Chapter Summaries

Tie Ming arrived in Wind-Splitting Gorge County to reward Qing Chen for conquering five cities and warn him that Wu Gui was sending a major force to attack Miaochong Prefecture. Qing Chen accepted the treasures and promised to hold the prefecture as Tie Ming arranged reinforcements and supplies.

• Tie Ming arrived with his guards and congratulated Qing Chen on his victories and the defeat of Ma Kui.
• Tie Ming gave Qing Chen an official seal, command token, spirit stones, Fortune Spirit Crystals, major merit, and a Nascent Soul Formation Pill.
• Tie Ming presented Qing Chen with a Golden Flood Dragon Blood Marrow Heart to aid his breakthrough to the Immortal Realm.
• Tie Ming warned Qing Chen that the Hundred Poisons True Lord and fifty thousand troops were advancing, while the Centipede-Insect Daoist could attack from within Miaochong Prefecture.
• Qing Chen declared he would face the attackers, and Tie Ming promised thirty thousand armored cavalry under Tie Qingniu and supplies for an army of a hundred thousand.

After securing five counties in Miaochong Prefecture, Qing Chen reviewed the state of his forces and the spoils of war. He learned that his combat-ready army had grown to nearly eighty thousand, leaving him confident enough to consider challenging the Shushan Sword Sect.

• Lin Changsheng reported that defenses across the five counties had been stabilized and surrendered troops were being incorporated into auxiliary battalions.
• Qing Chen heard how his subordinates had been promoted and rewarded, while Deng Ziyue and Spirit Crane True Person had died in battle.
• Xu Jiuling reported that Qing Chen's forces controlled five counties, home to nearly one billion mortals, over six hundred declared-loyal cultivation groups, and many rogue cultivators.
• Xu Jiuling said the army had recruited twenty-four thousand new troops, bringing its combat-ready strength to nearly eighty thousand alongside Sima Tie Qingniu's thirty thousand Anman Prefecture cavalry.
• Qing Chen considered the strength of his army and felt confident it could raze the Shushan Sword Sect.

Qing Chen reviewed the army’s enormous captured supplies and rewards from the Southeastern Circuit, then ordered five years of extra stipends for every officer and soldier. He approved Xu Jiuling’s reward schedule and tasked Lin Changsheng with helping distribute the rewards promptly and fairly.

• Xu Jiuling reported the captured spirit stones, Fortune Talismans, provisions, and other treasures, along with supplies allocated by the Southeastern Circuit.
• Qing Chen recognized the officers and soldiers’ sacrifices and ordered an additional five years’ stipends for the entire army.
• Xu Jiuling proposed rewards tailored to cultivation level, rank, and military merit, with options to exchange them for supplies and treasures.
• Qing Chen approved the schedule and ordered Lin Changsheng to escort Xu Jiuling and ensure the rewards were distributed in full without delays or theft.

Qing Chen rewarded his troops and arranged generous support for the fallen cultivators’ families, strengthening his army’s loyalty. Facing approaching enemies and the Three Lives Killing Tribulation, he decided to cultivate his body before attempting Nascent Soul formation and entered his hidden cave abode.

• Qing Chen ordered doubled death benefits for fallen soldiers, care for their dependents, and inquiries into whether other promised benefits had been paid.
• Xu Jiuling and Lin Changsheng withdrew, and news of five years’ stipends and other rewards spread through the camps, raising morale and Qing Chen’s prestige.
• Qing Chen considered the approaching forces of Hundred Poisons True Lord and Centipede-Insect Daoist, Tie Ming’s plans, and the danger posed by the Three Lives Killing Tribulation.
• Qing Chen decided to break through to the Immortal Realm in body cultivation before attempting Nascent Soul formation.
• Qing Chen opened a concealed passage beneath the City Lord’s Mansion and descended into his hidden cave abode.

Qing Chen began the Immortality Nirvana Art, using the Golden Flood Dragon Blood Marrow Heart, his demon banners, and asura flesh and blood to remake his Baleful Core. After five years of preparation and a perilous transformation, he drove the core into his heart aperture, leaving the outcome unknown.

• Qing Chen sealed himself in a stone chamber, strengthened its protections, and laid out spirit stones and Fortune Spirit Crystals for his cultivation.
• He prepared the Golden Flood Dragon Blood Marrow Heart, the remaining asura flesh and blood, and five demon banners to support his attempt to reach the Immortal Realm.
• Over five years, Qing Chen began reversing and smelting his Baleful Core with the Immortality Nirvana Art, enduring severe pain as it merged with his blood and body.
• Qing Chen drew on the Golden Flood Dragon's blood qi and called on the demon banners to pour purified qi, blood, and baleful power into him.
• As his meridians and organs began to fail, Qing Chen consumed the asura flesh and blood to repair them, then forced the shrinking Baleful Core into his heart aperture.

Qing Chen emerged from five years of seclusion after his Golden Flood Dragon’s Baleful Core transformed his body and advanced his Immortality Nirvana Art to the Immortal Realm. He learned from Xu Jiuling that the war had gone poorly and that repeated enemy raids were draining the counties’ troops and resources.

• The Baleful Core fused throughout Qing Chen’s body, rebuilding his bones, meridians, organs, and skin and granting him immense physical strength.
• Qing Chen tested his new strength, realized he had reached the Immortal Realm, and sensed that the Three Lives Killing Tribulation no longer felt as overwhelming.
• Qing Chen spread his divine sense across Wind-Splitting County and summoned Xu Jiuling from the county offices.
• Xu Jiuling reported that True Lord Tie Ming had suffered repeated defeats against Hundred Poisons True Lord near Coiled Snake County, with five thousand casualties and three Golden Core Commandants killed.
• Xu Jiuling explained that enemy raiders had repeatedly harassed Withered Skeleton and Venomous Spittle Counties, while Qing Chen’s commanders and defenses had repelled them at great cost.
• Xu Jiuling warned that the troops were exhausted, nearly twenty percent of the stockpiles had been spent, and falling revenue made the prolonged war increasingly difficult to sustain.

Qing Chen reviewed the troop deployments and neighboring battles, then realized the rebels’ true target might be Withered Skeleton County and his base at Wind-Splitting Gorge. He ordered Xu Jiuling to secretly prepare five concealed treasure ships and to send twenty thousand troops toward Coiled Snake County as a diversion.

• Xu Jiuling reported that nearly one hundred thousand troops were stationed across Miaochong Prefecture, while True Lord Tie Ming repeatedly sent urgent messages from Rock Formation Camp.
• Xu Jiuling recounted True Lord Chongxu’s defeat in Qiong Prefecture and said Yuxi Prefecture had been fully recovered.
• Qing Chen concluded that the enemy might be feigning an attack on Coiled Snake Camp to seize Withered Skeleton County and threaten Wind-Splitting Gorge.
• Qing Chen ordered Xu Jiuling to requisition five Giant Whale Treasure Ships and conceal them in Black Cloud Ravine.
• Qing Chen instructed Xu Jiuling to issue an order, supposedly from True Lord Tie Ming, sending twenty thousand elite troops to reinforce Coiled Snake County.

Qing Chen arranged a concealed counter-encirclement while ordering a false reinforcement march toward Coiled Snake County. Jia Daoyi redirected his anger at the defeated commanders along the White Stone River, and Young Master Lingxu erupted over the reprimand and withheld supplies.

• Qing Chen ordered Xu Jiuling to conceal twenty thousand troops in Black Cloud Ravine and Crouching Dragon Mountains while empty transports continued toward Coiled Snake County as a decoy.
• Qing Chen told Xu Jiuling to send Jia Daoyi a stern dispatch blaming Anman Prefecture for allowing the rebels to threaten Miaochong Prefecture's flank.
• Jia Daoyi angrily ordered his adviser to reprimand Chongxu, Lingxu, and Azure Roc's forces and withhold their promised supplies.
• Young Master Lingxu raged over Jia Daoyi's dispatch and the loss of supplies, while True Lord Chongxu urged him to stay calm.
• Lingxu also condemned Qing Chen and Qing Guhong, furious that Qing Chen had risen in power while he suffered defeat and humiliation.

Young Master Lingxu decided to leak Qing Chen’s military movements to Purple Spider True Lord, hoping to weaken Qing Chen and regain favor. Several days later, Purple Spider True Lord confirmed Qing Chen had reinforced Coiled Snake County and Withered Skeleton County, and joined Hundred Poisons True Lord in plotting to kill him.

• After receiving an Expulsion Order, Lingxu urged True Lord Chongxu and Qingpeng True Person to leak Qing Chen’s troop movements to Purple Spider True Lord, but they hesitated.
• Lingxu left for the inner chamber, determined to take revenge on Qing Chen.
• Several days later, Purple Spider True Lord contacted Hundred Poisons True Lord through a Communication Array and asked whether Qing Chen had sent twenty thousand troops to Coiled Snake County.
• Hundred Poisons True Lord confirmed that Qing Chen’s troops had gone to Coiled Snake County and that reinforcements had also strengthened Withered Skeleton County.
• Purple Spider True Lord and Hundred Poisons True Lord agreed that Qing Chen’s death would benefit them both.

Hundred Poisons True Lord and Purple Spider True Lord devised a plan to draw Qing Chen out of seclusion by attacking Withered Skeleton County. As Qing Chen strengthened his battle halberd, Tie Ming offered him equality and brotherhood, and Qing Chen prepared to defend the county while crediting Tie Ming with the coming victory.

• Hundred Poisons True Lord and Purple Spider True Lord planned to distract Qing Chen with attacks on Rock Formation Camp and White Stone River before Purple Spider True Lord struck Withered Skeleton County.
• Qing Chen, hidden in the Crouching Dragon Mountains, had Xin Bairen kill suspicious soldiers and upgraded the [Pojun Battle Halberd] to a high-grade magic treasure with forty-three blood marks.
• Tie Ming contacted Qing Chen and asked to address him as a brother, offering him a place as a superior guest elder in the Iron Household.
• Qing Chen accepted Tie Ming as his elder brother, and Tie Ming said he would keep Hundred Poisons True Lord pinned in Coiled Snake County while Qing Chen handled Withered Skeleton County.
• Qing Chen told Tie Ming that the battle’s foremost merit would belong to him if their plan succeeded.

Qing Chen waited in concealment as Purple Spider True Lord led thirty thousand Spider Demon Guards to attack Withered Skeleton County. The city’s defenders held behind their formation while Qing Chen prepared to strike when the enemy’s vigilance slackened.

• Qing Chen learned that the Qiong Prefecture Rebel Army had attacked and ordered his forces to remain hidden and at full readiness.
• Seven days later, Lin Changsheng received word that a large enemy force was approaching Withered Skeleton County and prepared the defenders according to Qing Chen’s plan.
• Purple Spider True Lord arrived with thirty thousand Spider Demon Guards and ordered them to break the city’s protective formation.
• Lin Changsheng linked ten thousand troops’ fighting spirit to the formation and used a High-Grade Fortune Talisman to withstand the assault.
• Qing Chen waited with twenty thousand elite soldiers aboard concealed treasure ships and ordered them to prepare to attack once Purple Spider True Lord had committed his strength.

Qing Chen led the Miao-Conquest Army in a surprise attack on Purple Spider True Lord's forces besieging Withered Skeleton County, while Lin Changsheng led the defenders in a counterattack from the city. When Purple Spider True Lord struck at Qing Chen with the power of his army, Qing Chen used the troops' Qi and Blood and a Fortune Spirit Crystal to shatter the attack.

• Qing Chen led five Treasure Ships and twenty thousand Miao-Conquest Army troops in a surprise assault on the rear of Purple Spider True Lord's army.
• Qing Chen ordered his troops to attack at close range, throwing the Spider Demon Guards into disarray.
• Lin Changsheng led ten thousand defenders out of Withered Skeleton County to strike the enemy from the front.
• Purple Spider True Lord gathered the power of more than twenty thousand soldiers and attacked Qing Chen with his spider Dharma Form.
• Qing Chen drew on the Qi and Blood of thirty thousand troops, crushed a Low-Grade Fortune Spirit Crystal, and shattered Purple Spider True Lord's strike with the Pojun Battle Halberd.

Qing Chen defeated Purple Spider True Lord with two halberd strikes, breaking his dharma form and smashing him into the ground. As the Miao-Conquest Army routed the Spider Demon Guards, Purple Spider True Lord fled under cover of exploding Soul-Devouring Demon Spiders, but Qing Chen pursued him.

• Qing Chen split Purple Spider True Lord’s spider dharma form with a halberd strike, causing the linked Spider Demon Guards’ formation to weaken.
• Qing Chen smashed Purple Spider True Lord into a trench with his second strike, breaking his defenses and badly injuring him.
• Qing Chen ordered the Miao-Conquest Army to slaughter the enemy, and Lin Changsheng led the soldiers in a renewed attack as the Spider Demon Guards’ morale collapsed.
• Purple Spider True Lord released Soul-Devouring Demon Spiders that detonated and sprayed venom, buying time for him and the surviving guards to flee.
• Qing Chen cleared away the attacking spiders and ordered his army to pursue and kill the fleeing enemies without mercy.
• Purple Spider True Lord fled with his damaged Purple Spider Banner raised as Qing Chen pursued him, and he demanded to know why Qing Chen would not stop hunting him.

Qing Chen lured Purple Spider True Lord into a trap and fought him with help from Venerable Flameheart. Qing Chen’s Primal Magnetism Divine Light disabled the Purple Spider Banner and weakened Purple Spider True Lord, allowing Qing Chen to sever his arm with a lethal halberd strike.

• Qing Chen and Purple Spider True Lord fought far from their armies, and Purple Spider True Lord claimed he had lured Qing Chen away from his troops until reinforcements arrived.
• Qing Chen revealed that he had arranged for fifteen thousand body cultivators to ambush the battered Spider Demon Guards and sent Lin Changsheng to cut off the thirty thousand troops at White Stone River.
• Purple Spider True Lord unleashed the Purple Spider Devil Cloud Art and fled, but Venerable Flameheart appeared ahead and struck him with the Mount Sumeru Seal.
• Qing Chen broke through the devil cloud, caught up to Purple Spider True Lord, and used Primal Magnetism Divine Light to suppress the Purple Spider Banner and hinder his true essence.
• Qing Chen struck Purple Spider True Lord with the Second Terror-Heavenly Severance Halberd Art, shattering his spiritual protection and severing an arm and part of his shoulder.

Qing Chen killed Purple Spider True Lord after trapping him with the Twelve White Bone Demon Mara Banners and resisting his soul-attacking curse. He secured the defeated True Lord’s remains and learned that the Eight Mystic-Exceptional Strange Ways, including the Moon-Eroding Way and Guisi Lingyuan, were connected to the other demon banners.

• Purple Spider True Lord unleashed the Heart-Devouring Purple Spider Gu, but Qing Chen’s Nine-Petal Demon Lotus absorbed and destroyed the phantom.
• Qing Chen activated his five demon banners, forming the Immortal-Locking Gourd that bound Purple Spider True Lord and suppressed his escape.
• Qing Chen beheaded Purple Spider True Lord with the Pojun Battle Halberd and gathered his possessions.
• Purple Spider True Lord’s Nascent Soul begged for mercy, but Qing Chen let the Yin-Yang binding force destroy its divine soul before sealing it in a dark jade box.
• Qing Chen reflected that Wu Gui’s rebel forces in Qiong Prefecture had suffered heavy losses and identified the Moon-Eroding Way and Guisi Lingyuan as clues to the remaining demon banners.

Lin Changsheng’s forces seized White Stone County and three more cities, helping trap and destroy the Qiong Prefecture rebels after Qing Chen killed the Violet Centipede Nascent Soul. Faced with the defeat and Qing Chen’s growing threat, Hundred Poisons True Lord abandoned the offensive and ordered his army to consolidate and defend.

• Lin Changsheng’s thirty thousand troops breached White Stone County, captured it, and then took three more county cities in Qiong Prefecture.
• The stranded thirty thousand Qiong Prefecture Rebel Army troops fought back against True Lord Chongxu and the Anman Prefectural Army, but Lin Changsheng’s surprise attack from behind broke them and led to their capture or slaughter.
• Hundred Poisons True Lord received reports that Purple Spider True Lord and the Spider Demon Guard had been destroyed, three counties had fallen, and Qing Chen had slain the Violet Centipede Nascent Soul.
• Hundred Poisons True Lord judged that his forces could no longer continue fighting with Qing Chen threatening their flank and rear.
• Hundred Poisons True Lord ordered his army to abandon forward strongholds, defend along the entire line, monitor Qing Chen’s forces, and urgently send the battle report to King Wu Gui.

After Qing Chen slew Purple Spider True Lord and captured three cities in Qiong Prefecture, Wei Ting presented the victory report to Grand General Xiao Canglan. Xiao Canglan promoted Qing Chen to Rebellion-Subduing General, granted him broad authority and a larger army, and ordered generous rewards for his forces.

• Qing Chen’s victory report reached Wei Ting’s headquarters, where Chan Master Wuxiang and the other generals reacted with shock.
• Wei Ting defended Qing Chen’s attack on Qiong Prefecture when generals at Xiao Canglan’s headquarters questioned his achievements and accused him of overstepping his authority.
• Tie Zhan revealed that Tie Ming and Qing Chen had planned the operation together and announced that Qing Chen had reached the Immortal Realm in body cultivation.
• Xiao Canglan credited Tie Ming with initiating the attack and Qing Chen with defeating the enemy, then promoted Tie Ming to Ambush General and Qing Chen to Rebellion-Subduing General.
• Xiao Canglan gave Qing Chen authority over Miaochong, Qiong Prefecture, and Anman, permitted him to expand his army to 150,000, and ordered rewards for his troops and their families.

Qing Chen received lavish military rewards and authority over three prefectures, while the Eighteen Strongholds of Southern Yue debated how to respond to his growing power. Their newly appointed Eighteenth Stronghold Chief, Qing Jie, recognized Qing Chen as the brother he had lost a century earlier and sought a way to confirm his identity.

• Xiao Canglan rewarded Qing Chen with the title of Subordinate Fourth Rank General Who Quells Rebellion, command over three prefectures, and authority to expand his army to 150,000.
• Months later, the Grand Stronghold Chief warned the Eighteen Strongholds that Qing Chen had seized most of Miaochong Prefecture and asked whether Firepit County was next.
• The Golden Core bandit chiefs argued over whether to confront Qing Chen, avoid him, or retreat into the Million Mountains.
• The Grand Stronghold Chief asked Qing Jie, the newly appointed Eighteenth Stronghold Chief, for his assessment of Qing Chen.
• Qing Jie recognized Qing Chen in the jade slip as his long-lost big brother and recommended making contact to sound him out.

Qing Chen traveled in disguise to Min Prefecture, seeking a secluded place to prepare for Nascent Soul formation. He reached the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range and asked to rent its most secluded, best-equipped cave abode.

• After intervening forces made him withdraw from Qiong Prefecture, Qing Chen plundered the capital and left the war-torn region behind.
• Qing Chen traveled anonymously by cloud boat to Min Prefecture, carrying treasures for Nascent Soul formation and the spoils of his earlier battles.
• He arrived in Min Prefecture and marveled at its immense, orderly city and abundant spiritual resources.
• Qing Chen went to the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range, a cave-abode district where cultivators could rent a place without questions about their origins.
• Qing Chen asked manager Qian Dafu for the most secluded Class A cave abode, with the strongest formation and richest spiritual energy.

Qing Chen rented and fortified an A-Class Cave Abode, then prepared to attempt the first trial of Nascent Soul formation. After years of refining the Immortal-Locking Demon Lotus Platform, he began shattering his Golden Core and brought the secret technique into play.

• Qian Dafu accepted Qing Chen’s payment and leased him Hidden Dragon Number Nine for forty years without asking about his identity.
• Qing Chen inspected the cave abode, added protective formations, and planted the Purple Spider Banner as a hidden killing move.
• Qing Chen reviewed the dangers of forming a Nascent Soul and prepared with Dragon’s Saliva Incense, Fortune Spirit Crystals, and over a thousand high-grade spirit stones.
• Qing Chen activated the Rolling Essence Method, building up his true essence until his Golden Core began to spin and develop a fine crack.
• Qing Chen summoned his Nine-Petaled Demon Lotus Karmic Fire and brought forth the Immortal-Locking Demon Lotus Platform to contain the core’s essence as it shattered.