Recaps

After surviving an attack by more than a dozen Profound Connection Realm experts, Li Xuancang drew attention from powerful forces across the world. As threats gathered around him, he realized he needed allies to protect his family and strengthen his position.

• Du Tianhao warned Li Xuancang that the Hundred Herbs Sect would return, then departed to prepare for Li Xuancang’s marriage to Du Ruomei.
• Reports of Li Xuancang killing three attackers spread, but most people dismissed them as unbelievable rumors.
• Xu Zinian learned Li Xuancang had destroyed Zhang Dalong and his brother, then ordered Old Huang to seize Li Xuancang’s family.
• The Profound Heaven Sect’s First Elder urged Yang Konglie to recall Supreme Elder Wu Jianqing, and Yang Konglie sent disciples to monitor Li Xuancang.
• Li Xuancang reflected that his weak foundation and lack of allies left his family vulnerable, while Ouyang De and the others could not reach the Profound Connection Realm soon.

Li Xuancang secured the Zhang brothers’ loyalty with a soul-control method and sent them into seclusion with resources to advance their cultivation. Meanwhile, Prince Fu’s coalition prepared to hasten its attack on the Imperial Court with the Six-Eyed Great Demon’s help.

• Li Xuancang offered to support Zhang Tianlong’s breakthrough but demanded a way to ensure the brothers’ loyalty.
• Zhang Tianlong gave Li Xuancang a method for controlling divine souls, and the three brothers willingly accepted his restrictions.
• After mastering the method, Li Xuancang supplied the brothers with resources and ordered them into seclusion to advance their cultivation.
• At Prince Fu’s Residence, Prince Fu urged his allies to defeat the Imperial Court quickly before Li Xuancang and the Prison Tiger Bureau could alter the war.
• Sky-Crippled Old Man said the Six-Eyed Great Demon would act despite not fully recovering, and Prince Fu promised the demons Peace Prefecture and Origin Prefecture in return.

Zhu Xuanye tried to keep the Imperial Court's forces defending Spirit Yang Prefecture, while Li Xuancang strengthened his followers and received an imperial order to reinforce the front. Li Xuancang refused the order, saying he had to defend Sweet Spring Commandery.

• Zhu Xuanye persuaded his battered commanders to hold Spirit Yang Prefecture for three more months until Li Xuancang arrived.
• Zhang Tianlong broke through to the Profound Connection Realm, adding to Li Xuancang's growing force of powerful experts.
• Liu Jin arrived with an imperial edict ordering Li Xuancang to lead troops to reinforce Spirit Yang Prefecture, then waited over an hour before Li Xuancang appeared.
• Li Xuancang received the edict without standing and refused to reinforce Spirit Yang Prefecture, citing the Grassland forces threatening Sweet Spring Commandery.

Li Xuancang refused the emperor’s order to send troops to Spirit Yang Prefecture, choosing to protect Cool Prefecture and his family. An old beggar named Huang Jiuxuan attacked the Commander's Manor, and Li Xuancang met him in a fierce battle as onlookers feared for the outcome.

• Li Xuancang rejected Liu Jin’s appeal to obey the imperial decree and used his power to send Liu Jin and the other envoys away unharmed.
• Huang Jiuxuan entered Sweet Spring Commandery City disguised as an old beggar, then unleashed his sword aura outside the Commander's Manor.
• Li Xuancang shielded his family and the residence from Huang Jiuxuan’s sword strike, then clashed with him in midair.
• Huang Jiuxuan’s Earth-rank divine sword injured Li Xuancang’s fist, but Li Xuancang continued fighting him head-on.
• Zhang Tianlong and the others guarded the residence as arriving factions recognized Huang Jiuxuan as a renowned Late Profound Connection Realm expert.

Li Xuancang and Huang Jiuxuan fought a fierce duel, with Li Xuancang’s extraordinary body withstanding Huang Jiuxuan’s sword techniques. Huang Jiuxuan unleashed a sword he had not used for decades, and its light tore open space as it raced toward Li Xuancang.

• Li Xuancang blocked Huang Jiuxuan’s attacks with his bare hands, astonishing the spectators with his body’s strength and durability.
• Huang Jiuxuan drank from his gourd and struck at Li Xuancang with a silent sword attack, but Li Xuancang’s fist met the blade and cracked it.
• Huang Jiuxuan covered the sky with sword lotuses, while Li Xuancang endured the Sword Qi and tore its storm apart with a punch.
• Li Xuancang sensed Huang Jiuxuan hiding within space and used brute force to shake him out of it.
• Huang Jiuxuan praised Li Xuancang, then gathered the world’s spiritual energy and unleashed a deadly sword strike that cleaved open space.

Li Xuancang defeated Huang Jiuxuan by enduring his strongest sword strike and countering with overwhelming force, though Huang escaped. Back at the Commander's Manor, Li Xuancang learned the swordsman served the Northern Liang Royal Residence, vowed to confront its forces, and gave Huang's iron sword to Zhang Tianlong.

• Li Xuancang let Huang Jiuxuan's sword pierce his chest, seized his wrist, and struck him so hard that Huang's chest collapsed.
• Huang Jiuxuan used essence blood to flee, while the watching cultivators praised Li Xuancang's strength and spread news of the battle.
• Li Xuancang healed his wound, suppressed Huang's resisting iron sword, and returned to the manor as Nangong Zhan and the others handled the aftermath.
• After escaping several hundred li, Huang Jiuxuan worried that Li Xuancang would become a threat to the Northern Liang Royal Residence and urged that he be eliminated.
• Nangong Zhan identified Huang Jiuxuan as the Northern Liang Royal Residence's foremost sword cultivator, and Li Xuancang vowed to settle matters with Xu Zinian and the residence.
• Li Xuancang gave Huang Jiuxuan's high-grade Earth-grade iron sword to Zhang Tianlong, who thanked him.

After Li Xuancang defeated Huang Jiuxuan, the Great Yan court struggled to respond to the crisis at Spirit Yang Prefecture and chose to lure Li Xuancang into battle with a title and appointment. On the battlefield, Duanmu Lei and the Imperial Court’s forces narrowly escaped a sudden attack when a mysterious barrier shielded them.

• Li Xuancang’s defeat of Huang Jiuxuan spread across the lands, while officials in Great Yan debated the threat to Spirit Yang Prefecture and the Grassland People.
• Gu Yanqing proposed rewarding Li Xuancang to draw him into the battle, and the Emperor granted him the title Marquis Wu'an and appointed him Garrison Commander of Yu Prefecture.
• Liu Jin left the Imperial City for Sweet Spring Commandery as the Du Family’s party raced there ahead of him.
• At Spirit Yang Prefecture, Yang Yuntian fought Zhu Xuanye while Duanmu Lei and the Imperial Court’s experts struggled against Prince Fu's Residence and the Evil Cultivators.
• Several beams attacked Duanmu Lei and his allies, but a blazing barrier repelled them long enough for the group to retreat before it shattered.

The Prison Tiger Bureau confronted the Six-Eyed Great Demon with the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Formation, but he overwhelmed them until a hidden attack left by Senior Brother Wang wounded him and forced him to flee. As the Bureau members collapsed, the Prince Fu's Residence faction attacked, and Duanmu Lei and his allies moved to protect them.

• Tao Tianyang led the Prison Tiger Bureau into battle against the Six-Eyed Great Demon, and the faction members who had threatened Duanmu Lei watched from nearby.
• The Six-Eyed Great Demon immobilized the battlefield, but Tao Tianyang and the other Profound Connection Realm cultivators enabled the Bureau to form the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Formation.
• The Six-Eyed Great Demon destroyed the formation's golden spear and battered its members, leaving the Prison Tiger Bureau gravely wounded.
• A hidden demon-slaying attack left by Huang Huayuan's master erupted inside the Six-Eyed Great Demon, heavily wounding him and driving him to flee.
• Tao Tianyang and the others lost their strength and could no longer maintain the formation, so Duanmu Lei and his allies rushed to shield them from the charging Prince Fu's Residence faction.

After the Six-Eyed Great Demon was driven back, Zhu Xuanye asked the exhausted defenders to hold out for two months while he awaited Li Xuancang’s decision. Li Xuancang accepted the Imperial Court’s offer to join the war and arranged for the Du Family to escort his relatives to safety.

• After three days and nights of fighting, the rebel army withdrew, and Tao Tianyang warned that the Six-Eyed Great Demon would recover in two to three months.
• Duanmu Lei and the other commanders urged Zhu Xuanye to retreat, but Zhu Xuanye asked them to hold out for two months in hope that Li Xuancang would join the battle.
• Du Tianfeng told Li Xuancang that the Imperial Court offered him the title of Marquis of Wuan and command of Yu Prefecture if he entered the war.
• Li Xuancang agreed to fight, believing Prince Fu’s alliance with Evil Cultivators threatened all of Great Yan.
• Li Xuancang asked Du Tianfeng to protect his parents and eldest sister’s family, and Du Tianfeng promised to escort them to the Imperial City.

Li Xuancang received the title of Marquis Wu'an and extensive rewards from the Emperor in exchange for leading troops to the front. He secured support for Du Tianfeng to become Sweet Spring Commandery's Guard Commander and arranged an armed escort for his family before preparing to depart.

• Li Xuancang offered Du Tianfeng the Guard Commander post in Sweet Spring Commandery, and Du agreed to seek his Lineage's support.
• Liu Jin arrived with the imperial decree, conferring on Li Xuancang the hereditary title of Marquis Wu'an and appointing him Guard Commander of Yu Prefecture.
• The Emperor's second decree granted Li Xuancang estates, treasures, weapons, privileges, and permission to maintain three thousand private guards.
• Li Xuancang asked Liu Jin to recommend Du Tianfeng as Sweet Spring Commandery's next Guard Commander, and Liu agreed to convey the request to the Emperor.
• Li Xuancang promised to dispatch his troops the next day, and Liu Jin hurried back to the Imperial City to report to the Emperor.
• Li Xuancang ordered Zhang Tianlong, Ouyang Meng, and Nangong Zhan to escort his family to the Imperial City with three hundred personal guards.

Li Xuancang rewarded his followers, said farewell to his family, and led the Blacksteel Camp toward Spirit Yang Prefecture. News of his appointment as the hereditary Marquis Wu'an spread across the realm, unsettling Lin Jingtan and Pei Qingyuan while powerful families rushed to curry favor with him.

• Li Xuancang gave the Ouyang brothers earth-grade divine weapons and distributed spirit stones and pills among his followers.
• Li Xuancang bade farewell to his family and departed with the Blacksteel Camp, leaving Ouyang De in charge of the Sweet Spring Camp and Tiger Braves Army.
• Li Xuancang's army marched toward Spirit Yang Prefecture as factions speculated that he was reinforcing the battlefield.
• Proclamations naming Li Xuancang Marquis Wu'an and defender of Yu Prefecture spread throughout the realm, astonishing people and prompting powerful families to send him gifts and potential marriage prospects.
• Lin Jingtan feared Li Xuancang would retaliate against him, while Pei Qingyuan struggled to settle her heart and stopped cultivating at the remnant soul's advice.
• A young Rogue Cultivator, inspired by Li Xuancang's rise, left the city determined to carve out his own future.

Li Xuancang arrived at the defensive line with the Blacksteel Camp and learned how dire the battle had become. He ordered an attack for the next day and reunited with Prison Tiger Bureau members, promising to face the Six-Eyed Great Demon if it appeared.

• Li Xuancang led the Blacksteel Camp to the defensive line, where Zhu Xuanye and the others welcomed him with a banquet.
• Zhu Xuanye described the battlefield's dire condition, and Li Xuancang ordered everyone to attack at dawn and seek a chance to kill the enemy's powerful experts.
• Huang Huayuan and two other Prison Tiger Bureau members met Li Xuancang and recounted how their master had wounded the Six-Eyed Great Demon before dying.
• Li Xuancang offered to fight the Six-Eyed Great Demon if it appeared, and Huang Huayuan warned him that it might be a Divine Repository Realm Great Demon.
• The Prison Tiger Bureau agreed to cooperate in the attack, and Li Xuancang prepared Ouyang Meng and the others as the Blacksteel Camp eagerly anticipated battle.

The Imperial Court launched a surprise attack, and the Blacksteel Camp devastated the rebel forces. Li Xuancang entered the battle and overwhelmed Yang Yuntian, leaving him unable to fight back.

• The Imperial Court army charged the rebels, with the Blacksteel Camp leading a slaughter of their conscripted troops.
• Zhu Xuanye ordered the Imperial Court forces forward as the Prison Tiger Bureau's experts engaged the Evil Cultivators.
• Zhu Xuanye challenged Yang Yuntian, and the two fought for hours while their armies battled below.
• Li Xuancang ambushed Yang Yuntian, shattered his battle armor, and forced Zhu Xuanye to leave him to the fight.
• Yang Yuntian tried to stop Zhu Xuanye, but Li Xuancang blasted him away and battered him like a sandbag.

Zhu Xuanye and his allies were nearly overwhelmed when the Evil Cultivators activated the Soul-Devouring Formation and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of rebels. Li Xuancang defeated Yang Yuntian and drove him into retreat, while Shen Chongyuan secretly left the battlefield to avoid Li Xuancang.

• Zhu Xuanye joined the battle and led an assault that pushed Prince Fu's Residence and the Evil Cultivators to the brink.
• The Evil Cultivators activated the Soul-Devouring Formation, sacrificing hundreds of thousands of rebels and trapping Zhu Xuanye and his allies beneath a scarlet barrier.
• Zhu Xuanye shielded his allies from the formation's beams, and the group survived after joining forces to withstand the final attack.
• Li Xuancang hurled Yang Yuntian into the ground, grievously wounded him, and chased him as he fled.
• Shen Chongyuan claimed he needed to recuperate in Cool Prefecture, then left the battlefield ahead of the Cool Prefecture Army to escape Li Xuancang.

After the Imperial Court and Prince Fu’s Residence agreed to a three-year ceasefire, Li Xuancang agreed to help the Prison Tiger Bureau hunt the Six-Eyed Great Demon. Zhu Xuanye insisted on accompanying him, changing Li Xuancang’s view of the imperial family.

• Li Xuancang reported that Yang Yuntian had escaped after burning his foundation, while Zhu Xuanye explained that the exhausted Imperial Court could not launch a counterattack.
• Zhu Xuanye arranged for Prince Fu to sign a ceasefire agreement, and the two sides halted the war for three years.
• The Emperor exempted the people from taxes for one year, and soldiers celebrated the end of the fighting.
• Tao Tianyang asked Li Xuancang to help the Prison Tiger Bureau surround and kill the Six-Eyed Great Demon, and Li Xuancang agreed.
• Zhu Xuanye warned Li Xuancang that the demon might be working with Prince Fu’s Residence, then decided to accompany him on the mission.

The Du Family welcomed Marquis Wu'an’s family at the Imperial City’s Eastern Gate and escorted them to a lavish temporary residence. Li Xuancang did not accompany them, but his family’s arrival prompted aristocratic families and court ministers to prepare gifts and seek his favor.

• The Du Family gathered a thousand soldiers at the Eastern Gate to welcome Marquis Wu'an’s family.
• Zhang Tianlong led the procession of guards and family members toward the city, impressing onlookers with the soldiers’ strength.
• Zhang Tianlong greeted Du Tianyuan, and Father Li and Mother Li stepped down from the first carriage to meet him.
• Du Ruomei greeted Father Li, Mother Li, Elder Sister, and Brother-in-law, then invited them to a banquet at the Du residence.
• The procession entered the city as curious crowds watched and prominent families and ministers prepared gifts for Li Xuancang’s family.
• The Du Family settled the Li Family in a palace prepared as their temporary residence.

Du Tianfeng prepared to take command of Sweet Spring Commandery with the Du Family's support, while the declining Pei Family struggled to secure Pei Hongwen's transfer from the frontier. The chapter ended with Pei Qingyuan's offer of help dismissed by her clansmen, who blamed the Peace Prefecture Marquis Estate for obstructing them.

• Du Tianyuan told Du Tianfeng the Imperial Court had agreed to appoint him garrison commander of Sweet Spring Commandery, and the Du Family pledged resources to help him break through to the Profound Connection Realm.
• The Du Family agreed to send disciples to support Du Tianfeng and planned for Du Ruomei to grow closer to the Marquis of Martial Peace's parents before arranging their wedding.
• Pei Hongwen worried that the Peace Prefecture Marquis Estate might obstruct his transfer from Origin Forest Commandery when he returned to the capital to report on his duties.
• Old Master Pei concluded that someone was stirring trouble after the families the Pei Family approached shut their doors against them, and his clansmen blamed the Peace Prefecture Marquis Estate.
• Pei Qingyuan told Old Master Pei she had asked Scholar Zhang to plead for Pei Hongwen, but her clansmen dismissed her efforts and berated her for the Pei Family's decline.
• Old Master Pei stopped the argument as Pei Qingyuan realized that if Lin Jingtan and the Peace Prefecture Marquis Estate were obstructing them, even a great scholar might not help.

Pei Qingyuan sought help from the Du Family to save the Pei Family from the Peace Prefecture Marquis Estate, but Du Tianhao refused her. She then tried to persuade the Li Family to help by warning that Marquis Wu'an was in danger, but Du Ruomei exposed her motives.

• Old Master Pei gathered the Pei Family's remaining resources and took Pei Qingyuan to ask Du Tianhao for help.
• Du Tianhao refused to aid the Pei Family, mindful of the Li Family's grievance over Pei Qingyuan breaking her engagement with Li Xuancang.
• Pei Qingyuan returned to the Du Family and requested an audience with Mother Li and Li Xiu.
• Pei Qingyuan warned that the Peace Prefecture Marquis Estate was plotting against Marquis Wu'an and offered an alliance against it in exchange for help.
• Du Ruomei accused Pei Qingyuan of exaggerating the threat to enlist the Li Family, turning Mother Li and Li Xiu against her.

Li Xuancang and Zhu Xuanye entered the Demon Abyss to confront the Six-Eyed Great Demon while Tao Tianyang prepared a formation. Li Xuancang fought the demon alone, smashed off its horns, and endured its eye beams without injury.

• Mother Li ordered Pei Qingyuan driven away, and Du Ruomei warned that the Du Family might also act against the Pei Family.
• Pei Qingyuan left the Du Family worried that she could not find help to free her father from Origin Forest Commandery.
• Li Xuancang and Zhu Xuanye entered the Demon Abyss as Tao Tianyang and the others began preparing a formation.
• Li Xuancang faced the Six-Eyed Great Demon alone while Zhu Xuanye watched from the side.
• Li Xuancang smashed the Six-Eyed Great Demon's horns, then withstood its close-range eye beams without being harmed.

Li Xuancang and Zhu Xuanye overwhelmed the Six-Eyed Great Demon and dragged him toward the Demon-Slaying Array. Before he entered it, the demon absorbed Sky-Crippled Old Man and the other demon servants, healing his wounds and strengthening his aura.

• Li Xuancang broke free from the Six-Eyed Great Demon’s attack and battered him while Zhu Xuanye joined the fight.
• Li Xuancang seized the broken iron chains, bound the demon, and held him still as Zhu Xuanye wounded him with Sword Qi.
• The Six-Eyed Great Demon blocked Zhu Xuanye’s enormous Sword Qi with his horns, badly injuring his head.
• Tao Tianyang formed the Demon-Slaying Array, and Li Xuancang dragged the Six-Eyed Great Demon toward it while Zhu Xuanye continued attacking.
• Sky-Crippled Old Man and the other demon servants turned into demonic Qi and entered the Six-Eyed Great Demon, healing him and raising his aura.
• Li Xuancang hurled the strengthened Six-Eyed Great Demon into the array, reeled in the chains, and retreated.

The Six-Eyed Great Demon escaped the exploding Demon-Slaying Array, while Li Xuancang and the others returned from the battlefield and prepared for their next steps. Li Xuancang set out for the Imperial City with Blacksteel Camp, where factions and Du Ruomei awaited his arrival and the conclusion of their marriage.

• The Six-Eyed Great Demon vanished after the Demon-Slaying Array exploded, and the group concluded that he had escaped despite being badly wounded.
• After the Prison Tiger Bureau departed, Li Xuancang arranged for Master Ouye to come to the Imperial City, received the court's rewards, and learned Shen Chongyuan had returned to Cool Prefecture.
• Zhu Xuanye dismissed most of the soldiers from the defensive line, then left for the Imperial City without Li Xuancang.
• Li Xuancang offered Blacksteel Camp the choice to follow him to Yu Prefecture, stay in Sweet Spring Commandery, or leave; everyone chose to follow him.
• Li Xuancang sent Wang Xiaoniu and seven thousand men to arrange the relocation, then led the remaining troops toward the Imperial City.
• As news of Li Xuancang's arrival spread, factions prepared to court him, the Du Family arranged a welcome, and Du Ruomei waited for him to complete their marriage.

Li Xuancang returned to the Imperial City and visited his parents before attending a Du Family banquet arranged to welcome him and finalize his marriage to Du Ruomei. The Du Family received him with deference, and the marriage discussions began as he entered the hall.

• Li Xuancang arrived at the city gates, where the crowds cheered him and the Du Family's Uncle Zhong escorted him toward the residence.
• Li Xuancang returned home, reunited with Father Li and Mother Li, and agreed to settle his marriage before traveling to Yu Prefecture.
• Li Xuancang left Nangong Zhan to settle the soldiers and went to the Du Family with Bai Meng and several guards.
• Du Ruomei waited in the flower hall while Du Tianyuan and the Du Family elders prepared to welcome Li Xuancang.
• Du Tianyuan greeted Li Xuancang as his worthy son-in-law and led him into the hall, where the Du Family members welcomed him.

Li Xuancang and the Du Family agreed that he would marry Du Ruomei on the sixth day of the tenth month, and they discussed the wedding arrangements. After Li Xuancang left, Du Ruomei decided to send him her birth chart, spirit stones, and pills as a gesture of support.

• Du Tianchuan asked Li Xuancang about his purpose in returning to the capital, and Li Xuancang said he had come to marry Du Ruomei.
• Li Xuancang chose the sixth day of the tenth month as the wedding date, and Du Tianyuan confirmed it.
• Li Xuancang and the Du Family agreed to hold wedding banquets at both residences and let the Du Family decide the guest list.
• After Li Xuancang left, Du Ruomei asked Cuiping to send her birth chart and personal savings to the Marquis's residence.

Li Xuancang prepared for his wedding to the Du Family's legitimate daughter as allies and powerful families responded to the marriage. As the Northern Liang King's heir, Xu Zinian, prepared to arrive in the capital to seek a princess's hand, Consort De urged Zhaoyang to seek Li Xuancang's protection, and Xu Zinian's enemies began plotting an assassination.

• Li Xuancang's family began cleaning the Marquis's Residence and preparing betrothal gifts after he announced his wedding date.
• Dong Linghui, Liu Wenyuan, and former Peace Prefecture officials sent generous gifts or prepared to congratulate Li Xuancang, while Liu Wenyuan warned Liu Qingyuan not to interfere in Li Xuancang's conflict with the Pei Family.
• Li Xuancang welcomed Zhaoyang and spent half a day with her, and Consort De later urged the princess to grow closer to him.
• Consort De warned Zhaoyang that Xu Zinian was a cruel and lustful man whom the Emperor intended to marry to a princess, and told her that Li Xuancang might protect her.
• Zhaoyang visited Li Xuancang repeatedly as news spread that Xu Zinian was coming to the capital, and his enemies began plotting to assassinate him.

Xu Zinian entered the Imperial City with five thousand iron cavalry, killing civilians and terrorizing the city. After learning that Li Xuancang was due to marry Du Ruomei, he went to the Du Family, leaving its women in hiding and the family fearing what he would do.

• Xu Zinian’s iron cavalry stormed through the city gates, killing and injuring civilians, and Xu Zinian seized and killed a married woman from his carriage.
• Li Xuancang learned Xu Zinian had arrived and postponed confronting him until after his wedding.
• Wenxin Academy barred its female disciples from leaving, while the Imperial City’s factions feared Xu Zinian’s arrival.
• Xu Zinian learned that Li Xuancang would marry Du Ruomei on the sixth day of the tenth month and declared he would take Li Xuancang’s place as groom.
• Xu Zinian went to the Du Family with several powerful experts, prompting Du Tianyuan to hide the women and notify Li Xuancang.