Chapter Summaries

Yingzhou collapsed as an immense black pillar shattered the Eye of Heaven, and the newly freed Devil Emperor Chi You appeared on the battlefield. Xiao Ying recognized him and sought his aid, while the Devil Emperor asked whether Xiao Ying had unsealed him.

• As heavenly and demonic might intensified, both dynasties and the immortals and gods paused their battle and waited for the coming Heavenly Punishment.
• Yingzhou broke into fragments and sank as a black pillar burst from the land and dispersed the Eye of Heaven, though the World Will began gathering its power again.
• A man in beast hide appeared above the battlefield and erased a True God with a glance.
• Xiao Ying addressed the stranger as Lord Devil Emperor, and the gathered immortals and gods realized he was Chi You.
• Chi You asked whether Xiao Ying had unsealed him, and Xiao Ying requested his help against the calamity threatening Pangu.

Devil Emperor Chi You shared the Witch Clan’s inheritance with Xiao Ying and Xuan Ming, awakening Xuan Ming’s Ancestral Witch form. After effortlessly destroying Heavenly Punishment, he turned his power against the Great Chu forces and immortal gods, leaving a giant palm descending over their formations.

• Devil Emperor Chi You sent Xiao Ying a torrent of memories about the primordial humans, the Ancestral Witches, and the Dutian Gods-and-Demons Baleful Formation.
• Devil Emperor Chi You gave Xiao Ying Pangu blood essence containing the Witch Clan’s inheritance, and a portion entered Xuan Ming.
• Xuan Ming transformed into the Xuan Ming True Form, revealing her inheritance as one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
• Devil Emperor Chi You casually shattered Heavenly Punishment lightning before it could strike him.
• Devil Emperor Chi You struck toward the Great Chu forces and immortal gods, sending a giant palm down over their formations.

Devil Emperor Chi You devastated the Great Chu faction and shattered the formations of both armies before World-Destroying Divine Lightning struck him. He survived the blast and declared that nothing within the Pangu World could kill him.

• The Great Huan faction helped Devil Emperor Chi You attack, and his palm strike killed roughly a quarter of the immortal forces in the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation and the Myriad Immortals Formation.
• The Eye of Heaven unleashed World-Destroying Divine Lightning, whose power had surged far beyond what Xiao Ying expected.
• Devil Emperor Chi You transformed into an immense being and vanished amid the lightning's darkness and explosions as the formations on both sides collapsed.
• The lightning destroyed most of the Great Huan army and heavily injured both factions, leaving the survivors uncertain whether Chi You had perished.
• Devil Emperor Chi You burst from the deep pit, proclaimed his undying body, and declared that no one within the Pangu World could defeat him.

Devil Emperor Chi You survived Heavenly Punishment and revealed his Ancestral Witch True Form as a third wave gathered over Yingzhou. Xiao Ying saved a fraction of Great Huan's remaining forces, but his advisers urged him to flee, leaving the chapter with him weighing whom he could take.

• Chi You declared himself undying after Heavenly Punishment failed to kill him, and the surviving powers feared his revealed Ancestral Witch True Form.
• The Descended Immortal Gods discussed fleeing but stayed still to avoid drawing Chi You's attention.
• Xiao Ying and Yu Ji activated the Dutian Gods-and-Demons Baleful Formation and the Celestial Cycle Star-Dipper Formation, saving fewer than ten million Great Huan troops from the magma.
• The five hundred thousand surviving Great Huan Forbidden Guard formed the Twelve Capital-Heaven Demon God Manifestations as the third wave of Heavenly Punishment gathered.
• Zhang Liang and Xiao He urged Xiao Ying to escape, but he realized his teleportation could carry only a little over a hundred people, leaving the surviving army and distant commanders behind.

Devil Emperor Chi You repeatedly charged the Heavenly Punishment and Outer-Heaven Formation, using his undying body to break the seal while revealing ways Xiao Ying might defy Heaven. As Chi You warned that the formation would recover after nine times nine-eighty-one days, an immeasurable sword light appeared and struck toward him.

• The Great Chu and Great Huan factions reformed their damaged Myriad Immortals Formation as Devil Emperor Chi You told Xiao Ying to become a Celestial Dynasty ruler and gave him three possible paths to defy Heaven.
• Devil Emperor Chi You attacked the Heavenly Punishment thunderclouds, breaking strands of the Heaven-Sealing Earth-Locking Formation before falling into the magma below.
• Devil Emperor Chi You regenerated from grievous wounds and repeatedly charged the thunderclouds as the Heavenly Punishment waves gathered, while the watching immortals and gods gained insights into the Great Dao.
• As the seventh wave gathered, an immense sword light dispelled the darkness and illuminated heaven and earth.
• Devil Emperor Chi You warned Xiao Ying that the Outer-Heaven Formation would recover after nine times nine-eighty-one days, then charged upward as the sword light cleaved through space and time toward him.

After Great Huan captured Handan, its leaders learned that Yingzhou had been shattered and Devil Emperor Chi You had emerged amid the battle there. The Xuanyuan Divine Sword broke free of Qi Ji, crossed to Yingzhou, and slew Chi You, leaving Xiao Ying to accuse Human Sovereign Xuanyuan and face more than a thousand surviving immortal gods with only a few million soldiers.

• Huan Empress Qi Ji, Heavenly Empress Zhi Ji, Evil Empress Hua Qiandai, Dragon Consort Chong Shiqie, and Great Huan's generals waited outside Handan's Golden Hall and worried over the battle in Yingzhou.
• Zhi Ji reported that Yingzhou had been split apart, killing nearly all its people, and a Loose Immortal announced that Devil Emperor Chi You had descended and triggered Heavenly Punishment.
• The Xuanyuan Divine Sword broke free of Qi Ji's grasp and filled the sky with sword light, startling the leaders in Handan.
• The sword light swept across Yingzhou and engulfed Chi You, after which the Heavenly Punishment clouds and Chi You's aura vanished.
• Xiao Ying recognized that the sword had slain Chi You and blamed Human Sovereign Xuanyuan, then realized Great Huan's depleted forces faced more than a thousand surviving immortal gods.

After Devil Emperor Chi You fell, Xiao Ying’s battered Great Huan forces faced an overwhelming assault from the immortal gods and Great Chu survivors. Xiao Ying ordered a retreat onto the Heaven-Piercing Divine Ark to hold out for reinforcements, keeping the Heaven-Piercing Divine Guards in reserve for a final gamble.

• Kong Jue challenged Xiao Ying as the immortal gods and Loose Immortals encircled the Great Huan survivors, while Xiao Ying secretly ordered Shadow Tisha to summon the Great Huan Navy.
• Xue Wufeng launched the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, and the Great Huan formations struggled against its sword qi and the Myriad Immortals Formation as their casualties mounted.
• Xiao Ying ordered Xuan Ming to draw seawater into the volcanic basin, cooling the magma and filling the battlefield with steam and mist.
• Xiao Ying summoned the Heaven-Piercing Divine Ark, and the Great Huan survivors boarded it under cover of the mist.
• Xiao Ying ordered the troops to defend the ark until reinforcements arrived, while Immortal Empress Yu Ji used the Mending-Heaven Divine Stone to restore them.

With Great Huan trapped in Yingzhou, Zangtian Wei offered to spare the dynasty if Xiao Ying surrendered, while Xuan Ming revealed a sacrificial technique that could empower the army at the cost of its soldiers’ lives. Great Huan’s forces accepted the Blood-Colored Mandate, and Xiao Ying formed a towering Pangu True Form to strike at the enemy.

• Fan Zeng urged the immortals and gods to end the battle before reinforcements could arrive, and Zangtian Wei declared that Great Huan was trapped and offered to spare it if Xiao Ying surrendered.
• Di Wushuang and Xiao He warned Xiao Ying against trusting the offer, while Xiao Ying admitted that Yingzhou’s ruined terrain made reinforcements unlikely to reach them.
• Xuan Ming revealed the Blood-Colored Mandate, which let soldiers sacrifice their lives to gain several times their strength, and made the choice available to the army.
• Many Great Huan soldiers accepted the mandate, powering up the formations and sending pillars of starlight against the Myriad Immortals Formation, though they failed to break through.
• Xiao Ying drew on the Dutian Gods-and-Demons Baleful Formation and fused the Ancestral Witch Dharma Aspects into a thousand-meter Pangu True Form, which punched toward the enemy.

The Great Huan Faction shattered the Myriad Immortals Formation but was trapped by the Upper Realm forces’ powerful treasures and attacks. After Great Huan’s soldiers sacrificed themselves to devastate the enemy ranks, Qin Shi Huang arrived with the Great Qin Forbidden Guard, and Xiao Ying warned him to leave while he still could.

• The Pangu Dharma Form broke the Myriad Immortals Formation with one punch, killing nearly a hundred Immortal-Gods and thousands of Loose Immortals.
• Kong Jue, Zangtian Wei, Xue Wufeng, Jin Yan, and Leo unleashed their treasures and techniques, trapping the Great Huan Faction under a storm of attacks.
• Great Huan soldiers invoked the Blood-Colored Mandate and detonated themselves, killing many enemies; the surviving Immortal-Gods continued to hold the faction in place.
• Kun Gui swallowed Qin Shi Huang’s sky-shrouding hand with his Kunpeng Dharma Form, but the clash wounded him and scattered nearby Immortal-Gods.
• Qin Shi Huang arrived with tens of thousands of Great Qin Forbidden Guards, and Xiao Ying warned him that he should not have come.

Qin Shi Huang released a swarm of God-Devouring Ants against the immortal gods surrounding the Great Huan Faction, causing nearly a hundred to become infested. As the ants’ victims began detonating themselves and attacking indiscriminately, the enemy called for Qin Shi Huang’s death.

• Qin Shi Huang ignored Xiao Ying’s order to enter the formation and released the God-Devouring Ants toward the immortal gods.
• Fan Zeng warned the immortal gods about the ants, but nearly a hundred were caught and could not remove them.
• Zangtian Wei explained that the mortal-world ants would kill their victims slowly, while Kong Jue urged the doomed gods to make a final attack.
• The infested immortal gods detonated themselves, charged the Great Huan formation, and attacked enemies and allies alike.
• The enemy called for Qin Shi Huang to be killed so the God-Devouring Ants would lose control.

Qin Shi Huang revealed overwhelming strength against the immortal gods, while the God-Devouring Ants grew stronger by consuming their victims and Xue Wufeng’s blood sea. The immortal gods launched a massive assault on Qin Shi Huang, and someone called on Emperor Jian Shang to remember his promise.

• Zangtian Wei urged the immortal gods to kill Qin Shi Huang or the God-Devouring Ant Matriarch, and they charged Qin Shi Huang with their strongest attacks.
• Qin Shi Huang transformed into a towering three-headed, six-armed, eight-legged form and repelled dozens of immortal gods with Cosmic Star Tribulation, Star Shift.
• God-Devouring Ants emerged from fallen immortal gods, multiplied and evolved, prompting Kong Jue to order the others to restrain them while the rest attacked Qin Shi Huang.
• Xue Wufeng sent his blood sea against the ants, but Zangtian Wei warned that its Primordial Spirits and souls would feed them; the ants rapidly consumed it.
• Zangtian Wei told the immortal gods to keep the blood sea in place, kill Qin Shi Huang before it vanished, and flee if they failed; Kong Jue and hundreds of immortal gods attacked Qin Shi Huang.
• An unidentified speaker called to Emperor Jian Shang to remember his promise.

Qin Shi Huang sacrificed his life essence to unleash and empower the God-Devouring Ants, while Xiao Ying used the Heaven-Earth Bell to trap the invading immortal gods. The ants devoured the besiegers, then gathered around the place where Qin Shi Huang had vanished, leaving his fate unclear.

• Qin Shi Huang faced the attacks of hundreds of immortal gods and invoked Cosmic Star Tribulation, causing his body to burst into blood mist.
• Zangtian Wei realized Qin Shi Huang had sacrificed his life essence to accelerate the God-Devouring Ants and tried to flee.
• Xiao Ying used the Heaven-Earth Bell to seal the battlefield and prevent the immortal gods from escaping.
• The God-Devouring Ants emerged from the blood mist and devoured the trapped immortal gods, while the Great Huan and Great Chu forces survived.
• After about an hour, the immortal gods were gone, and the ants gathered around the spot where Qin Shi Huang had detonated himself.

After the God-Devouring Ants annihilated the immortals and gods, they formed Qin Shi Huang’s image, which soon dissolved, leaving Xiao Ying with a weakened purple ant bearing Emperor Qin’s aura. Xiao Ying contained it in the Heaven-Earth Bell, then trapped the surviving Great Chu and Blood Clan fighters with two formations.

• The God-Devouring Ants assembled into Qin Shi Huang’s towering figure, delighting Princess Huating and the Great Qin survivors, but Xiao Ying sensed that it was only a fading remnant.
• Xiao Ying promised Qin Shi Huang that he would seek justice and ask the Tathagata about Qin Shi Huang’s identity and intentions; Qin Shi Huang smiled at Huating and the officials before dissolving into smoke and ash.
• Xiao Ying caught a weak purple God-Devouring Ant carrying a trace of Emperor Qin, Prince Hua’s aura and sealed it inside the Heaven-Earth Bell to protect it and let it recover.
• Xiao Ying and other perceptive survivors inferred that the ants had consumed Qin Shi Huang’s life source, explaining why the swarm turned to ash when he died.
• The surviving Great Chu and Blood Clan fighters fled, but Xiao Ying activated the Capital Gods-and-Devils and Celestial Cycle Star-Dipper formations to seal the area and trap them.

After Yingzhou was destroyed in the battle against Great Chu, Xiao Ying encouraged Huating to take the throne of Great Qin and promised Great Huan’s support. On God-Burying Island, Yingzhou’s remaining leaders asked Xiao Ying to uphold justice, and he blamed Great Chu and the Descended Immortal Gods for the catastrophe.

• Xiao Ying comforted Huating over Qin Shi Huang’s death, recalled how they first met, and urged her to rule Great Qin with Great Huan’s backing.
• Great Huan’s forces defeated the remaining Great Chu troops, while Yingzhou was left as a barren volcanic archipelago and Japan’s Otherworlders lost their foothold there.
• Xiao Ying and his allies gathered on God-Burying Island, where captured Great Chu officials were held and the whereabouts of Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng remained unknown.
• Hojo Soun and other Yingzhou representatives begged Xiao Ying to uphold justice for their ruined homeland.
• Xiao Ying declared that Great Chu and the Descended Immortal Gods were responsible for Yingzhou’s destruction, establishing the official blame for the catastrophe.

Xiao Ying assigned the devastated Yingzhou survivors to conquer the Korean Two-Region, while secretly using the campaign to keep Japan’s Otherworlders occupied beyond China. He then questioned captured Great Chu officials about the missing Chu Emperor and challenged Lian Cheng over whether he had lived up to his ancestor, Lian Po.

• Xiao Ying granted Hojo Soun the ruined Yingzhou as a fief and appointed him King of Yingzhou, ordering him and Japan’s Otherworlders to conquer the Korean Two-Region as a new home.
• Hojo Soun and the Yingzhou representatives accepted the order and, outside the tent, concluded that they would receive no aid from Great Huan.
• Xiao He recognized that Xiao Ying intended to keep Japan’s Otherworlders occupied in a prolonged war against the Korean Two-Region, away from China’s Divine Land.
• Xiao Ying asked whether the Chu Emperor and his strategist had been found, then ordered the captured Great Chu officials brought before him for questioning.
• Xiao Ying asked Lian Cheng whether he had lived up to Army God Lian Po’s legacy, and Lian Cheng accused him of humiliating him.
• Xiao Ying snapped Lian Cheng’s restraints and declared that he could kill him effortlessly, so he had no need to waste time insulting him.

Xiao Ying released Lian Cheng after warning him to live in seclusion, then questioned the Chu captives about Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng. Xiang Ta revealed that the Undying True Demon had taken them away, leaving Xiao Ying to question why they had abandoned the others.

• Xiao Ying freed Lian Cheng and promised the Great Huan Dynasty would not trouble him as long as he stayed in seclusion.
• Lian Cheng accepted Xiao Ying's promise and left, despite Zhang Liang's doubts that the release was genuine.
• Xiang Ta offered to cooperate if the Xiang Clan were spared, but Xiao He said the dynasty had never intended to exterminate the clan.
• Xiang Ta explained that the Undying True Demon had taken Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng away, possibly to the Upper Realm, during the failed breakout.
• Xiang Ta said the Undying True Demon had triggered the breakout as a cover to escape, and Xiao Ying asked why Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng had left the others behind.

Chapter Summary: “Thunderous Coercion into Surrender”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the Yingzhou battle, only a small group of elite Great Chu ministers remains. Zhang Liang mocks them, suggesting that Chu Emperor Xiang Yu and strategist Fan Zeng abandoned them when the Undying True Demon escaped with only those two.
• Zhongli Mei defends Xiang Yu, arguing that the Undying Venerable Master could only save two people and would otherwise have rescued everyone. He declares that he will never submit to Great Huan and is prepared to die.
• Huan Emperor Xiao Ying initially praises Zhongli Mei’s loyalty, but his words reveal a darker intention: he intends to preserve Zhongli Mei’s talents through the “Hero Furnace,” implying torture or a fate worse than death.
• Xiao Ying openly gives the surviving Great Chu ministers only two options—submit to Great Huan or become heroes through death. He warns that even death may not be within their control.
• Great Chu Grand Censor Song Yi is the first to surrender, kneeling before Xiao Ying and moving openly to the Great Huan side. His submission enrages the remaining Chu officials.
• Xiang Zhuang attacks Song Yi despite his sealed cultivation, but Xiao Ying effortlessly strikes him down and orders him taken away.
• Prime Minister Xiang Ta offers to surrender in exchange for the safety of the Xiang Clan and claims he can persuade Xiang Zhuang. Xiao Ying refuses to negotiate and orders Xiang Zhuang removed.
• Realizing that resistance is futile and that the surviving ministers are crucial to Great Chu’s future, Xiang Ta finally kneels and submits to Xiao Ying.

Character Developments

• Xiao Ying: Becomes increasingly ruthless and impatient. Rather than persuading talented Great Chu officials, he uses fear, violence, and the threat of the Hero Furnace to force submission. His actions reflect both political desperation and a willingness to sacrifice moral restraint for rapid unification.
• Zhongli Mei: Demonstrates absolute loyalty to Great Chu and readiness to die rather than surrender. His defiance makes him a symbol of heroic resistance, though Xiao Ying intends to exploit his value rather than kill him outright.
• Song Yi: Abandons Great Chu immediately when threatened, prioritizing survival. His rapid and submissive defection damages the morale of the other Chu ministers.
• Xiang Zhuang: Remains fiercely loyal and reacts violently to Song Yi’s betrayal. Even without access to his cultivation, he attacks Song Yi and is severely injured by Xiao Ying.
• Xiang Ta: Initially tries to protect Xiang Zhuang and negotiate for the Xiang Clan, but ultimately recognizes the hopelessness of their situation. He surrenders not from personal disloyalty, but to preserve the remaining Chu leadership and possibly save his clan.
• Xiao He: Understands Xiao Ying’s strategic difficulties but is troubled by his increasingly brutal methods. He chooses not to intervene.

Significant Themes

• Coercion versus loyalty: The chapter contrasts genuine loyalty, represented by Zhongli Mei and Xiang Zhuang, with survival-driven surrender, represented by Song Yi.
• Political pragmatism: Xiao Ying views the surviving ministers as valuable resources. Even while threatening them, he wants to preserve and absorb their talents into Great Huan.
• The destruction of resistance: Great Chu’s defeat is shown not only through military losses but also through the psychological collapse of its leaders and officials.
• Moral compromise in times of crisis: Xiang Ta’s surrender illustrates the difficult choice between personal honor and protecting one’s people, family, and dynasty.
• Power and helplessness: The sealed cultivation of the Chu officials and Xiao Ying’s overwhelming authority emphasize that traditional courage and martial strength are useless against absolute political control.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Liang and the Chu ministers: Zhang Liang deliberately provokes them by accusing Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng of abandoning them.
• Zhongli Mei and Xiao Ying: Zhongli Mei openly refuses submission, while Xiao Ying responds with outward praise but covert threats.
• Xiao Ying and the Great Chu officials: Xiao Ying establishes a brutal ultimatum, making clear that surrender is the only way to avoid an even worse fate.
• Song Yi and the Chu ministers: Song Yi’s submission sparks outrage, especially from Xiang Zhuang, and exposes the division between survival and honor.
• Xiang Zhuang and Xiao Ying: Xiang Zhuang’s attack is crushed instantly, demonstrating Xiao Ying’s dominance.
• Xiang Ta and Xiao Ying: Xiang Ta attempts negotiation but is denied. He ultimately submits after recognizing that continued resistance would only destroy the remaining pillars of Great Chu.

Xiang Ta submitted to Xiao Ying, but Zhang Liang urged the Huan Emperor to distrust the Great Chu chancellor, prompting Xuan Ming to propose testing him for the Gonggong inheritance. Xiao Ying then considered using Great Chu’s other prominent figures to inherit the Twelve Ancestral Witches’ legacies and guard Great Huan if he left the Pangu World.

• Xiang Ta submitted to Xiao Ying, whose cold response made the Great Chu contingent and the other ministers uneasy.
• Zhang Liang warned Xiao Ying that Xiang Ta’s loyalty to Great Chu made him a potential threat, and Xiang Ta confronted Zhang Liang over his betrayal.
• Xuan Ming told Xiao Ying that Xiang Ta’s water-aligned destiny suited Gonggong’s legacy and that the Hero Furnace could test and temper him.
• Xuan Ming advised Xiao Ying that recreating the Twelve Ancestral Witches could strengthen his attempt at heaven-slaying enlightenment and leave guardians for Great Huan.
• Xuan Ming identified Cao Jiu, Song Yi, Xiang Zhuang, Wu She, and Lan Fenghuang as possible candidates for other ancestral witch legacies, and Xiao Ying considered the plan.

After the Battle of Yingzhou, the Great Huan Dynasty hunted the Descended Immortal Gods and established itself as the world’s dominant power. In a private meeting, Xuan Ming presented candidates for the Twelve Ancestral Witches’ legacies, ending with the identity of the sole candidate for the domain of time still unrevealed.

• The Great Huan Dynasty spread its account of the Battle of Yingzhou, blamed the Descended Immortal Gods, and sent True Immortals around the world to hunt them.
• Great Huan forces killed or drove out hundreds of Descended Immortal Gods, and rival factions halted their wars as the dynasty’s prestige grew.
• At Quiet Ripples Hall, Xiao Ying asked Qiu Li about Huating’s accession, and learned Dishi had remained in the Nine Dragons Imperial Capital since the Battle of Yingzhou.
• Xuan Ming read out candidates for seven Ancestral Witch legacies, including captive Great Chu officials, then named Lan Fenghuang as Houtu’s inheritor and Zhao Sheng and Wei Wuji for two other legacies.
• Xuan Ming revealed that only one person in the world could inherit the final legacy governing time, but stopped before naming them.

Xiao Ying identified Lü Rong as a candidate for an Ancestral Witch Legacy and ordered Zhi Ji and Xiao He to seek the candidates’ willing acceptance. He also announced Great Huan’s empire ascension ceremony for March first, revealing it was part of a larger plan to exploit the Upper Realm’s misjudgment and attempt to defy heaven.

• Xuan Ming named Marquis Lingguang Lü Rong as the sole suitable candidate for the time Dao, and Zhi Ji reacted with worry for her younger sister.
• Xiao Ying reassured Zhi Ji that Lü Rong and other trusted candidates would not need to enter the Hero Furnace, while Xuan Ming warned that ancestral human blood essence was extremely scarce.
• Xiao Ying put Zhi Ji in charge of approaching the candidates, with the Heaven-Questioning Marquis assisting, and ordered the dynasty’s empire ascension ceremony announced for March first.
• Xiao He argued that announcing the ceremony would invite attacks from the Undying Forces and the Upper Realm, but Xiao Ying explained that the public announcement was part of a secret strategy.
• Xiao Ying revealed that the ceremony would draw the Upper Realm’s attention while its forces underestimated the threat, and said the coming half month would decide whether Great Huan defied heaven or was destroyed.