Chapter Summaries

Ye Xuan showed the officials several medicinal plants he had cultivated, explaining their uses and reminding them of Shennong’s discovery of herbs. He led them to another patch of mugwort and began describing its benefits.

• Ye Xuan ate a ten-thousand-year-old spirit root and cultivated through the night while Wushuang and Su Daji stood guard and cultivated beside him.
• The next morning, Ye Xuan led the officials to a field of ephedra and explained its medicinal uses.
• Ye Xuan showed the officials mint and described how it could clear the head and eyes and soothe the throat.
• The officials compared Ye Xuan’s medicinal discoveries with Shennong’s tasting of the hundred herbs and praised the Human Emperor’s foresight.
• Ye Xuan led the officials to a patch of mugwort and explained its uses for calming the mind, treating rashes, and healing wounds.

Ye Xuan introduced the ministers to medicinal herbs and spiritual roots, earning their admiration for sharing knowledge that could benefit the Human Clan. After returning to Chaoge, he saw the sky darken with thunder and lightning, signaling a torrential downpour.

• Ye Xuan explained mugwort's uses for treating wounds and repelling insects and venomous snakes.
• Ye Xuan introduced bupleurum and described its ability to reduce fever and relieve summer heat.
• Shang Rong identified the sparse plants as rare ginseng and explained their value as powerful tonics.
• Ye Xuan showed the ministers twenty or thirty kinds of herbs and spiritual roots, and they returned to Chaoge deeply impressed by him.
• After Ye Xuan dismissed the ministers, darkness, thunder, lightning, and heavy clouds gathered over Chaoge, and he recognized signs of a torrential downpour.

Ye Xuan considered the Human Clan’s vulnerability and proposed inviting powerful outsiders to teach its people cultivation. Su Daji warned that the Taiqing Saint’s control over the Human Clan’s Dao lineage made that plan dangerous.

• Ye Xuan reflected on the strange storms and the need to stabilize Yin Shang while Wushuang brought him a cloak and Su Daji served him soup.
• Ye Xuan recalled how the Witch and Demon Clans had nearly exterminated the Human Clan and how its ancient heroes and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had helped it survive and prosper.
• Ye Xuan said the Human Clan remained too weak and asked whether powerful outsiders could teach its people magical arts.
• Su Daji explained that the Taiqing Saint had claimed the Human Clan’s Dao lineage through the Human Teaching, making other teachers reluctant to intervene.
• Ye Xuan’s hopes sank as he realized the Taiqing Saint might block his plan and even Empress Nuwa might be unable to help.

Ye Xuan condemned Taishang Laozi’s flawed Golden Elixir Dao and drove away the storm clouds, while Empress Nuwa wondered what path he planned for the Human Clan. News then arrived that the North Sea was in danger, and an injured general from Wen Zhong’s army was waiting outside the hall.

• Su Daji told Ye Xuan that most Human Clan Qi Refiners practiced Taishang Laozi’s Great Dao of the Golden Elixir, which she believed had serious flaws.
• Ye Xuan blamed Taishang Laozi for exploiting the Human Clan and resolved to abolish the Golden Elixir method so the clan could follow its own path.
• Ye Xuan dispersed the oppressive black clouds, then asked Daji and Wushuang to massage him as Empress Nuwa listened from Wa Huang Palace and wondered what he would do next.
• A tiny fox brought Su Daji news that the North Sea was in danger, prompting Ye Xuan to wonder whether Wen Zhong had encountered trouble suppressing Yuan Futong’s rebellion.
• Su Daji reported that Green Mound Shadow Guards had brought a gravely injured general from Wen Zhong’s army to Chaoge, where he was waiting outside the hall.

Jin Su returned to Chaoge with news that Wen Zhong’s army had been trapped on Beast God Mountain by the allied forces of the seventy-two lords of the North Sea. Ye Xuan summoned his ministers, and Yang Ren urged him to send General Huang with cavalry to relieve Wen Zhong while Bi Gan oversaw provisions.

• Jin Su staggered into the palace and told Ye Xuan that Wen Zhong’s army had suffered heavy losses and was trapped on Beast God Mountain.
• Jin Su died after delivering his report, and his true spirit was drawn away by the Investiture of the Gods.
• Ye Xuan ordered the gongs and drums sounded and summoned the officials to court.
• Ye Xuan told the ministers that Wen Zhong was surrounded by the seventy-two lords of the North Sea and asked for a plan.
• Yang Ren urged Ye Xuan to send General Huang with cavalry as the vanguard and appoint Bi Gan to manage provisions.

Ye Xuan’s court planned a campaign to relieve Wen Zhong and suppress Yuan Futong’s coalition of seventy-two North Sea lords. After assigning the army and its supply duties, Ye Xuan declared that he would lead the expedition himself, leaving the ministers alarmed and pleading with him to reconsider.

• Huang Feihu volunteered to ride north and proposed trapping the seventy-two lords between Chaoge’s army and Wen Zhong’s forces.
• Bi Gan offered to manage provisions, while ministers proposed plans for the campaign.
• Ye Xuan appointed Huang Feihu vanguard general and ordered him to take Chaoge’s elite cavalry north immediately.
• Ye Xuan ordered Shang Rong to remain in Chaoge and proclaim the campaign, demanding provisions from all eight hundred lords.
• Ye Xuan placed Bi Gan in charge of army supplies and rear support.
• Ye Xuan announced that he would personally lead the campaign to the North Sea, shocking the ministers, who urged him not to go.

Ye Xuan insisted on personally leading a campaign to the North Sea to crush the rebellious vassal lords and relieve Wen Zhong. He agreed to take Su Daji with him, while Huang Feihu set out ahead with more than eighty thousand cavalry.

• Ye Xuan dismissed his ministers’ objections and ordered them to keep Chaoge running while he led the campaign north.
• Ye Xuan suspected Marquis Ji Chang of the West had incited the North Sea rebellion and vowed to deal with him after defeating the rebels.
• Su Daji asked to accompany Ye Xuan, citing her duties to protect him and establish the sisters’ presence in the North Sea, and Ye Xuan agreed.
• Wushuang reported that Huang Feihu had departed for the North Sea with more than eighty thousand cavalry.
• Ye Xuan approved Huang Feihu’s advance and prepared to assemble the main army, since the cavalry were only the vanguard.

Ye Xuan completed preparations for a northern campaign and led two hundred thousand elite troops out of Chaoge. The chapter ended with the army assembled beyond the city walls, ready to march.

• Wushuang told Ye Xuan that Shang Rong's edict calling on the regional lords to supply provisions and fodder had been distributed.
• Bi Gan, Shang Rong, and other ministers reported that supplies, military equipment, and two hundred thousand elite soldiers were ready.
• Ye Xuan chose generals including Zhang Kui, Gao Lanying, Fang Bi, and Fang Xiang to join the campaign.
• Daji brought out her three-tailed demon fox, and she and Wushuang accompanied Ye Xuan as he rode it through Chaoge.
• The people of Chaoge cheered Ye Xuan as he led the generals and ministers beyond the city to meet the assembled army.

Ye Xuan rallied two hundred thousand troops for his expedition against the seventy-two rebel forces of the North Sea, promising generous rewards and care for fallen soldiers’ families. The troops and people of Chaoge cheered him, while a young wife angrily berated her husband for not being selected.

• Ye Xuan addressed the assembled army and asked whether they would follow him to the North Sea; the soldiers knelt and pledged to join the expedition.
• Ye Xuan promised to reward outstanding service and provide for the parents and children of soldiers who died in battle.
• The soldiers cheered when Ye Xuan promised to celebrate their return by taking them to a pleasure house to listen to songs, and the people of Chaoge were moved by his pledge to support martyrs’ families.
• A young married couple watched from a street by Chaoge’s wall, and the wife scolded and struck her husband for failing to be selected for the expedition.

Ye Xuan led a 200,000-strong army north from Chaoge to rescue Grand Tutor Wen Zhong and suppress the seventy-two lords of the North Sea. Zhang Kui questioned why Ye Xuan had joined the campaign, and Ye Xuan explained that he would not underestimate the enemy or leave Wen Zhong trapped.

• A rejected recruit carried his angry wife away while people in Chaoge joked, regretted missing the expedition, and wished the army well.
• Ye Xuan gave a long speech and ordered the army to march, while Zhang Kui led the 200,000 soldiers out of Chaoge.
• Su Daji reflected on Ye Xuan's foresight about the kingdom's troubles and watched him with growing admiration.
• Zhang Kui reminded Ye Xuan that Wen Zhong had support from Huang Feihu and asked why he had personally joined the northern campaign.
• Ye Xuan warned that the North Sea forces were formidable and said he had to rescue Wen Zhong, who was trapped on Beast God Mountain.

Ye Xuan led a swift northern campaign against the seventy-two rebel lords while his ministers worried about his reckless decision to command the expedition himself. The army advanced toward the North Sea as Shang Rong, Bi Gan, and the other ministers managed affairs in Chaoge.

• Zhang Kui asked Ye Xuan to help him take another concubine, and Ye Xuan kicked him off the One-Horned Black Smoke Beast after Zhang Kui compared their appetites for women.
• Daji and Wushuang laughed at Zhang Kui but privately wondered whether Ye Xuan found neither of them worthy of his attention.
• Ye Xuan's two-hundred-thousand-strong army hurried north with the aid of talismans, magical arts, and treasures, while Huang Feihu led eighty thousand cavalry ahead to reinforce Wen Zhong.
• In Chaoge, Shang Rong complained that Ye Xuan was recklessly leading another campaign, while Bi Gan urged the ministers to trust him and carry out his orders.

Chaoge mobilized more than five hundred thousand troops and vast supplies to reinforce Ye Xuan in the North Sea. After Shang Rong sent the army off with the Human Emperor Supreme Sword, the troops marched north.

• Su Changkong, Liu Sanhe, and Yang Yanzhao organized supplies, inspected the passes, and recalled generals as Chaoge prepared for war.
• Troops and grain and fodder poured into Chaoge, while common people and regional lords contributed support.
• Shang Rong raised the Human Emperor Supreme Sword before the assembled troops and declared that they would march to aid Ye Xuan against the seventy-two regional lords.
• Several generals discussed Shang Rong’s lengthy address, and one rebuked another for speaking disrespectfully about the Father of Shang.
• After Shang Rong finished the departure ceremony, more than five hundred thousand troops marched north.

Human Emperor Ye Xuan hurried his exhausted army toward the North Sea to rescue Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, while Wushuang and Daji used spirit rain and jade nectar to restore the soldiers’ strength. The army continued its rapid advance toward the lawless North Sea, where Yuan Futong had rallied seventy-two lords to rebel.

• Shang Rong considered raising a fourth army, despite the risk of leaving Yin Shang’s lands undefended, because Ye Xuan was leading the expedition himself.
• After five days and nights of marching, Zhang Kui warned Ye Xuan that the soldiers were exhausted, but Ye Xuan ran alongside them to encourage them onward.
• Ye Xuan asked Wushuang to summon spirit rain, which refreshed the soldiers and eased their fatigue.
• Daji mixed jade nectar into the rain, strengthening the soldiers and spurring them to march faster.
• The chapter described the North Sea as a vast, chaotic region of fierce tribes that often raided Yin Shang’s interior and had readily joined Yuan Futong’s rebellion.

Ye Xuan led a 200,000-strong Yin Shang army through the North Sea’s frozen wilderness to relieve Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, who was besieged at Beast God Mountain. Near the battlefield, Ye Xuan ordered Zhang Kui to attack the besieging forces and join Wen Zhong rather than split their troops.

• After reaching the North Sea, Ye Xuan asked who knew the route to Beast God Mountain, and Fang Xiang said he and Fang Bi were familiar with the region.
• Ye Xuan ordered the army to camp for the night, then the two hundred thousand soldiers resumed their march the next morning.
• The army passed several North Sea tribes without opposition and headed toward Beast God Mountain, where Wen Zhong had held off the allied forces of the seventy-two lords.
• When the army heard the battle raging nearby, Zhang Kui offered to scout ahead with his Earth Escape Technique, but Ye Xuan decided to bring their forces together instead.
• Ye Xuan ordered Zhang Kui to rout the troops besieging Wen Zhong and join forces with him.

Ye Xuan led Yin Shang’s two-hundred-thousand-strong army in a charge against the Scarlet Flame Clan in the North Sea snowfields. Zhang Kui, Gao Lanying, Fang Bi, and Fang Xiang tore through the clan’s warriors, leaving the battle raging in Yin Shang’s favor.

• Zhang Kui ordered the two-hundred-thousand-strong army to attack, and Ye Xuan urged the soldiers forward from the air.
• The Scarlet Flame Clan spotted the advancing army and charged to meet it, expecting an easy victory over Yin Shang’s forces.
• Zhang Kui, Gao Lanying, Fang Bi, Fang Xiang, and the other generals crashed into the Scarlet Flame Clan’s ranks and began cutting down its warriors.
• Zhang Kui slew enemies with his executioner’s saber, while Fang Bi and Fang Xiang swept through the ranks with their halberds.
• Gao Lanying used the Sun and Moon Golden Blades and circling golden needles to kill more enemies than the other generals, terrifying the Scarlet Flame Clan’s warriors.

Yin Shang’s army overwhelmed the Scarlet Flame Clan and broke through its blockade as Zhang Kui led the advance toward Beast God Mountain. The troops then encountered the Qiongqi Tribe and Jiu Ying Tribe, whose leader called for an attack in revenge for the Scarlet Flame Clan.

• Yin Shang’s chariots, infantry, and archers routed the Scarlet Flame Clan’s much larger force within moments.
• Zhang Kui led the charge into the Scarlet Flame Tribe’s heartland, following the Human Emperor’s order to break through and join Grand Tutor Wen Zhong.
• Ye Xuan watched as Yin Shang’s army continued its advance, leaving the Scarlet Flame Clan’s survivors fleeing and wounded across the battlefield.
• After advancing several li, Zhang Kui’s army met the Qiongqi Tribe and Jiu Ying Tribe, whose leaders had come to aid the Scarlet Flame Clan.
• The Qiongqi Tribe’s leader angrily ordered his warriors to kill the Shang troops and avenge their allies.

Zhang Kui led the Yin Shang army against the Qiongqi Tribe and Jiu Ying Clan, whose warriors charged alongside the Scarlet Flame Clan. After Zhang Kui and Gao Lanying killed a Jiu Ying leader through a coordinated attack, the allied tribes lost heart and were routed; the Yin Shang army regrouped and marched on.

• The Qiongqi Tribe and Jiu Ying Clan charged the Yin Shang army, and Zhang Kui and Gao Lanying led the troops into battle.
• Gao Lanying drew a Jiu Ying leader into range, and Zhang Kui used Earth Escape to kill him with a single strike.
• Zhang Kui announced the leader's death, causing the Jiu Ying warriors to panic and begin fleeing.
• The Qiongqi forces lost support and retreated as the Yin Shang army routed and wiped out the three tribes' forces.
• Zhang Kui ordered the army to tend to its wounded, replace damaged gear, and resume its march.

Grand Tutor Wen Zhong and Huang Feihu held Beast God Mountain while waiting for reinforcements, despite dwindling supplies and repeated attacks by the North Sea alliance. When fighting erupted to the south, Grand Tutor Wen Zhong concluded it was likely not internal strife and grew excited at what the battle might mean.

• The Yin Shang army counted five thousand casualties after routing three tribes and began ascending Beast God Mountain.
• Grand Tutor Wen Zhong had retreated to the mountain after months of fighting the North Sea alliance, and Huang Feihu had broken through with eighty thousand elite cavalry to join him.
• Grand Tutor Wen Zhong and Huang Feihu struggled to hold the mountain as their food ran low and their exhausted troops faced repeated attacks.
• A fierce battle erupted south of Beast God Mountain, and Huang Feihu identified the direction as the position of the Scarlet Flame Clan, the Qiongqi Tribe, the Jiu Ying Tribe, and other tribes.
• Grand Tutor Wen Zhong dismissed the possibility of internal strife, reasoned that Yuan Futong would have arranged the tribes to avoid it, and grew excited as the distant battle intensified.

Grand Tutor Wen Zhong used his Heavenly Eye to discover that the Human Emperor had arrived with reinforcements, then led Huang Feihu and hundreds of thousands of besieged troops down the mountain to join the battle. At the foot of the mountain, the Yin Shang forces had routed their enemies, but the Kui Ox Tribe arrived to reinforce the seventy-two rebel lords.

• Wen Zhong opened his Heavenly Eye, saw that the Human Emperor had personally come to rescue the army, and ordered the troops to assemble.
• Wen Zhong told the assembled soldiers that the reinforcements and Human Emperor had arrived, then urged them to fight their way down the mountain.
• Huang Feihu charged down the mountain on the Five-Colored Divine Ox, leading Wen Zhong's troops, including ten thousand war-elephant cavalry and seventy thousand elite cavalry.
• The Yin Shang army at the foot of the mountain routed the Scarlet Flame Clan, the Qiongqi Tribe, and the Jiu Ying Tribe.
• The Kui Ox Tribe arrived with reinforcements for the seventy-two lords, bringing more than a hundred thousand troops.

Zhang Kui killed Lei Kui of the Kui Ox Tribe with his Earth Escape Technique after the two fought to a standstill. The tribe’s chief, Tian Kui, then charged at Zhang Kui, beginning a new fight as Ye Xuan watched from above.

• Lei Kui urged the Kui Ox warriors to attack Ye Xuan, hoping to kill the Human Emperor and win lasting fame.
• Zhang Kui met Lei Kui in battle, and they exchanged more than a hundred blows without either gaining the upper hand.
• Zhang Kui used his Earth Escape Technique to appear behind Lei Kui and behead him, after which Lei Kui’s true spirit was taken by the Investiture of the Gods.
• Tian Kui, the Kui Ox Tribe’s chief, charged at Zhang Kui with his Heaven-Shaking Hammer and Heaven-Shaking Axe as Ye Xuan watched the fight.