Chapter Summaries

Chen Qingyu used his higher laws to withstand Emperor Huan until Great Emperor Wanxing arrived and revealed that Chen was his junior brother. Emperor Huan fled, and Great Emperor Wanxing killed the Hemp-Robed Ancestor before asking Chen whether he was unharmed.

• During their eighth cycle of battle, Chen Qingyu revealed his tenth higher law, leaving Emperor Huan bewildered and convinced he could not command every law.
• Chen Qingyu received a message through his Heavenly Lord Talisman Edict, and Great Emperor Wanxing broke through the sealed passage to reach him.
• Great Emperor Wanxing called Chen Qingyu his junior brother and demanded that Emperor Huan release him; Emperor Huan recognized Chen as Supreme Star Venerable's new direct disciple.
• Great Emperor Wanxing threatened to summon three others, and Emperor Huan dismissed her Time Ring Domain and fled through the passage.
• The Hemp-Robed Ancestor begged Emperor Huan not to abandon him, but Great Emperor Wanxing struck him dead and then hurried to check on Chen Qingyu.

Great Emperor Wanxing rescued Chen Qingyu and explained that the Alliance War was a contest among Half-Step Heavenly Lords, with the Earthly Branch Alliance having long planned to gain an advantage. He began recounting three events from three hundred years earlier that led to the Heavenly Stem Alliance's desperate position.

• Great Emperor Wanxing confirmed Chen Qingyu was unharmed and praised him for holding off Emperor Huan for an hour.
• Great Emperor Wanxing took Chen Qingyu back toward the Heavenly Bohai Sea and said he would arrange his transfer from guarding the headquarters and the Great Tomb of a Thousand Autumns.
• Chen Qingyu asked why the alliances were fighting in the Heavenly Bohai Sea, and Great Emperor Wanxing said the Half-Step Heavenly Lords were using everyone else as pawns in their struggle.
• Great Emperor Wanxing explained that the Heavenly Lords controlled access to the Gift of Eternal Life and that the epoch's final bestowal was the real prize.
• Great Emperor Wanxing said the Earthly Branch Alliance had laid plans after the epoch entered its final stage, beginning with the Dark Emperor joining them three hundred years earlier.

Great Emperor Wanxing told Chen Qingyu how the Earthly Branch Alliance used three schemes to weaken their opponents and drive them toward the Limit-Breaking Point. Chen Qingyu understood why the war had reached the Heavenly Bohai Sea, then asked what determined the end of an era and how much time remained.

• Great Emperor Wanxing explained that Liang Jingtiao, the Lord of Time's secret disciple, joined the Earthly Branch Alliance as a Half-Step Heavenly Lord.
• Great Emperor Wanxing recounted how a gifted Half-Step Heavenly Lord sought a Gift of Eternal Life for his wife, and the Mystery Lord secured one for her.
• The Earthly Branch Alliance sabotaged the wife's ritual, prompting the Half-Step Heavenly Lord to relinquish his merit and leave the Endless Battlefield.
• Great Emperor Wanxing explained that the Earthly Branch Alliance aimed to force the Heavenly Stem Alliance to the Limit-Breaking Point and drive its members from the Endless Battlefield.
• Chen Qingyu asked Great Emperor Wanxing what determined the divisions between eras and how long remained before the current era ended.

Great Emperor Wanxing brought Chen Qingyu back to the Heavenly Bohai Sea and explained that Chen had to reach Half-Step Heavenly Lord before the coming blessing. At the fortress, three allied Half-Step Heavenly Lords confronted Wanxing over his unexplained absence, and he introduced Chen as his junior brother and the hope of turning the tide.

• Great Emperor Wanxing told Chen Qingyu that the epoch's end was uncertain and urged him to become a Half-Step Heavenly Lord before the blessing appeared.
• Great Emperor Wanxing and Chen Qingyu reached the Heavenly Bohai Sea, where Wanxing saw the allies were still holding off the Earthly Branch Alliance.
• Chen Qingyu thanked Great Emperor Wanxing for risking his chance at the blessing to rescue him, and Wanxing reminded him they were brothers.
• Great Emperor Wanxing carried Chen Qingyu to the Heavenly Sea Fortress as the enemy's probing attack withdrew.
• Three allied Half-Step Heavenly Lords angrily demanded an explanation from Great Emperor Wanxing for leaving, and he introduced Chen Qingyu as his junior brother and their hope of turning the tide.

Chen Qingyu reunited with Great Emperor Wanxing and met the Heavenly Stem Alliance’s leaders, who learned that he had held off Liang Jingtiao. The leaders agreed to support his cultivation without limit so he could reach the Half-Step Heavenly Lord realm as soon as possible.

• The young woman and two Half-Step Heavenly Lords learned that Chen Qingyu was Great Emperor Wanxing’s junior brother and celebrated his arrival.
• Great Emperor Wanxing explained that Liang Jingtiao had attacked Chen Qingyu and that Great Emperor Blazing Sun had died while Great Emperor Hemp Robe was a spy.
• Great Emperor Wanxing revealed that Chen Qingyu had held off Liang Jingtiao for an hour, astonishing the alliance leaders.
• Chen Qingyu said he could counter Liang Jingtiao with the Law of Time but could not hold off other Half-Step Heavenly Lords.
• Chen Qingyu estimated he could reach the Half-Step Heavenly Lord realm within months if supplied with Hearts of Myriad Realms.
• The alliance leaders promised to place their merit points at Chen Qingyu’s disposal and supply him with Hearts of Myriad Realms without limit.

Chen Qingyu completed the purification of his Dao of Myriad Calamities and began absorbing Hearts of Myriad Realms to strengthen his cultivation. Earlier, Emperor Huan, Liang Jingtiao, failed to kill Great Emperor Wanjie, and the other Half-Step Heavenly Lords confronted her after Great Emperor Wanxing’s return thwarted their plans.

• Emperor Huan, Liang Jingtiao, attempted to kill Great Emperor Wanjie, but Great Emperor Wanxing left the Heavenly Bohai Sea and rescued him.
• Emperor Wanxing returned before the Earthly Branch Alliance could prepare an attack, and Liang Jingtiao returned to Seven Venerables Fort.
• The other six Half-Step Heavenly Lords accused Liang Jingtiao of failing the mission and losing a valuable spy.
• Chen Qingyu removed the final weak calamity from his Dao of Myriad Calamities, leaving twenty-four calamities evolved from upper-tier laws.
• Chen Qingyu swallowed a crystal brick of Hearts of Myriad Realms and began drawing out its power to strengthen himself.

Emperor Huan explained that Great Emperor Wanjie was Quasi-Emperor Taiyu, Supreme Star Venerable’s disciple, and described how he held her off with more than ten higher laws. The Earthly Branch Alliance resolved to kill him, while Chen Qingyu continued cultivating under the protection of Heavenly Sea Fortress and wondered whether he had time to reach Late Emperor Venerable.

• Emperor Huan revealed Great Emperor Wanjie’s identity as Quasi-Emperor Taiyu and explained that Great Emperor Wanxing had rescued his junior brother.
• Emperor Huan recounted that Great Emperor Wanjie had mastered more than ten higher laws and held her off for an hour.
• The blue-eyed elder urged the Earthly Branch Alliance to start another war and kill Great Emperor Wanjie before he became stronger.
• Emperor Huan warned that killing Great Emperor Wanjie would be difficult unless the Earthly Branch Alliance could breach Heavenly Sea Fortress.
• Great Emperor Wanxing and three other Half-Step Heavenly Lords gathered at Heavenly Sea Fortress to guard Chen Qingyu.
• Chen Qingyu refined over thirty Hearts of Myriad Realms in three days but remained far from Late Emperor Venerable and worried the enemy would not give him enough time.

The Earthly Branch Alliance launched another major assault on the Heavenly Bohai Sea, forcing the Heavenly Stem Alliance to divide its defenders. Chen Qingyu went to Orchid Court Fortress to hold off Emperor Huan, who waited for him to arrive.

• The Earthly Branch Alliance attacked the Heavenly Stem Alliance's fortresses with seven half-step Heavenly Lords and thousands of peak Emperor Venerables.
• Great Emperor Wanxing saw four half-step Heavenly Lords approaching and sent Chen Qingyu to Orchid Court Fortress, where Emperor Huan had appeared.
• Chen Qingyu flew southeast while Great Emperor Wanxing and the others went to confront their old opponents.
• Emperor Huan intimidated Orchid Court Fortress's defenders but held back from attacking as she waited for Chen Qingyu.

Emperor Huan lured Chen Qingyu into a trap at Orchid Court Fortress, where the Earthly Branch Alliance’s Half-Step Heavenly Lords moved to surround him. Chen Qingyu escaped her Time Ring Domain with his new Dao art, Spacetime Severance, but the other enemies were still closing in.

• Emperor Huan waited at Orchid Court Fortress while the Emperor Venerables held their defenses and stacked the power of the heavenly sea.
• Chen Qingyu arrived, and Emperor Huan trapped him in her Time Ring Domain before two other Half-Step Heavenly Lords rushed to join the attack.
• Great Emperor Wanxing and his allies realized the Earthly Branch Alliance had abandoned other fronts to kill Chen Qingyu, but their opponents kept them from breaking free.
• Chen Qingyu used Spacetime Severance to cut a breach in the Time Ring Domain and escape after Emperor Huan was caught off guard.

Chen Qingyu escaped Emperor Huan’s Time Ring Domain and fortified himself inside Orchid Court Fortress with the Power of the Heavenly Sea. When the Dark Emperor and the Nine Phoenix Empress arrived, the three Half-Step Heavenly Lords attacked together and trapped him in a darkness that cut off his senses.

• Chen Qingyu broke free of Emperor Huan’s Time Ring Domain and flew into Orchid Court Fortress, where the peak Emperor Venerables welcomed him.
• Emperor Huan chose to wait outside the fortress for reinforcements while Chen Qingyu gathered more than a hundred layers of the Power of the Heavenly Sea.
• The Dark Emperor and the Nine Phoenix Empress arrived beside Emperor Huan, and Chen Qingyu flew out to confront them.
• Emperor Huan urged the others to break Chen Qingyu’s defenses, and all three Half-Step Heavenly Lords attacked him at once.
• The trio dragged Chen Qingyu into the Time Ring Domain, and the Dark Emperor’s power plunged him into an abyss where he lost all perception.

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.