Recaps

Li Xuancang survived Mountain-Splitting Lord’s attempt to take him down with him, but returned to the gorge badly wounded and ordered the gathered factions to leave. He let the Profound Heart Sect stay, while the Blacksteel Camp blocked the exits and the factions still refusing to leave faced a standoff.

• Li Xuancang escaped the explosion, retrieved Mountain-Splitting Lord’s still-beating heart, and resolved not to underestimate other Profound Connection Realm experts again.
• Li Xuancang returned to the gorge and gave everyone a quarter of an hour to leave the cave estate, claiming it belonged to Great Yan.
• Liu Feiyan thanked Li Xuancang for saving her, then led the injured Profound Sword Sect disciples away.
• Li Xuancang allowed Zhao Wuji and the Profound Heart Sect to remain and compete for the inheritance.
• Li Xuancang ordered the Blacksteel Camp to seal the gorge’s entrances and exits, prompting most factions to leave while the Profound Purity Sect, Spirit Sword Sect, and some Rogue Cultivators stayed.

Li Xuancang slaughtered those who refused to leave, broke the barrier around the cave abode, and entered with the Profound Heart Sect and Blacksteel Camp. Inside, tainted spiritual energy and absolute darkness trapped the group as an unseen attacker began striking them.

• Li Xuancang killed Sun He and the remaining holdouts who had ignored his warning to leave.
• Li Xuancang broke the barrier by repeatedly punching it, then opened the bronze gates and entered the cave abode with the others.
• Those who had fled returned and forced their way inside, drawn by the inheritance and the powerful spiritual energy.
• Li Xuancang sensed danger in the spiritual energy and warned everyone not to inhale it, but the cave abode shook and plunged them into darkness.
• Cultivators began coughing and burning from the tainted energy, while unseen attacks triggered screams; Zhao Wuji told everyone not to strike blindly.

Li Xuancang’s group escaped the darkness and entered an underground palace, where they discovered an Evil Cultivator being reborn from a blood-colored vortex. Zhao Wuji realized the cave dwelling had been a trap, and the survivors faced the prospect of dying when the rebirth was complete.

• Li Xuancang illuminated the darkness with his Blood Qi Force, revealing bat-like attackers, while his group searched for an exit.
• A deadly spirit-pattern formation slaughtered many later arrivals and dragged their corpses toward a black vortex.
• Tao Tianyang and the Prison Tiger Bureau arrived outside and began setting up the Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing Formation, accepting that it would trap anyone still inside.
• Li Xuancang’s group reached the underground palace, where they counted more than a hundred Blacksteel Camp deaths and found five Profound Heart Sect disciples missing.
• A pale man emerged from the blood-colored vortex as his overwhelming aura injured the cultivators; Zhao Wuji recognized that the dead were sacrifices for the Evil Cultivator’s rebirth.

Li Xuancang battled the newly revived Blood Sea Old Devil in the underground palace, where the ancient Evil Cultivator sought to claim Li Xuancang’s powerful body. Li Xuancang’s strength surprised Blood Sea Old Devil, but the fight continued with neither side defeated.

• Li Xuancang struck the vortex repeatedly, but Blood Sea Old Devil completed his rebirth and blasted Li Xuancang backward with his evil aura, killing over a hundred Blacksteel Camp soldiers.
• Blood Sea Old Devil emerged from the shrinking vortex and identified Li Xuancang as valuable prey, while Zhao Wuji recognized him as the legendary Blood Sea Old Devil.
• Li Xuancang charged Blood Sea Old Devil and forced him back with a punch that dimmed the black rune in his palm.
• Blood Sea Old Devil dodged Li Xuancang’s next punch and attacked from behind, but Li Xuancang deflected the claw with his elbow, leaving his armor torn and his flesh unharmed.
• Li Xuancang dismissed Blood Sea Old Devil’s questions and launched a storm of punches at him.

Li Xuancang fought Blood Sea Old Devil, whose superior combat skill and corrosive attacks steadily wore him down despite his formidable body and healing. Blood Sea Old Devil praised Li Xuancang’s strength and revealed that his soul had repelled three attempts to attack it.

• Li Xuancang’s punches failed to break through Blood Sea Old Devil’s shield, and Blood Sea Old Devil wounded him with Bone-Eroding Spirit Light.
• Li Xuancang caught and broke Blood Sea Old Devil’s black spear, but Blood Sea Old Devil struck him through a stone wall and injured him further.
• Blood Sea Old Devil criticized Li Xuancang’s crude fighting, prompting Li Xuancang to add feints and variations to his attacks.
• Blood Sea Old Devil continued landing corrosive attacks while Li Xuancang fought for hours, leaving him covered in wounds and nearing his body’s limit.
• Blood Sea Old Devil told Li Xuancang that his soul had rebounded three soul attacks and studied him with fervent admiration.

Blood Sea Old Devil offered Li Xuancang discipleship, but Li Xuancang refused to yield and prepared to fight. The Prison Tiger Bureau’s Demon-Subduing Force struck the underground palace, letting Li Xuancang and the other captives escape as Blood Sea Old Devil was wounded.

• Blood Sea Old Devil offered to take Li Xuancang as his disciple and promised to help him reach greater strength, but Li Xuancang rejected him and challenged him to fight.
• Blood Sea Old Devil summoned countless resentful souls to attack Li Xuancang, but violent tremors broke through the underground palace ceiling.
• Golden Demon-Subduing Force poured into the palace, destroying the creatures and Evil Cultivators and weakening Blood Sea Old Devil.
• Blood Sea Old Devil recognized the Prison Tiger Bureau’s power and was struck by a golden pillar of light, leaving him badly wounded.
• Li Xuancang urged the others to flee, and the group escaped to the entrance, where Prison Tiger Bureau members were surprised to see several thousand survivors.

Li Xuancang, Shen Chongyuan, and Prison Tiger Bureau fighters joined forces against the Blood River Old Devil as the Demon-Suppression Formation threatened everyone trapped inside. The formation’s final strike engulfed the devil after Li Xuancang stopped his escape.

• Tao Tianyang refused to release Li Xuancang and the others, explaining that opening the barrier would undo the seal on the Blood Sea Old Devil.
• Shen Chongyuan joined Li Xuancang, and Tao Tianyang entered the formation with two Profound Connection Realm experts to attack the Blood River Old Devil.
• Li Xuancang and Shen Chongyuan joined the Prison Tiger Bureau fighters in a five-on-one assault, wounding the Blood River Old Devil.
• Tao Tianyang and the other two bound the Blood River Old Devil with Demon-Subduing chains and prepared the formation’s final strike.
• The Blood River Old Devil broke free and tried to flee, but Li Xuancang punched him back into the Demon-Subduing light, which engulfed him.

After the Demon-Suppression Light destroyed the underground palace, Li Xuancang returned to Sweet Spring Commandery and learned that Li Ling'er was safe with the Profound Heart Sect. A month later, the Imperial Court ordered Shen Chongyuan to take the Cool Prefecture Army to fight Prince Fu’s rebellion, threatening the power he had built in Cool Prefecture.

• Li Xuancang shielded thousands from the Demon-Suppression Light, then returned to the commandery city with Mountain-Splitting Lord’s heart sealed in a spirit-jade box.
• Ouyang De reported that Li Ling'er had become Elder Qingxuan’s disciple, and Li Xuancang resolved to punish Zhang Cuier for betraying his trust.
• Dong Linghui delivered the requested pills and more than ten million taels from the sale of Demonic Beasts, and Li Xuancang distributed the pills to Ouyang De and the others.
• Liu Jin delivered an imperial edict ordering Shen Chongyuan to lead the Cool Prefecture Army to the front within twenty days to suppress Zhu Huan’s rebellion.
• Shen Chongyuan accepted the edict despite fearing that leaving Cool Prefecture would let Li Xuancang take control of his territory.

Shen Chongyuan led the Cool Prefecture Army toward Cloud Prefecture under the Imperial Court’s orders, while Li Xuancang recognized that the Court might eventually turn against him too. The Grassland People chose to invade Great Li instead of Cool Prefecture, and Li Xuancang worried that the Imperial Court’s war against Prince Fu was going badly.

• Shen Chongyuan reluctantly ordered the Cool Prefecture Army to march for Cloud Prefecture after realizing he could not defy the Imperial Court.
• Li Xuancang reflected that the Court could discard him once he was no longer useful, and resolved that strength was the surest protection against its schemes.
• The people of Cool Prefecture mostly celebrated the army’s departure, while the Grassland People decided to invade Great Li rather than challenge Li Xuancang.
• After more than a month passed without a grassland attack, Li Xuancang noted his growing strength and worried about the Imperial Court’s worsening war against Prince Fu.

On the battlefield in Spirit Yang Prefecture, the Imperial Court's army struggled against Cloud Prefecture's relentless assault and the Evil Cultivators' corpse-controlling arts. After a costly day of fighting, Zhu Xuanye's forces withdrew to their defensive line and called for reinforcements.

• Evil Cultivators used drumbeats to raise fallen soldiers as corpses, and Zhu Xuanye ordered Shen Chongyuan to lead the Cool Prefecture Army against the enemy's left flank.
• The Cool Prefecture Army collapsed in battle because many of its soldiers were inexperienced civilians, and Zhu Xuanye sent Du Tianhao's troops to support them.
• Yang Yuntian and Zhu Xuanye fought a fierce duel in the sky while the armies and cultivators clashed across the battlefield.
• Evil Cultivators used the battlefield's blood, corpses, and wandering souls to advance their arts as fighting continued until nightfall.
• After the Cloud Prefecture Army withdrew, Zhu Xuanye's wounded forces returned to their defenses and urged him to request reinforcements.

Zhu Xuanye failed to secure reinforcements for Great Yan as its enemies gathered, while Li Xuancang’s generals advanced in cultivation and Sweet Spring Commandery enjoyed a peaceful period. When the Du Family asked Li Xuancang to help save the critically wounded Du Tianhao, he offered the Mountain-Splitting Lord’s heart.

• Zhu Xuanye told the gathered forces that the Imperial Court could spare no reinforcements and pleaded with them to hold Cloud Prefecture.
• The Ouyang brothers broke through to the Late Astral Qi Realm, and Bai Meng advanced to the Astral Qi Realm.
• Li Xuancang spent a peaceful stretch with his family, trained his troops, and monitored events across Great Yan.
• Du Xiong told Li Xuancang that Du Tianhao had been critically wounded in Cloud Prefecture and needed a treasure rich in life force.
• Li Xuancang agreed to give the Du Family the Mountain-Splitting Lord’s heart, and Du Xiong knelt to thank him.

Li Xuancang sent the Ouyang brothers to escort the Mountain-Splitting Lord’s heart to the Du Family in the Imperial City, while the Du Family’s enemies prepared to strike as Du Tianhao neared death. To deter them, the Du Family publicly announced Li Xuancang’s betrothal to Du Ruomei, leaving their foes stunned and forcing them to reconsider their plans.

• Li Xuancang ordered Ouyang De and his brother to escort the Mountain-Splitting Lord’s heart to the Du Family in the Imperial City.
• Prince Ning and other aristocratic families plotted to ambush returning Du Family members and prevent them from obtaining help for Du Tianhao.
• The Du Family decided to announce Li Xuancang’s betrothal to Du Ruomei before Du Tianhao’s condition worsened.
• News of the betrothal spread across Great Yan, prompting officials and generals to halt plans against the Du Family.
• Huangfu Qi’s steward reported the marriage alliance, and Huangfu Qi snapped a plum branch in shock.

News that Li Xuancang would form a marriage alliance with the Du Family unsettled rival Lineages and stirred Wenxin Academy. Pei Qingyuan focused on strengthening herself, rejected Lin Jingtan, and left him plotting revenge.

• Huangfu Qi vowed that the Huangfu Family would destroy the Du Family despite its marriage alliance with Li Xuancang.
• Wang Zhiyuan suspended his plans and reconsidered his next move as secret envoys carried the marriage news across Great Yan.
• At Wenxin Academy, students mocked Pei Qingyuan over Li Xuancang's alliance with Du Ruomei, while Pei Qingyuan resolved to seek Icebound Profound Jade on her soul companion's advice.
• Lin Jingtan confronted Pei Qingyuan, but she rejected his attempt to reconcile and walked away.
• Lin Jingtan clenched his fists and devised a scheme to make Pei Qingyuan regret spurning him.

The Giant Whale Gang launched a surprise attack on Clear River Commandery, seized the city, and took control of Yang Prefecture. In the Imperial Court, officials argued over how to retake the province while the army was already locked in battle with Prince Fu’s rebels, leaving the Emperor without an easy response.

• Zhao Si spotted the Giant Whale Gang fleet emerging from the fog, but an arrow killed him before he could sound the alarm.
• Li Canglang directed the Gang’s forces as they stormed the dock, overwhelmed the guards, and captured Clear River Commandery.
• More than ten thousand Giant Whale Gang disciples seized the commandery city, and word of Yang Prefecture’s fall reached the Imperial City.
• The Emperor demanded that Yang Prefecture be retaken, but Zhou Zhanyun and Sun Wenhan warned that withdrawing troops from the front against Prince Fu’s rebels could expose the Imperial City.
• Gu Yanqing said suppressing the Giant Whale Gang would require a Profound Connection Realm powerhouse and one hundred thousand elite troops, while Zhao Chongwu’s offer to lead fifty thousand Imperial Guards south was rejected.
• The Emperor ended the court’s argument and sat in silence, still facing the dilemma of how to respond.

The court approved Qin Huaiyuan’s plan to send Li Xuancang south against the Yang Prefecture rebellion and arrange Princess Zhaoyang’s marriage to Huyan Lie to protect the northern border. Meanwhile, Ouyang De and his companions reached the Imperial City with the Du Family’s treasure, where six assassins attacked them.

• Qin Huaiyuan proposed sending Li Xuancang’s troops from Sweet Spring Commandery to suppress the rebellion and using a marriage alliance with the Grasslands to buy time.
• The emperor accepted the plan, appointed Li Xuancang General Who Pacifies the South, and ordered Princess Zhaoyang to marry Khan Huyan Lie after Li returned.
• An Imperial Court insider warned the Giant Whale Gang that Li Xuancang was being sent to Yang Prefecture.
• After traveling for more than twenty days, Ouyang De, Du Xiong, and Ouyang Meng reached the Imperial City, where Ouyang De saved Du Xiong from a blade attack.
• Six Astral Qi Realm assassins confronted the three men, and Ouyang Meng volunteered to fight them.

Ouyang Meng drove off six assassins while escorting Du Xiong and a treasure to the Du Family. Du Tianhao refined the heart of a Profound Connection Realm great demon, recovering from his injuries and increasing his cultivation.

• Ouyang Meng revealed his Late Astral Qi Realm strength and forced the six assassins to flee, while Ouyang De stopped him from chasing them.
• Du Xiong, Ouyang De, and Ouyang Meng reached the Du Family without further obstruction, and Du Tianyuan welcomed Li Xuancang’s envoys and their treasure.
• Ouyang De opened the box and revealed a still-beating heart, which Du Tianhao identified as belonging to a Profound Connection Realm great demon.
• Du Tianhao refined the heart, recovered completely, and increased his cultivation.

After Du Tianhao recovered, the Du Family prepared to support Li Xuancang as he obeyed the Imperial Court’s order to suppress the Giant Whale Gang’s rebellion in Yang Prefecture. Li Xuancang marched out of Cool Prefecture with his army, leaving its people anxious about a possible Grassland invasion, while Yang Prefecture’s defenders prepared for a desperate siege.

• Prince Ning’s forces learned that Du Tianhao had recovered, and other factions abandoned plans to attack the Du Family.
• Du Tianyuan decided to send the Du Family’s forces to support Li Xuancang, and Du Tianhao volunteered to go while concealing his recovery from the Imperial Court.
• After receiving the imperial edict, Li Xuancang criticized the marriage alliance with the Grassland People and decided to take his family with him to Yang Prefecture.
• Li Xuancang led five thousand Sweet Spring Camp soldiers, two thousand Tiger Braves Army soldiers, and more than three thousand Blacksteel Camp soldiers out of Sweet Spring Commandery.
• People in Cool Prefecture learned that Li Xuancang had been ordered to suppress the rebellion and feared the Grassland People would invade while he was away.
• As the Giant Whale Gang approached Yang Prefecture City, Shangguan Ding and the assembled officials resolved to defend the city until Li Xuancang arrived.

Yang Prefecture City braced for the Giant Whale Gang as Li Xuancang hurried there with cavalry. He arrived safely and was welcomed as the city’s hope, while the Gang Leader still underestimated his strength.

• Liu Qingyuan told the Liu Family that Yang Prefecture City could only hold out until Li Xuancang arrived, and Liu Wenyuan ordered the clan to prepare an escape if the city fell.
• Liu Ruihe urged Li Canglang to attack Yang Prefecture City before Li Xuancang arrived, but Li Canglang dismissed the warning and continued looting Clear River Commandery.
• Li Xuancang rode ahead with two thousand cavalrymen, joined forces with Du Tianhao’s family, and learned that the Giant Whale Gang had not yet attacked the city.
• Li Xuancang led his cavalry to Yang Prefecture City, where Ouyang De announced his arrival and the defenders opened the gates.
• Shangguan Ding, Liu Qingyuan, and the other officials greeted Li Xuancang with relief.

Li Xuancang led the Yang Prefecture army to Clear River Commandery and defeated Li Canglang with a single punch. He smashed open the city gates and ordered his troops to slaughter the Giant Whale Gang, leaving the battle for the city underway.

• Li Xuancang took command of the Yang Prefecture army and ordered it to march on Clear River Commandery once Blacksteel Camp and Sweet Spring Camp arrived.
• Li Xuancang led over ten thousand soldiers to Clear River Commandery, where the Giant Whale Gang waited behind the city walls.
• Li Canglang urged Li Xuancang to join the Giant Whale Gang, but Li Xuancang mocked him and attacked.
• Li Xuancang scattered Li Canglang's Sword Qi with a breath, broke his sword with a punch, and sent him crashing into the city wall.
• Li Xuancang smashed the city gates and ordered his army to enter and slaughter the Giant Whale Gang as Blacksteel Camp and Sweet Spring Camp charged into the city.

Li Xuancang pursued the wounded Li Canglang to the Canglan River, where Li Canglang summoned Xuan Crocodile Lord to cover his escape. Li Xuancang fought the giant crocodile and pressed his attack, while the battle remained unresolved.

• Li Xuancang chased Li Canglang away from the city as Li Canglang used a secret art to boost his speed.
• Li Canglang led Li Xuancang to the Canglan River and summoned Xuan Crocodile Lord before trying to escape.
• Xuan Crocodile Lord blocked Li Xuancang with a massive wave, but Li Xuancang shattered it with a punch.
• Xuan Crocodile Lord attacked with its tail, and Li Xuancang endured the blow without injury before charging at its head.
• Li Xuancang broke through the crocodile's waves and dodged its poisonous black-water attack.

Li Xuancang pursued the giant crocodile into the river and killed it after a brutal struggle. He left Du Tianhao to guard the corpse and sped off to deal with the Giant Whale Gang.

• Li Xuancang blinded the giant crocodile with a punch, then pursued it as it fled underwater.
• Li Xuancang caught the giant crocodile by its tail, slammed it into the riverbed, and tore its head from its body.
• Li Xuancang emerged with the giant crocodile’s corpse, and Du Tianhao arrived and was shocked by the kill.
• Li Xuancang entrusted the corpse to Du Tianhao and sped away to deal with the Giant Whale Gang.

Li Xuancang returned to the battlefield, routed the Giant Whale Gang, and seized its wealth in Clear River Commandery. After Yang Feiyu investigated the river and found no sign of Xuan Crocodile Lord, he decided to withdraw for now, while Li Xuancang prepared to return to Sweet Spring Commandery.

• Li Xuancang slaughtered the fleeing Giant Whale Gang fighters, helping the Imperial Court army win the battle and kill over ten thousand disciples.
• Li Xuancang took the Giant Whale Gang's seized silver, spirit stones, treasures, and cultivation resources, then ordered ships to search the Canglan River for the gang.
• Li Canglang returned to the Giant Whale Gang headquarters wounded and told Shui Xingyun and Yang Feiyu that Li Xuancang had overwhelmed him.
• Yang Feiyu searched for Xuan Crocodile Lord, found signs of battle but no trace of it, and concluded that Li Xuancang could match a mid-stage Profound Connection Realm cultivator.
• Yang Feiyu chose to withdraw the Giant Whale Gang's forces from Yang Prefecture, and three days later Li Xuancang prepared to return to Sweet Spring Commandery.

Li Xuancang returned to Cool Prefecture after suppressing the Giant Whale Gang’s rebellion in Yang Prefecture, then asked the Blackbird Merchant Association about finding an Earth-grade artifact refiner. Dong Linghui identified Ouyang Xuanlian as a possible master to forge Earth-grade treasure armor.

• Li Xuancang refused to remain in Yang Prefecture, accepted gifts from its factions, and led his army back toward Cool Prefecture.
• Du Tianhao parted ways with Li Xuancang after they left Clear River Commandery.
• Li Xuancang returned to Cool Prefecture, calming its frightened people, and wondered why the Grassland People had not invaded.
• Li Xuancang rewarded his soldiers with resources seized from the Giant Whale Gang.
• Li Xuancang summoned Dong Linghui and learned that the Blackbird Merchant Association knew Ouyang Xuanlian, an Earth-grade middle-rank artifact refiner who might forge treasure armor.

Li Xuancang arranged for Master Ouye to forge protective armor for his family, while news of his victory over the Giant Whale Gang reached the Imperial Court. The Emperor ordered Princess Zhaoyang to be sent to the grasslands for a marriage alliance, leaving Consort De to embrace her daughter in grief.

• Li Xuancang gave Dong Linghui a scale from Xuan Crocodile Lord and asked him to arrange for Master Ouye to forge treasure armor for his family's protection.
• News that Li Xuancang had pacified Yang Prefecture and slaughtered over ten thousand members of the Giant Whale Gang spread across Great Yan.
• At the grand court assembly, Gu Yanqing praised Li Xuancang's achievements, and the Emperor promised him a handsome reward.
• Officials urged the Emperor to honor the marriage alliance with the Golden Eagle Tribe, and he ordered the Ministry of Rites to make arrangements for a princess's marriage.
• Consort De visited Princess Zhaoyang as she painted, then held her tightly and wept without telling her why.

After learning she had been ordered to marry the Grassland Khan, fourteen-year-old Princess Zhaoyang wept with Consort De, while Consort De vowed to protect her. Prince Kang gathered his allies to plan Zhaoyang’s rescue, and the marriage procession departed seven days later under heavy guard.

• Consort De told Princess Zhaoyang that the Emperor had ordered her to marry the Grassland Khan, and Zhaoyang pleaded not to be sent away.
• Consort De promised she would not let Zhaoyang enter danger and resolved to protect her despite the Emperor refusing to see her.
• Prince Kang told his followers he would take Zhaoyang away and discussed intercepting the procession before it reached Sweet Spring Commandery.
• Prince Kang’s allies warned that escaping with Zhaoyang would be difficult, but he insisted they first focus on rescuing her.
• Seven days later, the marriage alliance procession left the Imperial City with a thousand Imperial Guards and elite palace experts, while people across Great Yan held conflicting hopes for its success.