Chapter Summaries

Senior ministers confronted the Old Man at Company headquarters over his unauthorized troop deployment to recover Little White Tiger. After they argued about the risks of war, the Old Man showed them evidence of the Alliance’s fleet near Sunshine Beach and insisted that backing down would invite further attacks.

• Minister Yang, Minister Bai, Minister Ding, Minister Tian, and Minister Fang arrived at Company headquarters, where the Old Man’s guards initially refused to let them see him.
• The Security Department’s Action Team subdued Fang Mu and Shu Dong, but the Old Man’s guards drove the intruders back before the Old Man allowed the ministers upstairs.
• Yang Huaimin and Minister Bai challenged the Old Man’s decision to send troops without authorization, warning that a defeat could expose the Dragon Kingdom to its enemies.
• The Old Man argued that his soldiers could not die without retribution and accused Yang Huaimin of tolerating covert forces that had targeted the Ma Family.
• The Old Man showed the ministers photographs of Pudis’s men facing Old Ninth and the others, revealing that the Alliance’s Ninth Fleet was standing by near Sunshine Beach.
• The Old Man warned that failing to defend Little White Tiger would encourage the Alliance to keep testing the Dragon Kingdom’s limits.

The Dragon Kingdom’s Six War Zones united behind the Old Man’s decision to confront the Alliance, while fighter aircraft arrived at Sunshine Beach to rescue Old Ninth and his men. The chapter ended with Dragon Kingdom aircraft surrounding the Alliance fleet and daring it to fire first.

• The Old Man stood by his decision to fight the Alliance, and commanders from all Six War Zones declared their support.
• Yang Huaimin backed the battle and ordered Zhou Zheng to join the fighting, warning him not to return if he lost.
• At Sunshine Beach, Pudis tried to make Little White Tiger surrender, but Xiao Yuan and the others refused to abandon their resistance.
• Dragon Kingdom fighter aircraft struck Pudis’s forces, and Guan Lei told Little White Tiger that the Old Man had sent them to bring the Dragon Kingdom’s people home.
• The Dragon Kingdom’s Fire Eagle Squadron confronted the Alliance fleet, while Guan Lei and Squadron Leader Feng Hu warned its captain not to fire.

Pudis’s forces surrounded Little White Tiger and his wounded fighters while the Dragon Kingdom’s aircraft and the Alliance fleet remained locked in a standoff. Three Ji Family Airline planes made emergency landings on Sunshine Beach, bringing Chun Prefecture’s Lei Zis as reinforcements and leaving Pudis facing a new threat.

• Pudis urged Jack to send Alliance troops ashore, but Jack refused because he lacked authorization to start a war.
• Pudis’s remaining fighters surrounded Little White Tiger’s group as Xiao Yuan and Hi Dog discussed their dwindling strength.
• Three Ji Family Airline planes appeared and prepared to make emergency landings, while veterans Du Fei and Li Bei saluted the Lei Zis aboard.
• Jack ordered the fleet to target the planes, but Dragon Kingdom fighter aircraft shielded them and prevented the ships from firing.
• The planes crashed onto Sunshine Beach, and Chun Prefecture’s Lei Zis emerged from the wreckage ready to fight, frightening Pudis’s forces.

Black Mountain Town and the Pao Ge Society joined the Lei Zis, turning the battle against Pudis’s forces and leaving Pudis disarmed and captured. When Alliance warships threatened them with cannon fire, Guan Lei answered with a warning shot from the Dragon Kingdom’s Fighter Aircraft.

• Black Mountain Town and the Pao Ge Society arrived to reinforce Old Ninth and Thirteen, and their fighters charged the Alliance soldiers.
• Wan’er froze Pudis’s ability with her arrows while Little Cat cut off his hands and beat him as the Lei Zis routed the enemy.
• Old Ninth stopped Little Cat from killing Pudis, and the group discovered that Ji Min had survived by using the undying insect to recover from his Soul-Sealing Technique.
• Pudis taunted the Lei Zis with the Alliance’s threat, so Little Cat severed his thigh despite the others’ restraint.
• Alliance warships aimed their guns at the group and ordered them to release Pudis, but Guan Lei fired a warning shot from the Dragon Kingdom’s Fighter Aircraft and threatened another accidental discharge.

Dragon Kingdom leaders refused the Alliance’s demand to withdraw from Sunshine Beach, and the Alliance chose to attack. Jack ordered his fleet into battle as Guan Lei and Feng Hu led the Dragon Kingdom’s aircraft against a vastly larger enemy force.

• Old Guan and the Dragon Kingdom’s commanders rejected the Alliance ambassador Sera’s demand to withdraw, insisting that Little White Tiger’s people would face Dragon Kingdom law.
• Angered by the refusal, Sera persuaded Smith to authorize an attack on the Dragon Kingdom’s fighters at Sunshine Beach.
• Jack received the order to go to war and put the Alliance fleet on battle stations.
• Guan Lei ordered his aircraft to descend toward the sea as Feng Hu took two flights to intercept the approaching enemy fighters.
• Feng Hu rallied his pilots to face the larger enemy formation, while the Alliance fleet fired Nuclear Cannons at Guan Lei.

Overlord unleashed his fury on the Alliance fleet after it threatened Guan Lei and bullied his son, destroying warships and killing Pudis. Back in Fei Island, Old Man and the others discussed Overlord’s strength and concluded that even the Alliance’s nine-awakening fighter would pay dearly to challenge him.

• Guan Lei dodged a Nuclear Cannon as Overlord arrived and lifted the Alliance flagship, capsizing it and killing sailors with a towering wave.
• Overlord roared apart two Nuclear Cannon beams and tore through the Alliance fleet while Instructor arrived to support Guan Lei.
• Overlord smashed another warship with his body, then reached shore and killed Pudis with a punch.
• Overlord threatened to kill Pudis’s family and continue his attack until at least a million Alliance members were dead.
• At Fei Island, Minister Bai worried that the Alliance’s nine-awakening fighter might kill Overlord, but Old Man and the Second War Zone commander said Overlord could injure even White Garment and was the strongest below nine awakenings.

After the Alliance failed to reach the Pope, Smith authorized the God-Slaying Cannon as the last option against Overlord, and Sera tried to flee the Dragon Kingdom. Tian Bo refused to help her, and the Dragon Kingdom’s factions gathered to execute her before heading to Fei Island.

• Smith told Sera that the Pope was unreachable and that sending the five-star generals would cost the Alliance at least half of them, so he applied to use the God-Slaying Cannon prepared for White Garment.
• Sera left the embassy and called Tian Bo for a plane, but he rejected her request and declared that he would kill her for treason.
• Sera’s car crashed into a utility pole, and Meng Kan arrived with the White Garment Guard to arrest her for execution by the Marshal’s order.
• Yun Fei arrived with leaders from the Dragon Kingdom’s major factions and told Sera that Tian Bo had sent him to see her off.
• Wang Shengnan and the Ji Family’s young master brought their people to stand with the Dragon Kingdom, and Yun Fei told Sera they would kill her before flying to Fei Island.

As the Alliance prepared to fire its God-Slaying Cannon at Sunshine Beach, Old Man told the stranded fighters that the Dragon Kingdom could not stop it. Overlord refused to abandon the younger ones and raised a barrier to take the blast for them.

• After the Alliance pilots withdrew, Instructor and Guan Lei returned to Sunshine Beach and learned that the fleet had sunk, leaving no way to get home.
• Old Man warned the group that the Alliance’s God-Slaying Cannon could severely wound a nine-awakening fighter with one shot and could not be stopped or escaped.
• Overlord angrily demanded that Old Man send aircraft to rescue his sons, while Old Man apologized and admitted the Dragon Kingdom could do nothing.
• Guan Lei declared his loyalty to the Dragon Kingdom and accepted that he might die in battle, while Little White Tiger, Old Ninth, Xiao Yuan, and the others urged Overlord to leave.
• As the cannon began charging above Sunshine Beach, the younger fighters knelt and begged Overlord to go home, but he turned back and formed a barrier over them.

The Progressive Party secretly ordered Smith to fire the God-Slaying Cannon without the Alliance leader’s official authorization. At Sunshine Beach, Overlord and his companions gathered to face the approaching strike, leaving their fate unresolved as the cannon’s pressure swept over them.

• At the Alliance Congress, Kadir urged the supreme leader to authorize the God-Slaying Cannon, while the Conservative Party blamed the Progressive Party for starting the conflict.
• Kadir’s ally secretly contacted Smith, who agreed to fire after being threatened and promised that the Progressive Party would protect his family.
• At Sunshine Beach, Guan Lei explained that the God-Slaying Cannon could not be dodged or endured, and the group shared jokes and farewells as its light grew brighter.
• The cannon’s pressure crushed nearby buildings, and Overlord and his companions formed a circle, held one another’s hands, and faced the sky.

Sword Crane destroyed the God-Slaying Cannon and the Alliance’s space station, stopping its attack on Blue Star. As the Alliance debated retaliating, the Dragon Kingdom mobilized its forces and civilians, and a fearsome figure entered Congress demanding that its members kneel.

• Sword Crane arrived in space and cut apart the God-Slaying Cannon before it could fire, then split the control station apart with a saber slash.
• Smith warned his wife to flee the Alliance before the damaged control center lost gravity and oxygen and broke into space debris.
• Kadir urged the Alliance to activate its remaining God-Slaying Cannons, while the Conservative Party leader opposed risking another attack.
• The Alliance leader reviewed reports of the Dragon Kingdom’s military deployments and mass civilian mobilization, including the armed people of Chun Prefecture.
• An unidentified man in snow-white robes burst into Congress, with hundreds of Awakened lying behind him, and ordered the assembly to kneel.

The Emperor of Kou Island tried to stop Chun Prefecture from sending troops, but Commander Guan demanded access to Kou Island’s ports and threatened to wipe it out. Meanwhile, White Garment entered Alliance Congress, crushed Kadir, and rejected the Alliance leader’s offer to call off the war, demanding surrender instead.

• The Emperor learned Chun Prefecture was deploying troops to support the Fourth War Zone and urgently tried to contact Dragon Kingdom’s leadership.
• Commander Guan demanded that Kou Island open its ports to Dragon Kingdom warships and pay ten billion in protection money, then ordered the Fourth War Zone to advance when the Emperor objected.
• The Alliance placed its forces on emergency readiness as White Garment entered Congress and confronted the Alliance leader.
• Kadir threatened White Garment with the gathered Awakenings, but White Garment shattered his bones with a single strike and forced him to his knees.
• The Alliance leader offered to call off the war, but White Garment said the Dragon Kingdom would accept only surrender, prompting both parties to protest.

White Garment forced the Alliance Congress to vote on surrender, but the Pope and the Blood Marquis arrived and confronted him. As the battle began, Sword Crane appeared to avenge her husband and claimed the Blood Marquis as her opponent.

• White Garment executed Kadir and threatened to kill Congress unless its members voted to surrender, while the leader and several Progressive Party members refused.
• The Conservative Party chairman and most congressmen voted to surrender, but the leader still rejected the demand and the Pope arrived with the Alliance's Five-Star Generals.
• The Blood Marquis joined the Pope, and their forces surrounded White Garment after the Capitol Building was destroyed in their clash.
• White Garment warned that someone connected to the group had a powerful backer, and Sword Crane appeared after the God-Slaying Cannon had targeted Little White Tiger.
• Sword Crane greeted White Garment as Little Explosion's benefactor, said she had come to avenge her husband, and chose the Blood Marquis as her opponent.

White Garment and the Pope reached an agreement to avert war between the Dragon Kingdom and the Alliance, with the Godforsaken Land to be lent to the Dragon Kingdom for ten years. After White Garment left, Old Man Guan ordered a strike against Kou Island in response to its unrest.

• The Pope used the God-Piercing Eye on Sword Crane but could see only a hazy shadow, then admitted the Alliance could not win and conceded the battle.
• White Garment and the Pope agreed to a ten-year loan of the Godforsaken Land and an end to the dispute, while warning that neither side was ready for all-out war.
• White Garment killed half the Progressive Party members and half the Conservative Party members gathered in the ruins with a single phantom palm strike.
• The Pope told his men he had not tried to kill White Garment because White Garment had touched the threshold of a realm beyond Nine Awakenings.
• White Garment told Old Man Guan the agreement was done, and the gathered officials prepared to negotiate its terms.
• Old Man Guan ordered fiends from Overlord Stronghold to go to Kou Island and teach its Emperor a lesson.

The Emperor and Johnson plotted to exploit future unrest in the Dragon Kingdom, but Hu Du, Er Pang, and Black Raccoon arrived in Kou Island to provoke the Emperor under the pretense of protecting him. The Emperor tried to avoid giving the Dragon Kingdom a reason for war, but the visitors ransacked his palace and destroyed the Shinto Shrine.

• The Emperor told Johnson that the Dragon-Slaying Plan was on hold after the Dragon Kingdom discovered Kou Island’s Ambush Force on the Southwest Peninsula.
• The Emperor argued that Kou Island should wait for turmoil in Chun Prefecture, and Johnson promised him fertile land if they carved up the Dragon Kingdom.
• Hu Du, Er Pang, and Black Raccoon forced their way into the Emperor’s palace, mocked Kou Island, and claimed they had come to protect the Emperor.
• The Emperor ordered his guards not to fight the visitors, fearing that the Dragon Kingdom would use a clash as an excuse to seize Kou Island.
• The visitors dismantled and carried off the Emperor’s bed, then Er Pang demanded access to the National Treasury under the guise of protecting Kou Island’s property.
• The visitors blew up the Shinto Shrine, and Er Pang claimed they had only borrowed its wooden tablets for firewood.

Sikong Jian crushed the Monkey Gathering Site’s secret military buildup, seized its leader’s sons, and forced him to pay for the expedition before withdrawing. Afterward, Mr. Li told the Emperor that the Southwest King had destroyed the troops meant for the Dragon-Slaying Plan, and the Emperor ordered him to rebuild the force in secrecy.

• Sikong Jian confronted the Monkey Gathering Site’s leaders over their troop buildup and made Mr. Li eat a bone to humiliate him.
• The Old Man told Sikong Jian that Xiao Yuan and his sister were safe and ordered him to withdraw, while Sikong Jian agreed to make the monkeys cover his expenses.
• Sikong Jian called the mission poverty relief, then had his men kill the more than ten thousand soldiers Mr. Li had secretly trained and take Mr. Li’s sons as hostages.
• Sikong Jian warned Mr. Li not to threaten the Dragon Kingdom, demanded reimbursement, and left the Monkey Gathering Site.
• Mr. Li told the Emperor that Sikong Jian had destroyed the Dragon-Slaying Plan’s troops, and the Emperor ordered him to rebuild the force while remaining concealed.
• Mr. Li dismissed his wife’s grief over their children and hurried to check on his antiques.

Sword Crane reunited with Earthworm and took him away after he agreed to leave with her in exchange for sparing Little White Tiger and Old Ninth. Before departing, she warned the group that the Blood Marquis was suppressing a dangerous power and that someone was plotting against the Dragon Kingdom.

• Sword Crane visited the cabin and confronted Earthworm, who had mistaken her for someone else, before making him promise to go with her and have children.
• Sword Crane announced she was taking Earthworm away, and he said he was leaving to protect his brothers from her pursuit of their Demon Ancestor's Blood.
• Little White Tiger and the others said goodbye to Earthworm, accepting that leaving was a good opportunity for him.
• Sword Crane warned Little White Tiger that the Blood Marquis was suppressing a power that even she feared, and that a major plan targeted the Dragon Kingdom.
• Sword Crane and Earthworm departed together after he bid farewell to his brothers.

After the Alliance conceded defeat, the Old Man planned to use the Dragon Kingdom’s victory to push Western influence out of the Asia Region. On Kou Island, Jorger and Gulis told the Emperor that the West would withdraw its support while Jorger plotted to exploit tensions within the Dragon Kingdom.

• The Old Man celebrated the Alliance’s public admission of defeat and told his commanders to demand sweeping concessions in negotiations.
• Commander Sun praised the Lei Zis for fighting the surrounding alien races, while the senior officials discussed their actions on Kou Island and the monkeys.
• After learning that Jorger and Gulis had arrived, the Old Man ordered Hu Du to put on a big show for the envoys.
• At the imperial palace, Gulis told the Emperor that Congress had decided to cut off support for the smaller peoples of the Asia Region, and the Emperor shattered his teacup.
• Jorger told the Emperor that the Guan Family’s growing dominance could divide the Dragon Kingdom, and proposed using negotiations to fuel resentment among its factions.

Federation and Alliance envoys arrived on Fei Island to negotiate with Guotai Min'an, but the meeting began with sharp exchanges and a violent confrontation. Old Ninth joined the talks as the old man's enforcer, warning the visiting representatives to cooperate.

• The Federation and Alliance envoys arrived at the headquarters with the Emperor of Kou Island and representatives of other Asia Region peoples, whom Yang Huaimin and Minister Bai accused of trying to pressure the Dragon Kingdom.
• Yang Huaimin and Minister Bai challenged Gulis and rebuked the Korean Peninsula representative, while Jorger urged them to show courtesy.
• When the Korean envoy refused to give up his seat and threatened the Dragon Kingdom, Old Ninth struck him with an ashtray and destroyed his chair.
• The old man stopped Old Ninth from escalating further, then kept him in the room as the negotiations' tea server and mouthpiece.
• Old Ninth's Lei Zi served tea and waited by the door as he threatened the envoys with consequences if the talks went badly.

Dragon Kingdom officials rejected the Alliance’s demand for an apology and used military and economic pressure to silence the Korean representative. The Emperor proposed an Asia Alliance led by the Dragon Kingdom, and Old Ninth suspected the proposal concealed a trap.

• Jorger presented the Alliance’s settlement terms, including a Dragon Kingdom apology and a claim that the Inverted Cross had sunk the Ninth Fleet.
• Old Ninth and the Old Man refused to accept the Alliance’s face-saving account, while the Korean representative backed the Alliance and threatened the Dragon Kingdom.
• The Old Man, Minister Bai, Minister Ding, and Old Ninth warned the Korean representative that the Dragon Kingdom could attack the Korean gathering zone and restrict its supplies.
• The Old Man said the Dragon Kingdom would conduct long-term exercises in the Asia Region and designate its airspace a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft.
• The Emperor proposed an Asia Alliance led by the Dragon Kingdom, and other representatives quickly agreed.
• Old Ninth sensed that Gulis and Jorger welcomed the proposal for reasons that might conceal a trap.

The Emperor and other alien representatives tried to make the Dragon Kingdom provide supplies by threatening to send refugees across its borders, but Old Ninth rejected their demands and threatened to expose and seize their treasuries. The representatives backed down, while Old Ninth left the Emperor awaiting an apology.

• The Emperor offered the Dragon Kingdom leadership of the region in exchange for supplies, donations, and loans, while the alien representatives threatened to send starving refugees across its borders.
• Old Ninth dismissed their threats and said he would kill refugees who crossed over, while Old Man warned that the Dragon Kingdom could instead arm them to overthrow their rulers.
• Old Man and Old Ninth challenged the Emperor's claims that Kou Island had no money, and Old Ninth called Hu Du to break into its National Treasury.
• Hu Du told Old Ninth that his men had already found the Emperor's hidden private stash, and Old Man denied responsibility for Old Ninth's actions.
• Old Ninth threatened to have Lei Zi break into every representative's treasury, prompting the representatives to withdraw their requests for aid.