Chapter Summaries

Jian Shang rebuffed envoys who tried to persuade him to revoke his decree against Moon State players, while Long Gui and Yang Qingxuan explained the crises facing the Great Xia region and Moon State. He left the conference unconvinced, questioning whether the international assembly’s promises of restraint could be trusted.

• Long Gui described the White Bear Alliance’s invasion of the north and urged Jian Shang to take the wider war seriously, but Jian Shang refused to send troops or supplies.
• Yang Qingxuan told Jian Shang that Moon State was in turmoil, with repeated leadership changes and daily unrest.
• Long Gui and Fatzila explained that the delegations wanted Jian Shang to revoke his decree against Moon State players, citing reports of people suffering breakdowns after deleting their accounts.
• Jian Shang rebuffed Fatzila and questioned Long Gui about his position in the Otherworld before challenging the credibility of official promises.

Summary

This chapter is an author’s note celebrating the start of June and Children’s Day rather than advancing the story’s plot.

Key events

• The author wishes young readers a happy Children’s Day.
• He thanks readers for their strong support during May, including more than 900 votes and a record number of votes over the month.
• The novel, Forging the Sacred Court, rose into the top forty among the hundred most influential works.
• The author acknowledges several readers who gave red-banner support and thanks the wider readership for voting and subscribing.
• He notes that his update schedule became more stable in May, with several days featuring three or four updates, though personal responsibilities prevented the planned large-scale release.
• He anticipates beginning a period of street vending, which may affect his ability to update.
• He asks readers to continue supporting the novel with monthly votes, recommendation votes, and subscriptions, especially as it receives new recommendations in June.

Character development

• No fictional characters develop in this chapter.
• The author, referred to as “Shadow,” presents himself as grateful, hardworking, and committed to improving both the story and update frequency despite real-life difficulties.

Significant themes

• Gratitude toward readers and the importance of mutual support.
• Perseverance in balancing creative work with personal obligations.
• Community participation through votes, recommendations, and subscriptions.
• The author’s determination to repay readers’ support with better and more frequent updates.

Character interactions

• There are no in-story character interactions.
• The main interaction is between the author and his readership: Shadow thanks readers by name, recognizes their contributions, and directly appeals for continued support.

Chapter Summary: A War of Words

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jian Shang confronts more than a hundred foreign envoys and representatives of the Huaxia Otherworlder Alliance, who have come to pressure the Huan Kingdom over its growing influence and political decisions.
• He dismisses their claims of humanitarianism and pacifism, arguing that their real motives are fear of the Huan Kingdom’s power and a desire to suppress it.
• Jian Shang bluntly declares that the Huan Kingdom will govern its own affairs and that his decision is final, regardless of how the envoys interpret or report his words.
• When Commander Dragon Soul attempts to appeal to him, Jian Shang interrupts and responds with further criticism, stating that the Huan Kingdom will meet force with force and even inviting any faction capable of doing so to seek revenge.
• Dragon Soul insists that he and the Huan Army will aid Huaxia during its national crisis, but Jian Shang warns all factions not to mistake his patience for weakness.
• Jian Shang orders the envoys to leave the royal city within twelve hours. He threatens to execute them if they remain and demands that Di Wushuang resign and retire if she cannot carry out the order.
• Jiang Yao is instructed to reject all future foreign delegations unless they seek surrender or an alliance; intermediaries supporting other purposes are to be executed as well.
• Later, Di Wushuang and Jiang Yao kneel before Jian Shang to apologize. Jian Shang accepts their remorse but warns them not to repeat their mistakes.
• Jian Shang questions Di Wushuang’s political judgment, suggesting that her compassion and involvement in covert political maneuvering may stem from the Lotus Manual or her altered personality.
• Chancellor Tian Dan reports that Huaxia’s military situation is extremely dangerous. The Great Qin and Peacock Empires have allied and are defeating their enemies, while Western Chu has been severely weakened by the Battle of Dingtao and the death of Xiang Liang.
• Xiang Yu has returned to Pengcheng seeking revenge but is in conflict with High General Song Yi. Meanwhile, Liu Bang is consolidating power around the Yellow River and appears close to declaring independence from Western Chu.

Character Developments

• Jian Shang displays a harsher, more direct side. He abandons diplomatic restraint, relying on intimidation, absolute authority, and uncompromising military logic. His street-born bluntness is shown to be strategically effective rather than merely crude.
• Dragon Soul remains committed to Huaxia’s survival and tries to reason with Jian Shang, but he is frustrated and humiliated by Jian Shang’s refusal to engage in conventional political debate.
• Di Wushuang recognizes that her decision to receive the foreign envoys created serious problems for the Huan Kingdom. She admits that neither she nor the personalities influencing her are suited to political warfare.
• Jiang Yao is reprimanded for ignoring Jian Shang’s earlier instructions and allowing the foreign factions to gather.
• Tian Dan serves as a sober, informed adviser, presenting the worsening military and political situation across Huaxia.
• Xiang Yu appears driven by grief and revenge but is politically and strategically unstable, while Liu Bang emerges as an ambitious leader quietly building an independent power base.

Significant Themes

• Power over rhetoric: Jian Shang cuts through elaborate political arguments by openly identifying the self-interest behind them.
• Sovereignty and authority: The chapter emphasizes the principle that the Huan Kingdom controls its own territory and will not submit to foreign pressure.
• Politics as warfare: Diplomatic negotiations are portrayed as another battlefield, where threats, positioning, and psychological pressure matter as much as formal arguments.
• The danger of misplaced compassion: Di Wushuang’s attempt to act for the kingdom’s benefit instead creates vulnerability, showing that good intentions can be harmful without political judgment.
• National responsibility: Dragon Soul’s declaration that every person must contribute during a national crisis contrasts with Jian Shang’s insistence that aid must not become an excuse for interference.
• Chaos and shifting loyalties: Western Chu’s decline, Xiang Yu’s conflict with Song Yi, and Liu Bang’s growing independence show how quickly alliances and political structures can fracture.

Character Interactions

• Jian Shang and Dragon Soul engage in a tense verbal confrontation. Dragon Soul appeals to sincerity and national duty, while Jian Shang responds with sarcasm, threats, and uncompromising authority.
• Jian Shang rebukes Di Wushuang and Jiang Yao for failing to follow his wishes, forcing both officials to accept responsibility.
• His discussion with Di Wushuang becomes more analytical and personal as he questions the identity and motivations behind her actions.
• Jian Shang relies on Tian Dan for an objective assessment of Huaxia’s deteriorating military situation, shifting the chapter from political confrontation to strategic planning.

Jian Shang assessed the Huaxia Region’s response to the National War and reviewed the Huan Kingdom’s military expansion after conquering Yue. With Canada threatening the coast and Jiangdong, he ordered preparations for defense and ended by directing the kingdom’s armies to ready themselves for a northern expedition.

• Di Wushuang argued that the Huaxia powers were too divided to resist the National War effectively, while Jian Shang said they would unite once their interests were threatened.
• Tian Dan reported Han Xin’s plans to expand and diversify the Huan Kingdom’s forces, rebuild the Vine Armor Corps, and support the Righteous Mohists’ mechanical-puppet work.
• Jian Shang ordered the court to oversee and reward the Righteous Mohists without allowing Jianghu affairs to escape control.
• Tian Dan warned that Xiang Yu had withdrawn from Jiangdong, leaving the region vulnerable to Canada, and Jian Shang ordered Tian Feng to accelerate Flower Immortal City, build a navy and coastal defenses, and evacuate Jiangdong’s people.
• Jian Shang rejected the Otherworlder Alliance’s plan to stop the Lance Fleet from landing, then ordered the Forbidden Guard and other armies to rest and prepare for a northern expedition.

As the Huan Kingdom expanded through southwestern China, Chinese Otherworlders fought to prevent Canada's Lance Fleet from landing on the Eastern Sea coast. Huan King Jian Shang remained unaware of the backlash against him on the forums and accepted the peaceful surrender of South Zheng Royal City, where a mysterious woman watched him arrive.

• The Huan Army pacified most of four southwestern commanderies, expanding the Huan Kingdom's territory and population.
• Canada's Lance Fleet attacked four coastal commanderies, but more than a hundred million Chinese Otherworlders helped hold it off in the month-long Eastern Sea Landing Battle.
• A forum post accused Huan King Jian Shang of avoiding the National War and causing internal conflict, sparking widespread condemnation while Jian Shang remained unaware.
• Jian Shang's army crossed the Daba Mountains and reached South Zheng Royal City, where City Lord Zhang Ke arranged the city's surrender.
• The Huan King entered South Zheng amid the city's generals and representatives, while an alluring woman watched him and remarked that he was less impressive than she had expected.

Imperial Consort Dishi approached Huan King Jian Shang in South Zheng Royal City, hoping to form an alliance after the Peacock Empire’s defeat. Jian Shang rejected her overtures and ordered his forces to attack her and her entourage.

• Dishi used her beauty and influence to approach Jian Shang, while Buddha Maha warned her that the Huan King was ruthless.
• Hua Qiandai recognized the foreign entourage, and the Wuhuan Guards and Ravenous Wolf Guards surrounded the crowd.
• Jian Shang identified Dishi and ordered her to leave, stating that the Huan Kingdom did not welcome foreigners from the India Region.
• Dishi offered an alliance and warned Jian Shang that the Otherworlder Alliance had been routed in the Eastern Sea Landing Battle.
• Jian Shang ordered his forces to kill, and Hua Qiandai, Princess Dieyi, Eunuch Qiu, and the guards attacked Dishi’s entourage.

Jian Shang repelled Dishi’s party, killed the captured Buddha Maha, and claimed his rewards before learning that Canada’s Lance Fleet had devastated the Eastern Sea Landing forces. Di Wushuang urged him to confront the fleet before it gained a foothold in China, leaving Jian Shang weighing whether to act sooner than planned.

• Buddha Maha blinded the battlefield to help Dishi escape, but Jian Shang stopped his soldiers from pursuing the fleeing Peacock Empire party and captured Maha.
• Jian Shang killed Buddha Maha, earning the Maha Brahma Scripture and other rewards, then absorbed his soul into the Meditation-Sealing Prayer Beads to upgrade them.
• Jian Shang arrived at South Zheng Royal City and arranged for Di Wushuang to report on the Eastern Sea Landing Battle.
• Di Wushuang told Jian Shang that Canada’s Lance King artifact and eight transformed warships had routed the allied army and killed millions of Chinese Otherworlders.
• Di Wushuang pleaded with Jian Shang to stop the Lance Fleet before it established itself in China, and Jian Shang questioned how powerful the Atlantis Civilization truly was.

Jian Shang agreed to turn the Huan Kingdom’s forces against the Lance Fleet and planned a coordinated land and river attack. After struggling to break through the Legendary Realm barrier without sacrificing his foundations, he swallowed a God-Lifting Barrier-Breaking Pill, and its power began transforming his Innate True Qi.

• Jian Shang agreed with Di Wushuang to target the Lance Fleet and promised to seek support from the Otherworlder Alliance and Western Chu powers.
• Jian Shang ordered Han Xin to assemble forces at Shouchun Royal City and Flower Immortal City for a land assault and a river attack on the Lance Fleet.
• Jian Shang warned Di Wushuang to remember her position as the Wushuang Marquis, then dismissed her while awaiting South Zheng Royal City’s teleportation platform.
• Jian Shang incorporated two foreign manuals into Cosmic Star Tribulation and absorbed the Sea-Covering Dragon Whale’s source soul and Buddha Relic Golden Elixir, but remained unable to advance beyond the peak of the Legendary Realm.
• Jian Shang swallowed the God-Lifting Barrier-Breaking Pill, and its scorching power surged through him as his Innate True Qi grew denser and more powerful.

After failing to advance to the Loose Immortal Realm, Jian Shang learned that his emperor-king path might require raising the Huan Kingdom’s rank and gaining more heavenly fortune. He agreed to aid the Spring-Autumn Trading House at Puyang, then arranged to lead a mobile force north while keeping his planned negotiations and campaign against Canada in motion.

• Jian Shang failed to advance after taking a God-Lifting Barrier-Breaking Pill, and Di Wushuang suggested his status as the Lord of the Nine Dragons might mean he needed to raise the Huan Kingdom’s rank to reach the Loose Immortal Realm.
• After ending his seventeen-day seclusion, Jian Shang learned that Lü Zhi had requested aid because the Russian Federation’s coalition army had advanced to Julu Commandery, threatening the Spring-Autumn Trading House’s headquarters at Puyang.
• Lü Rong scolded Jian Shang for dismissing the plea and told him that Zhi Ji would marry whoever broke Puyang’s siege before she left.
• Jian Shang ordered the Evil Consort, Princess Dieyi, the Ravenous Wolf Guards, and the Ironfeather Bird Army to assemble at the teleportation platform so he could lead a relief force to Great Chen Royal City.
• Tian Dan reported that forces and supplies were ready and that Xiang Yu and Li Yuan were open to an alliance; Jian Shang ordered Tian Dan to lead his army to Flower Immortal City while Han Xin took charge at Shouchun Royal City.

Jian Shang decided to lead an army to Puyang despite his ministers’ objections, then learned that a vast phenomenon had erupted in Xianyang and Qin Shi Huang might have returned. He kept the Huan Kingdom’s rescue plan unchanged and ordered his forces to teleport toward Puyang.

• Jian Shang dismissed Chancellor Tian Dan and Hua Qiandai’s objections and committed to aiding Zhi Ji at Puyang with fifty thousand Ravenous Wolf Guards and one hundred thousand Ironfeather Bird Army troops.
• A thunderous phenomenon swept the world, and Hua Qiandai recalled her father’s prophecy that Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, would return.
• Jian Shang ordered an investigation and insisted that even Qin Shi Huang’s possible return would not alter his decision to go to Puyang.
• Jian Shang and his forces assembled at South Zheng Royal City’s teleportation platform to depart for Puyang.
• A secret guard reported that the phenomenon began in Xianyang and that the Secret Division suspected Qin Shi Huang had returned, while the Great Qin Empire sealed off the area.
• Jian Shang rejected calls to change the Huan Kingdom’s deployments and ordered the troops to teleport as planned.

Jian Shang learned that the Tomb of King Wu of Zhou had appeared in Xianyang and could contain a genuine method of ascension, while Di Wushuang told him the Puyang crisis had ended after Liu Bang helped the Spring-Autumn Trading House escape. He abandoned his planned journey to Puyang and ordered foreign experts who entered the secret trove’s territory killed.

• Lü Chen sealed off Great Chen Royal City’s teleportation platform and welcomed Jian Shang, Di Wushuang, Princess Dieyi, and the Huan forces as they arrived.
• Di Wushuang asked Jian Shang to wait, then arrived in person and revealed that the Tomb of King Wu of Zhou had appeared in Xianyang.
• Di Wushuang said the tomb might be the only Heaven Grade treasure site in Forging the Sacred Court and could contain a genuine method of ascension, drawing powerful nations toward it.
• Di Wushuang told Jian Shang that Puyang had fallen to the Russian Coalition Army and Liu Bang had escorted the Spring-Autumn Trading House as it escaped and relocated.
• Jian Shang ordered that the world be notified that foreign experts who entered the Tomb of King Wu of Zhou’s territory would be killed.

Jian Shang mobilized the Huan Kingdom’s forces and Great Adepts to protect the Secret Trove of King Wu of Zhou and sent envoys to negotiate with the Great Qin Empire and the Spring-Autumn Trading House. Foreign powers debated his threat, with Greece’s Gold Saints deciding to join forces with other Great Adepts if they entered China.

• Jian Shang ordered the Huan Kingdom’s elite forces and all its Great Adepts to assemble near Xianyang, while Gongsun Long went to negotiate with the Great Qin Empire.
• Jian Shang sent Eunuch Qiu to contact the Spring-Autumn Trading House and offer it help and a new headquarters within the Huan Kingdom.
• King Taimosir, Duke Nasir, and Duke Seler discussed joining the Russian Federation’s expedition into China, and Seler warned them not to underestimate the Huan King.
• Gold Saints Oles and Maza mocked the Huan King’s warning, while the mysterious Gold Saint cautioned that China’s population and strength made him dangerous.
• Shiji told the Greek gathering to either stay out of the expedition or join forces with the Sea King, the God of the Underworld, and other Great Adepts.

Jian Shang reunited with Princess Huating in her neglected residence at Zhenhua Palace and asked her to leave with him. Huating refused, choosing to wait for Qin Shi Huang’s return, while the two renewed their old friendship through memories of their past.

• Princess Huating told Xiaoping and Xiaotao that she had sensed Qin Shi Huang’s presence and believed he would return.
• Jian Shang, Hua Qiandai, and their companion arrived at Zhenhua Palace, where Huating recognized Jian Shang.
• Jian Shang apologized for not visiting sooner and asked Huating to come with him.
• Huating denied being under house arrest and refused to leave, saying she would wait for her father and that her bond with Jian Shang was better as friendship.
• Jian Shang and Huating set aside their awkward feelings and reminisced about meeting in Weishan Town.

Jian Shang faced down King Wu of Qin and Imperial Consort Dishi in the Great Qin Forbidden Palace, where his assembled Huan Kingdom forces revealed their overwhelming strength. He secured permission for his people to stay in Xianyang and warned that Peacock Empire forces would be killed if they entered King Wu of Zhou’s secret trove.

• King Wu of Qin, Imperial Consort Dishi, and their allies surrounded Jian Shang’s pavilion and mocked him for entering the Forbidden Palace.
• Jian Shang dismissed the Great Qin leaders and reminded Dishi that he could have killed her at South Zheng Royal City.
• Nine Loose Immortal Great Adepts and a host of Huan Kingdom experts arrived, stunning King Wu of Qin and Dishi.
• A Great Qin general reported that five Huan Kingdom elite forces, numbering about two hundred thousand, had gathered outside the Imperial Capital.
• Jian Shang said he had come to visit Princess Huating, then asked King Wu of Qin to arrange lodging for his forces; King Wu agreed to avoid a confrontation.
• Jian Shang ordered the Great Qin leaders to withdraw and warned Dishi that Peacock Empire forces entering King Wu of Zhou’s secret trove would be killed.

After the Huan Kingdom’s forces settled into Zhenhua Palace, Jian Shang’s advisers discussed the newly emerged tombs of King Wen and King Wu of Zhou and the possible legacies within them. Jian Shang ordered the army divided to seal both tomb entrances and prevent anyone from entering without his decree.

• Dishi taunted the Huan King and left after deciding not to provoke a fight with him.
• Jian Shang and the Huan Kingdom’s forces remained in Zhenhua Palace after King Wu of Qin and his people departed, and Princess Huating agreed to accommodate them.
• Lan Ge explained that two vast tombs near Qi Mountain were believed to belong to King Wen of Zhou and King Wu of Zhou, though poisonous miasma prevented a closer investigation.
• Hua Qiandai described the possible legacies of both kings and said King Wu’s tomb might contain the Nine Transformations of the Imperial Extreme, the Xuanyuan Chart Record, and the Heaven-Piercing Divine Tree.
• Jian Shang ordered Lan Ge and others to secure the smaller tomb while he led the remaining forces to the larger one, and commanded them to seal both entrances with the Twelve Capitals Banner-Demon Formation.

The Nine-Nether Baleful Sha began dispersing around the Two Civil-Martial Tombs, drawing the gathered crowds toward the ancient tombs. Stairway, Ice-Soul Epiphyllum, Elegant Kite, and other Chinese Otherworlders arrived, and Elegant Kite clashed with Duke Nasir after Nasir insulted them.

• The crowd discussed the Two Civil-Martial Tombs and the deadly mist that had kept everyone out for more than ten days.
• The Nine-Nether Baleful Sha began to disperse, and the crowd celebrated as the tombs appeared to be opening.
• Stairway arrived with Ice-Soul Epiphyllum, followed by Elegant Kite, Silver-Winged Wolf, Heartless Skyfall, and other rising Chinese Otherworlders.
• Duke Nasir insulted the Chinese Otherworlders, but Duke Seler warned him not to provoke trouble in China.
• Elegant Kite attacked Duke Nasir with his sword, cut his clothing, and taunted him while the Chinese Otherworlders gathered together against the United States contingent.

Jian Shang arrived at the Two Civil-Martial Tombs with the Huan Kingdom’s forces and ordered all non-Chinese visitors to withdraw. He annihilated the American camp and struck at the Japanese camp, leaving the other foreign factions to decide whether to intervene.

• Taurus Oles mocked Duke Nasir for worrying about the Huan King, just as the Huan Kingdom’s armies arrived at the tombs.
• Jian Shang appeared with more than ten Loose Immortal Great Adepts and ordered all non-Chinese people to leave.
• After Heartless Skyfall pointed out Duke Nasir, Jian Shang struck the American camp with the Heaven-Overturning Palm, and his allies killed every American there.
• A Japanese Human Ninja called for the foreign factions to unite against Jian Shang, who condemned Japan and attacked its camp with a blood-red sword.
• The Japanese camp counterattacked with Shikigami, ghosts, ninjas, and projectiles as the West Wolf King hesitated and called to Vampire Duke Belu.

Jian Shang and the Huan Kingdom annihilated the Japanese contingent after destroying the Americans, but foreign forces united to resist further attacks. Di Wushuang appealed to the Chinese crowd as the chapter ended with the question of whether they were Chinese.

• The Huan Kingdom’s forces threatened the foreign contingents as Vampire Duke Belu and the other foreign leaders hesitated to provoke them.
• Jian Shang, Lan Ge, Princess Dieyi, and the other Chinese great adepts slaughtered the Japanese contingent, while Dongfang Shi and the Penglai elders arrived.
• The foreign camps regrouped, and Atlas offered to avoid becoming the Huan Kingdom’s enemy in exchange for access to the secret trove.
• Jian Shang attacked Atlas, but the South American contingent and other foreign camps struck back and forced the Huan Kingdom’s great adepts to retreat.
• Shiji urged Jian Shang to show restraint as foreign great adepts prepared to fight if China attacked again.
• Di Wushuang identified herself as both Wushuang Marquis and former head of the Otherworlder Alliance’s Imperial Residence, then asked the crowd whether they were Chinese.

Di Wushuang rallied Chinese Otherworlders against foreign forces seeking the Tomb of King Wu of Zhou, and Jian Shang refused to let them claim its treasures, raising the Twelve Capitals Banner-Demon Formation. As tensions turned toward war, several smaller countries withdrew, while more foreign Great Adepts arrived.

• Di Wushuang declared that the secret trove belonged to China, and Chinese Otherworlders joined her call to drive out the invaders.
• Hua Qiandai's attack failed to harm the apparent King Lance, and Di Wushuang revealed he was a liquid God-King Warrior controlled by another being.
• Jian Shang declared that he would defend the secret trove even if he gained nothing, then ordered the Huan Kingdom Army to deploy the Twelve Capitals Banner-Demon Formation.
• Jian Shang and the foreign camps prepared for battle as the Tomb of King Wu of Zhou's baleful aura began to disperse.
• The Turkic Khanate, Kara-Khanid Khanate, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and other countries withdrew from the contest, while additional foreign Great Adepts arrived.

The Greece Region's Gold Saints challenged China's Loose Immortals, but Jian Shang refused their terms and threatened to target them first. Liu Bang arrived to pledge support to the Huan King, while Zhi Ji and Rong Ji confronted Jian Shang over the fall of Puyang, leaving their rift unresolved as Western Chu and Great Qin arrived.

• Taurus Oles challenged China's Loose Immortals on behalf of the Greece Region, and Selles then proposed a match against the Huan King to settle the outcome.
• Jian Shang rejected the appeal to courtesy, warned the Cloth Warriors that they would be his first targets, and the Huan Kingdom's powerhouses locked onto them.
• Liu Bang arrived with three Loose Immortals, pledged to support the Huan King, and revealed that the Otherworlder Alliance had recruited him against China's enemies.
• Zhi Ji and Rong Ji arrived with the Spring-Autumn Trading House, and Zhi Ji accused Jian Shang of making excuses about the failed relief effort at Puyang.
• Lü Rong accused Jian Shang of bullying her, and Zhi Ji's resentment deepened when Jian Shang dismissed her concerns about the Mind-Reading Technique.
• Liu Bang announced that Western Chu and Great Qin had arrived, strengthening China's side against the foreign powerhouses.