Chapter Summaries

Bai Xiaowen forced Liu Xie to abdicate, founded Great Yan, and began his reign as emperor. Ge Xuan then revealed that the jade slip’s mystery could be unraveled at Crane-Cry Mountain, giving Bai Xiaowen a reason to pursue his cultivation again.

• Bai Xiaowen ordered Geng Ji, Wei Huang, Jin Yi, and their clans executed, then accepted Liu Xie's abdication and ascended the throne as emperor of Great Yan.
• Bai Xiaowen changed the era name to Taichu, granted an amnesty, honored Yuan Shao as Emperor Taizu, and enfeoffed Liu Xie as Duke of Shanyang.
• Bai Xiaowen appointed Zhen Mi empress, reorganized the court, and issued policies to restore farming, water conservancy, and tax relief.
• Ge Xuan visited Bai Xiaowen and asked whether he would remain an earthly emperor or continue seeking immortality and the Dao.
• Ge Xuan showed Bai Xiaowen a jade slip and relayed Immortal Zixu's clue that it must be taken to the Daoist Gate Ancestral Court at Crane-Cry Mountain.

Bai Xiaowen learned the Incarnation Dao art so he could leave a moving double in Ye Capital while he traveled with Ge Xuan and Zuo Ci to Crane-Cry Mountain. When he tried to explain his plan to Zhen Mi, she misunderstood his words and concluded that he needed a doctor to treat his inability to father an heir.

• Ge Xuan told Bai Xiaowen that he, Master Black Horn, and Bai Xiaowen would travel to the Daoist Gate Ancestral Court, and suggested Bai learn Incarnation to cover his absence.
• Bai Xiaowen learned Illusion Dao Art and Puppet Control, then mastered the Incarnation art Ge Xuan taught him.
• Bai Xiaowen arranged to announce a period of secluded meditation and told the White Phoenix Team about his upcoming journey.
• Li Shuyi reminded Bai Xiaowen to say goodbye to his wives, and he decided to explain his plans to Zhen Mi.
• Zhen Mi interpreted Bai Xiaowen's explanation as a confession that he was impotent and urged him to see a doctor so Great Yan could have an heir.

Bai Xiaowen and Zhen Mi revealed their feelings for each other, and she became his second Follower after learning the truth about his origins and the Spirit Realm. The chapter left Zhen Mi confronting the possibility that her family would return without remembering her after Grand Unification.

• Zhen Mi pretended to believe Bai Xiaowen had a hidden ailment so he would prove otherwise, and Bai Xiaowen realized she had been teasing him.
• Zhen Mi explained that she had noticed Yuan Xi had become someone else and feared Bai Xiaowen would leave her behind after completing his ambitions.
• Bai Xiaowen told Zhen Mi he would take her with him when he left, and she declared she had chosen him rather than the status of Empress.
• Bai Xiaowen used Magician's Wish to copy a Follower Contract, and Zhen Mi signed it to become his second Follower.
• Bai Xiaowen transmitted knowledge of Earth, the Spirit Realm, and Grand Unification to Zhen Mi.
• Zhen Mi asked whether her family would disappear after Grand Unification, and Bai Xiaowen said they would return but would no longer remember her.

Bai Xiaowen explained why recruiting influential Spirit Realm natives as Followers was difficult and discussed his next plan with Zhen Mi. He prepared to leave for Crane-Cry Mountain while entrusting the unified realm to Zhen Mi, his teammates, and trusted ministers.

• Zhen Mi asked whether she could bring her family into the Three Kingdoms Plane, and Bai Xiaowen explained that another Wish Tree Fruit or Follower Contract would be costly and that her relatives might not trust him.
• Bai Xiaowen explained that natives had to knowingly and sincerely choose to follow an Awakener, since deception could trigger a contract’s erasure and revealing certain secrets was forbidden.
• Zhen Mi confirmed Bai Xiaowen’s real name and chose to keep calling him husband.
• Bai Xiaowen told Zhen Mi he planned to investigate a mysterious item at Crane-Cry Mountain and would leave a Daoist Incarnation in Ye Capital to maintain order.
• Bai Xiaowen reassured Zhen Mi that his teammates, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Zhang He, and the other generals would help protect her and the realm.
• Li Shuyi revealed she had been on a ceiling beam and teased Zhen Mi, who covered herself in embarrassment.

Bai Xiaowen entrusted Great Yan’s governance to Tian Feng and prepared to travel with Ge Xuan to Crane-Cry Mountain. There, he met Zuo Ci, whose presence resisted Insight, and agreed that he would one day give up the throne.

• Zhen Mi and Li Shuyi discussed Bai Xiaowen’s looks and his other partners, and Zhen Mi advised Li Shuyi to focus on winning his affection rather than controlling him.
• Bai Xiaowen abolished the Three Excellencies and restored the Chancellor position, appointing Tian Feng to govern Great Yan.
• Bai Xiaowen left a Daoist incarnation and the Raven Messenger behind, then traveled in disguise to meet Zuo Ci with Ge Xuan.
• Bai Xiaowen’s Insight failed to identify Zuo Ci, who explained that he and his master needed the fortune of a mortal emperor for their journey to Crane-Cry Mountain.
• Bai Xiaowen told Zuo Ci he intended to pass the throne to the crown prince once his heir came of age and retire to the mountains.

Bai Xiaowen followed Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan into Crane-Cry Mountain to explore its cave heavens, but the passage separated him from them and led him into a misty trial. After entering the unknown, he encountered a Yellowstone Strongman, and another appeared when he summoned Rageclaw.

• Zuo Ci carried Bai Xiaowen and Ge Xuan to Crane-Cry Mountain with an escape art, then recovered before leading them into the mountain.
• Bai Xiaowen followed Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan past the Daoist temple and Zhang Daoling’s inscriptions toward the mountain’s deeper cave heavens.
• Bai Xiaowen passed through a narrow passage and found himself alone in a mist that absorbed his mental power and erased the path behind him.
• Bai Xiaowen chose to advance through the mist, where he encountered a Yellowstone Strongman and used Insight to inspect it.
• Bai Xiaowen summoned Rageclaw to fight the Yellowstone Strongman, and a second Yellowstone Strongman emerged from the mist.

Bai Xiaowen fought his way through a formation of Yellowstone Strongmen and reasoned that its layout followed the Nine Palace Diagram. After entering the next section alone, he survived three strongmen by using a Dao Art illusion and tried to control one with Puppet-Control Dao Art.

• A second Yellowstone Strongman appeared after Bai Xiaowen summoned Rageclaw, so Bai Xiaowen and Rageclaw defeated both without summoning more creatures.
• Rageclaw found an Immortal Crystal Fragment in the rubble, and Bai Xiaowen took it despite knowing it could not leave the Spirit Realm.
• Bai Xiaowen used the Nine Palace Diagram to predict the formation’s layout and entered the mist ahead and to the left without Rageclaw.
• Three Yellowstone Strongmen attacked, and Bai Xiaowen used a Binding Talisman before escaping their assault with a speed boost and a Dao Art illusion.
• Bai Xiaowen blasted the three strongmen with Heavenly Cloud Sword and sent Origin Force and his will toward the most injured one to attempt Puppet-Control Dao Art.

Bai Xiaowen fought the Yellowstone Strongmen alone in the Mount Heming Daoist Ancestral Court, using Dao Arts to slow them despite suffering severe backlash. He defeated the first of four empowered Strongmen and continued firing on the others.

• Bai Xiaowen's Puppet Control Dao Art was repelled by the Yellowstone Strongman's inner power, but the backlash left the Strongman slowed, allowing Bai Xiaowen to destroy it and then kill the other two after a long fight.
• Bai Xiaowen recovered, found an Immortal Crystal Fragment in the rubble, and entered the third Nine-Palace Grid, where four Yellowstone Strongmen appeared with all attributes increased by 40%.
• Bai Xiaowen used Illusion Dao Arts to distract the Strongmen and Puppet-Control Dao Arts to slow them, enduring repeated true-damage backlash that depleted his shields, health, and Origin Force.
• Bai Xiaowen activated Blood Rage and shot the first slowed Strongman in its heart, destroying it with a powerful hit.
• Bai Xiaowen switched the Desert Eagle to Rapid-Fire Mode and began attacking the remaining Yellowstone Strongmen.

Bai Xiaowen escaped the formation and reunited with Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan, who explained its origins and revealed a gate that required an emperor, a master, and a disciple to open. The three prepared to test whether Bai Xiaowen’s fortune as the founding emperor of Great Yan could unlock the gate to Guangchengzi’s cave abode.

• Bai Xiaowen defeated the final Yellowstone Strongman, found a third Immortal Crystal Fragment, and emerged from the formation.
• Ge Xuan explained that Zhou Yishan had modified Guangchengzi’s formation to deter intruders, and said Zuo Ci had foreseen their journey would succeed.
• Bai Xiaowen found Zhou Yishan’s stone dwelling and empty bookshelves before joining Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan at the dark-gold gate.
• Zuo Ci explained that the gate’s carvings depicted the Yellow Emperor paying respects to Guangchengzi, and that opening it required a prosperous emperor, a master, and a disciple.
• Zuo Ci revealed inscriptions showing that Zhou Yishan and Zhang Daoling had both failed to open the gate because they lacked a suitably fortunate emperor.

Bai Xiaowen entered an immortal realm with Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan, then tested the Soul-Sapping Bell and revealed the danger bound inside his Black Soul Stone. The chapter ended with Delifa agreeing to let Bai Xiaowen unlock its eighth layer.

• Zuo Ci led Bai Xiaowen and Ge Xuan through a dark-gold gate into a secluded valley where cultivation proceeded ten times faster than outside.
• Bai Xiaowen learned that the pavilion's Soul-Sapping Bell belonged to Guangchengzi and could harm spirits and ordinary people.
• Bai Xiaowen summoned the Baleful Maiden to ring the bell; its three chimes killed her and dealt him 300 points of true damage.
• Ge Xuan warned Bai Xiaowen not to touch ancient artifacts carelessly, while Zuo Ci asked him to explain his purpose.
• Bai Xiaowen showed Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan the Black Soul Stone and said he needed their help with its hidden danger.
• Delifa appeared on the Black Soul Stone and agreed to let Bai Xiaowen unlock its eighth layer.

Bai Xiaowen unlocked the eighth layer of the Black Soul Stone and chose to summon the Banshee Queen, but a remnant of the Death God took control of her. The Death God threatened Bai Xiaowen and Delifa, claiming its plan had succeeded and that Bai Xiaowen would become its puppet.

• Bai Xiaowen chose Enhancement Option 2, summoning the Banshee Queen with 5,000 points of Soul Essence.
• A skeletal shadow wielding a scythe entered the Banshee Queen, and the Spirit Realm Rules warned Bai Xiaowen that he had temporarily lost control of her.
• The Banshee Queen awakened as a Level 8 Divine-Blooded Creature and demanded to know where Sigrdrifa was.
• The Death God offered Bai Xiaowen the choice to submit or have his soul devoured, while Delifa translated between them.
• Delifa defended her loyalty to Bai Xiaowen, and the Death God declared that its plan had succeeded and Bai Xiaowen would become its puppet.

The Death God Naige'er forcibly took control of most of Bai Xiaowen’s undead army and tried to summon Black Knight Lord Goliya, but the protective formation blocked his attempts. As the undead attacked under Naige’er’s powerful domain, Bai Xiaowen sought protection behind Zuo Ci.

• Bai Xiaowen’s Black Soul Stone reported that most of his undead summons had defected to the Death God, while Delifa, Butcher, and Kitz resisted the call.
• Naige'er declared that Bai Xiaowen’s power belonged to him and revealed that he had watched Bai Xiaowen’s battles through the Black Soul Stone.
• Naige'er tried twice to summon Black Knight Lord Goliya, but the protective formation around Guangchengzi’s abode prevented her from crossing over.
• Zuo Ci explained that the Soul-Sapping Bell anchored the protective formation, and Bai Xiaowen laughed at Naige'er’s failed summons.
• Naige'er activated Death God Domain and ordered his enhanced undead to attack, so Bai Xiaowen ducked behind Zuo Ci and begged him for protection.

Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan restrained Nargol’s undead army, then Zuo Ci defended Bai Xiaowen and Ge Xuan against the Death God’s enhanced attacks. Though Zuo Ci admitted he could not outlast Nargol, he offered to buy Bai Xiaowen time to use the Soul-Sapping Bell and Guangchengzi’s artifact.

• Zuo Ci created a swamp to trap the charging Death Knights, while Ge Xuan shielded their group from ranged attacks.
• Zuo Ci turned two talismans into clay giants that slowed the undead army, then identified himself to Nargol as Zuo Yuanfang, a Daoist of Mount Tianzhu.
• Nargol unleashed an enhanced Banshee’s Wail; Zuo Ci protected Bai Xiaowen and Ge Xuan, while Bai Xiaowen’s Doom Bracelet made him immune to the attack.
• Nargol became Erosion Mist and rushed the group, but Zuo Ci’s incantations drove the black mist back.
• Zuo Ci warned Bai Xiaowen that Nargol would outlast them and offered to hold him off while Bai Xiaowen used the Soul-Sapping Bell and Guangchengzi’s artifact.

Bai Xiaowen used the Soul-Sapping Bell and a series of tricks to defeat Death God Naige'er, eliminating the hidden danger inside the Black Soul Stone. He recovered a mysterious mask and left the stone’s notifications unread.

• Zuo Ci gave Bai Xiaowen an Origin Force Shield, allowing him to ring the Soul-Sapping Bell while the tolls severely damaged Death God Naige'er.
• Zuo Ci sacrificed his hairpin to intercept Naige'er's Soul Siphon, and Bai Xiaowen's repeated bell strikes reduced Naige'er to a fraction of his health.
• Naige'er formed black armor to withstand another round of tolls, then shattered Bai Xiaowen's shield and knocked him away from the bell.
• Bai Xiaowen dropped the Damaged Stupa Tower over Naige'er, froze him with Repentance, and destroyed him with Super Orochi Nagi.
• Bai Xiaowen found a Mysterious Mask among Naige'er's remains and thanked Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan for their help.

Bai Xiaowen learned that the Black Soul Stone had granted him full access to several powerful new abilities, while its hidden danger remained tied to Death God Naige'er. He continued climbing the mountain with Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan, hoping to find a way to decipher the jade slips and deal with Naige'er.

• Ge Xuan asked Bai Xiaowen about his history with the foreign fiend, but Zuo Ci stopped him from prying.
• Bai Xiaowen asked Zuo Ci to take the Soul-Sapping Bell, but Zuo Ci said he could not take Guangchengzi's treasure.
• Bai Xiaowen checked the Black Soul Stone and found that he could grant summoned creatures consciousness, remove their skill cooldowns, control whether souls retained memories, and unlock options for half the Soul Essence.
• Bai Xiaowen recalled that Delifa had revealed Naige'er's plan to use the Black Soul Stone to strengthen himself before turning Bai Xiaowen into a puppet.
• Bai Xiaowen continued up the mountain with Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan, hoping Zuo Ci could help with the jade slips and the threat of Naige'er.

After killing Nargol, Bai Xiaowen gained the Godslayer ability and learned that the Black Soul Stone could be transferred, though its growth and Soul Essence would reset. At Guangchengzi's Cave Abode, Zuo Ci regained his composure and prepared to help Bai Xiaowen investigate the jade slip.

• Bai Xiaowen received the Godslayer ability and 800 Soul Essence for killing Nargol.
• Bai Xiaowen learned that he could transfer the Black Soul Stone, but its growth and Soul Essence would reset when it bound to a new Awakened.
• Bai Xiaowen, Ge Xuan, and Zuo Ci arrived at a bronze palace in Guangchengzi's Cave Abode.
• Zuo Ci contemplated the poem above the entrance for hours, then resolved to cultivate there and help Bai Xiaowen unravel the jade slip's mystery.
• Zuo Ci opened the bronze palace doors and invited Bai Xiaowen inside.

Bai Xiaowen, Zuo Ci, and Ge Xuan explored Guangchengzi’s Bronze Tier palace and discovered a way to reveal the writing on the jade slip. The Radiance-Spinning Sundial projected the text, and Bai Xiaowen began reading the Scripture of the Grand Void.

• Zuo Ci identified the Dew-Collecting Plate and shared its immortal dew with Bai Xiaowen and Ge Xuan, who found it was a usable reward item.
• Bai Xiaowen noticed the Male-Female Swords, but Zuo Ci warned him not to touch them.
• Zuo Ci, Ge Xuan, and Bai Xiaowen each tried using the Purple Meditation Mat and Inner Vision Technique to read the jade slip, but the slip remained blank.
• Zuo Ci found the Radiance-Spinning Sundial and used nine Immortal Crystal Fragments to activate it and project the jade slip’s contents onto the ceiling.
• Bai Xiaowen read the revealed Scripture of the Grand Void and felt its words disclose principles governing the world.

Bai Xiaowen, Zuo Ci, and Ge Xuan memorized the Scripture of the Grand Void in Guangchengzi's Cave Abode, but only Bai Xiaowen retained all its words, without the Dao Resonance needed to pass on its insights. After learning the cave abode would remain safe during the Three Kingdoms Plane World's restructuring, Bai Xiaowen said farewell to Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan, who stayed behind to cultivate.

• Bai Xiaowen used his Super Brain and Inner Vision Technique to memorize the Scripture of the Grand Void as the Radiance-Spinning Sundial turned and consumed the Immortal Crystal Fragments.
• The Wordless Jade Slip shattered after being read, and Zuo Ci said he had memorized four levels while Ge Xuan had memorized two; Bai Xiaowen said he had memorized all nine.
• Bai Xiaowen recited the scripture, but Zuo Ci and Ge Xuan gained no insight from his words because the Dao Resonance could not be conveyed through ordinary recitation.
• Zuo Ci reassured Bai Xiaowen that even partial knowledge would help him and Ge Xuan, and said they would cultivate in the immortal palace in hopes of achieving Transcendence.
• Bai Xiaowen confirmed with the Spirit Realm Rules that Guangchengzi's Cave Abode was an independent space that would be sealed during the next cycle but unaffected by the world's restructuring.
• Bai Xiaowen took his leave, and Zuo Ci rebuked Ge Xuan for suggesting that Bai Xiaowen stay to cultivate instead of fulfilling his responsibility to the newly unified realm.

Bai Xiaowen and his companions returned from the Three Kingdoms Plane World, where he chose a territory to claim after advancing to an Evolver. The Spirit Realm Rules reshaped the plane and then offered him the chance to advance early.

• Bai Xiaowen and his companions returned to Earth with Zhen Mi, and Camille Squad also returned after completing its separate settlement.
• The Spirit Realm Rules granted Bai Xiaowen the right to designate a territory in the unified Three Kingdoms Plane World, provided he advanced to an Evolver.
• Bai Xiaowen investigated the territory rules and chose a region corresponding to Jiangdong, citing its gold, silver, copper, and waterways.
• Bai Xiaowen confirmed the territory, and the Three Kingdoms Plane World broke apart as the designated land separated from it before the plane reshaped itself.
• The Spirit Realm Rules told Bai Xiaowen that he had qualified to advance to an Evolver early and asked whether he wanted to proceed.

Bai Xiaowen learned that he could cultivate a second profession tome as an Evolver and discovered how his Overlord's Proof unlocked dual professions. He realized Great Peace Essentials could let him learn the more powerful Scripture of the Grand Void, though doing so would erase his cultivation of Great Peace Essentials.

• Bai Xiaowen learned that advancing to Evolver would grant him Taigong's Art of War, an Origin Force energy pool, and enhanced Command-type skills.
• The Spirit Realm Rules revealed that Overlord's Proof allowed Bai Xiaowen to cultivate a second profession tome if its compatibility with an existing tome was at least 60%.
• Bai Xiaowen learned that Taigong's Art of War was compatible with Great Peace Essentials but not Scripture of the Grand Void, and that a third tome would require erasing cultivation of the second.
• Bai Xiaowen checked the compatibility between Great Peace Essentials and Scripture of the Grand Void and learned it was 72%, allowing him to study the latter after learning the former.
• Bai Xiaowen explained to his teammates that Scripture of the Grand Void was a higher-level Daoist tome than Great Peace Essentials.