Chapter Summaries

As the Pangu Secret Realm began collapsing, Xiao Ying withdrew most of Great Huan’s army and enforced heavy taxes on the Heavenbone Kingdom’s treasure haul. Bai Ze then warned Xiao Ying that the rising spiritual energy could restore the world’s ancient laws and unseal the descended immortals’ full power, threatening Great Huan.

• Xiao Ying ordered most of Great Huan’s forces to withdraw from the collapsing secret realm while others guarded its formations and exits.
• Martial-Calming Emperor Lan Ge demanded that the Heavenbone Kingdom pay a seventy-percent tax, and Xiao Ying’s forces pressured Bone King into surrendering the treasures.
• God Emperor Luo Tian told Bone King to comply and promised compensation, while Lan Ge warned Bone King not to harm Great Huan’s subjects.
• Xiao Ying watched the secret realm’s collapse as Bai Ze explained that the world’s spiritual energy might return to Primordial or Primeval levels and restore the descended immortals’ Dao Fruits.
• Xiao Ying realized Great Huan could be outmatched if the immortals regained their full strength, and Bai Ze advised preparing to ascend from the world.

Xiao Ying and Bai Ze considered how to prepare for the Pangu World's coming transformation, then Xiao Ying confronted God Emperor Luo Tian and the Descended Immortal Gods when they gathered around Lü Zhi's party. After Xiao Ying injured Long Changqiu and strengthened Wufa with stolen dragon blood, he gestured for Lü Zhi to reveal what her group had brought back.

• Bai Ze told Xiao Ying that they could not stop the Pangu World's laws from recovering and advised strengthening their forces before an early final battle.
• Lü Zhi, Sun Shangxiang, Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha, the Protector Witch King, and their organized forces emerged from the Pangu Secret Realm carrying numerous powerful treasures.
• God Emperor Luo Tian and other Descended Immortal Gods approached Lü Zhi's party, and Xiao Ying drove them back with a roar before confronting them.
• Long Changqiu challenged Xiao Ying, who attacked him and tore away dragon scales, blood, and flesh despite God Emperor Luo Tian and others trying to block the blow.
• Xiao Ying gave Long Changqiu's blood to Wufa, whose dragon form evolved and grew stronger, while God Emperor Luo Tian insisted that the immortals would follow the rules.
• Xiao Ying gestured for Lü Zhi to show what her party had obtained, curious about her spoils.

Chapter Summary: A Tycoon’s Deal

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lü Zhi, Sun Shangxiang, Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha, Xunjia Great Emperor, Kṣitigarbha King, and others undergo verification through the Primordial Spirit Manifestation Formation to prove that they are not concealing the mysterious supreme treasure.
• Lü Zhi is confirmed to possess the Book of Life and Death, a legendary Hell Realm treasure with possible powers over marriage, fate, and reincarnation.
• Sun Shangxiang reveals two extraordinary treasures:
  • The Stone of Three Lives, a Heaven-Mending Divine Stone connected to reincarnation and the destinies of three lifetimes.
  • The Gold-Binding Rope, an ancient immortal-binding treasure once associated with Pangu’s Supreme Elder Lord.
• Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha and several others reveal the Innate Five-Element Banners. Burning Lamp additionally possesses the World-Destroying Black Lotus, an exceptionally powerful devil-path treasure with limitless potential.
• The formation confirms that the Great Huan camp has not hidden the mysterious supreme treasure. The assembled Descended Immortal Gods are deeply disappointed, since they must remain in Pangu World and face its eventual destruction.
• Burning Lamp voluntarily gives Xiao Ying the World-Destroying Black Lotus and the Central Wuxing Apricot-Yellow Banner as compensation for his former opposition and newly surrendered status. Xiao Ying accepts them, promises rewards, and praises the group’s contributions.
• As the gathering disperses, Moro, the young master of the Golden Devil Race, asks to purchase the World-Destroying Black Lotus. He offers an astonishing private trade:
  • One drop of

Golden Sacred Blood

• Three canon-grade Golden Devil Race cultivation methods
• The Heaven-Supporting Emperor Pagoda, a Dao Artifact transformed from the Primordial Spirit Tower of the Heaven-Supporting Witch Emperor
• Xiao Ying is visibly impressed by the offer and recognizes Moro as an immensely wealthy “tycoon,” though he doubts whether Moro truly possesses three supreme clan-foundation canons.

Character Developments

• Lü Zhi demonstrates political awareness and caution. She willingly undergoes verification to prevent suspicion that she possesses the mysterious supreme treasure.
• Sun Shangxiang emerges as a major treasure-holder, possessing two relics of enormous historical and mystical value.
• Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha proves himself politically shrewd. Rather than claiming the treasures as personal spoils, he presents them to Xiao Ying as compensation, strengthening his position as a newly surrendered subject.
• Kṣitigarbha King, Maitreya Buddha, Xunjia Great Emperor, and the others show restraint and practical wisdom by avoiding demands for credit or rewards. They understand that cooperation is more beneficial than resentment.
• Xiao Ying reinforces his authority through generosity and clear reward promises. He accepts the treasures without hesitation and publicly rewards loyalty, while also recognizing the strategic value of the World-Destroying Black Lotus.
• Moro reveals both his immense resources and his intense desire for the Black Lotus. Although his straightforward manner sounds domineering, he adopts a respectful approach because he knows force would be impossible against Great Huan’s current strength.

Significant Themes

• Trust and verification: The formation serves as a means of proving loyalty and exposing whether anyone is concealing the mysterious supreme treasure.
• Political strategy and allegiance: Newly surrendered figures secure their future not through demands, but by voluntarily offering valuable resources to Xiao Ying.
• The value of ancient treasures: The chapter emphasizes the historical origins, immense potential, and legendary significance of the Stone of Three Lives, Gold-Binding Rope, Five-Element Banners, and World-Destroying Black Lotus.
• Power beyond present strength: The treasures’ future potential matters more than their current grade, since the laws of the small world restrict their development.
• Wealth as power: Moro’s proposed trade shows that hegemonic clans possess resources capable of rivaling or surpassing the treasures being sought.
• Disappointment and survival: The failure to uncover the mysterious supreme treasure leaves the Descended Immortal Gods facing the grim possibility of remaining in Pangu World until its destruction.

Character Interactions

• Lü Zhi and Xiao Ying: Lü Zhi responds to Xiao Ying’s signal and cooperates with the verification, indicating her alignment with his broader plans.
• Burning Lamp and Xiao Ying: Burning Lamp presents the Black Lotus and banner as compensation, while Xiao Ying responds by forgiving him and promising fair rewards.
• Great Huan camp and the Descended Immortal Gods: The verification reassures outsiders that Great Huan has not concealed the mysterious treasure, though it also intensifies their envy and despair.
• Moro and Xiao Ying: Their negotiation forms the chapter’s climax. Moro openly seeks the Black Lotus, while Xiao Ying tests the seriousness and value of his offer. The proposed exchange suggests a potentially transformative bargain, but the truth of Moro’s resources remains uncertain.

Xiao Ying negotiated with Holy Son Luo Mo to exchange the World-Destroying Black Lotus for the Demon Spirit Pearl, the Eternal-Reincarnation Brush, and secret information. After verifying the jade slip and securing a Great Dao Oath, Xiao Ying handed over the lotus, and Luo Mo offered information about the imminent return of Overlord Xiang Yu.

• Xiao Ying rejected Luo Mo’s initial offer and demanded the Demon Spirit Pearl and Eternal-Reincarnation Brush in exchange for the World-Destroying Black Lotus, along with an oath protecting Great Huan’s subjects and keeping the transaction secret.
• Luo Mo agreed, and God Emperor Luo Tian handed over the Eternal-Reincarnation Brush while Luo Mo provided a storage bag containing the two treasures.
• Luo Mo gave Xiao Ying a jade slip as an additional part of the deal, and Xiao Ying sent Bai Ze to verify it before completing the exchange.
• Luo Mo swore a Great Dao Oath, Bai Ze confirmed the jade slip was genuine, and Xiao Ying gave Luo Mo the World-Destroying Black Lotus.
• Luo Mo swallowed the lotus and told Xiao Ying that Overlord Xiang Yu would soon emerge, asking how he intended to deal with him.

Xiao Ying prepared to confront Overlord Xiang Yu as the Pangu Secret Realm collapsed, while Blood Dragon Yewangtian escaped with the Six Paths Demon-Subduing Strategy. Xiang Yu emerged with the Pangu Heaven-Opening Art, and the chapter ended with Xingxing revealing his secret identity and demonic connections.

• Holy Son Luo Mo accepted the World-Destroying Black Lotus from Xiao Ying and asked how he would deal with Overlord Xiang Yu.
• Xiao Ying said he would tell Xiang Yu to ascend, while God Emperor Luo Tian questioned his intentions.
• Blood Dragon Yewangtian escaped with the Six Paths Demon-Subduing Strategy, and Elder Tianjia apologized to Xiao Ying for failing to stop him.
• Overlord Xiang Yu emerged from the collapsing secret realm with the Heaven-Opening Axe and the Undying Demon Guard.
• Xiao Ying killed thousands of fleeing powerhouses with a Panwu Fist to intimidate Xiang Yu, then demanded that he ascend or die.
• God Emperor Luo Tian demanded the Pangu Heaven-Opening Art, and Xingxing revealed that he was Boluo Xing, a fate master serving Devil Ancestor Luohou.

State Preceptor Xingxing revealed his connection to the Devil Ancestor and claimed the Blood Dragon Demon God who appeared earlier was an impostor, stirring suspicion between Xiao Ying and God Emperor Luo Tian. Xiao Ying rejected further discussion and gave Overlord Xiang Yu ten breaths to surrender or die, while Xingxing called out that he had more evidence.

• Xingxing introduced himself as both the Fate-Inquiring State Preceptor and Boluo Xing, then said he had witnessed the Blood Dragon Demon God's annihilation and doubted the one who appeared was real.
• Xiao Ying denied resurrecting the Blood Dragon Demon God, and Tianzhi Baize argued that doing so would have been an implausible use of a Great Resurrection Spell jade talisman.
• Xiao Ying suggested God Emperor Luo Tian might be responsible, then refused to let him explain and demanded that Xiang Yu ascend or die within ten breaths.
• Lü Fengxian challenged Xiang Yu to a duel but weakened his boast after Lü Zhi and the Great Huan ministers reacted to his remarks about Xiao Ying.
• God Emperor Luo Tian urged the factions to kill the Xiang Clan, while Xingxing shouted that he could swear a Great Dao Oath to prove he was telling the truth.

Xiao Ying accepted Overlord Xiang Yu and Fate Master Xingxing’s submission to the Great Huan Celestial Dynasty, while arranging for Xiang Yu to bear the burden of being seen as Pangu’s successor. The descended immortal gods objected to Xiao Ying claiming the Heaven-Opening Axe and Pangu Heaven-Opening Art, and Xiao Ying demanded that Xiang Yu provide a pledge of allegiance.

• Fate Master Xingxing asked whether Great Huan would preserve Xiang Yu’s life and the Pangu Heaven-Opening Art in exchange for their submission, and Xiao Ying agreed to study the art while allowing them to keep it.
• Overlord Xiang Yu swore loyalty to Great Huan within the Pangu World, and Fate Master Xingxing explained that he feared Xiao Ying might not accept their offer to serve.
• Xiao Ying realized Xiang Yu could act as a scapegoat for the label of Pangu’s successor, accepted the limits of their oath, and had the rest of Xiang Yu’s company surrender their life imprints.
• God Emperor Luo Tian and the other descended immortal gods protested when Xiao Ying treated Xiang Yu as a Great Huan subject and claimed the right to protect him.
• Xiao Ying asked Xiang Yu to provide a pledge of allegiance beyond his oath and life imprint.

Xiao Ying launched Great Huan’s attack on the Descended Immortal Gods, igniting a vast battle that accelerated the collapse of the Pangu Secret Realm. The arrival of the three thousand Demon-Scaled Witch Guards turned the tide, leaving thousands of Descended Immortal Gods dead.

• Xiao Ying struck God Emperor Luo Tian and the other Descended Immortal Gods with Panwu Fist, and Great Huan’s forces joined the battle.
• Overlord Xiang Yu formed the Undying Overlord Dharma Body with his troops and killed Descended Immortal Gods with the Heaven-Opening Axe.
• Long Changqiu led dozens of True Demons against Xiang Yu and the Xiang Clan forces as fighting spread across the Pangu Secret Realm and toward Qingyi Royal City.
• The collapsing Pangu Secret Realm released a surge of spiritual energy that restored magical power and raised the cultivation of nearby fighters.
• Facing a large encirclement, Xiao Ying used the Heaven-Supporting Emperor Pagoda to crush Loose Immortals and wound Descended Immortal Gods.
• The three thousand Demon-Scaled Witch Guards charged into battle and killed thousands of Descended Immortal Gods, turning the fight in Great Huan’s favor.

After the Demon-Scaled Witch Guards turned the battle in Great Huan’s favor, Xiao Ying stopped the fighting and arranged for the surviving Descended Immortal Gods to stay in the Nine Dragons Forbidden City under restrictions. He intended to delay their discovery of the changes in Pangu while avoiding a conflict that would draw more forces from the Upper Realm.

• The three thousand Demon-Scaled Witch Guards surrounded the Descended Immortal Gods, and Xiao Ying ordered both sides to stop fighting.
• Xiao Ying demanded that the remaining Descended Immortal Gods gather and promised to spare them, while God Emperor Luo Tian conceded defeat on their behalf.
• Xiao Ying proposed keeping the Descended Immortal Gods as guests in the Nine Dragons Forbidden City, where they could not leave without permission.
• God Emperor Luo Tian asked whether Great Huan would attack the opposing forces during their confinement, and Xiao Ying insisted that Pangu’s people settle their own affairs without Descended Immortal Gods intervening.
• Lü Zhi warned Xiao Ying about the danger of bringing the Descended Immortal Gods into the city, but he ordered the Demon-Scaled Witch Guards to escort them there under guard.
• Tianzhi Baize knew Xiao Ying’s real aim was to delay the Descended Immortal Gods from learning that Pangu had returned to an ancient age.

After returning from the Pangu Secret Realm, Xiao Ying left the raging border wars to his ministers and entered secret seclusion to absorb the expedition’s immense gains and strengthen himself. Hidden inside the Heaven-Earth Bell, he prepared to integrate rare inheritances and treasures before the Pangu World entered a new age of upheaval.

• The Great Huan Celestial Dynasty returned to the Nine Dragons Forbidden City as news spread that immortal-god-level beings would no longer intervene in secular wars, while conflicts raged on three fronts.
• Xiao Ying reassigned senior ministers to the battlefields and focused on the secret realm’s spoils, including the submission of Overlord Xiang Yu, Shu State ministers, and many rogue cultivators.
• Xiao Ying entered apparent seclusion, but his guarded cultivation chamber was empty because he had hidden himself inside the Heaven-Earth Bell with Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Liu Shan imprisoned there.
• Xiao Ying examined the Pangu True Inheritances, demon canons, sacred blood, and spirit treasures he had collected, while leaving ordinary secret-realm spoils for later.
• Xiao Ying planned to merge the five Pangu True Inheritances, three demon canons, and the Peerless Wonder Book fragment into his Cosmic Reincarnation Scripture and refine the primordial spirit treasures.

Xiao Ying reviewed the Pangu inheritances, demon canons, and Peerless Wonder Book as he prepared to incorporate their arts into the Cosmic Reincarnation Scripture and refine his treasures. By combining venerable-level blood essences, he rapidly forged a golden sacred body and set his sights on refining his spirit treasures, especially the Heaven-Supporting Emperor Pagoda and Book of Life and Death.

• Xiao Ying compared the five Pangu inheritances, three demon canons, and Peerless Wonder Book, identifying the twelve forms of the Imperial Fist Manual and choosing four to master during seclusion.
• Xiao Ying decided to refine golden sacred blood together with Pangu blood essence, relying on the Great Wilderness Cauldron and Cosmic Reincarnation Scripture to control their powerful bloodlines.
• Xiao Ying absorbed the two venerable-level blood essences and found that they greatly accelerated his comprehension of the Pangu inheritances and Golden Demon Canon.
• Xiao Ying advanced through the stages of the Golden Demon Canon within a dozen breaths and forged a golden sacred body that surpassed his Daluo Realm witch cultivator's body.
• Xiao Ying turned to refining his spirit treasures and focused his anticipation on the Heaven-Supporting Emperor Pagoda and the Book of Life and Death.

Xiao Ying refined the Heaven-Supporting Emperor Pagoda, the Book of Life and Death, and the Eternal-Reincarnation Brush, learning their powers and limitations. He chose to nourish the damaged pagoda and use it to safeguard the Great Huan people’s life imprints, while the Pangu treasures remained limited by the collapse of reincarnation.

• Xiao Ying refined the Heaven-Supporting Emperor Pagoda and discovered that it was a powerful Heaven-Grade Totem Pillar with an independent space and an artifact spirit named Heaven-Supporting.
• Xiao Ying found that the pagoda’s former owner’s imprint prevented him from fully refining it, while its damaged space and near-dead spirit required a long recovery.
• Xiao Ying decided to nourish Heaven-Supporting with his soul and planned to merge the Great Huan people’s life imprints into the pagoda, postponing the plan to merge another Totem Pillar until he returned to Nine-Dragon Island.
• Xiao Ying refined the Book of Life and Death and the Eternal-Reincarnation Brush, discovering that their main purpose was maintaining the Pangu World’s Six Paths of Reincarnation.
• Xiao Ying realized the collapse of reincarnation left the two Pangu treasures with limited use and prevented him from readily resurrecting powerful figures whose imprints they held.

While Xiao Ying cultivated in seclusion, Crown Prince Xiao Fengtian governed Great Huan, rewarded newly submitted leaders, and sent them to reinforce its battlefronts, turning the allied armies’ advance into a Great Huan counteroffensive. In Mercury’s Tianjing, Great Xia’s retired sovereign delivered Xiao Fengtian’s edict demanding that the local factions destabilize enemy rear areas and that all Otherworlders enter Forging the Sacred Court in person.

• As the allied armies continued attacking Great Huan’s borders, Xiao Ying left Xiao Fengtian in charge and entrusted him with the Great Huan Imperial Seal.
• Xiao Fengtian issued titles and offices to the surrendered immortal gods and commanders, including Xiang Yu, Great Emperor Xunjia, Lottra, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.
• Xiao Fengtian dispatched Xunga and the Western Demon Lineage west, Xiang Yu and his clan north, and the Shu State leaders southwest, with immortal gods accompanying them as military overseers.
• With new commanders and reinforcements reaching the fronts, Great Huan halted the allied offensives and began counterattacking while its merchant associations worked to equip its armies.
• At a conference in Tianjing, Great Xia’s retired sovereign announced Xiao Fengtian’s orders for Mercury’s factions to create unrest behind enemy lines and for all Otherworlders to enter Forging the Sacred Court in person.

The Ancient Xia Clan warned Otherworld faction representatives that the collapse of the Forging the Sacred Court dimension could destroy the Otherworld too, and that Game Dragon Rings might offer a chance to escape if they proved useful to Great Huan. As the representatives discussed how to aid Great Huan, the dynasty’s wars intensified while Xiao Ying remained in seclusion.

• Ying Ying and the American representative discussed rumors that the Forging the Sacred Court dimension was collapsing, and the Ancient Xia Clan confirmed the Otherworld would not survive its collapse.
• The Ancient Xia Clan suggested that Game Dragon Rings might serve as tickets to escape, but warned the representatives they had to prove their value to Great Huan.
• The representatives agreed to keep the information secret and proposed ways to use modern weapons to support Great Huan’s war effort.
• On the seventh day of Xiao Ying’s seclusion, fierce battles broke out on Great Huan’s northern, western, and southwestern fronts.
• By the tenth day of Xiao Ying’s seclusion, Great Huan had repelled the allied offensives and launched a bloody counterattack beyond its borders.

After the three fronts repelled their enemies, Great Huan’s officials debated whether to resume the war or pause to consolidate their gains. Xiao Fengtian ordered simultaneous counterattacks and unrest in enemy territories, while Lü Fengxian challenged Xiang Yu to race into the Russian Federation Region.

• Han Xin outlined the enemy situation and the dilemma over counterattacking, defending the borders, and deploying Otherworlders.
• Lü Zhi urged immediate war, while Zhuge Liang and Qi Ji argued for time to stabilize Great Huan; Bai Ze proposed continuing the war while reassuring the people and absorbing resources.
• Xiao Fengtian issued an edict ordering the three fronts to counterattack, forces elsewhere to strike enemy alliances, and Otherworlder Factions to foment unrest in enemy regions.
• The northern army, led by Lü Fengxian, Xiang Yu, Meng Tian, Wang Ben, Long Ju, and Ji Bu, prepared to invade the Russian Federation Region.
• Lü Fengxian challenged Xiang Yu to a wager over who would enter the Russian Federation Region first, and Xiang Yu chuckled at his fighting spirit.

Lü Fengxian challenged Xiang Yu to a contest of military prowess, and Xiang Yu agreed as the Great Huan Celestial Dynasty launched its northern pursuit. The Northern Allied Forces used Genghis Khan’s mounted-archery tactics to slow the six Great Huan armies, leaving both sides to prepare for the next stage of the campaign.

• Lü Fengxian challenged Xiang Yu to healthy competition, and Xiang Yu accepted.
• The Great Huan northern expedition split into six armies led by Lü Fengxian, Xiang Yu, Meng Tian, Wang Ben, Long Ju, and Ji Bu and advanced across the grasslands.
• Genghis Khan commanded the Northern Allied Forces as they retreated in order and sent elite cavalry and giant birds to meet the Great Huan vanguard.
• The Northern Allied Forces fired arrows and spells, targeting the Great Huan cavalry’s warhorses while avoiding close combat.
• The six Great Huan commanders halted their charge and advanced methodically after recognizing the enemy’s Mongol mounted-archery tactics.

After three months of stalemated war, Xiao Ying sensed Pangu's cultivation ceiling rising and left seclusion, only to confront Descended Immortal Gods in the Nine Dragons Forbidden City. He suppressed their attacks, absorbed a Golden Devil Dao fruit, and met Dao Ancestor Hongjun for the first time, openly rejecting Hongjun's claim to the title.

• The Great Huan Celestial Dynasty's campaigns against the Northern Allied Forces and Ashoka's Western Allied Army remained bogged down after three months of fighting.
• Xiao Ying sensed that the Pangu Law was about to become complete and raise the world's cultivation ceiling, so he ended his seclusion.
• Xiao Ying detected a Descended Immortal God fleeing the Nine Dragons Forbidden City and issued an order to kill the trespasser.
• Xiao Ying used Palm-Realm Reincarnation to swallow the attacks of the Descended Immortal Gods and struck the city wall without damaging it.
• Xiao Ying absorbed the Golden Devil Race's Dao fruit and accused the gathered Descended Immortal Gods of breaking their agreement.
• Xiao Ying recognized Hongjun, dismissed his claim to being Dao Ancestor, and explained that he had created Palm-Realm Reincarnation using the Cosmic Reincarnation Scripture.

Xiao Ying challenged Hongjun’s knowledge of the Pangu World’s cultivation arts, but Hongjun explained their origins and eased suspicions that Xiao Ying possessed the Six Paths Demon-Subduing Strategy. With the Descended Immortal Gods agreeing to honor their pact, Xiao Ying secured the Nine Dragons Forbidden City and ordered Great Huan to gather its subjects’ cultivation arts.

• Xiao Ying’s remarks prompted Hongjun to explain how he had studied the Ten Great Canons and the five great Pangu True Inheritances.
• Hongjun traced the origins of the Cosmic Star Tribulation, the Ten Extremes Martial Way, and the Nine Transformations of the Emperor, revealing his connection to the Creation Jade Disc.
• Hongjun said he had only returned Xiao Ying’s explanation and did not accuse him of possessing the Six Paths Demon-Subduing Strategy.
• God Emperor Luo Tian confirmed that the Descended Immortal Gods would continue honoring their agreement with Great Huan.
• Xiao Ying ordered the Nine Dragons Forbidden City’s defenses kept active and required Great Huan’s subjects to submit their cultivation arts and secret techniques for compensation.

Chapter Summary: “Four Strategies to Settle the Situation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Ying explains why Great Huan must collect the cultivation techniques, secret arts, books, and cultural inheritances of Pangu World. Although many lower-realm techniques are weak compared with Upper Realm methods, their artistic concepts and underlying principles are essential to perfecting his Cosmic Reincarnation Scripture.
• Because ordinary people vastly outnumber cultivators, Great Huan also needs a broad foundation of manuals and knowledge to give its citizens a path toward cultivation and preserve civilization before Pangu World collapses.
• Xiao Ying orders the collection of these traditions under threat of treason, preventing anyone from openly objecting.
• Luo Tian God Emperor questions the need for the expensive Nine-Dragon Barrier and suggests that activating it over a misunderstanding is excessive. Xiao Ying responds bluntly, insisting that he will use it as he sees fit and challenging Luo Tian to contribute Immortal Crystals if he objects.
• The barrier is activated across Nine Dragons Forbidden City. It conceals the city inside the void, making it appear like a phantom from outside. Its true purpose is to:
  • Isolate the Descended Immortal Gods from the outside world,
  • Delay their discovery of Pangu World’s changing condition,
  • Protect Great Huan’s capital and its elite population from external attacks and internal unrest.
• The Descended Immortal Gods test the barrier and discover that it is not an absolute prison: messages can still be monitored, and even Loose Immortals can break through from within. They therefore lower their guard and wait for events to unfold.
• After three months of seclusion, Xiao Ying summons Great Huan’s ministers to review developments. The three major battlefronts remain in stalemate, while Otherworlder uprisings weaken various enemy alliances and national regions.
• Xiao Ying is relieved that Great Huan has not achieved an overwhelming victory, since such success would have forced the Upper Realm factions and Descended Immortal Gods into an early decisive battle before Great Huan was prepared.
• Grand Marshal Han Xin presents the four strategies to settle the situation, designed to strengthen Great Huan, weaken its enemies, and postpone Upper Realm intervention:
  1. Support Otherworlder uprisings and use the resulting disorder to absorb smaller nations and factions.
  2. Redeploy forces against major powers that remain stable, preventing them from launching distant expeditions against Great Huan while maintaining a controlled stalemate on the principal battlefields.
  3. Monitor, manipulate, recruit, imprison, or otherwise neutralize Descended Immortal Gods, both inside and outside the Forbidden City, to delay their understanding of Pangu World’s transformation.
  4. Secretly transfer Great Huan’s most promising citizens—especially gifted children and elderly people—as the dynasty’s future hope. Their removal would also reassure the population and provide leverage for controlling other factions and experts.

Character Developments

• Xiao Ying is shown to be pragmatic, ruthless, and strategically farsighted. He values knowledge as a foundation for Great Huan’s future and is willing to use intimidation, deception, confinement, and enormous resources to protect the dynasty.
• His blunt exchange with Luo Tian emphasizes his impatience with political objections and his refusal to compromise over security.
• Xiao Ying also demonstrates restraint and long-term judgment. He does not seek a premature total victory, understanding that the current stalemate benefits Great Huan by buying time.
• Luo Tian God Emperor and the other Descended Immortal Gods become more cautious around Xiao Ying. Though they dislike the barrier, they recognize that it cannot truly imprison them and choose to wait rather than provoke an unnecessary confrontation.
• Chancellor Tian Dan supports strengthening Great Huan while deceiving the enemy, even joking about the satisfaction of surprising the Descended Immortal Gods after a hidden unification of Pangu World.
• Grand Marshal Han Xin emerges as a clear strategic planner, presenting a coordinated political, military, intelligence, and evacuation plan.

Significant Themes

• Preservation of civilization: Knowledge, cultivation methods, and cultural heritage are treated as vital resources that must survive the destruction of Pangu World.
• Preparation versus immediate victory: Great Huan prioritizes accumulating strength and delaying the final confrontation rather than pursuing reckless battlefield triumphs.
• Deception and information control: Concealing the city, monitoring communications, manipulating the Descended Immortal Gods, and hiding Great Huan’s true preparations are central to Xiao Ying’s strategy.
• The value of ordinary people: The chapter stresses that ordinary citizens form the majority of society and represent the dynasty’s future, not merely its expendable population.
• Moral compromise in crisis: Protecting Great Huan requires coercion, imprisonment, political manipulation, and the possible use of civilians as “bait,” showing how survival during the coming catastrophe blurs ethical boundaries.
• The limits of alliances: The Upper Realm factions hesitate to act because of competing interests and fear of karmic consequences, allowing Great Huan to exploit their disunity.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Ying confronts Luo Tian God Emperor over the Nine-Dragon Barrier, dismissing his objections and making clear that Great Huan—not the Descended Immortal Gods—controls the situation inside the capital.
• The gathered immortals silently accept Xiao Ying’s order to collect the world’s knowledge after he frames opposition as treason.
• Great Huan’s ministers respond enthusiastically to Xiao Ying’s strategy, sharing confidence that the barrier will allow them to deceive and outmaneuver the Upper Realm forces.
• Chancellor Tian Dan and Han Xin reinforce each other’s views: Tian Dan stresses the importance of secretly strengthening Great Huan, while Han Xin translates that goal into four concrete strategies.
• The Descended Immortal Gods, despite their dissatisfaction, choose cautious observation over confrontation after testing the barrier and finding that it is mainly a concealment and monitoring mechanism rather than an unbreakable prison.

Chapter Summary: Cold on the Outside, Warm at Heart

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Ying reviews Han Xin’s four strategies for stabilizing the Great Huan Celestial Dynasty during the age of chaos. He rejects the fourth proposal—mass cross-realm migration—as impractical because ordinary people, especially children and the elderly, cannot survive teleportation, while suitable treasures and forced ascension are prohibitively dangerous and expensive.
• The ministers unanimously support Han Xin’s remaining strategies. Xiao Ying orders:
  • The Martial-Pacifying Office to rally sects, gangs, and similar organizations.
  • The Great Huan Office to rally aristocratic clans and influential families.
  • Merit-based Great Huan quotas to be offered as incentives, with guaranteed survival and safe ascension for those selected.
• Han Xin asks how the limited life-preserving quotas will be distributed. The scarcity is emphasized: only about five billion Game Dragon Rings exist, compared with hundreds of billions or even trillions of people across Pangu World.
• Lü Zhi proposes a strict standard: every one hundred military merit points should protect one person. Only high-ranking civil and military officials and their closest family members—parents, spouses, and children—would receive automatic protection. Other relatives, friends, disciples, followers, and dependents would need to exchange merit for protection.
• Her proposal shocks the court because it would abandon over ninety percent of the extended families and affiliated forces connected to Great Huan’s officials. Prime Minister Tian Dan nevertheless supports it first, after which the other ministers follow.
• The chapter ends as the court turns to the next major issue: appointing commanders for expeditions involving Canada, the United States, Brazil, and Indonesia.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Xiao Ying demonstrates practical leadership by accepting the feasible portions of Han Xin’s plan and recognizing the harsh realities of limited resources. He also realizes that Lü Zhi deliberately takes responsibility for the cruel policy to protect his reputation.
• Han Xin acts as a pragmatic military strategist. He supports the mobilization plan but insists on a clear, enforceable standard for distributing survival quotas.
• Lü Zhi reveals her self-sacrificing loyalty to Xiao Ying. Although she appears ruthless and politically aggressive, she intentionally assumes the role of villain so Xiao Ying can retain a benevolent image. Her actions reinforce the chapter’s “cold outside, warm heart” characterization.
• Tian Dan shows political courage and loyalty by endorsing Lü Zhi’s unpopular proposal despite the severe losses it imposes on the Tian Clan. His support makes it easier for the other ministers to agree.
• Qi Ji considers supporting Lü Zhi but remains silent because her clan would suffer less than the others, making her endorsement appear self-serving.
• The ministers’ reactions illustrate the tension between personal interests, family obligations, and the dynasty’s broader survival.

Significant Themes

• Survival over morality: In an age of catastrophe, decisions are governed less by ideal justice than by limited resources and the survival of the strongest or most useful.
• The burden of leadership: Xiao Ying and the ministers must decide who can be saved, accepting that many innocent people will inevitably be abandoned.
• Sacrifice and political protection: Lü Zhi sacrifices her reputation and her own clan’s interests to shield Xiao Ying and strengthen the dynasty.
• Merit and utilitarian justice: Protection is allocated according to contribution rather than status, affection, or extended family ties.
• The contrast between appearance and reality: Lü Zhi’s harsh exterior conceals genuine devotion, while seemingly cold policies are presented as necessary acts of compassion toward the greatest possible number of people.