Chapter Summaries

Huo Ling’s demon army routed the Ante Empire’s cavalry and advanced on its infantry, forcing the duke to abandon his plan and confront Huo Ling. The chapter ended with Huo Ling and the Ante Sanctuaries taking to the air as a battle between Sanctuaries began outside Bru City.

• Huo Ling killed the old marquis commanding the Ante cavalry while demon infantry held against repeated charges.
• Demon cavalry struck the Ante cavalry from both flanks as the infantry closed in, breaking the force of more than ten thousand men and hunting down the retreating survivors.
• The Ante duke watched the defeat and ordered a seasoned general to take command of the army.
• The Ante duke challenged Huo Ling, who accepted, while Augustine led the Sanctuaries out of Bru City and the Sanctuary battle began.

Huo Ling fought off the Saint Realm warriors and casters besieging him while Augustine struggled to supply the mana for his projection. After killing another Saint Realm, Huo Ling unleashed his full dragon might and Fear Aura, threatening the enemies across the battlefield.

• Huo Ling battled two Saint Realm warriors and two casters, dispelling their negative spells and overpowering their attacks while Augustine consumed mana potions to sustain the projection.
• Huo Ling scattered an offensive spell with his halberd, endured the duke's assault, and burned one Saint Realm warrior to death with dragon breath.
• Huo Ling turned his attention to the duke and continued fighting while Xili countered one caster and the other Ante caster failed to significantly restrain him.
• Huo Ling used Molten Power to grow larger than eight meters and unleash flames, dragon might, and his Fear Aura across the battlefield.
• Huo Ling declared that his enemies should offer up their fear and return to death.

Huo Ling used his dragon might and Fear Aura to weaken the Ante Empire’s army, then attacked its command platform with Massive Flameburst. The platform was destroyed, and the general who had tried to hold the troops together died after enduring the blast.

• Huo Ling’s dragon might and Fear Aura terrified the Ante Empire’s soldiers and weakened their ability to fight the Demon Army.
• The Ante Empire’s general ordered supervisory troops to punish deserters and sent reserves to reinforce the line.
• Huo Ling forced the Duke back, cast Massive Flameburst, strengthened it with dragon breath, and hurled it at the command platform.
• The command platform’s defensive shield held for several seconds before the fireball shattered it and destroyed the platform.
• The general endured the explosion with his battle aura and a shield, but he was left blind and died on the battlefield.

Huo Ling killed the Ante Empire’s duke and sealed the battlefield against teleportation, triggering the collapse of the enemy army’s morale. He advanced on the mage corps as its two Sanctuary spellcasters tried to escape and strengthen their defenses.

• Huo Ling overwhelmed the duke with his attacks, then killed him with dragonfire.
• Huo Ling cast Greater Spatial Locks infused with the Teri Plane’s rule, sealing the area against Teleportation.
• Huo Ling held up the duke’s corpse and demanded the Ante Empire soldiers surrender, causing many to flee or drop their weapons.
• Huo Ling advanced toward the Ante mage corps, growing stronger as he drew on the power of his rules.
• The two Sanctuary spellcasters began trying to dispel Huo Ling’s spatial seal and reinforce their defensive shield.

Huo Ling battered the Ante Mage Corps' defensive shield until it collapsed, then deceived two Sanctuary casters who surrendered into handing over their equipment. He killed them as they removed their robes.

• Huo Ling attacked the mage corps' shield with spells, dragon claws, and breath while Xili's court mages supported him.
• Greater Spatial Lock trapped the Ante casters, and the Ante Empire's army outside fled or surrendered.
• After more than half a magic hour, Huo Ling tore through the shield and forced the two Sanctuary casters to surrender.
• Huo Ling persuaded the casters to hand over their equipment and remove their robes, then pierced them and crushed their hearts.

Huo Ling slaughtered the Ante Empire’s surrendered spellcasters and pursued the fleeing Saint-domain experts, leaving only one of the empire’s eight Saint-domain warriors alive. Augustine sacrificed the corpses to Huo Ling and pressed the victory by turning captives into troops and attacking border noble families.

• Huo Ling killed the Saint-domain spellcasters who had surrendered, then flew after the three fleeing enemy Saint-domain experts.
• Xili confronted Huo Ling for destroying potential allies, while Augustine tried to console him about the decision.
• Huo Ling returned with two captured Saint-domain corpses; seven of the Ante Empire’s eight Saint-domain experts had died at his hands.
• Augustine arranged for the enemy corpses to be sacrificed to Huo Ling, who planned to turn the dead spellcasters into undead or liches.
• Augustine converted nearly ten thousand captured soldiers into his own troops and led them to attack noble families along the Ante Empire’s border.

Augustine’s army swept through Ante Empire territory after its devastating defeat, while Huo Ling searched the fallen nobles’ cemetery and collected corpses for sacrifice to Purgatory. The Alto Kingdom’s advance continued as Ante nobles resisted or surrendered.

• Augustine led a force of about forty-five thousand troops into the Ante Empire, using captured soldiers as the vanguard and rewarding those who served him.
• The Ante Emperor summoned the nobles’ private soldiers to resist Augustine’s counterattack.
• After capturing a noble family’s castle at great cost, Augustine ordered its male descendants executed and awarded its female relatives to soldiers who had earned merit.
• Huo Ling entered the family cemetery and took a preserved Saint Domain corpse and more than a dozen Gold-tier corpses.
• Huo Ling’s projection continued with the army, planning to give the collected corpses to Augustine for sacrifice to Purgatory.
• Augustine’s army kept advancing, and most Ante nobles who resisted were killed in battle or executed.

Huo Ling advised Augustine on how to keep the conquered Ante territories under royal control while rewarding nobles for their military service. Augustine was left considering a plan that would preserve centralized rule without granting nobles actual fiefs.

• Huo Ling took corpses from battlefields and noble graveyards, adding the remains of three Saint Realm warriors and one Saint Realm caster to his gains.
• Augustine discussed the conquered territories with Xili, who urged him to grant lands to nobles so they could govern them and support further advances.
• Augustine said he did not want to grant away the conquered territories, shocking Xili, who warned that the nobles would resist if the royal family claimed them all.
• Huo Ling argued that enfeoffed nobles would weaken royal authority and advised Augustine to keep most territories under royal control while granting some lands to great nobles.
• Huo Ling proposed using descendants of noble families as prefecture and county officials, and rewarding nobles with titles and tax revenues from royal lands without letting them govern those lands.

Augustine used Huo Ling’s advice to begin reforming the Alto Kingdom while continuing his conquest of the Ante Empire. Huo Ling withdrew from the Teri Plane after completing his goals there, then returned to Red Dog City to prepare to comprehend the Spirit Realm’s rules.

• Augustine rewarded some nobles with conquered lands and appointed noble descendants as officials, establishing a bureaucratic system across the Alto Kingdom.
• Huo Ling returned his consciousness to Purgatory after earning resources and learning the Teri Plane’s complete rules, intending to harvest Augustine’s kingdom once the conquest was complete.
• Huo Ling brought pregnant Shen Tinghan to the Spirit Realm and left her to rest in a courtyard from the Shen family’s dowry.
• Huo Ling traveled through Blue Star to Red Dog City, where Wilmot had expanded the city with workers recruited by An Ruirui.
• Huo Ling returned to his mountain dragon nest, piled up magicstones beside the lava, and settled onto them in his red dragon form.

Huo Ling analyzed the Spirit Realm’s rules and mastered a complete fire rule while continuing to search for more. Meanwhile, Shen Tinghan went into labor under the protection of the Shen family and Huo Ling’s undead guards.

• Huo Ling followed secondary rules through the sea of rules and began analyzing the Spirit Realm’s complete rules.
• Huo Ling mastered a complete fire rule, causing a branch of the Tree of the Dead to sprout flame-like leaves.
• Huo Ling continued analyzing rules, resting when his soul grew exhausted and checking for messages about his undead forces in Purgatory.
• Huo Ling’s Sanctuary undead protected Shen Tinghan at the Shen family estate while caregivers attended her delivery.
• Shen Tianyu waited outside the delivery room and imagined using his grandson to form further marriage alliances for the Shen family.

Shen Tianyu welcomed Shen Tinghan’s extraordinary dragonkin baby, while Huo Ling sensed his second son’s birth and broke through to the Legendary rank. The chapter ended with Huo Ling’s power surging as his Tree of the Dead grew stronger.

• Shen Tianyu entered the delivery room and saw that Shen Tinghan’s newborn had dragon horns, scales, wings, and the ability to speak.
• The baby rejected Shen Tianyu and flew into Shen Tinghan’s arms, calling her Mommy.
• Huo Ling sensed the birth of his second son while analyzing rules in the Spirit Realm.
• Huo Ling chose to stop suppressing his growing power and began breaking through the Legendary bottleneck.
• Huo Ling broke through to the Legendary rank, and the power of his mastered rules strengthened his body, soul, and Tree of the Dead.

Huo Ling completed his advancement to legend after the Tree of the Dead became the Dead World Tree and began forming a plane. He revealed his new status to Red Dog City and gathered its people to proclaim himself a legendary mage and dragon.

• The Tree of the Dead advanced into the Dead World Tree and began forming a plane as Huo Ling absorbed rule power.
• Huo Ling chose to enhance his mental power, completing his advancement to legend.
• Huo Ling's roar drew Wilmot out of the laboratory, and Huo Ling confirmed that he had become a legend.
• Wilmot celebrated Huo Ling's advancement, and Huo Ling promised to help him return home in glory.
• Huo Ling climbed the city's altar and ordered Red Dog City's gathered residents to kneel before the legendary mage and dragon.

After returning to Blue Star, Huo Ling caused a vast cloud vortex that alarmed Southern Heaven City, but local experts realized he was a newly advanced native Legend. He restrained his aura and was welcomed by astonished Saint Domain experts who learned he had reached Legend at only thirty.

• Huo Ling returned through a portal to Southern Heaven City, where Blue Star’s planar will gathered clouds in response to his powerful aura.
• The city’s mayor called the military district for help, and a stationed Legend reassured him that a newly advanced native Legend had returned.
• A Southern Heaven University dean recognized Huo Ling, greeted him, and explained how to conceal his aura.
• Huo Ling learned the concealment method and stopped the disturbance, causing the cloud vortex to disappear.
• Saint Domain experts from across the city arrived, recognized Huo Ling, and were shocked that he had become a Legend at thirty.

Huo Ling left Southern Heaven City as a newly advanced Dragonblood Legend, while local elites regretted having once passed up the chance to ally with him. After traveling through the interdimensional portal toward New Southern City, he left a group of Southern Heaven University hunters in awe, including a former classmate still stuck at Black Iron rank.

• New Southern City’s Holy Domain experts regretted rejecting Huo Ling’s marriage alliance after recognizing him as a thirty-year-old Dragonblood Legend.
• The mayor of Southern Heaven City invited Huo Ling to meet the provincial governor, and Huo Ling agreed to visit after going to New Southern City to see the principal.
• Huo Ling dismissed the crowd’s offers to attend his Legend celebration, opened a teleportation gate, and appeared at the interdimensional portal.
• Huo Ling considered the enormous costs of magical construction and research before using the portal at full capacity, temporarily blinding the onlookers.
• Southern Heaven University hunters praised Huo Ling’s power, and their captain revealed that he had studied with Huo Ling but remained at Black Iron rank.

Huo Ling arrived in New Southern City as a newly advanced Legend and received a grand welcome from You Taining and the city’s officials. He entered You Taining’s mage tower for a conversation, reflecting that this might be his last visit there.

• Huo Ling teleported from the Spirit Realm to New Southern City and surveyed the city’s protective runes and You Taining’s mage tower.
• You Taining learned that Huo Ling had become a Legend and sent Ma Zhou and Secretary Liu to arrange a welcoming ceremony.
• Shen Tianyu discovered that the arriving Legend was his son-in-law, Huo Ling, and waited with the welcoming party at the portal.
• Huo Ling emerged from the portal, greeted You Taining, Shen Tianyu, and Ma Zhou, and rode to the mage tower in a ceremonial carriage.
• Huo Ling entered You Taining’s mage tower and recognized its runes and defenses, thinking this might be his last time there.

Huo Ling met with You Taining after advancing to Legend, agreed to continue their demon-materials business, and received materials on Legendary cultivation. He returned home to reunite with his family, who celebrated his rise and benefited from the wealth and opportunities he provided.

• Huo Ling met You Taining in the mage tower and realized the principal was at least a sixth-stage Legendary spellcaster.
• You Taining asked about Huo Ling's future plans, and Huo Ling indicated he would keep working with New Southern City.
• You Taining gave Huo Ling a ring containing materials on Legendary cultivation, and they discussed cultivation for several days.
• Huo Ling returned home to An Ruirui and Shen Tinghan, while his family celebrated his advancement to Legend.
• Huo Ling's second younger brother reached veteran Silver, and his third younger brother awakened with good aptitude after Huo Ling supplied equipment and potions.

Huo Ling reflected on the advantages his rise to Legend had brought his family, including the enhanced bloodlines of his sons, who slept in a guarded cultivation chamber. At You Taining’s banquet in New Southern City, Huo Ling drew intense attention but focused on attracting investments for developing his Spirit Realm territory.

• Huo Ling’s rise to Legend improved his sons’ bloodlines and raised expectations that Huo Chengguang and Huo Chengzong could reach Sanctuary.
• Huo Ling visited Huo Chengguang and Huo Chengzong as they slept atop piles of magic stones while Death Guards and liches watched over them.
• You Taining held a grand banquet to celebrate Huo Ling’s arrival, where great families and female relatives sought his attention and his younger brothers’ attention.
• Huo Ling declined to pursue marriage alliances with the gathered families and instead chatted with guests while preparing to attract investments.
• Huo Ling planned to shift his work toward developing his Spirit Realm territory and turning it into a source of wealth.

An envoy from the Heavenly Emperor arrived to confer a noble title and official honor on Huo Ling. Huo Ling accepted the decree and became Stone Creek Viscount and a Third-Rank Protector of the Realm Mage.

• The mayor of Southern Heaven City escorted the imperial envoy and his guards through the teleportation gate to meet Huo Ling.
• Huo Ling received the envoy and gathered his wives and servants to hear the Heavenly Emperor's decree.
• The envoy named Huo Ling Stone Creek Viscount and granted him the honorary rank of Third-Rank Protector of the Realm Mage.
• Huo Ling accepted the decree and was told he did not need to attend court until the Heavenly Emperor returned to Blue Star.

After planning development across his territories, Huo Ling established Huo Corporation and sought support from Gu Zhengyuan for his Spirit Realm territory. He presented Gu Zhengyuan with a resource-rich region to vet, offering him a substantial stake in its development.

• Huo Ling reviewed his plans for Purgatory, the Teri Plane, and his Spirit Realm territory, deciding to focus on building a teleportation gate and developing plantations and breeding farms.
• Huo Ling established Huo Corporation, with divisions for military industries, real estate, commerce, and security.
• Huo Ling met with Gu Zhengyuan in the Southern Heaven Province governor's office and presented his territory development proposal.
• Huo Ling asked Gu Zhengyuan to vet a large region containing mineral resources and land suitable for plantations.

Huo Ling discussed developing his new territory with Gu Zhengyuan, who offered administrative help and an interest-free loan for a permanent teleportation gate in Southern Heaven City. After accepting an invitation to a banquet, Huo Ling began considering powerful families for marriage alliances.

• Gu Zhengyuan agreed to give Huo Ling access to administrative talent from provincial universities and recommend capable officials, while advising him to seek help through marriage alliances.
• Gu Zhengyuan offered Huo Ling an interest-free loan of five hundred million magic stones, stipulating that the permanent teleportation gate had to be built in Southern Heaven City.
• Huo Ling declined an offer of troops, explaining that native forces and undead soldiers could defend the territory at first.
• Gu Zhengyuan and Huo Ling discussed territorial development for more than half a day, and Gu invited Huo Ling to a banquet.
• Huo Ling accepted the invitation and began researching powerful families in Southern Heaven Province as potential marriage-alliance partners.