Chapter Summaries

Tian Heng confronted the possessed deputy generals over their betrayal, and Old Wu repented before killing himself. Tian Heng and Xu Hu captured the red insects behind the plot, then spotted a vast force of giant pythons approaching Tong Pass.

• Tian Heng reminded Old Wu and the other deputy generals of their loyalty and sacrifices during the early wars, and condemned what they had become.
• Old Wu apologized, asked Tian Heng to protect his son, and killed himself; Tian Heng and Xu Hu caught three red insects as they tried to escape.
• Tian Heng told Xu Hu that the insects were powerful Ancient Demons and admitted he planned to resign, but Xu Hu urged him to focus on the danger.
• Tian Heng and Xu Hu realized the plot might also target the Northern Lands, then heard a horn and saw countless giant python eyes in the dust north of Tong Pass.

Tian Heng used a divine edict to reveal that Zhou Tengbin’s rebellion had been crushed and urged the West Sea Army to join the Fighter Army against the invading enemy. As Xu Hu weighed whether to trust Tian Heng and how to send aid to Cloud Capital, Lao Bai reported that someone among the snake monsters requested an audience.

• West Sea soldiers grew uneasy about fighting the Fighter Army, and some began to lose their resolve outside Tong Pass.
• Tian Heng’s divine edict announced Zhou Tengbin’s defeat and called on the West Sea Army to help fight the foreign invaders, prompting the soldiers to cheer.
• Tian Heng refused to purge suspicious senior officers while the enemy threatened Tong Pass and discussed the need to reinforce the pass or send help to Cloud Capital.
• Xu Hu struggled to decide whether he could trust Tian Heng, who noticed Xu Hu’s reservations.
• Lao Bai announced that someone among the snake monsters wanted to meet Xu Hu, and Tian Heng saw a possible chance to act.

At the leaders’ gathering in Cloud Capital, the Ancient Demons offered humanity a choice between submission and death, but Chen Baifeng and Chen Qing followed the emperor in refusing. Kagura revealed that she possessed an Asura Body, then raised the imperial palace into the air with an enormous python, leaving the gathering under attack.

• The old Heavenly Master offered the human leaders symbiosis with the Ancient Demons or death, and the emperor refused.
• Chen Qing said he would follow the emperor’s lead, and Chen Baifeng likewise declared his support for His Majesty.
• Kagura asked to be included in the choice, and the old Heavenly Master identified her as an Asura Body.
• The old Heavenly Master questioned how Kagura could escape the Ancient Demons without an army, and Kagura said she had one.
• An enormous python lifted the imperial palace into the air.

Kagura revealed how her faction used the Thousand Mechanisms Pupil and ten thousand years of preparation to bypass Cloud Capital’s defenses, while the old Celestial Master trusted in the Four Saints Guard’s strength. The imperial palace rose on a Heavenly Python, and Jiangnan’s West Sea Army emerged from beneath it, leaving Chen Qing surprised by Tian Heng’s apparent choice.

• Kagura explained that her faction had spent ten thousand years using the Thousand Mechanisms Pupil and array masters to find a way through Cloud Capital’s defenses.
• Chen Qing explained how they had tested possible ways to dismantle the arrays and waited for the Four Saints Trial’s disturbances to conceal the python’s approach.
• The old Celestial Master declared that the Four Saints Guard could still defeat Kagura’s forces with its ten thousand Transcendent soldiers.
• Kagura revealed that more than a few Heavenly Pythons had entered, and the old Celestial Master saw armored soldiers climbing out from beneath the lifted palace.
• Shen Qi recognized the soldiers as Tian Heng’s West Sea Army, surprising Chen Qing, who had expected Tian Heng to betray Jiangnan.

Chen Qing hid the Jiangnan students in his sleeve with an astonishing spatial technique, then faced the old Celestial Master’s sudden attack. Their fierce battle left the Heaven and Earth Hall in ruins, and the observers realized Chen Qing could match the high priest, who had inherited the Martial God’s legacy.

• Chen Qing shrank the Jiangnan students, including Shen Qi, and concealed them inside his sleeve by manipulating space.
• King Xiang warned the emperor that Chen Qing’s combat ability might rival King Chujiang, while Kagura recognized his exceptional spatial skill.
• The old Celestial Master attacked Chen Qing, and their collision tore apart the great chamber of the Heaven and Earth Hall.
• Chen Baifeng and the other warlocks watched as Chen Qing and the old Celestial Master exchanged more than a thousand blows in only a few breaths.
• The old Celestial Master wondered how Chen Qing had become so skilled, while Zhang Xiaoyun and Zhang Zhiyun realized he was fighting the high priest who had inherited the Martial God’s legacy.

Chen Qing’s clash with the old Heavenly Master ended with the Ancient Demon splitting the palace into countless spatial fragments, scattering Jiangnan’s troops and the Four Saints Guard. Chen Qing recognized that his forces were in grave danger, while the emperor and Kagura chose to wait as the factions fought.

• Zhang Xiaoyun watched Chen Qing and realized he could not defeat him.
• After clashing with Chen Qing, the old Heavenly Master abandoned his plan to capture him and used spatial arts to divide the palace and separate the invading forces.
• Chen Qing and Shen Qi recognized that scattered West Sea soldiers would be vulnerable to the Four Saints Guard.
• Kagura told the emperor she did not care how many Heavenly Pythons died, and the emperor observed that Chen Qing would need to kill the old Heavenly Master to escape the predicament.
• The emperor and Kagura held back, preferring to let Chen Qing and the Ancient Demons wear each other down.

Chen Qing shattered the space fragment trapping him and charged the old Celestial Master, revealing strength that astonished the emperor, Kagura, and Tian Heng. The old Celestial Master offered Chen Qing a place in the Ancient Demon royal clan, but Chen Qing rejected him and attacked.

• Chen Qing chose to save Tian Heng's West Sea Army and broke his space fragment apart with brute force and precise elemental control.
• Kagura, King Xiang, and the emperor recognized Chen Qing's strength as approaching King Level.
• Tian Heng and his deputy generals found themselves trapped in a space fragment while Chen Qing flew toward the old Celestial Master.
• The old Celestial Master admitted he had misjudged Chen Qing and offered him a place in the Ancient Demon royal clan.
• Chen Qing refused the offer and slashed at the old Celestial Master with his sword.

Outside Cloud Capital, a mysterious woman watched Chen Qing battle the Ancient Demon high priest, while Quefeng warned her how formidable the opponent was. As Chen Qing weighed retreating against risking everything to save his allies, he unleashed a surge of power that looked like a King Level breakthrough and revealed his Golden Crow Flame.

• The woman leading an army of ghosts watched Cloud Capital from afar and asked Quefeng about Chen Qing and the Ancient Demon high priest.
• Quefeng said the high priest had mastered much of the Ancient Demon clan’s martial-arts legacy and was difficult for anyone to match.
• The high priest questioned how Chen Qing had grown so powerful, while Chen Qing realized he might have to abandon his allies or risk everything within ten breaths.
• Chen Qing let his momentum fall, prompting the high priest to hold back rather than attack as he waited for his Four Saints Guard to consume Chen Qing’s forces.
• Chen Qing unleashed a terrifying pressure that made the high priest suspect he was breaking through to King Level, then revealed the Golden Crow Flame.

Chen Qing used Xiaoli’s future power to break through to King Level and attack the old Heavenly Master, shattering the spatial array. As the space fragments collapsed and the armies suffered heavy losses, Tian Heng gathered the West Sea Army, unaware that a shadow was closing in on him.

• Kagura noticed Chen Qing’s Golden Crow Bloodline, and the emperor recalled how his schemes had led to the late empress’s death and recognized her blood in Chen Qing’s flames.
• Chen Qing used the Divine Path’s Fortune-Stealing Technique to borrow Xiaoli’s future power and gain King Level strength for three breaths.
• Tian Heng ordered his deputy general to hold his breath as Chen Qing’s flames warped the space and drew the fragments together.
• Tian Heng used the West Sea Divine Decree to order his scattered soldiers to assemble and form a battle formation.
• The Four Saints Guard slaughtered soldiers and warlocks amid the collapsing fragments while Tian Heng anxiously awaited his troops, failing to notice a shadow approaching.

After Chen Qing used his power to break free, Tian Heng and several factions raced through the merging spaces to find him, while the emperor praised the Jiangnan soldiers for holding together. Just as Tian Heng reached the central turbulence, a mysterious black figure seized him and hurled him into a dangerous elemental storm.

• The emperor praised Tian Heng's Jiangnan soldiers for regrouping despite losing nearly a third of their number.
• Tian Heng searched the central turbulence for Chen Qing, knowing that rescuing him was essential to securing Jiangnan's trust.
• Kagura and several hidden experts also headed toward Chen Qing, while Chen Baifeng realized the South Sea faction was outmatched by the many powerful contenders.
• Tian Heng forced his way through the elemental currents despite being badly wounded.
• A black figure suddenly grabbed Tian Heng and slammed him into a torrent of chaotic elemental turbulence, startling even Kagura.

An unknown fighter dragged Tian Heng into the turbulent currents and attacked him with strength comparable to Chen Qing’s, leaving Kagura and the emperor wondering who else could wield King Level power. As the West Sea Army regrouped, its deputy general weighed retreating if Tian Heng died, but a seductive voice interrupted his thoughts.

• Kagura wondered whether another hidden expert had appeared who could temporarily reach King Level power.
• An unidentified, taiji-faced fighter attacked Tian Heng inside the turbulent currents, and Tian Heng struggled to defend himself while unable to breathe properly.
• The emperor ruled out his eldest sister and a mechanical puppet but could not identify the mysterious fighter.
• The deputy general ordered more than twenty thousand West Sea Army survivors to form ranks and hold position while the currents remained dangerous.
• The deputy general considered leading the army away if Tian Heng died, but a seductive voice suddenly spoke in his ear.

Tian Heng used Ao Zhen’s inherited techniques and risked his life with the Startling Swan strike against a mysterious attacker, but the man evaded it and killed him. As Tian Heng died, he recognized Murong Yunji’s Divine Wind and realized his opponent had anticipated the attack.

• Tian Heng held off the mysterious attacker and used his knowledge of Ao Zhen’s techniques to preserve his breath and seek an opening.
• Tian Heng let the attacker strike his chest, used the impact to retreat, and then unleashed Ao Zhen’s dangerous Startling Swan technique.
• The emperor watched Tian Heng’s strike and wondered whether Chen Qing could use the same technique.
• The mysterious attacker appeared behind Tian Heng and killed him with a blow through the chest after dodging the strike.
• Tian Heng recognized the attacker’s use of Murong Yunji’s Divine Wind and realized the man had predicted his move.

A mysterious man captured Tian Heng and held the West Sea Army at bay while Kagura searched the storm’s core for Chen Qing. Kagura realized Chen Qing was hiding in the Jiangnan group’s tiny spatial fragments and used Present Sight to locate them.

• The mysterious man defeated Tian Heng, seized him, and warned the West Sea Army not to move.
• Kagura decided to ignore the standoff and continued toward the storm’s center to find Chen Qing.
• Kagura searched the core but found only the badly burned high priest and wondered how Chen Qing had disappeared.
• Kagura recalled that Chen Qing had sealed the Jiangnan students inside their own stabilized spatial fragments and deduced he was hiding in one.
• Kagura activated Present Sight and spotted numerous tiny spatial fragments concealed among the fragments at the core.

Kagura failed to find Chen Qing through the spatial fragments and discovered that an Outer Heaven Demon Statue had taken control of Tian Heng and the West Sea Army. The High Priest and Zhang Xiaoyun recognized the statue as a grave threat but could not identify it, though it seemed familiar to the High Priest.

• Kagura stopped searching for Chen Qing when the spatial fragments overwhelmed the range and cost of her Present Sight.
• Kagura turned toward Tian Heng's West Sea Army, glimpsed an Outer Heaven Demon Statue controlling it, and withdrew her gaze in shock.
• Kagura recalled that every known Outer Heaven Demon Statue was recorded or sealed, making the statue's appearance inexplicable.
• The Four Saints Guard protected the gravely wounded High Priest after Chen Qing sent him flying.
• Zhang Xiaoyun asked the High Priest to identify the statue, but the High Priest could not name it and said it seemed familiar.

The high priest recalled how the King of Qin’s Heavenly Moon Plan had erased memories connected to A Li, the Heavenly Mirror, and a past encounter with the demon statue. As the ritual neared its end, a ghost army arrived at Cloud Capital, and the emperor revealed that his hidden forces had defeated King Chujiang.

• The high priest told Zhang Xiaoyun that the Ancient Demon clan had lost memories during its operation thirty years earlier, when A Li and the Heavenly Mirror disappeared.
• The high priest ordered Zhang Xiaoyun to wait, intending to prioritize the ritual and the Spirit bodies of the Four Saints over the coming struggle.
• A messenger warned the high priest that an army was approaching Cloud Capital, and a ghost army surrounded the imperial palace under a woman riding a dragon steed.
• Zhang Xiaoyun blamed King Chujiang for failing to capture the capital, while King Xiang realized the emperor had concealed a force capable of defeating him.
• The emperor explained that he had lured King Chujiang out to remove the threat to the capital, then ordered everyone to prepare to seize the four pillars of light when the ritual ended.

Chen Baifeng reconsidered the South Sea faction’s future as the Four Saints’ immense presence overwhelmed everyone at the palace. The emperor and King Xiang prepared to move, while a woman led the ghost army into the palace to reach Fei Jun first.

• Chen Baifeng decided the South Sea faction should abandon its ambitions and attach itself to another power, preferably Chen Qing if he survived.
• The Four Saints’ manifestations appeared above the palace, filling everyone with awe and fear.
• The emperor asked if the demons’ power marked the end of the road, and King Xiang said it did not; they agreed to prepare to move.
• A woman rallied the ghost army and led its tens of thousands of Transcendents into the floating palace.
• The woman directed the ghost army toward the Vermilion Bird Palace to secure Fei Jun and his Golden Crow Bloodline.

Fei Jun survived the Four Saints ritual as the Vermilion Bird began rebuilding his body, and he sensed a woman whose golden flames and familiar aura made him wonder if she was his mother. Meanwhile, the Xiao emperor pressed Chen Baifeng to choose whether the South Sea forces would support the court as the rival armies rushed to claim the Four Spirits.

• Fei Jun felt the Vermilion Bird embrace him and reconstruct his body, but he could not move as powerful auras approached.
• Fei Jun sensed a woman in golden flames and military attire, whose presence seemed connected to his bloodline.
• The Xiao emperor’s twin sister led the ghost army toward the Vermilion Bird Palace while giant pythons advanced toward the Black Tortoise Palace.
• Chen Baifeng explained that the chosen Four Spirits might be the only bearers of ancient Spirit bloodlines for years, but admitted he could not predict who would win.
• The emperor told Chen Baifeng that he trusted Mingyue to secure Fei Jun and asked whether Chen Baifeng remained loyal to the court.
• Chen Baifeng recognized that the emperor wanted the South Sea forces to help seize the vulnerable Jiangnan position and had to decide which side to support.

Chen Baifeng refused the emperor’s demand to pursue Shen Yuan and instead honored his debt to Chen Qing, while the Nie Family chose to remain with him. He then entered the space fragment where the West Sea Army was held, and the mysterious figure guarding Tian Heng did not stop him.

• Chen Baifeng weighed the emperor’s demand against his loyalty to Chen Qing and declined to join the effort to claim Shen Yuan.
• Chen Baifeng urged the other families to serve the emperor, and they agreed while leaving him and the Nie Family behind.
• The emperor accepted Chen Baifeng’s refusal and departed with the other family elders; the head of the Nie Family stayed because his son remained in Chen Qing’s hands.
• Chen Baifeng and the Nie Family’s grand elder agreed to remain together and headed toward the West Sea Army.
• Chen Baifeng entered the space fragment, and the mysterious figure holding Tian Heng hostage let him pass, prompting Chen Baifeng to form a guess.

Chen Baifeng approached Tian Yu and advised the West Sea Army to wait for the other factions to clash before making a move, then flew up to question the figure holding Tian Heng. Meanwhile, the emperor reached Shen Yuan in the North Palace and reminded him of an earlier instruction.

• Tian Yu struggled to decide what to do while Tian Heng remained captive, until Chen Baifeng arrived and joined his side.
• Chen Baifeng advised Tian Yu to wait for conflict over the White Tiger Palace to create an opportunity for the West Sea Army.
• Chen Baifeng flew up to confront the mysterious captor and asked whether they had met in the Heavenly Palace.
• The emperor led his forces toward the North Palace and reached Shen Yuan, reminding him of what he had said when the emperor entrusted him with instructions.

Shen Yuan accepted the emperor’s offer to stand with him while Chen Qing’s fate remained unknown, though he reserved the right to aid the West Sea Army and search for Chen Qing. The high priest then arrived, and Kagura agreed to join him in killing the emperor.

• The emperor asked Shen Yuan to stand with him until Chen Qing’s fate was known and promised to protect Shen Yuan’s family; Shen Yuan agreed while retaining permission to aid the West Sea Army and seek Chen Qing.
• The high priest arrived and offered the emperor a symbiotic pact with the Ancient Demon race, but the emperor rejected him.
• The high priest recognized that the emperor had mastered King Xiang’s Overlord’s Nine Revolutions.
• Kagura appeared, and the high priest proposed that they kill the emperor together before discussing further cooperation.
• Kagura agreed to the high priest’s plan.