Chapter Summaries

Zhu Yu defeated Liu Peisan in the arena by manifesting a white-horse swordsman through his God Word and a poem that drew on the Haoran Long River. After Liu Peisan surrendered, Zhu Yu invited him to become sworn brothers, and their bond was established when Liu agreed.

• Zhu Yu completed a poem with his ancient sword Qingyuan and summoned the Haoran Long River, whose power broke through Liu Peisan’s attack.
• A white-horse swordsman appeared and broke Liu Peisan’s True Gang Heavy Armor with a single pass.
• Liu Peisan admitted defeat, and Yan Shu asked Zhu Yu how he had drawn on the power he called the Haoran Long River.
• Zhu Yu asked Liu Peisan to become his sworn brother, and Liu agreed as their bond formed.
• Zhu Yu called Liu Peisan his Third Brother, and Liu answered by calling Zhu Yu Big Brother.

Zhu Yu formed another sworn-brother bond with Dang Qing after interrupting his stalemate with Liu Peisan, while Dong Qing revealed news of negotiations with an outer realm and Yang Lun sent Zhu Yu a valuable bracelet. After explaining the purpose of the True Disciple Position to his brothers, Zhu Yu took the stage and addressed the gathered disciples, leaving them wondering what he intended to do.

• Yulou joined Zhu Yu and Liu Peisan onstage, but Dang Qing mocked their sworn brotherhood and challenged Liu Peisan with his God Word, Eyes Above All.
• Liu Peisan and Dang Qing fought to a stalemate as the crowd jeered, so Zhu Yu stopped them and persuaded Dang Qing to become his fourth sworn brother.
• Dong Qing told Dong Biwu that negotiations between Great Yu and an outer realm were progressing, prompting him to leave with Wanyan Hong and Yan Shu.
• An attendant delivered Zhu Yu a golden bracelet from Yang Lun, and Dang Qing identified Yang Lun as Jiangning County’s commandant and head of the Yang Clan.
• Zhu Yu explained to his three sworn brothers that disciples sought the True Disciple Position to advance to a higher realm, then climbed onto the arena and began addressing the crowd.

Zhu Yu used his God Word to form sworn-brother bonds with eight hundred Peerless Sect disciples, drawing immense Human Hope and making onlookers believe his rise to the Fifth Realm was assured. Elsewhere, Mingdao attributed the feat to Heaven’s favor, while Sword Saint Dugu learned that Great Yu might soon submit to a powerful foreign domain and ordered Wu Ping'an and his eight hundred sworn siblings sent away.

• Zhu Yu invited the disciples at his arena to become sworn siblings, and Yuan Guang and then more than a hundred others accepted as God Words and bonds appeared.
• Hundreds more disciples joined Zhu Yu, gathering a vast amount of Human Hope and alarming rivals who wanted the True Disciple position.
• Zhu Yu left Yulou to manage the new siblings and departed with Liu Peisan, Dang Qing, and Yuan Guang to prepare a banquet.
• Lord Wu Ping wondered how Zhu Yu had made so many people swear brotherhood, while Dong Qing resolved to marry him and Lin Lu envied his following.
• Mingdao told Yang Lun that Heaven favored Zhu Yu and needed his Dao, then fainted.
• Dong Biwu reported to Sword Saint Dugu that negotiations with a powerful foreign domain might lead Great Yu to submit, and Dugu ordered Wu Ping'an and his eight hundred sworn siblings sent away.

Sword Saint Dugu sent Wu Ping'an and his eight hundred sworn brothers and sisters to suppress the Tai Lake bandits, while rumors about their bond spread through Great Yu and brought crowds to Wu Ping'an's residence. Lady Wu Ping brought Tao Yao to meet him, but the chapter ended just as a discussion of bandit suppression began inside the guest hall.

• Sword Saint Dugu dismissed Yan Shu, Dong Biwu, and Wanyan Hong, then ordered Wu Ping'an to lead his eight hundred sworn brothers and sisters to suppress the Tai Lake bandits.
• Yan Shu, Dong Biwu, and Wanyan Hong wondered what Wu Ping'an's eight hundred sworn siblings meant, and Dong Biwu concluded that Zhu Yu might be an extraordinary figure with the potential to reach the Sixth Realm.
• At the Inner Sect Grand Competition, Zhu Yu's sworn brothers and sisters drew far more Human Hope than the other contestants, and reports of their bond spread across Great Yu.
• After the matches, Zhu Yu's sworn brothers and sisters went to his residence, while other disciples rushed to join them and regretted missing their chance.
• Tao Yao gave Lady Wu Ping a calligraphy post from the Sunset Sword Lord in exchange for an introduction to Wu Ping'an, and Lady Wu led her to his residence.
• A crowd gathered outside Wu Ping'an's residence seeking to become his sworn siblings, but Yulou and Yuan Guang told them to disperse; inside the guest hall, someone began discussing bandit suppression.

Zhu Yu was ordered to lead his eight hundred sworn brothers and sisters to suppress scattered bandits around Tai Lake, and he decided to leave Peerless Sect that night. As his growing Human Hope helped him open thirty-six Apertures, a mysterious moon appeared above the departing group and frightened hidden attackers into fleeing.

• Yan Shu told Zhu Yu to take his sworn brothers and sisters to Tai Lake, avoid the Thirteen Strongholds, and remain away until he could protect himself.
• Zhu Yu feasted with his sworn siblings, then told his trusted brothers to prepare to leave Peerless Sect overnight.
• Bai Xiaosheng, Lou Ye, and Qing Jiao interviewed Zhu Yu about swearing brotherhood with eight hundred people, and Zhu Yu said he had acted out of sincerity.
• Tao Yao and Lord Wu Ping visited Zhu Yu, and Lord Wu Ping told him that his mother wanted to meet him.
• Zhu Yu refined Human Hope from the Flood Dragon Pearl and opened thirty-six Apertures before departing with his brothers and sisters.
• Tao Yao saw an Indestructible moon rise above the departing carriages, and its presence drove hidden attackers away.

Zhu Yu traveled with his sworn brothers and sisters toward Tai Lake under orders to suppress bandits, while the Sword Saint’s power shielded the caravan as it left Peerless Sect territory. After learning about Tai Lake’s factions from Dong Qing’er, Zhu Yu selected Qingfeng Stronghold as a target, but his followers panicked when he revealed their mission.

• The Sword Saint manifested a radiant Moon Disk that scattered the surrounding qi and protected Zhu Yu’s caravan as it departed Peerless Sect territory.
• Yang Lun told Yan Shu that the eighty thousand Martial Suppression Army troops stationed at Guanjiang Estuary had vanished overnight, prompting Yan Shu to report the news to the Sect Master.
• Zhu Yu boarded White Dragon King Dong Biwu’s ship, where Dong Qing’er warned him about Tai Lake’s dangerous factions and helped him choose Qingfeng Stronghold as a target.
• Zhu Yu shared his gathered Human Hope among his eight hundred sworn brothers and sisters, strengthening their spirits before announcing their mission to suppress bandits in Tai Lake.
• Zhu Yu’s followers reacted with alarm and resisted the mission, causing more than half of his Sworn Brotherhood bonds with them to waver.

Zhu Yu calmed his sworn brothers and sisters, led them to plan an attack on Qingfeng Stronghold, and cultivated as their Human Hope grew. At night, the Zhenwu Guard appeared on the river, and Zhu Yu discovered a huge, patterned scale beside the boat.

• Zhu Yu reminded the crowd that the Peerless Sect could shelter them and persuaded them to face the dangers of Tai Lake together.
• Hou Guang rebuked You Mang and the others for considering retreat, pledged himself to Zhu Yu, and prompted the rest to swear their loyalty.
• Zhu Yu’s group planned to infiltrate Qingfeng Stronghold, poison its guards, and surround its three Dao Fruit Realm Managers.
• Zhu Yu reassured Yulou, then cultivated with the Flood Dragon Pearl as Human Hope spread and increased around him.
• Zhu Yu spotted the Zhenwu Guard’s armored boats and warned the others that their Formation Soul’s Killing Intent could injure them.
• Dong Biwu ordered everyone into the cabin, and Zhu Yu later saw a millstone-sized, golden-patterned scale outside the boat.

Zhu Yu held the damaged boat together with his God Word and sent Yu Fushui to scout the river. After she returned with news of a route to the surface and a broken scale bearing signs of a military formation, Zhu Yu warned Dong Qing'er that the boat would soon disintegrate and ordered his sworn siblings to prepare to escape.

• Zhu Yu used the characters "Seal" and "Solidify" to stop river water flooding the cabin and told the others to wait while they assessed the danger.
• Zhu Yu offered Human Hope to anyone willing to scout, and Yu Fushui volunteered; he shared enough Human Hope to save years of cultivation before sending her into the river.
• While Yu Fushui was away, Yuan Guang criticized the others for hesitating, Dang Qing tried to go out and was thrown back, and Zhu Yu refused further volunteers as he planned to reward effort rather than distribute Human Hope evenly.
• Yu Fushui returned safely and reported that the boat lay in a depression about a thousand meters below the surface, with wilderness along the nearby banks; she also brought back a fragment of dark scale armor.
• Zhu Yu recognized traces of military formation power on the fragment, suspected Great Yu possessed a Military Dao inheritance, and passed the information to his main body.
• Zhu Yu showed the scale fragment to Dong Qing'er, warned that the boat would soon disintegrate, and told his sworn siblings to help one another escape.

After escaping across the river, Zhu Yu led his group toward Tai Lake, where he learned that powerful factions controlled the waterways. Having spent a month strengthening himself and his sworn brothers and sisters, he launched an attack on Qingfeng Stronghold and watched its occupants die in the rain.

• Zhu Yu parted from Dong Qing'er, and she led her household soldiers after her missing father while Lin Lu followed her.
• After a night of travel, Zhu Yu learned that he had reached Huaian Prefecture, then spent a month journeying to White Water River and gathering information about Tai Lake's factions.
• Zhu Yu discovered that the Zhao Family and Fisher Gang controlled much of the river entrance, while several other forces, including Qingfeng Stronghold, had Golden Body Realm martial artists.
• Zhu Yu, whose cultivation had advanced to the Spirit Barrier, ordered his sworn brothers and sisters to prepare to attack Qingfeng Stronghold.
• Zhu Yu's group reached the stronghold's island in the rain, and his fighters killed its occupants as he watched from above.

Zhu Yu led the Peerless Sect disciples in wiping out Qingfeng Stronghold, killed its three leaders, and gathered Spirit Ruins Origin and valuables. After distributing half the Human Hope to his sworn brothers and sisters, he sensed a wider upheaval beginning as an azure sun appeared over Yan Province.

• Zhu Yu entered Qingfeng Stronghold as the Peerless Sect disciples fought its Second and Third Leaders, who tried to flee and then escaped into a hidden passage.
• Zhu Yu found Qingfeng Stronghold's First Leader breaking through behind a bronze door, defeated him with a summoned swordsman, and killed the Second and Third Leaders.
• Zhu Yu collected the leaders' Origin Artifact and other spoils, gathered nearly two hundred strands of Spirit Ruins Origin, and returned to the surface after the stronghold was cleared.
• Zhu Yu distributed half the gathered Human Hope to his eight hundred sworn brothers and sisters, told them to stay and cultivate, and returned to the secret chamber as an unexplained fury seized him.
• In Yan Province, travelers saw an azure sun appear in the sky and noticed something else approaching.

Zhu Yu and the Qingping cultivators entered the Martial Realm and divided up their targets, while Zhu Yu prepared an invasion of Yong Province with his allies and a million Tu Fishmen. The Tu Fishmen slaughtered farmers at the border and reached a village, where the villagers finally realized Li Sanlaizi’s warning was true.

• Azure Sun transformed five people into small trees as the Qingping cultivators surveyed the Martial Realm and split up to pursue different goals.
• Zhu Yu joined forces with Zang Hai, Cang Li, and Fu Hongxi to seize territory in Yong Province, assigning them prefectures to attack.
• Zhu Yu summoned Hong Youfu and Qiao Hewei and sent them toward Ziye and Gelan Prefectures, then gathered Xiao Qing, Meng, Whale, and nearly a million Tu Fishmen.
• Zhu Yu led the Tu Fishmen into Yong Province, where they killed farmers and devoured grain before advancing on a nearby village.
• The villagers mocked Li Sanlaizi’s warnings until they saw bloodstained Tu Fishmen emerge from an earthen house.

Zhu Yu’s Tu Fishmen devastated the villages across a vast plain and advanced on Guan City, where Yang Mao prepared to defend the city. Zhu Yu brought Yinming Mansion disciples to the battlefield and offered rewards for kills, but their first clash with Yang Mao’s cavalry had only just begun.

• The Tu Fishmen slaughtered the plain’s inhabitants as Zhu Yu collected Spirit Ruins Origin identity tokens and glimpsed a vast stele receiving them through tiny vortexes.
• The Tu Fishmen reached Guan City, and Yang Mao refused to evacuate despite the approaching army and the unsettling azure sky.
• Yang Mao gathered five hundred Dao-Entering Martial Artists and led a charge against the Tu Fishman vanguard while it stopped to eat.
• Zhu Yu summoned Xiang Sui, Liang Kuan, Bai Yan, Xun Su, Ni Ying, Bai Meng, Qiao Hewei, and other Yinming Mansion disciples, promising contribution-point rewards and an Affiliate Foundation Establishment slot for first place.
• Zhu Yu sent the disciples to meet Yang Mao’s cavalry, and they unleashed nearly a hundred spells as Yang Mao struck upward with Stone Crushing.

Xiang Sui and the Yinming Mansion forces overwhelmed Guan City while Zhu Yu learned that Yong Province was an isolated exile and ordered his subordinates to target its leaders. After several days of unchecked advance, Zhu Yu learned that Sanshan Prefecture’s officials were away celebrating an old prince’s three-hundredth birthday, and summoned Yi to test whether the Martial Realm would recognize him.

• Xiang Sui defeated Yang Mao’s attacks with the Blazing Sun Bird, but Yang Mao escaped while Xiang Sui and the others slaughtered Guan City’s defenders and drove its leaders from the walls.
• Zhu Yu captured Yang Mao, searched his memories, and confirmed that Yong Province had become an impoverished place of exile with weak rulers.
• Zhu Yu sent Blood Slave and Meng to scout Sanshan Prefecture and eliminate powerful martial artists, while his forces looted Guan City and he collected Spirit Soil from its fields.
• Zang Hai and the others failed to seize most prefectural capitals, prompting Qingping True Lord to offer his dependents for hire; Zhu Yu then followed the Tu Fishman advance through Sanshan Prefecture.
• Zang Hai told Zhu Yu that Sanshan Prefecture’s decision-makers had gone to celebrate the Yong Province lord’s three-hundredth birthday, and Zhu Yu summoned Yi, a Human Seed from the Spirit Ruins, to see whether the Martial Realm would accept him.

Zhu Yu tested how the advanced True Sight Eye protected him from the Martial Realm’s will and rushed to rescue Qiao Heyong, who had been overwhelmed by Gelan Prefecture’s lord. After Qiao Heyong’s body was destroyed and Hong Youfu threatened to kill him, Qiao Heyong prepared to fight back.

• The Split Spirit Heavenly Principle entered the Martial Realm, which accepted him, and Zhu Yu watched him depart before setting out for Gelan Prefecture to aid Qiao Heyong.
• Zhu Yu repelled Azure Heaven and found that the True Sight Eye blocked the Martial Realm’s hostile will and concealed his foreign aura.
• Qin Ying chased Qiao Heyong through the night sky, shattered his blade attack with a roar, and destroyed his fleshly body.
• In Futu Tower, Hong Youfu blamed Qiao Heyong for losing his body and threatened to kill him for defying his lord’s instructions.
• Qiao Heyong formed a jade blade from his Dao Foundation and faced Hong Youfu without fear.

Zhu Yu punished Hong Youfu and Qiao Heyong by forcing them to refine the corrosive black water, then confronted the consequences of Qiao Heyong’s defeat and turned his attention to Qin Ying. Qin Ying was trapped inside Zhu Yu’s Spirit Ruins and struck by Mystic Water Thunder.

• Zhu Yu sent Hong Youfu and Qiao Heyong to the Source Sea to refine black water as punishment for their fight.
• Hong Youfu and Qiao Heyong discovered that refining the black water through their Dao Foundations caused severe pain and damage, though Qiao Heyong began the process and recovered by sleeping.
• Zhu Yu saw Qiao Heyong’s headless corpse and considered replacing him, noting that restoring his main body would cost at least a hundred portions of Spirit Ruins Origin.
• Qin Ying demanded that Zhu Yu surrender Whale, so Zhu Yu opened his Spirit Ruins and drew Qin Ying inside.
• Whale struck Qin Ying, and Zhu Yu trapped him in place before Mystic Water Thunder broke through his armor and hit him.

Zhu Yu killed Qin Ying with the newly advanced Spirit Artifact Lingxiao, then examined Qin Ying’s remains and spoils. He spared Qin Ying’s God Word and bright yellow seal, and the chapter ended as his carriage reached Yong Province Prefecture.

• Qin Ying survived the Mystic Water Thunder and used the God Word “Hear and Act” and a Bronze Bell to open a path back to the outside world.
• As Qin Ying emerged, Zhu Yu commanded Lingxiao to strike, and the Spirit Artifact pierced Qin Ying between the brows, killing him.
• Qin Ying’s body became a grave in the Spirit Ruins, while Zhu Yu examined Lingxiao’s new abilities and sent it to the Mana Source to be nourished.
• Zhu Yu extracted twelve hundred strands of Spirit Ruins Origin from Qin Ying but left the fused God Word intact so Qin Ying could be made into a Corpse Puppet.
• Zhu Yu found a bright yellow seal marked “Prefect of Gelan” and chose not to refine it for its Spirit Ruins Origin.
• The next morning, Zhu Yu’s carriage arrived at Yong Province Prefecture.

Zhu Yu, disguised as Qin Ying, arrived at the Prefecture Lord's Mansion and avoided Qin Hou's probing questions by retiring to rest. As rival processions gathered for the birthday celebration, Zhu Yu examined a mysterious golden object in a jade box.

• Zhu Yu entered Yong Province City with a royal-banner procession and was greeted at the Prefecture Lord's Mansion by Qin Hou.
• Zhu Yu said he would visit his brother-in-law after the latter left seclusion, then went to rest; Qin Hou wondered whether Zhu Yu had sided with Qin Chuan.
• Qin Hou's advisers warned that Zhu Yu was dangerous and suggested tempting him with profit, while Qin Chuan arrived and ignored Qin Hou's greeting.
• Qin Hou received several arriving guests as processions gathered outside the mansion, including a plump woman, a white-haired old man, and a sinister man in black.
• In Egret Courtyard, Zhu Yu examined a crystalline jade box containing a small object with a golden glow.

Zhu Yu examined the Prefecture Lord’s Mansion while Meng and the Blood Slave fought Qin Wuye and the gathered Dao Fruit Realm Martial Artists outside Baiya Prefecture City. After Qin Wuye forced the Blood Slave toward Azure Heaven and struck into its covered area, Zhu Yu sensed that the trap had reached the moment he was waiting for.

• Zhu Yu recognized the high monk’s Sarira as a valuable Origin Strange Artifact and turned his attention to Meng and the Blood Slave hunting Dao Fruit Realm Martial Artists.
• Meng and the Blood Slave led Tu Fishmen toward Baiya Prefecture City, where Qin Wuye confronted them and summoned the surviving Dao Fruit Realm Martial Artists with Gang-Breaking Crossbows.
• Qin Wuye ordered the crossbows to fire, and the Blood Slave was torn apart before regenerating from the blood mist.
• Qin Wuye rallied the fleeing fighters, manifested the God Word “Snake Intestines Scorpion Heart,” and suppressed the Blood Slave with his sword.
• Qin Wuye forced the Blood Slave beneath Azure Heaven, then entered the covered area and struck as Zhu Yu recognized that he had finally come in.

Meng and the Blood Slave defeated Baiya Prefecture Lord Qin Wuye, allowing Zhu Yu’s forces to seize Baiya Prefecture and launch an invasion of Ziye Prefecture. Back at the Prefecture Lord’s Mansion, Zhu Yu received invitations from three of his sons.

• Meng’s Domain of Thorns trapped Qin Wuye, and she and the Blood Slave overwhelmed him after his green flames failed to break through.
• Zhu Yu ordered the capture and enslavement of Baiya Prefecture’s martial artists, sent five hundred thousand Tu Fishmen toward Ziye Prefecture, and directed the rest to plunder resources.
• The Blood Slave emerged from the gray sphere and bound the Dao Fruit Realm martial artists guarding it, while Tu Fishmen attacked Ziye Prefecture and spread through Baiya’s Nine Prefectures.
• The Tu Fishmen gathered mortals to excavate spiritual resources and began building nests and reproducing as food supplies accumulated.
• Zhu Yu returned to cultivation at the Prefecture Lord’s Mansion, where his steward brought invitations from the Eldest Young Master, Second Young Master, and Thirteenth Young Master.

Zhu Yu weighed Qin Ying’s invitations and gifts while checking on his subordinates in the Life Spirit Ruins. He learned that Huang Shi and the Zhenwu Guard had arrived in Yong Province, but explained why the demoted commander posed less of a threat than expected.

• Zhu Yu returned Qin Chuan’s invitation and told his steward to report the gifts from Qin Hou and Qin Yu, delaying his decision about the banquet until after the Prefecture Lord’s birthday celebration.
• Zhu Yu removed Hong Youfu and Qiao Heyong from the Source Sea before the black water damaged their Dao Foundations, then assigned Hong Youfu to hunt Dao Fruit Realm martial artists with Meng and the Blood Slave.
• Zhu Yu summoned Zang Hai, Cang Li, and Fu Hongxi, and Zang Hai reported her gains and warned that a Zhenwu Guard commander was coming to Yong Province.
• Zhu Yu identified the commander as Huang Shi and explained that the Sword Saint had severed his arm and destroyed the Zhenwu Guards’ Formation Soul when Huang Shi attacked the Peerless Sect.
• Zhu Yu told the group there was no need to avoid Huang Shi, though Zang Hai, Cang Li, and Fu Hongxi remained wary of the Zhenwu Guards.