Chapter Summaries

Lu Xingshi saved Xu Family Village from the Overturning Bandits and learned that banditry had spread throughout the Great Qing Dynasty after the Demon Star’s purification brought backlash upon the realm. After accepting travel money from Old Master Xu, he left before wanted notices could arrive.

• Cui Yi attacked Lu Xingshi, but Zhu Yan blocked him and Wang Cai killed him with one blow, scattering the Overturning Bandits.
• Lu Xingshi killed the Instructor with a thrown stone after the man took Old Master Xu hostage and demanded silver.
• Old Master Xu thanked Lu Xingshi and described the Great Qing Dynasty’s bandit troubles, including its three most notorious bands.
• Lu Xingshi concluded that the Demon Star’s purification had caused the dynasty’s decline and that hardship had driven people to become bandits.
• Lu Xingshi accepted one hundred taels of silver and Old Master Xu’s offer of help in Divine Capital, then left before dawn.

After leaving Xu Family Village, Lu Xingshi heard that the Yan Army had captured Su City and headed there, while his reputation as a wanted outlaw drew an offer to join the Black Mountain Thieves. He rejected the offer and decided to investigate the elusive Azure Cloud Bandits, suspecting they might have ties to the Great Qing Dynasty.

• Lu Xingshi traveled through the Great Qing Dynasty, dealt with several bands of thieves, and learned that his wanted poster described him as traveling with a huge bear and a monkey.
• Lu Xingshi learned that the Yan Army had seized Su City and that Yan Kingdom's National Luck had begun clashing with the Great Qing Dynasty's.
• Pang Fu, acting for the Black Mountain Thieves, offered Lu Xingshi their fifth seat, but Lu Xingshi refused to become a bandit.
• Pang Fu left after Wang Cai's presence discouraged him from pressing Lu Xingshi, and Lu Xingshi wondered what opportunity the three major bandit groups might hold.
• Lu Xingshi decided to target the Azure Cloud Bandits, suspecting their mysterious origins and supplies were connected to the Great Qing Dynasty.

Lu Xingshi agreed to join the Azure Cloud Bandits after Ximen Ting revealed their ties to the Imperial Court and a possible path to amnesty. He secured acceptance for his bear Wang Cai and prepared to travel with the bandits while secretly planning to wipe them out.

• Lu Xingshi met Ximen Ting, who recruited him by explaining that the Azure Cloud Bandits could receive amnesty and return to military service.
• Ximen Ting revealed that his lord wanted Lu Xingshi to manage the bandits’ horses, and Lu Xingshi agreed to join.
• Lu Xingshi offered one hundred taels of silver as his token of allegiance.
• Ximen Ting tried to make Lu Xingshi leave Wang Cai behind, but Lu Xingshi threatened to leave, so Ximen Ting accepted the bear traveling with them.
• Lu Xingshi asked where they were going next and privately resolved to wipe out the Azure Cloud Bandits.

Tian Fu planned a nighttime raid to break the Qing Army’s siege of Su City, while Lu Xingshi examined the Secret Realm’s flawed logic and the power of the Emperor’s Heavenly Mandate. The chapter left Lu Xingshi suspecting that the realm could mature despite its crude evolution.

• Tian Fu rejected his Deputy General’s suggestion to wear the Qing Army down and planned to lead Eight Hundred Iron Cavalry in a surprise camp raid, with Tian Jian protecting the retreat.
• Tian Fu and his Deputy General went to watch the Qing Army’s latest challenge, which Tian Fu expected to end in another Qing defeat.
• Lu Xingshi questioned Xi Men Ting about the Great Qing Dynasty’s power and why its Emperor could not be replaced.
• Lu Xingshi recognized that the Secret Realm’s Heavenly Mandate reversed the usual relationship between destiny and ability, and that his own chaotic Son of Heaven Destiny was growing stronger.
• Lu Xingshi concluded that the Secret Realm was an underdeveloped creation that could still be completed and grow.

Lu Xingshi was brought to the Azure Cloud Bandits’ stronghold, where he angered Chief Feng Ju by exposing the bandits’ amnesty negotiations and quietly considered how to destroy them. Meanwhile, the Great Qing Emperor appointed a Demon Star to lead three thousand soldiers against the three great bandit groups, demanding their chiefs’ heads within two months.

• Xi Men Ting brought Lu Xingshi to the Azure Cloud Bandits’ hidden stronghold, where Lu met Chief Feng Ju and learned the bandits were divided over accepting amnesty.
• Lu Xingshi revealed that Xi Men Ting had promised he could accept amnesty and made Feng Ju’s negotiations with the Imperial Court public, worsening tensions in the hall.
• Feng Ju sent Lu Xingshi away to raise horses, while Lu considered poisoning the Azure Cloud Bandits and went out to scout the stronghold for its water source.
• The Great Qing Emperor heard that his army had suffered defeats and that the amnesty effort had stalled among the bandits.
• A Demon Star volunteered to crush the Azure Cloud Bandits, and the Great Qing Emperor gave him three thousand soldiers and two months to bring back the heads of the three great bandit chiefs.

Lu Xingshi killed Feng Ju and the poisoned Azure Cloud Bandits, then revealed himself to Tan Meng as the Prince of Yan and slaughtered him and his companions. Tan Meng’s death shattered a Heavenly Spirit Star tied to the Great Qing Dynasty, and Lu Xingshi began cutting down the encircling government troops.

• Lu Xingshi explained that he had poisoned the Azure Cloud Bandits to keep Tan Meng from gaining experience, and Feng Ju died before he could finish his last words.
• Tan Meng entered the stronghold and found the bandits dead, then confronted Lu Xingshi, who seized him and identified himself as the Prince of Yan.
• Lu Xingshi snapped Tan Meng’s neck and killed Tan Meng’s Deputy General and strategist, shattering one Heavenly Spirit Star and two Earthly Fiend Stars linked to the Great Qing Dynasty.
• Government soldiers charged Lu Xingshi, but his Proud Bone and Grand Yin Killing Momentum turned them into dried corpses, prompting the rest to flee.

The Great Qing Emperor discovered that his ministers were concealing military reports and controlling what reached him, while the Yan Army exposed the corruption of the territories it conquered. The Yan Army continued its campaign against bandits as Qing loyalists attempted to assassinate Tian Fu.

• The Great Qing Emperor questioned his ministers about the Azure Cloud Bandits and the stalled campaigns against other bandits, but they resisted taking responsibility.
• An urgent messenger was killed before he could deliver his report, and the ministers claimed the rebel army near Su City was nearly defeated despite having intercepted military intelligence.
• The Great Qing Emperor gave the officials three days to deliver the rebel leader's head, suspecting that the court was deceiving him.
• Tian Fu condemned the corruption of the captured prefectural governor and learned that stolen wealth had passed through layers of officials while the Yan Army held thirty percent of Great Qing territory.
• A servant tried to stab Tian Fu, but Tian Jian smashed the attacker with his shield, prompting Tian Fu to order the bandit suppression intensified.

Lu Xingshi joined the Support Heaven Alliance at Three Rivers Stockade, intending to destroy the stronghold while pretending to help its forces. Duan Bang took him to the stables to begin training warhorses, leaving Lu Xingshi to start work before arranging food or lodging.

• Lu Xingshi learned that the Support Heaven Alliance had united bandits and other fighters to resist the Yan Army, and he decided to make Three Rivers Stockade disappear.
• Lu Xingshi presented a hundred taels of silver as his token of allegiance and joined the Support Heaven Alliance under the name Mountain-Suppressing Tiger.
• Duan Bang questioned Lu Xingshi about the Azure Cloud Bandits, but Lu Xingshi denied ever joining them and said he had come to resist the Yan Army.
• Duan Bang asked Lu Xingshi to use his Beast Taming skills to help the alliance with its shortage of warhorses, and Lu Xingshi agreed to assess them first.
• Duan Bang led Lu Xingshi straight to the stables, where Lu Xingshi realized he was expected to start work immediately.

Treasure Stealing Sable Zhang Yi told the Great Qing Emperor that the court had hidden the realm’s collapse and forged orders that condemned Ren Wen, then obtained an edict to save him. After Zhang Yi left, eunuchs and guards broke into the Emperor’s chamber and strangled him, planning to blame him for the chaos.

• Zhang Yi sneaked into the palace and explained the Support Heaven Alliance’s campaigns and the losses to the Yan Bandits and Northern Barbarians.
• Zhang Yi told the Great Qing Emperor that Ren Wen had been framed and faced execution under a forged imperial edict.
• The Great Qing Emperor issued and sealed an edict to save Ren Wen, and asked Zhang Yi to tell Ren Wen and the alliance that he wished to purge his entourage.
• Zhang Yi left the palace, while the Great Qing Emperor resolved to trust no one and considered strengthening the guards.
• Eunuchs and armored guards broke into the Emperor’s chamber, pinned him down, and strangled him with white silk while planning to stage his death as suicide.

Lu Xingshi destroyed Three Rivers Stockade, killed Duan Bang and another Heavenly Spirit Star, and realized the Great Qing Emperor had died as the dynasty’s Heavenly Mandate collapsed. Meanwhile, Tian Fu crushed a Support Heaven Alliance night raid and executed officials who had secretly aided it, while Lu Xingshi planned to eliminate the remaining threats to the Yan Army.

• Lu Xingshi drowned Duan Bang, caught a wounded Heavenly Spirit Star’s spear, and beheaded him before cutting off Duan Bang’s head as well.
• The Scarlet Flame Golden Peng lost its flames, began to decay, and had its head severed, leading Lu Xingshi to conclude that the Great Qing Emperor had died and the imperial family’s name and authority had fallen into others’ hands.
• Lu Xingshi attributed the Great Qing’s failures partly to his amplified Mandate of Heaven and planned to wipe out the Black Mountain Thieves before attacking the Support Heaven Alliance and the remaining Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends.
• Tian Fu learned that the Yan Army had repelled a Support Heaven Alliance night raid and ordered the execution of officials who had secretly supplied the alliance with information.
• Tian Fu’s deputy reported rumors that Lu Xingshi had destroyed the Azure Cloud Bandits, and Tian Fu accepted that the Great King’s actions were difficult to fathom.

Lu Xingshi burned Black Mountain Stronghold and wiped out most of the Support Heaven Alliance leaders after the Qing court’s persecution threw the empire into chaos. He discovered that Dark Cloud Python You Han and Treasure Stealing Sable Zhang Yi were still missing, and decided to pursue You Han first.

• Lu Xingshi infiltrated Black Mountain Stronghold disguised as a survivor, set it ablaze, and learned that the Qing court had branded the Support Heaven Alliance rebels and beheaded its front-line commander.
• The court’s turmoil led a Grand Tutor to seize the throne and found the Jie Dynasty, but Lu Xingshi judged from the Heavenly Mandate that the usurper would die within two days.
• Black Heaven King Ma Ran confronted Lu Xingshi at the burning stronghold, and Lu Xingshi killed Ma Ran and the other leaders who attacked him.
• Lu Xingshi noticed that one Heavenly Spirit and one Earthly Fiend had escaped the slaughter, then identified them as You Han and Zhang Yi.
• Lu Xingshi concluded that You Han had likely fled after reading the danger and planned to go to Southern Cave Mountain to find him, while leaving Zhang Yi’s search for later.

Zhang Yi hid in Purple Kirin Pavilion with the infant Emperor Qing and found Golden Cloud Celestial Master's diary, which described the sealing of a Demon Star and pointed toward Purple Kirin Mountain. Meanwhile, Tian Fu rejected the Fan Dynasty's proposed alliance and threatened to conquer it after destroying the Qing Dynasty.

• Zhang Yi hid with Emperor Qing in Purple Kirin Pavilion after fleeing his pursuers and discovered the pavilion was missing from the palace map.
• Zhang Yi found Golden Cloud Celestial Master's diary, read about the Demon Star sealed in the imperial palace, and decided to keep the book for You Han to examine.
• Zhang Yi suspected Golden Cloud Celestial Master might have deliberately left the diary behind to build his reputation.
• Tian Fu dismissed the Fan Envoy's proposal to divide the Qing Dynasty equally and declared that Yan would take both the Qing and Fan Dynasties.
• The Fan Envoy left the Yan Army camp, while Tian Fu reiterated that the Fan Dynasty would be his next target after the Qing Dynasty.

After learning the Support Heaven Alliance had been destroyed, Zhang Yi and You Han fled the Divine Capital with the Little Emperor. You Han read Golden Cloud Celestial Master's Diary, glimpsed the Qing Dynasty’s failing Heavenly Mandate, and devised a secret plan, while the Fan King resolved to unite other nations against the Yan Army.

• Zhang Yi learned the Support Heaven Alliance had been destroyed, and You Han calmed him before agreeing to return to Black Mountain Stronghold and then seek refuge at Southern Cave Mountain if needed.
• You Han led Zhang Yi and the Little Emperor out of the Divine Capital along a route he had prepared, and Zhang Yi told him about Purple Kirin Pavilion and Golden Cloud Celestial Master's Diary.
• You Han read the diary, used the Qi Observation Technique to glimpse a crippled Scarlet Flame Golden Peng surrounded by circling stars, and told Zhang Yi he had a secret plan to defeat the Yan Army.
• The Fan King heard from his National Preceptor that the Yan Army’s shifting Heavenly Mandate surpassed both Southern Qing and Great Fan.
• The Fan King decided to bring Southern Qing and other nations together to resist the Yan Army.

Lu Xingshi found that Dharma Master Qingjian had been murdered by his disciples and uncovered a hidden letter revealing You Han’s identity as a Heavenly Spirit Star. He forced the conspirators to spread news intended to draw You Han back, then noticed that You Han’s star had begun to glow faintly.

• Lu Xingshi threatened the Mysterious Sect feather-robed priests and learned that Dharma Master Qingjian had left a letter for You Han.
• Lu Xingshi read the letter’s hidden message, which revealed You Han’s Heavenly Spirit Star identity and warned him not to challenge the Heavenly Mandate.
• Lu Xingshi ordered the feather-robed priests to publicize Qingjian’s death and claim that they had poisoned him, hoping to bring You Han to Southern Cave Mountain.
• The feather-robed priests yielded to Lu Xingshi’s threats and promises of a possible escape.
• Lu Xingshi checked the Heavenly Mandate and saw that the star representing You Han had begun to shine with faint, ghostly light.

You Han revealed that he and Zhang Yi were Demon Stars and used Zhang Yi to gather the demonic nature of the seventy-two Earthly Fiends. After absorbing all 108 Demon Stars’ demonic nature, You Han transformed, and Lu Xingshi witnessed the change through the Son of Heaven Destiny.

• You Han told Zhang Yi that they were a Heavenly Spirit Star and an Earthly Fiend Star, born to end the Qing Dynasty but captured and bound to serve it.
• You Han explained that he planned to reunite the Demon Stars’ demonic nature and said Zhang Yi would serve as the catalyst for gathering the Earthly Fiend Stars’ power.
• You Han revealed that he had drugged Zhang Yi and drew the demonic nature of the seventy-two Earthly Fiend Demon Stars out of him, killing him.
• You Han gathered all 108 strands of demonic nature, endured a violent transformation, and gained the memories and abilities of the other Demon Stars.
• Lu Xingshi saw the Heavenly Spirit Star swallow the Earthly Fiend Star and expand into a single Demon Star marked with all thirty-six Heavenly Spirit patterns and seventy-two Earthly Fiend patterns.

Lu Xingshi tested You Han’s newly acquired Demon Star powers by sending Wang Cai and Zhu Yan to fight him. After You Han defeated both beasts and grew more proficient in combat, Lu Xingshi prepared to face him himself.

• You Han recognized Lu Xingshi as the Mountain-Suppressing Tiger Lu Grand Protector and attacked him, but Lu Xingshi sent Wang Cai to test You Han’s strength.
• You Han blocked Wang Cai’s swipe and knocked him down with one punch, while Lu Xingshi healed the bear with True Qi.
• Zhu Yan attacked You Han with its iron rod, forcing him to defend and adapt as the fight continued.
• Lu Xingshi realized You Han was absorbing other beings’ abilities and growth rather than evolving through his own talent.
• You Han struck Zhu Yan hard enough to send it flying, and Lu Xingshi caught the monkey before it hit the ground.
• You Han challenged Lu Xingshi to fight, and Lu Xingshi agreed, hoping You Han would not die too quickly.

Lu Xingshi defeated You Han and learned how the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends had shaped his fate, then revealed that he was the Prince of Yan. After You Han shared his knowledge and Lu Xingshi sent Wang Cai and Zhu Yan to kill the disciples who had murdered You Han’s master, You Han died by suicide.

• Lu Xingshi knocked You Han down with a single punch and questioned him about the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends.
• You Han explained that he had learned about the Demon Stars from Golden Cloud Celestial Master's journal, and Lu Xingshi speculated that the journal was part of a hidden Secret Realm thread.
• Lu Xingshi gave You Han Dharma Master Qingjian’s final letter and revealed that he had targeted the Support Heaven Alliance because it obstructed his path to wealth.
• You Han deduced that Lu Xingshi controlled the Yan Army, and Lu Xingshi confirmed that he was the Prince of Yan.
• You Han offered his knowledge in exchange for Lu Xingshi killing the disciples who had murdered their master, and Lu Xingshi sent Wang Cai and Zhu Yan to carry out the killings.
• You Han spent hours sharing his knowledge, then died by suicide as Lu Xingshi tried to ask him about his expressive eyes.

Lu Xingshi returned to Tian Fu’s camp as the Yan Army faced a combined force of 150,000 around Divine Capital. He agreed to lead an assault on the city, while considering whether to develop his cultivation technique further or pursue the broader Son of Heaven Destiny.

• Tian Fu dismissed Divine Capital’s nobles’ offer to surrender in exchange for restored ranks and learned that the Fan King’s 100,000-strong army could arrive within half a month.
• Lu Xingshi arrived at Tian Fu’s camp and explained that he had dealt with the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Demon Stars.
• Tian Fu told Lu Xingshi that the Yan Army could not defeat the 50,000 troops in Divine Capital and the approaching 100,000 reinforcements together.
• Lu Xingshi proposed killing the forces in Divine Capital and then defeating the incoming army, and Tian Fu planned an assault with Lu Xingshi leading the charge.
• After Tian Fu went to prepare the troops, Lu Xingshi pondered whether to refine his cultivation technique or develop the Son of Heaven Destiny as a whole.

Lu Xingshi shattered the Divine Capital’s walls with Divine Weapon Full Moon, allowing Tian Fu’s forces to seize the city and its imperial palace. After arranging supplies and the fate of prisoners, Lu Xingshi considered moving the Secret Realm’s population into Yan and turning the emptied realm into farmland.

• Lu Xingshi fired a Giant Wolf-shaped Qi Arrow that destroyed the Divine Capital’s battlements and killed the garrison commander.
• Tian Fu ordered Tian Jian and Wang Cai to lead the assault, and Lu Xingshi’s forces took control of the city and palace.
• Lu Xingshi rebuffed a Fan Dynasty General who questioned his identity and directed a Qing prisoner seeking surrender to Tian Fu.
• Tian Fu told Lu Xingshi the city was secured and asked how to handle the remaining army, so Lu Xingshi provided food and ordered investigations into the prisoners’ leaders and clans.
• Tian Fu proposed bringing the Secret Realm’s able-bodied population into Yan, and Lu Xingshi saw the emptied realm as an ideal place for farming.

The Fan King learned that Divine Capital had fallen, while the Fan Dynasty’s National Preceptor died after Lu Xingshi countered his hostile use of the Qi Observation Technique. Lu Xingshi reflected on the attack’s limits and wondered whether its power came from the Secret Realm or the recovery of the world’s spiritual energy.

• The Fan King questioned a fleeing soldier about Divine Capital’s fall, but the National Preceptor rejected the claim that Prince of Yan had destroyed a city tower with one arrow.
• The Fan King ordered the soldier beheaded, and the National Preceptor stayed silent rather than challenge him.
• A sandstorm toppled the army’s grand banner, and the National Preceptor saw a Giant Wolf before collapsing.
• The army physician said the National Preceptor was beyond saving, so the Fan King ordered the physician beheaded; the National Preceptor then died.
• Lu Xingshi explained that he had counterattacked the National Preceptor for spying on his Son of Heaven Destiny with hostile intent.
• Lu Xingshi considered whether the mental attack depended on the Secret Realm or spiritual-energy recovery, then decided the answer would not affect his use of it.