Chapter Summaries

Summary

This chapter is an author’s note and monthly appeal rather than a story installment.

• Key events: The author celebrates June 1st and Children’s Day, reflects on the previous month’s productivity, and notes that Forging the Sacred Court surpassed 1,000 chapters in May. They also report writing approximately 270,000 words and maintaining frequent updates for over a month.
• Character developments: There is no fictional character development. The author presents themself as exhausted but determined, having suppressed emotional turmoil to continue writing and pursue their dream.
• Themes: Perseverance, dedication, creative struggle, emotional restraint, and the importance of reader support. The author emphasizes continuing despite hardship and uncertainty.
• Character interactions: No narrative interactions occur. Instead, the author directly addresses readers, humbly asking for monthly votes, encouragement, passion, and continued support.

Xiao Ying established the Twelve Killings policy for prisoners and prepared a four-pronged campaign to conquer Yingzhou. He led seven hundred thousand Forbidden Guards north from Yokohama, and their Moonlight Heavenly Wolf Formation smashed through the defenses along the road.

• Xiao Ying ordered prisoners judged by the Twelve Killings, allowing the army to use those who submitted and kill those it could not use.
• Chong Shiqie reported that the captured Yokohama Royal City contained a million spirit stones and more than a hundred million Diamond Coins.
• Over thirty million Great Huan troops and more than three hundred senior generals assembled in Yokohama as the dynasty organized four armies to attack Yingzhou's regions.
• Xiao Ying rejected the complicated route briefing and ordered the Forbidden Guard to march directly toward Tokyo Capital City, then Edo City, where the other corps would gather.
• Xiao Ying led the seven hundred thousand Forbidden Guards out of Yokohama, and their Moonlight Heavenly Wolf Formation charged northeast, destroying forts and watchtowers along the way.

Xiao Ying led the Great Huan Forbidden Guard north across the Kanto Plain, destroying strongholds on the way to Tamatsuna Castle. As the Hojo Clan and Great Chu officials prepared to face him, the Longevity Immortal Elder revealed that the Upper Realm had ordered the Huan Emperor’s death and promised an immortal host would arrive within three days.

• Xiao Ying led seven hundred thousand Great Huan Forbidden Guards through the Kanto Plain, razing cities, towns, and castles as they advanced toward Tamatsuna Castle.
• Hojo Ujiyasu, Himiko, Xiang Quan, and their allies gathered at Tamatsuna Castle after learning that Xiao Ying’s forces would arrive soon.
• The Wind-Chasing Sword Immortal and Xiang Quan reassured the assembled leaders that Tamatsuna Castle’s seven million soldiers could withstand the Great Huan Forbidden Guard.
• Hojo Ujiyasu warned that the Huan Emperor’s larger armies would soon follow, prompting Xiang Quan to hint that Great Chu had another plan.
• The Longevity Immortal Elder disclosed that the Upper Realm had issued an Immortal Edict to kill Xiao Ying and that a host of immortals would arrive within one to three days.

Hojo Ujiyasu proposed delaying the approaching Great Huan Forbidden Guard by feigning surrender and using a beauty scheme to distract the Huan Emperor. He insisted that Shizuka Gozen be sent to him, leaving Himiko, Xiang Quan, and the others to weigh the cost of sacrificing a woman already promised to Chu Emperor Xiang Yu.

• Hojo Ujiyasu argued that the Hojo Clan could delay the Huan Emperor by placating him instead of fighting the Great Huan Forbidden Guard.
• Himiko approved delaying the invasion but warned Hojo Ujiyasu not to underestimate the Huan Emperor.
• Hojo Ujiyasu proposed feigning surrender and offering one of the Eastern Isles Three Beauties to distract the Huan Emperor.
• Hojo Ujiyasu ruled out Oichi and Hosokawa Tamako because of their powerful backing and argued that Shizuka Gozen was the only workable choice.
• Hojo Ujiyasu said he would even sacrifice his own daughter, Hayakawa-dono, and implied that the Hojo Clan might otherwise surrender to the Great Huan Dynasty.

Chapter Summary: “Dancing Heaven and Earth”

Key Plot Points and Events

• As the Great Huan Dynasty’s army advances south of Tamatsuna Castle, the Moonlight Heavenly Wolf Formation—formed by Xiao Ying and 700,000 Forbidden Guard soldiers—crushes everything in its path. Refugees, buildings, and fleeing civilians are swept aside as the army races to cause maximum damage before Great Chu can send reinforcements.
• Messengers representing the Hojo Clan repeatedly call out, asking to negotiate peace on behalf of Hojo Ujiyasu. Xiao Ying ignores them, unwilling to waste time. When they continue pestering him, the Sky Wolf releases a devastating howl that kills or maims many of the messengers and terrifies the surrounding refugees into fleeing.
• After traveling hundreds of miles, the army approaches Tamatsuna Castle at dawn. The castle is a massive, heavily fortified stronghold and the Hojo Clan’s main base.
• Outside the city, nearly 100,000 ashigaru soldiers have organized the refugees and merchants into a calm, empty zone. Musicians perform while approximately 3,000 women dance in a vast, coordinated spectacle designed to welcome—or disarm—the invading army.
• At the center is Shizuka Gozen, a renowned dancer whose movements manipulate light, emotion, and the surrounding dancers. Her performance creates an almost supernatural realm in which heaven and earth seem to revolve around her.
• As the Moonlight Sky Wolf approaches, its momentum and formation begin to weaken. The soldiers are gradually mesmerized, and Xiao Ying realizes that the dance is threatening the minds of the entire formation.
• Xiao Ying shouts “Enough!” and halts the formation several hundred meters from the dancers, preventing the army from losing control and collapsing.
• Shizuka finally stops dancing and formally asks Xiao Ying to show mercy to the common people. Xiao Ying recognizes her as one of the Wa Country Region’s three great beauties and realizes she is the woman supposedly chosen by Chu Emperor Xiang Yu for his harem.
• Her presence gives Xiao Ying an unexpected strategic insight: because Xiang Yu has not yet formally taken Shizuka as an imperial consort, destroying Yingzhou may not be necessary to provoke him into personally entering the war.

Character Developments

• Xiao Ying remains focused, ruthless, and strategically driven. He refuses to be distracted by Hojo’s peace offers and prioritizes striking Tamatsuna Castle before Great Chu can reinforce the region.
• His military expertise becomes clear when he recognizes that the Sky Wolf is not an independent creature but a formation composed of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. He also detects the psychological danger of Shizuka’s performance before the formation collapses.
• Xiao Ying shows resistance to supernatural beauty and emotional manipulation by forcefully breaking the spell over his army. His recognition of Shizuka also demonstrates his growing knowledge of Yingzhou’s political and historical figures.
• Shizuka Gozen is introduced as both a peerless dancer and a powerful spiritual or psychological presence. Her dance can calm crowds, influence soldiers, control light, and make observers lose themselves in their desires. Despite the overwhelming force before her, she remains composed and pleads for mercy rather than panicking.
• The Great Huan Forbidden Guard function as a unified military force, but their vulnerability to Shizuka’s dance reveals that even a massive formation can be undermined through emotion and spiritual influence.

Significant Themes

• Military power versus cultural and spiritual power: The Sky Wolf represents brute force, collective military strength, and destruction, while Shizuka’s dance represents beauty, emotional influence, art, and psychological warfare.
• The power of formations: Both Xiao Ying’s army and Shizuka’s dancers operate as coordinated wholes. The chapter parallels military formations with artistic performance, showing that organization can transform individuals into something vastly more powerful.
• Beauty as a weapon: Shizuka’s beauty and dance are not merely aesthetic; they alter perception, calm violence, and threaten the will of an entire army.
• The fragility of control: Xiao Ying’s formation appears nearly unstoppable, yet its power depends on the soldiers’ mental discipline. Once their minds are affected, the enormous Sky Wolf risks collapse.
• War and mercy: Shizuka appeals to Xiao Ying on behalf of ordinary people, contrasting the devastating advance of war with the human cost borne by refugees and civilians.
• Strategic manipulation: Xiao Ying is searching for ways to provoke Chu Emperor Xiang Yu into direct conflict. Shizuka’s unexpected appearance may provide a more efficient means of achieving that goal.

Character Interactions

• Hojo Clan messengers and Xiao Ying: The messengers repeatedly seek peace negotiations, but Xiao Ying ignores them. Their persistence results in the Sky Wolf’s lethal roar, ending the attempted contact.
• Xiao Ying and the Forbidden Guard: Xiao Ying controls the formation and senses when the soldiers are becoming mentally overwhelmed. His command stops the advance before Shizuka’s influence causes the formation to disintegrate.
• Shizuka and the approaching army: Through her dance, Shizuka calms refugees, coordinates thousands of women, and draws the attention and desires of the Great Huan soldiers. Her influence directly opposes Xiao Ying’s command.
• Xiao Ying and Shizuka: Xiao Ying breaks the spell with a thunderous command, while Shizuka responds calmly and respectfully, introducing herself and pleading for mercy. Their encounter establishes a confrontation between Xiao Ying’s overwhelming martial authority and Shizuka’s seductive, almost heavenly spiritual power.

Xiao Ying accepted the women Hōjō Ujiyasu offered, then led the Great Huan Forbidden Guard over Tamatsuna Castle’s walls and attacked the city. Hōjō realized the Huan Emperor had never promised to spare the city and roared in fury as the slaughter began.

• Hōjō Ujiyasu presented Shizuka Gozen and another alluring woman to Xiao Ying, who accepted them and had Eunuch Qiu and Hua Qiandai seize them.
• Xiao Ying declined Hōjō Ujiyasu’s invitation to enter Tamatsuna Castle through its gates and summoned the Myriad Swords Shattering the Sky Formation.
• The seven hundred thousand Great Huan Forbidden Guards transformed into demonic clouds and flew over the castle walls into the city.
• The demonic clouds plunged into Tamatsuna Castle, shaking the ground and spreading the smell of blood as the Forbidden Guard began slaughtering inside.
• The Longevity Immortal Elder accused Hōjō Ujiyasu of letting the Huan army into the city and warned him to take command.
• Hōjō Ujiyasu realized Xiao Ying had made no promise to spare Tamatsuna Castle and roared the Huan Emperor’s name in rage.

Hojo Ujiyasu realized the Huan Emperor had accepted Shizuka Gozen and still launched a surprise assault on Tamatsuna Castle. Xiao Ying’s Forbidden Guard overwhelmed the city’s defenders as the Hojo forces deployed their specialized troops and Onmyoji, ending with the summoning of a gigantic three-headed monster.

• Hojo Ujiyasu ordered his commanders to hold off the Huan Emperor until reinforcements arrived, fearing the consequences of his failed scheme involving Shizuka Gozen.
• Xiao Ying’s formation crossed Tamatsuna Castle’s walls and devastated the military camp, City Lord’s Manor, and palace complex before he sent his forces to seize the city.
• The Great Huan Forbidden Guard routed the Naginata Troops and Buddhist Soldiers, while the War Shinobi and Warrior Corps used speed and martial skill to harass them.
• Nine thousand Onmyoji used demons, talismans, and shikigami to attack the Forbidden Guard with supernatural powers.
• A unit of Onmyoji performed a ritual that summoned a massive, three-headed dog-like monster from the black mist.

Xiao Ying confronted Himiko and the True Immortals after the Great Huan forces captured Tamatsuna Castle, denying that he had tricked the Hojo Clan and revealing that he would not accept its submission because of Shizuka Gozen. He ordered his guards to watch the captives, while a Hojo woman tried to persuade him with an offer of Edo.

• The Three-Prison Well Shikigami attacked the Great Huan Forbidden Guard, and Li Yanyan struck back with the Fuxi Zither before Himiko intervened to dispel her attack.
• Xiao Ying accused Himiko of exposing her forces and argued that he had turned the Hojo Clan's scheme against it; the Longevity Immortal Elder rejected his claim and advised retreating rather than fighting the Huan Emperor and his consorts.
• Xiao Ying ordered his guards to watch Himiko's side and kill anyone who made a suspicious move.
• A Hojo woman claimed that Hojo Ujiyasu had genuinely intended to submit, but Xiao Ying refused because the Hojo Clan had targeted Shizuka Gozen.
• The Hojo woman pleaded for Xiao Ying to reconsider and offered Edo through Hojo Ujitsuna, prompting Xiao Ying to ask her name.

Chapter Summary: The Woman Buried by History

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Ying questions a beautiful, composed woman from the Hojo Clan who has remained calm despite Tamatsuna Castle’s imminent destruction. He initially wonders whether she might be the famous Hojo Masako or Hayakawa-dono.
• The woman reveals herself as Mizuhime, originally Imagawa Mizuko, daughter of Imagawa Ujichika. Among Otherworlders, she is known as Zuikei-in, the principal wife of Hojo Ujiyasu.
• Xiao Ying is shocked because Zuikei-in is not merely a noblewoman: she was historically the political and domestic force behind the Hojo Clan’s stability, alliances, succession, and expansion.
• Mizuhime explains that Hojo Ujiyasu did not truly “offer” her to Xiao Ying. Instead, because of the desperate circumstances, he asked her to help receive and placate the Huan Emperor. She had agreed to serve as a political sacrifice, even allowing the implication that she might enter Xiao Ying’s bed.
• Xiao Ying considers whether accepting the Hojo Clan’s submission would benefit the Great Huan Dynasty. Although the Hojo are talented and strategically valuable, sparing them might weaken his intimidation of the wider world and encourage Chu Emperor Xiang Yu to attack.
• Yu Ji unexpectedly intervenes, claiming that Tamatsuna Castle’s historical and strategic importance makes its destruction wasteful. Her real concern is understood to be Mizuhime and Shizuka Gozen, but she disguises it as a military argument.
• At Yu Ji’s suggestion, Xiao Ying agrees to spare Tamatsuna Castle as a reward for Hojo Ujiyasu’s offering of the two women. However, he orders the Hojo Clan to seal the city and kill all outsiders within it; any escapees will be compensated with Hojo members of equivalent status.
• Mizuhime is escorted away by Eunuch Qiu and the Great Huan Office. She is disturbed by Yu Ji’s words, realizing that she may now be regarded as Xiao Ying’s permanent woman rather than a temporary political offering.
• The battle resumes. Hua Qiandai, Yu Ji, and Li Yanyan each engage one of the three True Immortals while Xiao Ying controls the Twelve Capitals Banner-Demon Formation and supports them.
• Yu Ji attacks the sword-wielding immortal with her Star River sword technique. Hua Qiandai uses the Heaven-Seeking Divine Whip against the Longevity Immortal Elder. Li Yanyan plays her original Red Dust Seven Emotions Melody, weaponizing the battlefield’s killing intent and attacking the enemies’ souls.
• The Japanese empress and the True Immortals believe Xiao Ying is occupied and vulnerable because only his three consorts are fighting. They decide to seize one of the Great Huan imperial consorts, hoping to compensate for having transferred Shizuka Gozen to Great Chu.

Character Developments

• Xiao Ying gains a deeper understanding of Mizuhime’s historical importance and recognizes that her apparent beauty hides extraordinary political, familial, and organizational ability. He also reveals how strongly he values Yu Ji’s rare intervention, accepting her recommendation without further debate.
• Mizuhime/Zuikei-in is established as a brilliant, self-sacrificing woman who has supported Hojo Ujiyasu and helped build the clan’s power from behind the scenes. Her willingness to sacrifice her dignity and freedom for the Hojo Clan demonstrates both loyalty and political courage, though she becomes increasingly anxious about her new status under Xiao Ying.
• Yu Ji displays an unprecedented willingness to interfere in military and political affairs. Her intervention suggests that concern for her brother Yu Ziqi, as well as sympathy for Mizuhime and Shizuka Gozen, may be changing her normally detached behavior.
• Hua Qiandai remains playful and confident, immediately turning the battle into an opportunity to test and temper the imperial consorts.
• Li Yanyan demonstrates the originality of her cultivation. Her zither technique is not an inherited ancient art but a personal creation shaped by her emotional experiences.
• The Japanese side becomes overconfident after misjudging Xiao Ying’s apparent lack of direct involvement in the fight.

Significant Themes

• The hidden influence of women in history: Mizuhime represents powerful women whose contributions were minimized or omitted from historical records. Her role in raising capable heirs, arranging alliances, and consolidating the Hojo Clan’s power is presented as equal to that of a military ruler.
• Political marriage and sacrifice: Mizuhime’s position illustrates how women are used as instruments of diplomacy and surrender, especially during war. Her supposed “reception” by Xiao Ying exposes the brutal treatment of women as political currency.
• Power versus morality: Xiao Ying’s decision to spare the city still involves ordering a massacre of outsiders. The chapter emphasizes the cruelty and compromises required of rulers in a struggle for empire.
• Possessiveness and cultural misunderstanding: Mizuhime understands Chinese attitudes toward chastity but fails to anticipate the possessiveness attached to it. Her temporary political sacrifice may become permanent possession.
• Love, loyalty, and hidden emotion: Yu Ji’s unusual intervention reveals feelings she normally suppresses. Her public military justification masks a personal desire to protect someone connected to the crisis.
• Battle as cultivation and refinement: The three women’s combat is treated not only as warfare but also as training, allowing them to sharpen their abilities and make proper use of their supreme treasures.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Ying and Mizuhime: Their exchange moves from suspicion and curiosity to recognition of her true identity and value. Xiao Ying is impressed by her composure, while Mizuhime tries to clarify that she was not willingly “offered” in the manner he assumes.
• Yu Ji and Xiao Ying: Yu Ji breaks her usual silence to advocate sparing Tamatsuna Castle. Xiao Ying, moved by the rarity of her request, immediately accepts her judgment.
• Yu Ji and Mizuhime: Yu Ji indirectly claims Mizuhime for Xiao Ying by presenting the woman as part of the reward for sparing the castle, leaving Mizuhime shocked and fearful.
• Hua Qiandai, Yu Ji, and Li Yanyan: The three imperial consorts coordinate separate attacks against the True Immortals, demonstrating both their individual styles and their role as Great Huan’s frontline power.
• The Japanese empress and the True Immortals: Seeing Xiao Ying apparently occupied, they misinterpret the situation and plan to capture one of his consorts, setting up the next confrontation.

Yu Ji and Hua Qiandai killed two True Immortals at Tamatsuna Castle while Chu Yun escaped, and Li Yanyan and Hua Qiandai moved to capture Himiko. Chu Yun reported the failed scheme to Xiang Yu, who killed him and confronted Great Chu's other leaders in fury.

• Yu Ji killed the Wind-Chasing Sword Immortal with two sword techniques and the Mending-Heaven Divine Stone.
• Hua Qiandai used the Heaven-Seeking Divine Whip to kill the Longevity Immortal Elder, while Chu Yun fled Li Yanyan's attack.
• Xiao Ying ordered Li Yanyan and Hua Qiandai to stop Himiko as she withdrew with her guards, and they attacked her party.
• Chu Yun returned to Anyang and reported Shizuka Gozen's deployment and the events at Tamatsuna Castle to Xiang Yu.
• Xiang Yu killed Chu Yun with the Heaven-Opening Axe and angrily challenged Huang Tian, Pujing, and the other Great Chu True Immortals.

Chapter Summary: “Pangu’s Crisis”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiang Yu’s fury over Shizuka Gozen finally erupts. Her transfer from his possession to Huan Emperor Xiao Ying is presented as a profound humiliation, especially because she had already been publicly recognized as Xiang Yu’s woman.
• Unlike Yu Ji, whom Xiang Yu had lost through fair competition, Shizuka’s “seizure” was orchestrated by the Eastern Isles Empress and several True Immortals as part of a political bargain. Xiang Yu considers this a deliberate insult and kills True Immortal Chu Yun.
• The Great Chu ministers and the remaining True Immortals do not condemn Xiang Yu. They recognize that the Descended True Immortals have repeatedly treated Great Chu with arrogance and disregard.
• Xiang Yu openly declares that Great Chu is an ally, not a servant. He warns the True Immortals that he will no longer tolerate being exploited or sacrificed at their convenience.
• People’s King Huang Tian and Nanhua Old Immortal attempt to calm the situation. The True Immortals concede that Chu Yun and the others acted recklessly, allowing the incident to end without further conflict.
• The discussion shifts to the growing threat posed by Huan Emperor Xiao Ying. Nanhua reveals that Huan’s three imperial consorts can defeat ordinary True Immortals, while Huan possesses powerful treasures, a vast army, and seven hundred thousand Forbidden Guards.
• The Upper Realm is preparing a massive descent of Immortal Gods. The Five Absolutes Demon Sect will send the Third Young Master, two demon commanders, eight demon generals, and twenty-four demon immortals; other factions may bring the total number of descending True Immortals above one hundred.
• However, the Descended Immortals will be suppressed to the True Immortal realm, and descending into Pangu World carries enormous costs. Their numbers alone therefore do not guarantee victory.
• Nanhua hints that an Immortal Venerable has calculated that a mysterious supreme treasure has appeared in accordance with destiny. This discovery, rather than merely revenge for Heavenless Young Master, may be the true reason the Upper Realm’s factions are mobilizing.
• The chapter ends with Fan Zeng recognizing the strategic implication: Huan Emperor may be best confronted on a battlefield, where armies and formations matter. The coming conflict is expected to become an unprecedented, world-shaking war.

Character Developments

• Xiang Yu: His suppressed resentment and wounded pride explode into open defiance. He demonstrates that, despite his political caution, he retains uncompromising personal principles and will act violently when his dignity or emotional boundaries are violated. After venting, he regains his composure and begins analyzing the larger threat rationally.
• Fan Zeng: Remains observant and strategically perceptive. His question at the end shows that he is already converting the True Immortals’ warnings into military strategy.
• People’s King Huang Tian: Acts as a negotiator and source of information. He rebukes Song Yi’s simplistic assumptions and explains the limitations of the descending Immortals and the complexity of Upper Realm politics.
• Nanhua Old Immortal: Plays the mediator and offers the most serious assessment of Huan Emperor’s growing power. His warnings also contain a veiled threat, advising Great Chu to avoid provoking powerful Upper Realm factions.
• Song Yi: Displays suspicion toward the True Immortals and initially assumes that a large number of descending Immortals guarantees Huan Emperor’s death. He is corrected for failing to understand the risks and restrictions involved.
• Huan Emperor Xiao Ying: Does not appear directly, but his reputation and rapid rise dominate the chapter. He is portrayed as powerful enough that even a coalition of dozens of True Immortals may not be confident of killing him.

Significant Themes

• Dignity versus political expediency: Xiang Yu refuses to accept Great Chu’s subordinate treatment by the Descended Immortals, emphasizing that alliances cannot justify humiliation or exploitation.
• The limits of power: Numerical superiority does not automatically ensure victory. The Immortals’ descended forms, suppressed strength, Huan’s treasures, formations, consorts, and armies all complicate the conflict.
• Changing political balance: Great Chu once depended heavily on the True Immortals, but Huan’s victories and Xiang Yu’s ability to kill Chu Yun show that the old hierarchy is collapsing.
• Hidden cosmic destiny: The appearance of the mysterious supreme treasure has drawn the attention of the Upper Realm and may trigger a catastrophe far larger than the personal feud with Huan Emperor.
• Approaching apocalypse: The chapter repeatedly evokes the possibility of a new Primordial-Era-scale war in which heaven and earth could once again be shattered.

Character Interactions

• Xiang Yu and the True Immortals: Xiang Yu confronts them directly, accusing them of treating Great Chu as disposable servants. Their reluctant concession prevents the disagreement from becoming an internal war.
• Huang Tian and Xiang Yu: Huang Tian attempts to placate Xiang Yu while acknowledging that the True Immortals mishandled the Shizuka Gozen affair.
• Nanhua and the Great Chu leaders: Nanhua mediates the dispute but also warns Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng that Great Chu must be more cautious amid Upper Realm rivalries.
• Song Yi and the True Immortals: Song Yi challenges their credibility, suspecting they may have exaggerated or concealed the Upper Realm’s plans. Huang Tian rebukes him and explains the strategic limitations of the descending forces.
• Fan Zeng and the assembled leaders: Fan Zeng’s final question crystallizes the chapter’s military conclusion: Huan Emperor must likely be confronted through a coordinated war involving armies, formations, and battlefield strategy rather than through isolated combat with True Immortals.

Fan Zeng warned Xiang Yu that Great Huan’s invasion of Yingzhou might conceal a plan to seize Great Chu’s territories in China, but the True Immortals urged Chu to commit its forces and try to kill the Huan Emperor. Xiang Yu ordered nearly all Great Chu’s armies to gather for the decisive battle in Yingzhou.

• Fan Zeng argued that the Huan Emperor needed to advance Great Huan to an empire and might be using the Yingzhou invasion to draw Great Chu’s forces away from its Chinese territories.
• Huang Tian dismissed Fan Zeng’s suspicions and promised that the True Immortals would cover the costs of transporting Chu’s troops to Yingzhou.
• Old Immortal Nanhua urged Xiang Yu to use Great Chu’s hidden advantage to help kill the Huan Emperor, arguing that Yingzhou could provide enough territory for Great Huan’s advancement.
• Xiang Yu ordered Great Chu’s cities and strongholds to hold their positions and prohibited anyone from engaging the enemy without orders.
• Xiang Yu ordered all but the necessary defensive forces to assemble within one day and march to Yingzhou for the decisive battle.

After the Hojo Clan submitted to Xiao Ying, Great Huan crushed the Great Chu reinforcements in Tamatsuna Castle and began restoring order. Xiao Ying welcomed the Hojo leaders into his service, then ordered the captured, defiant Himiko sent to the Hero Furnace as Legendary Stage material.

• Mizuhime persuaded the Hojo Clan to submit, and their forces joined the Great Huan Forbidden Guard to rout the Great Chu reinforcements, killing nearly half and capturing the rest.
• Xiao Ying explained that the Hojo Clan had submitted because it could not resist and that demonstrating Great Huan's strength would discourage further defections.
• Hojo Soun and the Hojo Clan's leading figures paid homage to Xiao Ying, who welcomed their submission and recognized their value as commanders and administrators.
• Guards brought the captured Himiko before Xiao Ying, and she denounced the Hojo Clan as traitors and predicted Great Huan's destruction.
• Xiao Ying ordered the guards to send Himiko into the Hero Furnace as Legendary Stage material.

Xiao Ying threatened the Hojo Clan by sending Himiko to the Hero Furnace, then discussed the campaign to conquer Yingzhou and ordered Imagawa Mizuko to persuade her clan to lure Great Chu’s reinforcements into a trap. A transformed woman resembling Himiko appeared before Xiao Ying, bearing an aura like his own, and asked him to give her a name.

• Xiao Ying ordered the guards to take Himiko away to be remade in the Hero Furnace, frightening the Hojo Clan members.
• Xiao Ying outlined Great Huan’s military deployments and asked Hojo Soun and Hojo Ujiyasu for advice on securing Yingzhou.
• Hojo Soun identified the Imagawa and Oda Clans as the main concerns in the Chubu Region, and Xiao Ying warned that Wang Ben’s army would soon enter Imagawa territory.
• Xiao Ying told Imagawa Mizuko to persuade the Imagawa Clan to lure Great Chu’s reinforcements into a trap, leaving her and the Hojo Clan stunned.
• The imperial guards brought a woman resembling Himiko before Xiao Ying, and she bowed to him and asked him to bestow a name.

Xiao Ying questioned how Himiko had awakened a power resembling ancestral human blood, and Hojo Gen'an traced her origins to the lineage of Xiangliu and the Yamatai Kingdom. Xiao Ying named her Xuan Ming, then noticed his shadow ripple and suspected that Tisha had returned from investigating the Central Plains.

• Xiao Ying questioned Himiko and learned that a mysterious power had awakened her deeply hidden origin during the Hero Furnace’s transformation.
• Hojo Gen'an explained that the people of Yamatai might descend from the Eight-Branched Serpent God, itself descended from Xiangliu, and that Yamatai was another name for Yingzhou.
• Xiao Ying bestowed the name Xuan Ming on Himiko after an unexplained force seemed to guide him to it.
• Xuan Ming gladly accepted her name, while Xiao Ying wondered about the mysterious aura and its connection to her lineage.
• Xiao Ying saw his shadow ripple and wondered whether Tisha had returned from investigating the Central Plains.

Chapter Summary: “China’s Calamity”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shadow Tisha reports to Xiao Ying that the Dark Council has secretly infiltrated the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty’s Central Plains. Roughly one-tenth of the population has already been transformed into blood thralls or undead, with most being Blood Clan thralls.
• Xiao Ying reacts with fury, unleashing his aura across Tamatsuna Castle and publicly denouncing the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty and the Dark Council for betraying China and endangering its people.
• He realizes that Chu Emperor Xiang Yu deliberately abandoned the Central Plains, allowing the Dark Council to infiltrate it and prepare an undead uprising against the Great Huan Dynasty.
• The revelation forces Xiao Ying to reconsider the Great Huan Dynasty’s military strategy. If the Dark Council converts a large portion of the Central Plains population, the Huan armies could be destroyed from within before they even realize the danger.
• Xiao Ying orders Heavenly Charm Marquis to spread the information throughout the world and deliver an ultimatum to the Dark Council: withdraw from China within ten days or face a joint attack by Xiao Ying, Qin Shi Huang, and the Radiant Emperor.
• When asked what should happen to existing blood thralls and undead civilians, Xiao Ying admits there is no way to restore them. He allows the Dark Council to remove or dispose of them, but vows to retaliate with the deaths of one hundred undead for every Chinese living being harmed.
• Xiao Ying then turns to the Hojo Clan and hints that he has an important mission for them. He promises enormous rewards—including Yingzhou, Sagami, and Kanto as a possible fief or vassal state—if they succeed.
• The Hojo Clan initially rejoices, but immediately becomes fearful when it suspects the mission involves confronting the Dark Council. Hojo Soun protests that the clan is not powerful enough for such a task, prompting Xiao Ying to question whether they think him a foolish ruler.

Character Developments

• Xiao Ying: His anger at the Dark Council and Great Chu’s betrayal reveals his strong protective instincts toward the Chinese people. Although enraged, he remains strategically cautious, recognizing that the Great Huan Dynasty cannot yet fight a full-scale war against every major enemy simultaneously. He also demonstrates political calculation by using the crisis to pressure the Dark Council and motivate the Hojo Clan.
• Shadow Tisha: Her investigation proves highly valuable, establishing her as a discreet but capable intelligence asset despite her limited current cultivation.
• Heavenly Charm Marquis/Eunuch Qiu: He is shaken and humiliated that the Great Huan intelligence network failed to detect the infiltration. He immediately accepts responsibility and obeys Xiao Ying’s orders.
• Hojo Soun and the Hojo Clan: Their ambition is exposed when they react enthusiastically to the promise of territory, but their courage falters once they suspect the assignment involves the Dark Council. They fear being used as expendable forces against an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.
• Xiang Yu and the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty: Though not present, Xiang Yu is portrayed as having committed a catastrophic betrayal by cooperating with the Undying Forces and sacrificing his own population for strategic advantage.

Significant Themes

• Infiltration and betrayal: The greatest danger comes not from an external invasion but from enemies hidden among the population, aided by the rulers of the territory itself.
• The costs of war: Xiao Ying must confront the tragic reality that the transformed civilians cannot be saved and that military victory may require abandoning or sacrificing innocents.
• Strategic restraint versus righteous anger: Although Xiao Ying is furious, he understands that acting recklessly could plunge all of China into simultaneous warfare.
• Power and responsibility: As emperor, Xiao Ying must protect millions while making morally devastating decisions. His threats and promises show how he uses both force and political incentives to maintain control.
• The fragility of civilization: The Central Plains’ dense population and wealth make it both the heart of China and the perfect foundation for an undead catastrophe.

Character Interactions

• Tisha communicates the intelligence directly to Xiao Ying, triggering his public outburst.
• Xiao Ying’s anger terrifies everyone in Tamatsuna Castle, including the Hojo Clan, his consorts, guards, and civilians.
• Hojo Soun briefly questions the shocking report, then kneels and apologizes when he realizes the seriousness of the information.
• Xiao Ying dismisses Eunuch Qiu’s self-condemnation but commands him to broadcast the news and issue the ultimatum.
• Eunuch Qiu asks how to handle the transformed civilians, leading to Xiao Ying’s grim declaration of retaliation.
• Xiao Ying offers the Hojo Clan extraordinary rewards for an unnamed mission, while Hojo Soun responds with anxiety, creating a cliffhanger over what task the emperor intends to assign them.

Chapter Summary: “Storm Brewing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Emperor Xiao Ying assigns the Hojo Clan a dangerous but specialized mission: gather Yingzhou’s ninjas and War Shinobi and infiltrate the Dark Council’s territory to assassinate its Undying Forces.
• To motivate them, Xiao Ying announces that each undying being killed by a ninja will count as ten times the normal amount of military merit. He also permits the Hojo Clan to lead the recruitment effort and determine its own terms, while warning it not to monopolize the operation or neglect the larger campaign.
• Xiao Ying orders the Hojo Clan’s army to join the Great Huan Dynasty’s northern expedition. He commands the recruitment of troops throughout Yingzhou and authorizes Imperial Censor Gao Hong to provide salaries, supplies, and logistical support.
• Within three days, Great Huan takes control of much of the Kanto Region, including Sagami, Izu, Musashi, Shimosa, and Kozuke. More than a billion people and a vast territory fall under its influence, while remaining regions are expected to submit soon.
• Xiao Ying personally leads 700,000 Forbidden Guards north to cut through the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty’s territory in Yingzhou. The Hojo Clan assists by intimidating or persuading local factions to surrender.
• The campaign reveals that Yingzhou is filled with countless scattered cities and strongholds controlled by tangled, competing factions. Although Great Huan can defeat individual settlements easily, conquering the entire region is slow and complicated, making local persuasion essential.
• In the Central Plains, the Dark Council’s secret infiltration becomes public knowledge. The Great Chu Imperial Dynasty is accused of collaborating with the Undying Forces and deliberately abandoning its people and territory.
• Great Chu attempts to reassure the population by claiming the Dark Council is targeting only Great Huan, but its explanation is widely dismissed as dishonest and inadequate. Its prestige and public reputation deteriorate further.
• Xiao Ying issues a warning to the Dark Council, earning widespread praise and increasing Great Huan’s prestige. Qin Shi Huang and the Radiant Emperor publicly support him, strengthening morale and attracting new recruits.
• The situation shifts when eighty-one True Immortals descend at Handan and openly target Xiao Ying. They denounce his Heaven-Slaying Enlightenment as defiance of Heaven and threaten him with Heavenly Retribution.
• Their arrival temporarily stabilizes Great Chu, frightens some supporters away from Great Huan, and causes many people to place renewed faith in the immortals. Their descent also produces miraculous healing and breakthroughs among ordinary people and cultivators.
• Despite popular expectations, the True Immortals are unlikely to confront the Dark Council directly. They regard both the Living Beings Faction and the Undying Forces as insignificant factions and will intervene only when their own interests are involved.

Character Developments

• Xiao Ying demonstrates strategic calculation and political pragmatism. He uses the Hojo Clan’s unique abilities while deliberately avoiding full trust or emotional investment in Yingzhou.
• He also reveals a ruthless, results-focused governing style: he intends to exploit Yingzhou’s manpower and resources for war while maintaining strict control over the campaign’s priorities.
• Hojo Soun shifts from suppressed ambition to enthusiastic loyalty once offered the possibility of gaining all of Yingzhou. His repeated declarations of absolute devotion show both his eagerness and his opportunism.
• The Hojo Clan becomes a subordinate but valuable military partner of Great Huan, responsible for recruitment, infiltration, persuasion, and cooperation with the northern expedition.
• Chu Emperor Xiang Yu and the Great Chu Dynasty suffer a major decline in prestige. Their suspected alliance with the Dark Council, troop withdrawals, and weak explanations leave their people and supporters uncertain.
• Qin Shi Huang and the Radiant Emperor emerge as important external supporters of Xiao Ying, helping counterbalance the political pressure from Great Chu and the True Immortals.
• The descended True Immortals are revealed to be less morally principled than mortals assume. Their hostility toward Xiao Ying is rooted in ideology and self-interest, not necessarily in a desire to protect humanity from the Dark Council.

Significant Themes

• Political manipulation and military pragmatism: Xiao Ying turns both the Hojo Clan’s ambitions and Yingzhou’s fragmented political structure to Great Huan’s advantage.
• Reputation as a weapon: Public opinion rapidly shifts according to perceived legitimacy. Great Chu loses authority while Great Huan gains recruits and prestige from appearing to oppose the Dark Council.
• Loyalty versus self-interest: The Hojo Clan’s loyalty is closely tied to the rewards it may receive, especially the possibility of ruling Yingzhou.
• The limits of divine authority: The True Immortals’ arrival initially inspires awe, but their indifference to mortal suffering exposes the gap between their supposed righteousness and their actual priorities.
• Chaos and fragmented power: Yingzhou’s scattered factions make conquest difficult, showing that military superiority alone cannot replace diplomacy and local cooperation.
• The approaching larger conflict: The Great Huan–Great Chu struggle is increasingly overshadowed by the Dark Council and the descending immortals, suggesting that Xiao Ying faces threats from both supernatural and political forces.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Ying and Hojo Soun interact through a mixture of command, negotiation, and veiled threat. Xiao Ying encourages the Hojo Clan with generous rewards but reminds them that failure or selfishness will carry severe consequences.
• Xiao Ying’s orders transform the Hojo Clan from a recently defeated enemy into an active partner in Great Huan’s expansion.
• The Great Huan Dynasty’s conflict with Great Chu becomes ideological as well as military: Great Huan presents itself as a defender against the Dark Council, while Great Chu is portrayed as complicit with it.
• Xiao Ying’s warning to the Dark Council, supported by Qin Shi Huang and the Radiant Emperor, creates a united front among major leaders.
• The arrival of the eighty-one True Immortals reverses some of that momentum, causing former supporters of Xiao Ying to hesitate and giving Great Chu temporary relief.
• The chapter ends with the various factions waiting to see whether the Dark Council will respond, while Xiao Ying faces the added threat of the True Immortals.

Great Chu and the descended Upper Realm True Immortals prepared to confront Huan Emperor Xiao Ying after learning the full extent of his power. As the faction leaders began proposing ways to contain him, the meeting revealed growing rivalries and competing plans.

• Xiang Yu gathered more than a hundred descended True Immortals while Great Chu moved forty million soldiers into four strategic positions in Yingzhou.
• Xiang Ta reported Xiao Ying’s treasures, cultivation techniques, bloodline, and abilities, concluding that killing him would be almost impossible.
• Kong Jue mourned his fallen seventh brother, while Zangtian Wei and Kong Jue exchanged barbed remarks about scheming and ambition.
• Tianxin Yunlan urged the factions to cooperate and proposed using the Celestial Cycle Star-Dipper Formation to suppress Xiao Ying’s Twelve Capitals Banner-Demon Formation.
• A young master answered that Xiao Ying already knew the Celestial Cycle Star-Dipper Formation and revealed he had brought the Primordial Unity Dao Talisman and the Two Poles Dustmote Formation Diagram.

Tianxin Yunlan and the descended factions debated how to kill Emperor Jian Shang, weighing their formations, past failures, and the forces they could assemble. They left the discussion focused on recruiting enough immortals to recreate the Myriad Immortals Formation while Great Chu bore more of the burden against Great Huan’s army.

• Kun Gui boasted of bringing the Primordial Dao Talisman and Two Poles Dustmote Formation Diagram, while Kong Jue rebuked his attempt to provoke the Five Absolutes Immortal Emperor.
• Tianxin Yunlan asked the island lords about their formations, and Xue Wufeng and Xuan Zhong described the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation and Heaven-Covering Formation.
• Zangtian Wei explained the lost origins of the Dutian Gods-and-Demons Baleful Formation and described the surviving bloodline heirs closest to Pangu’s natives.
• Kong Zhi asked whether blessed grotto-heavens could shield someone from Heavenly Punishment, but Zangtian Wei dismissed the claim as unconfirmed and Dongfang Shi revealed what she knew about the Hall of Myriad Emperors.
• Tianxin Yunlan urged the factions to plan carefully, and Zangtian Wei challenged Kong Jue’s confidence by pointing to Great Huan’s strength and treasures.
• Tianxin Yunlan said Great Chu would need to shoulder more of the fighting and proposed gathering a thousand immortals to recreate the Myriad Immortals Formation.

The descended immortals planned to recruit a thousand allies and use Great Huan’s treasures to oppose Emperor Jian Shang, while Great Chu’s forces struggled with the scale of their power. As Xiao Ying’s northern expedition approached Matsumoto Royal City, Yu Ji accepted that her brother Yu Ziqi had chosen to face the Great Huan army and left after asking them to grant him a dignified farewell.

• Zangtian Wei proposed using Great Huan’s wealth and treasures to persuade other descended immortal factions to join their alliance, and Tianxin Yunlan agreed.
• Cang Huangyi listed the factions they could recruit, and Tianxin Yunlan concluded that the alliance would assemble enough fighters to activate the Myriad Immortals Formation and destroy Great Huan.
• By mid-September, Xiao Ying’s northern expedition had captured cities across Chubu and advanced toward Matsumoto Royal City, where Yu Ziqi commanded about twenty million troops.
• Xiao Ying and his generals waited for Yu Ji to decide how they should handle the coming battle against her brother.
• Yu Ji said Yu Ziqi had chosen his path and asked Xiao Ying and the generals to give him a dignified farewell, then left in tears.