Recaps

Azure Firmament Academy began its student assessment while, in the Chaos Realm, He Xiangwang challenged Xiao Hei after reaching the Ancestor Realm. Before Xiao Hei could respond, the Ninth Prince of the Nine Dragons Divine Dynasty requested the group’s help, and they agreed to take the mission.

• Hong Ying, Ning Chenxin, the Teacher, and the elders watched the Ancient Battlefield assessment and agreed to wait until its final stage before choosing personal disciples.
• Ye Qiubai and Shi Sheng advanced in their cultivation and rankings, while Mu Fusheng trained in the Raging Lightning Sea, Xiao Hei sparred on the Cloudsoaring Platform, and Fang Qiong exchanged Array Dao insights with the Fifth Elder.
• He Xiangwang reached the ninetieth floor of the Heaven Refining Tower, broke through to the Early Ancestor Realm, and challenged Xiao Hei while offering to suppress his cultivation.
• The Inner Tower announced that the Ninth Prince had asked Chaotic Spirit Academy for help against the Third Prince, Fifth Prince, and Eldest Prince, specifically requesting Mu Fusheng, Xiao Hei, and the others.
• Ye Qiubai and the others gathered at Heaven Character Courtyard No. 1 and agreed to accept the mission, though Mu Fusheng suspected the Ninth Prince had sought him out for a particular reason.

Xiao Hei, Mu Fusheng, and Fang Qiong traveled to Nine Dragons City and accepted the Crown Prince’s request to represent his force in the God Emperor division of the Military Martial Exhibition. With seven days before the event, Xiao Hei and Fang Qiong prepared to cultivate while Mu Fusheng went out to investigate the city.

• Xiao Hei, Mu Fusheng, and Fang Qiong arrived in Nine Dragons City and were escorted to the Azure Dragon Courtyard by Elder Chu.
• The Crown Prince explained that he wanted them to compete in the Military Martial Exhibition to help him gain influence over the military, and offered them one hundred thousand flawless Primordial Stones and a Heaven-Burning Pill.
• Mu Fusheng and the others agreed to compete, and the Crown Prince gave them a token and arranged their lodging before leaving for the imperial palace.
• After they reached their lodgings, Xiao Hei and Fang Qiong chose to cultivate while Mu Fusheng disguised and concealed himself before going out to gather information.

Mu Fusheng investigated Nine Dragons City’s factions and learned that the crown prince faced long odds in the military exercises, while Jiu Bailu’s unexplained absence from public reports made him wary. Jiu Bailu intercepted him, revealed her identity, and left him determined to complete the mission and leave the city quickly.

• Mu Fusheng gathered information about the princes, the six ministries, and the military exercises, learning that the first, third, and fifth princes had joined forces against the crown prince.
• Mu Fusheng learned that the sovereign relied on an imperial guard while allowing the princes to compete for power, and he wondered about Jiu Bailu, the second-ranked imperial child, whose activities were unknown.
• Jiu Bailu intercepted Mu Fusheng in a peach grove, introduced herself, and said she wanted to see what made him different.
• Mu Fusheng returned to the courtyard and told Xiao Hei and Fang Qiong what he had learned, then pleaded with Xiao Hei not to help him pursue Jiu Bailu.

Mu Fusheng, Xiao Hei, and Fang Qiong attended a banquet in the Nine Dragons Imperial Palace before the military exercises. After the emperor allowed them to remain standing, Jiu Bailu hinted that she had come because she was curious about someone, leaving Mu Fusheng worried she meant him.

• Mu Fusheng, Xiao Hei, and Fang Qiong traveled to the imperial palace for the emperor's banquet and took seats behind the crown prince.
• The eldest prince demanded that the three kneel before the emperor, but the emperor allowed the Chaotic Spirit Academy talents to remain standing.
• The emperor asked his officials about preparations for the upcoming military exercises and noticed that Jiu Bailu had attended the banquet.
• Jiu Bailu said she had come because she was curious about someone, and Mu Fusheng sensed that she was looking at him.

At a banquet held alongside the Nine Dragons Divine Dynasty’s military drills, the Third Prince proposed a sparring contest, and Cang Ming challenged the crown prince’s side. When Mu Fusheng tried to avoid fighting, Jiu Bailu singled him out, drawing the attention of the emperor and the Black Tortoise Holy Son.

• The Black Tortoise Holy Son praised Jiu Bailu, while Mu Fusheng said he wanted to avoid her and would only seek a Dao companion once he was beyond danger.
• The Third Prince asked the emperor to hold a sparring contest for the visiting factions, and the emperor approved it with a fief and a seat as the prize for the winner of every match.
• Cang Ming of Canghua Mountain Villa challenged someone under the crown prince, aiming to test the crown prince’s strength and prestige.
• The crown prince asked his companions to take the field, but Xiao Hei declined and Mu Fusheng pretended not to hear.
• Jiu Bailu said she was curious about Mu Fusheng’s strength, causing the crown prince, the emperor, and the Black Tortoise Holy Son to focus on him.

Mu Fusheng accepted Cang Ming’s challenge after deciding to disguise his true strength and mislead those probing him. Their spar began in the imperial hall, where Cang Ming shattered Mu Fusheng’s lightning attacks and questioned why Jiu Bailu had noticed him.

• Jiu Bailu’s request for Mu Fusheng to spar with Cang Ming drew the crown prince, the third prince, and the Xuanming Holy Son into a dispute over whether he should fight.
• Mu Fusheng agreed to meet Cang Ming, intending to make his hidden strength seem limited without using his trump cards.
• Cang Ming drew his bloodstained Bloodtooth Saber and charged Mu Fusheng with a blood-reeking attack.
• Mu Fusheng used the Eight Peaks Thunder Prison and a talisman to form lightning attacks against Cang Ming.
• Cang Ming split a lightning peak and shattered the lightning spear, then challenged Mu Fusheng’s worthiness of Jiu Bailu’s attention.

Mu Fusheng appeared to struggle against Cang Ming’s Blood Shadow Mad Saber, then trapped him in a lightning net and detonated talismans hidden among the lightning peaks. After Cang Ming accused him of using underhanded tricks, Mu Fusheng revealed more talismans around his feet and challenged him to withstand them.

• Cang Ming shattered Mu Fusheng’s lightning peaks with his Blood Shadow Mad Saber while Mu Fusheng acted as though he was being overwhelmed.
• As Cang Ming destroyed the remaining peaks, Mu Fusheng’s talismans formed a lightning net that trapped Cang Ming.
• Mu Fusheng detonated the talismans, dissipating Cang Ming’s blood shadow and leaving both fighters wounded.
• Cang Ming accused Mu Fusheng of relying on external aids, but Mu Fusheng said he had inscribed the talismans himself.
• Cang Ming claimed he could still strike again, and Mu Fusheng revealed talismans surrounding Cang Ming’s feet.

Mu Fusheng defeated Cang Ming with a talisman trap, then watched tensions rise when Xiao Hei challenged the Xuanming Holy Son. The emperor halted the brewing fight, and the banquet ended with the military exercises still ahead.

• Cang Ming conceded after the Xuanming Holy Son explained how Mu Fusheng had trapped him with talismans, and Mu Fusheng put them away.
• The emperor praised Mu Fusheng’s victory, while Cang Ming left in disgrace and the third prince watched with a gloomy expression.
• The Black Tortoise Holy Son criticized victories based on schemes, prompting an argument between the ministers and the Xuanming Holy Son over strength and tactics.
• Xiao Hei smashed a table and challenged the Xuanming Holy Son, who accepted after Xiao Hei taunted him.
• The emperor stopped the fight because the banquet and upcoming military exercises made further sparring unwise.
• Jiu Bailu left ahead of Mu Fusheng, Xiao Hei, Fang Qiong, and the crown prince, who invited them to discuss the military exercises at his residence.

Mu Fusheng left the Azure Dragon Courtyard and met Jiu Bailu in a secluded courtyard after she summoned him. She told him that an unbreakable thread of karma seemed to connect them.

• The crown prince explained the three stages of the military exercises to Xiao Hei and Fang Qiong, describing the Nine Dragons Mountain Range dragon-soul contest and warning them about the stronger armies.
• Xiao Hei and Fang Qiong accepted the assignment, and the crown prince promised them the reward whether they won or lost.
• After returning to their courtyard and finding Mu Fusheng absent, Xiao Hei and Fang Qiong assumed he had an important reason to leave.
• Mu Fusheng went to Jiu Bailu's secluded courtyard, where she had dismissed everyone, including the hidden sentries.
• Jiu Bailu asked Mu Fusheng whether he believed in karma, then said an unbreakable thread of karma seemed to connect them.

Jiu Bailu revealed that her Golden Pupils of Fate let her see karmic connections and refused Mu Fusheng’s requests to keep their relationship secret. She asked him to help her younger brother, the crown prince, during the military exercises, and Mu Fusheng later joined the Azure Dragon Army as the third stage approached.

• Jiu Bailu explained that her eyes could see rough karmic connections and more of a person’s strength, and said she and Mu Fusheng were not enemies.
• Mu Fusheng asked Jiu Bailu to avoid meeting him, act as if she did not know him, and keep him secret, but she refused.
• Jiu Bailu told Mu Fusheng to help the crown prince in the military exercises and revealed that he was her only family and younger brother.
• Mu Fusheng and his companions watched the first two stages and assessed the armies, identifying the eldest prince’s Torch Dragon Army and Reverse Scale Army and the third prince’s Scarlet Dragon Army as the strongest threats.
• After gathering intelligence and inscribing talismans, Mu Fusheng and his two companions went with the crown prince to the Azure Dragon Army on the final day before the third stage began.

Mu Fusheng and the other two joined the Azure Dragon Army as outside help, while the crown prince ordered the army to heed their advice. At the Nine Dragons Mountain Range, the emperor announced a reward for the victorious army, and the crown prince wagered his position against control of the first and third princes’ armies.

• The crown prince introduced Mu Fusheng and the other two to the Azure Dragon Army and ordered the soldiers and commander to listen to their suggestions.
• Mu Fusheng asked whether the crown prince’s order might cause rebellion, and the crown prince told them to earn the army’s trust by accomplishing something early in the third stage.
• The emperor announced that the victorious army could keep the dragon souls it retrieved and enter the Divine Weapons Pavilion and the Scripture Pavilion.
• The crown prince declared that he would step down if the Azure Dragon Army failed to take first place.
• The crown prince wagered that, if the Azure Dragon Army won, the first and third princes would hand over the Reverse Scale Army and Scarlet Dragon Army, and both princes accepted.

The crown prince secured his brothers’ agreement to a high-stakes wager over the military exercise, while Mu Fusheng warned the Azure Dragon Army that their rivals would target them before searching for dragon souls. He proposed using that expected attack to lure the other princes’ forces into an ambush around a dragon soul.

• The third prince and eldest prince accepted the crown prince’s wager, and the emperor tacitly approved it.
• Jiu Bailu watched Mu Fusheng through Mirror Flower, Water Moon, drawing the Xuanming Holy Son’s jealous attention.
• The Azure Dragon Army’s commanders studied the map, and Mu Fusheng offered to sense Dragon Qi without revealing the Nine Dragons He Shi Bi.
• Mu Fusheng argued that the rival princes would attack the crown prince’s army first and proposed laying an ambush near a dragon soul.
• The commanders reconsidered Mu Fusheng’s plan after recognizing that his reasoning was sound.

Mu Fusheng led the Azure Dragon Army into an ambush while secretly using its exposed deployment to lure three rival armies into range. The enemy attack was blocked by hidden talismans and a formation, but the chapter ended as lightning surrounded the armies and three swords of destruction appeared overhead.

• The Azure Dragon Commander agreed to follow Mu Fusheng's instructions, deciding that the army had little to lose either way.
• Mu Fusheng located the dragon soul, then had the Azure Dragon Army conceal itself while he and Fang Qiong prepared talismans and formations.
• Mu Fusheng, Fang Qiong, and Xiao Hei recognized that spies were among the Azure Dragon Army and discussed using them against the enemy.
• The Torch Dragon, Reverse Scale, and Scarlet Dragon Armies learned the Azure Dragon Army's location and marched to surround its ambush position.
• The three armies attacked the exposed positions, but hidden talismans and Fang Qiong's formation formed a lightning net that canceled their strikes.
• Lightning erupted around the armies as three swords radiating the Power of Destruction appeared above them.

Mu Fusheng, Fang Qiong, and Xiao Hei ambushed the Torch Dragon Army, Reverse Scale Army, and Scarlet Dragon Army on Azure Dragon Mountain, routing them with hidden talismans and the Lesser God-Slaying Sword Array. The Azure Dragon Army trusted Mu Fusheng after the victory, and he planned to gather more dragon souls while rooting out spies.

• Mu Fusheng activated hidden talismans as Fang Qiong unleashed the Lesser God-Slaying Sword Array and Xiao Hei charged the Torch Dragon Army.
• The three enemy armies retreated, losing nearly twenty percent of their strength, while the Azure Dragon Army suffered no losses.
• The crown prince mocked his brothers and the Xuanming Holy Son after their prediction of an Azure Dragon Army defeat proved wrong.
• The Azure Dragon Commander and his deputies apologized to Mu Fusheng and pledged to follow his orders.
• Mu Fusheng ordered the Azure Dragon Army to secure the Azure Dragon Soul, seek dragon souls on other mountains, and deal with suspected spies.

Mu Fusheng, Xiao Hei, and Fang Qiong drove suspected spies from the Azure Dragon Army and persuaded its commanders to ambush the other armies at White Dragon Mountain. Xiao Hei absorbed the Azure Dragon Soul and advanced to the half-step Ancestor Realm, while the spectators realized the Azure Dragon Army planned to trap its rivals.

• Mu Fusheng and Xiao Hei identified seven suspected spies in the Azure Dragon Army, and the trio sent them out of the Nine Dragons Mountain Range.
• After learning the armies would eventually converge at White Dragon Mountain, Mu Fusheng proposed skipping the other dragon souls and preparing an ambush there.
• Fang Qiong convinced the Azure Dragon commanders that his and Mu Fusheng’s arrays and talismans could offset the other armies’ numerical advantage, and the commanders accepted the plan.
• Xiao Hei charged into the Azure Dragon Soul and absorbed it, advancing from the late stage of the God Emperor Realm to the half-step Ancestor Realm.
• The Azure Dragon Army headed for White Dragon Mountain to prepare its ambush, and the spectators realized it intended to catch the other armies in one net.

On White Dragon Mountain, Mu Fusheng and Fang Qiong prepared an ambush for the military exercise while searching for the hidden White Dragon Soul. Mu Fusheng buried thousands of talismans and began inscribing Thunder Control Divine Talismans to coordinate their attacks, as the crown prince watched and approved of his choice.

• Mu Fusheng searched White Dragon Mountain for traces of the White Dragon Soul and suspected the crown prince had planned the Nine Dragons He Shi Bi missions to recruit them for the military exercise.
• Mu Fusheng and Fang Qiong surveyed the mountain, found where the White Dragon Soul would appear, and ordered the troops to clear a ring through the bamboo forest and set up a flight-restricting formation.
• Mu Fusheng told Xiao Hei to save his strength for the opposing army’s powerful fighters, while he and Fang Qiong began placing formations and traps.
• Mu Fusheng buried 3,499 talismans around the White Dragon Soul’s future appearance, then decided to add Thunder Control Divine Talismans to direct the lightning attacks precisely.
• Xiao Hei and Fang Qiong guarded Mu Fusheng as he inscribed the new talismans, while the crown prince watched their preparations and smiled.

Mu Fusheng prepared White Dragon Mountain with layers of talismans and arrays as the Azure Dragon Army awaited the other forces. When six armies entered his trap, their cultivators were caught in a flight-restricting array, an illusion killing formation, and suppressed cultivation methods as lightning struck.

• The crown prince trusted Mu Fusheng's strategy after seeing his preparations and judged that the Azure Dragon Army had a strong chance of winning.
• Mu Fusheng finished deploying Thunder Control Divine Talismans across nine regions and repeatedly checked the arrays while the Azure Dragon Commanders followed his plans.
• The Torch Dragon Army, Reverse Scale Army, and Scarlet Dragon Army joined the Heavenly Dragon Army, Earth Dragon Army, and Thunder Dragon Army as they advanced toward White Dragon Mountain.
• The six armies entered a clearing where a flight-restricting array grounded everyone below the Ancestor Realm and revealed that the Azure Dragon Army had set an ambush.
• The six commanders ordered their armies to eliminate the Azure Dragon Army, but Mu Fusheng's Annihilation Illusion Killing Formation and Primordial Array suppressed their forces as lightning erupted.

Mu Fusheng’s talisman ambush devastated the six armies on White Dragon Mountain, leaving only their commanders and Cang Ming. As the survivors faced the summit, the Crown Prince asked the First Prince and Third Prince whether they still thought his wager was unrealistic.

• Mu Fusheng’s first wave of over a thousand talismans eliminated more than half the six armies’ members, prompting their commanders to order the survivors onward as cannon fodder.
• The remaining forces advanced toward the White Dragon Soul while the commanders and Cang Ming watched for another ambush.
• A second trap unleashed six world-annihilating lightning spears and the Lesser God-Slaying Sword Array, eliminating everyone in the six armies except six chief commanders, two deputy commanders, and Cang Ming.
• The blast carved a vast gap into White Dragon Mountain, and the surviving commanders seethed over their defeat by the Azure Dragon Army.
• The Crown Prince asked the First Prince and Third Prince whether they still thought his wager was unrealistic.

The crown prince's forces revealed that the fifth prince had secretly supported them, narrowing the gap in Ancestor Realm fighters against the six armies. As the battle began, Xiao Hei used his bloodline and the Divine Talisman of Creation to reach Ancestor Realm strength.

• The Azure Dragon Commander and his forces emerged from the Guanyin Bamboo to face the Reverse Scale Commander and the other enemy commanders.
• The Heavenly Thicket Sword Ancestor revealed himself and said he could handle two Ancestor Realm experts.
• The Thunder Dragon Commander joined the Azure Dragon Commander, and the fifth prince revealed that he had been the crown prince's ally all along.
• The crown prince said victory depended on his judgment, while the eldest prince and third prince realized the crown prince had outmaneuvered them.
• Xiao Hei stepped forward and declared he could hold off two Ancestor Realm experts.
• Xiao Hei activated his bloodline and the Divine Talisman of Creation, causing his presence to reach the Ancestor Realm.

Xiao Hei revealed the ninth layer of the Eternal Devil Body after absorbing the Azure Dragon Soul, overwhelming the Crimson Dragon Commander and forcing the Heavenly Dragon Commander to join the fight. As the battlefield spread, Cang Ming attacked Mu Fusheng, only to discover that Mu Fusheng had already prepared a trap.

• The White Dragon Soul emerged at White Dragon Mountain as Xiao Hei used a talisman and his bloodline power to break into the Ancestor Realm.
• Xiao Hei withstood the Crimson Dragon Commander's flames and struck him back, awakening the eighth marking of the Eternal Devil Body through the Azure Dragon Soul.
• Xiao Hei stopped the Heavenly Dragon Commander from leaving and challenged him and the Crimson Dragon Commander to fight him together.
• The Azure Dragon Army's deputy commanders engaged the opposing Half-Step Ancestor Realm experts while Cang Ming confronted Mu Fusheng.
• Cang Ming charged Mu Fusheng with the Bloodtooth Saber, but lightning spears descended around him as Mu Fusheng revealed he had set a trap.

Mu Fusheng trapped Cang Ming and helped turn the battles against the Torch Dragon Army in their allies’ favor while concealing his own strength. Xiao Hei unleashed his full power against the Crimson Dragon Commander and the Heavenly Dragon Commander, ending the chapter as he punched toward their dragons with Heaven Breaker.

• Mu Fusheng trapped Cang Ming in a lightning cage, forcing him to crush his token and leave.
• Mu Fusheng and Fang Qiong supported the Azure Dragon Commander and the Thunder Dragon Commander with talismans and formations while the Heavenly Thicket Sword Ancestor suppressed two Ancestor Realm experts.
• The Crimson Dragon Commander and the Heavenly Dragon Commander launched Dragon Roar Heaven Strike at Xiao Hei.
• Xiao Hei unleashed his bloodline powers, Eternal Devil Body, and Devil Qi, then charged the two dragons and struck with Heaven Breaker.

Xiao Hei defeated the Crimson Dragon Commander and the Heavenly Dragon Commander, helping the Azure Dragon Army collect every dragon soul and win the military exercise. After the rewards, the Xuanming Holy Son requested a spar with Mu Fusheng and his companions, but Mu Fusheng refused.

• Xiao Hei used his full strength to shatter the crimson and wind dragons, forcing the Crimson Dragon Commander and the Heavenly Dragon Commander to crush their tokens and leave.
• The Torch Dragon Commander and the Reverse Scale Commander also withdrew, leaving the six armies defeated.
• The Azure Dragon Commander collected the remaining dragon souls, and the Azure Dragon Army celebrated its unprecedented victory.
• The emperor rewarded the Azure Dragon Army, while Jiu Bailu smiled at Mu Fusheng and made him nervously avert his gaze from the Xuanming Holy Son.
• The Xuanming Holy Son asked the emperor for permission to spar with Mu Fusheng and his companions, and Mu Fusheng refused.

After the military exercises, the crown prince secured control of the Reverse Scale Army and Scarlet Dragon Army and thanked Mu Fusheng, Xiao Hei, and Fang Qiong for helping him win. Xiao Hei received the other eight dragon souls as a reward, while Mu Fusheng headed to the White Dragon Courtyard to meet Jiu Bailu.

• Mu Fusheng refused the Xuanming Holy Son's request for talismans, pretending that Xiao Hei and Fang Qiong were too injured and exhausted to help.
• The emperor ended the military exercises and announced that the Azure Dragon Army would receive rewards and access to the library and treasury.
• The crown prince invoked his wager, and the First Prince and Third Prince ordered the Reverse Scale Army and Scarlet Dragon Army to serve under him.
• The crown prince thanked Mu Fusheng, Xiao Hei, and Fang Qiong for helping him win the exercises and offered them additional rewards.
• Xiao Hei asked for the other eight dragon souls, and the crown prince gave them to him as a mission reward; Xiao Hei agreed that he owed the crown prince a favor.
• Mu Fusheng left for the White Dragon Courtyard after Jiu Bailu had asked him to visit her about something important.

After Xiao Hei received the remaining eight dragon souls, Jiu Bailu told Mu Fusheng about a demigod-grade talisman brush appearing in the Southern Desert, but he refused to follow the path she seemed to have predicted. Mu Fusheng left in a hurry, while Jiu Bailu wondered why his indifference had made her curious about him.

• The crown prince explained to Elder Chu that he had given Xiao Hei all nine dragon souls to earn the favor of Xiao Hei and his talented fellow disciples.
• Xiao Hei returned to the lodgings and began absorbing the remaining eight dragon souls.
• Jiu Bailu invited Mu Fusheng to tea and revealed that two secret treasures, including a demigod-grade talisman brush, would appear in the Southern Desert in thirty days.
• Mu Fusheng refused to attend because Jiu Bailu seemed to have predicted his actions, and he said his current talisman brush was sufficient.
• Mu Fusheng hurried away, and Jiu Bailu asked her maid why he treated her as though he wanted to flee before admitting that his indifference had made her curious.

Xiao Hei fused the nine dragon souls into Yinglong, broke through to the early-stage Human Ancestor Realm, and returned to the Chaotic Spirit Academy. He accepted He Xiangwang’s deathmatch challenge without asking him to suppress his cultivation.

• Mu Fusheng and Fang Qiong’s defenses and the crown prince’s guards protected the courtyard as Xiao Hei fused the nine dragon souls into Yinglong, whose appearance brought rain and astonished Nine Dragons City.
• Xiao Hei’s bloodline and cultivation surged, and he broke through to the early-stage Human Ancestor Realm; Mu Fusheng urged the group to leave before anyone could seize Yinglong’s soul.
• Xiao Hei defeated several groups that tried to intercept them on the way back to the Chaotic Spirit Academy, including opponents at the mid-stage Ancestor Realm.
• He Xiangwang sent Xiao Hei a written challenge to a fight to the death on the Crown Prince Platform, and Xiao Hei set out to meet him.
• At the crowded platform, He Xiangwang offered to suppress his cultivation to the half-step Ancestor Realm, but Xiao Hei refused; Feng Ye and Tan Zongzhao worried while Ye Qiubai and the others stayed confident.