Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ying returned to Luoyang and met the surviving Descended Immortal Gods who had protected Great Huan, rewarding them for their years of service. He learned that the Chart of Mountains and Rivers was likely in Cao Cao’s possession and began questioning what had enabled Wei, Shu, and Wu to challenge Great Huan.

• Xiao Ying rejected Diao Chan’s protest and headed toward Luoyang, where he found only a hundred and twenty-odd Descended Immortal Gods remaining from more than seven hundred sent to protect Great Huan.
• Silver Wing, Six Tails, and the other former Black Tower Tribe members greeted Xiao Ying, and he thanked the surviving protectors and promised them cultivation in the Great Huan Immortal Kingdom’s forbidden sacrificial grounds.
• Lan Qifeng told Xiao Ying that Misty Rain and Empress Island’s holy maiden had been recalled to the Upper Realm within a year of descending, prompting him to suspect outside pressure had forced their return.
• Guan Bo told Xiao Ying that Nuwa’s Chart of Mountains and Rivers was probably in the Wei Emperor’s possession, and Lü Zhi connected Cao Cao’s rise and escapes to the treasure.
• Xiao Ying wondered what powers had enabled Shu and Wu to join Wei in contesting Great Huan, reflecting that Liu Bei’s father, Liu Bang, had extraordinary luck and possibly never died.

Xiao Ying suspected that Liu Bang might have survived by mastering the Nine Transformations of the Emperor and possessing the Heavenly Emperor Scripture, and he reflected on the Pangu World as a gathering place for powerful factions. After returning to Luoyang, he confronted Lü Zhi over her choice to base herself there, then welcomed the Otherworlders who had remained loyal to Great Huan.

• Xiao Ying wondered whether Liu Bang had survived and developed the Nine Transformations of the Emperor into hidden Imperial Avatars, and he suspected Liu Bang possessed the Heavenly Emperor Scripture.
• Xiao Ying concluded that the Pangu World was a land of gathering storms because powerful factions and complicated destinies had drawn the wider worlds into its conflicts.
• Xiao Ying arrived at the palace in Luoyang and asked Lü Zhi why she had chosen the city as her base despite its central role in the wars.
• Qi Ji explained that Luoyang had seemed the only viable choice, but Xiao Ying rejected her justification and warned Lü Zhi that he would punish her later.
• Xiao Ying praised Long Hun, Di Wushuang, Ying Ying, Xuanyuan Menghen, and the other Otherworlders for remaining loyal, while privately seeking their Heaven-Mending Divine Ability.

Xiao Ying returned and set out to bring all Otherworlders under Great Huan’s control by rewarding the Otherworlder Alliance and ordering a campaign to reclaim Game Dragon Rings. He left the Alliance’s leaders facing a worldwide crackdown backed by Great Huan’s forces in both Mercury World and Forging the Sacred Court.

• Xiao Ying explained that Otherworlders’ Game Dragon Rings could become a Heaven-Mending Divine Ability and proposed granting the Otherworlder Alliance ranks and fruition ranks.
• Xiao Ying ordered the Alliance to lead a campaign against Otherworlders who refused to submit, arguing that reclaiming their Game Dragon Rings would remove their reliance on immortality.
• Di Wushuang agreed with Xiao Ying, while Dragon Soul and Song Datian objected that many Otherworlders had settled into peaceful lives; Xiao Ying rebuked them and secured their agreement to his decree.
• Xiao Ying ordered the Heavenly Charm Marquis, Martial-Calming King, Silver Wing, Six Tails, and Azure Wind to announce his return and support the Alliance with Immortal Guards and Heaven-Supporting Pagodas.
• Xiao Ying expanded the campaign to every region, ordering pressure on Otherworlder families and the extermination of holdouts, with Great Huan forces striking both worlds.

Xiao Ying won the Otherworlder Alliance’s support for a plan to bring both worlds under Great Huan’s control, while Zhang Liang explained how Otherworlders could destabilize rival countries from within. Xiao Fengtian then presented a list of fallen and absent officials, beginning with detailed records of Great Huan’s losses.

• Xiao Ying promised the Otherworlder Alliance Immortal Guard support and assigned Chong Shiqie to bring Yue Province’s Otherworlders into line and assist the alliance.
• Han Xin questioned whether Great Huan should prioritize the Three States, and Zhang Liang explained that Xiao Ying intended to use Otherworlders to undermine rival countries before a coordinated counterattack.
• Xiao Ying defended his plan to address the Otherworlder issue while Great Huan expanded its forces, and Han Xin accepted his reasoning.
• Xiao Fengtian presented Xiao Ying with a compiled list of fallen and absent officials and generals, including those accused of betrayal and corruption.
• Xiao Ying praised Xiao Fengtian and began reviewing the records of Great Huan officials killed in past battles and assassinations.

Xiao Ying learned that Li Yuan had died defending Sishui Royal City after enemies used Xiao Nianying and Li Yuan’s family as hostages to lure Great Huan into a devastating trap. He ordered Lan Fenghuang to assassinate nearly a hundred enemy leaders, then promised to seek ways to resurrect Great Huan’s fallen loyalists.

• Xiao Ying read the lists of Great Huan’s dead and departed officials, then questioned why Li Yuan had not been saved or recalled from Sishui.
• Han Xin explained that Li Yuan had refused repeated withdrawal orders, while Lan Qifeng reported that Great Huan had suffered enormous losses trying to rescue him.
• Li Yanyan revealed that the Devil Race had captured Xiao Nianying and Li Yuan’s wife and children, forcing Li Yuan to fight to the death as part of an enemy trap.
• Xiao Ying placed Lan Fenghuang in command of the forces not assigned to the Otherworlder issue and ordered her to kill nearly a hundred named enemy leaders within one month.
• Xiao Ying comforted Tian Dan with a Phoenix Nirvana Pill and promised to pursue the resurrection of Great Huan’s fallen heroes, explaining that life imprints could make it possible.

Xiao Ying tested Xiao Fengtian by making him choose between Great Huan’s succession treasures and Diao Chan, and Xiao Fengtian chose the realm. Xiao Ying named him crown prince, then worried about the future challenge posed by his capable son before explaining that greater realms and titles awaited beyond ascension.

• Xiao Ying returned the Great Huan Imperial Seal and Xuanyuan Son of Heaven Sword to view and warned Xiao Fengtian that Diao Chan’s fate and beauty could bring consequences.
• Xiao Ying gave Xiao Fengtian a choice between the treasures representing the throne and Diao Chan, revealing that two of the three Diao Chans were his clones.
• Lü Fengxian, Xiao Fengxuan, and Xiao Fenglong arrived, and Xiao Ying had the women explain the choice to them.
• Xiao Fengtian chose the realm over Diao Chan, citing his mother’s teaching to put Great Huan first, and Qi Ji felt relieved.
• Xiao Ying proclaimed Xiao Fengtian crown prince and ordered Eunuch Qiu to announce that he would govern if Xiao Ying died, disappeared, or entered seclusion.
• Xiao Ying worried that Xiao Fengtian’s imperial ability could threaten him in the future, then began explaining the realms beyond ascension.

Xiao Ying offered his sons a choice between the throne and other rewards, including a treasure containing Pangu Blood Essence, and Lü Fengxian chose Diao Chan over power. After Xiao Fengtian urged his brother to reconsider, Lü Fengxian selected one of three identical Diao Chans, leaving Xiao Ying and the others stunned as the result remained unrevealed.

• Xiao Ying warned his sons that choosing personal desires over the throne would cost them their chance to inherit, then revealed a potent drop of Pangu Blood Essence and offered Lü Fengxian first choice.
• Lü Fengxian declared that he chose Diao Chan, despite Xiao Ying's warnings about losing his crown prince position and the uncertain chance of selecting the real one.
• Xiao Fengtian advised Lü Fengxian that choosing the real Diao Chan would be nearly impossible and urged the brothers to put their rivalry behind them.
• Lü Fengxian apologized to his brothers for competing with them over Diao Chan but insisted he needed to make his own choice without regret.
• The three Diao Chans told Lü Fengxian that she cared for him but did not love him romantically, and he pointed to one of them as the others watched in suspense.

Xiao Ying settled the dispute among his four sons by granting each a title, authority, and treasures while ruling out their claims to the crown prince position. His return also turned the Battle of Luoyang into a crushing Great Huan victory, leaving the rival states cautious and the land briefly quiet.

• Lü Fengxian chose the wrong Diao Chan, but Xiao Ying granted him the Sky-Supporting Emperor Scripture, witch emperor blood essence, and the title of Spring-and-Autumn War King, excluding him from succession.
• Xiao Fengxuan asked to pursue the Jianghu and martial arts rather than court power, so Xiao Ying made him the Carefree Evil King and established his Evil King's Office outside the imperial administration.
• Xiao Fenglong declined both the crown prince position and a forced marriage, and Xiao Ying invested him as the Mountain-Suppressing Dragon King with his own office and treasures.
• Xiao Ying resolved the dispute among Diao Chan and his sons' factions, and the four consorts and their forces stayed together.
• Great Huan defeated the Wei-Wu Allied Army at Luoyang in three days; Lü Fengxian captured Sun Jian, while Cao Cao escaped and the Shu army withdrew from Old Qin's frontier.
• Wei, Wu, and Shu strengthened their defenses, and the Divine Land entered an unusual period of calm.

Xiao Ying and Great Huan’s ministers debated how to organize a formal conferment, then reviewed covert assassinations and the Otherworlder issue. Bai Ze urged Xiao Ying not to become too entangled in Pangu World’s conflicts, but Xiao Ying refused to abandon his homeland, and Sun Ce arrived seeking an audience.

• Xiao Ying reunited with Great Huan’s old guard and learned that many members of the Zhao Clan’s younger generation had died.
• Bai Ze proposed a celestial star-count system for Great Huan, and Xiao Ying agreed to postpone the grand conferment while retaining existing positions.
• Eunuch Qiu reported that efforts to address the Otherworlders were progressing, while assassination attempts against Guan Yu and Sima Yi had failed at great cost.
• Bai Ze advised Xiao Ying to follow Pangu World’s laws and avoid targeting people blessed with Heaven’s Favor, and Xiao Ying ordered the assassinations suspended for now.
• Bai Ze cautioned Xiao Ying against deep involvement in Pangu World’s conflicts, but Xiao Ying said he could not leave or abandon his homeland.
• An imperial guard reported that Sun Ce, crown prince of the Wu State, had arrived with envoys and requested an audience.

Sun Ce and the Wu State envoys came to exchange Sun Shangxiang for Sun Jian, but Xiao Ying accepted immediately and ordered Sun Jian’s release. His eagerness left both the Wu envoys and Great Huan’s court bewildered as the exchange began.

• Xiao Ying divined that Sun Ce’s arrival was connected to him, while Tianzhi Baize predicted romance was approaching.
• Sun Ce, Sun Shangxiang, Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Jing Wujian, and other Wu envoys entered the hall and paid their respects to Xiao Ying.
• Sun Ce asked to exchange Sun Shangxiang for Sun Jian, and Xiao Ying agreed without hesitation.
• Xiao Ying ordered Sun Jian brought to the hall, leaving both courts to wonder why he had accepted so readily.
• Sun Jian arrived, and Xiao Ying told him that Wu State would exchange Shangxiang for his return home.

Chapter Summary: Sun Clan’s Shangxiang

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Ying immediately accepts Wu State’s proposal to exchange Sun Shangxiang for the release of Wu King Sun Jian, shocking both the Wu delegation and the Great Huan court.
• Sun Jian reacts angrily, nearly provoking a confrontation, but Lu Su and Sun Shangxiang restrain him. Xiao Ying then reminds everyone that his strength far exceeds that of Wu State and that he cannot be threatened.
• Xiao Ying claims he must “inspect” Shangxiang before completing the exchange, making provocative comments about her reputation as the “Bow-Waisted Beauty.” His teasing causes Sun Shangxiang to accuse him of being lecherous and dishonorable.
• Despite his mockery, Xiao Ying assures the Wu delegation that he will not break his word and that Sun Jian’s release is not worth sacrificing his reputation over.
• He orders Sun Shangxiang to remain behind while the rest of the Wu delegation—including Sun Jian, Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, Lu Su, and the Wu experts—are escorted to a residence and placed under strict confinement.
• The four Descended True Buddhas accompanying Wu State are likewise confined and threatened with death if they leave without permission.
• After the Wu delegation departs, Xiao Ying reveals that he understood their true purpose: the mission was not merely to ransom Sun Jian but to create an opportunity for Shangxiang to meet him privately.
• He dismisses the possibility of Great Huan spies in Wu and demands that Shangxiang explain Wu State’s real intentions.

Character Developments

• Xiao Ying demonstrates overwhelming confidence, political sharpness, and control. His provocative humor masks the fact that he has already seen through Wu State’s plan.
• Sun Shangxiang is portrayed as proud, outspoken, courageous, and quick-tempered. Though angered by Xiao Ying’s insults, she also shows enough composure to remain behind and confront him directly.
• Sun Jian reacts as an indignant father and king, but his anger is subdued by the overwhelming imbalance in power and by Shangxiang’s intervention.
• Sun Ce recognizes the danger of the situation and helps remove Sun Jian before the encounter escalates.
• Zhou Yu and Lu Su remain composed and politically pragmatic. They understand that resistance is futile and subtly cooperate with Xiao Ying’s arrangements.
• The four True Buddhas are forced into silence by Xiao Ying’s authority and the overwhelming military power of Great Huan.

Significant Themes

• Power and political dominance: Xiao Ying’s superior cultivation and the strength of Great Huan make Wu State’s threats meaningless, forcing diplomacy to operate on his terms.
• Diplomacy as strategy and deception: The supposed prisoner exchange is revealed to be a carefully arranged pretext for a private conversation between Shangxiang and Xiao Ying.
• Trust and reputation: Xiao Ying repeatedly insists that he keeps his word, presenting personal credibility as an important source of authority.
• Pride versus pragmatism: The Wu delegation is insulted by Xiao Ying’s arrogance, but its leaders recognize that open resistance would be disastrous.
• Humor amid political tension: Xiao Ying’s flirtatious taunts and deliberately irreverent remarks contrast with the seriousness of the diplomatic crisis.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Ying and Sun Shangxiang engage in a hostile, teasing verbal exchange, with Shangxiang condemning his arrogance and Xiao Ying deliberately provoking her.
• Lu Su restrains Sun Jian and urges him to prioritize Wu State’s interests over personal anger.
• Zhou Yu acts as a mediator, defending respectful conduct toward Xiao Ying while quietly recognizing the hidden purpose of the meeting.
• Sun Ce protects Sun Jian from escalating the confrontation and appears to realize that Xiao Ying has intentionally separated Shangxiang from the delegation.
• The chapter ends with Xiao Ying and Shangxiang alone in the hall, preparing for a private discussion about Wu State’s actual objective.

Chapter Summary: “Beauty Mind Scheme”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sun Shangxiang arrives in Great Huan as part of Wu State’s delegation to negotiate the release of the imprisoned King of Wu. The delegation includes Sun Ce, Lu Su, and Zhou Yu, exposing many of Wu’s most important figures to possible danger.
• Xiao Ying reveals that he never truly agreed to exchange the King of Wu for Sun Shangxiang. He merely detained the delegation in the imperial residence, intending to decide later whether negotiations would succeed or whether Wu’s envoys would even be allowed to leave.
• Xiao He explains that Great Huan currently holds overwhelming military superiority after defeating the Wei-Wu alliance, killing numerous immortals, capturing the King of Wu, pursuing the enemy army, conquering thirty cities, and reclaiming the Three Rivers region. Equal negotiations are therefore impossible.
• Sun Shangxiang initially panics when she realizes Wu’s supposed “secret” plan has been seen through. Under Xiao Ying’s countdown, she begins listing Wu State’s demands.
• Wu’s four conditions are:
  1. A hereditary imperial or kingly title for the Sun Clan, with humane treatment for Wu’s people and fair employment of talent.
  2. A fief amounting to one-tenth of the realm, including at least one hereditary royal city.
  3. Military authority corresponding to Wu’s existing forces, protected from alteration for ten years as long as Wu obeys national law.
  4. A marriage alliance in which Great Huan’s princesses Huaiying and Nianying marry into Wu.
• Xiao Ying accepts the major demands with surprising ease, requiring only that mineral veins and military resources within Wu’s fief belong to the national treasury and cannot be privately exploited.
• The chapter ends with Bai Ze warning that Wu may be the party most endangered by the marriage arrangement. He suggests that Great Huan’s princesses could secure Wu’s stability through loyalty and political influence, much as the Dragon Empress has stabilized Yue Province.

Character Developments

• Xiao Ying is shown to be far more politically calculating than his reputation suggests. Though others assumed he wanted Sun Shangxiang for her beauty, he deliberately created that misunderstanding to gain leverage over Wu. His true priority is ending the Pangu conflict and breaking the alliance encircling Great Huan.
• Sun Shangxiang proves courageous and direct but inexperienced in diplomacy. She speaks boldly, makes excessive demands, and repeatedly exposes uncertainty during negotiations. Her suitability for the “Beauty Scheme” lies less in political skill than in her identity and appeal as a trusted member of the Sun Clan.
• Xiao He gains confidence and clearly articulates Great Huan’s military and political advantage, helping the court understand Xiao Ying’s strategy.
• Xiao Fengtian and the Lü brothers are humbled after realizing they misjudged Xiao Ying as motivated by lust rather than statecraft.
• Bai Ze acts as a perceptive political commentator, recognizing the hidden danger of marriage alliances and warning Sun Shangxiang not to treat national affairs lightly.
• Wu’s absent negotiators—Sun Ce, Lu Su, and Zhou Yu—are portrayed as trusting Xiao Ying’s integrity and willing to compromise on military authority, but they have underestimated how completely Great Huan understands their plan.

Significant Themes

• Power determines diplomacy: When one side has overwhelming military superiority, “equal negotiations” are an illusion. Great Huan can dictate terms because Wu’s delegation has effectively placed itself at Xiao Ying’s mercy.
• Appearance versus reality: The apparent Beauty Scheme is actually a larger strategic maneuver designed to deceive Wu’s enemies and break the Three-State encirclement. Xiao Ying’s supposed interest in Sun Shangxiang is itself part of the deception.
• Political marriage as a weapon: Marriages and titles are treated as instruments of governance, legitimacy, territorial control, and loyalty rather than merely personal relationships.
• Strategic pragmatism: Xiao Ying is willing to grant major privileges—including a hereditary title, land, military authority, and marriage ties—because Wu’s surrender would be more valuable than immediate punishment.
• Misjudgment and hidden motives: The Great Huan court initially assumes Xiao Ying is acting from lust, while Sun Shangxiang assumes the negotiations are proceeding normally. Both sides gradually discover that Xiao Ying has been controlling the situation from the beginning.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Ying and Sun Shangxiang: Their exchange is the core of the chapter. Xiao Ying alternates between intimidation, sarcasm, patience, and calculated generosity, while Sun Shangxiang tries to maintain dignity and sincerity despite being repeatedly unsettled.
• Xiao He and Sun Shangxiang: Xiao He bluntly explains Wu’s vulnerable position, destroying her belief that the talks can occur on equal terms.
• Xiao Fengtian and Sun Shangxiang: Xiao Fengtian interrupts her when she begins speaking too impulsively, emphasizing that the negotiations concern national survival.
• Lü Fengxian and Sun Shangxiang: Lü mocks Wu’s demand for a hereditary imperial throne, highlighting the disparity between Wu’s status and its ambitions.
• Bai Ze and Sun Shangxiang: Bai Ze’s final warning shifts the mood, suggesting that marriage to Great Huan’s princesses may bind Wu more tightly to Great Huan than Wu intends.

Xiao Ying negotiated Wu State’s submission with Sun Shangxiang, who demanded that he marry her after arguing that Wu State needed a powerful ally. Bai Ze revealed that Sun Shangxiang was likely the reincarnation of a high-ranking Buddha Realm figure and urged Xiao Ying to accept, leaving him torn over the marriage and its consequences.

• Xiao Ying offered Sun Shangxiang hereditary royal titles, Jianye and its surrounding lands, and ten legions, while refusing to force a marriage alliance.
• Xiao Ying deduced that Wu State was controlled or held hostage, and Sun Shangxiang’s alarm strengthened his suspicion.
• Sun Shangxiang demanded that Xiao Ying take her as his wife, arguing that none of the four princes suited her and that Wu State might otherwise ally with Shu State.
• Sun Shangxiang explained that Lu Su had persuaded Wu State to approach Great Huan because Xiao Ying was more trustworthy than the Han King and the King of Shu.
• Bai Ze told Xiao Ying that Sun Shangxiang was likely the unreawakened reincarnation of a mighty Buddha Realm figure and that her fragrance signaled her approaching awakening.
• Xiao Ying regarded Sun Shangxiang with uncertainty as Bai Ze warned that accepting her would create a great karmic debt and urged him to decide.

Chapter Summary: “The East Wind Has Arrived”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Ying hesitates over a proposed marriage alliance with Sun Shangxiang because of their differences in age, status, and cultivation. He also worries that she may eventually awaken the power and memories of a former Dao Fruit incarnation, potentially changing their relationship.
• Bai Ze advises Xiao Ying to marry Sun Shangxiang without immediately consummating the union, treating the marriage as a valuable karmic and political investment. He reveals that Sun Shangxiang’s body fragrance may indicate an extraordinarily powerful past life and that few beings have recognized her true identity.
• After being pressed by Sun Shangxiang, Xiao Ying asks her to remove her veil, claiming that he must “inspect” the prospective alliance partner before accepting Wu State’s terms. He provocatively offers to double Wu State’s demands if he approves of her appearance, shocking the court and angering Sun Shangxiang.
• Sun Shangxiang reveals herself. Although she is a renowned beauty, Xiao Ying finds her less stunning than several women already around him. However, he senses an unusually powerful affinity and familiarity in her presence.
• Xiao Ying immediately agrees to double Wu State’s terms and proposes a marriage alliance specifically with Sun Shangxiang. His offer includes:
  • Two Fruition Ranks and two imperial titles
  • Hereditary kingly titles
  • A fief covering up to half of Great Huan’s territory
  • As much military authority as Wu State can support
  • A marriage alliance with Xiao Ying
• Xiao Ying explains that he instinctively feels close to Sun Shangxiang, as if they have known one another for a long time. Sun Shangxiang admits that she feels similarly.
• Bai Ze reacts with shock, seemingly recognizing that this mutual familiarity may have a deeper supernatural cause. Xiao Ying silences him before he can explain publicly.
• Sun Shangxiang becomes suspicious of Xiao Ying’s excessive generosity and rejects the doubled terms, preferring the original agreement. Xiao Ying accepts her decision, recognizing that offering too much may appear manipulative.
• Sun Shangxiang insists that the alliance be finalized within three days and carried out within ten, fearing that delays could allow circumstances to change.
• Xiao Ying appoints the Heavenly Charm Marquis to handle the negotiations and orders the court to follow Sun Shangxiang’s instructions. He then dismisses the court, intending to reconsider Great Huan’s future plans in light of Wu State’s involvement.

Character Developments

• Xiao Ying: Moves from reluctance and moral hesitation to calculated acceptance of the marriage alliance. He remains conflicted about exploiting Sun Shangxiang’s hidden identity but decides to proceed sincerely while concealing what he knows. His immediate emotional affinity toward her also unsettles him and recalls similar feelings connected to Nuwa and Diao Chan.
• Sun Shangxiang: Demonstrates dignity, confidence, and political intelligence. Though embarrassed by Xiao Ying’s request to see her face, she complies, then carefully questions his motives and refuses an offer that seems suspiciously generous. Her urgency shows her awareness of Wu State’s precarious position.
• Bai Ze: Acts as Xiao Ying’s strategic adviser but is also jealous and sarcastic about Xiao Ying’s romantic entanglements. He recognizes Sun Shangxiang’s extraordinary nature and warns Xiao Ying that her eventual awakening may expose his intentions.
• Great Huan officials and heirs: Become increasingly bewildered by Xiao Ying’s abrupt change of attitude and lavish concessions, but they refrain from openly challenging him because of the alliance’s political importance.

Significant Themes

• Political marriage and personal feeling: The chapter contrasts marriage as a strategic tool with the possibility of genuine emotional attachment.
• Hidden identities and awakening: Sun Shangxiang’s concealed past-life power creates uncertainty about who she truly is and what the alliance may become after her awakening.
• Karmic bonds and destiny: Bai Ze frames the marriage as a way to establish favorable karma, while Xiao Ying and Sun Shangxiang’s mutual sense of familiarity suggests a preexisting connection.
• Trust versus suspicion: Xiao Ying claims to trust Sun Shangxiang personally, but her caution leads her to distrust his unusual generosity. Both characters must judge whether the other is sincere.
• Power and political calculation: The proposed alliance involves titles, land, military authority, and legitimacy, showing how personal relationships are intertwined with imperial strategy.
• The danger of excess: Xiao Ying’s exaggerated offer nearly undermines his credibility, demonstrating that generosity can appear as manipulation when it lacks an obvious explanation.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Ying and Bai Ze: Debate whether Xiao Ying should marry Sun Shangxiang. Bai Ze urges practicality and warns him not to reveal that he suspects her true identity.
• Xiao Ying and Sun Shangxiang: Their exchange shifts from provocative negotiation to unexpected mutual warmth. Xiao Ying offers her remarkable concessions, while Sun Shangxiang challenges his motives and ultimately chooses the more restrained agreement.
• Xiao Ying and the court: His sudden reversal regarding the alliance leaves the officials stunned, but his imperial authority prevents them from interfering.
• Bai Ze and the court: Bai Ze’s startled public outburst briefly disrupts the formal proceedings, prompting Xiao Ying to reprimand him and conceal the significance of Sun Shangxiang’s identity.

Sun Shangxiang returned to the Wu delegation with Xiao Ying, who had the four Descended True Buddhas killed and restated the terms of Great Wu’s submission. Sun Quan and the others accepted the agreement, acknowledging Xiao Ying as their sovereign.

• The Wu delegation and four Descended True Buddhas waited anxiously in the guest residence, wary of a possible night raid and wondering whether Sun Shangxiang’s mission had succeeded.
• Sun Shangxiang entered with eight Immortal Guards, and two hidden attackers poisoned and killed two True Buddhas while the guards instantly killed the other two.
• Xiao Ying appeared in the hall, and Sun Quan and the Wu delegation bowed to him after Sun Shangxiang indicated that her mission had succeeded.
• Xiao Ying offered hereditary titles, Jianye and its surrounding territory as a fief, and ten legions, while saying he would not dictate his children’s marriages.
• Xiao Ying revealed that Sun Shangxiang had refused more generous terms and asked the Wu delegation whether they accepted the agreement.
• Sun Quan and the others accepted Xiao Ying’s terms and bowed again, recognizing their relationship as sovereign and subjects.

Xiao Ying and Wu State discussed secretly removing the Descended True Buddhas and their Buddhist followers, whose influence threatened Wu State’s independence. He agreed to provide Immortal Guards and send the Heavenly Charm Marquis to coordinate, while Sun Jian and the others went to prepare a token of good faith.

• Sun Ce worried when Sun Shangxiang sat before Xiao Ying, but Xiao Ying allowed her to remain seated.
• Sun Jian explained that the True Buddhas interfered in Wu State’s government and military affairs, and Xiao Ying agreed that their methods endangered the state.
• Lu Su reported that 263 True Buddhas and roughly 1,450 Loose Immortal-level Buddhist cultivators operated across Wu State, supported by millions of followers.
• Xiao Ying promised that his Immortal Guards could handle the Buddhist leaders and assigned the Heavenly Charm Marquis to plan with Wu State while keeping the armies uninvolved.
• Zhou Yu reminded Sun Ce to offer a token of good faith, so Sun Ce and the others left to prepare a surrender declaration, a hostage, and the Great Wu Imperial Seal.
• Sun Shangxiang stayed with Xiao Ying, asked why the others had left, and blushed when he teased her.

Xiao Ying accepted the Sun Clan’s surrender without requiring Sun Ce as a hostage and sent the Wu delegation home to obtain the royal seal. In Chengdu, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong used Dragon-Phoenix Auspiciousness to read the stars, revealing that Wu was moving toward Great Huan and prompting Liu Bei to accuse Sun Jian of betraying him.

• Xiao Ying accepted Sun Jian’s declaration of surrender, released Sun Ce from serving as a hostage, and allowed Sun Shangxiang to return with the Wu delegation.
• Xiao Ying ordered Sun Jian and the others to return overnight and deliver the royal seal the next morning.
• Liu Bei convened Shu’s leaders to discuss Great Huan’s rising power, and Pang Tong urged them to monitor Otherworlders within Shu.
• Zhuge Liang argued that the stars’ change was not caused by Otherworlders and asked Pang Tong to perform Dragon-Phoenix Auspiciousness with him.
• Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong’s ritual revealed that Wu’s imperial star was drawing toward Great Huan’s, and both men collapsed after expending their strength.
• Liu Bei accused Sun Jian of secretly surrendering to Great Huan and ruining his ambitions.

Bai Ze sensed that a secret divination had exposed the Wu State operation and warned Xiao Ying of a coming disaster. Xiao Ying chose to turn the enemy’s plot against them and insisted they win the battle to defend the Pangu World.

• Bai Ze detected that someone in the lesser world had used Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams Divination to uncover the Wu State affair, and Xiao Ying came to question him.
• Bai Ze divined that the operation faced great disaster and urged Xiao Ying to halt it and withdraw the third young lord’s forces.
• Xiao Ying and Bai Ze concluded that the Shu State, Wei State, and other factions might join forces with the Wu State after the secret was exposed.
• Bai Ze offered withdrawal or an immediate attack as options, but Xiao Ying proposed turning the enemy’s scheme against them and striking hard before reinforcements arrived.
• Bai Ze suggested that Xiao Ying could retreat to Nine-Dragon Island if the venture failed, but Xiao Ying insisted that they must win and threatened to confine Bai Ze if he could not outmatch the opposing strategists.

Sun Jian and the Great Huan forces prepared to assassinate Wu State’s True Buddhas, but the Buddhas seized the teleportation formations and Wei and Shu forces encircled the palace. The chapter ended with Cao Cao and Liu Bei confronting Sun Jian as elite troops and powerful figures closed in.

• Sun Jian assigned his family and generals to cities across Wu State to restrain its armies and help Great Huan assassinate True Buddhas and resistors.
• A palace guard reported that the True Buddhas had seized every teleportation formation in Jianye, and Lu Su ordered an investigation.
• Huang Zhong attacked the great hall, then Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan arrived with their renowned cavalry units.
• Sun Ce challenged Guan Yu as the Wu State gathering realized that Wei and Shu had joined the True Buddhas against them.
• Cao Cao accused Sun Jian of betraying the Buddhas, while Liu Bei appeared with his generals and elite troops as hundreds of powerful figures surrounded the palace.

Great Huan and Wu State found themselves surrounded by overwhelming forces, and Xiao Fengxuan refused to abandon their allies when Xiao He announced a secret decree to evacuate the royal children. Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha then offered to restore the Wu State’s former position and let Great Huan’s prince and princesses leave, while demanding that the remaining Great Huan forces surrender.

• Xiao He announced the Great Huan Celestial Lord’s secret decree ordering the Immortal Guards to escort the Third Prince, the princesses, and Consort Xiang out of the encirclement.
• Sun Jian accepted the decree and urged Sun Shangxiang to obey, admitting that Wu State’s misjudgments had caused the crisis.
• Xiao Fengxuan accused Xiao He of falsifying the decree, then ordered Bearman and Golden Fire to escort Nianying, Consort Xiang, and Sun Ce out while he and Xiao Huaiying stayed behind.
• Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha appeared and offered to restore the Wu State’s status, release Great Huan’s prince and princesses, and prevent the immortals and Buddhas from interfering in the war.
• Xiao Fengxuan asked whether everyone else could leave, and Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha said the remaining Great Huan forces had to surrender, though their lives would be spared.