Chapter Summaries

Ning Xiaochuan cultivated the World Extinction Path by absorbing qi from the battlefield and successfully condensed his eleventh strand. He gave Yu Qing the Imperial Power Token, but Yu Qing refused it and suggested it should go to Jin Du.

• Ning Xiaochuan absorbed World Extinction Qi from the battle outside the Imperial City and condensed his eleventh strand.
• Yu Qing approached Ning Xiaochuan after fighting outside the city, and Ning Xiaochuan handed him the Imperial Power Token on the Academy Master's behalf.
• Yu Qing realized the token could grant authority over the empire and asked why Ning Xiaochuan did not keep it; Ning Xiaochuan said he planned to leave the Yulan Empire after the crisis.
• Yu Qing said he hoped to enter an Ancient Clan to cultivate, and Ning Xiaochuan advised him to strengthen himself before facing the dangers there.
• Yu Qing refused the Imperial Power Token and suggested that Jin Du would want it, and Ning Xiaochuan agreed to consider giving it to him.

Ning Xiaochuan visited the Great Golden Roc King Residence, where Guo Shidao gave him his insights on advancing to Grand Heart Nourisher and explained Ugly Old Woman’s history and extraordinary achievements. After learning about the path to becoming a Saint-Level Grand Heart Nourisher, Ning Xiaochuan revealed that he had come to give Worldly Son Jin Du something.

• Ning Xiaochuan visited the Great Golden Roc King Residence and learned that Worldly Son Jin Du had gone outside the city to meet the enemy.
• Guo Shidao recognized Ning Xiaochuan as an Advanced Heart Nourisher and gave him his personal cultivation insights for reaching Grand Heart Nourisher.
• Ning Xiaochuan asked Guo Shidao about the Ugly Old Woman, and Guo Shidao recounted how she had given him a Medicine Scripture more than a century earlier.
• Guo Shidao explained that the Ugly Old Woman was researching the Resurrection Pill and described the Divine Farmer realm beyond Grand Heart Nourisher.
• Ning Xiaochuan promised to share Guo Shidao’s insights with Yu Qianqian when she advanced, then said he had come to give Worldly Son Jin Du something.

Ning Xiaochuan gave the Imperial Power Token to West Mu Royal Concubine for Jin Du, then the White Fox Old Ancestor breached the Imperial City's defenses and the rebel army invaded. After rescuing Chen Jiuxuan, Ning Xiaochuan learned Netherworld Manor had opened an underground passage, giving him a possible route out of the besieged city.

• Ning Xiaochuan gave West Mu Royal Concubine the Imperial Power Token and urged her to let Jin Du wield it.
• West Mu Royal Concubine jokingly—or seriously—offered to marry Yu Qianqian to Ning Xiaochuan in exchange for the token.
• The Celestial Dipper Grand Luo Formation collapsed, and Ning Xiaochuan saw the Outer City wall breached by White Fox Old Ancestor.
• Ning Xiaochuan returned to the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion through streets overwhelmed by panic and lawlessness, rescuing Chen Jiuxuan from Vajra Sect disciples on the way.
• Chen Jiuxuan told Ning Xiaochuan that Netherworld Manor had opened an underground passage, though its entrance lay in the fallen Outer City.

Ning Xiaochuan returned to the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion amid the Imperial City's collapse and urged the Old Marquis to prepare an escape plan. Before the clan could decide whether to withdraw, the Zhenbei Marquis arrived with a military order appointing Ning Xiaochuan commander-in-chief of the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion and ordering him to retake the Outer City breach before nightfall.

• Ning Xiaochuan crippled the Vajra Sect disciples who had attacked him, destroying their cultivation without killing them.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Chen Jiuxuan returned to the mansion, where crowds of powerful families sought refuge as the Outer City fell into chaos.
• Ning Xiaochuan told the Old Marquis that his forces had dug a secret underground passage and urged him to evacuate the clan from the Imperial City.
• The Old Marquis agreed to send the clan's young talents and wealth south but planned to remain and fight, while urging Ning Xiaochuan and Xin'er to leave as well.
• The Zhenbei Marquis delivered the Peacock Bright King's order appointing Ning Xiaochuan commander-in-chief of the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion and commanding him to drive the rebels from the Outer City and seal the breach before nightfall.
• The Old Marquis questioned whether Ning Xiaochuan was ready to lead the battalion, but the Zhenbei Marquis argued that Ning Xiaochuan's victories made him the best choice.

Ning Xiaochuan accepted command of the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion and prepared to retake the rebel-held districts while secretly arranging to evacuate the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion's young talents. He left with powerful allies and urged the Zhenbei Marquis to restore order in the Inner City as the Outer City battles worsened.

• Ning Xiaochuan accepted the Peacock Bright King's military order despite the Old Marquis's objections, planning to use the campaign to move the mansion's young clansmen out of the Imperial City.
• Ning Xiaochuan persuaded the Old Marquis to remain and guard the mansion, then selected three hundred young talents and sent them into the Sword Pavilion Tower; Ning Xiner promised to lead them toward the Southern Border.
• Ning Xiaochuan emerged in Evil Dragon Scale Armor with Chen Jiuxuan and the Four Old Ancestors, whom he introduced to the Zhenbei Marquis as a sword attendant and four Earth Venerable elders.
• The Zhenbei Marquis reported that three more Outer City districts had fallen and over a hundred thousand people had died, then prepared to join the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion.
• Ning Xiaochuan told the Zhenbei Marquis to stay behind and restore order in the Inner City, warning that hidden agents and public panic could make the Imperial City collapse without a fight.

Ning Xiaochuan took command of the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion and led it out to fight the rebels after ordering Zhenbei Marquis to restore order in the Inner City. The court pinned its hopes on Ning Xiaochuan’s force to strike back and protect the Imperial City until reinforcements arrived.

• Ning Xiaochuan ordered Zhenbei Marquis to remain in the Inner City and suppress unrest, then gathered the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion.
• Ning Xiaochuan rallied the battalion with a speech, and its soldiers swore to fight for honor and bloodshed against the rebels.
• Peacock Bright King withheld the Mystic Beast God-Slaying Battalion because the Inner City needed protection, while learning that reinforcements would take at least seven days to arrive.
• Ning Xiaochuan rode out with the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion as the rebels continued overrunning the Outer City’s domains.
• Divine Dragon King learned that Ning Xiaochuan was leading the battalion and ordered him to strike the rebels without advancing too far.
• Divine Dragon King ordered several other commanders to support Ning Xiaochuan and recover the six fallen city domains.

Ning Xiaochuan led the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion through the Outer City, crushing rebel forces as they advanced toward the heavily defended Diqian City Region. There, he learned that three marquises had died trying to breach the rebels’ first line of defense, and the Nether Firmament Sect Master confronted him.

• The Four Old Ancestors of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion and Chen Jiuxuan slipped away from Ning Xiaochuan’s army toward an underground secret passage.
• Ning Xiaochuan led the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion into the Diqian City Region, routing rebel forces and inspiring the imperial army to counterattack.
• The No Life Path Lord and the Asura Path Lord recognized Ning Xiaochuan and plotted to attack him once his strength was depleted, seeking his Northern Darkness Divine Art and Heavenly Emperor Blade.
• The Two-Headed Stone Beast froze and crushed rebels as Ning Xiaochuan’s battalion advanced toward the Diqian City Region’s first defensive line.
• A wounded soldier told Ning Xiaochuan that Four Directions Marquis had died; Ning Xiaochuan saw the heads of Four Directions Marquis, Blade Emperor Marquis, and Heroine Marquis displayed on a tower.
• The Nether Firmament Sect Master appeared before Ning Xiaochuan and declared that the Peacock Bright King had sent him to die.

Ning Xiaochuan led the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion through the rebels’ first defense after shattering the Nether Firmament Sect’s barrier and defeating Yue Wentian. As the army advanced into the devastated Diqian City Region, Ning Xiaochuan’s sword qi killed a group of looters and allowed two captive girls to escape.

• Ning Xiaochuan ordered the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion to fall back, then broke the Nether Firmament Sect’s defensive barrier with a lightning-infused palm strike.
• The Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion breached the rebels’ stone wall, killed an elder of the Nether Firmament Sect, and overwhelmed the sect’s forces.
• Ning Xiaochuan caught Yue Wentian and defeated him through the Profound Nether Cold Mist, after which the battalion captured the Nether Firmament Sect Master.
• The Clan Head of the Yun Clan and the other sect experts withdrew, while the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion broke the first line of defense and news reached the Divine Dragon King.
• Ning Xiaochuan entered the war-ravaged Diqian City Region and saw more than twenty looters leave an estate with stolen goods and two captive girls.
• Ning Xiaochuan’s sword qi killed the looters, and the two girls crawled free from the corpses.

Ageless Ji and Undying Po ambushed Ning Xiaochuan with their Eighth Grade Profound Weapons, but he survived thanks to his Evil Dragon Scale Armor. After identifying the two academy masters, Ning Xiaochuan attacked Ageless Ji as they demanded the Northern Darkness Divine Art and Heavenly Emperor Blade.

• Ning Xiaochuan ordered the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion to halt its advance and spread out through the city district.
• Ageless Ji and Undying Po revealed their strength and struck Ning Xiaochuan with the Soul Extinguishing Bell and Thousand Blade Ruler, blasting him into a ruined building.
• Undying Po shattered the Two-Headed Stone Beast, while Ageless Ji killed the Second Battalion Commander with her bell.
• Ning Xiaochuan emerged from the ruins with minor injuries and identified the two women as Ageless Ji and Undying Po.
• Ageless Ji demanded the Northern Darkness Divine Art and Heavenly Emperor Blade, and Ning Xiaochuan sent four battle swords toward her.

Ning Xiaochuan fought Ageless Ji while shielding the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion from her Soul Extinguishing Bell and Grand Mystic Force. When Undying Po joined the battle, he brought out the Bronze Ancient Lamp to end the fight quickly.

• Ageless Ji used the Soul Extinguishing Bell to assault the battalion's martial souls, while Ning Xiaochuan used his four battle swords and Cloudglow Return Essence Qi to protect the soldiers from her Grand Mystic Force.
• Ning Xiaochuan infused the four battle swords with lightning and wounded Ageless Ji, alarming Undying Po with his ability to fight across three realms.
• Undying Po attacked Ning Xiaochuan with the Thousand Blade Ruler, forcing him to redirect and break apart his World Extinction Sword Prison.
• Ageless Ji and Undying Po attacked together, combining the Soul Extinguishing Bell against Ning Xiaochuan's martial soul with the Thousand Blade Ruler against his body.
• Ning Xiaochuan, worried that the bell would soon disable the battalion, took out the Bronze Ancient Lamp, whose light spread across more than half the Imperial City.

Ning Xiaochuan used the Bronze Ancient Lamp’s Ninth Grade Profound Weapon power to drive back Ageless Ji and Undying Po, but both escaped into the rebel army’s second line of defense. He regrouped with the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion and resolved to kill Ageless Ji before she could use the Soul Extinguishing Bell again.

• Ning Xiaochuan unleashed the Bronze Ancient Lamp’s Three-legged Firebird, overwhelming Undying Po and Ageless Ji’s Eighth Grade Profound Weapons and burning Undying Po into a charred figure.
• Undying Po survived by protecting herself with the Grand Profound Celestial Cycle Art, then joined Ageless Ji in attacking Ning Xiaochuan from both sides.
• Ning Xiaochuan awakened part of the lamp’s fourth level of power, summoning eight Three-legged Firebirds that wounded both women and forced them to flee.
• Ageless Ji and Undying Po escaped into the rebel army’s second layer of defense, and Ning Xiaochuan chose not to pursue them alone.
• Ning Xiaochuan returned to the Two-Headed Stone Beast and regrouped with the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion, which had suffered casualties and many injured Martial Souls.
• Ning Xiaochuan concluded that he must kill Ageless Ji immediately if they met again, before she could use the Soul Extinguishing Bell.

Ning Xiaochuan led the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion in an assault on the rebel camp in Diqian City Region, using the Two-Headed Stone Beast to devastate the rebels. The Cloud Blossom Sect's leaders intercepted him with an ancient artifact from the Heavenly Emperor Divine Palace, and the battle remained unresolved.

• Ning Xiaochuan used the Bronze Ancient Lamp to restore most of the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion and ordered the wounded soldiers taken to the inner city for treatment.
• Ning Xiaochuan led the battalion toward the rebels' second line of defense, while the rebel leaders agreed that the Cloud Blossom Sect, Undying Po, and Ageless Ji would stop him.
• Ning Xiaochuan broke through the second line, and the Two-Headed Stone Beast transformed into a stone city that crushed thousands of rebels.
• Ning Xiaochuan confronted Sect Master Ouyang over the rebels' invasion and struck the Cloud Blossom Sect leaders with four battle swords.
• Sect Master Ouyang raised a white stone platform from the Heavenly Emperor Divine Palace, and it withstood Ning Xiaochuan's swords.

Ning Xiaochuan defeated the Cloud Blossom Sect Master’s forces and trapped Ageless Ji and Undying Po while advancing toward a breakthrough. The No Life Path Lord and Asura Path Lord then attacked with the Slaughtering Millstone, forcing Ning Xiaochuan to defend himself while suppressing the two ancestors.

• The Heavenly Emperor Blade drained the stone platform’s essence until it shattered, and Ning Xiaochuan killed four Cloud Blossom Sect elders and absorbed their blood qi.
• Ning Xiaochuan trapped the fleeing Cloud Blossom Sect Master in a sword formation, but Ageless Ji and Undying Po launched a surprise attack.
• Ning Xiaochuan shattered Ageless Ji’s Martial Soul Seal and suppressed both her and Undying Po with his lightning hand seals.
• The Bronze Ancient Lamp blocked the Slaughtering Millstone as the No Life Path Lord and Asura Path Lord attacked, but their Ninth Grade Profound Weapon pressed toward Ning Xiaochuan while he struggled to break through to the Earth Venerable Realm Sixth Level.

Ning Xiaochuan’s battle in the Diqian City Region intensified as Ninth Grade Profound Weapons clashed, and he broke through to the Earth Venerable Realm Sixth Level. After defeating the Cloud Blossom Sect Master, he strengthened the Bronze Ancient Lamp’s attack against the No Life Path Lord and the Asura Path Lord, leaving them under mounting pressure.

• Xun Jun Peak Master and eight One Yuan Sect elders used the Cloud Dwelling Sword to attack Ning Xiaochuan, while the Divine Dragon King and his allies countered with the Dragon Seal.
• Ning Xiaochuan advanced to the Earth Venerable Realm Sixth Level, drained Undying Po and Ageless Ji into desiccated corpses, and took their Eighth Grade Profound Weapons.
• Ning Xiaochuan used the Soul Extinguishing Bell to incapacitate nearby martial artists and freed the Cloud Blossom Sect Master from his sword formation.
• The Cloud Blossom Sect Master asked for a swift death, and Ning Xiaochuan killed him with a hand blade.
• Ning Xiaochuan poured his essence qi into the Bronze Ancient Lamp, which produced its ninth and tenth Three-legged Firebirds and pushed back the Slaughtering Millstone.
• The No Life Path Lord and the Asura Path Lord continued burning their lifespans to sustain their Ninth Grade Profound Weapon, while Ning Xiaochuan’s growing strength alarmed them.

The One Yuan Sect’s Ninth Grade Profound Weapon exhausted its formation’s supporters, and the Demon Sect seized the Cloud Dwelling Sword as the battle for the Imperial City intensified. Ning Xiaochuan drove off the No Life Path Lord and the Asura Path Lord, while the Kui Bull Drum announced his victory and the reclaimed city region.

• The Xun Jun Peak Master and eight One Yuan Sect martial artists died as the Cloud Dwelling Sword drained their lifespans, and the Demon Sect’s Holy Maiden took the weapon.
• The Stars Heavenly King challenged the Divine Dragon King to fight in a Different Dimension, leaving Yu Qing with the marshal’s seal as the Demon Sect’s Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars attacked.
• Yu Qing and the Imperial City’s kings and marquises barely halted the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars, while battles raged across the Outer City and more than a million people died.
• Ning Xiaochuan’s World Extinction Qi grew as he fought the No Life Path Lord and the Asura Path Lord, who eventually fled the Imperial City.
• Ning Xiaochuan declined to pursue the fleeing lords, and the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion reclaimed the breached city region.
• The Peacock Bright King praised Ning Xiaochuan and ordered the Kui Bull Drum struck across the Imperial City.

Ning Xiaochuan led the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion in retaking the Imperial City and was celebrated at a victory banquet. He warned the Old Marquis that their family’s survival depended on the Heaven-Man Dao Debate and urged him to leave the city; the Old Marquis asked when they should go.

• Ning Xiaochuan and the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion helped the imperial army retake the Imperial City, while rebel leaders escaped or were captured.
• Ning Xiaochuan replenished his strength and condensed a twelfth strand of World Extinction Qi as the returning battalion received a hero’s welcome.
• The Zhenbei Marquis invited Ning Xiaochuan to the Peacock Bright King's victory banquet, where nobles discussed his achievements and possible marriage matches.
• Ning Xiaochuan told the Old Marquis that the outcome of the Heaven-Man Dao Debate could doom their family, regardless of who won, and urged him to leave the Imperial City.
• Ning Xiaochuan explained that the Great Golden Roc King had been wounded protecting him, and the Old Marquis asked when they would depart.

Ning Xiaochuan began moving the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion clansmen and resources out of the Imperial City, while learning that Silver Pool Madam had left him. Before the mansion's final departure, he visited Yu Qianqian and gave her an Earth Martial Pill.

• Ning Xiaochuan sent three hundred clansmen through Netherworld Manor's underground passage and learned from Meng Ying that Silver Pool Madam had left more than ten days earlier.
• Ning Xiaochuan read Silver Pool Madam's letter, accepted that he could no longer find her, and returned to the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion.
• Ning Xiaochuan spent more than ten days transferring over a hundred thousand clansmen and the mansion's wealth out of the Imperial City.
• The Sword Pavilion Marquis reflected on leaving the family's eight-hundred-year-old residence and learned Ning Xiaochuan had gone to bid farewell to Princess Qianqian.
• Ning Xiaochuan gave Yu Qianqian an Earth Martial Pill, disappointing her hopes that he had come to propose.

Ning Xiaochuan gave Yu Qianqian a Thousand Blade Ruler and a Brocade Pouch before leaving the Imperial City with the Sword Pavilion Marquis. Yu Qianqian caught up to say goodbye, and the two later reached Netherworld Manor, where the Old Marquis discovered the scale of Ning Xiaochuan’s force.

• Ning Xiaochuan reassured Yu Qianqian that his gifts were not repayment for her favors and gave her the Brocade Pouch containing the underground passage’s location.
• Yu Qianqian realized Ning Xiaochuan was leaving, chased after his carriage, and embraced him before asking whether he would return; he promised that he would.
• Ning Xiaochuan and the Sword Pavilion Marquis left the Imperial City in a carriage, while Yu Qianqian returned to the city because her family and imperial duties kept her there.
• Ning Xiaochuan and the Sword Pavilion Marquis traveled through the underground passage to Netherworld Manor, where Murong Hua welcomed them.
• The Sword Pavilion Marquis learned that Netherworld Manor housed more than a hundred thousand people and contained traces of seven or eight Martial Venerables.

Ning Xiaochuan prepared to evacuate Netherworld Manor, but Yu Ningsheng arrived gravely wounded and revealed that Nie Lanxin had taken Xiao Ling'er and Little Red. After discovering that Nie Lanxin had destroyed the bloodline components keeping Yu Ningsheng alive, Ning Xiaochuan stayed behind to attempt a dangerous treatment while the others left for the Southern Frontier.

• Ning Xiaochuan ordered the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion and Netherworld Manor to evacuate to the Southern Frontier by underground river and Tian Shu Warships.
• Yu Ningsheng arrived at Netherworld Manor covered in blood, and Ning Xiaochuan's attempt to heal her was repelled by power left in her body.
• Yu Ningsheng told Ning Xiaochuan that Nie Lanxin had taken Xiao Ling'er and Little Red, injured her, and left her to bleed to death.
• Ning Xiaochuan realized Nie Lanxin had destroyed Yu Ningsheng's Bloodline Coagulation and Bloodline Source and left power that prevented others from healing her.
• Ning Xiaochuan placed Yu Ningsheng on an Ice Bed and stayed behind after ordering the others to leave, preparing to risk his life to treat her.

Ning Xiaochuan used the Yin Yang Bright Flame to remove Nie Lanxin’s power from Yu Ningsheng, then gave her Blood Pills to keep her alive. After waking from three days of exhaustion, he learned that her wounds still needed a rare medicine, so he prepared to take her to the Southern Frontier while Xiao Ling'er and Little Red remained missing.

• Ning Xiaochuan spent four days refining Nie Lanxin’s power from Yu Ningsheng, then gave her a Blood Pill and collapsed from exhaustion.
• Ning Xiaochuan woke after at least three days of sleep and discovered that his mental power had grown stronger.
• Ning Xiaochuan gave Yu Ningsheng eight Intermediate Blood Pills and said she needed a rare medicine from the Southern Frontier to heal completely.
• Ning Xiaochuan found no trace of Nie Lanxin, Xiao Ling'er, or Little Red within a thousand miles of the Imperial City and decided to prioritize Yu Ningsheng’s injuries.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Ningsheng left the secret chamber, and Ning Xiaochuan ordered the four sword attendants to prepare to depart Netherworld Manor by ship.