was an impostor.
• Abota received a crow’s report that Cao Cao had suffered a crushing defeat and was fleeing.

After Cao Cao’s defeat left Richard trapped in Jizhou, he tried to flee toward Xudu but was pursued and surrounded by Yuan Xi’s forces. Richard’s attempt to force a path through Zhang He ended with Qiao Rui’s army closing the encirclement.

• Abota warned Richard that Cao Cao’s defeat could collapse the Cao Clan Group, but Richard decided to return to Xudu and claim Cao Cao’s legacy.
• Two Cao generals refused to retreat against Cao Cao’s orders, so Richard abandoned the two thousand troops and led his three hundred personal retainers away.
• Qiao Rui learned that Anyang had fallen, left Tian Yu to defend it, and pursued Richard with Murong Ping and ten thousand soldiers.
• Zhang He, Li Shuyi, and Han Xu blocked Richard’s way near Fanyang, and Richard demanded to speak with Yuan Xi before Zhang He attacked him.
• Richard used Thunderbolt Spear against Zhang He, but Han Xu blocked the strike, and Abota’s Judgment of Light helped Richard escape Zhang He’s counterattack.
• Qiao Rui and Murong Ping caught up with their ten thousand troops, surrounding Richard and his retainers.

The Divine Court Awakened attacked Qiao Rui’s forces, but Li Shuyi defeated Demon Cutter and Abota conceded the war of unification. Richard and the other Divine Court Awakened left the Three Kingdoms Plane, leaving Zhang He staring at the vanished Cao Xiong.

• Demon Cutter attacked Qiao Rui to stop her Soul Melody, but Li Shuyi intercepted him and fought him.
• Li Shuyi wounded Demon Cutter with Invincible Slash, then Qiao Rui’s guards forced him out of his concealing black mist.
• Abota told Qiao Rui that the Divine Court conceded and offered cooperation, but she refused to share the war’s contributions.
• Abota left the Three Kingdoms Plane, and Richard and the other Divine Court Awakened departed soon after.
• Zhang He’s spear struck empty air when Cao Xiong vanished, leaving him bewildered.

Qiao Rui and her allies marched south after Cao Xiong escaped, while Bai Xiaowen pursued Cao Cao to Changyuan and captured the city. Cao Cao drank three cups with Bai Xiaowen before taking his own life, leaving instructions for his sons to surrender and a jade seal; Bai Xiaowen prepared to pressure them into obeying.

• Qiao Rui explained that Cao Xiong had escaped with a Daoist talisman and led Zhang He, Tian Yu, and Murong Ping south to join Bai Xiaowen’s campaign.
• Qiao Rui showed Li Shuyi and Han Xu the Raven Messenger Scroll Abota Greatley had given her, and Li Shuyi told them that Invincible Slash had advanced.
• Bai Xiaowen pursued Cao Cao to Changyuan, killed the messengers seeking reinforcements, and captured the city after a Heart-Confounding Talisman opened its gate.
• Bai Xiaowen shared three cups of wine with Cao Cao, who urged him to unite the realm before taking his own life with the Heaven-Reliant Sword.
• Bai Xiaowen read Cao Cao’s final instructions ordering his sons to surrender and took the jade seal, then resolved to pressure Cao Pi and his brothers into compliance.

After Cao Cao’s death, Bai Xiaowen led fifty thousand troops toward Xudu and sent Cao Cao’s coffin, jade seal, and final testament ahead to pressure the Cao Clan forces to surrender. In Xudu, Cao Pi became Cao Cao’s heir just as Yuan Xi’s army entered Yingchuan, and officials learned that the envoy carrying the coffin was an old acquaintance.

• Bai Xiaowen reunited with Qiao Rui and the others, discussed Abota’s Raven Messenger, and showed them Cao Cao’s jade seal and final testament.
• Bai Xiaowen marched with fifty thousand troops toward Xudu and sent Cao Cao’s coffin, jade seal, and final testament there with a letter urging surrender.
• Cao Pi and his brothers learned that Cao Cao had died after Yuan Xi defeated his army, and Xun You recounted how the defeat unfolded.
• Lady Bian deferred to Cao Cao’s trusted ministers, who chose Cao Pi to inherit Cao Cao’s position and govern his territories.
• Xudu received word that Yuan Xi’s army had entered Yingchuan, along with Cao Cao’s coffin and final testament, delivered by an old acquaintance.

Xun Yu persuaded Cao Pi to follow Cao Cao’s final testament and surrender Xudu to Bai Xiaowen, who then secured the city and drew Henan’s officials to submit to the imperial court. The chapter ended with Zhong Yao reporting a problem in Sili Province.

• Xun Yu volunteered to carry Cao Cao’s coffin and final testament to Xudu, and Bai Xiaowen agreed to surround the city while Xun Yu negotiated.
• At the mourning hall, Xun Yu urged Cao Pi to surrender, and news that Bai Xiaowen’s army had surrounded Xudu helped persuade Cao Pi to submit to the imperial court.
• Cao Pi and the Cao Clan’s relatives surrendered Xudu, and Bai Xiaowen granted the Cao sons noble titles while keeping them under Ye Capital’s watch.
• Bai Xiaowen issued proclamations demanding that Henan’s chief officials report to Xudu, and officials including Zhong Yao came to submit.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered Zhong Yao to keep governing Sili Province, and Zhong Yao said he needed to report a problem there.

Bai Xiaowen learned that Ma Teng had seized the Three Dependencies and appointed Xun You to serve with the army while preparing defenses at Tong Pass. Xun Yu persuaded Cao Ren and other captured Cao generals to surrender, leaving Bai Xiaowen with several newly recruited commanders.

• Zhong Yao reported that Ma Teng had captured Chang'an and the Three Dependencies, and warned that Ma Chao threatened Tong Pass.
• Bai Xiaowen appointed Xun You as Army Libationer and sent Xun Yu to recruit captured Cao generals.
• Xun Yu persuaded Cao Ren to surrender by promising protection for Cao Cao's sons, and Bai Xiaowen assigned Cao Ren to defend Tong Pass, Cao Hong to guard the central army, and Cao Chun to serve under him.
• Xun Yu persuaded Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Yu Jin, and Le Jin to submit to the imperial court.

Bai Xiaowen stabilized Henan after defeating Cao Cao, but Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai refused to serve him, while Jia Xu and Liu Ye remained missing. He paused expansion to reorganize his forces, until envoys from the Western Liang Army arrived in Ye Capital.

• Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai refused Bai Xiaowen's recruitment after Cao Cao's death and their failed strategy, so Bai Xiaowen arranged for them to recover and leave if they wished.
• Bai Xiaowen learned that Jia Xu had fled before the decisive battle and that Liu Ye had also disappeared, possibly in connection with Richard's departure from the Three Kingdoms Plane.
• Bai Xiaowen retained Henan's officials and rewarded capable administrators, stabilizing the region after the Cao Army's defeat.
• Bai Xiaowen's council recommended suppressing bandits and consolidating the territory, but those efforts failed to trigger the second Grand Unification quest.
• Bai Xiaowen gathered more than seventy thousand routed Cao troops, removed twenty thousand for farming and garrison duties, and focused on training elite soldiers and stockpiling supplies.
• After only a few days of peaceful reorganization, envoys from the Western Liang Army arrived in Ye Capital.

Bai Xiaowen received Ma Teng and a Western Liang delegation seeking his help to dispel Zhang Lu’s sorcery. He recognized Camille, who had entered the Three Kingdoms Plane as Han Qi, and she finally reunited with him.

• Cao Ren and Zhong Yao reported that Ma Chao had demanded compensation from Cao Cao’s faction and asked Yuan Xi to cure Ma Teng in exchange for dropping the Three Dependencies dispute and sending Ma Xiu and Ma Dai as hostages.
• Bai Xiaowen’s advisers debated whether to accept Ma Teng, with Dong Zhao recommending that Bai use him to control Ma Chao and Tian Feng warning that Ma Teng might die and provoke Western Liang.
• Bai Xiaowen summoned Ge Xuan to examine Ma Teng and received the Western Liang delegation in Ye Capital.
• Bai Xiaowen recognized Camille among the envoys as Han Qi, Han Sui’s daughter, accompanied by her teammates Monica and Luolock.
• Camille had built her standing in Western Liang through military service and chose to escort Ma Teng to Ye Capital, where she reunited with Bai Xiaowen.

Bai Xiaowen received the Western Liang envoys and used the Son of Heaven’s authority to turn their demand for compensation into an admission of fault. He left the Ma Clan agreeing to withdraw from the Three Dependencies if he healed Ma Teng’s cursed wounds.

• Ma Xiu recounted the Ma Clan’s losses and sought compensation or Ma Teng’s healing, offering the clan’s submission and hostages in return.
• Bai Xiaowen refused to heal Ma Teng and accused the Ma Clan of helping Cao Cao steal the Son of Heaven’s lands and attack Ye Capital.
• Ma Dai calmed Ma Xiu and Ma Yunlu, presented Western Liang’s gifts, and apologized on behalf of the delegation.
• Bai Xiaowen accepted the Ma Clan’s continued service but ordered its troops to withdraw from the Three Dependencies.
• Ma Dai agreed to return the Three Dependencies if Bai Xiaowen healed Ma Teng, while Camille and her officers discussed Bai Xiaowen’s persuasive “Mouth Escape.”

Bai Xiaowen weighed whether to treat Ma Teng, then met Han Qi, who was secretly Camille, and warned her to protect their identities in the Three Kingdoms Plane. Camille praised Bai Xiaowen for defeating Cao Cao’s faction and the Divine Court, while he credited Richard for helping him.

• Bai Xiaowen said he would ask Langya Zi to examine Ma Teng and treat him if the injuries could be healed, then had Dong Zhao lodge the Western Liang envoys.
• Dong Zhao reported that Han Qi wanted to see Bai Xiaowen, and he brought Camille to meet him privately.
• Camille rushed to hug Bai Xiaowen, but he used Psychic Shielding and warned her not to reveal their Spirit Realm identities or discuss them where natives might hear.
• Camille explained that she had developed separately in Western Liang before approaching Bai Xiaowen, following a strategy taught at the Divine Court Training Camp.
• Camille identified Cao Xiong as Richard and questioned his chances of achieving Grand Unification in the Three Kingdoms Plane.
• Camille praised Bai Xiaowen for defeating Cao Cao’s faction and driving out the Divine Court, and Bai Xiaowen said Richard had helped him.

Bai Xiaowen learned the Western Liang Army’s true strength and heard that Ma Yunlu admired him, while Ge Xuan agreed to treat Ma Teng’s curse. The chapter ended with Bai Xiaowen offering Ge Xuan assistance in preparing the cure.

• Camille suggested Bai Xiaowen marry Ma Yunlu to gain influence over the Western Liang Army, but Bai Xiaowen explained why he could not make her a primary wife.
• Camille told Bai Xiaowen that Ma Yunlu wanted to marry a heroic man and considered him an ideal match.
• Camille revealed that Ma Teng’s main force had twenty thousand elite troops, Han Sui’s forces brought their combined elite strength to no more than forty thousand, and Ma Chao could recruit more than thirty thousand Qiang troops.
• Bai Xiaowen asked Camille to watch for Yan Xing, whom historical records described as a formidable fighter who nearly killed a young Ma Chao.
• Ge Xuan identified Ma Teng’s curse as the Heaven-and-Earth Return Curse and agreed to treat it with pills, warning that another attack by the caster could ruin the treatment.
• Bai Xiaowen told Ge Xuan that someone else could assist him.