Chapter Summaries

Ren Ye captured Ba Wu while the Court’s forces secured victory in Sunset Town, as Xu Ersan carried out Han Chan’s plan at Immortality Peak. Xu Ersan died after the Blood Pill and Soul Banner failed to awaken the stone embryos, and a Witch God Clan Big Shot allowed the resulting conflict to turn toward Great Qian.

• Ren Ye used his Powerful Local Retinue ability to capture Ba Wu, while Rat Lord ordered Lord Lin to interrogate the captured officers for Guan Feng’s hiding place.
• Xu Ersan sent ten Supernatural Ability Users to draw away the Imperial Court’s guards, then entered the deadly black mist surrounding Immortality Peak alone.
• Xu Ersan reached the abyss and cast in the Blood Pill and Soul Banner, hoping to awaken the beings within the stone embryos and weaken the Southern Border.
• The offerings vanished into the darkness without affecting the stone embryos, and Xu Ersan realized that Han Chan’s promised plan had been a lie before the black mist killed him.
• A Witch God Clan Big Shot observed Xu Ersan’s death and decided to let the turmoil blow toward Great Qian.

After suppressing the rebellion, Ren Ye and Rat Lord marched to reclaim Lingnan, where they found Dragon Head’s Greenwood Forces still in control and unwilling to leave. Lin Rao demanded their withdrawal, but Dragon Head and Yao Chi stalled him, leaving the takeover unresolved.

• Rat Lord learned that Guan Feng and Han Chan had escaped the Southern Border after his forces found their mountain temple abandoned.
• Ren Ye left Haizhou Prefecture with Rat Lord’s army after confirming Big Fat Dragon was badly wounded but safe, while Fenglin wagered that Dragon Head had plans beyond a tantrum for better terms.
• Rat Lord’s army entered Lingnan Prefecture and found the city bustling, with Greenwood bandits peacefully trading and mingling with residents.
• Dragon Head welcomed Rat Lord and Lin Rao at the Prefectural Yamen, where Rat Lord announced that Lin Rao would take temporary control of Lingnan’s three prefectures.
• Lin Rao ordered Dragon Head to withdraw her bandit troops within three days, but Dragon Head said they were resistant, and Yao Chi challenged Lin Rao when he pressed the demand.

Ren Ye and Dragon Head reached a private understanding after Ren Ye confirmed that Dragon Head was the woman Hundred-Flower Immortal, Ao Qingping. They agreed to cooperate and investigate the opened Dragon Lord Mausoleum, while an approaching political crisis loomed and a familiar visitor arrived at dinner.

• Ren Ye made Fenglin Qingliang Prefecture's second major shareholder and assigned him the indebted Ministry of Revenue to manage.
• Rat Lord mediated between Lin Rao and Dragon Head, and they agreed that the Green Camp would remain in the city while the Thousand-Mile Green Battalion helped reassure the populace.
• Ren Ye confronted Dragon Head in the garden, and she admitted she was Ao Qingping, the Hundred-Flower Immortal, and asked him to accompany her to the Dragon Lord Mausoleum.
• Ren Ye told Ao Qingping that someone had opened her father's coffin and left a grave robber's tunnel leading to a teleportation formation.
• Ao Qingping explained that the Eight Old Ministers had planned her alliance with Qingliang Prefecture and warned Ren Ye that major events were approaching; they agreed to advance and retreat together.
• At dinner, a familiar visitor entered and greeted Ren Ye as Prince Huai, prompting Ren Ye to react with dismay.

Ren Ye traveled to the Capital for an audience with Emperor Wanwu to negotiate Qingliang Prefecture’s role in a northern war. He agreed to provide supernatural ability users and, asked who should command the army, unexpectedly praised the Third Prince.

• The Third Prince rewarded the Greenwood heroes, then asked Ren Ye not to recommend him for military command in exchange for possible support and supplies.
• Fenglin advised Ren Ye to accept Emperor Wanwu’s demands to secure military action while insisting that conquered territory not be divided with others.
• Ren Ye, Ai Fei, and Fenglin traveled to the Capital with the Third Prince, while Dragon Head also made the journey alone.
• At Moon-Reflecting Lake, Emperor Wanwu asked Ren Ye to contribute troops; Ren Ye agreed to provide thirty fourth-grade supernatural ability users and as many third-grade users as possible.
• Emperor Wanwu asked Ren Ye which prince could shoulder command of the war, and Ren Ye declared the Third Prince a loyal and righteous great general.

Ao Qingping confronted Emperor Wanwu over her occupation of Lingnan and won approval to test her bandit army in Qingliang Prefecture. Later, Ren Ye met the Third Prince before court, where a palace maid invited him to speak with her mistress.

• Ren Ye advised Ao Qingping to negotiate with Emperor Wanwu and secure benefits for Qingliang Prefecture.
• Ao Qingping defended her refusal to withdraw the bandit army, blaming the Imperial Court’s failures and confronting Emperor Wanwu over her father’s desecrated tomb.
• Rat Lord pleaded for Ao Qingping’s life, and Emperor Wanwu ordered her to bring fifty thousand bandits into Qingliang Prefecture within three days as a test.
• Emperor Wanwu revealed he was investigating the Dragon Lord Mausoleum and reflected on his memories and regrets about the past.
• The Third Prince told Ren Ye that ten cartloads of firearms and siege weapons would reach Qingliang Prefecture, and Ren Ye reminded him to send songstresses as well.
• A palace maid approached Ren Ye in the waiting room and said her mistress wished to speak with him.

Ren Ye was summoned from the court antechamber to the Palace of Wonderful Music, where Princess Jun'an tested his patience and watched him impress her attendants with a cuju kick. After he tried to leave, Jun'an asked whether he had been inside her mother’s tomb, revealing the reason for her summons.

• The Third Prince told Ren Ye that Princess Jun'an wanted to see him, and Rong'er led him to the Palace of Wonderful Music.
• Ren Ye arrived as Princess Jun'an and her female officials were playing cuju, then kicked the ball through the high scoring ring with impressive precision.
• Princess Jun'an dismissed her attendants and scrutinized Ren Ye, questioning the rumors about his talent and mentioning his survival at Sunset Town.
• Ren Ye asked why Jun'an had summoned him and tried to leave for the court session, while Jun'an boasted of Emperor Wanwu’s favor and called him boring.
• As Ren Ye turned to go, Princess Jun'an asked whether he had been inside her mother Consort Jing’s tomb.

Ren Ye learned that the Empress had gone mad before her death, then watched Emperor Wanwu overcome the court's opposition and commit the Southern Border to war against Great Qian. The emperor ordered all three princes to join the campaign, and Ren Ye received a Star Gate notification activating Prince Huai’s final mission.

• Jun'an questioned Ren Ye about Consort Jing’s tomb, revealed that the Empress had become deranged before she died, and paid Ren Ye a million Star Source to investigate and take her to the tomb.
• Jun'an gave Ren Ye precious pills to deliver to the injured Second Prince.
• Emperor Wanwu announced plans to raise 250,000 troops and attack Shangyu County, but Yao Qingshan and the officials opposed the war.
• The Third Prince defended Emperor Wanwu and condemned the officials for their inaction after the Sunset Town massacre.
• Emperor Wanwu presented a blood-written petition from 80,000 people, and the officials abandoned their opposition and agreed to the campaign.
• Emperor Wanwu ordered all three princes to join the army, and Ren Ye received a Star Gate notification activating “Prince Huai’s Rise: Northward.”

Ren Ye learned that joining Emperor Wanwu’s northern expedition would put Qingliang Prefecture at risk, but he had to capture Shangyu County to expand his territory. He gathered support from Li Yan and traveled to Vermilion Bird City to ask Zhao Baicheng for help, leaving Zhao stunned by his announcement that he planned to attack Great Qian.

• Ren Ye decided to commit to the campaign against Shangyu County despite the danger of Qingliang Prefecture losing the Heavenly Dao’s protection.
• Ren Ye and the Third Prince traded threats after court, then agreed that the Third Prince would march through Qingliang Prefecture with him and provide twenty wagonloads of supplies.
• Ren Ye asked Li Yan for fighters, and Li Yan promised fifty people in exchange for the Fraud Merchants’ Association gaining business opportunities in conquered territory.
• Ren Ye returned to Qingliang Prefecture with Ai Fei, Fenglin, Xu Bangzi, Old Liu, and Er Leng, then immediately left through the gate.
• Ren Ye visited Zhao Baicheng in Vermilion Bird City and announced that he intended to attack Great Qian, prompting Zhao to spray out his wine.

Ren Ye secured Lin Xiang’s backing for the war against Great Qian, and the New Year's Watchers prepared to send him far more support than the fifty Fourth Grade Supernatural Ability Users Emperor Wanwu requested. After learning how Qingliang Prefecture’s wartime rules differed from those between equal-grade nations, Ren Ye began planning with Fenglin while black-clad Watchers arrived in the Southern Border.

• Ren Ye explained Emperor Wanwu’s strategic reasons for supporting Qingliang Prefecture, and Lin Xiang agreed to back his campaign.
• Ren Ye revealed that Li Yan had promised fifty Fourth Grade Supernatural Ability Users, so Lin Xiang ordered headquarters to do everything possible to support him within a day.
• Lin Xiang told the Ministry of War to send black-clad Watchers and help Ren Ye reclaim his path, while Zhao Baicheng and Lin Xiang discussed Ren Ye’s boldness.
• Ren Ye asked Fenglin whether Qingliang Prefecture’s Mist Barrier rules applied to Great Qian and the Southern Border; Fenglin explained that the rules were specific protections for Qingliang Prefecture.
• Ren Ye discussed war plans with Fenglin, while two black-clad Watchers met outside the Vanishing Ancient Village and set off for Qingliang Prefecture.

Ren Ye organized Qingliang Prefecture’s preparations for war and welcomed wave after wave of fourth-grade New Year's Watchers who had come to support him. Meanwhile, Han Chan went alone to meet his senior martial uncle and investigate why the Soul Banner and Blood Pill had caused no reaction in the Abyss.

• Ren Ye told Huang Wei to prepare a camp, lodgings, and other hospitality for arriving allies, while Fenglin asked him to mobilize ten thousand soldiers for logistics.
• Fourteen New Year's Watchers led by Ji Canghai arrived, and Ji described the exploits of Yin Qi of the Soul System and Fan Ming in the Star Gates.
• Old Liu described Qingliang Prefecture’s powerful allies to Ji Canghai and the other Watchers as more black-robed groups arrived, including teams led by Feng Zijiao and Fan Ming.
• Ren Ye and Huang Wei welcomed the growing crowd of fourth-grade Watchers, and Huang Wei tried to recruit Ji Canghai into his Original Share Subscription Plan.
• Han Chan reached the mountains outside Shangyu County and went alone to question his senior martial uncle about why the Soul Banner and Blood Pill had produced no unusual effects in the Abyss.

Han Chan discovered that the stone stele and Red Leaf Monk’s supposed retreat were part of a scheme, then learned that Emperor Wanwu’s 250,000 troops were about to invade Shangyu County. Meanwhile, Ren Ye’s northern expedition forces gathered in Qingliang Prefecture, where Dragon Head arrived with an 80,000-man army and Li Yan brought a message from Monk Peng.

• Han Chan searched for Red Leaf Monk’s stone stele but could not find it, and hunters insisted that no stele had ever stood there.
• Han Chan concluded that Red Leaf Monk had deceived him and destroyed the surrounding trees in a fury.
• A general told Han Chan that Emperor Wanwu’s 250,000 troops would enter Shangyu County by the following morning, and Han Chan ordered nearby armies to reinforce the county immediately.
• More than 150 Black-Clad New Year's Watchers gathered outside Qingliang Prefecture as Dragon Head arrived with 80,000 soldiers from the Thousand-Mile Green Battalion.
• Li Yan entered Qingliang with 50 Supernatural Ability Users and told Ren Ye that Monk Peng had a message for him.

Ren Ye questioned Monk Peng, who revealed that the Empress had accused Emperor Wanwu of killing her child before she died. Connecting this to Consort Jing’s secret method and the Second Prince’s illness, Ren Ye concluded that Big Fat Dragon died at twelve and that the person now known as the Third Prince was Emperor Wanwu.

• Ren Ye and Li Yan entered the Primordial Golden Dipper, where Li Yan had been tormenting Monk Peng with venomous snakes.
• Monk Peng offered Ren Ye information in exchange for rescue and revealed that the Empress had tried to kill Emperor Wanwu while accusing him of killing her child.
• Monk Peng said the Empress and her maids disappeared after the incident, leaving Ren Ye shaken by the revelation.
• Ren Ye connected the Empress’s accusation to Consort Jing’s imprisonment, the secret Three Origins Returning to One method, and the Second Prince’s illness.
• Ren Ye concluded that Emperor Wanwu may have used Big Fat Dragon as a Dao body after the boy died at twelve, and wondered whether the current Big Fat Dragon was Emperor Wanwu himself.

Ren Ye suspected Big Fat Dragon was Emperor Wanwu and planned to exploit their alliance while seeking a way to break Monk Peng’s curse and learn his secrets. In Shangyu County, Han Chan and Guo Feng set aside their conflict long enough to plan a defense against the approaching Southern Border armies.

• Ren Ye concluded that Big Fat Dragon was likely Emperor Wanwu, decided to keep the discovery secret, and postponed another identity-confirmation attempt until he could resolve his remaining doubts.
• Ren Ye and Li Yan discussed how Monk Peng might connect the Southern Border court rebels with Han Chan and Guan Feng, then decided to ask the Eight Old Ministers for help breaking his curse.
• Guo Feng condemned Han Chan, Guan Feng, and the Yulin Faction for provoking the Southern Border and stealing the Destiny-Sealing Stone Slab, but an elder halted the argument so they could address the invasion.
• Han Chan explained that the Southern Border’s two princes and Little Prince Huai’s forces would approach Shangyu along separate routes, while Great Qian’s reinforcements would take at least two days to arrive.
• Han Chan knelt before Guo Feng and promised to face punishment after the crisis if Guo Feng helped defend Shangyu.
• Guo Feng proposed leaving sixty thousand troops to hold Juma Pass, using the Heaven-Suppressing Pass garrison to delay the First Prince, and sending the remaining forces to defend Shangyu and ambush Little Prince Huai’s army.

Guan Feng faced isolation and betrayal in Shangyu County before choosing to join Han Chan’s ambush force, as armies from Great Qian and the Southern Border began their marches. By evening, Little Prince Huai’s eighty-thousand-strong army reached Shangyu County, where Guo Feng and Han Chan prepared to defend the city.

• Guan Feng rejected his followers’ departure with resentment and gave Old You their promised money, then drank alone in the hall and raised a cup to Uncle Xu.
• Guan Feng appeared on Shangyu County’s wall wearing a mourning band and told Han Chan he would join the twenty thousand ambush troops.
• Ren Ye used the Human Emperor Seal to disperse the Mist Barrier, and Dragon Head led Great Qian’s eighty thousand troops north through Dangshan Pass.
• Big Fat Dragon ordered the Southern Border army to march toward Juma Pass while vowing to advance with it.
• A courier reported that Prince Ren’s forces had attacked at Juma Pass, and Guo Feng and Han Chan prepared Shangyu County for Little Prince Huai’s approaching army.
• Little Prince Huai’s army halted ten li from Shangyu County, and Guo Feng exchanged taunts with the giant who challenged Han Chan and Guan Feng.

Ren Ye’s forces began their assault on South Gate Pass, using siege weapons and Fourth-Grade fighters to pressure the city’s defense formation. As Li Yan fought Fushan outside the barrier, the Dragon Head sent the bandit army charging, while Guo Feng waited for them to draw closer.

• Guo Feng taunted the approaching army, and Old Liu answered with threats and a display of his strength to weaken the defenders’ morale.
• The Green Camp army deployed its siege Dharma Treasures and engines, then Yao Chi ordered several thousand Supernatural Ability Users to bombard South Gate Pass.
• Li Yan led fifty Fourth-Grade fighters against the city defense formation, prompting Guan Feng to summon Fushan and the Yulin Faction experts.
• Fushan trapped Li Yan with his Fly-Whisk, but Li Yan burned his Crimson Blood to escape and counterattacked with his martial and Daoist techniques.
• Ren Ye told the Dragon Head that the army could advance, and she ordered the bandits to storm the pass as Guo Feng waited for them to come closer.

Ren Ye and the bandit army attacked Shangyu County, where Guo Feng relied on its Fifth Grade defensive Grand Formation to hold off their assault. Ren Ye’s nearly two hundred Fourth Grade allies shattered the formation, leaving the First Prince to realize that Little Prince Huai and Dragon Head had taken Shangyu without his army.

• The First Prince’s army captured Heaven-Suppressing Pass, massacred its defenders, and then marched toward Shangyu after learning that Great Qian had sent reinforcements to Juma Pass.
• Guo Feng activated Shangyu’s defensive Grand Formation, whose Li fire destroyed siege engines and forced the attackers back while Ren Ye’s ambush troops engaged the bandits.
• Dragon Head sent the Eight Transmitters against the ambush troops, while Guan Feng charged into battle and challenged Ren Ye.
• Nearly two hundred Fourth Grade Supernatural Ability Users revealed themselves, and Ren Ye led them against Shangyu’s formation core as Dragon Head joined the assault.
• The attackers overwhelmed the white-robed phantom defending the formation, and Ren Ye’s Human Emperor Seal shattered the Grand Formation.
• The First Prince saw clear light rise above Shangyu and concluded that Ren Ye and Dragon Head had broken the city’s defenses on their own.

Ren Ye’s forces captured Shangyu County after breaking its defenses, and Fushan dispersed his Dao and died while resisting them. Ren Ye executed defending general Guo Feng, then set out to deal with Young Master Guanfeng, who was trapped on a mountain.

• Ren Ye promised civilians and disarmed soldiers safety, while Han Chan escaped with Yulin Faction elders and Guo Feng rallied troops to defend the city.
• The Northern Expedition army charged into Shangyu County, and Ren Ye’s group fought Fushan and his four disciples, killing them one by one.
• Fushan dispersed his Dao, sent his legacy into the heavens, and died in meditation; Han Chan escaped, but the army captured Guo Feng.
• Guo Feng refused to flee and cursed Ren Ye, who beheaded him for insulting his father.
• Yao Chi reported that Young Master Guanfeng was trapped on a mountain, and Ren Ye went to deal with him himself.

Guan Feng charged the Greenwood army alone and died by his own spear after the Transmitters defeated him. As Qingliang’s forces took Shangyu County, Ren Ye revealed the Dragon Cauldron to help Fenglin seize the region’s destiny faster, while a man emerged from the old Archives unable to find what he sought.

• Guan Feng rejected the Transmitters’ demand to surrender and charged them in the name of the White Python Clan.
• Ren Ye left the battlefield, and the four Transmitters broke Guan Feng’s legs and wounded him before he killed himself on the Heavenly Lord Spear.
• Ai Fei tried to gather Guan Feng’s soul, but the Heavenly Lord Spear could not be moved; she then began refining his soul and performing Soul Control.
• Fenglin told Ren Ye that seizing Shangyu’s destiny would take at least three days, so Ren Ye revealed the Dragon Cauldron as another supreme treasure capable of gathering destiny.
• Fenglin began preparing a formation at Shangyu County’s northwestern convergence point, while a disheveled man walked out of Qingliang Prefecture’s old Archives, muttering that he could not find what he sought.

Ren Ye seized the Shangyu Nine Lands’ Destiny with the Human Emperor Seal, then coordinated with the First Prince to divide their forces between Heaven-Suppressing Pass and Juma Pass. After setting the Dragon Cauldron to gather Destiny and returning to Qingliang Prefecture with wounded soldiers, Ren Ye was interrupted on his way to meet the Third Prince by news that the Archives were on fire.

• Daoist Fenglin laid formations in Shangyu County, and Ren Ye made a vow before the people as the Human Emperor Seal began gathering the region’s Destiny.
• Wu Pangzi intimidated dissenters into welcoming Ren Ye, and the Star Gate confirmed that Ren Ye had temporarily conquered the Shangyu Nine Lands.
• The First Prince proposed sending troops to reinforce Juma Pass while Ren Ye went to Heaven-Suppressing Pass to accelerate the seizure of Destiny; Ren Ye privately told the Dragon Head to prioritize the Second Prince’s orders.
• Ren Ye and his companions set a Grand Formation around the Dragon Cauldron at Heaven-Suppressing Pass, then returned to Qingliang Prefecture with several thousand wounded soldiers.
• As Ren Ye prepared to visit the Third Prince, someone shouted that the Archives were on fire.

Ren Ye investigated Yang Sanlang’s attempt to burn the Archives and found that the keeper had spent his final days searching through records of Old Prince Huai’s meetings. After leaving to meet the Third Prince, Ren Ye suddenly realized what Yang Sanlang had been looking for.

• Ren Ye arrived at the Archives after learning that Yang Sanlang had set a fire and died in it.
• The clerks told Ren Ye that Yang Sanlang had recently acted strangely, muttering that he could not find something while searching the Archives.
• Ren Ye examined the charred body and learned that Yang Sanlang had consulted the Military Council Annals and the Comprehensive Record of Government Affairs.
• Ren Ye spent nearly two hours reading both records but found no obvious reason for Yang Sanlang’s search.
• After the Third Prince sent an attendant asking when Ren Ye would return, Ren Ye sealed the Archives and rode toward the Prince’s Mansion.
• On the road outside Prefecture City, Ren Ye suddenly realized what Yang Sanlang had been unable to find.