Chapter Summaries

After deposing the emperor, Jia Huan consolidated control of the Divine Capital, punished his enemies, and strengthened his allies. News of his coup reached the frontier armies and provinces, leaving Great Qian waiting to see whether the realm would accept his rule or descend into war.

• Jia Huan tortured and killed the Empress and the captured nobles, then ordered his followers to secure the Forbidden City, detain senior Capital Camp officers, and investigate Emperor Liezong’s death.
• Jia Huan arranged for An Xuan'er to absorb Jiang Huji’s cultivation, sent Crane Daoist to cultivate beneath the Ancestral Hall, and left Jia Baoyu and Madam Wang alive in disgrace.
• An Xuan'er absorbed Jiang Huji’s power and reached the peak of Profound Insight Realm before Jia Huan surveyed the Forbidden City.
• At Tong Pass, Qi Shanguo and his generals learned that Jia Huan had routed the Capital Camp, seized the city gates, and deposed the emperor, and they resolved to keep the Six Frontiers Garrisons from causing disorder.
• The Six Frontiers commanders argued over whether to march to the former emperor’s rescue, while the Jiangnan forces halted and the Southern Borderlands received news of the coup.
• Dispatches spread across Great Qian, alarming officials, scholars, and soldiers as the provinces awaited the Central Court’s next decision.

Jia Huan presented evidence that Emperor Jingde had helped murder Emperor Liezong, then forced the court to depose him and seal the decision. He rejected the First Prince’s succession, installed Jingde’s infant son as the proposed emperor, and announced a new era and a campaign against Northern Mang, leaving the ministers to confront his growing power.

• Jia Huan received evidence that the Former Emperor had arranged for Emperor Liezong’s treatment to be delayed, leading to his death.
• Jia Huan accused Emperor Jingde of patricide and fratricide, and the ministers signed and sealed the edict deposing him.
• Jia Huan rejected the First Prince and proposed that Emperor Jingde’s two-year-old son ascend the throne, declaring that he would safeguard the state as regent.
• Jia Huan called for the court to prepare for war against Northern Mang, while Yang Taiyue and the other ministers recognized his ambition but could not refuse his plans.
• Jia Huan declared the new reign era Shenqi as Emperor Jingde fainted in the corner of the hall.

Jia Huan forced the court to install the young prince Jue as emperor, then secured his own appointment as Regent King and commander of the realm’s armies. As he prepared to attack Northern Mang, he ordered Emperor Jingde’s death and promised his followers greater honors.

• Jia Huan confronted the First Prince and Third Prince until both renounced their claims to the throne.
• Jia Huan obtained the court’s approval to enthrone Jue, and the officials and Empress Dowager Chen recognized the child as emperor.
• Jia Huan secured approval for an expedition against Northern Mang and accepted appointment as Regent King with command of all troops.
• Empress Dowager Chen pledged loyalty to Jia Huan, agreed that Jue would take the Chen surname, and asked him to help remove her scars.
• Jia Huan confined Emperor Jingde in the Ancestral Hall and ordered Ouyang Jin, Scholar, and Twin Whips to have the Skin-Painting Master create a double and kill him.
• Jia Huan promised Ouyang Jin, Scholar, and Twin Whips titles and rewards, then urged them to prepare for the War for National Destiny.

After Jia Huan became Regent King and received command of the armies, he prepared to unite the Jianghu and wage war against Northern Mang. At the new emperor’s enthronement, Jia Huan accepted the Nine Bestowments, his mother received a Super First-Rank Phoenix Crown, and Madam Wang and Jia Baoyu watched in bitterness.

• Qin Ye told Jia Zheng that Jia Huan had been made Regent King, granted the Nine Bestowments, and charged with leading the realm against Northern Mang; Jia Zheng warned the family to remain cautious.
• Jia Huan restored Jia Zheng to his former office, while Wang Xifeng declined the promised super-first-rank honor so Jia Huan’s mother could receive it.
• Jia Huan ordered An Xuan’er to summon Jianghu leaders to the Divine Capital and establish her as Martial World alliance leader, collecting medicinal ingredients for his elite troops.
• At Tong Pass, Qi Shanguo received Jia Huan’s appointments for him and his generals and vowed to destroy Northern Mang, while the frontier commanders were compelled by imperial edicts to enter the capital.
• At the enthronement ceremony, Jia Huan accepted the regency, the Nine Bestowments, and command of all armies, and Empress Dowager Chen invested his mother as a Super First-Rank Imperially Invested Lady.
• Concubine Zhao wore the Phoenix Crown in triumph as Madam Wang and Jia Baoyu watched from the crowd, and Jia Baoyu vowed that a miracle would strip Jia Huan and his mother of everything.

Northern Mang’s emperor and the seven Golden Families prepared for a War for National Destiny against Great Qian, relying on a hidden divine weapon to counter Jia Huan. The chapter ended with the empire ordering mass slaughter to feed the Asura Sword and mobilizing allies and warriors for the invasion.

• Northern Mang’s leaders debated Jia Huan’s threat, and the emperor revealed that the Royal Family had a way to sanction him.
• The emperor led the ministers and seven Golden Family patriarchs to a hidden blood lake, where they met the Royal Family’s Sword Nurturer.
• The Sword Nurturer revealed the Asura Sword and vowed to use it to kill Jia Huan when he reached the grasslands.
• The emperor ordered the seven families to gather hundreds of thousands of corpses from the Western Regions to fill the blood lake, while sparing Great Qian’s people for the coming invasion.
• The emperor directed the Jurchen, Goryeo, and other allies to join the war and ordered all nine Northern Mang Martial Venerables to help destroy Great Qian’s elite forces.

Wanyan Jilie and the King of Goryeo agreed to ally with Northern Mang and exploit the war against Great Qian. In the Divine Capital, Jia Huan made An Xuan'er the Martial World Alliance Leader and organized Jianghu forces and supplies for the northern expedition.

• Wanyan Jilie persuaded the Jurchen tribal leaders to join Northern Mang, citing its supposed divine sword and revealing the Jurchens’ hidden force of nearly fifteen thousand Body Refiners.
• The King of Goryeo told his ministers he would ally with Northern Mang and invade Liaodong once victory seemed certain, while remaining ready to deny involvement if the alliance faltered.
• Jia Huan arrived at the martial gathering with An Xuan'er, greeted the Hunchbacked Old Man, and announced that the Jianghu would have a single alliance leader.
• The assembled sects and regional powers nominated An Xuan'er, who was acclaimed as Martial World Alliance Leader and appointed Misty Rain Daoist Nun as her deputy.
• An Xuan'er called for volunteers for the northern expedition, while martial powers contributed nearly eighty chests of medicinal herbs for Jia Huan’s forces.
• Jia Huan promised to repay the herbs after the expedition and offered martial teachings and personal instruction as rewards for meritorious service.

Jia Huan reassured Empress Dowager Chen by giving her ointment that began healing her scars, then seized commanders he accused of crimes and ordered forces across the realm to prepare for war against Northern Mang. After learning that the Jurchen had joined Northern Mang and Goryeo planned to invade Liaodong, he ordered Water Skimmer to back a Goryeo prince’s coup in exchange for ginseng, silver, and a list of corrupt officials.

• Jia Huan gave Empress Dowager Chen ointment that visibly faded her scars and promised lasting protection for her and the emperor.
• Jia Huan arrested Wang Zhongjing, Li Suwei, and eighteen other commanders, while Ouyang Jin explained that the detained officers had records of atrocities.
• Jia Huan ordered commanders from Jiangnan, the Southern Borderlands, Shu, the frontier garrisons, the Capital Camp, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to assemble an army for the Northern Mang campaign.
• Water Skimmer reported that the Jurchen had allied with Northern Mang over its divine sword and that Goryeo planned to invade Liaodong if Great Qian faltered.
• Jia Huan ordered Water Skimmer to tell Li Yanli to support the Seventh Imperial Prince’s coup in exchange for ancient ginseng, ten million taels of silver, and a list of evildoers.

Jia Huan helped Shen Huai'an overthrow the King of Goryeo and take control of the capital, installing him as a ruler loyal to Great Qian. Jia Huan left Shen Huai'an three days to meet his conditions and prepared to return to Great Qian before the armies marched to war.

• Li Yanli persuaded Shen Huai'an to rebel with Jia Huan's backing, promising him the throne in exchange for silver, ancient ginseng, and a list of corrupt officials.
• Twelve days later, Shen Huai'an and Li Yanli met Jia Huan outside the Royal City, and Jia Huan led his forces toward the military camp.
• Jia Huan's charge broke through the camp's defenses, and Shen Huai'an's forces captured the Palace City as the imperial troops surrendered.
• The King of Goryeo was taken prisoner, and Shen Huai'an publicly justified his coup as a means of saving Goryeo from his father's plans to invade Liaodong.
• Jia Huan told Goryeo's ministers he would leave its domestic affairs alone if the kingdom followed Great Qian's stance, then gave Shen Huai'an three days to fulfill the agreed conditions.
• Jia Huan ordered two Misty Rain Tower elders to watch over Shen Huai'an and said he would return to prepare for the march to war, after first killing the Deposed Emperor in the Ancestral Hall.

Jia Huan secured Goryeo's tribute and brought its former king back to Great Qian, then confronted court opposition to the coming war against Northern Mang. He forced the Grand Secretariat's replacement and ordered the new ministers to implement wartime preparations, leaving the court shaken by his power.

• Shen Huai'an gave Jia Huan silver, ginseng, weapons, armor, and a list of Goryeo officials to punish; Jia Huan agreed to take the old king to Great Qian and warned Shen Huai'an to honor his oath.
• Jia Huan returned to the Divine Capital with the old king and Goryeo's wealth, where Ouyang Jin reported Northern Mang's million-plus forces, its rumored divine sword, and delays in Great Qian's preparations.
• Jia Huan ordered Ouyang Jin to summon the Empress Dowager and told Scholar Twin Whips to arrange a double of the Former Emperor's concealment.
• At court, Yang Taiyue and other ministers urged Jia Huan to delay the war, but Jia Huan refused and asked Empress Dowager Chen to replace the entire Grand Secretariat.
• Empress Dowager Chen approved Jia Huan's nominees, including Minister Zhuge and Vice Minister Lin, and ordered the new Grand Academicians to issue wartime decrees and enforce them across the realm.
• Jia Huan left the Golden Throne Hall for the Ancestral Hall while the officials remained stunned by his dismissal of the old Grand Secretariat.

Jia Huan killed the deposed Emperor Jingde, concealed his death with a double, and prepared to lead an army north against Northern Mang. He left the Divine Capital to widespread acclaim and gathered more forces for the campaign, with Tong Pass as his first destination.

• Jia Huan killed Emperor Jingde and used a lookalike to conceal the death while Crane Daoist disposed of the body.
• Jia Huan ordered Scholar and Twin Whips to stay in the Divine Capital and help Ouyang govern while he led thirty thousand elite Embroidered Uniform Guards north.
• Jia Baoyu celebrated rumors of Northern Mang’s million soldiers and Godslaying Sword, while Madam Wang remained ill and unmoved.
• Jia Huan told Concubine Zhao he would march the next day, and An Xuan'er gave him a list of more than thirteen thousand volunteers before agreeing to remain at the estate.
• Jia Huan departed amid the Empress Dowager’s blessing, officials’ praise, and the cheers of the Divine Capital’s people.
• Xu Jingchun joined Jia Huan’s campaign, and Jia Huan ordered Water Skimmer and Iron Palm to expand the elite force before marching toward Tong Pass.

The Northern Mang emperor prepared his coalition to invade the Central Plains, trusting the Asura Divine Sword to kill Jia Huan, while the sword’s image spread fear among the defenders at Tong Pass. After Jia Huan executed dozens of guilty officials and gained powerful rewards, he unleashed divine power that produced impossible transformations in the sky, leaving observers stunned.

• The Northern Mang emperor vowed to march south in three days, divide the conquered territories among his allies, and punish Goryeo after the war.
• The Sword Nurturer assured the Northern Mang emperor that the Asura Divine Sword could kill Jia Huan with one stroke, and Wanyan Jilie warned that Jia Huan’s ambition made him impatient.
• At Tong Pass, Jia Huan learned that an image of the Divine Sword and news of Yang Taiyue’s dismissal had shaken the army’s morale, then asked whether supply routes were secure and dismissed the generals.
• Jia Huan used Prison Eyes to execute dozens of guilty officials from the Central Plains and Goryeo, earning over eighty thousand Sin Value and several martial arts rewards.
• Misty Rain Daoist Nun declared that Jia Huan could withstand the Divine Sword, then she and the other Jianghu leaders watched four different sky phenomena appear without any change to the Heaven and Earth Essence.

Jia Huan rallied the Central Plains army at Tong Pass with a supernatural display, while the Northern Mang Emperor restored his troops’ confidence by having the Sword Nurturer kill a Tuoba Martial Venerable without drawing the Asura Sword. Half a month later, the armies faced each other, and Jia Huan prepared to meet the Godslaying Sword with his Embroidered Spring Saber.

• Jia Huan summoned blood-red light and ordinary weapons into the sky, then ordered the Central Plains army to march north as the soldiers and generals shouted their support.
• Wanyan Jilie and Northern Mang leaders feared that rumors about Jia Huan’s display would undermine their million-man army, so the Northern Mang Emperor arranged a public demonstration of the Asura Sword’s power.
• The Sword Nurturer used paper imbued with the Asura Sword’s aura to kill the Tuoba clan’s Martial Venerable, silencing doubts and making the Northern Mang army cry out for certain victory.
• Half a month later, the Central Plains and Northern Mang armies advanced toward the battlefield, and Jia Huan asked Water Skimmer for his Embroidered Spring Saber.
• Jia Huan resolved to use the saber to sever the Godslaying Sword.

Jia Huan faced the Northern Mang alliance’s Godslaying Sword and its Sword Nurturer, then destroyed the Asura Sword with his Embroidered Spring Saber and killed the Sword Nurturer. The allied armies watched in terror as Jia Huan stood victorious over the battlefield.

• The Northern Mang emperor ordered the Blood Wolf Army, Flame Knights, and Jurchen Death God Battalion to charge while the Sword Nurturer advanced with the Asura Sword.
• Jia Huan rode out with the Embroidered Uniform Guard Vajra warriors and Jianghu martial artists as the Sword Nurturer challenged him to battle in the heavens.
• The Sword Nurturer unleashed the Asura Sword’s demonic power and three pillars of undead skulls, but Jia Huan summoned the Heavenly Gate and slashed through them with his Embroidered Spring Saber.
• Jia Huan broke the Asura Sword, which reverted to a piece of blood grass, and declared his invincibility as the Northern Mang emperor and allied leaders watched in despair.
• The Sword Nurturer fled underground, but Jia Huan dragged him back into the sky and kicked him apart with [Prison Eyes].

Jia Huan destroyed the Asura Sword’s thunder attack and slaughtered Northern Mang’s elite warriors before leading the Central Plains army into battle against the million-strong barbarian host. His Ten Thousand Blades Ringing shattered the enemy’s front line, and the Central Plains forces advanced as the battle continued.

• After Jia Huan kicked the Divine Sword attendant apart, the Northern Mang emperor ordered his forces to fight to the death, and eighteen thunder columns descended from the sky.
• Jia Huan smashed all eighteen thunder columns, pursued the retreating Martial Venerables and elite troops, and killed them with his fists and World-Destroying Eyes.
• Jia Huan ordered the Central Plains forces to secure their supply lines and march north, then led the nine thousand Vajras and ten thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards toward the barbarian army.
• Jia Huan used World-Destroying Eyes to clear the incoming arrows and unleashed Ten Thousand Blades Ringing, killing tens of thousands of barbarians and breaking through their shield wall.
• Qi Shanguo sent fifty thousand cavalry to attack from three directions, and the Central Plains troops charged through the broken enemy lines as the battle advanced another mile.

Jia Huan’s Ten Thousand Blades Ringing devastated the Northern Mang army, forcing its leaders to retreat as Central Plains troops turned the battle into a rout. Jia Huan intercepted the fleeing rulers, killed the Northern Mang emperor, and returned to the battlefield, where his False Heavenly God Fist annihilated another barbarian force.

• The Northern Mang emperor and Wanyan Jilie argued as reports came in that the army had lost 150,000 men after only two waves of Embroidered Spring Sabers Flying in Unison.
• Jia Huan unleashed successive waves of saber radiance while Central Plains cavalry charged, and his troops kept the attack going through the seventh wave until the Northern Mang army collapsed.
• The Northern Mang emperor ordered a retreat, while Wanyan Jilie donned his armor and left to die on the battlefield.
• Jia Huan intercepted the fleeing leaders and their 8,000 guards, killed the Northern Mang emperor, and left nearly half of the group dead or wounded with their martial abilities sealed.
• The Misty Rain Daoist Nun and Jianghu fighters arrived, and Jia Huan ordered a thousand Misty Rain Tower men to guard the captives before returning to the battlefield.
• Jia Huan struck a surrounded Central Plains force’s attackers with the False Heavenly God Fist, destroying the barbarian troops and urging the Central Plains soldiers to resume their charge.

Jia Huan consecrated Mount Langjuxu after Great Qian’s victory, but rejected the soldiers’ attempt to proclaim him emperor. He destroyed Northern Mang, ordered further campaigns, and resolved that the time had come to claim the throne.

• After celebrating their victories and counting enemy heads, Central Plains soldiers reached Mount Langjuxu and watched Jia Huan destroy the Northern Mang statues and plant Great Qian’s command banner.
• Qi Shanguo placed a dragon robe on Jia Huan, and the soldiers acclaimed him as emperor, but Jia Huan tore it off, rebuked the generals, and ordered the army to march on Shangdu City.
• Water Skimmer reported that Ashina Silu and other Northern Mang royals had fled north, so Jia Huan ordered their pursuit; he then killed Ashina Silu and his followers on the Northern Desert icefield.
• In Shangdu City, Jia Huan exposed and killed a hidden Legendary Martial Venerable, discovered a cultivation dagger, and accepted Northern Mang’s symbols of surrender from the Second Prince.
• Jia Huan declared Northern Mang destroyed and ordered campaigns against the Jurchen tribes and the three Western Regions kingdoms.
• After assigning the generals their orders, Jia Huan decided he would ascend the throne and become the world’s supreme ruler.

While Jia Huan’s government suppressed unrest at home, the court learned that Northern Mang had surrendered after the Regent King destroyed its Heavenly Sword and defeated its forces. Empress Dowager Chen publicly praised Jia Huan’s victory, and the chapter ended with the Capital celebrating while Jia Baoyu and Madam Wang were left devastated.

• Ouyang Jin received Jia Huan’s letter announcing Northern Mang’s fall, and he, Scholar, and Twin Whips rejoiced before reporting the victory to Concubine Zhao.
• Concubine Zhao learned that Northern Mang had been destroyed and laughed with joy, while Wang Xifeng celebrated Jia Huan’s achievement.
• At court, Jia Zheng defended Jia Huan against officials who condemned him for killing the Former Emperor, and Empress Dowager Chen announced Northern Mang’s surrender.
• Empress Dowager Chen revealed that Jia Huan had cleaved the Heavenly Sword in two, killed Northern Mang’s aged False God, and secured a victory that won the court and people’s acclaim.
• Jia Baoyu heard that Northern Mang had surrendered, rejected the news as impossible, then saw the court proclamation and broke down as the Capital celebrated the Regent King.
• Madam Wang vomited blood and lost consciousness after learning that Northern Mang had fallen.

After destroying Northern Mang, Jia Huan returned in triumph as rulers across the region acknowledged his power and prepared to submit to Great Qian. In Liangzhou, he ordered the border walls torn down and announced generous tax relief, while his forces continued campaigns against the Jurchen and he rewarded those who served in the war.

• Yang Taiyue learned that the Regent King had destroyed Northern Mang, admitted his earlier counsel had been wrong, and refused an invitation to return to government service.
• Shen Huai'an celebrated Great Qian's victory and decided to travel to the Divine Capital with lavish gifts to congratulate the Regent King.
• The Siam Chancellor and ministers from nearly fifty states agreed to visit the Divine Capital, submit as tributaries, and recognize their rulers as kings rather than emperors.
• At the Northern Liang Border, Jia Huan ordered the people to tear down the frontier walls and announced rewards for settling the Northern Desert along with sweeping farmland tax exemptions.
• Water Skimmer reported that General Qi had defeated the Jurchen tribes and seized medicinal herbs; Jia Huan ordered generous benefits for war dead and survivors, then appointed Water Skimmer a Marquis and Pacification Commissioner.

Jia Huan returned victorious to the Divine Capital as scholars, officials, soldiers, and commoners urged him to take the throne. After repeatedly refusing, he accepted the Heirloom Imperial Seal at Empress Dowager Chen’s insistence and became the founding emperor of a new dynasty.

• Liu Yuanjia blocked Jia Huan’s road and urged him to become emperor, recounting how Jia Huan had defended justice in his sister’s murder case and the provincial examination fraud case.
• Chief Grand Secretary Zhuge and the assembled officials praised Jia Huan’s achievements and called on him to ascend the throne, but Jia Huan refused and prepared to enter the capital to pay his respects to the sovereign.
• Jia Huan’s subordinates, including Ouyang Jin, Scholar, Twin Whips, and officials from across the realm, knelt and implored him to become emperor.
• Empress Dowager Chen arrived with the Young Emperor, declared that the Jiang clan should not conceal Jia Huan’s achievements, and knelt with the Young Emperor while holding the Heirloom Imperial Seal.
• Jia Huan accepted the Heirloom Imperial Seal and declared that he would bear the weight of heaven and earth for the people, and the assembled crowd hailed him as emperor.
• Jia Huan rode toward the Divine Capital in a new Dragon Carriage as officials followed and the crowds celebrated the founding of the new dynasty.

After the Regent King ascended the throne, Madam Wang died from hatred, and Jia Baoyu was rejected by the Jia family and left in despair. The court selected the Great Ning Dynasty as the new dynasty’s name and Divine Illumination as its era name, while preparations began for the enthronement and imperial wedding.

• Madam Wang died after learning of the Regent King’s ascension, and Jia Baoyu smashed his precious jade before failing to kill himself.
• Jia She and Jia Rong refused Jia Baoyu burial money, disowned him from the imperial clan, and ordered him to live as a monk or die.
• Concubine Zhao and Jia Mu rejected any help for Jia Baoyu, while Concubine Zhao told Wang Xifeng that she could become one of Huan’er’s consorts.
• The court rejected proposals for the dynasty’s name and settled on the Great Ning Dynasty, with Divine Illumination as its era name.
• Chief Grand Secretary Zhuge announced the emperor’s decree, and the ministers began arranging the enthronement ceremony and imperial wedding.