Chapter Summaries

Xu Chuan plundered the Earthly Fiend Spirit Tree and the Huang Household’s treasure vault, then traveled to Heavenly Baleful City and met Xu Dewen. He learned that Shi Wuyu was protected by the sect’s rules and that the Heavenly Baleful True Disciples would travel to Southern Heaven in twenty years.

• Xu Chuan killed Blood Mad Blade, ambushed the Blood Demon Grotto cultivator, and took the Earthly Fiend Spirit Tree after the rival factions fought over it.
• Xu Chuan refined his White Bone Skull Heads, evaded Nascent Soul cultivators searching for the Hidden Valley culprit, and joined the assault on the Huang Household.
• Xu Chuan secretly broke into the Huang Household’s treasure vault and took its accumulated wealth and a High-Grade Xiantian Spirit Treasure before escaping.
• The Jin Household later destroyed the Fei Household, while Xu Chuan erased a great cultivator’s mark and continued toward Joyous Union City.
• Xu Chuan traveled through Joyous Union City to Heavenly Baleful City and contacted Xu Dewen, who warned him not to kill Shi Wuyu because of the sect’s rules and the coming Heavenly Pride Gathering.
• Xu Chuan and Xu Dewen discussed the Heavenly Baleful Sect’s power and its plan to send its True Disciples to Southern Heaven in twenty years.

Xu Chuan strengthened Cloudshadow Tower by building a cultivation force, while Xu Deling learned that the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm was nearing its opening and might be collapsing. After divining grave danger around the secret realm, Xu Chuan gathered what information he could as Xu Deling prepared to pursue its opportunity.

• Xu Chuan arranged for Xu Dewen to recruit Bu Heng and Bu Yao into the Heavenly Baleful Sect, where their special constitutions helped them advance rapidly.
• Xu Mo formed a True Demon Blood Core and became a Golden Core elder, while Shi Wuyu resolved to focus on mastering his Divine Ability before confronting Xu Dewen.
• Xu Chuan directed Cloudshadow Tower to recruit cultivators and mortals, teach the mortals the Martial Way, and develop its own trained force.
• Xu Chuan refined the Azure Dragon Stele and planned his next cultivation priorities as Xu Deling reached the ninth level of Golden Core.
• Xu Deling's Vermilion Bird Token reacted, and Xu Chuan divined that the secret realm was about to open amid both great opportunity and mortal danger.
• Xu Deling asked True Sun and Flame Dragon to accompany her, while Xu Chuan consulted Murong Yun and the Dragoness about the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm's history and possible destruction.

Xu Deling and the other Vermilion Bird Token bearers entered the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm after its spirit barred Nascent Soul cultivators from entering. As factions split up to explore, Xu Deling escaped an attack by Su Zhaowu and Su Zhaolie and accepted the Secret Realm Spirit’s first inheritance trial.

• Xu Chuan warned Xu Deling that the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm’s opening was unusual, then gave her a Storage Pouch before she and Flame Dragon traveled to Eternal Sun Prefecture.
• At Vermilion Bird Ridge, the Su Household forced the Eternal Sun Sect to withdraw, and several factions gathered as the secret realm’s entrance appeared.
• The Secret Realm Spirit announced that each Vermilion Bird Token bearer could bring one companion, and Xu Deling and the other eligible cultivators entered the realm together.
• After the cultivators split up, Su Zhaowu and Su Zhaolie pursued Xu Deling, but she resisted their attacks, escaped by concealing her aura, and left them behind.
• The Secret Realm Spirit told Xu Deling the realm was nearing collapse and offered its inheritance to whoever passed three trials; Xu Deling accepted the first trial, which required hunting a peak third-rank demon beast alone.
• Lin Yansong and Zhang Xiucheng also accepted the trials, and Lin Yansong suggested that they split up to improve their sect’s chances.

The chosen participants completed the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm’s first trial and began the second, which tested their talent and offered individual assessments. Xu Deling excelled and defeated Lu Jiusi in the arena battle; Zhang Xiucheng then entrusted her with a pouch before facing Nangong Wen.

• Xu Deling killed a peak third-rank demonized blood tiger, passed the first trial, and learned that the Vermilion Bird Inheritance included artifact-refining methods for Heaven-Connecting Spirit Treasures.
• The Secret Realm Spirit announced that Qi Yuan had died and Lin Yansong had failed; Lin Yansong was expelled and told the Nascent Soul cultivators outside about the dangerous trials and the secret realm’s imminent collapse.
• The participants gathered in the Secret Realm Core, where Xu Deling ranked first in the talent assessments after earning the highest physique evaluation and an A-Mid Daoheart score.
• Xu Deling chose an artifact-refining assessment and spent seven days making a High-Grade Magic Treasure while the others completed individual combat assessments.
• The final assessment began as an arena tournament, and Xu Deling defeated Lu Jiusi after they exchanged powerful attacks and he conceded.
• Zhang Xiucheng gave Xu Deling a Storage Pouch to deliver to Martial Uncle Qing Xuan if he died, then entered the arena as Nangong Wen followed.

The Vermilion Bird tournament narrowed to Xu Deling and Demon Three after Zhang Xiucheng, Su Zhaolie, Nangong Wen, and Su Zhaowu died in battle. Xu Deling won the inheritance, but Demon Three revealed himself as the Crimson Flame Demon General and pursued her after she spirited the Vermilion Bird ring into the Xu Clan Cave-Heaven.

• Zhang Xiucheng detonated his golden core, grievously injuring Nangong Wen before dying.
• Su Zhaolie ambushed Su Zhaowu with an Annihilation Thunder Pearl, but Su Zhaowu survived with a Life Talisman and killed him.
• Xu Deling killed the injured Nangong Wen, and Demon Three killed Su Zhaowu before revealing that he had possessed Demon Three and merged with the Secret Realm Spirit.
• Demon Three conceded the final battle because Xu Deling was the Vermilion Bird Sect's chosen inheritor, and the Secret Realm Spirit awarded her the inheritance.
• Demon Three tried to seize the crimson ring, but Xu Deling carried it into the Xu Clan Cave-Heaven and turned to confront the pursuing Crimson Flame Demon General.

Xu Deling fought the Crimson Flame Demon General, but Xu Chuan and the Vermilion Bird Spirit intervened, suppressed the demon, and secured the secret realm’s treasures before it collapsed. Outside, Xu Deling explained the disaster while powerful cultivators clashed over her survival and the Vermilion Bird Inheritance.

• Xu Deling transformed into a fire phoenix and fought the Crimson Flame Demon General, but he overwhelmed her and tried to possess her body.
• Xu Chuan’s mark expelled the demon’s primordial spirit, and Xu Chuan joined the Vermilion Bird Spirit to suppress it and collect the secret realm’s treasures.
• Xu Chuan sent Xu Deling out of the secret realm, which then collapsed as the Vermilion Bird Spirit warned the outside cultivators that a Void Refinement true demon had escaped.
• Xu Deling told the gathered cultivators that Demon Three had been possessed and that the true demon had killed the other trial participants before the Secret Realm Spirit rescued her.
• Nangong Bo and Wu Tong demanded that Xu Deling prove her account, while Flame Dragon and True Lord Qingxuan defended her and fought them.
• True Lord Yuanmo tried to seize Xu Deling, but Lu Qibai and Shi Qian intervened as the cultivators argued over the inheritance.

Xu Chuan protected Xu Deling from powerful factions seeking the Vermilion Bird Inheritance, then examined the treasures she brought back and planned a transformation to strengthen her for future threats. After consulting the Four-Winged Chongming Bird, he agreed that Xu Deling should undergo rebirth with Vermilion Bird treasures, though the process was delayed while a formation was prepared.

• Xu Chuan arrived at Vermilion Bird Ridge, struck Nangong Bo to demonstrate his concealed attack, and defended Xu Deling as four Great Cultivators gathered.
• Mu Qingfeng, Zhang Fan, and the other Great Cultivators examined the survivors and their storage artifacts; Lu Jiusi corroborated Xu Deling’s account of the Vermilion Bird Treasure-Refining Art, and the factions ended their accusations.
• Xu Chuan healed Xu Deling and returned with her and Flame Dragon to Yunxi, where Xu Deling gave the Heavenforged Sect a copy of the Vermilion Bird Treasure-Refining Art.
• Xu Chuan examined the Vermilion Bird treasures and learned that a spirit fruit and Vermilion Bird Spirit Blood could help Xu Deling transform; he then discovered the Four-Winged Chongming Bird hidden in her Spirit Beast Pouch.
• The Four-Winged Chongming Bird persuaded Xu Chuan that rebirth would suit Xu Deling better than the Supreme Heaven-Mending Foundation Art, and Xu Chuan agreed to provide a drop of Spirit Blood and let them undergo rebirth together.
• Xu Chuan chose the Xu Clan Cave-Heaven for Xu Deling’s rebirth and had Xu Mingxian set up the Fourth-Tier Rebirth Grand Formation, delaying the transformation until it was ready.

Xu Deling completed her second Nirvana, awakened powerful Vermilion Bird abilities, and received the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Scripture before joining Xu Chuan on a visit to the Heavenforged Sect. After Xu Chuan drove off an ambush and advised the sect on how to safeguard a future Spirit Treasure, he sensed a Great Cultivator probing him as he departed.

• Xu Deling and the Four-Winged Chongming Bird underwent three months of Nirvana, emerging with greatly strengthened bodies and bloodlines.
• Xu Deling broke through to Nascent Soul-level spiritual consciousness, opened the inheritance jade slip, and decided to cultivate the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Scripture.
• Xu Chuan and Xu Deling traveled to the Heavenforged Sect, where Xu Chuan repelled a Nascent Soul cultivator who attacked them and sent another observer fleeing.
• Xu Chuan advised True Sun to secure alliances and protection if the Heavenforged Sect refined a Spirit Treasure, and he donated rare spirit iron to the sect.
• Xu Chuan visited the Heavenforged Sect's Great Cultivator and sparred with Flame Dragon and Blazing Sun before departing.
• After leaving the Heavenforged Sect, Xu Chuan sensed a Great Cultivator probing him and decided to play along.

Xu Chuan challenged the Ascension Gate after Nangong Ji tried to kill him, gathering allies and abducting eighteen of its Golden Core cultivators. He confronted the sect at its mountain gate, where its elders prepared to attack and Xu Chuan used the prisoners to force a standoff.

• Nangong Ji attacked Xu Chuan, but Xu Chuan countered his blows and escaped with his winged treasure, then taunted Nangong Ji before leaving for Featherfall City.
• Xu Chuan told Xu Mingxian to enlist Zhang Fan and their allies, and Moyue, Mo Wentian, Black Tiger, and other cultivators agreed to join the planned confrontation.
• Xu Chuan secretly captured eighteen Ascension Gate Golden Core cultivators near the sect, then announced he would visit the mountain gate in three days.
• The Ascension Gate learned that Xu Chuan's visit was imminent, discovered its missing elders could not be contacted, and resolved to kill him and destroy the Xu Household.
• Xu Chuan arrived at the Ascension Gate with the eighteen captives, drew them in front of himself to stop an elder's attack, and said the sect's response would determine how the confrontation ended.

Xu Chuan fought the Ascension Gate with the Azure Dragon Stele, hidden abilities, and pill reserves, killing two Nascent Soul cultivators and drawing rogue cultivators to his side. After Heavenly Feather True Lord arrived and Zhang Fan confronted him, Heavenly Feather asked Xu Chuan whether he intended to fight the Ascension Gate to the death.

• Xu Chuan failed to persuade Li Qianyu to stop the attack, and Nangong Ji killed the Golden Core hostages with a gigantic palm.
• Xu Chuan used his assassination Divine Ability to kill Golden Core cultivators, then deployed the Azure Dragon Stele to withstand attacks from Nangong Ji, Li Qianyu, and the Ascension Gate cultivators.
• Xu Chuan and his allies killed one Nascent Soul cultivator and destroyed another's body, while Xu Chuan used his Azure Dragon of the Sword, Divine Abilities, and Wind-Thunder Wings to battle the Ascension Gate forces.
• Xu Chuan restored his Magic Power and Spiritual Consciousness with pills, then offered pills to nearby cultivators; Mysterious Tortoise High Person and three rogue Nascent Soul cultivators joined his side.
• Heavenly Feather True Lord arrived, shattered the Azure Dragon, and offered to end the feud if Xu Chuan joined the Ascension Gate; Xu Chuan refused and declared that the Xu Household would fight to the end.
• Zhang Fan revealed himself and exchanged blows with Heavenly Feather True Lord, while Mu Qingfeng and True Lord Yuanmo stayed neutral; Heavenly Feather then asked Xu Chuan if he meant to fight the Ascension Gate until one side was destroyed.

Xu Chuan and the Ascension Gate negotiated and swore the Six Directions Pact, restricting their conflict to agreed rules. On Year Sacrifice Day, the Ascension Gate challenged the Xu Household’s Golden Core cultivators, and Xu Deling gained the upper hand against Luo Qiu before the chapter ended with their duel still underway.

• Xu Chuan rejected the Ascension Gate’s demand for compensation and threatened retaliation, so both sides negotiated rules for their conflict.
• Xu Chuan, Heavenly Feather True Lord, and the other Nascent Soul cultivators agreed to the Six Directions Pact and swore Daoheart Oaths.
• Xu Chuan prepared the Xu Household for the Ascension Gate’s likely challenges, while Moyue arranged for Black Tiger to settle at the Heavenly Beauty Sect.
• On Year Sacrifice Day, Nangong Ji brought Ascension Gate cultivators to Yunxi and chose a Golden Core battle to test the Xu Household’s strength.
• Xu Deling fought Luo Qiu on the Black Arena, countering his water techniques with Vermilion Bird True Flame and stunning him with a spiritual-consciousness attack.

After the Xu Household defeated the Ascension Gate’s attack and countered its assassinations, both sides prepared for the Battle of the Heavens. Xu Chuan strengthened Xu Mingxian’s spiritual consciousness, and the chapter ended with the regional factions gathering at the Mysterious Moon Sect before the competition.

• Xu Deling and her companions killed the Ascension Gate’s seven peak Golden Core cultivators in the arena, prompting Nangong Ji to retreat and report the loss to Heavenly Feather True Lord and Li Qianyu.
• Heavenly Feather True Lord ordered the Dark Feather Guards to gather intelligence and target Xu Household members, but Xu Household forces ambushed the guards, killing many and wounding a Nascent Soul cultivator sent against them.
• Over the following years, Xu Chuan and the Xu Household’s Heavenly Prides advanced their cultivation and abilities as the Battle of the Heavens approached.
• Xu Chuan gave Xu Mingxian a seven-colored crystal to break through his spiritual-consciousness limit, and Xu Mingxian gained Nascent Soul-level spiritual consciousness.
• Xu Chuan led ten Golden Core cultivators to the Mysterious Moon Sect, where factions from across the region assembled for the Battle of the Heavens and tensions flared between Flowing Moon Prefecture and Demon Nether Prefecture.

Xu Chuan and the Northwest cultivators reached Heavenly Passage City and prepared for the Battle of the Heavens, while Wang Shentong assigned Xu Chuan a reconnaissance mission and Zhang Daoran organized the Northwest forces. Xu Mingxian demonstrated how his battle formations could control powerful Golden Core cultivators, then helped complete the Northwest defensive line before the battle began.

• Xu Chuan met Zhang Daoran aboard the flying boats, then the Northwest party reached Heavenly Passage City, where Wang Shentong and Zhang Daoran warned him that powerful cultivators might be targeting him.
• At the first war council, the regional forces divided the five-thousand-li defensive line, and Wang Shentong assigned Xu Chuan to scout all Blackwater Domain defenses within seven days for five hundred battle merits.
• Zhang Daoran arranged the Northwest’s garrison and combat squads, and Xu Deling proposed that Assault Squad One fight using Xu Mingxian’s battle formations.
• Xu Mingxian trapped three Golden Core cultivators in a combination of formations, convincing the squad to coordinate around his abilities while he explained the formations’ limits.
• Xu Mingxian helped Zhang Daoran build the riverbank defenses, completing most of the top-tier third-rank restrictions in just over ten days.

Xu Chuan scouted Blackwater Domain's defenses after its surprise attack, reunited with his grandson Xu Dewen, and learned that Fan Xue commanded the opposing forces. When Wang Shentong and others arranged an ambush for him, Xu Chuan avoided it by hiding in the Heavenly Passage River and returned safely.

• Blackwater Domain launched a surprise attack on Southern Heaven's unfinished defenses, and Xu Chuan's group fought back while Xu Mingxian trapped Fan Qianqiu in a battle formation until Fan Zhong intervened.
• Xu Chuan crossed to Blackwater Domain's shore, secretly surveyed its defenses, and met Xu Dewen, who told him that Fan Xue commanded the opposing forces and that their cultivators rotated every fortnight.
• At a council of Nascent Soul cultivators, Xu Chuan promised to report on his reconnaissance, while Wang Shentong, Violet Origin True Lord, and Black Rock True Lord arranged with Fan Xue to ambush him.
• Xu Chuan set out across the river the next day, spotted Fan Xue and six Nascent Soul cultivators waiting to attack, and hid underwater as he retreated.
• After searching for two hours without finding Xu Chuan, Fan Xue and Fan Zhong returned to the Blackwater encampment to investigate.

Xu Chuan reported detailed intelligence on the Blackwater Domain, exposed Wang Shentong’s attempts to betray him, and helped plan Southern Heaven’s counterattack. The assault on the Blood Demon Grotto badly wounded True Lord Bloodflame, who escaped, and the chapter ended with Blackwater Domain cultivators gathering to discuss Xu Chuan’s strength.

• Xu Chuan revealed the Blackwater Domain’s defenses and garrison, earning three thousand merit points after Southern Heaven’s cultivators agreed his reconnaissance deserved a higher reward.
• Xu Chuan warned that someone was leaking information to the enemy, putting Wang Shentong under suspicion, while Violet Origin True Lord and Black Rock True Lord privately discussed targeting Xu Chuan later.
• Xu Chuan and the others led a surprise attack against the Blood Demon Grotto, where Xu Mingxian’s formation helped Southern Heaven’s Golden Core cultivators kill several opponents.
• Xu Chuan struck True Lord Bloodflame with Spiritual Consciousness Swords, and Moyue pierced him with the Demon-Slaying Spear, but Bloodflame escaped in a blood mist after detonating his physical body.
• Xu Chuan’s forces withdrew after reinforcements arrived, and Southern Heaven learned that Bloodflame could no longer participate in the Nascent Soul battles.
• Blackwater Domain cultivators convened to discuss Xu Chuan, with some doubting claims that a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator could fight at a Great Cultivator’s level.

Xu Chuan learned that the Blackwater Domain planned to attack the Northwest Frontline, then stayed behind to confront its forces while Southern Heaven struck elsewhere. He used his spiritual-consciousness secret art to hold the enemy at bay and force them to withdraw toward the Central Defense Line, leaving the battle’s outcome unresolved.

• Xu Dewen warned Xu Chuan that the Blackwater Domain planned a major offensive in five days, and Xu Chuan prepared to turn the attack against them.
• Xu Chuan persuaded Zhang Daoran, Sun Zhidao, Vast Sun True Lord, and Eastern Peak True Lord to move their forces toward other fronts while he remained alone at the Northwest Defense Zone.
• Fan Xue and ten other Nascent Soul cultivators arrived with nearly two hundred Golden Core cultivators, and Xu Chuan provoked suspicion among them before demonstrating his spiritual-consciousness secret art.
• Xu Chuan threatened the Golden Core cultivators and killed a Heavenly Baleful Sect disciple, stopping the Blackwater Domain cultivators from rushing to reinforce their other front.
• After learning that Southern Heaven had launched an assault elsewhere, Fan Xue agreed to redirect his forces toward the Central Defense Line, while Xu Chuan refused to recognize a binding agreement and remained on the river.

Xu Chuan and the Northwest cultivators reached Heavenly Passage City and prepared for the Battle of the Heavens, while Wang Shentong assigned Xu Chuan a scouting mission and the regions their defensive lines. Xu Mingxian demonstrated the power of his battle formations and helped the Northwest complete its riverbank defenses before the battle began.

• Zhang Daoran told Xu Chuan that the Mysterious Moon Sect expected him to lead the Northwest, then warned him that Central and Eastern Region cultivators had been replaced by possible enemies.
• At the first assembly, Wang Shentong divided the Heavenly Passage River defenses by region and appointed Xu Chuan to scout every Blackwater Domain defensive line within seven days for five hundred battle merits.
• Zhang Daoran organized the Northwest cultivators into garrison shifts and two assault squads, with Xu Deling, Xu Mingxian, Ye Fan, and Zhang Xuanzhi among the members of Assault Squad One.
• Xu Mingxian trapped three Golden Core cultivators in layered battle formations, convincing the squad to follow Xu Deling's proposal to fight under his formation support.
• Xu Mingxian helped Zhang Daoran's formation masters construct the Northwest defensive line, completing most of its high-grade restrictions before the battle began.

Xu Chuan infiltrated Blackwater Domain to gather intelligence after the surprise attack, while Xu Mingxian defeated Fan Qianqiu in a battle formation. Xu Chuan discovered that Southern Heaven leaders had arranged an ambush against him, evaded it, and returned to his camp.

• Blackwater Domain launched a surprise attack on Southern Heaven's unfinished defenses, and Xu Chuan, Zhang Daoran, and Sun Zhidao confronted the enemy Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Xu Mingxian trapped Fan Qianqiu in a battle formation and wore him down, but Fan Zhong broke into the formation and rescued him before Xu Mingxian could land a decisive blow.
• Xu Chuan crossed to the Southern Bank under concealment, surveyed Blackwater Domain's defenses, and met his grandson Xu Dewen, who shared details about the enemy's forces and commander, Fan Xue.
• At the Council Hall, Xu Chuan learned that Wang Shentong, Violet Origin True Lord, and Black Rock True Lord had coordinated with Fan Xue to ambush him during his reconnaissance mission.
• Xu Chuan spotted Fan Xue and six Nascent Soul cultivators waiting in the river, turned back unseen, and left Fan Xue and Fan Zhong to return without finding him.

Xu Chuan exposed Wang Shentong’s attempts to betray his reconnaissance and won support for a counterattack against the Blackwater Domain. He helped lead the assault on the Blood Demon Grotto, badly wounded True Lord Bloodflame, and returned as the Blackwater Domain gathered to discuss him.

• Wang Shentong repeatedly tipped off Fan Xue to Xu Chuan’s movements, but Xu Chuan evaded the planned ambushes and exposed Wang’s surveillance.
• Xu Chuan reported detailed intelligence about the Blackwater Domain’s defenses, secured three thousand battle merits, and helped organize attacks on the Blood Demon Grotto and Tyrant Blade Sect.
• Xu Chuan warned Southern Heaven’s cultivators that someone was leaking information, prompting the other factions to threaten consequences and leaving Wang Shentong under suspicion.
• Xu Chuan and his allies attacked the Blood Demon Grotto’s defensive line, where Xu Mingxian’s formation trapped enemy Golden Core cultivators and Xu Chuan’s team killed several.
• Xu Chuan, Moyue, and their allies broke True Lord Bloodflame’s defenses and destroyed his body, but Burning Blood escaped as blood mist; they then withdrew when enemy reinforcements arrived.
• The Blackwater Domain’s Nascent Soul cultivators convened after the attack and debated Xu Chuan’s strength and his role in the coming war.

Xu Chuan learned that the Blackwater Domain planned a major offensive against the Northwest Defense Zone, then stayed behind alone to confront its forces while Southern Heaven attacked elsewhere. He used his spiritual consciousness secret art to hold the Blackwater cultivators hostage and force them to redirect their assault to the Central Defense Line.

• Primordial Baleful True Lord and the other Blackwater leaders learned about Xu Chuan's power from Wang Shentong and planned to attack the Northwest Defense Zone in five days.
• Xu Dewen warned Xu Chuan about the offensive, and Xu Chuan planned to stay behind and use the Blackwater cultivators' Golden Core fighters as leverage while Southern Heaven's forces struck elsewhere.
• Zhang Daoran and Sun Zhidao agreed to support Xu Chuan's plan, and Vast Sun True Lord and Eastern Peak True Lord prepared to attack the Blackwater forces from another direction.
• Xu Chuan waited alone on the Heavenly Passage River as Fan Xue, Primordial Baleful True Lord, and nearly two hundred Golden Core cultivators arrived to kill him.
• Xu Chuan injured Golden Core cultivators with his spiritual consciousness secret art, killed a Heavenly Baleful True Disciple, and threatened to slaughter the rest unless the Blackwater leaders changed course.
• Fan Xue agreed to lead the Blackwater forces against the Central Defense Line, and Xu Chuan remained alone on the river after they withdrew.