Chapter Summaries

Lin Hao challenged the five former Martial Top Scholars at the Palace Examination, then the exam was interrupted when Song Xian declared the Crown Prince a traitor and the capital erupted into rebellion. As Lin Hao prepared to confront the Grand Palace Manager, Gong Zichun revealed himself as the thirty-sixth Celestial Master and went to challenge the emperor.

• Song Xian introduced five former Martial Top Scholars, whose combined force pressure Lin Hao shattered after condemning their loss of ambition.
• Lin Hao took Heavenly Pivot while the other candidates competed, and Gong Zichun painted the clash before Zhang Zhongxin destroyed his work.
• Fireworks signaled emergencies throughout Kyoto, and Song Xian announced that Crown Prince Li Chenghua and his allies had plotted rebellion.
• Yin Zhengchun and Yun Wuji joined the rebels as the palace wall was breached, while the Imperial Guards split their forces to defend the grounds and the palace.
• Lin Hao prepared to face the Grand Palace Manager, but Gong Zichun stopped him and crossed the battlefield to challenge the emperor, tearing apart the palace's killing domain.

Lin Hao killed Jiang Yuntao, Zhang Zhongxin, and three Golden Guard Grandmasters in a short, brutal fight while battles raged elsewhere in the palace. Yin Zhengchun defeated Song Xian, leaving the emperor’s fate uncertain as the palace conflict continued.

• Gong Zichun’s appearance revealed that he was the rebel leader, and the loyalists struggled to keep fighting after he headed toward the emperor.
• Wang Yang intercepted Liu Yi to protect Yun Wuji, while Yin Zhengchun and Song Xian fought and the Marquis of Divine Might clashed with Mo Wu.
• Jiang Yuntao and Zhang Zhongxin attacked Lin Hao together, but Lin Hao killed them both with one pass of his Flexible Sword.
• Lin Hao killed Golden Guard Grandmaster Lu Zhongyi, then used Breath of Saint Flame to destroy Ma Zhongguo and behead Cheng Zhongyong.
• Yin Saide killed Qian Zhongjun, and Yin Zhengchun tore Song Xian apart after accusing him of secretly cultivating with Wish Power.

Lin Hao and his allies defeated the coup’s Intent Condensation Grandmasters and broke through the Imperial Guard, only to discover that the emperor had fled and a powerful Shadow Fiend guarded the palace. As the final battle began, Lin Hao destroyed the false Gong Zichun, while the false emperor sent Yin Zhengchun and Yun Wuji flying.

• Lin Hao and the Marquis of Divine Might killed Mo Wu, and Wang Yang killed Liu Yi after Liu Yi’s gambit against Lin Hao failed.
• Lin Hao, Yin Zhengchun, and the Marquis of Divine Might charged through the Imperial Guard formations and broke their morale.
• Gong Zichun emerged from the palace battered, then warned Lin Hao that the emperor had fled and a Shadow Fiend had taken his place.
• The Dragon-Robe Shadow Fiend summoned ranks of shadow-made Imperial Guards as its allies attacked Lin Hao and his companions.
• Lin Hao destroyed the false Gong Zichun with his blazing twin-sword attack, while the false emperor knocked Yin Zhengchun and Yun Wuji backward.

Lin Hao defeated the dragon-robed Shadow Fiend and claimed the contaminated Imperial Heirloom Seal, whose cleansed Shadow Dragon Qi helped him reach Domain Formation. He joined Gong Zichun in killing a chief eunuch, but the emperor remained at large, leaving the rebels to secure the palace and rally the capital’s forces.

• The dragon-robed Shadow Fiend revealed his four-armed form and overwhelmed Yin Zhengchun and Yun Wuji before Lin Hao fought him.
• Lin Hao used a concealed returning spear to kill the Shadow Fiend and seized the Imperial Heirloom Seal, then gained Domain Formation through its cleansed Shadow Dragon Qi.
• Lin Hao helped Gong Zichun defeat the chief manager’s Shadow Fiend and beheaded the Grandmaster eunuch before he could unleash his killing move.
• Gong Zichun ordered the rebels to occupy the palace, install the Crown Prince, and secure the Capital Camp because the emperor had escaped.
• Lin Hao checked on Yin Zhengchun, Yun Wuji, and the others, then examined the Imperial Heirloom Seal’s newly manifested skills.

Lin Hao assessed his new shadow-related abilities after the battle for the palace and helped the rebels claim imperial authority, but resistance from the city’s commanders threatened to prolong the fighting. He left the palace with Wang Yang and five hundred Imperial Guards to confront the holdouts.

• Lin Hao discovered that [Shadow Summoning] could copy and summon obedient Shadow Fiends, then arranged to store copies of Yin Zhengchun and Wang Yang.
• Liu Chao took Lin Hao’s imperial decree to proclaim the emperor’s surrender and prepare the Crown Prince’s ascension, but Feng Jing and the Capital Camp rejected it and detained the messenger.
• Lin Hao learned that the Crown Prince was being escorted to the palace and that resistance in the capital could draw in forces loyal to the emperor.
• Lin Hao and Wang Yang rode out in golden armor with five hundred Imperial Guards to address the rebellion outside the palace.

The Anxi Army stormed the Qi Capital and fought the Dragon Martial Army and Tiger Guard defenders in a brutal street battle. Li Yanbing joined Wu Deshui to protect him, and Lin Hao arrived with the Imperial Guards, shifting the battle’s momentum and revealing that the palace had been secured.

• Several hundred veterans and Six Fan Gate experts opened the western gate, allowing the Anxi Army to enter the capital and rout its defenders.
• Feng Jing brought in the Capital Suburbs Garrison, and the fighting bogged down as Wu Deshui and his veteran squad fought through the streets.
• Xu Rongyou confronted Wu Deshui’s squad, but Li Yanbing appeared, broke his attack, and revealed that she had come to protect Wu Deshui for Lin Hao.
• Li Yanbing told Wu Deshui that she was Lin Hao’s wife, while Xu Rongyou waited for reinforcements and ordered his troops to kill them.
• Lin Hao arrived in Golden Guard armor with Wang Du and several hundred Imperial Guards, boosting his side’s morale and weakening the Dragon Martial Army’s resolve.
• Lin Hao told Wu Deshui that he had won the title of Martial Top Scholar, and Li Yanbing joined him at his side.

Lin Hao killed Xu Rongyou, forced the Dragon Martial Army and Tiger Guard Army to surrender, and discovered that Feng Jing and his guards were Shadow Fiends. As the fighting in the capital ended, a Shadow Fiend announced the Crown Prince’s death, and Yun Wuying confirmed that the Crown Prince had been assassinated.

• Xu Rongyou challenged Lin Hao to single combat, but Lin Hao overwhelmed him with his domain, caught his Mo Dao, and impaled him with a cavalry lance.
• Lin Hao displayed Xu Rongyou’s corpse as he led the Imperial Guards around the capital, prompting the Dragon Martial Army to surrender.
• Lin Hao recognized Feng Jing as a Shadow Fiend; Feng Jing attacked, and Lin Hao destroyed him and the Shadow Fiends among his guards, causing the Tiger Guard Army to surrender.
• Li Yanbing introduced Lin Hao as her husband to Li Yao, and the allies began incorporating the surrendered troops.
• A ghostly figure identified as Wang Gui’s Shadow Fiend fled after declaring that the Crown Prince was dead, so Lin Hao and the others rushed to the Crown Prince’s courtyard.
• Yun Wuying confirmed that the Crown Prince had died, leaving Lin Hao and the other commanders shocked by the assassination.

After the Crown Prince was killed by Wang Gui’s Shadow Fiend, Lin Hao and the others learned that Huo Yin, Professor Shi’s student, had betrayed them. With the Crown Prince’s only heir still a child and Emperor Mingde alive, the gathered officials urged Li Yanbing to take the throne, and the chapter ended with her and Lin Hao agreeing that they should act quickly.

• Liang Zheng told Lin Hao that Wang Gui’s shadow had killed the Crown Prince, and the group went to inspect the body.
• Professor Shi identified the dead Huo Yin as his doctoral student and explained how Huo Yin had gained their trust to approach the Crown Prince.
• Liang Zheng and Li Yao explained that the Crown Prince’s three-year-old son faced a severe legitimacy disadvantage against Emperor Mingde and his sons.
• Wang Yang proposed that Li Yanbing serve as regent, but Lin Hao and Li Yanbing rejected the idea before the Marquis of Divine Might and Yin Zhengchun urged her to take the throne directly.
• Professor Shi and the officials persuaded Lin Hao and Li Yanbing by stressing that they could stabilize Great Qi while retaining freedom and access to the imperial privy purse.
• Lin Hao and Li Yanbing agreed that they should settle the crisis quickly, with Li Yanbing also intending to clear her father’s name.

Li Yanbing was enthroned as empress while Lin Hao was made Prince Qi, and they used force to silence opposition at court before establishing a Military Affairs Office. As the False Emperor gathered support for a counterattack, Li Yanbing and her allies launched an Imperial Expedition, but reconnaissance revealed a formidable enemy army near Yunxiang Temple.

• Prince Zhao presided over Li Yanbing’s accession, and she took the era name Haotian while Lin Hao received the title Prince Qi.
• At the first court assembly, Lin Hao killed two ministers who tried to speak, and Li Yanbing announced the creation of a Military Affairs Office.
• Professor Shi proposed gradually curbing aristocratic power and giving Military Nobles stable tax exemptions, and the officials agreed to consider the reforms after the war.
• Lin Hao and the military leaders concluded they had to strike first, so Li Yanbing ordered an Imperial Expedition against the False Emperor.
• Drone reconnaissance located the enemy near Yunxiang Temple and estimated 120,000 armored troops, 6,000 foreign cavalry, and several Grandmasters.

Lin Hao and Li Yanbing led the Anxi Army toward Yunxiang Temple, where the Northern Court Army and allied cavalry had assembled to oppose them. After artillery struck the enemy formation, Lin Hao charged ahead with two Gatling guns and urged the Anxi Army to follow.

• Li Yanbing ordered the Anxi Army to march toward Yunxiang Temple while Lin Hao assessed the risks and military arrangements.
• Lin Hao shot down a Tuci eagle pursuing a drone, raising Anxi Army morale and driving off the enemy scouts.
• The Anxi Army reached the enemy’s crescent formation, and Lin Hao ordered the field guns to bombard its cavalry and dense ranks.
• Lin Hao mounted his horse with two Gatling guns, ordered the Firearms Battalion and Elder Gong to handle their assigned threats, and charged toward the Han Army Position.
• Lin Hao’s roar rallied the Anxi Army as artillery shells exploded among the enemy cavalry, tearing through its ranks.

Lin Hao charged alone through the Northern Court Army, using his domain, Gatlings, and bayonets to carve a path to its command banner. He killed the Shadow Fiends disguised as the enemy’s Grandmasters and commander, then seized the banner as the Anxi Army advanced.

• Li Yao ordered the Anxi battalions forward while the field guns scattered the Northern Court Army’s cavalry and battered its morale.
• Lin Hao rode into a storm of arrows, dismounted when his horse was killed, and broke through the enemy’s shield formation with his bayoneted Gatlings.
• Lin Hao cut through the Northern Court Army’s ranks as the Anxi Army followed, while “Old General Feng” retreated toward the command banner.
• “Martial God” and “Daman” attacked Lin Hao, but he killed them both with his bayonet and gunfire.
• Lin Hao exposed “Old General Feng” as a Shadow Fiend and shot him down, prompting Northern Court soldiers to lose faith and break.
• Lin Hao seized the Northern Court Army’s command banner as the Anxi Army drove into its ranks.

Lin Hao routed the Northern Court Army, captured its command flag, and exposed Yunxiang Temple as the force behind the Elysium Cult. He withdrew to reorganize and rest, but the army’s short supplies and the foreign cavalry’s movement toward Qi Capital left taking Yunxiang Temple quickly as the next priority.

• Lin Hao charged into the Northern Court Army, killed its commander, seized its flag, and caused its soldiers to collapse in confusion.
• Li Yao and Gong Zichun watched Lin Hao’s feat as the regrouped foreign cavalry threatened the disordered armies; Li Yao prepared to block a possible attack.
• The Martial God and Daman judged Lin Hao a major threat and discussed seeking help from the Shadow Fiends to eliminate him.
• Lin Hao recognized the Copper-Skinned Warrior Monks at Yunxiang Temple and rejected Emperor Mingde’s offer, but chose not to storm the temple’s defenses.
• Lin Hao planted the Northern Court Army’s flag at the foot of Yunxiang Temple, ordered a retreat, and reunited with Li Yanbing as Li Yao took charge of reorganizing the army.
• The army incorporated the Northern Court troops without resistance, while reports of limited rations and foreign cavalry moving toward Qi Capital made taking Yunxiang Temple quickly essential.

Lin Hao led hundreds of experts in an assault on Yunxiang Temple, where Emperor Mingqi and his allies had fortified the mountain and armored their strongest fighters. Lin Hao used his speed and strength to kill Mingqi, the Demon Monk, the Martial God, and Hanman, leaving the battle’s remaining outcome unresolved.

• Lin Hao and Gong Zichun identified explosives along Yunxiang Temple’s mountain paths, and artillery detonated them, destroying the roads and forcing the army to send in its experts.
• Lin Hao led the experts through the temple gates with Gatling guns and explosives, then confronted Emperor Mingqi and the armored forces gathered inside.
• The Demon Monk and Emperor Mingqi attacked Lin Hao while two foreign Grandmasters targeted Li Yanbing, but Gong Zichun intercepted the foreign fighters.
• Lin Hao dropped his guns, activated Breath of Saint Flame, and exploited the enemies’ heavy armor to cut Emperor Mingqi and the Demon Monk in two.
• Lin Hao killed the Shadow Fiend Demon Monk, then joined Gong Zichun and Li Yanbing against the Martial God and Hanman and smashed both Grandmasters with his spinning attack.

Lin Hao defeated the rebel Grandmasters, killed Wang Gui, and discovered General Qi sealing an Abyssal rift beneath Yunxiang Temple. After the rift closed and General Qi was rescued, signal fireworks warned of a severe enemy attack, and a prisoner identified the approaching force as Outworld Demons.

• Lin Hao and Gong Zichun routed the rebels, while Li Yanbing joined Lin Hao and the remaining enemy forces surrendered.
• Lin Hao pursued Wang Gui, blocked his escape into the hall, and killed him after he begged for his life.
• Lin Hao led Li Yanbing and Gong Zichun into the hall, where they found General Qi frozen inside the bronze Buddha and holding shut an Abyssal rift.
• A mysterious voice called Great Qi a broken material world, then the rift closed as the world's power repaired it, and Gong Zichun carried General Qi outside.
• Signal fireworks from the main camp warned of an extreme enemy attack, and a Prison survivor told Lin Hao that an army of Outworld Demons was approaching.

Lin Hao returned from Yunxiang Temple with news of victory as the Lizardmen and steppe cavalry prepared to attack the Anxi and Northern Court armies. The Lizardmen charged into the army’s prepared defenses, and Lin Hao entered the battle from the flank with Gatling guns.

• Lin Hao ordered the prisoners killed but kept Liao Hao alive, bound him through his shadow, and brought him down the mountain.
• Lin Hao announced that the False Emperor, Tuci’s Martial God, Nüjin’s Great Shaman, and the Elysium Cult’s monk had been beheaded, rallying the troops.
• Professor Shi warned Lin Hao that thousands of Lizardmen had emerged from the Black River, and described the threat posed by powerful Lizardman fighters.
• King Bohā agreed to Gorlk’s demand to attack, and thousands of Lizardmen charged alongside the steppe cavalry.
• Li Yao prepared the army to meet the charge as students and soldiers fired guns and crossbows before the Lizardmen struck the shield-and-spear line.
• Lin Hao charged from the flank with Gatling guns to cut through the Lizardman army.

Lin Hao fought King Bohā and used his shadow ability to turn the Lizardman king into a servant who redirected the rear of the Lizardman army against the steppe cavalry. Li Yao blocked the cavalry’s escape route, trapping them between Great Qi’s forces and the Lizardmen.

• Lin Hao charged into the Lizardman vanguard, killed a powerful guard, and confronted King Bohā and his personal guards.
• Lin Hao fought Bohā head-on until Bohā’s injuries worsened, then used a shadow duplicate to kill him and create a servant from his corpse.
• Lin Hao ordered the servant, now resembling Bohā, to command the Lizardmen in the rear and attack the steppe cavalry.
• The disguised servant turned the rear Lizardmen against the steppe forces, forcing Gork to order a retreat.
• Li Yao blocked the steppe cavalry’s escape with Great Qi’s cavalry and announced that the Martial God and Daman were dead.
• Great Qi’s cavalry and the pursuing Lizardmen surrounded the fleeing steppe cavalry, whose ranks descended into confusion and heavy losses.

After defeating the Lizardmen, Lin Hao learned about their tribe, their sacrifices, and the power hierarchy of the Second World, then ordered the captured tribe executed. He reunited with the recovering Great General as the victorious armies prepared to return to Great Qi, where the new empress’s rule awaited consolidation.

• Exhausted after the battle, Lin Hao rested, questioned Boha, and learned that the Lizardmen came from a nearby settlement and had sought to seize more benefits in Great Qi.
• Boha told Lin Hao about the Lizardmen’s use of Abyss Demon Flowers and sacrifices, as well as the Hero, Legendary, and Sacred Domains and the continent’s powerful figures.
• Lin Hao ordered the Lizardmen’s strongest warriors brought out to be killed and copied, then had the rest executed the following day.
• Lin Hao and Li Yanbing reflected on their victory over the False Emperor and the Grasslands as the Anxi Army and Northern Court Army rallied behind the new empress.
• Li Yao reported that the Great General had awakened, and Lin Hao joined Li Yanbing and Gong Zichun to visit him.
• Lin Hao considered the equipment he had gained in battle and planned to test the False Emperor’s crown on Li Yanbing and use Boha’s breathing method for training.

The court celebrated the empress’s victory as Prince Qi and the returning army secured her rule, while Zeng Hong, Yuan Lin, and Jiang He resisted at Jinkou and Jiangdong’s great families plotted to exploit the unrest. An imperial proclamation then revealed that Prince Qi had killed the three Jinkou leaders and ordered their heads displayed throughout the provinces.

• Prince Zhao, Yin Zhengchun, Yun Wuji, and Wang Yang accepted the victory reports, arranged rewards, and prepared to welcome the returning army.
• The victorious army returned with the Northern Court Army under its control, and officials welcomed the empress and Prince Qi as Great Qi’s sovereigns.
• Zeng Hong and Yuan Lin initially dismissed the reports of defeat, but they received news of the Northern Court Army’s collapse and were summoned to an imperial audience.
• Representatives of the Hu, Sun, Lü, Zhou, and Lu families plotted to pressure the empress and urged Zeng Hong and Yuan Lin to hold Jinkou.
• The imperial proclamation accused Zeng Hong of rebellion and announced that Prince Qi had killed Zeng Hong, Yuan Lin, and Jiang He at Jinkou and ordered their heads displayed throughout the nine provinces.

Lin Hao confiscated the Zhili governor-general’s estate in Jinkou and captured twelve former Embroidered Uniform Guard members who belonged to the Prison. After discovering that the group planned to evacuate and abandon their settlement, he took their valuables and prepared to use them for an evacuation of his own.

• Lin Hao read coded messages from South of the Yangtze and planned to bait the Prison using the Lin Family before pursuing its members.
• Lin Hao discussed rebuilding the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot as he met Liu Ming and Feng Chi, who reported that wanted former disciples were hiding in Jinkou.
• Liu Ming led Lin Hao to a cloth shop where twelve Prison members were discussing their failed plans and their coming evacuation.
• Lin Hao disabled the twelve with a strike that shattered the muscles around their dantians, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard took them away for interrogation.
• Lin Hao searched the cloth shop, found a cache of jewels and valuables, and learned that the Prison members planned to evacuate and abandon their settlement.

Lin Hao completed a Special Evacuation from Great Qi, upgraded his Permission, and returned to the Settlement with Li Yanbing as its new Empress. He spent his Wish Power to break through to Grandmaster and learned to envelop himself in Astral Force.

• Lin Hao and Li Yanbing organized a Special Evacuation that brought Xiao Wen, the Great General, the National Preceptor, Liao Hao, and other allies back to Earth.
• Lin Hao upgraded to Permission Level IV, learned he could open a new Descent World, and kept nine million Wish Power for training.
• Lin Hao returned to the Settlement and told Wang Jiye, Captain Lu, and the survivors that a coup had ended the hunt for transmigrators and made Li Yanbing Empress.
• Lin Hao used his resources to complete his Grandmaster Metamorphosis and gained control of Astral Force Body Envelopment.
• Li Yanbing demonstrated her own Astral Force as Lin Hao celebrated his breakthrough by carrying her and Zhao Xiaowen upstairs.