Recaps

The Dark Emperor and Nine Phoenix Empress trapped Chen Qingyu in their Dao arts, while Emperor Huan helped hold him in place. Isolated and facing the loss of his powers, Chen Qingyu began forming a new Dao art to break free.

• The Dark Emperor sealed Chen Qingyu’s senses with Heaven and Earth in Eternal Darkness and called on the Nine Phoenix Empress to attack.
• The Nine Phoenix Empress used Collapse and Extinction of Myriad Colors to strip away Chen Qingyu’s powers, then discovered he controlled twenty-four upper-tier laws.
• The Dark Emperor urged the Nine Phoenix Empress to hurry, while Emperor Huan assured them Great Emperor Dongxu’s group could keep Great Emperor Wanxing and his allies occupied.
• Chen Qingyu, unable to perceive the world around him, analyzed the Dark Emperor’s laws of light and shadow and developed the beginnings of a countering Dao art.

Chen Qingyu broke free of the Dark Emperor’s mind-sealing technique and escaped the Time Ring Domain, foiling the three Half-Step Heavenly Lords’ attempt to strip away his laws. With Great Emperor Wanxing arriving, the Dark Emperor declared their plot a failure and ordered a retreat.

• The Nine Phoenix Empress failed to strip even one of Chen Qingyu’s laws, while the Dark Emperor ordered Emperor Huan to attack Orchid Court Fortress.
• Chen Qingyu developed a counter to the Dark Emperor’s Dao technique, regained control of his body, and stopped the Nine Phoenix Empress from distorting his laws.
• Chen Qingyu used Spacetime Severance to escape the Time Ring Domain and challenged the three enemies to use their remaining means.
• Great Emperor Wanxing arrived, and the Dark Emperor ordered the forces to withdraw after declaring their plot a crushing defeat.

After surviving the Earthly Branch Alliance’s failed attempt to kill him at Orchid Court Fortress, Chen Qingyu cultivated at Heavenly Sea Fortress and broke through to late Emperor Venerable. With his power now surpassing the Half-Step Heavenly Lords of both alliances, he called for a counterattack.

• The Dark Emperor, the Nine Phoenix Empress, and Emperor Huan retreated from Orchid Court Fortress, and the Earthly Branch Alliance withdrew from the battlefield after losing over two thousand Emperor Venerables.
• Great Emperor Wanxing reunited with Chen Qingyu, praised him for holding back three Half-Step Heavenly Lords, and said the victory had bought the Heavenly Stem Alliance precious time.
• Chen Qingyu returned to Heavenly Sea Fortress and secluded himself to cultivate while the alliances fought several more battles.
• Great Emperor Wanxing and the Heavenly Stem Alliance held the fortress against the Earthly Branch Alliance’s seven Half-Step Heavenly Lords, preventing them from attacking Chen Qingyu or severing the alliance’s lifeline.
• Chen Qingyu broke through to late Emperor Venerable, bringing all twenty-four Upper-Tier Laws of the Dao of Myriad Calamities into the Half-Step Heavenly Lord realm.
• Chen Qingyu emerged from seclusion and told Great Emperor Wanxing and the others that the balance of power had reversed and it was time to counterattack the Earthly Branch Alliance.

After reaching the Half-Step Heavenly Lord realm, Chen Qingyu launched a counterattack against the seven enemy Half-Step Heavenly Lords at Seven Venerables Fort. He overwhelmed their combined defense with a second surge of power, leaving them unable to hold their ground.

• Chen Qingyu told Great Emperor Wanxing that he would fight all seven enemy Half-Step Heavenly Lords while Great Emperor Wanxing led the attack on the Earthly Branch Alliance’s Emperor Venerables.
• Emperor Huan, Dark Emperor, Great Emperor Dongxu, and the other four gathered at Seven Venerables Fort and prepared to defend together against Chen Qingyu.
• The Heavenly Stem Alliance’s Emperor Venerables charged the northern fortresses as Chen Qingyu flew ahead of the other four Half-Step Heavenly Lords to face the seven defenders.
• Chen Qingyu pressed down with the Wanjie Divine Light, and the seven defenders combined their powers to meet his attack.
• Chen Qingyu unleashed greater strength by cycling the twenty-four calamities, causing the seven defenders’ divine lights to crumble.

Chen Qingyu overwhelmed the seven Half-Step Heavenly Lords of the Earthly Branch Alliance at Seven Venerables Fort. After their defeat, Great Emperor Dongxu and the others abandoned their forces and fled the Heavenly Bohai Sea.

• Great Emperor Wanxing and three allies saw Chen Qingyu overpower the Earthly Branch Alliance’s divine light and turned to attack its fortresses along the battlefront.
• Great Emperor Dongxu ordered the seven Half-Step Heavenly Lords to surround Chen Qingyu and follow their backup plan.
• Chen Qingyu shattered Emperor Huan and the Dark Emperor’s Dao arts, then defeated the Nine Phoenix Empress and seriously injured Great Emperor Dongxu with Taihao Heaven Collapse.
• Chen Qingyu broke the remaining three Half-Step Heavenly Lords’ Dao arts and sent them flying.
• Great Emperor Dongxu ordered a retreat, and the seven Half-Step Heavenly Lords fled, abandoning the Emperor Venerables under their command.

Chen Qingyu’s defeat of the Earthly Branch Alliance’s seven Half-Step Heavenly Lords turned the battle for the Heavenly Bohai Sea into a decisive victory for the Heavenly Stem Alliance. The Earthly Branch leaders regrouped at their headquarters and clung to hope that fortune might still let them compete for the coming blessing, while Chen Qingyu received praise from his allies.

• Chen Qingyu let the seven Half-Step Heavenly Lords flee, and the Earthly Branch Alliance’s forces lost morale and began deserting across the battlefield.
• Emperor Huan escaped and lamented that a thousand years of scheming had been ruined by Great Emperor Wanjie’s strength.
• Great Emperor Dongxu gathered the seven leaders at their headquarters and urged them to stay safe behind its Heavenly Lord defenses.
• Emperor Huan told the others that the contest for the blessing also depended on opportunity and fortune, giving them hope that they could still compete.
• The Heavenly Stem Alliance routed the Earthly Branch forces from the Heavenly Bohai Sea, and Great Emperor Wanxing praised Chen Qingyu for securing the victory.

After Chen Qingyu defeated the Earthly Branch Alliance’s seven Half-Step Heavenly Lords, the Heavenly Stem Alliance celebrated and reclaimed its lost territory. Half a year later, Chen Qingyu continued refining Hearts of Myriad Realms in Heavenly Sea Fortress, estimating that he needed at least another half year to reach the peak of the Realm of Creation.

• Chen Qingyu rejected claims that he was invincible beneath the Heavenly Lords, while Great Emperor Wanxing called him the strongest beneath them.
• Great Emperor Wanxing proposed a victory feast, and Chen Qingyu agreed that the news should be celebrated throughout the alliance.
• The Heavenly Stem Alliance celebrated Chen Qingyu’s victory, while Sect Master Guangwang received congratulations from Emperor Venerable Duanxu and others.
• Over the next half year, the Heavenly Stem Alliance reclaimed lost territory and pressed the Earthly Branch Alliance, which retreated into its headquarters fortress.
• Chen Qingyu refined over five thousand Hearts of Myriad Realms in half a year and estimated he needed at least another half year to reach the peak of the Realm of Creation.

After months of hiding, the Earthly Branch Alliance’s seven Half-Step Heavenly Lords sensed that the boon had appeared and raced to claim it. Chen Qingyu and the other Half-Step Heavenly Lords also hurried toward its location, beginning the final contest.

• Great Emperor Dongxu urged the Earthly Branch Alliance’s leaders to risk a sortie, arguing their forces had recovered enough to seize gains before the boon appeared.
• The seven Half-Step Heavenly Lords sensed the boon and set out from their headquarters to reach it before Great Emperor Wanjie could intercept them.
• Chen Qingyu sensed the boon while refining the Heart of Myriad Realms, and his Sixth Senior Brother urged him to hurry.
• Chen Qingyu left the Heavenly Bohai Sea as Great Emperor Wanxing and the other Half-Step Heavenly Lords abandoned the front to race toward the boon.

The blessing descended, and the Heavenly Lords gathered to watch the final contest of the epoch. Great Emperor Wanxing and his companions discovered the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda, where Great Emperor Dongxu’s group landed under crushing pressure as Great Emperor Wanjie approached.

• The twenty-four Heavenly Lords discussed the blessing and the coming end of the epoch, with Supreme Star Venerable Danyang Ju worrying that one of his two disciples would miss out.
• Great Emperor Wanxing and his companions found the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda and wondered whether its summit held the blessing and the legendary Heaven-Equaling Ladder.
• Great Emperor Dongxu and his companions arrived, and Emperor Huan said she knew nothing about the pagoda’s mysteries.
• As Great Emperor Wanjie approached, Great Emperor Dongxu led his group onto the pagoda’s first tier, where crushing pressure made them stagger.
• Great Emperor Wanxing and his companions held back, deciding to let Great Emperor Dongxu’s group scout the way.

Chen Qingyu and the Half-Step Heavenly Lords climbed the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda, whose crushing pressure slowed their progress. After three days and three nights, Chen Qingyu reached the 999th step and found only a mist-covered white expanse, leaving the legendary boon’s location uncertain.

• Chen Qingyu joined Great Emperor Wanxing and the others at the pagoda, and they entered its range and lost the ability to fly.
• Chen Qingyu steadied himself under the pagoda’s pressure and climbed past Great Emperor Dongxu, Emperor Huan, and the Dark Emperor without attacking them.
• Chen Qingyu advanced far faster than the other Half-Step Heavenly Lords, while Great Emperor Wanxing and Great Emperor Dongxu gradually climbed behind him.
• After three days and three nights, Chen Qingyu reached the 999th step and saw a mist-covered expanse with nothing visible within it.
• Chen Qingyu wondered whether the legendary boon lay beyond the mist.

Chen Qingyu stepped into the mist atop the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda and awoke as Heavenly Emperor Chen in the Nine Realms, inheriting the emperor’s memories. He learned that his ten-thousand-year slumber had left the realm in chaos, with the rebellion beyond the Heavenly Capital and some divine artifacts lost to the rebels.

• Chen Qingyu entered the mist, and his consciousness fell dormant.
• Chen Qingyu awoke on the imperial throne in the Heavenly River Realm and learned that he was Heavenly Emperor Chen, the seventh sovereign of the Nine Realms.
• Chen Qingyu learned from the inherited memories that Heavenly Emperor Chen had ruled the Nine Realms before slumbering to resist age and decay.
• Chen Qingyu decided to act as Heavenly Emperor Chen and asked the Chief Minister how the world had changed during his sleep.
• The Chief Minister explained that rebellion had spread across the Nine Realms, the imperial forces had remained in the Heavenly Capital, and the rebels had seized some divine artifacts.

Chen Qingyu learned that four of the Five Great Divine Artifacts had fallen to rebels and ordered the court to prepare to suppress the uprising. As he examined the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron, he discovered its power exceeded his expectations and realized it was a Heavenly Lord-level supreme treasure.

• Chen Qingyu learned that four divine artifacts were held by rebels and asked whether any rebel kings had reached the Heavenly Emperor Realm.
• The chief minister confirmed that several rebel kings had ascended to that realm, and Chen Qingyu summoned the officials to the Heaven-Bearing Hall.
• After the chief minister left, Chen Qingyu examined his youthful body and concluded that everyone perceived him as Heavenly Emperor Chen.
• Chen Qingyu summoned the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron and sensed that it had already been refined by him.
• Chen Qingyu examined the cauldron's immense power and realized it was a Heavenly Lord-level supreme treasure.

After discovering that the Five Great Divine Artifacts were Heavenly Lord-level treasures, Chen Qingyu realized Heavenly Emperor Chen had distributed them because their power depended on their wielder. He heard that the Nine Realms faced twelve rebel kings whose leaders were all in the Heavenly Emperor Realm, leaving the Zhang Clan Heavenly Dynasty in grave danger.

• Chen Qingyu examined the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron and discovered that it had no Primal Spirit, so its power depended on the strength of its wielder.
• Chen Qingyu reasoned that Heavenly Emperor Chen had distributed the other four divine artifacts to restrain lesser threats, but his long slumber had allowed them to change hands and the Nine Realms to fall into chaos.
• The chief minister brought the capital's senior officials into the Heaven-Bearing Hall, and Chen Qingyu ordered the Mighty Marshal to report on the rebel armies and kings.
• The Mighty Marshal showed a map of the Nine Realms and reported that twelve rebel kings ruled outside the relatively stable Heavenly River Realm.
• The Mighty Marshal confirmed that all twelve rebel leaders had reached the Heavenly Emperor Realm, alarming the officials as they faced Chen Qingyu's weakened dynasty.

Chen Qingyu learned which four rebel kings held the other divine artifacts and heard the chief minister propose summoning all twelve rebel kings to the Heavenly Capital to turn them against one another. The plan depended on the weakened Zhang Clan Heavenly Dynasty’s legitimacy and Chen Qingyu’s ability to back it with strength.

• Chen Qingyu asked the Mighty Marshal who held the other four divine artifacts and learned they were scattered among four powerful rebel kings.
• The Mighty Marshal showed Chen Qingyu a map identifying the Ascension Heavenly King, the Raging Sea Dragon King, the Chonglou Saint King, and the Great Azure Realm King and their territories and artifacts.
• The chief minister proposed that Chen Qingyu feign abdication and summon the twelve rebel kings to choose his successor, creating an opportunity to divide them.
• The Mighty Marshal condemned the chief minister’s proposal as treacherous, but Chen Qingyu acknowledged its logic and warned that the dynasty lacked the strength to control the gathering.

Chen Qingyu rejected his officials’ doubts and decided to lead the campaign against the rebel kings himself. He chose the Ascension Heavenly King as his first target, then used the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron to travel to the Heavenly River Realm’s frontier and open its barrier.

• Chen Qingyu ordered the armies to remain in the Heavenly Capital and declared that he would personally punish the rebels.
• Chen Qingyu chose the Ascension Heavenly King as his first target because of his power and importance among the rebels.
• Chen Qingyu worried that Great Emperor Dongxu, Emperor Huan, and other Half-Step Heavenly Lords might enter the Nine Realms and unite against him.
• Chen Qingyu used the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron to travel from the Heavenly Capital to the frontier of the Heavenly River Realm.
• Chen Qingyu activated the cauldron to break through the Heavenly River Realm’s barrier and open a passage.

Chen Qingyu arrived in the Ascension Realm, where the Ascension Heavenly King planned to kill him and seize the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron to strengthen his claim to the throne. Chen Qingyu sensed the realm’s laws under the Heavenly King’s control and discovered that its people worshipped him and received treasures in return for offerings.

• The Ascension Heavenly King learned that Heavenly Emperor Chen had awakened and intended to lead a campaign against the rebel kings.
• The Ascension Heavenly King said he hoped Chen Qingyu would target him first, so he could kill him, take the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron, and gain an advantage in the struggle for the throne.
• Chen Qingyu emerged into the Ascension Realm carrying an ancient bronze cauldron, and his arrival caused the realm to tremble.
• Chen Qingyu sensed the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag’s power controlling the Ascension Realm’s laws and recognized that the Ascension Heavenly King had command over them.
• Chen Qingyu discovered that worshippers across the realm offered materials at altars and received spirit pills, divine medicines, Divine Weapons, and Mystic Artifacts in return.

Chen Qingyu traced the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag’s power to the Ascension Heavenly King’s Estate and traveled there to confront him. The Ascension Heavenly King mustered his seven capital garrisons to challenge Chen, who arrived and demanded that they bow.

• Chen Qingyu realized the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag had helped the Ascension Heavenly King dominate the Ascension Realm and located its strongest power at the Heavenly King’s Estate.
• The Ascension Heavenly King learned that Chen Qingyu had entered the realm and ordered his ministers to muster the seven capital garrisons, intending to defeat Chen and claim the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron.
• Chen Qingyu crossed nearly half the Ascension Realm and reached the Heavenly King’s Estate, where seventy thousand elite troops and the Ascension Heavenly King awaited him.
• Chen Qingyu appeared before the assembled forces and demanded, “Having seen the Heavenly Emperor, why do you not bow?!”

Chen Qingyu confronted Luo Linxian, the Ascension Heavenly King, and exposed the treacherous rise that had made him a rebel against the Heavenly Capital. As their divine artifacts clashed, Luo Linxian attacked Chen Qingyu with his Law of Ascension, certain that the aging emperor could not withstand his strike.

• The Ascension Heavenly King’s forces nearly knelt before Chen Qingyu’s overwhelming presence until Luo Linxian used the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag to steady them.
• Luo Linxian declared himself the true successor to the Heavenly Emperor, and Chen Qingyu called him a traitorous slave.
• Chen Qingyu revealed that Luo Linxian had seized the Eastern Heavenly King’s estate, murdered his in-laws, driven his wife to her death, imprisoned his son, and killed the estate’s direct line.
• Luo Linxian attacked with the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag, while Chen Qingyu summoned the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron to hold back its power.
• Luo Linxian charged Chen Qingyu and unleashed a killing sword strike based on his Law of Ascension.

Chen Qingyu revealed his overwhelming strength when Luo Linxian attacked, defeating the Ascension Heavenly King with three punches. Luo Linxian died after the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron suppressed the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag and cut off his last chance to escape.

• Luo Linxian thrust his sword at Chen Qingyu, who caught the blade between two fingers.
• Chen Qingyu struck Luo Linxian with Taihao Heaven Collapse, grievously wounding him despite his escape technique.
• Luo Linxian fled, but Chen Qingyu's second punch shattered most of his transformed body and left him near death.
• The Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron suppressed the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag, ending Luo Linxian's hope of rescue.
• Chen Qingyu killed Luo Linxian with his third punch, ending the Ascension Heavenly King's rebellion.

Chen Qingyu defeated and killed Ascension Heavenly King Luo Linxian, then secured the Ascension Realm’s submission and claimed the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag. He sought out Luo Linxian’s imprisoned son, the rightful heir, as a way to stabilize the realm.

• Luo Linxian’s army and ministers watched in shock as Chen Qingyu killed him in three punches.
• Chen Qingyu offered to spare Luo Linxian’s followers if they knelt, and the army and ministers submitted to him.
• Chen Qingyu refined the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag after the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron captured it.
• Chen Qingyu asked the ministers about the grandson of the last Eastern Heavenly King and learned that Luo Linxian’s son had been kept under house arrest for several thousand years.
• Chen Qingyu had the goateed adviser lead him to the quiet courtyard where the young Heavenly King was being held.

Chen Qingyu defeated the Ascension Heavenly King, appointed the Little Heavenly King to restore order in the Ascension Realm, and set out to fight the other rebel kings. News of his victory reached the Heavenly River Realm, where the chief minister awaited word of Chen Qingyu’s condition.

• Chen Qingyu reunited with the Little Heavenly King, told him Luo Linxian was dead, and appointed him the new Eastern Heavenly King.
• The Little Heavenly King accepted the task of restoring order in the Ascension Realm as Chen Qingyu prepared to leave and fight the other rebel kings.
• News that Chen Qingyu had slain the Ascension Heavenly King and reclaimed the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag reached the chief minister’s residence in the Heavenly Capital.
• The chief minister’s son confirmed the victory and reported that the Little Heavenly King had inherited the Eastern Heavenly King position.
• The chief minister asked where Chen Qingyu was and whether he had been injured.

After Heavenly Emperor Chen killed Luo Linxian with three punches, the news restored confidence in the Heavenly Dynasty and terrified the rebel forces across the Nine Realms. At the Chonglou Realm border, the Chonglou Saint King confronted the revelation that Chen was far more dangerous than the rebel kings had believed.

• The chief minister's son told the old chief minister that Heavenly Emperor Chen had killed Luo Linxian with three punches and was preparing to campaign against the other rebel kings.
• The old chief minister ordered the news spread, and citizens and noble houses in the Heavenly Capital celebrated Chen's victory.
• The rebel kings and armies confirmed the report, panicked, and began seeking countermeasures and escape routes.
• The fighting between the Chonglou Saint King's, the Raging Sea Dragon King's, and the Converging Valley Realm's forces paused after the news reached the battlefield.
• The Chonglou Saint King admitted that he had underestimated Heavenly Emperor Chen and wondered what to do next.

After taking over Chonglou Saint King, Emperor Huan Liang Jingtiao recognized that Great Emperor Wanjie Chen Qingyu had become Heavenly Emperor Chen and decided to seek an alliance against him. Meanwhile, Chen Qingyu discovered golden mist inside two divine artifacts and concluded that gathering all Five Great Divine Artifacts would grant the boon.

• Emperor Huan Liang Jingtiao took over Chonglou Saint King and realized that Chen Qingyu was Heavenly Emperor Chen.
• She deduced that Great Emperor Dongxu and Great Emperor Wanxing had become the Raging Sea Dragon King and Great Azure Realm King.
• The Raging Sea Dragon King sent her a secret message, and she learned that Great Emperor Dongxu held that identity and planned to ally with him.
• Chen Qingyu sensed golden mist inside the Mountains and Rivers State Cauldron and the Supreme Mystic Yellow Flag.
• Chen Qingyu concluded that whoever gathered all Five Great Divine Artifacts would obtain the boon.

Chen Qingyu returned to the Heavenly River Realm and prepared to face the united rebel kings, who were marching on his territory with eleven kings and three divine artifacts. As his officials urged him to mobilize for war, the old chief minister presented evidence that powerful noble families in the Heavenly Capital had colluded with the rebels and called for their arrest.

• Chen Qingyu realized the other Half-Step Heavenly Lords had taken rebel kings’ identities and decided to wait in the Heavenly River Realm for them to attack.
• Eleven rebel kings united and marched on the Heavenly River Realm, creating a two-sided struggle against Chen Qingyu and his two divine artifacts.
• Chen Qingyu returned to the Heavenly Capital and summoned the ministers to Heaven-Bearing Hall.
• Chen Qingyu told the court that he would meet the rebel kings in a decisive battle in the Heavenly River Realm.
• The Marshal of Martial Might and nine divine generals urged Chen Qingyu to order the armies to attack.
• The old chief minister presented evidence that powerful noble families had colluded with the rebel kings and urged Chen Qingyu to arrest and eradicate them.

Chen Qingyu left Heaven-Bearing Hall to face the eleven rebel kings gathered above the Silver River. As the Half-Step Heavenly Lords prepared to settle the final contest for the Five Great Divine Artifacts, Emperor Huan challenged him and declared that he was destined to fall.

• Chen Qingyu praised the loyal generals but ordered the old chief minister to burn the evidence of officials who had colluded with the rebels, forgiving their past betrayals.
• Chen Qingyu sensed that the rebel kings had reached the Heavenly River Realm and left Heaven-Bearing Hall to meet them.
• Emperor Huan, Liang Jingtiao, and Great Emperor Dongxu discussed the Heavenly Lord-level power of the divine artifacts and their hopes of ascending by uniting them.
• Emperor Huan urged Great Emperor Wanxing and the other Half-Step Heavenly Lords to join her fully against Chen Qingyu, but Great Emperor Wanxing stayed silent.
• Chen Qingyu appeared above the Silver River before the eleven rebel kings and identified the divine artifacts they carried.
• Emperor Huan rejected Chen Qingyu's greeting and demanded that they settle the contest, declaring that he would be cast down.