Chapter Summaries

Yang Lie and Xiao Zitong established the Divine Huangtian Sect at Lin Tushan Mountain Fortress and planned to build a martial army. Yang Lie infiltrated Greenwood Temple to investigate its people and met its fourth-tier temple master, who immediately noticed him.

• Wang Gou'er and the other bandits pledged allegiance to the Divine Huangtian Sect, and Yang Lie promoted the first converts while Xiao Zitong organized the fortress.
• Xiao Zitong warned Yang Lie that the bandits lacked food and resources for martial training, so Yang Lie offered them Supreme Grade Spirit Rice and put her in charge of training them.
• Yang Lie left the fortress to gather intelligence and find new income, then entered Greenwood Temple disguised as a wealthy worshipper.
• Yang Lie paid Yuan Xin to lead him to the temple master, Daoist Lin Yuan, whom the Blood Saint Eye revealed was a fourth-tier transcendent.
• Daoist Lin Yuan stopped chanting and demanded to know why Yuan Xin had brought Yang Lie into the inner grounds.

Yang Lie killed Daoist Lin Yuan, absorbed his memories, and impersonated him to take control of Greenwood Temple. He left the Daoists terrified and obedient under his rule.

• Yang Lie bought a Peace Talisman from Daoist Lin Yuan, then secretly infiltrated Greenwood Temple that night.
• Yang Lie found Lin Yuan asleep, killed him, kept the girl in the room asleep, and read Lin Yuan’s memories with the Evil Ghost Skin.
• Yang Lie learned about Greenwood Temple’s ties to the Wind Flame Sect and Lin Yuan’s corruption, then transformed into Lin Yuan.
• Yang Lie accused Yuan Chen and Yuan He of touching his concubine Liu Hong and burned both Daoists alive.
• Yang Lie warned Greenwood Temple’s Daoists to obey him, and they respectfully agreed.

Yang Lie strengthened Lin Tushan Mountain Fortress by acquiring the county office’s weapons and training an army of former refugees and bandits. After a month, he judged that his troops needed battle experience and set his sights on the other strongholds of the Eighteen Mountain Fortress Alliance.

• Yang Lie ordered Yuan Qing to obtain weapons and armor from Ninglang County’s stockpile at scrap iron prices.
• Fu Dacheng reluctantly surrendered the county’s weapons and armor, then decided to seek the protection of the Gongyang Family.
• Yang Lie sent Nangong Hui to escort the equipment to Lin Tushan Mountain Fortress and trained soldiers and administrators there with Xiao Zitong, Nangong Hui, and Li Mudan.
• Wang Gou'er grew stronger after a month of strict training and Supreme Dragon Tooth Rice, and led his squad in assembling the soldiers.
• Xiao Zitong reported that the fortress had two hundred and ten soldiers but still needed to discipline them.
• Yang Lie said the army needed victories and combat experience, and identified the other strongholds of the Eighteen Mountain Fortress Alliance as targets.

Yang Lie’s Divine Huangtian Sect captured Dog Head Mountain Stronghold and continued expanding through the Eighteen Mountain Fortress Alliance. At Peak Heaven Stronghold, Xiang Ding Tian learned that twelve strongholds had fallen and set out to confront the force behind the Huangtian banner.

• Yang Lie led 210 Divine Huangtian Sect soldiers to Dog Head Mountain Stronghold, where Fang Da Gou tried to buy them off with coins before ordering rolling stones and logs released.
• Yang Lie smashed the attack and killed Fang Da Gou, then Wang Gou'er and the soldiers stormed the stronghold and routed its bandits.
• Yang Lie occupied Dog Head Mountain Stronghold and recruited more than three hundred people, while his troops continued training and attacking nearby strongholds.
• Xiang Ding Tian emerged from seclusion after breaking through to the Three Magic Eyes Realm and learned from Liang Jiang that twelve of the eighteen strongholds had been destroyed by the Huangtian-banner force.
• Xiang Ding Tian asked Liang Jiang where the enemy’s base was and vowed to make its soldiers pay.

Yang Lie defeated Xiang Ding Tian and brought the Eighteen Forts into the Divine Huangtian Sect. Xiang Ding Tian accepted the merger and was promised Divine Rice, though he was left wondering about Yang Lie’s connection to Lin Yuan.

• Zhou Yi spotted Xiang Ding Tian leading more than five hundred bandits toward the camp, and the Divine Huangtian Sect soldiers assembled for the attack.
• Yang Lie introduced himself as Zhang Jiao and invited Xiang Ding Tian to join the sect, but Xiang Ding Tian charged him with his spear.
• Yang Lie stopped Xiang Ding Tian’s spear between two fingers and knocked him and his horse to the ground, convincing Xiang Ding Tian to surrender.
• Yang Lie ordered Xiang Ding Tian’s Eighteen Forts to merge into the Divine Huangtian Sect and promised him five grains of Divine Rice each day.
• Xiang Ding Tian asked about the sect’s relationship with Lin Yuan, but Yang Lie refused to tell him.
• That night, Xiang Ding Tian saw Nangong Hui place five grains of Supreme Grade Spirit Rice in his bowl and questioned whether that was really his allowance.

Gongyang Xinyuan tried to make Yang Lie withdraw from Ninglang County, but Yang Lie challenged him to a duel for control of Ninglang and Xiashi Counties. The chapter ended with Gongyang Xinyuan raising the stakes, offering the twin beauties if he lost and demanding Yang Lie and Greenwood Temple serve him if he won.

• Xiang Ding Tian tasted Supreme Dragon Tooth Rice, recognized its extraordinary benefits, and considered the Divine Huangtian Sect’s soldiers and ambitions.
• Gongyang Xinyuan sent Fu Dacheng a calling card for Daoist Lin Yuan and declared he would decide who Ninglang County belonged to.
• Yang Lie burned the calling card and later went to meet Gongyang Xinyuan at Fragrant Cloud Tower.
• Gongyang Xinyuan demanded that Yang Lie stay in Greenwood Temple and stop interfering in the magistrate’s office, while Yang Lie insisted Ninglang County belonged to its people.
• Yang Lie challenged Gongyang Xinyuan to a duel, wagering Greenwood Temple’s withdrawal against control of Ninglang and Xiashi Counties.
• Gongyang Xinyuan proposed that Yang Lie and Greenwood Temple serve him if he won, and offered the twin beauties if he lost.

Yang Lie defeated Gongyang Xinyuan in a duel, winning the Gongyang Family's promise to stay out of Xiashi County and Ninglang County and pay one hundred thousand taels of silver. After receiving a summons from Wind Flame Sect headquarters, Yang Lie prepared to leave and entrusted Xiao Zitong with planting Mutated Spirit Rice and taking over Xiashi County.

• Yang Lie and Gongyang Xinyuan wagered one hundred thousand taels of silver against the Gongyang Family's interference in Xiashi County and Ninglang County, then went outside the city to fight.
• Gongyang Xinyuan's Netherwater Dark Serpent weakened Yang Lie's Flame Lizard, but Yang Lie rushed in and cut Gongyang Xinyuan's neck before he could react.
• Gongyang Xinyuan conceded, promised to withdraw from the counties and send the silver within a month, then warned Yang Lie that a great upheaval was coming.
• Yang Lie returned to the magistrate's office, where Fu Dacheng pledged to serve him after learning Gongyang Xinyuan had gone back to the Gongyang Family.
• A Letter Raven brought a summons for Lin Yuan to attend deliberations at Wind Flame Sect headquarters, and Yang Lie burned the message.
• Yang Lie gave Xiao Zitong Mutated Spirit Rice seeds and ordered her to plant them in Xiashi County and take over its magistrate's office.

After the Emperor died, the Wind Flame Sect moved to put the Third Prince on the throne, drawing its masters into the succession struggle against the Sixth Prince and the Northern Lotus Sect. Yang Lie followed Wind Flame Child toward the imperial palace, where Saint Lotus Child blocked their path and the two sect leaders began fighting.

• Yang Lie met Liu Zhentong at Flame Eye Temple and learned that the Wind Flame Sect planned to support the Third Prince against the Sixth Prince.
• Nine urgent bells sounded, and Wind Flame Child announced the Emperor's death and ordered the temple masters to help enthrone the Third Prince.
• Jin Liu Yuan summoned Yang Lie, and the group followed Wind Flame Child toward the imperial palace.
• Saint Lotus Child confronted Wind Flame Child and urged him to withdraw, offering the Sixth Prince's promise not to attack the sect.
• Saint Lotus Child summoned the Hundred Eyes Demonic Lotus Grand Formation, and Wind Flame Child countered with a storm of flame that set buildings and ordinary people ablaze.

Yang Lie infiltrated the imperial palace during the battle between the Third Prince and Sixth Prince’s forces and absorbed Emperor Wen of Wei to read his memories. He discovered the princes were fighting over the Wei Emperor Imperial Seal, but prioritized finding the empire’s treasury and slipped away after locating it.

• Third Prince Zhao Haoming and Sixth Prince Zhao Haoyi arrived with their armies and sect allies, and their battle formations summoned a giant demonic wolf and serpent to fight.
• Yang Lie faked his defeat, hid from the fighting experts, and stealthily entered the imperial palace.
• Yang Lie killed a eunuch and his opponent, read their memories, and headed to Soul Pacification Hall, where Emperor Wen of Wei lay in state.
• Yang Lie bypassed the guarded entrance, entered the hall through a wall, and absorbed Emperor Wen of Wei to read his memories.
• Yang Lie learned that the princes sought the Wei Emperor Imperial Seal, found the location of the empire’s treasury, and vanished from the hall.

Yang Lie used the Wei Emperor Imperial Seal to enter the imperial treasure vault, killed its guards, and stole every treasure before returning to watch the princes' battle. Zhao Hao Ming gained the upper hand after Zhao Hao Yi's forces were crippled, and Kong Kong Zi urged Zhao Hao Yi to retreat to his fief.

• Yang Lie used the Wei Emperor Imperial Seal to immobilize the four gatekeepers and killed them with sword qi.
• Yang Lie broke into the imperial treasury, took seven bottles of True Dragon Source Qi, and swept all the other treasures into his Small World.
• A later intruder found the treasury empty and fled after crying out over the stolen treasures.
• Yang Lie returned to the battlefield and watched as Zhao Hao Yi agreed to withdraw, but Zhao Hao Ming attacked instead.
• Zhao Hao Ming's demonic wolf defeated Zhao Biao's giant serpent, killed Zhao Biao, and sent the Imperial Guards scattering.
• Kong Kong Zi told Zhao Hao Yi to withdraw and rebuild his strength in his fief, but Zhao Hao Yi demanded one last gamble against Zhao Hao Ming.

After the Great Wei Empire split between Zhao Hao Ming and Zhao Hao Yi, Yang Lie rewarded his companions with rare cultivation treasures and used a Three-Eyed Bodhi Seed to advance his Sword Intent. The chapter ended with Yang Lie reaching the second layer of Sword Intent and the eighth level of the Heaven and Human Realm.

• Zhao Hao Yi escaped after Zhao Hao Ming defeated his forces, and both men proclaimed themselves emperor, leaving the Great Wei Empire divided.
• Yang Lie offered Nangong Hui and Xiao Zitong loans to buy True Dragon Source Qi and Three-Colored Sacred Lotus Seeds, while he gave Li Mudan a set of treasures for free.
• Nangong Hui and Xiao Zitong accepted Yang Lie's offers and pledged to serve him until their debts were repaid.
• Yang Lie crushed a Three-Eyed Bodhi Seed and comprehended the Saint Dragon Swordplay on a mountain in Xiashi County.
• Yang Lie completed the second layer of Sword Intent and advanced to the eighth level of the Heaven and Human Realm.

The Danu Empire invaded the Great Wei Empire as Yang Lie refused the Gongyang Family’s summons and offered aid if they resisted. Gongyang Xuanhe attacked Yang Lie’s camp but was killed, leaving the Gongyang Family’s plans against his forces unresolved.

• The Danu Empire captured Muxia City and continued its invasion into the Great Wei Empire.
• Xiao Zitong told Yang Lie that the Gongyang Family had summoned him, and Yang Lie declined while offering grain and supplies if they fought the Danu Empire.
• Gongyang Xinyuan ordered Gongyang Xuanhe to kill Yang Lie and lead an army to take Ninglang County and Xiashi County.
• Gongyang Xuanhe killed Daoists at Greenwood Temple and then entered the Divine Huangtian Sect camp to find Yang Lie.
• Yang Lie cut through Gongyang Xuanhe’s netherwater and killed him with Saint Dragon Sky Piercer, then hid his body in the Small World.
• Yang Lie told Xiao Zitong to gather troops and keep watch while he sought intelligence.

Yang Lie and his allies launched attacks against the Gongyang Family, which had secretly defected to the Danu Empire. After killing several of its leaders, Yang Lie infiltrated the Demon Sheep Army camp and attacked Gongyang Xuanzhan, leaving the family’s strongest force in jeopardy.

• Yang Lie ordered Xiao Zitong to attack Gongyang Xinyuan’s troops at Zhang Family Village while he headed for Yangjiao City.
• Xiang Ding Tian led the soldiers into Zhang Family Village, and Xiao Zitong killed Gongyang Xinyuan with a hidden needle.
• Yang Lie ambushed Gongyang Xuanshen at Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, killed him, and learned where Gongyang Xuanzhan and Gongyang Xuanyi could be found.
• Yang Lie infiltrated the Demon Sheep Army camp, but a True Demon Eye Mirror detected him and raised the alarm.
• Yang Lie unleashed Saint Dragon Sword Qi on the command tent, destroying it and severely injuring Gongyang Xuanzhan.

Yang Lie killed Gongyang Xuanzhan and returned to camp, where Xiao Zitong prepared to condense her Martial Dao Golden Core with his help. Meanwhile, Gongyang Xuanyi faced demands from the Danu Empire after learning that two of his relatives had been killed, and the chapter ended with Wanyan Hongzhen demanding the Gongyang Family publicly join the invasion.

• Yang Lie used the Saint Dragon Fleeting Step to kill Gongyang Xuanzhan, take his corpse, and escape the Demon Sheep Army.
• Yang Lie abandoned his plan to assassinate Gongyang Xuanyi after reviewing Gongyang Xuanzhan's memories and returned to the Divine Huangtian Sect's camp.
• Xiao Zitong told Yang Lie she wanted to condense her Martial Dao Golden Core so she could fight beside him, and he gave her resources and spiritual medicine.
• Gongyang Xuanyi learned that Xuanzhan and Xuanshen were dead and feared the Shadowless Sect had discovered his secret agreement with the Danu Empire.
• Wanyan Hongzhen demanded provisions, wealth, and women from Gongyang Xuanyi, then ordered the Gongyang Family to provide a guide and three thousand soldiers to declare its allegiance to the Danu Empire.

The Gongyang Family joined the Danu Empire, and its forces joined Wanyan Hongzhen’s cavalry in pillaging Ning Province. When the invaders advanced on Ninglang County, Yang Lie attacked their camp and killed Gongyang Xuanshi, while Wanyan Hongzhen survived his assault.

• Gongyang Xuanyi agreed to join the Danu Empire and help Wanyan Hongzhen plunder Ning Province.
• The Gongyang Family announced its allegiance, then sent Gongyang Xuanshi and three thousand soldiers to join Wanyan Hongzhen’s cavalry in attacking county seats.
• Gongyang Xuanshi chose Ninglang County as their next target, and Wanyan Hongzhen led five thousand elite soldiers toward it.
• Nangong Hui warned Yang Lie that the enemy army was approaching, and Yang Lie left Li Mudan to guard Xiao Zitong while he went to confront them.
• Yang Lie sneaked into the enemy camp, but the True Demon Eye Mirror exposed him, so he attacked Wanyan Hongzhen’s command tent.
• Gongyang Xuanshi ambushed Yang Lie with a Netherwater Dark Serpent, but Yang Lie cut through it and killed him with Saint Dragon Sky Piercer.

Yang Lie annihilated the Demon Sheep Army and Danu Empire allied force, then expanded the Divine Huangtian Sect’s control while guarding Xiao Zitong’s cultivation. Xiao Zitong emerged with a Second Grade Golden Core, and the Danu Empire’s Great Khan learned that Wanyan Hongzhen had died.

• Yang Lie killed Wanyan Hongzhen and slaughtered his guards until the remaining allied soldiers fled or surrendered to Xiang Ding Tian and Wang Gou’er’s forces.
• Yang Lie returned to Ninglang County to protect Xiao Zitong, while the allied army’s defeat alarmed Gongyang Xuanyi, who sent spies and envoys to investigate and alert the Danu Empire.
• Xiao Zitong emerged from seclusion after condensing a Second Grade Golden Core, thanked Yang Lie for his help, and took charge of the sect’s internal affairs.
• Yang Lie led the Divine Huangtian Sect’s Guardian Army to seize Lingyang Prefecture and settle refugees as the Gongyang Family watched and investigated him.
• Wan Yan Leiting learned that Wanyan Hongzhen had been killed and condemned the Gongyang Family as useless.

After the Danu Empire defeated the Great Wei Empire’s remaining forces and captured Ten-Eyed Capital City, the realm fractured into rival powers. Wind Flame Child offered the Wind Flame Sect’s allegiance to Wanyan Leiting on the condition that the Azure Heaven Divine Sect be destroyed, and the Southwest Alliance later allied with that sect against the Danu Empire.

• Wanyan Leiting ordered Yin Zhagu to stay and focused the Danu Empire’s strength on defeating the Great Wei Empire.
• The Danu Empire defeated Zhao Haoyi, captured Lei Province, and rose as one of four major powers alongside Zhao Haoming, the Azure Heaven Sect, and the Southwest Alliance.
• Yang Lie cultivated in Lingyang Prefecture while Xiao Zitong managed the prefecture and Nangong Hui trained the Imperial Heaven Protector Army.
• The Danu Empire defeated Zhao Haoming, seized Ten-Eyed Capital City, and brutalized its people, prompting factions to flock to the Danu Empire and dividing the Southwest Alliance.
• Wind Flame Child offered the Wind Flame Sect’s allegiance to Wanyan Leiting on the condition that the Danu Empire destroy the Azure Heaven Divine Sect, which he called heretical.
• The Southwest Alliance announced an alliance with the Azure Heaven Divine Sect to resist the Danu Empire.

After the Danu Empire and Southwest Alliance crushed the Azure Heaven Divine Sect, Yang Lie condensed a Grade One Golden Core and prepared to expand the Divine Huangtian Sect. As Yang Lie marched toward Shining Prefecture, Gongyang Xuanyi chose to abandon Ning Province rather than fight him.

• The Southwest Alliance betrayed the Azure Heaven Divine Sect during its decisive battle with the Danu Empire, and the allied forces retook several provinces.
• Gongyang Xuanyi decided to let the Imperial Court handle the Divine Huangtian Sect while its forces were occupied hunting the Azure Heaven Divine Sect.
• Yang Lie used a strand of True Dragon Source Qi to erase the final pattern on his Golden Core and complete his transformation into a Golden Core First Heaven martial artist with a Grade One Golden Core.
• Xiao Zitong and Nangong Hui congratulated Yang Lie, and he told Xiao Zitong to prepare for the Divine Huangtian Sect's expansion.
• Yang Lie led twelve thousand guardian troops toward Shining Prefecture, prompting Gongyang Xuanyi to order his family to leave Ning Province rather than fight.

Yang Lie captured Ning Province after the Gongyang Family fled, then hunted magical beasts in the Demon Sheep Mountain Range. Major Gu Mingdong agreed to serve him after discovering Yang Lie had formed a Grade One Golden Core, and went to persuade the other Human Alliance military experts.

• Gongyang Xuanyi ordered the Gongyang Family to flee Ning Province with its treasures and cultivation resources, and Yang Lie took control of the province without a fight.
• Yang Lie hunted Demonic Eye Giant Sheep and other magical beasts in the Demon Sheep Mountain Range until Nangong Hui summoned him to meet a Human Alliance visitor.
• Major Gu Mingdong asked Yang Lie to hand the Divine Huangtian Sect over to the military in exchange for a promising career after graduation.
• Yang Lie challenged Gu Mingdong to a contest and revealed he had formed a Grade One Golden Core, causing Gu Mingdong to concede and agree to serve him.
• Gu Mingdong left to persuade his comrades and reached a hidden cave where eighteen Human Alliance military experts were gathered.

Gu Mingdong persuaded the Human Alliance military experts to serve Yang Lie after revealing that he had formed a First Grade Golden Core. Yang Lie gained their support and intelligence network, while the Danu Empire assigned Wind Flame Child to attack Ning Province with Ximen Shengkong’s forces.

• Gu Mingdong told Lei Jian and the other military experts that Yang Lie had formed a First Grade Golden Core and offered to share the Merit Points from conquering the world.
• Lei Jian and the military experts agreed to serve Yang Lie, and the next day they pledged their support at Spirit Sheep Manor.
• Pan Ziling asked Yang Lie to let her punish the Southwest Alliance for betraying their forces, and Yang Lie agreed.
• Lei Jian’s nineteen fellow Real Person-level experts took over much of Xiao Zitong’s work and organized teams to hunt Demonic Eye Magical Beasts.
• Wind Flame Child urged Wan Yan Leiting to attack Yang Lie’s forces, and Wan Yan Leiting ordered him to lead Ximen Shengkong’s forces against Ning Province.