Chapter Summaries

An and Linley received noble titles and court mage badges from King Clayde, then secretly prepared to ambush Duke Paterson. The chapter ended as the brothers took positions to attack Paterson’s convoy, with Bebe assigned to stop the duke from escaping.

• King Clayde made An and Linley Earls Baruch and granted them a residence and annual stipend.
• Clayde gave the brothers badges appointing them court mages, and they moved into their new residence in Fenlai City.
• An and Linley investigated Duke Paterson and learned he was traveling to his country estate with a small escort.
• An and Linley flew to a forest along Paterson’s route and prepared an ambush, assigning Bebe to attack Paterson.

An and Linley ambushed Paterson’s convoy, learned that King Clayde had ordered An’s mother abducted and taken to the Royal Palace, and killed Paterson while erasing the evidence. They returned to Fenlai City and decided to build their strength and influence before secretly seeking revenge on Clayde, wary of the Radiant Church and its Pope, Heidens.

• An and Linley killed the guards in Paterson’s convoy, captured Paterson, and questioned him in a forest clearing.
• Paterson confessed that King Clayde had ordered An’s mother abducted at the Radiant Temple and taken to the Royal Palace.
• Linley killed Paterson, and An, Linley, and Bebe disposed of the bodies and destroyed the evidence before dawn.
• An told Linley they would wait until An reached the ninth rank in his normal form before confronting Clayde, estimating it would take three to five years.
• An warned Linley that the Radiant Church and its peak Saint-level Pope, Heidens, could intervene, so they agreed to build their power and conceal their role in Paterson’s death.

An broke through to Ninth-Level Warrior and reached early Saint-level in Dragon Transformation, then returned with Linley to tell Hogg and reveal that Clayde had arranged their mother's abduction. The brothers went to intercept Clayde during a royal hunt, where An prepared to face Clayde and Caesar while Linley dealt with the guards and mages.

• An reached Ninth-Level Warrior and early Saint-level after transforming, then told Linley they would return to Wushan Town and confront Clayde.
• An showed Hogg his Saint-level power, and Linley revealed that Clayde had orchestrated Lina's abduction with Paterson's help.
• An and Linley left to capture Clayde and learn what had happened to their mother, while Hogg waited at home for news.
• An and Linley investigated Clayde's schedule and chose the royal hunt as their chance to attack.
• At the hunting grounds, An assigned Linley to eliminate the perimeter guards and mages while he went after Clayde and Caesar.

An confronted Clayde over his mother’s abduction and learned that the Radiant Church had taken her for its sacrificial rituals. An killed Clayde and, with Linley, hid the deaths while they planned to build strength before taking revenge on the Church.

• An ambushed Clayde in the Hunting Grounds, and Caesar’s attack failed; An broke his sword and struck him down.
• An tortured Clayde until he revealed that Lina had been sent to the Radiant Church because her soul was exceptionally pure.
• Linley arrived after defeating the guards and mages, and An killed Clayde despite his pleas for mercy.
• An and Linley agreed to conceal their hatred of the Radiant Church and grow stronger before seeking revenge.
• An and Linley buried the bodies and erased the evidence; the next day, Fenlai City panicked over Clayde’s disappearance, while the Church’s investigators found no trace.

An and Linley returned to Wushan Town, found it devastated by the magical beasts, and rescued Hogg, Hillman, and the surviving townspeople. They joined Yale and the Dawson convoy and fled north; a month later, the beast army and the Radiant Church agreed to end the war by dividing territory.

• An and Linley returned to Wushan Town and found its residents, including Orson and his baby, dead; An cleared the magical beasts from the town.
• An reunited with the injured Hogg, found Hillman and the surviving townspeople hiding in the cellar, and led them north with Linley.
• An sent Bebe to find Yale's convoy, and Yale and Chairman Dawson turned back to meet the refugees and arrange treatment for Hillman.
• The convoy traveled north toward the O'Brien Empire as news arrived that Fenlai City had fallen and the magical beast army was advancing.
• An and the refugees settled near the northern border fortress, where a magus healed Hillman; a month later, Chairman Dawson reported that Dylan and the Radiant Church had agreed to divide the contested territories and end the war.

On the eve of the year 10000, a magical beast army attacked Fenlai City, and An helped Linley, Yale, Reynolds, and Uncle Dawson escape. After holding off a Saint-level Tyrannosaurus, An reunited with them north of the burning city, and the group continued onward.

• An and Linley celebrated the Yulan Festival with Yale and Reynolds as the year 10000 began.
• A massive magical beast army invaded Fenlai City, and An and Linley fought their way toward the Dawson family compound to rescue Yale.
• An and Linley brought Yale to Uncle Dawson, who arranged an evacuation through a secret passage as the Radiant Temple fell and a deity-level magical beast appeared.
• When a Saint-level Tyrannosaurus threatened the group, An stayed behind to confront it while Linley led the others toward the passage.
• An used a Wind Blade barrage to distract the Tyrannosaurus and escaped, then reunited with Linley and the others on a hill north of Fenlai City.
• An and the group left the hill to seek a safer place as Fenlai City burned behind them.

An, Hogg, and Hillman left the border village for the O'Brien Empire, while Linley chose to train in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Their journey took them through lands crowded with refugees, and by the fifth month they reached the lawless buffer zone between the Holy Union and the O'Brien Empire.

• An persuaded Hogg to travel to the O'Brien Empire to reunite with Wharton, and Hillman agreed to go with them.
• An, Hogg, and Hillman set out in a carriage three days later, while Linley departed south with Bebe to train in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
• An helped an elderly refugee woman who nearly fell in the crush and gave her food and water as the group struggled through the crowded road.
• Hogg worried over the refugees who had lost their homes, and the travelers passed through northern duchies where people were stranded by closed borders.
• By the fifth month, An, Hogg, and Hillman had entered the unclaimed buffer zone between the Holy Union and the O'Brien Empire.

An brought Hogg and Hillman safely through the O'Brien Empire to Chiyan City, where they reunited with Wharton at the O'Brien Warrior Academy. The brothers began catching up as Wharton eagerly offered to show An around the academy.

• An killed a band of robbers with Funeral of the Wind after revealing his Saint-level power, and he later dealt with other robbers along the road.
• An, Hogg, and Hillman crossed into the O'Brien Empire, whose hostility toward the Radiant Church made it a safer place for the Baruch Clan.
• After a year of travel, An and his companions reached the imperial capital, Chiyan City, and entered after passing the guards' identification check.
• An went to the O'Brien Warrior Academy and asked the gatekeeper for Wharton.
• Wharton rushed out to greet Hogg and An, and An saw that his younger brother had become a sixth-level warrior.
• Wharton invited An to tour the academy and showed his excitement about its training grounds, battle energy rooms, and library.

After seven years apart, Linley returned to the Earl Baruch manor and reunited with An, Hogg, Wharton, and Hillman. The family welcomed him home, but Wharton’s wish to marry the Seventh Princess and the brothers’ plans to oppose the Radiant Church left their next steps unresolved.

• An learned that Linley had left the Magical Beast Mountain Range and told Hogg his eldest son would soon return.
• Linley reached Chiyan City, embraced An, and revealed that he had become an Early Ninth-Level Warrior while An had reached the Saint level as a warrior.
• Linley reunited with Hillman, Hogg, and Wharton at the manor, where Wharton said he loved the Seventh Princess Nina but the emperor had not approved their marriage.
• An explained that Blumer, a Ninth-Level Warrior, remained Wharton’s rival for Nina after Kailan withdrew from the contest.
• Linley and An discussed their mother’s death and resolved to prepare for a future fight against the Radiant Church.

Linley and An met Empress Joanne, who learned that Linley was a level nine mage and An was a Saint-level warrior. Joanne backed Wharton’s coming duel with Blumer and promised Nina’s hand in marriage if Wharton won, leaving the brothers to meet Nina after Blumer taunted Wharton.

• An showed Linley around the Baruch estate, and Wharton told them that Empress Joanne had summoned them to the palace.
• Joanne tested Linley’s strength and learned he was a level nine mage, then witnessed An reveal his Saint-level power.
• Joanne said she would handle Lanmo, confirmed Kailan had withdrawn, and promised Nina’s hand to Wharton if he defeated Blumer in their duel in one month.
• Blumer confronted Wharton outside Nina’s residence and boasted that he would defeat him, while Linley warned Wharton not to underestimate his opponent.
• Nina welcomed Linley and An into her residence and sat affectionately beside Wharton.

Wharton defeated Blumer in the Combat Arena, but Kenyon tried to overturn the result by claiming Wharton could no longer fight. An exposed Kenyon’s bias by defeating him in one move, securing Wharton’s victory and Joanne’s approval of his marriage to Nina.

• Wharton transformed into a Dragonblood Warrior and fought Blumer, overpowering him despite Blumer’s Light and Shadow Sword techniques.
• Blumer wounded Wharton’s shoulder with an enhanced strike, but Wharton knocked him off the platform and won the duel.
• Kenyon claimed Blumer’s strike had pierced Wharton’s lung and declared the match a draw, so An challenged Kenyon’s judgment.
• An transformed into a Saint-level Peak Dragonblood Warrior and defeated Kenyon with one move, after which Haydson and Joanne confirmed Wharton’s victory.
• An declined Joanne’s offer of an imperial position and asked her to approve Wharton’s marriage to Nina; Joanne agreed, and Wharton thanked her.

An defeated the Sword Saint Olivier in a public duel, proving the strength of his newly developed Wind-Cutting Formation. Emperor Joanne declared Wharton the winner over Blumer and announced Wharton’s engagement to Princess Nina as An and his family left the arena.

• Olivier arrived at the Combat Arena, saw Blumer’s injuries, and challenged An to a duel.
• An accepted Olivier’s challenge and used Wind Detection to find Olivier’s true body among the Light and Shadow Sword phantoms.
• An’s Wind-Cutting Formation overwhelmed Olivier’s attacks and wounded him, while An crushed Olivier’s Dark Night Slash with his bare hand.
• Olivier admitted defeat to An, and the spectators erupted in cheers.
• Emperor Joanne declared Wharton the winner over Blumer and announced Wharton’s engagement to Princess Nina.
• An praised Olivier’s speed, then left the Combat Arena with Wharton and Reynolds.

After defeating Olivier, Haydson challenged An Baruch to a duel three months later, and An accepted. Their battle began above Tujiao Mountain, where An’s rapid sword strikes failed to pierce Haydson’s stone armor.

• Haydson publicly challenged An to fight above Tujiao Mountain in three months, and An accepted.
• An told Linley that his Wind-Cutting Formation might not break Haydson’s formidable defense, but hinted that Wind Dimension had other uses.
• On the eve of the duel, An reassured his family and friends that he would face Haydson alone.
• Millions gathered at Tujiao Mountain as An and Haydson met in the air and agreed to fight without restraint.
• Haydson attacked with Earth Split, but An dodged and countered with Storm; Haydson’s stone armor stopped the sword strikes, and he pursued An as he evaded another blow.

An defeated Haydson with his Storm Spear, winning the decisive battle and earning the title of Guardian Martial Saint of the O'Brien Empire. The empire celebrated his victory, while nobles gathered at the Earl of Baruch's residence to seek his favor.

• After nearly an hour of fighting, An used Wind-Cutting Formation to pressure Haydson, then formed a Storm Spear when Haydson charged.
• An's Storm Spear pierced Haydson's Earth Split, shattered his heavy sword, and struck through his right shoulder, leaving him gravely wounded.
• Haydson admitted defeat and flew away, while millions of spectators cheered for An.
• An returned to his human form and reunited with Wharton, Yale, Reynolds, the Barker Five Brothers, and Linley.
• Empress Joanne named An the O'Brien Empire's Guardian Martial Saint and proclaimed three days of celebration.
• That evening, nobles crowded the Earl of Baruch's residence with gifts, while An left the socializing to Wharton and Hillman.

Wharton and Nina married at the Baruch manor, where Blumer apologized to Wharton and was welcomed. After the celebration, Hodan revealed the Baruch Clan’s history and offered An and Linley the chance to leave the Yulan Plane, but they chose to stay.

• Hogg opened Wharton and Nina’s wedding before a gathering of nobles, envoys, and powerful guests, then gave them the Baruch Clan’s heirloom dragon-shaped jade pendants.
• Blumer apologized to Wharton for his past arrogance, and Wharton accepted his apology.
• At the wedding banquet, Hodan appeared before An and Linley and identified himself as the Planar Overseer.
• Hodan told An and Linley that the Baruch Clan’s ancestors had gone to the Infernal Realm and that Saint-level experts could leave the Yulan Plane to cultivate on higher planes.
• An and Linley declined to leave, and Bebe and Haeru also chose to stay with them.
• Hodan departed for the Arctic Icefield, and An and Linley returned to the courtyard after discussing the wider world beyond the Yulan Continent.

An and Linley led Barker and Bebe to Dragon Valley in the Sunset Mountain Range to obtain living Saint-level dragon blood for the Baruch Clan’s future descendants. They wounded a Tyrannosaurus, but its call for help threatened to bring other dragons before it could decide whether to surrender its blood.

• An told Linley he planned to capture Saint-level dragons and use their fresh blood with blue heart grass to support future Baruch Clan bloodline awakenings, and Linley joined him.
• An, Linley, Barker, and Bebe flew to Dragon Valley and found a Saint-level Tyrannosaurus drinking by a river.
• An offered to spare the Tyrannosaurus if it cooperated, but it attacked him after recognizing the Baruch name and accusing the clan’s ancestors of slaughtering its kin.
• An caught the Tyrannosaurus’s tail and hurled it into a cliff, while Linley, Barker, and Bebe surrounded it.
• The Tyrannosaurus roared for help, and An wounded its abdomen before giving it one last chance to hand over its dragon blood.

An defeated three Saint-level dragons and secured their agreement to provide dragon blood to the Baruch Clan. Back in Chiyan City, Hogg drank Thunder Dragon blood with blue heart grass and successfully awakened his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline.

• An, Linley, Barker, and Bebe fought the Tyrannosaurus, Golden Dragon, and Thunder Dragon, with An overpowering the Tyrannosaurus and the others subduing their opponents.
• The three dragons conceded, and An arranged for them to provide fresh dragon blood in exchange for living safely in his fief.
• An brought the dragons to Chiyan City and told Hogg he could awaken his bloodline by drinking dragon blood with blue heart grass.
• Hogg chose the Thunder Dragon's blood, endured the painful transformation, and awakened as a Dragonblood Warrior.
• Hogg returned to human form, felt his renewed strength, and thanked An.

An left his family to travel and deepen his understanding of the Laws of Wind, but in the Luo'ao Empire he learned that the Dark Church planned to sacrifice a million people. After killing Cass-tro, An agreed to help Elena stop the sacrifice and had six months before the ritual could begin.

• An said goodbye to Hogg, Wharton, Nina, and Linley, then left to travel alone and pursue the God-level.
• After reaching Azure City, An sensed a battle and found Cass-tro fighting Elena over the Dark Church's plan to sacrifice a million living beings.
• Cass-tro wounded Elena, but An intervened and killed him with a sword strike that cut through his Death Curtain.
• Elena told An that the Church's leader was preparing a Sacrificial Magic Array and that the ritual would not be ready for at least six months.
• An accepted Elena's Elder Token and promised to help stop the sacrifice while she searched for the array's location.

An infiltrated a Dark Church branch and discovered its sacrificial formation in Shadow Valley, where he defeated its defenders and destroyed the formation. He escaped as hostile reinforcements arrived, delaying the Church’s plan by six months.

• An used Elena’s elder token to enter Blackstone Town’s Dark Temple and learned that the sacrificial formation was in Shadow Valley, guarded by Moulton and six fallen angels.
• An reached Shadow Valley, where Moulton activated the Fallen Angel Formation and attacked him alongside the six fallen angels.
• An killed one fallen angel, broke the formation with his Wind-Cutting Formation and Storm Spear, and left the remaining angels gravely wounded.
• An killed Moulton before he could detonate the sacrificial formation, then severed its core runes and dispersed its accumulated energy.
• An sensed Dark Church reinforcements approaching and escaped Shadow Valley as they arrived.

After An Baruch destroyed Shadow Valley, Pope Affleck ordered a massive bounty and sent the Dark Church’s three strongest Saint-level experts to hunt him. An defeated their coordinated assault at Dead Silence Ridge, but Gaius warned that the Church had already begun rebuilding the Sacrificial Magic Array, leaving An to consider seeking help.

• Affleck learned that An Baruch had destroyed Shadow Valley and ordered a bounty on him, then sent Gaius, Morgan, and Sylvia to capture or kill him.
• An detected the three pursuers and fled deeper into the mountains, where Sylvia ambushed him but could not hold him until Gaius and Morgan arrived.
• Morgan traced An’s aura to Dead Silence Ridge, and the three Church experts surrounded him at the cliff’s edge.
• An transformed into a Dragonblood Warrior and fought all three, resisting Morgan’s soul magic and nearly killing him with a Storm Spear attack.
• Gaius, Morgan, and Sylvia withdrew after deciding they could not defeat An quickly, and Gaius warned that the Church was rebuilding the Sacrificial Magic Array.
• An considered finding allies and vanished into the night.