Chapter Summaries

Chen Changsheng negotiated with Xuan Tai over the attack on Great Bright Heaven and uncovered that Xuan Tai was hiding a secret. He then discussed the hidden forces behind the Investiture of the Gods War with Pang Tong, before Pang Tong asked whether he knew Blade Emperor’s whereabouts.

• Chen Changsheng confronted Xuan Tai, who agreed to provide intelligence and coordinate support for the attack on Great Bright Heaven after Chen threatened to expose his secret.
• Xuan Tai reported Chen Changsheng’s suspicious behavior around the God-Slaying Weapon to an ally, who ordered him to support Great Bright Heaven so Jade Completion would survive and keep Chen occupied.
• Chen Changsheng told Pang Tong that Xuan Tai was likely bait planted by The Person Behind the Scenes and said Scholar’s relics pointed toward the source of the conspiracy.
• Chen Changsheng and Pang Tong considered where the Uncanny and the people behind the Investiture of the Gods War were hiding, with Chen arguing they were within the Four Brahma Three Realms.
• Pang Tong asked Chen Changsheng whether he truly did not know Blade Emperor’s whereabouts.

Chen Changsheng explained to Pang Tong the many powerful threats he had been restraining, including Zhang Zhen, Wang Hao, Ye Yongxian, and the six great Forbidden Grounds. He revealed that his refusal to invite more allies was tied to a hidden plan involving the Puppet Legion, then stopped Pang Tong from saying it aloud.

• Pang Tong asked whether Chen Changsheng could face Zhang Zhen if the Blade Emperor had been touched by the Uncanny, and Chen Changsheng said he would need Wu Li to deal with Zhang Zhen.
• Chen Changsheng refused to bring Wu Li or others into the effort to expose The Person Behind the Scenes, explaining that the era faced many other dangers he had been keeping in check.
• Chen Changsheng described Wang Hao and Ye Yongxian as ancient, dangerous beings and listed the six great peak Forbidden Grounds as further threats.
• Chen Changsheng told Pang Tong that he acted because he could not bear seeing living beings reduced to Chess Pieces or food, even though his choices had cost him dearly.
• Pang Tong deduced that Chen Changsheng had set a trap for the Four Brahma Three Realms and identified the Weapon Spirit controlling the Puppet Legion as its true strength.
• Chen Changsheng silenced Pang Tong before he could state aloud what the hidden plan might be.

Chen Changsheng advised Pang Tong on the Common People Chess Game before Pang Tong traveled to Ping Yu Heaven. There, Miao Shi failed to secure Xuan Tai’s promised military support, but Pang Tong appeared to offer a way out before leaving when Jiang Bo Yue eagerly accepted his humiliating challenge.

• Chen Changsheng urged Pang Tong to focus on his own intentions in the Common People Chess Game, assured him Zhang Zhen would not attack, and departed for Candle Dragon Fortress.
• Pang Tong pondered Chen Changsheng’s words, then laughed and flew toward Ping Yu Heaven.
• Xuan Tai told Miao Shi that the Undying Demon Lord and Puppet Legions threatened Great Bright Heaven, but he left without agreeing to send troops.
• Miao Shi decided to return and fight without help, and Pang Hong hurried after him.
• Pang Tong pretended not to see Miao Shi and his companions, then offered to teach them how to break the deadlock if Jiang Bo Yue ran backward three laps shouting that he was an idiot.
• Jiang Bo Yue immediately completed the challenge, so Pang Tong called him shameless like his master and left.

Pang Tong demanded an enormous payment before revealing that he was Pang Hong’s second uncle and the one who arranged for Heyang Heaven to support Great Bright Heaven. He questioned Pang Hong’s readiness to lead and helped Little Wood identify the reason Ping Yu Heaven refused to send troops, leaving Jiang Bo Yue to admit that Great Bright Heaven had run out of money.

• Pang Tong stopped when Little Wood offered to pay him, but demanded two hundred billion Divine Sources to help Great Bright Heaven.
• Jiang Bo Yue tried to offer Pang Tong a gift, and Pang Tong scolded him for coming to Ping Yu Heaven empty-handed.
• Pang Tong introduced himself as Pang Hong’s second uncle, a disciple of the Divine Strategy Lineage, and the first heir to Heyang Heaven.
• Pang Tong challenged Pang Hong to consider how he would handle Heyang Heaven’s future troubles and asked Little Wood why borrowing troops had failed.
• Little Wood said Ping Yu Heaven’s soldiers needed Great Bright Heaven to cover the costs of war, and Jiang Bo Yue admitted Great Bright Heaven had no money left.

Miao Shi learned that saving Great Bright Heaven required raising two hundred billion within five months, while Miao Shan seized resources in the rear to remove obstacles and secretly pursued his own plans. Miao Shan then went to Candle Dragon Fortress to seek refuge with Chen Changsheng, offering Great Bright Heaven’s eight hundred thousand soldiers and Marquis of Xixiang Zhang Zhi as his proof of allegiance.

• Pang Tong explained that Xuan Tai would send troops only if they raised two hundred billion within five months, and admitted that Miao Shi’s masters were also trying to save themselves.
• Miao Shan ordered the arrest of a spirit-herb monopolist and defended his seizure of resources against Jade Completion’s objections.
• Miao Shan said the resources were meant to clear obstacles, not hire reinforcements, and told Jade Completion to let Jiang Bo Yue handle the sacrifice of relatives for justice.
• Miao Shan arrived at Candle Dragon Fortress and offered Chen Changsheng the lives of Great Bright Heaven’s eight hundred thousand soldiers as proof of allegiance.
• When Chen Changsheng said that was not enough, Miao Shan added Marquis of Xixiang Zhang Zhi.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changsheng and Miao Shan meet to discuss terms.
• Miao Shan offers to help Chen Changsheng in exchange for Chen Changsheng's support in reforming Great Bright Heaven.
• Chen Changsheng refuses, seeing through Miao Shan's intentions to use him for Great Bright Heaven's benefit.
• Miao Shan offers to reveal secrets about killing the Profound Embryo Heavenly Emperor, but Chen Changsheng still refuses.
• Chen Changsheng proposes a wager: if his Puppet Legion wins the war, Miao Shan and Jade Completion must die, and Miao Shan must reveal all promised secrets. If Chen Changsheng's Puppet Legion loses, he will remove Jade Completion from his 'Must-kill' list and help Great Bright Heaven reform.

Character Developments

• Chen Changsheng demonstrates his political acumen and unwillingness to be manipulated, standing firm on his principles.
• Miao Shan shows his loyalty to Jade Completion and Great Bright Heaven, even when faced with death.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and counter-manipulation in politics.
• Loyalty and sacrifice for one's beliefs.
• The consequences of one's actions and the importance of standing by one's principles.

Character Interactions

• Chen Changsheng and Miao Shan engage in a tense negotiation, with each trying to outmaneuver the other.
• Chen Changsheng's refusal to be swayed by Miao Shan's offers highlights their differing priorities and principles.
• The wager between them raises the stakes and sets the stage for future conflict.

Chen Changsheng and Pang Tong prepared a plan to gather 200 billion by sending four young cultivators after Ping Yu Heaven’s Four Great Families. As the group split up, Chen Changsheng agreed to watch over three of them while Pang Tong protected Jiang Bo Yue.

• Chen Changsheng learned that his plan had a ninety-eight percent chance of success and ordered further refinements.
• Pang Tong explained that the group had to earn 200 billion in five months by completing separate 50 billion missions against the Four Great Families.
• Miao Shi assigned Jiang Bo Yue and Changsheng to the Kong and Li families, while Pang Hong and he took the Song and Zhao families.
• After the group departed, Pang Tong discussed Miao Shan’s coming death and asked to collect his senior brother’s body.
• Pang Tong agreed to watch over Jiang Bo Yue, while Chen Changsheng took responsibility for the other three and warned Pang Tong to monitor Jiang Bo Yue’s emotions.

Little Wood backed away from asking the Li Family for help, while Jiang Bo Yue and Miao Shi sought support from the other great families of Ping Yu Heaven and met with refusals. Pang Hong confronted the Zhao Clan over a wager, but they claimed they had no money and accepted his blockade.

• Little Wood doubted he could obtain fifty billion from the Li Family and left its entrance without knocking.
• Kong Ling welcomed Jiang Bo Yue with a banquet, but refused to mobilize the Kong Family or provide the large military supplies Jiang Bo Yue sought.
• Miao Shi rejected the Song Family's offer of one billion divine sources after recognizing its members were pretending to be impoverished.
• Pang Hong demanded the Zhao Clan honor their wager, and the clan claimed it had no money, leaving him speechless when they accepted his threat to block their gate.

Little Wood and the others failed to raise money from the Four Great Families, so Pang Tong reassigned their targets and promised a new plan to collect two hundred billion. Chen Changsheng appeared to Little Wood in disguise and urged him to enter the Li Family, while Pang Hong began his assignment at the Kong Family by being told to tear down its front gate.

• Jiang Bo Yue, Miao Shi, and Pang Hong reported that their initial efforts to raise money from the Song Family and Zhao Clan had failed, while Little Wood admitted he had not yet approached the Li Family.
• Pang Tong arrived as a Divine Sense clone, criticized their approach, and assigned Jiang Bo Yue to the Song Family, Pang Hong to the Kong Family, Miao Shi to the Zhao Clan, and Little Wood to the Li Family.
• Little Wood recognized that the disguised Pang Tong was Chen Changsheng, who said the two hundred billion was Little Wood's task and challenged him to enter the Li Family's front gate.
• Pang Tong explained to Jiang Bo Yue how each family required a different approach and urged him to judge situations rationally rather than emotionally.
• At the Kong Family, Pang Hong was greeted by Kong Ling, then received Pang Tong's order to tear down the front gate and put it in his pocket.

Pang Hong followed Pang Tong’s instructions to take valuables from the Kong Family and demand funds for the war. Kong Ling offered supplies worth eight hundred million divine sources, but Pang Hong insisted on five hundred billion and stayed at the Kong Residence after Kong Ling walked away.

• Pang Hong tore all 108 Toad Jade studs from the Kong Residence gates, claiming he could not help collecting funds for the front lines.
• Kong Ling gave Pang Hong a Beast Hide Pouch containing supplies worth eight hundred million divine sources, and Pang Hong pocketed it after receiving Pang Tong’s instruction.
• Pang Hong entered the Kong Residence, took food and household items while learning to cultivate Devouring Heaven and Earth, and demanded five hundred billion divine sources.
• Kong Ling offered two billion as his final limit, then left after Pang Hong refused to accept less than five hundred billion.

Pang Hong and his Second Uncle planned to extort fifty billion from the Kong Family, while Jiang Bo Yue demanded the same amount from the Song Family and left after Song Shijie refused to pay without an IOU. At the Li Family, Little Wood followed Chen Changsheng’s advice and offered himself as an investment in exchange for the fifty billion.

• Pang Hong questioned his Second Uncle’s shameless tactics, and his Second Uncle said they would force the Kong Family to pay by labeling and pressuring its members.
• Jiang Bo Yue confronted Song Shijie and exposed a hidden entrance to the Song Family’s formations.
• Song Shijie offered eight billion in military supplies, then agreed to fifty billion only if Jade Completion or Hidden Dragon Master signed an IOU.
• Jiang Bo Yue refused to sign the IOU and left after Song Shijie rejected his demand.
• Little Wood asked Chen Changsheng how to deal with Li Feng, and Chen Changsheng urged him to act boldly.
• Little Wood told Li Feng he would use himself as collateral and asked how much the Li Family would invest in him.

Little Wood, posing as Chen Changsheng, negotiated with Li Feng for the Li Family’s support and used the threat of Profound Womb Heavenly Emperor’s hidden agenda to strengthen his case. He left Li Feng confronting the possibility that the Four Great Families had been maneuvered into becoming targets for elimination.

• Little Wood argued that Chen Changsheng’s ambitions and potential influence made him worth more than Li Feng’s initial offer, and Li Feng offered ten billion in support.
• When Little Wood refused the offer, he warned Li Feng that the Li Family might face a steel blade rather than empty promises.
• Li Feng deduced that Pang Tong had influenced events, but Little Wood claimed Profound Embryo Heavenly Emperor was the true force behind their mission.
• Little Wood explained that the mission to seek reinforcements was meant to give Profound Womb Emperor Lord a pretext to remove the Four Great Families.
• Li Feng denied that Profound Womb Emperor Lord would act against his allies, but Little Wood argued that their power and extravagance had made them intolerable subjects.

Little Wood pressured Li Feng into considering an alliance that would let the Li Family survive by sacrificing the other three great families. Meanwhile, Pang Tong and Chen Changsheng discussed Jiang Bo Yue’s training and the dangers ahead as their larger plan advanced.

• Little Wood frightened Li Feng with the threat posed by the Profound Womb Emperor Lord and offered to protect the Li Family if it helped eliminate the other three families.
• Li Feng agreed to relay Little Wood’s proposal and hurried away to discuss it with the other families.
• Little Wood asked his senior whether the Li Family would believe him, and the senior assured him that the plan would succeed because he was investing in him.
• Pang Tong received news that one of the four had exceeded the target, while Chen Changsheng told him to provoke Jiang Bo Yue and strengthen his resolve.
• Pang Tong and Chen Changsheng discussed the Devouring Heaven and Earth path, the Undying Demon Lord, and the burdens Pang Tong would face as the plan progressed.

Pang Tong confronted Jiang Bo Yue about his jealousy and despair, urging him to act with his heart rather than follow the Rules. Jiang Bo Yue left with nothing to say, while Little Wood rejected the Li Family’s offer of eighty billion and its account books, leaving his demand unclear.

• Pang Tong stopped Jiang Bo Yue from contacting Little Wood and challenged his jealousy of Chang Sheng, Miao Shi, and Pang Hong.
• Pang Tong told Jiang Bo Yue that he had given up on surpassing the Undertaker and was hiding behind the Rules; Jiang Bo Yue asked what he should do.
• Jiang Bo Yue and Pang Tong exchanged coded remarks about noodles and strategists, after which Jiang Bo Yue said he had nothing to say and left.
• After Little Wood waited at the Li Family for three days, Li Feng agreed to his demand and offered eighty billion with the account books.
• Little Wood said the money and account books were not what he wanted.

Little Wood persuaded Li Feng to make the Li Family submit directly to Xuan Tai, offering military supplies and evidence while positioning Little Wood to gain command and future status. Xuan Tai accepted the Li Family’s surrender and urged them to send more people to Ping Yu Heaven and keep Chen Changsheng there.

• Little Wood told Li Feng that the Li Family should deliver military supplies and evidence to Xuan Tai to plead guilty, rather than give money to him.
• Li Feng agreed to support Little Wood, handed him local gifts and a list of Li Family soldiers, and arranged for those troops to serve under him.
• Li Feng and Little Wood agreed to maintain the appearance of hostility until the Kong, Song, and Zhao Families were defeated.
• The Li Family elders offered Xuan Tai four hundred and eighty billion in military supplies and Jade Slips containing evidence against the Four Great Families and their own crimes.
• Xuan Tai destroyed the Jade Slip containing the Li Family’s crimes and told the elders to treat Chen Changsheng well and send more people to Ping Yu Heaven.
• The Li Family elder was startled when Xuan Tai revealed that he knew of their secret plan to win Chen Changsheng over.

Pang Hong fought Kong Ling while looting the Kong Residence, but his lingering injuries left him severely wounded and unconscious after Kong Ling defeated him. Xuan Tai stabilized him, while Miao Shi warned the Zhao Clan that it still had to produce fifty billion.

• Pang Hong continued stripping the Kong Residence and told Kong Ling he had raised 1.9 billion toward his fifty-billion goal.
• Kong Ling attacked Pang Hong, and the two fought until Pang Hong's back pain interrupted his assault and Kong Ling struck him down.
• Kong Ling spared Pang Hong for the sake of the Crimson Bright Heavenly Emperor, and Pang Hong left after silently wiping away his blood.
• Pang Hong collapsed in an alley after taking healing pills, and Chen Changsheng appeared but withdrew when he sensed someone else would save him.
• Xuan Tai found Pang Hong and used starlight to stabilize his worsening injuries.
• Miao Shi told a Zhao Clan member that the Zhao Clan still had to provide fifty billion or face a bloodbath.

Miao Shi followed Pang Tong’s plan to provoke the Zhao Clan into an irreversible conflict, while Jiang Bo Yue pressured Song Shijie by accusing the Song Family of colluding with the Undertaker. The chapter ended with Song Shijie enraged after Jiang Bo Yue admitted his evidence was fabricated but revealed he had recorded their conversation.

• Miao Shi told Pang Tong that the Zhao Clan refused to take the bait, and Pang Tong advised him to attack the Zhao Clan’s Treasure Vault, kill people, and make the conflict irreconcilable.
• Jiang Bo Yue presented Song Shijie with accusations against the Song Family and threatened to expose alleged dealings with the Undertaker.
• Song Shijie rejected Jiang Bo Yue’s claims, but his expression changed when Jiang Bo Yue described how the Song Family’s artifact cores supposedly reached the puppet army.
• Jiang Bo Yue demanded two hundred billion and gave Song Shijie until dawn to respond, threatening the Song Family with extermination.
• Jiang Bo Yue admitted that his evidence and claims about the Undertaker were a bluff, then revealed he had recorded the conversation before leaving as Song Shijie’s killing intent grew.

Pang Hong followed Pang Tong’s orders to provoke the Kong Family while trying to understand his Devouring Heaven and Earth technique. As the Four Great Families agreed to retaliate against Miao Shi and his companions, news arrived that Pang Hong had killed someone from the Kong Family.

• Pang Hong contacted Pang Tong, who told him to attack the Kong Family’s other residence and show no mercy.
• Pang Tong advised Pang Hong that true Devouring Heaven and Earth depended on training his body, and Pang Hong began draining his divine power to provoke extreme hunger.
• Pang Hong ended the call and staggered toward the Kong Family’s other residence.
• The Four Great Families debated whether to pay the demanded fifty billion and decided to attack Miao Shi and Pang Hong while killing their two companions.
• The Kong Family Head received a message that Pang Hong had struck and killed someone from the Kong Family.

The Kong, Song, and Zhao families decided to retaliate after Miao Shi and Chen Changsheng’s allies struck their clans. As Pang Hong fought Kong Ling, Chen Changsheng and Pang Tong discussed the hidden struggle and Miao Shi’s abilities.

• The Kong, Song, and Zhao family heads learned that Miao Shi had raided the Zhao treasure vault and Chen Changsheng had killed Li family juniors, then agreed to take action against their enemies.
• The Li Family Head told Li Feng to follow the plan of maintaining the appearance of a bitter conflict with General Chang Sheng and to stay out of the families’ fight.
• At the Kong residence, Kong Ling confronted Pang Hong over killing his sister, and Pang Hong explained that her death was necessary to make Kong Ling pursue him and complete his mission.
• Chen Changsheng told Pang Tong that the woman might still be alive and gave him Heaven Mending Paste, while explaining that Miao Shi had secretly steered events and was suited to become a king.

The Four Great Families attacked Miao Shi, Jiang Bo Yue, and Little Wood as the conflict over Jade Completion escalated. Xuan Tai appeared beside Pang Tong to discuss why their worlds were intervening, and challenged him over the support Ping Yu Heaven was keeping hidden.

• More than a dozen Zhao Clan members attacked Miao Shi after accusing him of trespassing in their Treasure Vault and killing someone.
• Jiang Bo Yue welcomed his unseen attackers, then used his sand table to shift the surrounding terrain and summon illusory meteors against dozens of masked experts.
• Little Wood agreed to join the fighting, unfurled the Nine Heavens Profound Yellow Battle Flag, and warned the Li Family experts that he would not distinguish friend from foe.
• Pang Tong watched the battles across the Four Great Families' territories and mocked the Song and Kong families for targeting his relatives and martial nephew.
• Xuan Tai appeared beside Pang Tong, said he would take Chen Changsheng as a disciple, and explained that Ping Yu Heaven had to protect Jade Completion from Heyang Heaven.
• Pang Tong questioned Xuan Tai about hidden support from Ping Yu Heaven's great emperors, and Xuan Tai asked why Pang Tong's side would not intervene directly.