Chapter Summaries

After learning that thirty-five Calamity Sealers had been killed, Zhao Fu ordered Great Qin to retaliate against the forces responsible. Sword Gate and Eternal Night prepared to carry out his command as the Tooth Tribe celebrated its chief’s acquisition of a Calamity Spear.

• Zhao Fu heard the ministers’ arguments over how to respond and ordered them to withdraw without revealing his decision.
• Zhao Fu summoned Ge Nie, Sword Gate, and Eternal Night, then commanded them to exterminate the forces that had killed Calamity Sealers.
• Li Si gave the groups information about their targets, and they left to carry out the order.
• Zhao Fu learned that only eighty-five of the one hundred and twenty Calamity Sealers had returned, collected their Calamity Pearls, and sent them for modification.
• The Tooth Tribe celebrated its chief’s Calamity Spear, and the chief feasted on the roasted head of a Calamity Sealer before returning to his tent to sleep.

Black-robed attackers wiped out the Tooth Tribe and tortured its leader, while a sword-wielding force launched a massacre in Yingzhou City. The old city lord and his son were left facing an attack they had not expected.

• Black-robed assassins killed guards and slaughtered most of the Tooth Tribe as it slept.
• The assassins surrounded the tribe’s ugly man, captured him, and tortured him to death for his people’s attack on the Calamity Sealers.
• A passerby discovered the tribe’s corpses the next morning.
• The young city lord of Yingzhou City studied the Calamity Spear and discussed how its secrets could help his faction grow.
• A guard warned the old city lord and his son that swordsmen had appeared and were massacring the city’s people.
• The old city lord and his son went outside and saw swordsmen killing residents who fled, resisted, or begged for mercy.

Ge Nie and his swordsmen slaughtered everyone in Yingzhou City under His Majesty’s orders, while the evil-aura woman gave her father the Calamity Spear and later attacked by Wu Qian’s forces. The evil-aura woman was defeated by Wu Qian as her family estate fell under attack.

• Ge Nie told the old man that His Majesty had ordered Yingzhou City’s destruction, then killed the old man and his fleeing son.
• Ge Nie’s forces killed every person in Yingzhou City, leaving more than two hundred thousand dead.
• The evil-aura woman gave her father the Calamity Spear and explained that it absorbed disasters and produced Calamity Pearls.
• The evil-aura woman returned to her room and drained a captive man’s life force before continuing to cultivate.
• Hooded attackers launched an assault on the evil-aura woman’s family estate, and Wu Qian introduced herself as Blood Shadow after killing the woman’s father.
• The evil-aura woman fought Wu Qian but was defeated and thrown into a pillar, severely wounded.

A hooded force acting on His Majesty’s orders massacred a mountain stronghold after its bandits obtained the Calamity Sealer. Days later, outsiders discovered the stronghold’s rotting corpses and found no survivors.

• A beautiful young girl tortured a sinister woman to death, took her head, and exterminated the woman’s entire family.
• The three leaders of a mountain stronghold celebrated after their subordinates found the Calamity Sealer.
• Hooded attackers ambushed the stronghold with volleys of arrows and killed bandits and their relatives alike.
• The attackers captured the three leaders, killed them, and hung their bodies and the stronghold’s other corpses outside.
• Several days later, people discovered the slaughter and wondered who had wiped out the stronghold.

After Great Qin’s bloody retaliation made other factions fear it and covet its disaster-resolving method, their alliance sent an envoy to negotiate. Zhao Fu agreed to help only if they supplied a large amount of food, leaving the envoy to decide whether to accept.

• News spread that Great Qin had massacred the factions responsible for killing its Calamity Sealers and could resolve natural disasters.
• Leaders from other factions debated whether to attack Great Qin or seek its help, then sent an envoy to negotiate.
• Zhao Fu decided to meet the alliance’s envoy and hear her proposal.
• The envoy offered resources and more than a thousand beauties in exchange for Great Qin’s help.
• Zhao Fu rejected the offers and demanded a large amount of food, telling the envoy to return if the alliance would not provide it.

Zhao Fu sent Great Qin’s Calamity Sealers to resolve the alliance’s natural disasters in exchange for grain, winning the gratitude of the affected people. He secretly left calamity power behind to make disasters recur, then planned to offer the same service to the Outer Domains.

• The alliance agreed to compensate Great Qin with grain, and Zhao Fu dispatched one hundred and twenty Calamity Sealers to resolve its disasters.
• The alliance sent grain and women to Great Qin, while the Calamity Sealers absorbed calamity power from storms, volcanic eruptions, lightning, and earthquakes.
• The Calamity Sealers restored peace across disaster-stricken regions, earning Great Qin the respect and affection of local citizens.
• Zhao Fu ordered the Calamity Sealers to leave some refined calamity power behind so disasters would eventually recur and weaken the alliance.
• The Calamity Sealers returned with more than four hundred Calamity Pearls, and Zhao Fu planned to offer disaster relief to the Outer Domains in return for grain.

Zhao Fu sent Great Qin’s 120 Calamity Sealers to resolve disasters, earning the empire prestige and goodwill from the alliance. As rival empires courted alliance factions and cooperation spread, the region’s tense peace eased, though war remained a looming possibility.

• Zhao Fu put Great Qin’s plan to help factions with natural disasters into action, but the weakened City of Calamity could not provide source calamity power for more than 120 Calamity Sealers.
• The Calamity Sealers resolved disasters across many lands and became revered by countless commoners.
• Great Qin’s improved relationship with the alliance alarmed the Demon Horn Empire and the Second Wind God Empire, which began courting alliance members with benefits and promises not to invade.
• Alliance factions accepted the empires’ invitations and openly cooperated with them, despite warnings from alliance leaders not to abandon the alliance.
• Relations among the three empires and the alliance grew friendlier, while observers worried the calm would end when the factions next sought to expand.

Zhao Fu led Great Qin’s forces to defend Qin Land against a swarm of five billion cockroach insect beasts. Great Qin’s traps and Flying Insect Nest Dragons inflicted heavy losses, but giant flying insect beasts attacked the city and clashed with the dragons in the air.

• Zhao Fu brought Great Qin’s forces in the Chaos World to 3.5 billion after a massive insect swarm approached from the west.
• Great Qin fired arrows and used ravines lined with steel spikes to halt and kill many charging insect beasts.
• The insect beasts sprayed corrosive fluid into the ravines, dissolving their walls and climbing over the obstacles.
• Zhao Fu sent more than three thousand Flying Insect Nest Dragons to blast the advancing swarm, killing millions of insect beasts.
• Six or seven thousand giant cockroach insect beasts took flight and sprayed corrosive fluid at Great Qin’s soldiers and city walls.
• The Flying Insect Nest Dragons fought the giant cockroach insect beasts in the air, killing some with bites, tail strikes, and beams of light.

Great Qin fought off the advancing cockroach insect beasts with vines, Fire Arrows, and the Blood God Fiends summoned by Wild God. As the giant green and dark-red insect beasts clashed, the ordinary insect tide renewed its assault on Great Qin’s walls.

• Flying Insect Nest Dragons battled the enormous insect beasts in the sky while vines and Fire Arrows attacked the advancing swarm on the ground.
• Larger cockroach insect beasts sprayed corrosive green liquid at Great Qin’s walls, and Zhao Fu ordered Wild God to lead her people into action.
• Wild God and the twelve divine envoys drew blood from the dead insect beasts and transformed it into twelve enormous green cockroach insect beasts.
• The insect tide formed eight giant dark-red cockroach insect beasts, which clashed with the green giants and sent shockwaves through the battlefield.
• Four green insect beasts charged into the swarm while the other eight held back the dark-red giants, and the vines attacked the renewed advance toward Great Qin.

Zhao Fu and Great Qin fought the attacking insect beast army as the Insect Beast King battered the city walls and challenged Zhao Fu. With Alasna joining the battle, they wounded the giant cockroach and Zhao Fu ultimately decapitated it.

• Great Qin’s defenses killed climbing cockroach insect beasts with arrows, blades, and life-draining vines as the creatures corroded the city wall with green liquid.
• Zhao Fu confronted the Insect Beast King and struck its head, but the beast retaliated and damaged Great Qin’s wall with its corrosive spray.
• The insect beast army reached the walls and fought Great Qin’s soldiers while flying creatures clashed overhead.
• Zhao Fu used the Calamitous Dragon Sword to counter the Insect Beast King’s green liquid with a water dragon.
• Alasna joined Zhao Fu, wounded the Insect Beast King with the Darkness Divine Sword, and helped send it reeling.
• Zhao Fu struck with the Imperial Killing Sword and severed the Insect Beast King’s head.

After Great Qin defeated the cockroach insect beasts, Zhao Fu collected their Nest Stones and eggs, then learned that the beasts contained life-rich stones that might be turned into potions. He ordered further research and sent people across Great Qin to gather public opinion about the recent crises.

• After the Insect Beast King died, Great Qin routed the insect tide and pursued the surviving beasts before stopping.
• Zhao Fu led his soldiers to the cockroach nest, where they cleared out the remaining defenders and collected hundreds of Nest Stones and a vast number of insect eggs.
• Back in Great Qin, Alasna told Zhao Fu that the army had lost several tens of millions of soldiers while killing three and a half billion insect beasts, earning enough points to reach one-third of the Dao-Seeking Stone’s cost.
• Researchers showed Zhao Fu a life-rich stone found inside each cockroach insect beast and said they were studying how to make its Power of Life usable by Great Qin.
• Zhao Fu ordered the researchers to report their progress and dispatched people throughout Great Qin to collect the public’s opinions and suggestions.

Zhao Fu visited a mountain village recovering from a flood and learned how the court’s inspections and strict policies affected the villagers. The village chief mistook him for a high-ranking official and brought him home to meet his family.

• Zhao Fu arrived in a flood-stricken mountain village and saw the villagers clearing mud from their fields.
• The village chief explained that officials treated the villagers respectfully and that flood relief had brought grain and seeds, but warned that complaints could be treated as rebellion.
• Zhao Fu reflected on Great Qin’s harsh measures and decided not to change the policy.
• The village chief invited Zhao Fu to lunch and introduced him to his grandson, Little Niu, hoping Zhao Fu could help the boy’s future.
• Zhao Fu gave his surname as Zhao and said he was a minor official in Xianyang, while the village chief remarked that the surname was blessed.

Zhao Fu met a village chief and his grandson, whose father had died serving in Great Qin’s army, and learned why the boy wanted to enlist. He gave the boy a token granting him admission to Qin Times Academy, leaving the boy determined to work toward protecting Great Qin.

• The village chief asked Zhao Fu to assess his grandson’s aptitude, and the boy said he wanted to follow his father into the Great Qin Army.
• Zhao Fu learned that the boy’s father had died in battle and warned that the boy might face the same fate.
• The village chief explained that Great Qin’s unification had ended years of war and that its people needed to protect their peace.
• The boy insisted that he wanted to defend Great Qin and fulfill his father’s unfinished ideal.
• Zhao Fu found the boy’s aptitude promising and gave him a Black Gold Dragon Token for free admission to Qin Times Academy.
• The boy kowtowed to Zhao Fu, thanked him, and promised to work hard.

Zhao Fu left the village and visited a pleasure boat carrying talented scholars who felt overlooked by Great Qin’s court. After hearing their accusations of factional favoritism, he wondered whether ministers were preventing capable people from serving and resolved to investigate the matter when he returned.

• Zhao Fu flew away from the village after the village chief urged the boy to study hard and serve the Great Qin Empire.
• Zhao Fu landed on Nalan Ruo’s ship, where scholars and talented young men had gathered to enjoy the river scenery.
• Nalan Ruo explained that she had invited talented people who had not been recognized by the court.
• A blue-robed young man accused court ministers of promoting their own factions, while a white-robed young man warned him that such criticism could endanger his family and friends.
• Zhao Fu claimed he was a minor official who was also overlooked, and the scholars sympathized with him.
• Nalan Ruo ended the discussion and redirected everyone’s attention to poetry and the river scenery.

Zhao Fu revealed that he could recommend talented people to meet Great Qin’s ruler and invited the scholars to present their ideas. He challenged a woman’s proposal for gender equality as impractical, then heard the blue-robed young man question Great Qin’s harsh laws.

• Zhao Fu felt out of place among the scholars trading poems, and Nalan Ruo offered him a private room.
• Zhao Fu told the blue-robed young man he could recommend him to His Majesty if he truly had talent, shocking everyone aboard the boat.
• A woman in a red palace dress proposed harsher punishment for discrimination and more publicity to advance women’s equality.
• Zhao Fu argued that rapid reforms would risk unrest and that lasting equality required gradual change within Great Qin’s ancient society.
• The blue-robed young man praised Zhao Fu’s insight and began criticizing laws that punished criminals’ families and friends along with them.

Zhao Fu explained to a group of aspiring officials why Great Qin used harsh methods to secure its rule and why poetic talent alone did not make someone fit for office. The young men reconsidered their ambitions, while Nalan Ruo suspected Zhao Fu held a high position and the group eagerly asked him about Great Qin's Majesty.

• The young man in green criticized Great Qin's punishments, treatment of conquered scholars, and destruction of books, and Zhao Fu told him he was better suited to poetry than officialdom.
• Zhao Fu explained that Great Qin used severe punishments and suppression to stabilize its rule quickly, and that officials had to consider the whole situation rather than act on compassion alone.
• The group realized that being a capable poet did not make someone a capable official, and some decided to pursue other paths while others remained determined to serve.
• Nalan Ruo admired Zhao Fu and guessed he was highly valued by Great Qin's Majesty, while Zhao Fu praised the ruler and the group asked him questions about him.

Zhao Fu saved Aru from a tiger at a remote temple and confronted the temple’s mature leader after she demanded he leave. He insisted on asking her questions, leaving her tense as she faced his threat.

• Zhao Fu left Nalan Ruo after declining to give his name or residence, and she regretted not befriending him.
• A tiger attacked the women planting cherry blossom trees near a remote temple, and Zhao Fu subdued it before it could kill Aru.
• The women thanked Zhao Fu, while Aru and the others spoke with him until their mature leader ordered them to be quiet.
• The mature woman thanked Zhao Fu for saving Aru but told him he was unwelcome and should leave.
• Zhao Fu challenged her demand by invoking Great Qin law and threatened to kill her unless she improved her attitude and answered his questions.

Zhao Fu questioned the women living in a remote cherry blossom forest and learned they had fled Great Qin after its conquest killed their families. He promised not to harm them if they submitted, while resolving to strengthen Great Qin’s control over the resentment he saw as a hidden danger.

• Zhao Fu asked the mature woman why she and her disciples lived in the mountains, and she explained they had come there six years earlier to escape war and avoid worldly affairs.
• The mature woman distrusted Zhao Fu’s assurances and refused to criticize Great Qin, so he seized her by the throat until her disciples begged him to let her go.
• The mature woman revealed that Great Qin had killed her father and taken her mother and beloved, and that her disciples had also lost their families during the conquest of their city.
• Zhao Fu considered the women and others who resented Great Qin hidden threats, and decided to strengthen surveillance and ideological control.
• Zhao Fu promised that he would not harm the women as long as they submitted to Great Qin.

Zhao Fu revealed himself as Great Qin’s ruler to the mature woman and offered her a chance to reunite with her mother and lover. After returning to Great Qin, he handled state affairs and considered how to support the families of fallen soldiers.

• Zhao Fu revealed that he was the Great Qin Imperial Prince, and the mature woman restrained her desire for revenge because her mother and lover were in his hands.
• Zhao Fu promised the mature woman a chance to see her mother and lover, and placed a restriction on the tiger so it could guard the temple.
• Zhao Fu visited several places, returned to Great Qin, and reviewed memorials about public opinion and rebuilding villages and cities.
• Zhao Fu summoned the mature woman’s mother and lover and told them she might return in a few days.
• Zhao Fu considered improving support for the families of fallen soldiers and allowing Great Qin’s dead soldiers to be buried in their hometowns if they chose.

Zhao Fu ordered Great Qin’s intelligence forces to watch for corruption and threats, then agreed to help the Second Wind God Empire resolve its natural disasters in exchange for four times the grain. The envoy accepted, and Great Qin’s Calamity Sealers were set to depart once the grain arrived.

• Zhao Fu summoned Ye Qiuye and ordered the White Sect to monitor major affairs involving court ministers and Great Qin’s policies.
• Zhao Fu ordered Eternal Night’s eleven leaders to investigate anyone who might harm Great Qin and erase them if necessary.
• Zhao Fu summoned Li Si to discuss policies for the ministers to consider at the next court assembly.
• A soldier reported that an envoy from the Second Wind God Empire had requested an audience, and Zhao Fu learned that the First Wind God Empire’s losses had weakened its ally.
• The Second Wind God Empire’s envoy asked Zhao Fu to resolve its natural disasters in exchange for grain, and Zhao Fu agreed to four times the amount requested.
• The envoy accepted Zhao Fu’s terms, and Zhao Fu said Great Qin’s Calamity Sealers would depart once the grain arrived.