Chapter Summaries

After escaping the Qizhou Mountain Range with Little Mingyue, Ning Chen returned to the Academy to seek The Master’s counsel on the war. The Master confirmed that Great Xia would perish and advised Ning Chen to “let weapons cease beneath heaven.”

• Ning Chen rested with Little Mingyue by a river, reviewed the Daoist Patriarch’s secret arts, and continued through the mountains after she slept.
• Ning Chen and Little Mingyue left the Qizhou Mountain Range and entered the Central Plains, where Ning Chen considered the war and the threat posed by Fan Lingyue.
• After traveling for two days, Ning Chen reached the Academy, delivered fake imperial wine to Mr. Lu, and left Little Mingyue and the little beast ape behind.
• Ning Chen visited The Master and found Grand Tutor standing beside him as a respectful disciple.
• The Master confirmed that he was the Daoist Patriarch from a thousand years ago and predicted that Great Xia would perish.
• When Ning Chen asked how to prevent Great Xia’s destruction, The Master told him to let weapons cease beneath heaven.

Ning Chen agreed to return to the Great Xia Imperial Palace with Grand Tutor to negotiate with the Xia Emperor, after securing a promise that Little Mingyue would be protected if he died. As Ning Chen prepared for the audience, Fan Lingyue learned he had reached the imperial city and ordered Qing Wuyou to tell Qing Wuhen that her chance was near.

• Grand Tutor urged Ning Chen to hand Little Mingyue over to the court, but Ning Chen refused and then agreed to visit the palace only after Grand Tutor promised to protect her if anything happened to him.
• Ning Chen woke Little Mingyue and reassured her that the palace visit was only for negotiations; they traveled to the imperial city over two days and put off entering the palace until morning.
• At an inn, Ning Chen used true qi to disguise Little Mingyue’s pulse and cultivated a third qi vortex in preparation for a possible fight at the palace.
• Fan Lingyue received word that Ning Chen had returned to the Great Xia Imperial City and ordered Qing Wuyou to warn Qing Wuhen that her opportunity was almost here and she must not fail.
• After Qing Wuyou left, Fan Lingyue coughed and saw vivid crimson blood in her palm.

Ning Chen brought Little Mingyue before the Xia Emperor, fought the imperial guards, and received the title Marquis of Knowing Fate after Grand Tutor and Changsun intervened. Though the new residence appeared harmless, Ning Chen remained wary, while the Xia Emperor revealed that the estate was a gift meant to serve his deadly plans.

• Ning Chen refused the Xia Emperor’s demand to surrender Little Mingyue and the formula, then fought two Dark Dragon Guards in Heavenly Edict Hall.
• Eunuch Pei attacked Ning Chen, but Grand Tutor stopped him and declared that Ning Chen could bring peace to Great Xia; Changsun supported him.
• The Xia Emperor unexpectedly granted Ning Chen the title Marquis of Knowing Fate and a residence, leaving Changsun and Grand Tutor suspicious of his motives.
• Ning Chen inspected the residence, kept Little Mingyue constantly beside him, and remained uneasy despite finding nothing unusual.
• The Xia Emperor told Eunuch Pei that he had given Ning Chen a gift and insisted that anyone defying his will must die.

Xia Emperor destroyed the Zhiming Marquisate in an attempt to kill Ning Chen, who fought the Dark Dragon Guard and Eunuch Pei while protecting Little Mingyue. As Ning Chen was left in peril, Qing Wuhen stabbed Xia Emperor, but he struck her down and staggered to the dragon throne.

• Ning Chen realized the maidservant’s candle signaled an impending explosion and fled the Zhiming Marquisate with Little Mingyue, but the blast buried the estate and its servants in flames.
• Xia Emperor revealed that he had filled the underground of the Zhiming Marquisate with explosives and ordered Eunuch Pei to deal with Ning Chen.
• Duke Xiyu stopped Grand Tutor from going to the explosion, while Imperial Guards blocked Qing Ling and Changsun at Weiyang Palace.
• Ning Chen fought the three Dark Dragon Guard commanders, wounding two and driving them back, but Eunuch Pei arrived as Ning Chen weakened.
• Qing Wuhen stabbed Xia Emperor and revealed that her cultivation had been crippled, but Xia Emperor struck her down before reaching the dragon throne and laughing madly.

The Xia Emperor died after Qing Wuhen’s assassination attempt, and Prince Yan arrived in time to save Ning Chen from Eunuch Pei and the Dark Dragon Guard. With the throne left vacant and the leading princes gathered at the palace, Great Xia faced an uncertain succession.

• Qing Wuhen and the Xia Emperor died together in the Heavenly Edict Hall after she misjudged his hidden martial arts.
• Prince Yan’s Azure-Crimson Twin Swords blocked Eunuch Pei’s strike, while Xia Ziyi carried the injured Ning Chen out of the battle.
• Prince Yan drove off the Dark Dragon Guard commanders and helped Ning Chen suppress his injuries, then brought him to his residence.
• Prince Yan confirmed that he had claimed the Sand Sword after his encounter with the sword from Sword City, before news arrived that the Xia Emperor had died.
• Prince Yan and Ning Chen entered the palace, where Xia Ziyi, Xia Yanwu, and Xia Mingri stood as leading contenders for the vacant throne.
• Prince Yan, Prince Hua, the ministers, and Changsun entered the Heavenly Edict Hall to pay their respects to the dead Xia Emperor.

After the Xia Emperor’s assassination, Changsun sent Ning Chen north to negotiate with Fan Lingyue and hold back the Northern Mongol army. Ning Chen reached Northfall City with the Blood-clothed Marquis and five thousand Imperial Guards, then sent Fan Lingyue a letter saying Mingyue was in his hands and asking her to meet.

• Ning Chen stayed at Prince Yan’s residence with Little Mingyue while Great Xia’s court struggled over the succession.
• Changsun summoned Ning Chen and ordered him to negotiate with the Northern Mongol Military Advisor, accompanied by the Blood-clothed Marquis and five thousand Imperial Guards.
• Ning Chen and Little Mingyue left for the north with the army, and Ning Chen carried her on his back when the ride became too difficult for her.
• After seven days of travel, Ning Chen’s force arrived at Northfall City, where the Northern Mongol army was already encamped.
• Ning Chen sent a letter to the Northern Mongol camp stating that Mingyue was in his hands and asking Fan Lingyue to come talk.

Fan Lingyue and Ning Chen prepared to meet as the Northern Mongol and Great Xia armies faced each other, each weighing the other’s leverage and the cost of war. They met in a pavilion between the armies, where Fan Lingyue served Ning Chen tea as their negotiations began.

• Fan Lingyue told the Great Xia envoy she would wait for Ning Chen before the armies, then sent a letter to Sword City and asked Qing Wuyou about the Buddhist monks being recalled.
• Ning Chen considered using Mingyue’s safety and her secret as leverage against Fan Lingyue, while weighing Great Xia’s military weakness and political instability.
• Mingyue told Ning Chen she could not sleep and worried about the lives that would be lost whichever side prevailed.
• At dawn, Ning Chen and Blood-clothed Marquis led five thousand Imperial Guards north to meet the Northern Mongol army.
• Ning Chen entered the pavilion between the armies, where Fan Lingyue poured him tea before they began their confrontation.

Ning Chen negotiated with Fan Lingyue over the Northern Mongol army and Mingyue, while learning that Du'e Temple might enter the war. He returned to Northfall City and warned Changsun, then explained the terms to Mingyue, who wanted to see Fan Lingyue but felt torn about the war.

• Ning Chen and Fan Lingyue discussed Mingyue, and Fan Lingyue admitted that Consort Wan was Qing Wuhen.
• Ning Chen asked Fan Lingyue to move her army two hundred li from Northfall City, and she agreed if she could see Mingyue within three days.
• Fan Lingyue warned Ning Chen that the abbot of Du'e Temple was nearly ready to act, and she defended her belief that the strong ruled the weak.
• Ning Chen left the pavilion determined to stop Fan Lingyue, while she coughed blood after he departed.
• Ning Chen sent Changsun a letter warning her about Du'e Temple and told Mingyue about the negotiations.
• Mingyue said she wanted to see Sister Lingyue but worried about the soldiers and wished the war would end.

Ning Chen wounded the Four Noted Swords with his arrows before the Blood-clothed Marquis engaged him, then rushed back to the City Lord's Mansion and fought off a Sword City assassin who had targeted Mingyue. The failed attack left Fan Lingyue demanding answers from the returning Jian Liuying, whom she struck down while revealing her Ninth-Grade Peak strength.

• Ning Chen shot five arrows at the Four Noted Swords, whose half-step Innate strength let him survive but not avoid being wounded.
• The Blood-clothed Marquis intercepted the Four Noted Swords, and Ning Chen hurried to the City Lord's Mansion after sensing danger.
• Ning Chen found Mingyue safe, then was ambushed by Jian Liuying, a Sword City disciple who had come to take her.
• Ning Chen fought Jian Liuying until the Imperial Guard commanders arrived, then stopped them from pursuing the fleeing assassin.
• Fan Lingyue confronted the returning Jian Liuying and struck him down, revealing that she was a Ninth-Grade Peak expert.

Ning Chen’s meeting with Fan Lingyue turned into a deadly ambush after Mu Chengxue unexpectedly appeared and he hesitated to detonate the explosives. Mingyue protected him, the fighters clashed, and Ning Chen discovered Fan Lingyue’s cultivation art could drain his true qi.

• Fan Lingyue and Ning Chen exchanged letters and agreed to meet before Northfall City, each concealing their distrust and plans.
• Ning Chen brought Mingyue to the city walls, where the Northern Mongol cavalry knelt to honor her as emperor.
• Mu Chengxue arrived alongside Fan Lingyue, stunning Ning Chen; the Blood-clothed Marquis ignited the explosives, but the two women escaped the blasts.
• Mu Chengxue’s sword nearly struck Ning Chen, but Mingyue stepped in front of him, prompting Fan Lingyue to order Mu Chengxue to save her.
• The Blood-clothed Marquis blocked Mu Chengxue while Ning Chen confronted Fan Lingyue, who drained his true qi and struck him down.
• Ning Chen retreated after realizing that Fan Lingyue’s strange cultivation art was draining his true qi.

Ning Chen and Fan Lingyue fought until her illness forced her to withdraw, and the Northern Mongols retreated two hundred li. Great Xia’s situation then collapsed after the Golden Staff National Master killed Marquis Wangchuan and gravely wounded the Headmaster; after waking, Ning Chen urged Changsun to settle the succession and mobilize the troops around the Imperial City.

• Ning Chen tried to outlast Fan Lingyue’s true-qi-draining technique while Mu Chengxue battled the Blood-clothed Marquis, but Fan Lingyue’s illness eventually weakened her and Mu Chengxue carried her from the battlefield.
• The Northern Mongol army withdrew two hundred li, and Ning Chen returned to the City Lord’s Mansion to recover while Little Mingyue grieved over the wounded fighters.
• After three quiet days, Ning Chen learned that Marquis Wangchuan had fallen and the Headmaster was gravely wounded, then fainted from the shock.
• The Golden Staff National Master was revealed to have secretly killed Marquis Wangchuan and ambushed the Headmaster, while the Du'e Temple Abbot led Buddhist Kingdom forces into Great Xia and broke through its defenses.
• After waking, Ning Chen wrote Changsun a letter telling her to abandon the First Prince, choose one of the other Imperial Princes to inherit the throne, and mobilize the troops around the Imperial City.

Changsun ordered Ning Chen to lead five thousand Imperial Guards to Great Xia’s southwest and hold off the Buddhist Kingdom’s forces until reinforcements arrived. Ning Chen set out with Little Mingyue, while Fan Lingyue chose not to pursue them until she had a sure way to rescue Mingyue.

• Changsun told Ning Chen that the Three Grand Ministers were divided over choosing a new emperor and that Xia Ziyi would support whichever prince she selected.
• Ning Chen urged Changsun to give Qing Ling the palace’s two remaining Xiantian Pills and try to bring Eunuch Pei back from guarding the Xia Emperor’s tomb.
• Changsun ordered Ning Chen to lead five thousand Imperial Guards southwest and delay the Du'e Temple forces for a month; Ning Chen agreed to take Little Mingyue with him.
• Ning Chen departed at dawn with the Imperial Guards, and Blood-clothed Marquis watched them leave as Mingyue asked where they were going.
• After Ning Chen had traveled a hundred li, Fan Lingyue learned of his departure and decided not to pursue him before she could safely rescue Mingyue.

Ning Chen led five thousand Imperial Guards toward Great Xia’s southwestern frontier, where he was ordered to hold off the Buddhist Kingdom for a month. Qing Ling joined him with a powerful sword from Prince Yan, and Ning Chen left the soldiers to consider what they were willing to fight for as the army prepared for battle.

• Ning Chen marched the Imperial Guards southwest while Great Xia’s defenses faltered, and he recognized the azure pillar from Weiyang Palace as Qing Ling’s breakthrough to the Innate realm.
• Qing Ling arrived to help Ning Chen and gave him the Sand Sword, which contained Prince Yan’s true essence and could be used once.
• Ning Chen kept Qing Ling talking through the night because he feared her breakthrough would make her forget the past, but she reassured him that it would not.
• Ning Chen’s troops reached the southwestern frontier after three more days and set up camp near the sounds of battle.
• Ning Chen admitted to the soldiers that he was afraid of death, explained why he would fight for the Empress Dowager, and ordered them to write down unfinished wishes before the coming battle.

Ning Chen planned to enter the Buddhist Nation through the Barbarian King's lands while diverting the Nanli River to delay the Buddhist army. After bargaining with the Barbarian King and receiving Changsun's authorization, he secured passage and prepared to depart.

• Ning Chen questioned Qing Ling about the Du'e Temple Abbot's weakness and learned that his Indestructible Vajra Body might limit his speed.
• Ning Chen surveyed the Nanli River and Gulan City, then sent one letter to the Great Xia Imperial City and another to the Barbarian King requesting passage.
• Ning Chen told Qing Ling he would take one thousand people into the Buddhist Nation and proposed breaching the Nanli River's southern dikes to bog down the Buddhist disciples.
• The Barbarian King first demanded Tianfu City for passage, but Ning Chen refused and threatened to visit the Barbarian Palace if negotiations failed.
• The Barbarian King lowered his demand to ten years of tariff-free trade for his merchants, and Ning Chen agreed after Changsun authorized him to handle the matter as appropriate.
• The Barbarian King sent Ning Chen a golden token, and Ning Chen rose to begin the journey.

Ning Chen led a thousand Imperial Guards through the Barbarian Dynasty into the Buddhist Nation, while Qing Ling stayed behind to defend Great Xia. Qing Ling used the Nanli River flood to devastate the Buddhist army, but the Du'e Temple Abbot overwhelmed her in their clash, leaving the struggle against him unresolved.

• Ning Chen took Mingyue with him and led a thousand Imperial Guards through the Barbarian Dynasty, exchanging brief letters with A'man along the way.
• Ning Chen's force entered the Buddhist Nation and reached Mijie Mountain, while ten thousand Buddhist disciples marched out of Gulan City toward Qing Ling's position.
• Qing Ling led five hundred Imperial Guard experts to destroy the Nanli Dam, and the flood swept away three thousand Buddhist disciples and devastated the surrounding land.
• The Du'e Temple Abbot tried to halt the flood, but Qing Ling attacked him and was gravely injured when his Six-Syllable Mantra struck them both.
• The Du'e Temple Abbot and Buddhist experts saved the surviving disciples, who retreated to Gulan City, while Qing Ling returned to camp to recover and prepare to aid Ning Chen.

Ning Chen and Mingyue climbed Mijie Mountain to inspect Du'e Temple and its giant Buddha statue, where Ning Chen challenged the Buddhist sect’s justification for fighting in Gulan City. After damaging the statue and battling a powerful Buddhist expert, Ning Chen took Mingyue back down the mountain, promising to return the next day.

• Ning Chen ordered the Imperial Guards to camp below Mijie Mountain while he and Mingyue watched the mountain at night.
• Ning Chen carried Mingyue to Du'e Temple’s summit, where they found the hundred-zhang Buddha statue and sensed concealed experts nearby.
• A Buddhist expert warned Ning Chen to leave, and Ning Chen argued that the Buddhist sect was acting against its own teachings by waging war in Gulan City.
• Ning Chen shattered one of the Buddha statue’s feet and fought the Buddhist expert, breaking his Tathagata Illuminating Heavenly Light and injuring him.
• Ning Chen took Mingyue down the mountain and told the wounded Buddhist expert that he would return the next day.

Ning Chen damaged the Buddha statue on Mijie Mountain to weaken the Buddhist Nation and buy time for Great Xia, while Qing Ling remained too injured to join him. As the floodwaters receded, he led Little Mingyue and a thousand Imperial Guards up the mountain for a decisive battle.

• Ning Chen read Qing Ling’s report, assessed the Buddhist Nation’s strength, and planned to weaken the Buddha statue while delaying its northward advance.
• Ning Chen repeatedly attacked the statue, fought three Buddhist Vajras, and later blasted its head apart with arrows before escaping.
• Ning Chen received Changsun’s letter about the imperial succession struggle and her request that he return alive.
• Ning Chen learned that the floodwaters were receding and, after preparing the army, ordered the thousand Imperial Guards to march up Mijie Mountain with him and Little Mingyue.

Ning Chen led the Imperial Guards up Mijie Mountain, battled the Buddhist Vajras, and destroyed the giant Buddha while absorbing its Buddhist power. He broke through to the Ninth Rank and defeated Du'e Temple’s defenders, but an even greater battle awaited when the master of Du'e Temple returned from Gulan City.

• Ning Chen used the Po Shang Bow to wound temple experts as the Imperial Guards fought their way up Mijie Mountain, leaving soldiers behind to hold off the defenders.
• At Du'e Temple, Ning Chen and Little Mingyue faced four Buddhist Vajras while the remaining Imperial Guards fought eighteen Golden-Bodied Arhats.
• Ning Chen leaped onto the giant Buddha’s palm, shot the Vajras with the Po Shang Bow, and absorbed the Buddha’s power, breaking through to the Ninth Rank as a lightning tribulation struck.
• Ning Chen fought the Vajras with the Six-Syllable Mantra and the Changsun Lineage’s strongest move, collapsing the Buddha statue and leaving the Vajras unable to fight.
• Ning Chen killed all eighteen Golden-Bodied Arhats and destroyed the cultivation of the four Vajras, while only three hundred Imperial Guards survived the battle.
• Ning Chen ordered the surviving guards to tend to their wounds and went toward Du'e Temple with Little Mingyue as the soldiers feared the temple master’s return from Gulan City.

Ning Chen and Little Mingyue searched Du'e Temple and tried to break the restriction protecting the Abbot’s residence while Changsun struggled to stabilize Great Xia. After sending Changsun a warning about Fan Lingyue, Ning Chen finally shattered the restriction.

• Changsun continued managing Great Xia’s crisis and sent Ning Chen a letter saying reinforcements would arrive in about ten days.
• Ning Chen and Little Mingyue searched Du'e Temple, collected relics and other items, and found the Abbot’s residence blocked by a powerful restriction.
• Ning Chen repeatedly struck the restriction with his Ink Sword as Little Mingyue and the Imperial Guards watched.
• After reading Changsun’s letter, Ning Chen warned her not to trust the appearance of peace with Northern Mongol or underestimate Fan Lingyue, then sent his reply back to the palace.
• Ning Chen unleashed his full strength and shattered the restriction protecting the Abbot’s residence.

Ning Chen and Little Mingyue uncovered a hidden chamber beneath the Human Buddha’s residence and seized its treasures, including the Indestructible Vajra Body technique. After burying the Imperial Guard dead and sending Buddhist scriptures back to Great Xia, Ning Chen studied the technique while the Human Buddha learned that Mijie Mountain had fallen and ordered three protectors to return with him.

• Ning Chen and Little Mingyue found a concealed passage beneath the floor and broke into a chamber containing Buddhist scriptures, the Indestructible Vajra Body technique, a golden sword, and two Buddha Heaven Pills.
• Ning Chen led the burial of seven hundred fallen Imperial Guard soldiers and sent more than seven thousand Buddhist scrolls to Great Xia under the escort of an Eighth-Rank expert.
• Ning Chen distributed Buddhist pills to help the surviving soldiers recover and began studying the Indestructible Vajra Body technique for a way to counter the Human Buddha.
• The Du'e Temple Abbot learned that Mijie Mountain had fallen and ordered three of the four Buddhist Kingdom protectors to return with him.