Chapter Summaries

Yu Huatian returned to the Capital after defeating Feng Qingyang and consolidating the court’s control over several martial sects, then prepared to enter seclusion and break through to Great Grandmaster. As new threats emerged around Dongfang Bubai, Prince Ning, and a planned Forbidden City duel, Yu Huatian used his accumulated fortune to request a diamond reward.

• A Jiangnan storyteller recounted Yu Huatian’s rise as Little Fish vowed revenge, while Jiang Yuyan proposed entering the palace to help him.
• Yu Huatian learned Feng Qingyang had injured and detained West Depot agents, traveled to Mount Hua, defeated and killed Feng Qingyang, and rescued his men.
• Yan Shisan and Xia Xueyi subdued the remaining Five Mountains Sword Sects, while Yu Huatian returned to the Capital and gave Dongfang Bubai the complete Sunflower Manual in exchange for his promise that the Sun Moon Holy Cult would stop opposing the court.
• Yu Huatian ordered his agents to investigate the Qi Party, Prince Ning’s alliances, and the planned Forbidden City duel between Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng, then assigned Tan Luzi to manage affairs during his seclusion.
• Yu Huatian entered seclusion to convert his remaining Sunflower True Energy and break through to Great Grandmaster, then asked the system for one diamond reward.

After transforming his true qi and breaking through to Great Grandmaster, Yu Huatian used the Longevity Secret and fortune gained from killing condemned prisoners to reach the fourth level of the Great Grandmaster realm. He then began fusing four cultivation methods in the Martial Dao Fusion Furnace and entered seclusion to complete the deduction.

• As Yu Huatian remained in seclusion, the West Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard kept the Capital under tight surveillance, while news spread of Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue's planned duel at the Top of the Forbidden City.
• Yu Huatian opened his middle dantian and successfully broke through to the first level of the Great Grandmaster realm, gaining the ability to refine spiritual energy into innate true qi.
• Yu Huatian cultivated the Longevity Secret, advancing to the third level of the Great Grandmaster realm before running short of fortune.
• Yu Huatian ordered Tan Luzi to bring condemned prisoners and killed nearly a hundred of them to obtain enough fortune to complete the Longevity Secret.
• Yu Huatian reached the fourth level of the Great Grandmaster realm, then placed Boy Skill, the Sunflower Manual, the Longevity Secret, and the Tai Chi Divine Skill into the Martial Dao Fusion Furnace and resumed seclusion to guide their fusion.

As the Capital filled with martial-world factions ahead of Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue's duel, Gongzi Yu plotted with Gong Jiu to support Ye Gucheng’s plan and identified three powerful threats. Yu Huatian emerged from seclusion after creating new cultivation and sword techniques, with less than a month remaining before the full-moon duel.

• Tan Luzi and the West Depot officials discussed the growing influx of martial artists, Cao Shaoqin’s insubordination, and concerns about the duel and the Southern Prince's Manor and Ning Prince's Manor.
• Gongzi Yu met Gong Jiu and revealed that the Green Dragon Society would help Ye Gucheng’s plan, while warning that the Sunflower Ancestor, Yu Huatian, and Ghost King Manor could threaten it.
• Gongzi Yu said the Green Dragon Society could hold off the Sunflower Ancestor, leaving Gong Jiu’s side to deal with Yu Huatian and Ghost King Manor.
• Yu Huatian fused five cultivation methods into the Sunflower Yin-Yang Longevity Skill and combined several sword arts into the Heavenly Gang Sword Art.
• Yu Huatian reached the fourth level of Great Grandmaster, perfected the Fourteenth Sword, stabilized his realm, and left seclusion with less than a month until the duel.

After a year in seclusion, Yu Huatian returned to find the Capital tense and Zhu Youxiao’s health and conduct severely deteriorated. He identified Jiang Yuyan and Liu Jin as influences on the emperor, ordered them watched, and sought physicians to keep Zhu Youxiao alive.

• Yu Huatian emerged from seclusion, appointed Cao Shaoqin Third Commissioner, and ordered the West Depot to monitor martial artists, princes’ manors, and troop movements in the Capital.
• Tan Luzi told Yu Huatian that Zhu Youxiao was ill and that the Empress Dowager had arranged new consorts, so Yu Huatian went to the palace to investigate.
• Yu Huatian found Zhu Youxiao frail and indulgent in beast fights, while Jiang Yuyan and Liu Jin enjoyed his favor and encouraged his excesses.
• Yu Huatian visited Consort Wan, learned that Jiang Yuyan and Liu Jin had helped displace her, and promised to protect her position while refusing to leave the palace.
• Yu Huatian ordered Tan Luzi to watch Jiang Yuyan and Liu Jin, then summoned renowned physicians to treat Zhu Youxiao because his plans depended on the emperor surviving.

Yu Huatian emerged from seclusion and set out to retrieve his detained guards after the depots forcibly gathered renowned physicians to treat Zhu Youxiao. On the way, he killed the Four Elites of Qingcheng and offered Lin Pingzhi a path to revenge; he then arrived at the Changle Gang and found one of his men hanging outside its gate.

• Ma Jinliang compelled the Sun Moon Holy Cult to hand over Ping Yizhi, while Dongfang Bubai ordered Xue Qianxun to cooperate and decided to travel to Kyoto to investigate Yu Huatian.
• Cao Shaoqin forced Hu Qingniu to go to the Capital by taking his wife Wang Nangu hostage, and Ding Xiu persuaded Ouyang Mingri to accompany him there.
• Yu Huatian learned that the Rewarding Good and Punishing Evil Envoys had detained his men at the Changle Gang and rode toward Zhenjiang; Old Man Tianji recognized that Yu Huatian had reached a new level of cultivation.
• Yu Huatian killed the Four Elites of Qingcheng, exposed their pursuit of Lin Pingzhi, and told Lin to retrieve the Sword Manual to Ward Off Evil if he wanted to join him.
• Lin Pingzhi found the manual, discovered that it required self-castration, and castrated himself to pursue revenge against Yu Canghai and Mu Gaofeng.
• Yu Huatian arrived at the Changle Gang and saw his bloodied Thousand-Household Commander hanging outside the gate.

Yu Huatian fought Zhang San and Li Si after refusing their invitation to Xia Ke Island, then killed them and Shi Potian when they stood against him. The Changle Gang members knelt before him as the battle ended.

• Zhang San and Li Si offered Yu Huatian a Reward and Punishment Token and invited him to Xia Ke Island, but he crushed it and rejected them.
• Yu Huatian revealed his Great Grandmaster strength, wounded Zhang San and Li Si, and tested his Heavenly Gang Sword Art against them.
• Shi Potian intervened to protect Zhang San and Li Si, but Yu Huatian defeated him and killed Zhang San, Li Si, and Shi Potian.
• Bei Haishi and the other Changle Gang members knelt and paid their respects to Yu Huatian.

As martial factions converged on the Capital ahead of Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue’s duel, Lin Pingzhi avenged his family and entered Yu Huatian’s service. Yu Huatian warned Dongfang Bubai about the danger in his cultivation, then returned to the West Depot to investigate Zhu Youxiao’s illness, suspecting it might be tied to the looming duel.

• Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou, and Fu Hongxue worried that the influx of martial artists to the Capital might conceal a conspiracy.
• Lin Pingzhi challenged Yu Canghai and Mu Gaofeng, defeated them with the Sword Manual to Ward Off Evil, and avenged his family while Dongfang Bubai secretly protected him.
• Dongfang Bubai invited Lin Pingzhi to join the Sun Moon Holy Cult, but Yu Huatian arrived and Lin Pingzhi declared himself Yu Huatian’s subordinate.
• Yu Huatian warned Dongfang Bubai that the Sunflower Manual could harm him and invited him to the West Depot to learn a way to overcome its hidden danger.
• Fu Hongxue recognized Ding Peng’s Full Moon Scimitar with Yu Huatian and vowed to kill whoever had killed Ding Peng.
• As more than five thousand martial artists gathered in the Capital and defenses strained to contain them, Yu Huatian returned to the West Depot to treat Zhu Youxiao and investigate his illness.

Yu Huatian gathered renowned physicians to diagnose Zhu Youxiao and discovered that a mature God-Eating Gu was consuming the emperor from within. After ordering Dongfang Bubai to find another gu and launching an investigation into the poisoning, Yu Huatian learned that people from Prince Fu's Manor had arranged it.

• Yu Huatian assembled more than twenty physicians and brought them to the palace to examine Zhu Youxiao.
• Su Ying and the other physicians could not identify Zhu Youxiao's illness until Bei Haishi and Ouyang Mingri suspected a gu infestation; examining his blood confirmed it was a mature God-Eating Gu.
• Cheng Lingsu explained that the physicians needed Spirit-Awakening Herb and another God-Eating Gu to lure the parasite out, so Yu Huatian ordered Dongfang Bubai to obtain one within three months.
• Yu Huatian ordered a search of everyone who had been near Zhu Youxiao during the previous five years, and Tan Luzi reported that a former palace maid had planted the gu on behalf of Prince Fu's Manor.

Yu Huatian uncovered the Heir of Prince Nan’s plan to seize the throne during Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue’s duel, then raided his hideout and defeated Ye Gucheng. He killed the Heir of Prince Nan and Gong Jiu, but spared Ye Gucheng so the duel could go ahead the next day.

• Yu Huatian ordered the West Depot to watch Prince Fu’s Manor and investigate its allies, especially in the Ministry of War.
• At Azure Cloud Tower, Old Man Tianji warned Lu Xiaofeng and Yu Huatian that Li Ruohai, Qianluo, and members of the Green Dragon Society had entered the Capital, and revealed the Ming Imperial House’s hidden guardians.
• The Heir of Prince Nan, Ye Gucheng, and Gong Jiu prepared to use the duel to replace the emperor, but Yu Huatian arrived with Lu Xiaofeng and his forces to stop them.
• Yu Huatian defeated Ye Gucheng’s Heavenly Immortal from Beyond the Heavens, killed the Heir of Prince Nan, and then killed Gong Jiu while rescuing Yan Shisan.
• Yu Huatian gave Yan Shisan the Heavenly Gang Sword Art and spared the wounded Ye Gucheng so he could duel Ximen Chuixue the following day.

Yu Huatian learned the Divine Blade Slash, prepared for the Forbidden City duel, and drew several martial artists into his plans to expose the plot against Zhu Youxiao. As Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue began fighting, Liu Jin secretly served the emperor tea while Yu Huatian watched him closely.

• Yu Huatian spent seventy thousand fortune to learn the Divine Blade Slash, then began fusing it with the Fourteenth Sword and considered whether the Fifteenth Sword might be a Death Sword.
• Martial artists gathered at the palace for Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue’s duel, where Ye Kai arrived seeking to rescue Ge Bing and Sima Changfeng and Shangguan Yan came seeking Ouyang Mingri.
• Yu Huatian told Ye Kai, Sima Changfeng, and Shangguan Yan that they could earn the physicians’ release by helping him kill people that night.
• Yu Huatian joined Zhu Youxiao in the square and confirmed to Cao Zhengchun that his arrangements were ready for their targets to take the bait.
• Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng began their duel, though Ximen Chuixue recognized that Ye Gucheng’s heart was troubled and his sword intent was unsettled.
• Liu Jin refilled Zhu Youxiao’s tea and watched him drink, while Yu Huatian noticed a gleam of delight in the young eunuch’s eyes.

Yu Huatian exposed the Prince of Fu's Heir's coup as a trap he had anticipated, revealing that the poison and Cao Zhengchun's apparent betrayal had both been part of his plan. The conspirators' powerful martial allies confronted him, but Zheng He and Xu Ruowu arrived with Ghost King Manor experts, and the Green Dragon Society's hidden Dragon Heads revealed themselves.

• Liu Jin's poisoned tea appeared to incapacitate Yu Huatian, while Cao Zhengchun struck him and signaled the Prince of Fu's Heir's forces to storm the palace.
• The Prince of Fu's Heir, Prince Ning, and their allies demanded Yu Huatian's death, then revealed their intention to depose Zhu Youxiao; Zhu Yousong killed Zhu Tingyu when he objected.
• Ye Kai, Lu Xiaofeng, Dongfang Bubai, Sima Changfeng, and Shangguan Yan stepped forward to defend Yu Huatian as Li Ruohai, Qianluo, Great Joy Bodhisattva, and two Green Dragon Society experts joined the opposition.
• Yu Huatian revealed that he had switched the poison, that Cao Zhengchun had never betrayed him, and that Imperial Guards and Embroidered Uniform Guards had surrounded the square.
• Li Ruohai, Qianluo, and Great Joy Bodhisattva advanced on Yu Huatian, but Zheng He and Xu Ruowu arrived with Ghost King Manor experts, and the two Green Dragon Society elders identified themselves as Fang Longxiang and Yang Yanyu.

Yu Huatian crushed Zhu Yousong’s coup, killed Zhu Yousong, and ordered the rebels slaughtered while Ye Gucheng survived after turning against them. Gongzi Yu escaped the palace but left a double behind, and Murong Qiudi’s forces killed the double, Yan Nanfei, instead of him.

• Fang Longxiang and Zheng He fought while Yang Yanyu clashed with Xu Ruowu, and the other great masters joined the battle.
• Yu Huatian ordered Zhu Yousong’s officials detained, sent Zhu Youxiao to safety, and exposed that the Southern Prince’s heir was dead.
• Ye Gucheng killed Zhu Yousong, and Yu Huatian ordered his forces to leave none of the rebels alive.
• Gongzi Yu watched the battle from hiding, then fled the Capital as Yu Huatian’s forces slaughtered the rebels.
• Murong Qiudi and Heavenly Venerable’s fighters attacked Gongzi Yu’s apparent escapee and killed him, then discovered he was Yan Nanfei, Gongzi Yu’s double.

Yu Huatian joined the palace battle and killed Great Joy Bodhisattva, Spear Sovereign Li Ruohai, and Poison Hand Qianluo. He stood over the fallen enemies as the surviving martial artists dared not meet his gaze.

• Yu Huatian intervened when Great Joy Bodhisattva threatened Yu Fuyun, then killed her with Divine Sword Slash and a fatal sword thrust.
• Yu Huatian challenged Li Ruohai and defeated the Spear Sovereign in a prolonged duel, killing him with the Heavenly Sword.
• Yu Huatian turned to Qianluo, agreed mockingly to talk, then struck him down and cut off his head.
• Yu Huatian surveyed the remaining martial artists, who avoided his gaze as he stood with the Heavenly Sword.

Yu Huatian crushed the rebellion in the imperial palace, learned Ye Gucheng’s Heavenly Immortal from Beyond the Heavens, and tried to recruit him into the West Depot. Dongfang Bubai pledged the Sun Moon Holy Cult to Yu Huatian and received a path toward Great Grandmaster, but the chapter ended with news that Zhu Youxiao had fallen ill and summoned him.

• Zheng He and Xu Ruowu failed to stop Fang Longxiang and Yang Yanyu from escaping, then learned that Yu Huatian had killed Li Ruohai and two other Great Grandmasters.
• Yu Huatian ordered investigations and severe punishment for those involved in the rebellion, ignored Hai Rui’s protest, and arranged care for Ye Kai, Sima Changfeng, and Shangguan Yan.
• Yu Huatian demonstrated that he had mastered Ye Gucheng’s Heavenly Immortal from Beyond the Heavens after seeing it once, then urged Ye Gucheng to stay and serve under him.
• Murong Qiudi reported that Gongzi Yu had sent a double, while Dongfang Bubai pledged the Sun Moon Holy Cult to Yu Huatian and received the Sunflower Yin-Yang Longevity Skill and guidance on reaching Great Grandmaster.
• Ma Jinliang told Yu Huatian that Zhu Youxiao had fallen ill and summoned him to the palace.

Yu Huatian arrived at the palace after Zhu Youxiao fell ill, secured the emperor’s trust and full authority to handle threats to Ming, and met Zheng He and Xu Ruowu. He accepted the post of Ming’s third guardian without agreeing to remain confined to the capital, and left with new insight into the path to the Heavenly Realm and plans to strengthen Ming.

• Yu Huatian examined Zhu Youxiao, ordered Jiang Yuyan from the emperor’s bedside, and learned that Zhu Youxiao’s health had been badly damaged by the God-Eating Gu.
• Zhu Youxiao grieved over repeated betrayals by imperial relatives, confirmed the rebellion’s leaders had been killed or captured, and authorized Yu Huatian to act freely against threats to Ming.
• Yu Huatian went to the rear mountain and met Zheng He and Xu Ruowu, who proposed making him the Ming palace’s third guardian.
• Yu Huatian refused to spend his life in the palace but agreed to protect Ming while he remained there, and Zheng He and Xu Ruowu accepted his terms.
• Zheng He explained his understanding of balancing yin and yang and breaking through to the Heavenly Realm, while Yu Huatian considered the Nine Yin Scripture and his own alternative methods.
• Xu Ruowu offered Yu Huatian access to Ghost King Manor’s experts, and Yu Huatian left intending to begin carrying out his plans for Ming.

Yu Huatian reviewed his gains, drew White Tiger blood and Dugu Nine Swords, and began fusing sword techniques while the court launched a bloody purge of those involved in the rebellion. The crackdown reached the princely manors and martial factions, though a mysterious Great Grandmaster escaped with the Prince of Peace and warned Yu Huatian against his growing power.

• Yu Huatian stored the dangerous White Tiger blood, drew Dugu Nine Swords, mastered its General Formula Stance, and began fusing Heavenly Immortal from Beyond the Heavens with Divine Sword Slash.
• Ma Jinliang led West Depot Guards into Prince Fu's Manor, killed Prince Fu, and ordered the manor's people slaughtered or captured.
• Cao Shaoqin killed the Southern Prince after Ye Gucheng refused to protect him, and Ye Gucheng joined the West Depot as its forces arrived.
• Cao Zhengchun and Murong Qiudi attacked the Prince of Peace, but a mysterious Great Grandmaster defeated Cao Zhengchun and escaped with the Prince of Peace.
• Dong Tianbao annihilated the Unorthodox Sect, while Lu Wenzhao and Ding Baiying's forces attacked Qianluo Mountain City as the purge spread across Ming.

Yu Huatian learned that Wuxin, Lei Wujie, and Xiao Se were hiding in Snowmoon City and decided to use the situation to bring the southern martial world under court control. After refining the White Tiger Essence Blood despite its demonic influence, he led the Eastern and Western Depots and the Embroidered Uniform Guard from the Capital toward Snowmoon City.

• Yu Huatian created Heavenly Sword Slash, advanced his mastery of Dugu Nine Swords, and began preparing to refine the White Tiger Essence Blood.
• The Embroidered Uniform Guard reported that Wuxin, Lei Wujie, and Xiao Se were in Snowmoon City, prompting Yu Huatian to plan a campaign against the city and its allies.
• Master Dabei urged Yu Huatian to halt the executions and warned that the slaughter and White Tiger Essence Blood could lead him into demonic corruption; Yu Huatian drove him away.
• Yu Huatian revealed that he had swallowed the White Tiger Essence Blood and nearly lost control, then continued refining it with medicinal herbs and baths until his strength increased.
• After a month, Yu Huatian ordered the Eastern and Western Depots and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to march on Snowmoon City, and the forces departed the Capital three days later.

Sikong Changfeng and the elders debated whether Snowmoon City should surrender Lei Wujie and his companions to the court, while Yu Huatian traveled toward the city. Old Man Tianji warned Yu Huatian that Snowmoon City and Shaolin might be protected by experts as powerful as or stronger than Zhang Zhenren.

• Sikong Changfeng told the elders that the court had ordered Snowmoon City to hand over Lei Wujie, Wuxin, and Xiao Se, and that Yu Huatian was coming with his forces.
• Sikong Changfeng revealed that Lei Wujie was Li Hanyi's younger brother, and Yin Luoxia argued that Snowmoon City should fight Yu Huatian rather than yield.
• Lei Yunhe challenged the elders to name someone who could kill Yu Huatian, and Li Hanyi arrived, declaring that she would protect her brother and kill him.
• Yu Huatian stopped at an inn in Yun'an City, dismissed the frightened guests, and shared a drink with Old Man Tianji.
• Old Man Tianji advised Yu Huatian not to go to Snowmoon City yet, warning that it might have experts comparable to or stronger than Zhang Zhenren.

Yu Huatian arrived at Snowmoon City with the imperial forces and began testing its defenses through the Heaven-Climbing Pavilion. Yan Shisan and Xia Xueyi were stopped by Yin Luoxia on the fifteenth floor, and Yu Huatian sent Ye Gucheng to challenge her next.

• Yu Huatian led the Eastern and Western Depots and the Embroidered Uniform Guard toward Snowmoon City despite warnings about its powerful defenders.
• Sikong Changfeng gathered Snowmoon City's elders to prepare for the imperial attack, while Li Hanyi said she would face Yu Huatian and the city received no word from Baili Dongjun.
• Seven days later, Yu Huatian's forces reached Snowmoon City and entered its deserted outer city, Lower Pass.
• Ma Jinliang explained the Heaven-Climbing Pavilion's role in guarding entry to Upper Pass, and Yu Huatian ordered Yan Shisan and Xia Xueyi to challenge it.
• Yan Shisan and Xia Xueyi climbed to the fifteenth floor but were thrown back by its guardian, Yin Luoxia.
• As Yan Shisan prepared to attack again, Yu Huatian called him back and ordered Ye Gucheng to take his place.

Ye Gucheng challenged Snowmoon City and fought Li Hanyi, but his flawed state of mind left him defeated. After Yu Huatian demonstrated the true power of Heavenly Immortal from Beyond the Heavens, Ye Gucheng achieved Perfect Sword Heart, and Yu Huatian challenged Li Hanyi and Sikong Changfeng to face him together.

• Ye Gucheng took Yin Luoxia hostage, but Li Hanyi intervened and fought him as Snowmoon City's forces arrived.
• Li Hanyi and Ye Gucheng battled through Heaven Ascension Pavilion, destroying it before Li Hanyi defeated him with Moonset Flower Morning.
• Yu Huatian demonstrated Heavenly Immortal from Beyond the Heavens, striking Li Hanyi and wounding her with his overwhelming sword qi.
• Yu Huatian urged Ye Gucheng to remember his identity and never admit defeat, prompting him to attain Perfect Sword Heart and bow to Yu Huatian.
• Yu Huatian challenged Li Hanyi and Sikong Changfeng to fight him together.