Chapter Summaries

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.

Su Tao explained that the dynasty lords were waiting to see whether he could unify the Southern Region, while identifying the Blazing Fire Dynasty and Heavenly Blade Dynasty as his true enemies. Ye Lin led the Great Frost Dynasty’s army unopposed into the Southern Barbarian Dynasty, leaving Wang Dali facing their rapid advance toward his capital.

• Su Tao said the dynasty lords were watching for a chance to switch sides and named the Blazing Fire Dynasty and Heavenly Blade Dynasty as the two real threats.
• Su Tao said he would rely on Ye Lin to handle the Heavenly Blade Dynasty while he dealt with the Blazing Fire Dynasty, then sent his black-clad subordinate away.
• Ye Lin ordered his army through the Southern Barbarian Dynasty’s Great Wall, intending to confront its dynasty lord directly.
• The Great Frost Dynasty’s army advanced through the pass without resistance and headed toward the imperial capital.
• A report told Wang Dali that Ye Lin’s army would reach the capital within an hour, and Wang Dali reacted with grim disbelief at the speed of the attack.

Wang Dali accepted that the Southern Barbarian Dynasty could not withstand the Great Frost Dynasty and decided to surrender it to survive. He left his ministers to choose their own fates and vowed that those who fled would eventually face the same disaster.

• Wang Dali asked his silent ministers what he should do after his allies abandoned him.
• Wang Dali considered death and surrender, then dismissed court and told the ministers to seek their own way out.
• Wang Dali left the court with the imperial seal, while an old minister realized the Southern Barbarian Dynasty would cease to exist.
• Wang Dali declared that he would hand the Southern Barbarian Dynasty over to the Great Frost Dynasty and accepted being called cowardly or shameless.
• Wang Dali left the ancestral hall and warned that the nobles who fled would eventually face ruin.

Ye Lin reached the imperial capital of the Southern Barbarian Dynasty expecting to summon its ruler, but Wang Dali surrendered the dynasty and offered its Imperial Jade Seal. Ye Lin accepted the merger and learned that the seal controlled the dynasty’s fate and fortune.

• Ye Lin ordered Han Che to summon the ruler of the Southern Barbarian Dynasty.
• Wang Dali approached with several dozen followers and offered the Imperial Jade Seal, surrendering his dynasty to the Great Frost Dynasty.
• Ye Lin accepted the merger and made Wang Dali a subject of the Great Frost Dynasty.
• Han Che explained that the Imperial Jade Seal held the dynasty’s fate and fortune, and that destroying it would strip Wang Dali of his cultivation and collapse the dynasty’s fortune.

Ye Lin took the Imperial Jade Seal and chose the Snow Domain Dynasty as his next target, sending Wang Dali to lead the attack. The Snow Domain Dynasty’s ruler, Xue Xin, learned that Wang Dali had surrendered and was leading Ye Lin’s army toward her, leaving her torn between surrender and resistance.

• Ye Lin took the Imperial Jade Seal from Wang Dali and gave it to Han Che to store.
• Ye Lin asked Wang Dali to choose the next target, and Wang Dali selected the Snow Domain Dynasty.
• Ye Lin ordered Wang Dali to lead the charge against the Snow Domain Dynasty while he held the line.
• Xue Xin received word that Wang Dali had surrendered and was bringing Ye Lin’s army toward her dynasty.
• Xue Xin considered surrendering but feared losing her throne, while resisting could cost her life.

Xue Xin’s ministers urged her to surrender to the Great Frost Dynasty, arguing that resistance would destroy the Snow Domain Dynasty. The court remained kneeling despite her anger and Quasi-Saint intimidation, leaving Xue Xin facing their united demand.

• A minister suggested that Xue Xin surrender, and the court silently agreed that the Snow Domain Dynasty could not withstand the Great Frost Dynasty.
• Several ministers urged Xue Xin to surrender, and the entire court knelt before her.
• Xue Xin accused the ministers of forcing her hand and unleashed her Quasi-Saint aura, ordering them to stand.
• The ministers refused to rise, insisting that surrender was the only way to preserve the Snow Domain Dynasty.

Xue Xin questioned her ministers about surrendering to the Great Frost Dynasty, and the Prime Minister argued that resistance would destroy the Snow Domain Dynasty. He urged her to submit to Su Tao so she could survive and preserve her realm.

• Xue Xin challenged her ministers to explain why she should surrender, unwilling to become a ruler who lost her nation and submitted to another.
• The Prime Minister rose and risked his clan’s lives to counsel Xue Xin for the sake of the Snow Domain Dynasty.
• The Prime Minister warned that Su Tao was advancing across the Southern Region with a powerful ally while the only other challengers were in seclusion.
• He said Xue Xin was far weaker than the other sovereigns and urged her to surrender, arguing Su Tao would spare her and might later honor her as an imperial offering.

Xue Xin accepted that the Snow Domain Dynasty could not resist and surrendered its authority to the Prime Minister. The dynasty’s name and rule ended, but its officials and people hoped to survive under the new power.

• The old Prime Minister urged Xue Xin to surrender, warning that resistance would bring the Emperor’s fall and the dynasty’s destruction.
• Xue Xin sighed and placed all affairs of the Snow Domain Dynasty in the Prime Minister’s hands.
• The Imperial Jade Seal floated before the Prime Minister, who accepted it and ordered the dynasty’s soldiers to lay down their weapons.
• The Prime Minister led the court officials to welcome the army, while the ministers followed and the common people silently watched.