Chapter Summaries

Li Xuancang defeated and killed the Barbarian chief Huyan Zhuo, turning the battle into a crushing Human Race victory. Two days later, he returned to Profound Sun Commandery City with the grain convoy and encountered starving villagers from Azure Creek Village outside the closed gates.

• Li Xuancang defeated Huyan Zhuo, then slaughtered the Barbarians who tried to protect their chief.
• Li Xuancang caught the fleeing Huyan Zhuo and killed him, causing the Barbarians to flee and the Human Race soldiers to win the battle.
• Li Xuancang ended the pursuit, ordered the soldiers to tend the wounded and clear the battlefield, and preserved Huyan Zhuo's corpse as merit.
• Li Xuancang and the convoy returned to Profound Sun Commandery City two days later, where tens of thousands of civilians remained outside the closed gates.
• Villagers from Azure Creek Village recognized Li Xuancang and pushed toward him, hoping he could save them from starvation.

Li Xuancang returned to the military camp with the grain from Azure Origin County and reported that his men had repelled an attack by over a thousand Barbarians. The soldiers and officers mocked him as a fraud until he revealed the Barbarian heads his men had brought back, leaving the crowd horrified and speechless.

• Azure Creek Village residents failed to reach Li Xuancang before he entered the city, while soldiers who had avoided the grain mission praised his apparent luck.
• Li Xuancang arrived at the camp with his men and reported to Zhou Xingzhan that they had brought back all the grain from Azure Origin County.
• Li Xuancang told Zhou Xingzhan that over a thousand Barbarians had ambushed them, prompting Zhou Xingzhan and the officers to suspect he had killed civilians to claim merit.
• Zhang Tianhai and the others mocked Li Xuancang and challenged his account, but Li Xuancang calmly denied needing to flee and asked them for evidence of their accusations.
• Li Xuancang's soldiers unwrapped and piled hundreds of Barbarian heads before the crowd, proving his account and shocking everyone.

Li Xuancang returned from defeating the Barbarians with Huyan Zhuo’s corpse, earning praise, rewards, and public acclaim. He then warned Zhou Xingzhan that Barbarian agents had likely leaked the grain convoy’s movements, and Zhou confided his suspicions of a deeper conspiracy.

• Li Xuancang presented Huyan Zhuo’s corpse and the heads of several hundred Barbarians, shocking the soldiers and prompting Zhou Xingzhan to ask how he had won.
• Li Xuancang recounted killing Huyan Zhuo, and Zhou Xingzhan praised his feat and promised to report his merit to the Garrison Commander.
• Li Xuancang received silver, medicinal pills, and supplies, then shared most of his rewards with his men.
• Huyan Zhuo’s corpse and the Barbarian heads were displayed in Profound Sun Commandery City, raising the citizens’ spirits as news spread.
• Wu Xiaotian raged at the Barbarians’ defeat and ordered his forces to advance faster toward Profound Sun Commandery City.
• Li Xuancang told Zhou Xingzhan that someone had leaked the grain convoy’s movements, and Zhou revealed he suspected high-ranking agents within the army and possibly the government offices.

Li Xuancang took charge of security in Profound Sun Commandery City as Demons terrorized its residents, while arranging guards for his family. When a patrol team encountered a Demon in the western city, he rushed to lead the response.

• Zhou Xingzhan ordered Li Xuancang to stabilize the city and warned him about powerful local factions that kept Demons.
• Li Xuancang took command of city security and assigned Nangong Zhan, Yang Tiangang, and Wang Xiaoniu's patrol squad to protect the Li residence.
• Li Xiu refused to ask her younger brother for help, but Nangong Zhan and Wang Xiaoniu arrived under Li Xuancang's orders, reassuring the household.
• Li Xuancang coordinated fifty patrol teams from the government office as civilians feared the Demons prowling the city at night.
• A scarlet signal flare rose from the western city, and Li Xuancang ordered nearby patrol teams to encircle the Demon before racing toward the scene.

Li Xuancang arrived as a Demon attacked a patrol, drove it back with his Blood Qi Force, and saved the wounded soldiers and constables. The Demon escaped through a wall, leaving the citizens frightened and uncertain whether it would return.

• Li Xuancang reached the battlefield and threw his spear to stop the Demon from killing the Squad Leader.
• Li Xuancang forced the Demon back, but it dissolved into black mist, restrained him, and struck his chest.
• Li Xuancang discovered that his Blood Qi Force harmed the black mist and drove the Demon into retreat.
• The Demon escaped through a wall and vanished before Li Xuancang could catch it.
• Li Xuancang dispelled the black energy from the injured constables and Battle Soldiers, gave them healing pills, and ordered the three children taken to the county yamen.
• Li Xuancang returned to the county yamen with the patrol while frightened citizens worried that the Demon might attack again.

After Li Xuancang’s forces rescued children stolen by Demons, Song Wen urged the people of Mystic Sun City to report suspicious activity. When a night patrol discovered three Bloodthirsty Zombie Demons feeding on a family, the soldiers raised an alarm and summoned help.

• Song Wen returned three rescued children to their families and credited Li Xuancang with driving off the Soul-Seizing Demon.
• Song Wen announced Li Xuancang was stationed at the government office and asked residents to report signs of Demons.
• Li Xuancang kept patrols active during several quiet days and waited at the government office, expecting the Demons to strike again.
• A patrol squad entered a bloodstained eastern-district residence and found a dead family and three Bloodthirsty Zombie Demons.
• The Squad Leader ordered his soldiers to retreat and send a signal flare for help.

Li Xuancang arrived as three powerful Zombies tried to break through the patrol and held them off until the soldiers covered them in oil and burned them. The Zombies were reduced to ashes, but their hidden controller escaped into the night, and Li Xuancang ordered the victims’ bodies burned and the wounded treated.

• Patrol soldiers surrounded three Zombies, but the hidden controller ordered them to charge through the weakest point and scatter the men.
• Li Xuancang arrived and used his spear to stop the Zombies from escaping while soldiers fetched oil.
• Li Xuancang ordered the soldiers to douse the Zombies in oil and set them alight; their hidden controller fled unseen.
• After half an hour, the Zombies burned to ash, and the Squad Leader reported that a nearby family of three had been killed.
• Li Xuancang ordered the family’s bodies burned and sent the wounded soldiers for antidote pills.

After Li Xuancang cleared the commandery city of its Demons, an invading army of Barbarians and the Demon Race threatened the city. At the war council, Li Xuancang volunteered to defend the perilous north gate with his five hundred troops.

• Li Xuancang's crackdown drove the Demons into hiding, and the commandery city returned to peaceful daily life.
• An urgent report announced that tens of thousands of Barbarians allied with the Demon Race would reach the city within three days, spreading panic among its people.
• Zhou Xingzhan ordered Li Xuancang to return to camp and muster his five hundred troops for the city's defense.
• At the military council, Zhou Xingzhan identified the north gate as the enemy's likely target, but the other Battalion Commanders made excuses to avoid defending it.
• Li Xuancang volunteered to lead his five hundred troops at the north gate and vowed to hold the line.

Li Xuancang took command of Mystic Sun City’s north gate as the city’s leaders refused entry to more than a hundred thousand civilians, who left to seek safety elsewhere. When the Barbarian army and its Demonic Beasts arrived, the defenders faced overwhelming odds, and Zhou Xingzhan hoped the Peace Prefecture Army’s reinforcements would come in time.

• Zhou Xingzhan praised Li Xuancang and placed the north gate’s defenses, equipment, provisions, and reinforcements under his command.
• Li Xuancang questioned why the civilians were barred from the city, and Zhou Xingzhan explained that the leaders feared unrest and intended to use them to weaken the enemy.
• A burly man urged the civilians to leave, and Zhou Xingzhan and the faction leaders let them depart without obstruction.
• A messenger reported that the Barbarian army was fifty li away, and Zhou Xingzhan ordered another scout report.
• The Barbarian army arrived with more than a thousand Demonic Beasts, terrifying the defenders as Zhou Xingzhan secretly hoped for Peace Prefecture Army reinforcements.

Barbarian and Demon Race forces attacked the city using bound civilians as human shields, then breached the walls and plunged the defenders into a bloody melee. Li Xuancang held the northern wall and slaughtered powerful enemies, prompting Wu Xiaotian to order the main Barbarian force to break through the north gate and kill him.

• The Barbarians drove bound civilians toward the walls as human shields, and the defenders fired arrows despite some soldiers objecting.
• Demon Race experts scaled the walls while the Barbarians raised ladders, throwing the defenders into chaos.
• Li Xuancang led his five hundred elite soldiers against the invaders and defended the northern wall.
• Li Xuancang killed a wolf demon, more than ten Barbarian cultivators, and five Demonic Beasts, drawing the attention of Wu Xiaotian and other experts.
• Wu Xiaotian ordered the Barbarian army to break through the north gate and kill Li Xuancang.

As the Human Race Defense Line neared collapse, Li Xuancang killed a Blood Condensation Realm Barbarian and a Tiger Demon with overwhelming strength. His victories stunned both armies and made the enemy resolve to kill him.

• As Barbarians and Demon Race fighters charged the city walls, Li Xuancang faced a Blood Condensation Realm Barbarian while the Human Race was badly outnumbered.
• Li Xuancang overpowered and killed Hu Feng with his spear in a dozen breaths, shocking both sides.
• Wu Xiaotian and the other enemy leaders recognized Li Xuancang as a threat and decided that he must die.
• A Tiger Demon attacked Li Xuancang from behind and broke his spear, but he dodged its pounce and mounted its head.
• Li Xuancang beat the Tiger Demon to death with his bare fists, frightening the enemy Blood Condensation Realm fighters.

Li Xuancang charged into the Blood Condensation Realm battle and survived the combined attacks of five Barbarians without injury. He tore one Barbarian in half and advanced on the terrified enemy forces.

• Li Xuancang joined the Blood Condensation Realm battle, prompting the Barbarians and Human Race experts to unite against each other.
• Five Barbarians attacked Li Xuancang together, but he took their strikes without being injured.
• Li Xuancang struck two of the five Barbarians, heavily wounding them, while the remaining three tried to flee.
• Li Xuancang seized one fleeing Barbarian and tore him in half as the battlefield fell silent.
• Li Xuancang dropped the corpse and advanced toward the enemy, covered in blood.

Li Xuancang held off the Barbarian and Demon Race forces while Mystic Sun City’s defenders fought an increasingly hopeless battle. With the Human Race losing ground and its strongest fighters nearing defeat, Zhou Xingzhan kept the Astral Qi Realm experts fighting by promising that the Peace Prefecture Army would arrive within days.

• Li Xuancang’s surprise attacks drove the enemy back, but Wu Xiaotian ordered the nine Barbarian and Demon Race Astral Qi Realm experts to attack the city.
• Zhou Xingzhan and the other Human Race Astral Qi Realm experts fought the stronger enemy while Blood Condensation Realm fighters, including Li Xuancang, were surrounded and worn down.
• After hours of fighting, the Human Race was overwhelmed, and the government forcibly sent civilians to the battlefield as defenders fell.
• Wu Xiaotian struck Zhou Xingzhan, and Zhao Jianhai considered retreating until Zhou promised the Peace Prefecture Army would arrive within days.
• Zhao Jianhai and the other Astral Qi Realm experts chose to stay and fight, while the enemy continued rotating attackers against Li Xuancang, who showed no sign of tiring.

Li Xuancang endured the fall of Mystic Sun City, waiting for Zhou Xingzhan’s hidden plan until Peace Prefecture’s army arrived and revealed the city had been used as bait. The Human Race forces encircled the retreating Barbarian-Demon coalition and launched a counterattack, while Mystic Sun City’s exhausted defenders could not join in.

• Li Xuancang chose to keep fighting because he suspected Zhou Xingzhan had a way to turn the battle around, and the defenders retreated from the fallen walls into the city.
• The Barbarians and Demon Race surrounded Li Xuancang, but Peace Prefecture’s army arrived with overwhelming force and halted their attack.
• Wu Xiaotian ordered the Barbarians to withdraw and leave the Demon Race to cover them, but both sides fled in disorder.
• Peace Prefecture’s main force and the administration’s experts surrounded the coalition outside Mystic Sun City, and the commander revealed Profound Sun Commandery had been used as bait to draw out the enemy’s main army.
• Du Tianfeng led the Human Race counterattack as the iron cavalry and Peace Prefecture’s experts attacked the trapped coalition, while Mystic Sun City’s exhausted defenders remained unable to fight.

After the Peace Prefecture Army annihilated the Barbarian and Demon Race forces, Li Xuancang received extraordinary recognition for his battlefield achievements. He was promoted to Thousand-Man Commander and placed under Du Tianfeng, leaving Zhou Xingzhan bitter over losing his capable subordinate.

• The Peace Prefecture Army returned to Mystic Sun City after pursuing the fleeing enemy, and Du Tianfeng praised Zhou Xingzhan for his role in the victory.
• Zhou Xingzhan recounted Li Xuancang’s battle achievements to Du Tianfeng, who decided to reward him handsomely.
• Du Tianfeng announced the army’s rewards and promoted Li Xuancang to Thousand-Man Commander, assigning him one thousand elite soldiers under Du Tianfeng’s command.
• Li Xuancang received generous pay, supplies, privileges, and a gilded general’s robe, while Zhou Xingzhan resented the transfer of his strongest subordinate.

After the awards ceremony, Du Tianfeng ordered Li Xuancang to transfer to Peace Prefecture City, giving him two months to settle his affairs and permission to bring his old unit. Li Xuancang left Mystic Sun City with his family and the twenty-nine soldiers who chose to follow him.

• Du Tianfeng told Li Xuancang to report to Peace Prefecture City in two months and approved his request to bring his old unit.
• Li Xuancang told his parents they would move with him, and they agreed.
• Most of Li Xuancang’s former soldiers chose to remain in Profound Sun Commandery, while twenty-nine agreed to go with him.
• Li Xuancang gave five taels of silver to the departing soldiers who stayed and distributed cultivation pills and the Tiger Demon’s remains among those who followed him.
• After half a month of preparation, Li Xuancang set out for Peace Prefecture City with his family and followers, and Zhou Xingzhan wished him success.

Li Xuancang’s convoy encountered starving refugees on the way to Peace Prefecture City, where desperate parents begged him to take their children so they might survive. The chapter ended with the civilians still kneeling and pleading, while Li Xuancang and his soldiers faced their suffering in silence.

• Li Xuancang traveled toward Peace Prefecture City with his family, servants, and thirty-one trusted soldiers, passing corpses and increasingly desolate land.
• Li Xuancang’s convoy came upon bandits robbing civilians, but the bandits fled when they saw the armored soldiers, and Li Xuancang ordered his men to keep moving.
• A crowd of starving refugees surrounded the convoy, pleading for food and help as they knelt along the road.
• Parents and elders begged Li Xuancang to take their children in, offering to work without pay in exchange for the children’s survival.
• Li Xuancang tightened his fists as he faced the desperate pleas, while his soldiers and family silently shared his grief.

Li Xuancang’s convoy encountered a merchant caravan fighting the Iron Fist Sect and intervened after he recognized Zhao Changlin’s voice. With the gang driven off, Zhao Changlin turned and saw Li Xuancang, the man he would remember for the rest of his life.

• Li Xuancang ordered the civilians blocking his convoy’s path to move aside and continued toward Peace Prefecture Administration.
• After five days, Li Xuancang’s group stopped at a forest road where the Iron Fist Sect was attacking a merchant caravan.
• Zhao Changlin, a former Hundred-Man Commander, called to the soldiers for help as his caravan began to fall.
• Li Xuancang recognized Zhao Changlin and ordered Wang Xiaoniu and the others to attack the Iron Fist Sect.
• Wang Xiaoniu’s group overwhelmed the Iron Fist Sect, forcing Wang Zhan to order a retreat.
• Li Xuancang greeted Zhao Changlin, who turned and recognized him.

Li Xuancang reunited with Zhao Changlin after rescuing him from the Iron Fist Sect, and Zhao learned that Li had risen to Thousand-Man Commander. After the two groups parted ways, Zhao’s caravan continued toward Flowing Cloud Commandery while Li headed to Peace Prefecture City.

• Zhao Changlin joyfully reunited with Li Xuancang and thanked him for saving his life.
• Wang Xiaoniu revealed that Li Xuancang had become a Thousand-Man Commander, shocking Zhao Changlin and the caravan.
• Li Xuancang stopped Zhao Changlin from bowing and learned that Zhao had left the army because his injuries had permanently weakened him.
• Zhao Changlin warned Li Xuancang that the Iron Fist Sect was powerful and vengeful in Peace Prefecture City.
• Li Xuancang and Zhao Changlin exchanged farewells and continued toward their separate destinations.
• Zhao Changlin rebuked his nephew for asking about Li Xuancang as the caravan resumed its journey.

Li Xuancang and his family arrived at Peace Prefecture Administration City, where he planned to settle them safely while reporting for his military post. After the city guards recognized his rank as a Thousand-Man Commander, they escorted the group inside, leaving Li Ling'er, Zhang Cuier, Zhang Chunhua, and the others marveling at the bustling city.

• Li Xuancang and his group reached Peace Prefecture Administration City after traveling for half a month and were struck by its crowds and prosperity.
• Li Xuancang led his family and thirty-one Battle Soldiers to the city gate, where commoners made way for them and some gang members showed hostility.
• The Squad Leader inspected Li Xuancang's military tally and appointment document, then realized he was a Thousand-Man Commander.
• The Squad Leader saluted Li Xuancang and personally escorted him, his family, and his guards through the gates toward the official posthouse.
• Li Ling'er, Zhang Cuier, Zhang Chunhua, and the others excitedly admired the shops and unfamiliar goods along the main street.