Recaps

Chen Qing realized Pu Yunchuan might still be alive and worried about Ziyue’s forgotten ties to the Daoist School. At the imperial study, Yunyue offered Great Jin three powerful military tools, each with a cost that made Chen Qing suspect the Daoist School aimed to hollow out the empire.

• Chen Qing concluded that Pu Yunchuan had likely survived by leaving a contingency in the game, while privately questioning who had established it and what Ziyue might remember.
• Yunyue told the emperor that the Daoist School could provide pills that quickly empowered soldiers but shortened their lives and left them nearly infertile.
• Yunyue offered mechanical puppets that could greatly boost a Transcendent soldier’s combat power, though using them consumed the controller’s essence blood.
• Yunyue proposed talismans that let ordinary soldiers cast powerful spells, but their use consumed the soldiers’ spirit bodies.
• Chen Qing suspected the Daoist School’s offers were designed to undermine Great Jin’s foundations.

Yunyue offered the emperor the Daoist School’s power-boosting items, explaining that their use cost potential, vital blood, or spirit bodies and could become addictive. The emperor considered signing the agreement, but its restrictions on cooperating with Heavenly Apex factions left both him and Chen Qing uneasy.

• Yunyue explained that the Daoist School benefited from the costs and addictive side effects of its items, while the emperor judged them useful for strengthening his forces.
• Chen Qing warned the emperor that repeated use made the items harder to control, but agreed they could help against the Buddha Kingdom and Heavenly Court.
• Yunyue presented an agreement tied to the earth’s dragon veins, requiring the emperor not to attack the Daoist School and not to cooperate with any Heavenly Apex faction.
• Yunyue defined a Heavenly Apex faction as one with at least two Innate Dao Fruits, more than ten Venerables, and control over part of the rules of heaven and earth.
• The emperor and Chen Qing considered how the restriction might affect their alliance if Chen Qing became powerful enough, and both suspected the agreement would lead to trouble.

Yunyue negotiated with the King of Qin and the Eldest Princess, warning them that the Buddhist School could awaken an army of people through their past lives and urging them to act quickly. She offered Daoist School support in exchange for cooperation, and the chapter ended with her presenting a contract that would let them receive it immediately.

• Yunyue explained that the Buddhist School could gradually awaken people in Samsara and build an army, so its temples had to be destroyed before it grew stronger.
• Yunyue described how the Daoist School, Heavenly Court, and Demon Domain each resisted the Buddhist School through different methods.
• The Eldest Princess accused the Daoist School of exploiting mortal potential, while Yunyue argued that the approaching heavenly tribulation and Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons made cooperation urgent.
• The King of Qin condemned powerful groups for preserving their rule at the expense of the future, and Yunyue acknowledged his understanding of her civilization.
• The Eldest Princess asked when the Daoist School could provide its promised aid, and Yunyue presented a contract offering it immediately if they signed.

The emperor weighed the Daoist School’s offer against Chen Qing’s uncertain plan as Buddhist temples lured people away from Great Jin’s capital. He left the choice unresolved, asking Chen Qing whether he should trust him.

• Yunyue urged the emperor and Ziyue to accept talismans that could help them counter the Evil Corpse, but Ziyue said she needed more time to decide.
• After Yunyue left, the emperor asked Chen Qing whether the Daoist School’s offer was reliable, while reports showed that many noble families in the capital had been bewitched.
• Chen Qing explained that his plan could unlock the emperor’s potential but would not strengthen his forces, and that the emperor might have to hold the capital alone until Chen Qing returned.
• The emperor asked Chen Qing which path he wanted him to take, and Chen Qing admitted he hoped the emperor would trust him but could not guarantee he would return in time.
• The emperor asked Chen Qing whether he should trust him.

Chen Qing urged the emperor and Ziyue to reject the Daoist School’s offer because he suspected something had changed in its founder, Pu Yunchuan. The emperor and Ziyue chose to trust Chen Qing, who told Ziyue he feared the Daoist School concealed a threat that could lead to their worst possible situation.

• Chen Qing told the emperor he would not let him down, making clear that he opposed an alliance with the Daoist School because he suspected Pu Yunchuan had changed.
• Ziyue said she trusted Chen Qing, and the emperor agreed to trust him and wait up to three days for an answer.
• The emperor worried that the Daoist School might approach his imperial elder sister, while Chen Qing asked what he thought of the King of Qin; the emperor said the King of Qin would never join the ancients.
• Yunyue urged Ziyue to merge with her, but Ziyue chose to wait and Yunyue agreed to support her decision.
• Ziyue asked Chen Qing what might be wrong with the Daoist School, and he privately shared a suspicion that could bring about their worst situation.

Wang Ye and Wei Gongzhan feared the Grand Princess would accept the Daoist School’s offer, and their fears were confirmed when she signed its talisman contract. She ordered Tian Heng to help root out the Buddhist temples, leaving him facing the Grand Princess’s ultimatum.

• Wang Ye warned Wei Gongzhan that the Daoist School might use its agreement with the Grand Princess to take control of her army.
• Wei Gongzhan admitted his cousin might have died at the Grand Princess’s hands but insisted she still needed information to protect the people and imperial troops.
• Wang Ye and Wei Gongzhan saw azure light rise above the pass and concluded that the Grand Princess had accepted the Daoist School’s offer.
• The Grand Princess signed the Daoist School’s talisman contract and ordered her subordinates to summon Tian Heng.
• Yunyue described the East Sea’s people as potential puppet soldiers and medicine slaves, alarming the Grand Princess and the King of Qin.
• The Grand Princess told Tian Heng she planned to attack the Buddhist temples, then offered him two choices after he warned that his depleted army could not safely act.

The Grand Princess forced Tian Heng to choose between using dangerous medicine to fight the Buddhist temples and letting her lead an army into Jiangnan. After consulting Wang Ye, Tian Heng agreed to stall by accepting the mission, while Wang Ye doubted that Chen Qing’s plan could resolve the wider crisis.

• The Grand Princess offered Tian Heng medicine that could exhaust his soldiers’ potential and lifespans, or to lead her own army into Jiangnan to clear the Buddhist temples.
• The Grand Princess accused Tian Heng of possibly colluding with the Buddha Kingdom and gave him one hour to decide.
• Tian Heng returned to Wang Ye, who suspected the Daoist School had supplied the medicine so the Grand Princess could weaken his forces and later seize Jiangnan.
• Wang Ye advised Tian Heng to accept the mission and delay clearing the Buddhist temples once he was protected by Jiangnan’s city defenses.
• Tian Heng worried that the Grand Princess might let the Heavenly Pythons through the pass, and Wang Ye argued she wanted Jiangnan intact but admitted he did not know whether Chen Qing’s plan would solve the crisis.

Tian Heng brought the West Sea Army to Nanming Prefecture after the eldest princess took control of the pass, and he asked Shen Er for help. As Shen Er considered how to respond to the Buddhist temples’ influence, he asked to examine Tian Heng’s pills, leaving Tian Heng wondering whether Shen Er had been tempted by them.

• Shen Er learned that Tian Heng had arrived with the West Sea Army and had the city’s protective formation activated.
• Tian Heng entered Nanming Prefecture alone after his soldiers camped outside and told Shen Er how the eldest princess and the King of Qin had put him in a difficult position.
• Shen Er explained that strange Buddhist light had weakened the Power of Faith in his Underworld and tempted even some Heaven Academy spell formation masters with claims about past lives.
• Tian Heng worried that delay would only wear down his forces, while Shen Er said attacking the monsters hidden in the Buddhist temples would cause heavy losses.
• Shen Er asked Tian Heng to show him the pills, saying their effectiveness might present an opportunity, and Tian Heng wondered whether Shen Er had been tempted.

Shen Er urged Tian Heng to act against the Buddha Kingdom before its influence spread, warning that waiting for Chen Qing could leave Jiangnan exposed. He also pointed out that a costly victory could strengthen the West Sea Army by opening resources and recruits to new followers, leaving Tian Heng to weigh the opportunity against the risk of ruin.

• Tian Heng questioned whether the Buddha Kingdom's influence offered an opportunity, and Shen Er explained the dangers of delay and the Grand Princess's plans for Jiangnan.
• Shen Er warned that clearing the Buddha Kingdom could provoke the northern demons and draw in the Daoist School and the King of Qin.
• Tian Heng considered waiting for Chen Qing to return, but Shen Er argued that they did not know what the Buddha Kingdom might do next or when the Buddha would awaken.
• Shen Er told Tian Heng that the West Sea Army would likely suffer heavy losses and urged him to decide whether the potential gains justified the risk.
• Shen Er explained that casualties could let the Underworld replenish its ghost soldiers and give the West Sea Army room to bring in new followers, while Tian Heng recognized that Shen Er had little to lose either way.

Shen Er persuaded Tian Heng to recruit West Sea Army soldiers as underworld soldiers in exchange for a chance to reshape the army and attack the Buddhist temple. Wang Ye set out to meet the King of Qin, while Tian Heng’s recruitment offer exposed the conflict between family elites and lower-born troops.

• Shen Er offered Tian Heng’s soldiers promotions, double pay, and benefits for their families if they died in battle and served in the Underworld.
• Tian Heng agreed to Shen Er’s proposal and demanded the Shen Family’s full support in wiping out the Buddhist temple.
• Wang Ye told Wei Gongzhan that Tian Heng would likely accept the Shen Family’s plan and that he regarded the major factions as allies against outside horrors.
• Wang Ye and Wei Gongzhan left to meet the King of Qin.
• Tian Heng explained the medicine’s deadly side effects and the Underworld benefits to his soldiers, prompting family direct descendants to fear losing influence as lower-born soldiers considered volunteering.
• Several members of the families challenged Tian Heng’s offer as inappropriate.

Tian Heng persuaded the West Sea Army to volunteer for a dangerous mission by offering them posts as yin soldiers in the Underworld, despite opposition from aristocratic descendants. Thousands stepped forward, but the aristocratic leaders turned against him, leaving Tian Heng worried that failure would cost him his remaining support.

• Tian Heng rejected the aristocratic descendants’ objections and explained the benefits awaiting soldiers who died in battle and became yin soldiers.
• Tian Liang volunteered first, and thousands of West Sea Army soldiers followed his lead.
• Tian Heng promised that every volunteer would remain his brother and ordered Tian Liang to register them for the mission to exterminate the Buddhists.
• The aristocratic descendants stopped objecting but exchanged plotting looks, and Tian Heng realized they might undermine him.

Tian Heng prepared the West Sea Army for a campaign while his senior officers secretly turned against him, and he knowingly gave them an opening to defect. Meanwhile, Shen Er confronted the King of Qin inside the World in the Painting after witnessing him impersonate Shen Er to trick Tian Heng into taking the pills.

• Wu You and Tian Yusheng persuaded the West Sea Army's senior officers to abandon Tian Heng and seek their own prospects through the Buddhist temples.
• Tian Liang warned Tian Heng that Tian Yusheng and the others were dissatisfied and spoke proudly of their past lives.
• Tian Heng said he intended to give the officers an opportunity to betray him, since their hearts had already turned away.
• Shen Er confronted the King of Qin in the World in the Painting and revealed that he had seen him impersonate Shen Er to entice Tian Heng into accepting the pills.

The King of Qin confronted Shen Er and tried to win him over, but Shen Er refused to abandon Chen Qing and the Divine Path Style. Shen Er realized the King of Qin had inherited some of a Principal God's abilities, leaving Jiangnan vulnerable to his schemes while Chen Qing was away.

• The King of Qin intercepted Shen Er on his way back to Nanming Prefecture and praised him as the most dangerous member of the Shen Family.
• Shen Er and the King of Qin discussed why the Shen Family had not joined the King of Qin's earlier plans, and agreed that his failure had helped preserve the chance to resist the foreign heavenly demons.
• The King of Qin urged Shen Er to betray Chen Qing, but Shen Er said he wanted to see whether Chen Qing's ideals could succeed and refused to support the King of Qin.
• The King of Qin revealed that he intended to take Chen Qing's foundation, while Shen Er argued that Chen Qing had achieved more despite starting from nothing.
• Shen Er deduced that the King of Qin could locate Principal Gods because he had gained some of a god lord's abilities when he had still been inside Chen Qing.
• The King of Qin confirmed Shen Er's deduction, and Shen Er feared Jiangnan would fall into the King of Qin's hands unless Chen Qing returned.

Shen San and A Li learned that Tian Heng had returned with an extraordinarily powerful West Sea Army and planned a coordinated assault on the Buddhist temples. Shen San agreed to join him, leaving Shen Yuan and Tian Liang to defend Liuzhou, while Shen Yuan suspected something had happened to Shen Er.

• Old Wolf warned Shen San and A Li that the West Sea Army had become far stronger than before and was stationed fifty li away.
• A Li disguised herself as a soldier, and Tian Heng appeared at the city gate to explain that he planned to destroy the Buddhas by splitting his forces among three regions.
• Shen San learned that Shen Er had urged Tian Heng to give his soldiers the medicine, and Tian Heng said his former deputies had left to report the news.
• Tian Heng asked Shen San to join the campaign and promised to leave Tian Liang with ten thousand West Sea Army elites and a hundred Four Saints Army soldiers in Liuzhou.
• Shen San assigned Shen Yuan to support Tian Liang, and Tian Heng departed to deploy the troops.
• Shen Yuan told Shen San that Shen Er would never have acted that way unless Tian Heng was lying or something had happened to Shen Er.

A Li and Shen San ruled out Tian Heng as a traitor and concluded that Shen Er had been replaced by the King of Qin. Shen San warned that the King of Qin might target A Li for her ability, but she chose to stay and protect Chen Ying and face the danger herself.

• A Li confirmed that Tian Heng's memories were sound, and Shen San guessed Tian Heng had shared them to win greater rewards if their mission succeeded.
• Shen Yuan argued that Shen Er valued loyalty too much to betray Chen Qing, leading Shen San to suspect that Shen Er had been replaced.
• A Li identified the King of Qin as the likely culprit, and Shen San explained that he might evade detection because he shared an origin with Chen Qing.
• Shen San warned that the King of Qin might target A Li to steal her ability and urged her to go with him to Nanyang.
• A Li refused to leave Chen Ying and Ziyue's entrusted tasks behind, and she accepted that she might have to outwit the King of Qin herself.

The Heavenly Court observed Jiangnan’s campaign against Buddhism and discussed the human faction’s strength, including its fight with the Victorious Fighting Buddha. The Three-Eyed Divine General was intrigued by the upheaval but said Jiangnan was still far from eradicating Buddhism.

• Buddha light rose over Jiangnan as its forces began eradicating Buddhist temples on a scale that stunned the factions watching from afar.
• The Heavenly Court’s divine generals discussed how earlier factions had failed to eliminate Buddhism because they lacked troops and feared one another.
• The generals explained that Jiangnan’s human faction had openly challenged the ancient factions and that its emperor had fought the Victorious Fighting Buddha to a standstill.
• The Three-Eyed Divine General asked whether the report was certain, then became excited by the changes unfolding in the mortal world.
• When divine generals asked whether the Heavenly Court should intervene against Jiangnan and the Daoist School, the Three-Eyed Divine General said there was no need to rush because Buddhism was difficult to uproot.

Shen San entered Nanyang’s Underworld to investigate whether the city’s Door God had turned against Jiangnan, while Tian Heng waited outside with the West Sea Army. The Door God refused to meet Shen San and demanded an explanation, confirming their worst fears as the battle approached.

• Tian Heng brought the West Sea Army to Nanyang and agreed to let Shen San investigate before attacking.
• Shen San returned to the Underworld and learned that no trouble had been reported, but suspected the Door God might have been swayed by the Buddha Kingdom.
• Shen San ordered the Night Wandering God to summon the Door God to the Underworld temple.
• The Night Wandering God reported that the Door God refused to come and would not let the West Sea Army enter without an explanation.
• Shen San told Tian Heng that the Door God had refused, confirming that Nanyang’s defenses might be under hostile control.

Tian Heng began the siege of Nanyang City despite the heavy losses and the risk of fighting Jiangnan’s own defenders, trusting Shen San to help from inside. As the Heavenly Court watched, its generals discussed Chen Qing’s history and the eldest princess wondered whether he would again fall into Liu’s hands; Tian Heng’s army remained trapped in a battle with no way back.

• Tian Heng ordered the West Sea Army to attack Nanyang City, relying on Shen San’s promise to help from within.
• The city’s formations lit up as the Heavenly Palace and Demon Domain watched the siege begin.
• Heavenly Court generals discussed Jiangnan’s rapid mastery of formations and Chen Qing’s past conflict with Elder Liu.
• The eldest princess of the Long Household silenced the generals and asked whether Chen Qing was absent from Jiangnan and might fall into Liu’s hands again.
• After two costly assaults, Tian Heng ordered his men to maintain pressure while he waited for Shen San to open the way into the city.
• Tian Heng feared Shen San might have betrayed him, but continued the siege because his army had no path to retreat.

Shen San waited until the Blazing Yang Grand Formation activated before leaving the Underworld to confront the forces at Nanyang City’s gate. He left the Underworld in his deputies’ care and discovered that the Door God’s allies had been waiting for him.

• Tian Heng ordered the West Sea Army to keep pressure on the defenders while avoiding unnecessary casualties as the Blazing Yang Grand Formation activated.
• Shen San reassured the Underworld’s teachers and aides, then ordered his deputies to keep its barrier closed after he left.
• Shen San explained that the Underworld had to remain Jiangnan’s last refuge and urged its people to defend it, which they vowed to do.
• Shen San went alone into the city gate’s domain, where the Door God questioned whether he feared an ambush.
• A Buddhist figure greeted Shen San, confirming that the Door God had betrayed them and that his allies had been waiting for him.

Shen San outmaneuvered the two Buddhas who tried to kill him at Nanyang City’s gate. He left them trapped and surrounded by the united forces of the city and the West Sea Army.

• The two Buddhas attacked Shen San with King Level power, but one grew uneasy when Shen San remained calm.
• The Buddha’s giant palm struck the barrier and was blocked, while the Blazing Yang Grand Formation’s flames spread from his hand.
• Shen San revealed that the Buddhas had chosen the wrong person to turn, as the Door God had switched sides again.
• The outer formation went dark, allowing the West Sea Army and Door God Guard to surround the Buddhas together.
• The Buddhas demanded to know how Shen San had turned the situation against them, but he refused to explain and accused them of arrogance and failing to gather intelligence.

Shen San trapped two Buddha Kingdom Buddhas in Nanyang City by turning the gate god Qianliu against them, then joined Tian Heng’s army in killing them. The Heavenly Palace’s divine generals witnessed the humans defeat King Level beings and realized the old order had changed.

• Shen San withdrew from the Blazing Yang Grand Formation while Qianliu kept the two Buddhas trapped on the city gate.
• The Buddhas tried to persuade Qianliu to return to the Buddha Kingdom, but he rejected them and mocked their claims of immortality.
• One Buddha suspected the Thousand-Faced Fox had changed Qianliu’s mind, and Shen San silently recognized that A Li’s blood had altered the willow’s memories.
• Tian Heng ordered the army to form up, and the soldiers used the Blazing Yang Grand Formation and their army formation to wear down and kill both Buddhas.
• The Heavenly Palace’s divine generals watched the mortals kill two King Level Buddhas and realized the heavens had changed.

The Heavenly Court prepared to awaken its army while Ziwei considered sacrificing the demons who had sought its protection. As Elder Liu weighed the conflict with Chen Qing and the human world, a powerful Buddha appeared before the King of Qin outside Liuzhou and asked about his plans.

• The Three-Eyed Divine General warned Ziwei that Chen Qing and Jiangnan were dangerous, and reported that the Heavenly Soldier Pool could awaken its soldiers within five months.
• Ziwei ordered the Heavenly Court’s forces prepared and declared that it had to win this era or retreat to Data City.
• Elder Liu reflected on the growing conflict between the Buddha Kingdom and the human world, then told his grandson that a formidable expert in Liuzhou would stop the Thousand-Faced Fox.
• The King of Qin met a barefoot Buddha outside Liuzhou and asked his name.
• The Buddha asked whether the King of Qin had a plan for his journey and warned that he would kill him if the Thousand-Faced Fox took control of him.

Tian Liang waited outside Liuzhou’s Buddhist temple while the King of Qin and the Buddha debated the city’s prosperity and the Thousand-Faced Fox’s threat. The King of Qin revealed that A Li had a weakness, but the chapter ended before he explained it.

• Tian Liang calmed his impatient officers by promising them military credit and waited for the Thousand-Faced Fox and their opponents to make a move.
• The King of Qin and the disguised Buddha walked through prosperous Liuzhou and argued over whether its people’s improved lives were true happiness.
• The King of Qin proposed attacking directly, reasoning that the Thousand-Faced Fox would then have to target key figures amid the fighting.
• The Buddha considered whether Chen Qing might have helped A Li become a King and concluded that Chen Qing might take risks others would avoid.
• The King of Qin told the Buddha that A Li had a weakness.

The King of Qin explained the limits of A Li’s memory manipulation, and he and the Buddha sent the arhats out to provoke the army. As Tian Liang led the West Sea Army into a full charge, the King of Qin spotted A Li among the soldiers.

• The King of Qin told the Buddha that A Li needed time to realistically alter powerful beings’ memories, making her vulnerable when forced to act quickly.
• The King of Qin urged a direct attack, and the Buddha instructed Ananda to make his move.
• Tian Liang rallied the West Sea Army, and its soldiers charged the nearly thousand golden-bodied arhats.
• The arhats were caught off guard as the army attacked while the Buddha’s influence remained weak in Jiangnan.
• The Buddha questioned whether A Li was in the army, but the King of Qin insisted she was and declared that he had found her.

A Li used Tian Liang as bait and turned the King of Qin’s own swapping technique against him, trapping him in the ink-painting world. The King of Qin realized her scheme but hinted that another opponent might still act.

• The King of Qin took Tian Liang’s form and entered the battlefield, while Shen Er warned him not to underestimate A Li.
• A Li identified the disguised King of Qin by noticing his instinctive avoidance of Tian Liang’s personal guards and used the memory of his swap to make him target himself.
• A Li explained that she had inferred the King of Qin could use the golem’s power on himself, causing his technique to backfire because the real Tian Liang was already locked away.
• The King of Qin praised A Li’s scheme, then asked Master why he had not made his move.