Chapter Summaries

Chu Tianshu ambushed Bayan and attacked the fourteen experts gathered in Jade Pool Hall, while Han Shantong’s intervention was cut short by the force inside the hall. Chu Tianshu freed Yan Tiemu’er from the chains and exposed that Yan Tiemu’er had neutralized the poison, leaving him furious over the Thirteen Wings’ losses.

• Chu Tianshu descended through the falling snow and struck Bayan from behind, severing his legs and delivering three more sword strikes before carrying his corpse toward Jade Pool Hall.
• Chu Tianshu hurled Bayan’s corpse through the hall’s roof, triggering an eruption of force that drew the attention of all fourteen people inside.
• Han Shantong appeared at the entrance and attacked the oldest shaman and witch with the Great Strength Vajra Finger, but the hall’s force destroyed his upper body.
• Chu Tianshu struck the chains restraining Yan Tiemu’er, killing eight members of the Thirteen Wings and driving several others from their positions.
• Chu Tianshu explained that he had used Yan Tiemu’er’s power through the chains, and Yan Tiemu’er told Canglang that he had absorbed the poison and no longer needed the antidote.
• Yan Tiemu’er realized Chu Tianshu might have seen through his plans, then angrily questioned Bayan and the Emperor before sending the blood-pool water surging into the air.

Chu Tianshu and Yan Tiemu'er fought fiercely in Dadu while the surviving Thirteen Wings tried to intervene, until the Arrow God awakened Longevity Slave, who helped Yan Tiemu'er escape. Chu Tianshu survived but was badly injured, and Yan Tiemu'er led his remaining allies south toward Guangzhou.

• Yan Tiemu'er unleashed the Sea-Drying Divine Palm against Chu Tianshu, while Chu Tianshu killed White Deer and wounded Canglang during their battle.
• Han Shantong repeatedly supported Chu Tianshu with his avatars, but Yan Tiemu'er and Canglang countered him as the fighters' attacks devastated Jade Pool Hall.
• The Arrow God shot into the imperial prison's flooded pool, awakening Longevity Slave, a black dragon that burst from the prison and struck Chu Tianshu and Yan Tiemu'er into the ground.
• Yan Tiemu'er escaped on Longevity Slave with Canglang, the Arrow God, and the other survivors, while Chu Tianshu emerged badly injured and sent Han Shantong to capture the emperor.
• Yan Tiemu'er decided to head to Guangzhou rather than north, as Chu Tianshu watched from Dadu and warned that Zhang Yining would be waiting in the south.

Yan Temür arrived in Guangzhou on Longevity Slave and reunited with Chaghan Temür, who agreed to help him rebuild Great Yuan after Dadu fell to rebels. Yan Temür ordered Canglang to target corrupt officials and laid out a plan to remake the empire’s nobility.

• Longevity Slave descended over Guangzhou, where Chaghan Temür and Sain Chidahu recognized Yan Temür and welcomed him into town.
• Yan Temür told Chaghan Temür that he had abandoned Dadu after being plotted against and that rebels had likely taken the capital.
• Chaghan Temür agreed that leaving Dadu created an opportunity to rebuild Great Yuan from Guangzhou and attract loyal supporters.
• Chaghan Temür reported that military equipment had gone missing from the Henan provincial government, and Yan Temür ordered Canglang to punish the corrupt officials.
• Yan Temür declared that the rebuilt Great Yuan would replace its old noble hierarchy with a new immortal nobility.

After Yan Temür fled Dadu on the black dragon, Chu Tianshu and Han Shantong uncovered his plans to trade lifespans and breed long-lived beasts. Chu Tianshu ordered the healing chapter of the Heavenly Book of the Blood Dao shared with the righteous armies, then prepared to oppose Yan Temür’s designs.

• Imperial troops secured Dadu while the emperor’s forces confined senior ministers and suppressed their cultivation.
• Chu Tianshu and Han Shantong questioned the emperor and examined Yan Temür’s books, learning that he had used Monk Busha’s lifespan and raised the black dragon Longevity Slave by feeding her prisoners.
• The emperor insisted that the black dragon must not reproduce, while Han Shantong explained Yan Temür’s plan to extend the lives of nobles and imperial relatives.
• Chu Tianshu rejected Yan Temür’s scheme as a nightmare for commoners and ordered Han Shantong to distribute the healing chapter to the righteous armies.
• Chu Tianshu said he could guess what Yan Temür intended to do and declared that he would try to open the cages rather than let Yan hold the reins.

Liang An’s forces crushed the miners’ stronghold, but salt smugglers captured his estate while his troops were away. Elsewhere, Zhang Yining and Han Baiyu transported supplies to rebel groups, and Zhang confronted the Qilu martial world as it prepared to attack the Wind-Riding Gang; Han Baiyu then received an alarming message from her father.

• Liang An’s forces defeated the rebels at the mountain stronghold, and Liang An ordered the captured miners returned to his lineage’s mines as forced labor.
• Liang An’s old servant arrived and reported that salt smugglers from Qingxu County had taken the Liang estate.
• The salt smugglers’ sharing of the healing method in the Heavenly Book of the Blood Dao helped them build trust and draw people to their cause.
• Pu Xigu and Pu Yun led Qilu martial-world experts to wait for the Wind-Riding Gang, intending to wipe out the coastal bandits.
• Zhang Yining and Han Baiyu arrived by sea to deliver supplies, and Zhang confronted the Qilu group over its slaughter of rebels.
• Han Baiyu received a message through a Gu worm from Central Shu and reacted with alarm at what her father had said.

Han Rui decided to leave the mountains and lead his rebel army toward Dadu, encouraged by the idea that his rebellion could inspire people for centuries. With Chu Tianshu's agreement, Han Rui announced a journey to form an alliance against the Yuan, leaving the rebels ready to draw the old regime's strongest defenders into battle.

• Han Rui taunted his prisoner Tai Buhua and asked what he knew about the grand preceptor Yan Tiemu'er.
• Han Rui told Tai Buhua that Han Baiyu's story about future generations remembering his rebellion had renewed his resolve.
• Han Rui met his veteran followers and said he had sent a message to Baiyu before asking them to prepare flags.
• In Dadu, Chu Tianshu agreed to arrange a date for Han Rui to leave the mountains.
• Han Rui proclaimed that he would travel from Bashu to Dadu to unite those who sought to overthrow the Yuan and swore to share food and clothing with his rebel army.

Han Rui’s small Central Shu righteous army survived a series of attacks as it marched toward Dadu, revealing the veterans’ hidden strength and Han Rui’s skill. Chaghan Temür prepared an ambush, hoping that killing Han Rui would help the Grand Preceptor defeat Chu Tianshu.

• Han Rui’s veterans repelled Tai Buhua’s poisoned-needle attack, and Han Rui killed the assassin leader with his sword.
• Han Rui and his men endured six more attacks over three days, including ambushes with flying daggers and explosive rafts.
• Wen Gou warned Han Rui that the attacks were coordinated, and Han Rui said that was what they had been waiting for.
• Chaghan Temür prepared an ambush and argued that succeeding where others had failed would advance the Grand Preceptor’s chances of victory.
• The Arrow God said the Grand Preceptor was nearby and could sense that Chu Tianshu was also in the area.

Han Rui’s rebels fought off Chaghan’s mounted archers as Han Shantong repeatedly used his water giant to protect them, while Longevity Slave tracked Han Shantong by scent and confronted him in the marsh. As Zhang Yining faced Canglang and the fighting continued, Chu Tianshu confronted Yan Tiemu’er and declared that he trusted his friends to win.

• Han Rui detected poisoned wind and warned the rebels, but Chaghan and Sain launched a mounted-archer attack that weakened the exhausted defenders with explosive arrows.
• Han Shantong formed a water giant to shield the rebels, but the Arrow God pierced its head and then drove it backward with five arrows as the cavalry charged.
• Han Rui used his acrobatic sword technique to defeat Wind Eagle, then spotted Yan Tiemu’er’s heavily armed elite infantry approaching the battlefield.
• Longevity Slave tracked Han Shantong to a forest marsh, crashed into it, and faced Han Shantong, Yu Danxia, Liu Qingsi, Wang Daozi, and Granny Putuo as Canglang arrived.
• Zhang Yining stepped forward to confront Canglang, while Chu Tianshu met Yan Tiemu’er and said he trusted his friends to win.

Chu Tianshu and Yan Tiemu'er traded devastating techniques on the mountaintop, each suffering severe injuries before retreating to opposite sides of the mountain to heal. Yan Tiemu'er attacked through the mountain before either could recover, and Chu Tianshu welcomed the renewed fight.

• Three hundred warriors charged the grand preceptor's guards with a unified battle cry while Yan Tiemu'er focused his mind on Chu Tianshu's attacks.
• Yan Tiemu'er blocked Chu Tianshu's sword strikes, caught Sanqi between his fingers, and countered with the Overbearing Fist Heart Method.
• Chu Tianshu struck Yan Tiemu'er's chest with his left hand as Yan Tiemu'er hit Chu Tianshu's collarbones, sending both men flying off opposite sides of the mountain.
• Chu Tianshu drew out the poisonous blood-colored power and made new blood to heal, while Yan Tiemu'er sealed his acupoints and drew in primal Qi.
• Yan Tiemu'er sent a black dragon's palm strike through the mountain, and Chu Tianshu answered with a shout and a flick of his ring finger.

Chu Tianshu and Yan Tiemu'er exchanged lethal attacks across the mountain, with Yan Tiemu'er turning Chu Tianshu's Sword Intent into a growing crimson sphere. Chu Tianshu then struck Yan Tiemu'er with a refracted beam from the Great Void Heavenly Eye, leaving his opponent's fate hanging in the balance.

• Chu Tianshu broke apart the black dragon formed from Yan Tiemu'er's primordial Qi and flattened the stone steps into a distorted Taiji diagram.
• Chu Tianshu's hidden Kalpa Ash Sword Intent shot through a burst of exploding stones toward Yan Tiemu'er.
• Yan Tiemu'er caught the Sword Intent between his palms with the Book Character Art and filled its cracks with blood-colored rays, turning it into a growing sphere that absorbed Chu Tianshu's attacks.
• Yan Tiemu'er sent the crimson sphere through the mountain toward Chu Tianshu, believing its power could not be stopped.
• Chu Tianshu used the Sanqi Divine Sword to refract an emerald beam from the Great Void Heavenly Eye and strike Yan Tiemu'er in the forehead.

Chu Tianshu destroyed Yan Tiemu'er’s crimson sphere and killed his remnant soul with a hundred-and-three-zhang Sword Radiance. When Yan Tiemu'er’s ownerless Youdu Edict began responding to the Wangliang Divine Lord, Chu Tianshu called for Baiyu.

• Chu Tianshu found the flaws in the crimson sphere and shattered it by wiping away Yan Tiemu'er’s alien primordial Qi.
• Chu Tianshu pursued Yan Tiemu'er, who had formed a small body from his blood and tried to escape by turning a fallen leaf’s veins into attacking strands.
• Chu Tianshu caught the sword and used Sword Radiance one hundred and three zhang long to destroy Yan Tiemu'er’s remnant soul and cleave a cliff.
• Chu Tianshu examined the blood and lamented that Yan Tiemu'er was not an Evil Spirit, then discovered a half Youdu Edict rising from the remains.
• Chu Tianshu sensed the Wangliang Divine Lord pulling at the edict, seized it, and used a blood talisman to call Baiyu.

As the battle raged, Han Baiyu answered Chu Tianshu’s urgent summons and took the half token from him, while the Arrow God pursued them. Chu Tianshu killed the Arrow God and sent Sanqi back to the battlefield, where its strange power made Chaghan fear that Great Yuan’s fortune had ended.

• Chaghan used swordsmanship shaped by the Yellow River to help Wind Eagle and the others hold off Han Rui, while the armored guards and cavalry fought Diba Deng and the other Yaksha-blooded warriors.
• Chu Tianshu summoned Han Baiyu through her red jade earring, and she left the battlefield with the Blazing Fire Pearl Flag as the Arrow God chased her.
• Han Baiyu caught the half token from Chu Tianshu, and it vanished into her palm as the black Qi searching for it faded away.
• The Arrow God fired three arrows at Chu Tianshu, but Chu Tianshu used Ba People Archery to turn stones into a counterattack that killed him.
• Chu Tianshu sent Sanqi, carrying the Heavenly Eye on the Three-Seven Sword, back to the battlefield, where it attacked the cavalry and alarmed Chaghan.

Zhang Yining defeated Canglang with Taiji while Han Shantong and the others subdued the black dragon, and the rebels won a great victory. As Chu Tianshu and Han Rui discussed what would come next, Han Baiyu and Chu Tianshu's token screens appeared and connected, flooding them with information.

• Canglang questioned Zhang Yining about his fist art, then attacked again and was killed after Zhang's Taiji technique sent him flying.
• Han Shantong emerged from the black dragon's belly, sealed the beast's heart, lungs, and spine in ice, and subdued it with Yu Danxia, Liu Qingsi, and Granny Putuo.
• Zhang Yining and Han Shantong left Yu Danxia and the others to guard the dragon and went to investigate the rebels' battlefield.
• Chu Tianshu returned to the riverbank with Han Baiyu, where Han Rui reported that he had killed the young commanding general and that the rebels had won.
• Han Rui said he would go to Dadu to proclaim the alliance and hold a grand wedding for Han Baiyu, while Chu Tianshu suspected her strange state was a good sign.
• Han Baiyu and Chu Tianshu's token screens appeared and touched, sending information into both their minds.

Chu Tianshu learned how the incomplete winds had destroyed an ancient civilization and understood why the repaired Trade Edict had revealed its record. Han Baiyu discovered she could choose when to leave and return, and reunited with Zhang Yining.

• Chu Tianshu learned that the Trade Edict’s creator had rescued an infant and a small jellyfish from a civilization collapsing under the incomplete turbid wind, leaving behind a pottery cowrie shell.
• Chu Tianshu and Han Baiyu recovered from receiving information about the Silhouettes of the Great Dao, including the transcendent flowing light that might explain the Great Tang world’s abnormal passage of time.
• Han Baiyu asked about suppressing the Wangliang Divine Lord, and Chu Tianshu warned that the being could create fog covering thousands of li for a hundred years and might be too dangerous to fight.
• Han Baiyu explained that her repaired edict let her leave when ready and save chances to return to this world, prompting Chu Tianshu to compare its functions with his own edict.
• Han Baiyu ran into Zhang Yining’s arms and told him she did not have to leave in a hurry.

Liang Baoguo returned to the Great Yuan with his grandson and discovered that a new dynasty had overthrown the Yuan and was restoring order. In Dadu, as the city celebrated Han Baiyu and Zhang Yining’s upcoming wedding, Chu Tianshu accepted part of Zhang Yining’s cultivation foundation and gave him a manual for married life.

• Liang Baoguo sailed toward the Great Yuan with Liang Daoming and a foreign monk, hoping to see his homeland again.
• At port, Liang Baoguo learned that the Great Yuan had fallen and that the righteous army now governed under strict discipline.
• Liang Baoguo traveled through Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Dadu, where he heard of the coming wedding and paid for fireworks bearing Liang Daoming’s name.
• Han Baiyu told Chu Tianshu she planned to return home eventually, but Chu Tianshu urged her to wait until she was stronger.
• Han Baiyu and Zhang Yining transferred a tenth of Zhang Yining’s Heavenly Silkworm Divine Art cultivation foundation to Chu Tianshu.
• Chu Tianshu accepted the gift and privately gave Zhang Yining a dual-cultivation manual as a wedding present.

Chu Tianshu visited the Spirit-Calming Hall, where the others studied the black dragon for insights into martial arts, and collected some of its flesh and blood before setting out on a long journey. He encouraged Yu Danxia to trust her own path and told Han Shantong he could travel with him later.

• Diba Deng, Han Shantong, and Liu Qingsi studied the black dragon’s features for ideas to develop their martial arts, while Yu Danxia watched the fireworks.
• Chu Tianshu praised Yu Danxia for following her own instincts and advised Diba Deng to study the White Dragon Notes before adapting the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.
• Chu Tianshu announced that he was leaving on a long journey and extracted a lump of the black dragon’s flesh and blood, preserving it with Primordial Qi.
• Yu Danxia and Han Shantong offered to accompany Chu Tianshu, but he told them to help Baiyu first and promised to discuss traveling together later.

Wangliang Divine Lord and the Ghost Mother Clan's high priestess discussed Chu Tianshu, identified his Youdu Edict as the Martial Practice Edict, and considered ways to stop him. They decided they would need allies and began weighing how to exploit the Flame Devil Race's plans in the human world.

• Wangliang Divine Lord told the high priestess that Chu Tianshu had thwarted him and likely possessed the Martial Practice Edict.
• Wangliang Divine Lord explained that the Martial Practice Edict had no corresponding Ghost God and that finding the tiger god Peach Capital's abandoned divine station would be difficult.
• The high priestess recognized that the Ghost Mother Clan could not easily attack Chu Tianshu in the human world and agreed they would need allies.
• The high priestess proposed using the Flame Devil Race, whose territory and influence could let it threaten human lands and seize mortal Fortune.
• The high priestess decided against openly asking the Flame Devil Race for help and planned to act subtly while waiting for an opportunity.

Chu Tianshu returned to the Special Investigation Bureau and refused a safe recuperation trip, volunteering instead to hunt Evil Spirits in the Americas. The American negotiating team learned that he would replace four veteran experts, and Jon angrily declared that he did not believe Chu Tianshu could be their equal.

• The two-headed snake practiced cultivation in Chu Tianshu’s room until he returned and nourished it with drops of vital essence.
• Wei Qidong offered Chu Tianshu a chance to recuperate during a road-opening celebration, but he refused because he wanted to find Evil Spirits.
• Chu Tianshu volunteered to join the mission to the Americas, and Wei Qidong agreed to arrange a meeting with the negotiating team.
• The American team received notice that Chu Tianshu would replace the four veterans assigned to help them.
• Alexis Green suggested that Chu Tianshu’s appointment showed greater sincerity, but Jon rejected the idea and said he did not believe Chu Tianshu could replace the veterans.

Chu Tianshu met the American negotiation team and demonstrated his overwhelming strength by striking Jon, who had challenged him. The shaken negotiators welcomed him to America, and Chu Tianshu looked forward to seeing the experts and Evil Spirits there.

• Bubai questioned whether the little snakes should stay with Chu Tianshu, then left with the operations team after Chu Tianshu told him they were employees free to take part-time jobs.
• Chen Taozhi arrived to escort Chu Tianshu to a meeting with Wei Qidong, Jon, and Alexis.
• Jon warned Chu Tianshu not to underestimate the disasters in the Americas and challenged him to a friendly spar.
• Chu Tianshu crossed the conference room in an instant and struck Jon, breaking his arm and injuring him while reinforcing the room against the resulting gale.
• Jon praised Chu Tianshu’s sincerity, bowed, and welcomed him to America on behalf of the negotiation team and the great American gentry.
• Chu Tianshu wondered what the American experts were like and hoped the Evil Spirits there would be formidable.

Chu Tianshu and the assault team arrived in San Francisco to support the local Audit Bureau, whose ranks had been hollowed out by deaths, defections, and resignations. There, Anthony and Tang Rongfa approached Chu Tianshu to enlist him as a witness in their proposed gathering, and Chu Tianshu noticed that their canes concealed flags containing Spirit Bodies.

• Alexis explained that none of San Francisco's former core Audit Bureau members remained, and the team collected its martial arts armor from a transport plane.
• Chu Tianshu noticed Jon's changed presence and flags with magical qualities among the welcoming party.
• Anthony and Tang Rongfa arrived with Tang's disciples, and Tang warmly greeted Chu Tianshu as a fellow descendant of healers from their homeland.
• Anthony accused the Audit Bureau and military of endangering people and said Chu Tianshu's reputation and strength made him a suitable witness for a safety gathering.
• Chu Tianshu observed that Anthony's cane and Tang Rongfa's walking stick concealed similar flags containing Spirit Bodies.