Chapter Summaries

Li Dingguo and Wan'er let the White Barbarian and Ye family fleets advance into Lingshan Island's concealed defenses before unleashing the Revival Army's overwhelming weapons. The first three waves shattered ships and killed many soldiers, leaving the enemy fleets devastated as the bombardment continued.

• Reynolds ordered the White Barbarian fleet to advance toward Lingshan Island, unaware that the island's protection array showed them an illusion.
• Li Dingguo spotted four Fifth-Tier Peak Spirit Birds accompanying the enemy fleets, while Wan'er held fire as both fleets entered cannon range.
• Wan'er ordered the Revival Army to fire, and more than a thousand Spirit Energy Cannons struck the White Barbarian and Ye family ships at close range.
• A second cannon barrage broke the barriers of most Mid-Grade Treasure Ships, damaged others, and shattered the defenses of several High-Grade Treasure Ships.
• Thousands of Spirit Crossbow Carts unleashed a third wave, piercing and killing large numbers of exposed White Barbarian and Ye family soldiers.

The Revival Army used Lingshan Island’s ancient Five Elements Magic Array and overwhelming cannon fire to destroy the invading Ye family and White Barbarian fleets. Several enemy leaders escaped, but Li Dingguo hunted down fleeing commanders before returning to salvage the surviving ships.

• Ye Liangcai warned Ye Guodong that the Island Protection Array made the fleet’s attacks useless and urged him to withdraw beyond cannon range.
• Wan’er ordered repeated volleys from the Revival Army’s cannons and crossbow carts, destroying the enemy ships’ protective shields and killing most of their crews.
• Four spirit birds rescued eight important survivors and fled south, while Li Dingguo and Great Golden Eagle hunted down enemy commanders escaping across the water.
• The remaining commanders dove underwater to evade Great Golden Eagle, and Li Dingguo turned back toward the harbor to capture the surviving Treasure Ships.
• Li Dingguo and Great Golden Eagle landed on a Peak-Grade Treasure Ship to finish off the wounded enemies aboard.

After the Revival Army destroyed the attacking fleets, Li Dingguo ordered preparations to gather and resettle coastal refugees while delaying a direct attack on Haojing until his forces grew stronger. A coming bumper harvest on Lingshan Island promised enough food to support millions of newcomers.

• Wan'er cleared a Peak-Grade Treasure Ship, and Revival Army soldiers finished killing the surviving enemies and securing the captured fleet.
• Liang Liping's personnel inventoried the captured ships, weapons, and Demon Cores as the naval soldiers sailed half the prizes back to Lingshan Island.
• Li Dingguo ordered Liang Liping to begin preparations for gathering refugees across Qi-Lu Land and said Wan'er would soon claim nearby islands for settlement.
• Li Dingguo decided to build up the Revival Army and train its soldiers before attempting a major attack on Haojing.
• Liang Liping reported that expanded recruitment and the captured ships could bring millions of refugees to Lingshan Island, whose approaching harvest would supply food for three million people for a year.

Huang Taiji learned the full extent of Later Jin’s disastrous defeat at Lingshan Island and refused Ao Bai’s demand to invade the Great Ming Dynasty early. He postponed revenge until the year after next, while preparing Later Jin’s forces and privately recognizing the Lingshan enemy as a serious threat.

• Ao Bai reported that Spirit Energy Cannons had critically wounded him, Manggūltai, and the two Sea Eastern Green, which the Lingshan defenders then killed.
• Ao Bai urged Huang Taiji to invade the Great Ming Dynasty ahead of schedule so he could avenge the defeat, but Huang Taiji refused because Ming’s internal turmoil had not yet weakened it enough.
• Huang Taiji told Ao Bai that he would lead an invasion after spring the year after next and let Ao Bai confront the mysterious enemy and Great Golden Eagle.
• Huang Taiji described the losses to Later Jin’s navy and weapons, then explained that Kong Youde’s cannon craftsmen were rebuilding its arsenal and Dahai was overseeing the Han Army Eight Banners.
• After Ao Bai left, Huang Taiji privately acknowledged the Lingshan enemy’s dangerous potential but resolved to endure the insult until Later Jin was ready to overthrow the Great Ming Dynasty.

After the Haojing fleet was destroyed, Governor Moyes killed the returning soldiers and fled with his family and wealth. Li Dingguo learned of the escape but focused on the Revival Army’s next campaign, sending its expanded fleet to gather displaced civilians.

• Reynolds reported that the enemy’s hidden island defenses had annihilated the Haojing fleet, leaving Moyes terrified of punishment.
• Moyes ordered his two White-headed Eagles to kill Reynolds and the surviving soldiers, then buried their bodies and covered up the massacre.
• Moyes loaded his family, servants, and valuables onto his High-Grade Treasure Ship and escaped from Haojing overnight.
• Revival Army intelligence reported Moyes’s flight to Li Dingguo, who decided not to pursue him across the sea.
• After the Revival Army completed its summer harvest and planting, Wan’er sent its expanded fleet on a campaign to bring in displaced civilians in exchange for Military Merit Points.

The Revival Army divided its naval force into six fleets, while Li Dingguo advanced his artifact forging and prepared to test Five Elements Array Disks to protect the army’s new island bases. Wan’er led a fleet tasked with securing the seas around Lingshan Island and began cautious reconnaissance before occupying any islands.

• The Revival Army split its more than one hundred Treasure Ships into six fleets, each assigned a separate mission and equipped with powerful artifact weapons.
• Li Dingguo reached Grandmaster-level elementary artifact forging and gained the ability to forge third-grade supreme Five Elements Array Disks.
• Li Dingguo stayed behind to forge and test Minor Five Elements Heaven Concealing Array Disks, hoping to protect the Revival Army’s island bases from threats such as a possible Sea Beast tide.
• Peng Jianhong suggested dividing Wan’er’s fleet to search faster, but Wan’er ordered the fleet to scout the entire region first and prioritize the soldiers’ safety.
• Wan’er’s fleet formed up and began circling Lingshan Island in widening rings to survey the surrounding seas and islands.

Little Stone, now Liang Dingming and an early Qi Refining Realm expert, brought a Revival Army fleet to the coast east of Lingshan Guard City to establish a large-scale refugee transit point. The soldiers completed their preparations and began receiving displaced commoners, while Mo Xiaoyong hoped the operation would earn him enough merit to obtain another Marrow Cleansing Pill.

• Mo Xiaoyong welcomed Liang Dingming and confirmed that Military Intelligence Bureau Two had prepared the dock and was guiding displaced commoners to it.
• Liang Dingming explained that his fleet could carry tens of thousands at a time and that demonic wolves and screening procedures would help detect spies among the refugees.
• Mo Xiaoyong resolved to earn enough Military Merit Points to exchange for a Marrow Cleansing Pill after seeing how quickly talented commanders advanced.
• Liang Dingming and Mo Xiaoyong organized the troops to set up kitchens, tents, cannons, crossbow carts, and hidden security patrols around the dock.
• Guided by intelligence personnel, groups of displaced commoners arrived, smelled the cooking food, and began following the soldiers' instructions.

Fan Yubin chose not to confront the powerful Revival Army while it gathered refugees, believing Huang Taiji’s million-strong army would destroy it after the spring of the year after next. Meanwhile, Little Stone learned that Lingshan Guard City’s powers were not interfering and vowed to crush anyone who tried to stop the operation.

• Fan Yubin warned his aides that the Fan Family lacked the strength to challenge the Revival Army, whose ships and weapons had already defeated stronger powers.
• Fan Yubin revealed that Huang Taiji planned to lead a million soldiers through the Pass after the spring of the year after next, and that the Fan Family had been tasked with gathering intelligence and preparing supplies for the campaign.
• Fan Yubin ordered the Fan Family to focus on serving Huang Taiji, expecting the invasion to destroy the Revival Army and restore the family’s fortunes.
• A Military Intelligence Department agent told Little Stone that Lingshan Guard City’s officials and other powers were allowing refugees to leave without interference.
• Little Stone said the Revival Army would wipe out any force that tried to sabotage its refugee-gathering operation.

Li Dingguo learned that local authorities were letting the Revival Army gather displaced civilians, and more than a million people were soon resettled on Lingshan Island and put to work. He Lijing reported that the Internal Affairs Department had uncovered and executed thousands of infiltrators, while Li ordered continued screenings and vowed to destroy future enemies.

• Li Dingguo read Liang Liping’s report that local factions and officials were allowing the Revival Army to collect refugees without interference.
• The five Revival Army squadrons gathered more than a million displaced civilians in under half a month, providing workers for Lingshan Island’s expanding farms and construction projects.
• He Lijing reported that the Internal Affairs Department and three hundred Three-tailed Iron-backed Demonic Wolf spirit beasts had detected more than three thousand spies and malicious infiltrators, including over a hundred White Lotus Society scouts.
• He Lijing said the White Lotus Society’s new holy maiden had sought cooperation, but the infiltrators were executed under Li Dingguo’s ban on religions within Revival Army territory.
• Li Dingguo ordered repeated screenings of every soldier and civilian on the island and vowed that the Revival Army would eliminate its enemies once it was ready.

Li Dingguo joined Wan'er’s sub-fleet and warned her that nearly ten peak sea flood dragons were approaching, prompting the fleet to retreat. He and Wan'er then flew after the flood dragons on Big Gold and Big Fierce to investigate their destination, leaving the chapter with the four hiding their auras as they followed the powerful beasts.

• Li Dingguo arrived at Wan'er’s sub-fleet and warned her that several peak sea flood dragons were less than three hundred miles ahead.
• Wan'er ordered Peng Jianhong to turn the fleet around, then persuaded Li Dingguo to follow the flood dragons from a safe distance and investigate.
• Li Dingguo ordered Peng Jianhong to take the sub-fleet back to Lingshan Island while he and Wan'er pursued the flood dragons on Big Gold and Big Fierce.
• Li Dingguo discovered that Big Fierce had reached the Fifth-Tier Early Stage and awakened an Innate Divine Ability.
• Big Gold and Big Fierce caught up with the azure flood dragons, and Li Dingguo told Wan'er and both eagles to conceal their auras as they followed.

Li Dingguo and Wan'er followed the Azure Flood Dragons to Diaoyu Island, where they discovered a fleet of Wokou hiding near Huangwei Island. After restoring their strength with Li Dingguo's newly invented Grain Abstinence Pills, they prepared a surprise attack on the fleet.

• Li Dingguo and Wan'er followed the Azure Flood Dragons for days before reaching Diaoyu Island and noticing the strange blood-red sea and island.
• Li Dingguo recognized Diaoyu Island and spotted a Wokou fleet hidden in a bay on nearby Huangwei Island.
• Li Dingguo suspected the Wokou had come to exploit the mysterious event attracting hundreds of Sixth-Tier flood dragons to Diaoyu Island.
• Li Dingguo gave Wan'er, Big Gold, and Big Fierce his new Grain Abstinence Pills, which restored their strength and satisfied their hunger.
• Li Dingguo ordered a surprise attack on the Wokou fleet, intending to destroy it before the flood dragons noticed.

Shimazu Ichiro and Kameda Itajo planned to infiltrate the ancient ruin on Diaoyu Island and steal True Dragon Blood from its Dragon Blood Pool. They believed the treasure could transform the Shimazu Family’s alligator turtles and help them rise to power, and they prepared to risk their lives to take at least two jars.

• Kameda Itajo told Shimazu Ichiro that a weakening Guardian Great Array on Diaoyu Island concealed an ancient ruin and a True Dragon Blood Pool.
• Kameda explained that the blood pool had drawn numerous flood dragons and could transform the Shimazu Family’s alligator turtles into powerful Dragon Turtles.
• Shimazu Ichiro considered how dragon blood could strengthen his family, help him surpass the shogunate, and advance his own cultivation.
• Shimazu Ichiro and Kameda Itajo discussed stealing at least two jars of True Dragon Blood, even if their fleet suffered catastrophic losses.

Li Dingguo ambushed the Japanese pirates aboard their treasure ship, trapping two powerful alligator turtles in the Human Emperor Cauldron while his allies attacked the crew. He left the battle with the turtles refined into a new pair of Postnatal Divine Artifact hammers for Wan'er.

• Li Dingguo used the Human Emperor Cauldron to trap the two Fifth-Tier Peak alligator turtles, then began refining them into artifacts.
• Great Golden Eagle killed Kameda Itajo, while Wan'er joined it in attacking Shimazu Ichiro, whose Natal Magic Weapon kept him alive.
• Big Fierce slaughtered the Japanese pirate commanders and the Body Tempering Realm pirates aboard the treasure ship.
• Li Dingguo's cauldron refined the alligator turtles into a powerful new pair of Drumming Urn Golden Hammers for Wan'er.

Li Dingguo defeated Shimazu Ichiro by breaking the protection of his Natal Divine Artifact with the Human Emperor Cauldron, then captured and incinerated him. Wan'er and the Great Golden Eagles annihilated the Japanese pirate fleet, while Li Dingguo prepared to take the High-Grade Treasure Ship back and the eagles continued hunting survivors in the sea.

• Shimazu Ichiro tried to flee as Li Dingguo attacked him with the Human Emperor Cauldron, but the cauldron shattered his Natal Divine Artifact's protective barrier.
• Li Dingguo swept Shimazu Ichiro into the Human Emperor Cauldron and burned him to nothing with Natal Essence Fire.
• Li Dingguo purified the Jade Purification Bottle inside the cauldron and set it aside with the new great hammers for Wan'er.
• Wan'er and the two Great Golden Eagles pursued and slaughtered the Japanese pirates aboard the Mid-Grade Treasure Ships, sealing the bay's exit.
• Li Dingguo cleared the corpses from the High-Grade Great Treasure Ship and planned to sail it home rather than retrieve the Mid-Grade ships.
• Wan'er sent Big Gold and Big Fierce to patrol the bay until they had killed the Japanese pirates hiding underwater.

Li Dingguo and Wan'er finished handling the aftermath of the battle at Huangwei Island, and Wan'er refined the Jade Purification Bottle into a powerful Natal Divine Artifact. Big Fierce then spotted a major change at Diaoyu Island: an ancient ruin had emerged, but hundreds of flood dragons, many of them sixth-tier, had gathered there.

• Li Dingguo gave Wan'er the Drumming Urn Golden Hammers and the purified Jade Purification Bottle, while Wan'er offered her old sledgehammers for Little Stone.
• Wan'er refined the two hammers and the Jade Purification Bottle, discovering that the bottle was an Innate High-Grade Divine Artifact with seven seals and a powerful protective ability.
• Li Dingguo and Wan'er salvaged supplies from the Japanese pirates' ships and sank the vessels they could not take back, while the Great Golden Eagles hunted down pirates who surfaced.
• Big Fierce alerted Li Dingguo that an aberration had occurred around Diaoyu Island, so he and Wan'er flew there to observe from high above.
• Wan'er saw the surrounding seawater had returned to blue and the flood dragons had moved onto the island; Li Dingguo recognized a blood-lit region as the sign of an ancient ruin emerging and realized the gathered dragons made claiming its treasures dangerous.

Li Dingguo used the Human Emperor Cauldron’s shrinking ability to sneak past the flood dragons and reach the ancient ruin on Diaoyu Island. After a lake of True Dragon Blood awakened a golden dragon egg and its pressure vanished, he seized the egg and escaped, leaving the flood dragons bewildered.

• Li Dingguo realized he could hide himself, Wan'er, and the two Great Golden Eagles inside the Human Emperor Cauldron while shrinking its exterior to avoid detection.
• Li Dingguo and his companions flew to Diaoyu Island, concealed themselves in the cauldron, and waited above the island’s blood-colored formation barrier.
• The barrier shattered, and a powerful aura pinned the flood dragons down as the giant golden egg absorbed the entire lake of True Dragon Blood.
• Li Dingguo recognized the egg’s value and, once the aura no longer suppressed his divine sense, swept the egg into the Human Emperor Cauldron.
• Li Dingguo shrank the cauldron and escaped into the sea while the flood dragons recovered and found the golden egg missing.

After escaping Diaoyu Island with the golden dragon egg, Li Dingguo examined its vitality and considered helping it hatch so it could become his bonded True Dragon. He and Wan'er flew toward Lingshan Island on the Great Golden Eagles, keeping the egg secret as they put distance between themselves and the flood dragons.

• Li Dingguo rested inside the Human Emperor Cauldron after fleeing west from Diaoyu Island for a day and night.
• Wan'er reported the golden dragon egg's growing vitality and mysterious shell patterns, and Li Dingguo reasoned that it might hatch into a True Dragon.
• Li Dingguo decided he would rather raise the dragon as a companion than consume the egg and summoned the Great Golden Eagles to carry the group to Lingshan Island.
• Li Dingguo brought the cauldron high into the sky, then he, Wan'er, and the Great Golden Eagles emerged while he kept the egg inside the cauldron.
• The Great Golden Eagles raced west with Li Dingguo and Wan'er, while Li Dingguo resolved to keep the dragon egg secret until he was strong enough.

Li Dingguo returned to Lingshan Island, where Liang Liping reported rapid population growth, completed farms, and strong food reserves. Confident the base could defend itself, he left Wan'er in charge and flew back Beyond the Pass with Big Gold, carrying the Human Emperor Cauldron and intending to tend to the golden dragon egg.

• Li Dingguo and Wan'er returned to Lingshan Island and dismissed concerns about the abandoned High-Grade Treasure Ship.
• Liang Liping reported that Lingshan Island was receiving over fifty thousand displaced commoners each day, that its farms and breeding grounds were complete, and that the base expected abundant harvests.
• Li Dingguo judged that hostile forces would leave Lingshan Island undisturbed for a year or two and announced he would return to the Revival Army headquarters Beyond the Pass.
• Wan'er and the core generals promised to defend the island, develop the army, and contact Li Dingguo if an emergency arose.
• Li Dingguo packed his belongings and the Human Emperor Cauldron, then departed Lingshan Island on Big Gold.

Li Dingguo returned to Lake Heart Island and found the Five-Colored Divine Tree had grown into a towering Innate Spirit Root that was strengthening the island’s protective formation. Cao Yongxiang arrived with news that he had reached a breakthrough opportunity, and Li Dingguo and Red Plum stood guard as he began secluded cultivation.

• Li Dingguo returned to Lake Heart Island with Big Gold, where Little Gold joyfully reunited with its mother.
• Li Dingguo marveled at the Five-Colored Divine Tree’s immense growth and sensed that it was an Innate Spirit Root whose presence was evolving the Island Protection Array.
• Red Plum described the tree’s rapid growth and voiced concern that it might outgrow the formation, while Li Dingguo assured her the array would evolve alongside it.
• Cao Yongxiang told Li Dingguo that the Five-Colored Divine Tree’s life aura had helped him reach a breakthrough opportunity after he began cultivating the Circumstellar True Scripture.
• Li Dingguo and Red Plum took up positions to guard Cao Yongxiang as he entered seclusion to break through to the Fifth Layer of Martial Dao.

Cao Yongxiang broke through to the Fifth Layer of Martial Dao and gained a Star Destiny through the blessing of heaven and earth. Li Dingguo then used the Five-Colored Divine Tree’s life essence to advance to the middle stage of the Fifth Layer, leaving him stronger and with an Impenetrable Golden Body.

• Cao Yongxiang broke through to the Fifth Layer of Martial Dao, received a Star Destiny, and became a peerless prodigy.
• Li Dingguo congratulated Cao Yongxiang and then sensed that the Five-Colored Divine Tree had fed him life essence, triggering his own breakthrough.
• Li Dingguo cultivated beneath the Five-Colored Divine Tree and advanced to the middle stage of the Fifth Layer of Martial Dao.
• Li Dingguo checked his Cheat System panel and saw his Fortune rise to forty-eight, his combat power reach First-Class Senior General, and his Tiger Roar Fist grant him an Impenetrable Golden Body.