Chapter Summaries

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.

Great Emperor Wanxing chose to help Chen Qingyu rather than join Great Emperor Dongxu and Emperor Huan in the struggle for the Five Great Divine Artifacts. After Chen Qingyu claimed the Five-Colored Heaven Altar and wielded three artifacts, he demanded that his opponents surrender.

• Emperor Huan argued that Great Emperor Wanxing would sacrifice his only chance to become a Heavenly Lord if he sided with Chen Qingyu.
• Chen Qingyu told Great Emperor Wanxing he would not resent him for choosing to fight for his own survival.
• Great Emperor Wanxing gave the Five-Colored Heaven Altar to Chen Qingyu and blocked Great Emperor Dongxu and Emperor Huan from stopping it.
• Chen Qingyu instantly refined the Five-Colored Heaven Altar and raised its power alongside his other divine artifacts.
• Great Emperor Dongxu, Emperor Huan, and the others realized they had lost their advantage, and Chen Qingyu demanded their surrender.

At the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda, Liu Zijian gave up the Five-Colored Heaven Altar for Chen Qingyu, while the Heavenly Lords watched and Danyang Ju recalled his own past choice. Chen Qingyu forced Great Emperor Dongxu and Liang Jingtiao to surrender their divine artifacts, assembled the five artifacts into the bestowal, and began ascending after eating its golden fruit.

• The Heavenly Lords debated whether Liu Zijian would betray Chen Qingyu, then praised him when he relinquished the Five-Colored Heaven Altar to his junior brother.
• Danyang Ju remembered how he had once yielded a bestowal to his friend, who failed to ascend, while Danyang Ju later became a Heavenly Lord.
• Chen Qingyu made Great Emperor Dongxu and Liang Jingtiao surrender the All-Heaven Creation Gate and Qianyuan Spirit-Illuminating Mirror.
• Chen Qingyu combined the five divine artifacts and received a golden fruit containing the bestowal's power.
• Chen Qingyu ate the golden fruit, triggering the transformation of his Dao of Myriad Calamities and twenty-four Upper-Tier Laws.

Chen Qingyu used the golden apple blessing to reach the peak of the Realm of Creation and ascend directly to the Realm of Heaven-Reaching. He gave the remaining blessing to Great Emperor Wanxing, who also became a Heavenly Lord, bringing the struggle for the blessing to an end and ushering in a new era.

• Chen Qingyu realized that his immense foundation let him skip the long accumulation required of Half-Step Heavenly Lords and ascend once he reached the peak of the Realm of Creation.
• Chen Qingyu transformed into a Heavenly Lord, and Great Emperor Dongxu, Emperor Huan, the Dark Emperor, the Nine Phoenix Empress, and the others bowed to him as Heavenly Lord Wanjie.
• Chen Qingyu gave the mostly intact golden apple to Great Emperor Wanxing, shocking the other Half-Step Heavenly Lords.
• Great Emperor Wanxing swallowed the golden apple and transformed his Celestial Body Law, ascending to the Realm of Heaven-Reaching.
• Chen Qingyu and Great Emperor Wanxing congratulated each other as the blessing struggle ended and two Heavenly Lords marked the arrival of a new era.

After Chen Qingyu and Great Emperor Wanxing became Heavenly Lords, they joined the other Heavenly Lords in opening a passage to the Heavenly God Palace. Their master, Danyang Ju, revealed that the Heavenly Venerable and Divine Emperor ruled the Three Thousand Dao Domains and warned them to show utmost respect.

• Chen Qingyu dissolved the illusion of the Nine Realms, and he and Great Emperor Wanxing ascended to meet the twenty-four Heavenly Lords.
• The Heavenly Lords congratulated Chen Qingyu and Great Emperor Wanxing, while Danyang Ju celebrated having three Heavenly Lords among his disciples.
• The Lord of Time announced that the epoch was ending and led the Heavenly Lords in opening a passage to the Heavenly God Palace.
• Danyang Ju explained that the Heavenly God Palace was where the Heavenly Venerable and Divine Emperor cultivated in seclusion, and that they stood above all Heavenly Lords.
• Danyang Ju revealed that the Heavenly Venerable and Divine Emperor controlled Heaven's will and bestowed the boon that allowed mortals to become Heavenly Lords.
• Danyang Ju warned Chen Qingyu and Great Emperor Wanxing to show the two supreme beings respect, since they could strip a Heavenly Lord of power with a thought.

Chen Qingyu and Great Emperor Wanxing entered the Heavenly God Palace with Danyang Ju and the other Heavenly Lords, where they met the Heavenly Venerable and Divine Emperor. The Divine Emperor lifted a veil from Chen Qingyu’s memory, and Chen Qingyu recognized him as Mr. Zhang from Central Capital Yangchuan.

• Chen Qingyu and Great Emperor Wanxing followed Danyang Ju and the Heavenly Lords through the passage into the Heavenly God Palace, where Chen Qingyu saw the Three Thousand Dao Domains spread out below.
• The Lord of Time led the group into the main hall, and the Heavenly Lords, Chen Qingyu, and Great Emperor Wanxing bowed to the Heavenly Venerable and the Divine Emperor.
• The Heavenly Venerable praised Chen Qingyu’s talent and claimed he had noticed him long before the Divine Emperor did.
• The Divine Emperor hinted that the Heavenly Venerable was celebrating too soon, and Chen Qingyu’s suppressed memory returned.
• Chen Qingyu recognized the Divine Emperor as Mr. Zhang, and Mr. Zhang greeted him as an old friend from Central Capital Yangchuan.