Chapter Summaries

The Great Frost Dynasty army swiftly conquered several passes and destroyed the Three Great Legions before surrounding the Heavenly Crane Imperial Dynasty’s palace. Heaven Crane Lord confronted the invaders and prepared to attack, but a piercing sword cry interrupted him as Su Tao remained absent.

• Seven messengers reported that Crane Feather Pass, Mountain Pass, and Three Gorges Great Pass had fallen and the Three Great Legions had been annihilated.
• A general reported that Great Frost Dynasty troops had entered the imperial palace.
• Heaven Crane Lord sensed the invading army’s aura and stormed out of the court hall.
• Heaven Crane Lord found the Great Frost Dynasty army surrounding the palace and demanded that Su Tao appear.
• Heaven Crane Lord moved to attack the soldiers, but a piercing sword cry rang out.

Ye Lin annihilated the Heavenly Crane Imperial Dynasty without revealing himself, killing Heaven Crane Lord and destroying the capital and its surrounding lands. After he wiped out three armies sent as reinforcements, he ordered Han Che to proceed to the next target.

• A thunderous Sword Qi descended from the nine heavens and killed Heaven Crane Lord, grinding his Primordial Spirit to dust.
• A shockwave destroyed the imperial capital and everything within ten million li, killing tens of millions of people.
• Three Sword Qi attacks wiped out the three armies approaching as reinforcements.
• Ye Lin lowered his finger, closed his eyes, and told Han Che to move on to the next target.

Ye Lin’s army swept through the Heavenly Crane Imperial Dynasty with almost no effort, and Su Tao received word that the Heavenly Crane Emperor had been killed. Su Tao then arrived at the Black Bear Dynasty and demanded its ruler surrender the Imperial Jade Seal.

• Ye Lin’s army marched south after he destroyed the Heavenly Crane Imperial Capital and killed the Heavenly Crane Emperor with a flick of his finger.
• Great Frost Dynasty officials arrived to take control of the Heavenly Crane Imperial Dynasty and ordered them to search for its Imperial Jade Seal and secure its remaining forces.
• Su Tao celebrated the report of the Heavenly Crane Emperor’s death and declared that he would unify the Southern Region within three years.
• Su Tao reached the Black Bear Dynasty and demanded that Old Li surrender the Imperial Jade Seal and give up his rule.
• Old Li cursed Su Tao in response.

Ye Lin refused to detour around Black River and ordered his army to crush anyone who stood in its way. The army advanced toward the City of Sin, where three allied quasi-Saint forces protected a haven for criminals and illicit trade.

• Han Che asked Ye Lin whether the army should detour around Black River, and Su Tao explained that three quasi-Saint-level forces controlled the dangerous territory.
• Ye Lin ordered the army to go straight through Black River and kill anyone who blocked them.
• Han Che relayed the order, confident in Ye Lin's strength after he had killed the Sky Crane Emperor Lord with a single finger.
• The army marched toward Black River as word of its approach spread through the territory.
• The chapter described how the three allied forces built the City of Sin, where notorious criminals gathered and stolen goods were openly sold.

A leader in the City of Sin dismissed reports that the Great Frost Dynasty was approaching, but learned that it had already destroyed the Heavenly Crane Imperial Dynasty and was heading for Black River. He hurried to inform the Sect Master as the City of Sin faced a possible attack.

• A scout reported that the Great Frost Dynasty's army was approaching the City of Sin, but the middle-aged leader ordered his men to ignore it.
• The underling reported that the Heavenly Crane Imperial Dynasty had been destroyed, and the leader dismissed the news as false and ordered the scout killed.
• A trusted confidant confirmed that the Great Frost Dynasty had destroyed the Heavenly Crane Imperial Dynasty and was marching toward Black River.
• The middle-aged leader panicked, ordered continued investigation, and hurried to report the threat to the Sect Master.

Ye Lin led the Great Frost Dynasty's army toward the City of Sin, which was controlled by three quasi-Saint-level factions. After the City's guardian refused to let them pass, the army defeated him and continued onward, leaving him to curse from the ruins below.

• Han Che pointed out the City of Sin, and Ye Lin ordered the army to proceed.
• A black-robed old man blocked the army and demanded that it take another route through the Black River.
• Ye Lin ordered a warning, and the Azure Dragon Legion Commander politely asked the old man to let the army pass.
• The old man refused on behalf of himself and the three Sect Masters, so the commanders of all four legions attacked and sent him crashing into the City of Sin.
• Azure Dragon ordered the army onward above the City of Sin's walls, while the injured old man crawled from the ruins and cursed the Great Frost Dynasty and Su Tao.

Ye Lin led the Great Frost Dynasty’s army toward Black River, where the City of Sin’s defenders gathered to stop them from passing. When three quasi-Saints appeared to confront the army, Ye Lin stepped forward to face them.

• The City of Sin’s commander sent a message for reinforcements, and more than a million cultivators assembled to block the Great Frost Dynasty’s army.
• Three black-cloaked quasi-Saints emerged from the shattered Void and challenged Su Tao and the Great Frost Dynasty.
• Han Che identified the three quasi-Saints to Ye Lin and explained why other dynasties feared Black River.
• Ye Lin dismissed the three quasi-Saints and stepped off the deck to confront them, while Han Che followed.
• Green Lotus watched Ye Lin anxiously and silently prayed that he would survive.

Ye Lin revealed that he was not Su Tao and destroyed the City of Sin with a single colossal sword strike. He returned to the warship as Han Che and the soldiers struggled to recover from the shock.

• A Quasi-Saint questioned Ye Lin’s identity, and Ye Lin said the man did not need to know because he would die that day.
• Ye Lin summoned a colossal sword whose pressure overwhelmed cultivators across hundreds of millions of miles.
• The three Quasi-Saints attacked, but the sword shattered their attacks and killed them.
• The sword struck the City of Sin and reduced the city and its inhabitants to ruins.
• Ye Lin returned to the warship, where Han Che lowered his head and the soldiers gradually recovered from their shock.

Ye Lin ordered his army to slaughter every living thing in Black River and seize its treasures, then marched south. As his officials planned to occupy the strategic route, Su Tao learned what Ye Lin had done and wondered whether cultivators from the outside world were all so formidable.

• Ye Lin ordered Han Che to have the army kill every living thing in Black River and confiscate all treasures.
• Ye Lin's army slaughtered the inhabitants of Black River, including criminals, spies, and innocents, and turned the river red with blood.
• Ye Lin collected the seized treasures and led his army south, leaving his civil officials to arrive at the ruined City of Sin.
• The prime minister ordered a young man to station troops at Black River and continued following Ye Lin's path south.
• A spy told Su Tao that Ye Lin had killed Black River's three Sect Masters with a single finger and bathed the region in blood.
• Su Tao recalled why he had once spared Black River and wondered whether cultivators from the outside world were all as formidable as Ye Lin.

A southern ruler learned that the Great Frost Dynasty had destroyed the Heavenly Crane Imperial Dynasty, Black River, and the northern Xuan Yong Dynasty while advancing in both directions. He concluded that Su Tao intended to unify the Southern Region, leaving him alarmed as the region’s balance collapsed.

• A middle-aged ruler demanded to know whom the Great Frost Dynasty had recruited after hearing that it had crushed the Heavenly Crane Imperial Dynasty and slaughtered Black River.
• A scout said they could not identify the advancing force because they could not approach it safely.
• Another scout reported that the Great Frost Dynasty had destroyed the northern Xuan Yong Dynasty.
• The ruler studied a map and realized the Great Frost Dynasty was fighting on two fronts, with armies advancing north and south.
• The ruler concluded that Su Tao aimed to unify the Southern Region and tore the map apart in fury.

A northern ruler welcomed the upheaval Su Tao had caused and called other emperors to discuss joining the conflict. Meanwhile, Ye Lin dismissed Han Che’s warning about fighting on two fronts and ordered the Great Frost Dynasty to attack the Xuanyuan Dynasty next.

• The middle-aged ruler decided to exploit the chaos in the Southern Region and summoned the Ice Emperors, Fire Emperors, and Thunder Emperors to his palace.
• Han Che warned Ye Lin that the Great Frost Dynasty risked uniting the southern dynasties against them while also fighting on the northern front.
• Ye Lin pointed to the Xuanyuan Dynasty on the map and ordered it to be attacked first.
• Ye Lin said he would complete his mission within a year by sweeping through the south and then the north to claim the innate spirit treasure.

The Great Frost Dynasty’s army bypassed the Southern Barbarian Dynasty and headed for the Xuanyuan Dynasty, leaving the southern rulers to consider exploiting the conflict. Wang Ziyi learned that his dynasty would face the approaching army within two hours and wondered why it had changed course.

• The Southern Barbarian Dynasty’s ruler learned that the Great Frost Dynasty’s army was heading for the Xuanyuan Dynasty instead of attacking him first.
• The Southern Barbarian Dynasty’s ruler and the other dynasty rulers decided to go watch the confrontation and considered attacking north if both sides were weakened.
• Wang Ziyi learned that the Great Frost Dynasty’s army would reach the Xuanyuan Dynasty’s borders in about two hours.
• Wang Ziyi wondered why the army had changed course as a white-bearded official asked whether they should seek help from the other major dynasties.

Wang Ziyi prepared the Xuanyuan Dynasty for war and vowed to destroy the invading Great Frost Dynasty. Ye Lin led his army toward Water River Pass, where rulers from across the south gathered to watch the coming battle.

• Wang Ziyi rejected the Prime Minister’s warning and ordered the Xuanyuan Dynasty’s army to prepare for war.
• Wang Ziyi mobilized nearly a hundred million troops and waited at Water River Pass with his Quasi-Saint aura displayed.
• Han Che reported the scouts’ news to Ye Lin, who accepted Wang Ziyi’s challenge and ordered the army to advance.
• Rulers from nearly every southern dynasty traveled to Water River Pass, hoping to profit from the battle’s outcome.

Wang Ziyi faced the advancing Great Frost Dynasty army with the Xuanyuan Dynasty’s forces gathered behind him, confident he would win. Ye Lin arrived aboard the leading warship and challenged Wang Ziyi to survive three sword strikes, then began his attack.

• Wang Ziyi learned that the Great Frost Dynasty army was approaching Water River Pass and prepared to stake the Xuanyuan Dynasty’s national fortune on battle.
• Wang Ziyi watched more than a thousand Great Frost Dynasty warships arrive and judged their soldiers to be a formidable fighting force.
• Ye Lin mocked the Xuanyuan Dynasty’s name, and Wang Ziyi challenged him to show how he intended to fight.
• Ye Lin said Wang Ziyi would need to survive three sword strikes to keep his life, then lifted and lowered a finger as a mournful sword cry rang out.

Wang Ziyi used a golden five-clawed dragon to block Ye Lin’s powerful sword strike without moving from his throne. The watching imperial rulers admired Wang Ziyi’s strength, while he privately wondered how Ye Lin could be so strong.

• Ye Lin formed a terrifying Sword Qi aimed at Wang Ziyi, who stayed seated to preserve his presence.
• Wang Ziyi summoned a golden five-clawed dragon that clashed with Ye Lin’s descending sword light and stopped it.
• Ye Lin praised Wang Ziyi’s defense after his thirty-percent-strength strike failed to injure him.
• The imperial dynasty rulers watching in the Void praised Wang Ziyi and speculated that he had already taken the first step.
• Wang Ziyi privately realized he had been shaken by the attack and wondered how Ye Lin had become so strong.

Ye Lin tested Wang Ziyi with a second sword, forcing him to draw on the Xuanyuan Dynasty’s national fortune to survive. Badly injured but still standing, Wang Ziyi demanded that Ye Lin unleash his third sword as his soldiers rallied behind him.

• Ye Lin revealed that his first sword had severely injured Wang Ziyi, then launched a far stronger second sword.
• Wang Ziyi summoned the Xuanyuan Dynasty’s national fortune, boosting his aura toward the second level of the Quasi-Saint Realm.
• Wang Ziyi punched into Ye Lin’s Sword Qi River and used a golden dragon phantom to destroy it.
• Wang Ziyi spat blood and weakened, but remained standing and challenged Ye Lin to show him the third sword.
• The hundreds of millions of soldiers roared in support of Wang Ziyi, while the four great legions at the front stepped back.

Ye Lin unleashed his third sword, Heavenly Punishment, against Wang Ziyi after promising to withdraw his troops if Wang Ziyi survived it. The lightning Sword Qi devastated the battlefield, and Wang Ziyi appeared afterward, kneeling in midair in a miserable state.

• The dynasty rulers debated whether to help Wang Ziyi, but feared Ye Lin’s overwhelming strength.
• Ye Lin told Wang Ziyi he would withdraw his troops and leave the Xuanyuan Dynasty alone if Wang Ziyi blocked his third sword.
• Ye Lin summoned dark clouds and purple lightning, forming a massive bolt of lightning Sword Qi.
• The lightning Sword Qi struck Wang Ziyi, tore through the ground, and carved out a vast crater.
• After the lightning subsided, Wang Ziyi appeared kneeling silently in midair, looking utterly miserable.

Ye Lin killed Wang Ziyi after he endured three swords, then spared the Xuanyuan Dynasty and demanded its people either submit or leave. The soldiers knelt to Ye Lin as their new Imperial Lord.

• Wang Ziyi survived Ye Lin’s three swords long enough to ask him to honor his promise, then died and fell into the crater.
• Ye Lin condemned the distant rulers for failing to help Wang Ziyi and warned he would kill them later.
• Ye Lin spared the Xuanyuan Dynasty’s soldiers and offered them the choice to submit or leave, threatening to kill anyone who resisted.
• The hundreds of millions of soldiers knelt and greeted Ye Lin as their Imperial Lord.

After defeating the Xuanyuan Dynasty, Ye Lin ordered his forces to advance on the Southern Barbarian Dynasty, his next target in the campaign to conquer the southern region. The Xuanyuan Dynasty’s civilians accepted the change of rulers, while its ministers waited anxiously for the Great Frost Dynasty to take control.

• After the Xuanyuan Emperor died, the remaining Xuanyuan soldiers submitted to Ye Lin.
• The rulers who had watched the battle silently left, and Ye Lin ordered his army to head for the Southern Barbarian Dynasty.
• Han Che gathered the forces, and over a thousand war boats set off toward the Southern Barbarian Dynasty.
• Xuanyuan soldiers and civilians knelt as the war boats passed, accepting that the dynasty had changed hands.
• After the war boats departed, the civilians returned to their daily lives, while the court ministers worried about their futures and waited for the Great Frost Dynasty.

After learning that Ye Lin had destroyed the Xuanyuan Dynasty and slain Wang Ziyi, Su Tao accelerated his plans to unify the Southern Region and become the ruler of an imperial dynasty. He ordered the northern dynasties to be told to surrender or face his forces, while explaining why their rivals had not formed an alliance.

• A black-clad man reported to Su Tao that Ye Lin had killed Wang Ziyi in three sword strikes and was leading his army toward the Southern Barbarian Dynasty.
• Su Tao marveled at Ye Lin’s strength and decided that unification could take far less than the thirty years he had expected.
• Su Tao ordered the northern dynasties to hear his demand for surrender and warned that his forces would attack those who refused.
• Su Tao told the black-clad man to spread the records of his and Ye Lin’s battles.
• When the black-clad man asked whether the announcement would force the dynasties to form an alliance, Su Tao asked why they had not done so already, and the man shook his head.