Chapter Summaries

After the Black Heaven Cult fell, Bai Xiaowen claimed the Origin Martial True Scripture stele and let the others divide the remaining spoils. He searched Snake Princess’s body and found a stealth-enhancing Black Mist Veil, while the martial artists approached him with smiles.

• Bai Xiaowen claimed the Origin Martial True Scripture stele, and the righteous sects and martial artists agreed that he deserved it.
• The righteous cultivators divided the vault’s Spirit Crystals and materials while the martial artists split the weapons and equipment.
• Bai Xiaowen searched Snake Princess’s body and recovered the Black Mist Veil and a Jade-Inlaid Waistband.
• Bai Xiaowen stored the Black Mist Veil for future ambushes and considered burying Snake Princess.
• Yun Zhongli, Zhao Wuji, and the other martial artists approached Bai Xiaowen with broad smiles.

After defeating the Black Heaven Cult Master, Bai Xiaowen invited martial artists to join his distant territory and study the Origin Martial True Scripture, but limited admission to one hundred costly spots. The martial artists began weighing the offer, and Wang Tieqiang pointed out that the defeated cult might provide the Spirit Crystals they needed.

• Bai Xiaowen told the martial artists he was returning to his territory beyond their world and described its abundant spiritual energy and skeleton workers.
• Bai Xiaowen offered newcomers a two- or three-year observation period during which they could study the Origin Martial True Scripture, with the option to leave afterward.
• Wang Tieqiang, Ma Donghai, and other martial artists asked to join Bai Xiaowen's territory.
• Bai Xiaowen said applicants had to provide their own Spirit Crystals and that he would accept only one hundred people, charging two hundred Spirit Crystals per spot.
• Wang Tieqiang suggested that the martial artists could obtain Spirit Crystals from the Black Heaven Cult's stockpile.

Bai Xiaowen used the Origin Martial True Scripture to recruit wandering martial artists for White Phoenix Fief, requiring them to bring Spirit Crystals as travel expenses. After the Black Heaven Cult’s treasury was divided and the first hundred places filled, he agreed to consider more applicants under rules that tied access to the scripture to service for his territory.

• Bai Xiaowen planned to let martial artists fund their own move to White Phoenix Fief with Spirit Crystals seized from the Black Heaven Cult, while limiting the initial places to one hundred.
• The Righteous Alliance distributed the Black Heaven Cult’s spoils, and Bai Xiaowen ensured the surviving Five Elements Banners martial artists each received at least enough Spirit Crystals to cover travel expenses.
• Bai Xiaowen arranged compensation and possible travel places for families of fallen martial artists, leaving them free to decide whether to move to White Phoenix Fief.
• All one hundred places filled on the first day, and Bai Xiaowen reluctantly approved an extra place after one applicant offered more Spirit Crystals.
• Bai Xiaowen told the remaining applicants they would have to obey orders and contribute to his territory to earn opportunities to comprehend the Origin Martial True Scripture, and Yun Zhongli agreed the arrangement was fair.

Bai Xiaowen told Chen Rong that he came from the Great Tang Domain’s rival domain and explained why he was gathering martial artists to develop it. Chen Rong offered to support him and lent him the Seven Strategies of Jiran, a book of commercial and administrative principles.

• Chen Rong questioned Bai Xiaowen about his origins and learned that he came from the same place as the Black Heaven Cult’s mysterious allies, while his domain opposed the Great Tang Domain.
• Bai Xiaowen explained that the Great Tang Domain was a powerful but internally weak enemy, and that he was recruiting martial artists both to resist it and to help develop his domain.
• Chen Rong offered to help Bai Xiaowen, praising his leadership and saying the Supreme Clarity Sect could justify investing resources in him.
• Chen Rong gave Bai Xiaowen the Seven Strategies of Jiran, explaining its role in the Chen family’s commercial success and lending it to him on the condition that he return it someday.

Bai Xiaowen completed the Black Heaven's Destruction quest, gathered followers for his overseas territory, and prepared to return home with valuable rewards. He left the Supreme Clarity Sect a way to reach him and teleported more than three hundred martial artists to the White Phoenix Fief.

• Bai Xiaowen waited until the righteous alliance destroyed two-thirds of the Black Heaven Cult's branches, then completed the quest with a 77% rating and received Spirit Crystals, two Legendary Points, and an Epic Insight Orb.
• Bai Xiaowen learned that Legendary Points could attract a god's favor and worried about becoming a god's Chosen One, then decided to store the Insight Orb in the Scripture of the Grand Void.
• Bai Xiaowen found that Chen Rong had entered secluded training and left him Dark Gold Tier spirit materials, which he accepted as a debt against his sect contribution.
• Bai Xiaowen gave a disciple a wooden tablet containing the White Phoenix Fief's coordinates so Chen Rong could seek his help again if the Supreme Clarity Sect faced trouble.
• Bai Xiaowen led 314 martial artists to Wind Tomb Ferry and teleported them to the White Phoenix Fief, keeping nearly twenty thousand Spirit Crystals after their passage payments.

After returning to White Phoenix Fief with martial artists and Spirit Crystals, Bai Xiaowen heard how the settlement had progressed and laid out a system of resident ranks and White Phoenix Coins. He planned to use rewards and military benefits to recruit and organize the martial artists into a disciplined force to protect the fief.

• Bai Xiaowen’s companions reacted with surprise as he reported how he had thwarted Great Tang Domain, gained the Supreme Clarity Sect’s support, and brought back martial artists and nearly twenty thousand Spirit Crystals.
• Zhen Mi, Han Xu, Li Shuyi, and Qiao Rui reported progress on farming, metalworking, and the discovery of two silver mines and a copper mine, including a silver mine with a small Spirit Crystal deposit guarded by mutated creatures.
• Bai Xiaowen explained that concentrated spiritual energy caused the mine monsters to mutate and said the fief needed guards to protect its workers.
• Bai Xiaowen proposed ranking residents and issuing White Phoenix Coins for contributions, missions, and military service, with higher ranks offering greater rewards and opportunities.
• Bai Xiaowen planned to give the fief army better benefits and establish clear regulations so he could recruit martial artists and build a disciplined force without the corruption he saw in Great Tang Domain.

Bai Xiaowen established the Forbidden Palace and helped his companions cultivate while the White Phoenix Fief settled into a rhythm. Cecilia, Han Xu, and Li Shuyi reached level 12, Zhen Mi learned useful administrative skills, and Bai Xiaowen broke through to the second layer of the Scripture of the Grand Void.

• Bai Xiaowen placed the Origin Martial True Scripture in the Forbidden Palace and let Li Shuyi, Han Xu, and Cecilia study it without spending territory contribution points.
• Bai Xiaowen organized the fief's forces to guard the Spirit Crystal mine and protect the territory while he and his companions cultivated.
• Bai Xiaowen gave Zhen Mi the Seven Strategies of Jiran, and she mastered its first layer and gained the Coordination and Commerce skills.
• Cecilia broke through to the advanced stage of the Star River Chart, reached level 12, and gained a new profession skill; Han Xu and Li Shuyi reached level 12 two days later.
• Bai Xiaowen used an Epic Tier 2 C-Tier Insight Orb to break through the first layer of the Scripture of the Grand Void and enter its second layer, increasing his strength without changing his level.

After Scripture of the Grand Void broke through, Bai Xiaowen gained stronger attributes and True Essence Force control, allowing him to master the Formless Blade quickly. While he meditated, his Territory Defense Formation reached the second order, strengthening Great Tang Domain’s defenses and battle arrays.

• Bai Xiaowen realized that advancing both profession scriptures would give him greater growth than a King Tier expert’s, and Scripture of the Grand Void’s breakthrough granted him Spirit Force Mastery (Beginner Level 3).
• Bai Xiaowen used his improved True Essence Force control to cast the Basic Sword Talisman through Skyborne Talisman Drawing.
• Bai Xiaowen cultivated the Formless Blade, chose it as his regular skill, and tested its power by cleanly cutting a corner off an ancient stone table.
• The Territory Defense Formation’s upgrade to the second order finished, tripling its Territory Shield’s strength to 3,600 crystals.
• The second-order Five Elements Formation expanded across the cosmic starry sky within 10 kilometers and could weaken enemies or strengthen allies by 20%.

Bai Xiaowen realized the Great Tang Domain had only just learned about his actions on the Shaoding Plane because its intelligence network was slow and divided. After Taizong confronted him in the Lords' Group, Bai Xiaowen used his territory's alias to prevent an easy system-certified declaration of war, while other Lords offered protection.

• Bai Xiaowen watched the Blue Star Lords' Group and wondered why Taizong had not reacted to the Great Tang Domain's defeat on the Shaoding Plane.
• Taizong finally accused Bai Xiaowen of being vicious, and Bai Xiaowen realized the Great Tang Domain had only recently learned what had happened because Li Chun had withheld information.
• Bai Xiaowen concluded that the Great Tang Domain was a decaying giant with a weak intelligence network and believed White Phoenix Fief could win a fair fight.
• Bai Xiaowen acknowledged Taizong's threat of war, and Taizong declared that he would declare war on him.
• Taizong discovered that West River Territory was an alias, and several Lords explained that the alias could block a system-certified declaration of war and offered Bai Xiaowen protection.

Taizong worried that Lu Wang would join another territory, while Fu Jing advised him that Lu Wang’s threat to destroy White Phoenix Fief was a bargaining tactic. Lu Wang restored his territory’s true name and advertised its precious metals for trade, prompting Taizong to declare war.

• Taizong feared that Lu Wang would accept another lord’s affiliation offer after the Great Tang Domain’s armies were defeated.
• Fu Jing told Taizong that Lu Wang was unlikely to destroy his territory and would probably negotiate once the Great Tang forces reached its gates.
• Taizong and Fu Jing discussed whether another lord could accept Lu Wang’s affiliation request during the invasion, and Taizong expected other territories not to intervene directly.
• Lu Wang changed his group nickname to Lu Wang-White Phoenix and advertised White Phoenix Fief’s gold and silver ingots for Spirit Crystals.
• Taizong called Lu Wang gutsy, and the Great Tang Domain declared war on White Phoenix Fief.

Bai Xiaowen built up White Phoenix Fief’s Spirit Crystal reserves by selling gold and silver while preparing for war with Great Tang Domain. After Rockefeller Territory and Greatley Fief tried to make his territory a vassal, he resolved to win decisively; a week later, Xia Feng requested a conversation.

• Bai Xiaowen compared offers from other Lords and found that gold and silver from White Phoenix Fief could sell for high prices, while goods from the Awakened Plane could not be used by Evolvers.
• White Phoenix Fief’s Skeleton Workers mined ore as Han Xu and skilled martial artists led the smelting, producing gold and silver ingots that could bring in around 700 Spirit Crystals per day.
• Rockefeller Territory and Greatley Fief contacted Bai Xiaowen and offered to make White Phoenix Fief their vassal territory in exchange for benefits and mineral rights.
• Li Shuyi criticized Rockefeller Territory, and Bai Xiaowen explained that Camille Rockefeller likely had little influence there.
• Bai Xiaowen told his companions that White Phoenix Fief had to defeat Great Tang Domain decisively to earn respect among the Lords.
• One week later, Bai Xiaowen received a communication request from Xia Feng of Great Xia.

Bai Xiaowen declined Lord Xia Feng’s offer of protection after learning it came at Qiao Liqun’s request, and White Phoenix Fief spent a month strengthening its fighters and troops. The chapter ended when the Boundary Marker detected an intense spatial fluctuation.

• Lord Xia Feng offered White Phoenix Fief a year of protection in exchange for forty percent of its mining rights, explaining that Qiao Liqun had asked him to help.
• Bai Xiaowen declined the offer because he believed White Phoenix Fief could defend itself against Great Tang Domain without surrendering its mining output.
• Qiao Rui said she did not know Qiao Liqun, and Bai Xiaowen and his companions wondered who had arranged the offer.
• Qiao Rui advanced to level 12, while Li Shuyi, Cecilia, and the other Astral Qi martial artists neared level 13 as Bai Xiaowen advanced his Formless Blade and trained the Five Elements Banners troops.
• The Five Elements Banners martial artists improved their formation drills and Spirit Force Coordination, with all six banners eventually meeting the training standard.
• Bai Xiaowen received a Spirit Realm Rules warning that his Boundary Marker had detected an intense spatial fluctuation.

Bai Xiaowen detected Great Tang Domain opening a Realm Gate near White Phoenix Fief and watched its army gather for an invasion. As lords observed through Candice's Forest Eyes, Fu Jing began assessing the fief's defensive formation while Taizong prepared to break through it.

• Bai Xiaowen used the Territory Stele to see Great Tang Domain's Realm Gate appear about twenty kilometers from White Phoenix Fief and watched troops emerge.
• Candice announced that her three Forest Eyes were broadcasting the war and sold viewing access to other lords.
• Taizong refused to destroy the Forest Eyes and ordered Fu Jing and Gui Yuan to prepare to breach White Phoenix Fief's defensive barrier.
• Lords in the Blue Star Lords' Group discussed Great Tang Domain's forces and worried that its army could break through the fief's first-tier formation.
• Fu Jing examined the defensive formation as Taizong asked him to report its strength.

The Great Tang Domain tested the White Phoenix Fief’s shield while Taizong prepared to break through it with a direct assault. Bai Xiaowen identified the invading leaders and forces, concluding that the attackers represented the Great Tang Domain’s remaining strength.

• Fu Jing warned Taizong that the White Phoenix Fief’s shield circulated energy like a Second-Order formation, but Taizong dismissed the possibility and ordered a strength test.
• Gui Yuan led one hundred Silver Swordsmen to attack the shield, which lost about twenty percent of its energy before it was restored.
• Taizong ordered the Netherdemon Army and Arcane Archer Corps to continue probing the shield for weak points.
• Bai Xiaowen identified Gui Yuan, Fu Jing, and Taizong to his allies using Li Feng’s memories.
• Bai Xiaowen explained that the Great Tang Domain had lost four hundred troops on the Shaoding Plane and had committed its last remaining forces to this invasion.

Bai Xiaowen prepared to lure the Great Tang Domain’s forces through the White Phoenix Fief’s shield, planning to defeat them on the ground. After Gui Yuan’s Netherdemon Army unleashed its Worldbreaker Slash, Bai Xiaowen shut down the shield, and the enemy began landing to attack.

• Bai Xiaowen explained that he had disguised the shield’s strength and planned to let the enemy believe they had broken through before fighting them on land.
• Gui Yuan coordinated the Spirit Force of the Netherdemon Army and manifested a towering armored figure that struck the Territory Shield with Worldbreaker Slash.
• Bai Xiaowen saw the shield lose 1,442 crystals of energy and shut it down instead of repairing the breach.
• Taizong Li Weichen ordered the Great Tang Domain’s armies to land and attack the White Phoenix Fief in successive waves.
• Gui Yuan landed with the Mystic Archers while Fu Jing stayed outside with Li Weichen, uneasy about the unreadable divinations concerning Lu Wang.

Li Weichen's invasion of the White Phoenix Fief was split in two when its Territory Shield suddenly rose again, leaving Gui Yuan and most of the invading force trapped inside. Gui Yuan then discovered that Lu Wang's defenders were far more numerous than expected, making him suspect the White Phoenix Fief had received outside support.

• As the Great Tang Domain army entered the White Phoenix Fief, its Territory Shield reactivated and cut Gui Yuan's force off from the soldiers outside.
• Li Weichen ordered the isolated troops and Evolvers to attack the shield, but it quickly recovered from their blows.
• Lords watching through the Forest Eye discussed the unexpected turn, while Candice confirmed the Forest Eye could not see through the shield.
• Inside the fief, Gui Yuan prepared his more than three hundred soldiers for battle, expecting an easy victory over Lu Wang's small force.
• Gui Yuan saw the Five Elements Banners martial artists emerge in numbers comparable to his own and suspected the White Phoenix Fief had been secretly funded.

Bai Xiaowen used the Second-Order Five Elements Formation to weaken the Great Tang Domain’s army and strengthen the White Phoenix Fief’s troops, then directed his forces against Gui Yuan’s formations. The White Phoenix Fief routed the Silver Sword Army and reached the Secret Arrow Army as it prepared to attack, leaving Gui Yuan to send in the Netherdemon Army to delay them.

• Gui Yuan ordered the Silver Sword Army to the front, the Netherdemon Army to support, and the Secret Arrow Army to the rear while other Evolvers prepared to target Lu Wang.
• Bai Xiaowen activated the Second-Order Five Elements Formation, reducing the Great Tang Domain’s strength and boosting the White Phoenix Fief’s warriors.
• Gui Yuan used his command abilities to strengthen the Silver Sword Army’s charge and form a Spirit Force Manifestation with the Secret Arrow Army.
• Bai Xiaowen’s troops formed the Fortified Wall Formation to stop the Silver Sword Army, while Qiao Rui’s music accelerated the flanking Longwind Formations.
• Kitz shifted the defenders into the Water Mirror Formation and then the Arrow Formation, overwhelming the Silver Sword Army and turning its retreat into a rout.
• The Sharp Metal and Blazing Fire Banner warriors reached the Secret Arrow Army before it could attack, so Gui Yuan ordered the Netherdemon Army to hold them back.

Bai Xiaowen’s forces defeated Gui Yuan’s Great Tang Domain army by interrupting its prepared strike and overwhelming it in battle. After the survivors surrendered and were restrained, Bai Xiaowen turned his attention to Taizong and told Gui Yuan he had another use for him, though he did not trust him.

• Gui Yuan prepared a Spirit Force arrow, but Bai Xiaowen’s Intimidation disrupted the attack and froze much of the Great Tang Domain army.
• Zhao Wuji’s Sharp Metal Banner and the Blazing Fire Banner charged the Secret Arrow Army, while Han Xu, Li Shuyi, and Cecilia defeated the enemy Evolvers.
• Bai Xiaowen’s troops routed the Silver Sword Army, forcing Gui Yuan and the remaining Great Tang Domain forces to surrender.
• Li Shuyi urged Bai Xiaowen to kill the prisoners, but he ordered the troops and Evolvers restrained instead.
• Bai Xiaowen asked Gui Yuan for help with his real target, and rejected Gui Yuan’s offer to lure Taizong, Li Weichen, over because he did not trust him.

Bai Xiaowen took control of Gui Yuan and used him to lure Taizong Li Weichen into the White Phoenix Fief. After Taizong entered, the Territory Shield suddenly rose again, leaving the trap's outcome unresolved.

• Bai Xiaowen used the Banshee Queen's shriek to seize Gui Yuan's consciousness and make him his servant.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered Li Shuyi to replace White Phoenix City's flags with the Great Tang Domain's military banners.
• Gui Yuan told Taizong that he had captured Lu Wang and urged him to enter the White Phoenix Fief and claim its Boundary Stele.
• Fu Jing suspected a trap, but Taizong ordered Gui Yuan to kill Lu Wang before entering.
• Gui Yuan appeared to stab Bai Xiaowen to death, and Taizong entered the White Phoenix Fief while Fu Jing remained outside to guard the Realm Gate.
• The White Phoenix Fief's Territory Shield rose again after Taizong entered.

Bai Xiaowen revealed that the White Phoenix Fief’s shield had never been broken and that he had lured Li Weichen into the territory after defeating the Great Tang Domain’s invading forces. He left Li Weichen surrounded by the Five Elements Banners, ordering them to capture him alive.

• The Territory Shield rose again, and the Blue Star Lords’ Group debated whether the Great Tang Domain had ever broken through it as Fu Jing slipped away.
• Gui Yuan was revealed to have been controlled, and Bai Xiaowen appeared on White Phoenix City’s walls after the supposed Lu Wang corpse became spiritwood.
• Li Weichen and his Evolvers attacked Bai Xiaowen, while Li Weichen used a skill to temporarily increase his strength.
• The Five Elements Banners formed a second-order formation that weakened Li Weichen’s group and strengthened its own warriors.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered the Five Elements Banners to capture Li Weichen alive, promising rewards as their warriors fought him.