Recaps

The Demon Empress explained that she had attacked the Heavenly Soul Empire to draw out Tang San’s Sea God inheritor and pursue revenge against Tang San. At Skysea City, she overwhelmed Du Busi, but snowfall froze the surrounding sea and trapped Sea Soul Beasts just as Du Busi’s reinforcements arrived.

• The Demon Empress joined the Holy Spirit Cult’s attack because she wanted to lure out the Sea God’s inheritor, kill him, and seize the Sea God’s divine position to take revenge on Tang San and resurrect her husband.
• The Demon Empress trapped Du Busi’s emerald-green giant with Dark Tide and wounded him with Turbine Annihilation.
• Du Busi used Body Golden Body and then Body Immortality and Fist of Heaven and Earth to withstand and counter the Demon Empress’s attack.
• The Demon Empress prepared to finish off the exhausted Du Busi, but heavy snow began falling and froze the surrounding sea, trapping countless Sea Soul Beasts.
• Du Busi smiled as he recognized the snow as a sign that his reinforcements had arrived.

The Snow Empress and Wang Dong'er led the Far North’s Soul Beasts and human forces to support Skysea City. The Demon Empress recognized Wang Dong'er as Tang San’s daughter and attacked her, beginning a battle driven by the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King’s death.

• The Demon Empress watched the sea freeze and questioned whether the Heavenly Soul Empire had an Ultimate Ice and Snow Soul Master.
• The Snow Empress and Wang Dong'er arrived with an army of human soldiers and Soul Beasts from the Far North to support the humans.
• The Demon Empress sensed the Sea God’s presence in Wang Dong'er and learned that she was Tang San’s daughter and inheritor.
• The Demon Empress attacked Wang Dong'er, declaring that she would use Tang San’s daughter to begin her revenge.
• Wang Dong'er blocked the Demon Empress’s punch, acknowledged her father’s wrongdoing, and used her Four-Word Battle Armor to drive the Demon Empress back.

Wang Dong'er battled the Demon Empress with the Sea God Trident and her Battle Armor, but struggled against the Demon Empress's strength. Xiao Wu and Xu Yanxue joined her, and the three prepared to face the Demon Empress together.

• Wang Dong'er fought the Demon Empress, whose Quasi-Divine Artifact spear withstood repeated clashes with the Sea God Trident.
• Xiao Wu appeared as Wang Dong'er's Soul Spirit and told her she did not have to bear Tang San's sins alone.
• The Demon Empress accused Xiao Wu of betraying the Soul Beast Clan, and Xiao Wu acknowledged that her past actions had helped Tang San hunt Soul Beasts.
• Xu Yanxue arrived to help Wang Dong'er, explaining that she had entrusted the Far North Soul Beast Army to Xiao Bai and that family should support one another.
• Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue traded barbs before Xiao Wu stopped them, and they turned together to face the Demon Empress.

The Demon Empress revealed that she had reached the God Level by becoming an Abyss creature, then prepared to kill Xiao Wu, Wang Dong'er, and Xu Yanxue for the first step in her revenge. The chapter ended as her Demonic Abyss Domain spread across the frozen sea, trapping them within its deadly storm.

• The Demon Empress formed a complete set of God Armor and unleashed Divine Power, shocking Xiao Wu.
• Xiao Wu recognized that the Demon Empress had reached level one hundred as a True God without obtaining a godly position.
• The Demon Empress revealed that she had become an Abyss creature to overcome the restrictions preventing Soul Beasts from becoming gods.
• The Demon Empress blamed Douluo for her husband's death and declared that she would use anything, including the Abyss, to take revenge.
• The Demon Empress unleashed her Demonic Abyss Domain, transforming the frozen sea and surrounding sky into a corrosive, storm-filled battlefield.

The Demon Empress overwhelmed Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue with her divine-powered Demonic Abyss Domain, but Xiao Wu’s evolved Invincible Golden Body helped them escape her Black Water Nine Dragons Formation. Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue fused their domains into the Ice Sea Goddess Domain, which clashed with the Demon Empress’s domain as they prepared to end the battle.

• The Demon Empress trapped Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue inside a black water tornado with her Black Water Nine Dragons Formation.
• Xiao Wu used her evolved Invincible Golden Body to shield Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue, who combined their attacks to break out.
• The Demon Empress summoned six more black water tornadoes to attack Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue.
• Wang Dong'er unleashed her Vast Sea Goddess Avatar and Boundless Vast Sea Domain, while Xu Yanxue released her Ice and Snow Goddess Avatar and Snow Dance Extreme Ice Domain.
• Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue fused their domains into the Ice Sea Goddess Domain, which purified and froze much of the area covered by the Demon Empress’s domain.
• The Ice Sea Goddess Domain clashed with the Demonic Abyss Domain as Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue prepared to finish the battle.

Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue used Douluo Star’s laws to manifest the Ice Sea Goddess Domain, countering the Demon Empress’s domain. The Demon Empress condemned Douluo Star and launched Black Sea Demonic Abyss as the two sides began their decisive clash.

• Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue summoned the Ice Sea Goddess Domain, purifying half of the Demon Empress’s Demonic Abyss Domain and holding the rest at bay.
• The Demon Empress realized that Douluo Star was supplying the power behind the women’s domain and accused the Douluo Star Lord of unfairly protecting them.
• The chapter explained that Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue used their divine affinity to reach the laws of the ocean and ice and snow, which helped them manifest the Ice Sea Goddess.
• Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue invoked Divine Descent Technique, Ice Sea Goddess's Sigh, sending a white-gold attack that purified and froze the Demon Empress’s surroundings.
• The Demon Empress rejected the goddess’s admonition, denounced Tang San and Douluo Star, and unleashed Black Sea Demonic Abyss.

Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue defeated the Demon Empress with their combined ice attack, and Xiao Wu sealed her self-destructive divine power with Heaven's Mysterious Circle. Afterward, Wang Dong'er chose to preserve the Demon Empress's soul and began absorbing her Soul Bone, while the war in Heavenly Soul turned in their favor and attention shifted to the Star Luo Empire.

• Wang Dong'er and Xu Yanxue froze the Demon Empress's Black Sea Demonic Abyss and shattered it, then used Deep Sea Redemption to strike her with the Ice Sea Goddess's sacred power.
• The Demon Empress ignited her Divine Core to take her enemies down with her, but Xiao Wu used Heaven's Mysterious Circle to seal her power and kill her.
• Xiao Wu collected the Demon Empress's Soul Ring, Soul Bone, and whale brain, and warned Wang Dong'er that the Demon Empress's soul might remain inside the Soul Bone.
• Wang Dong'er chose to preserve the Demon Empress's soul and said she wanted to resurrect her and her husband after dealing with Tang San, so the Demon Empress could witness her rebellion against her father.
• Wang Dong'er began fusing with the Demon Empress's Soul Bone while Xu Yanxue returned to help Heavenly Soul's army, and the story turned toward the Star Luo Empire.

Xu Xingyu and the Spirit Contract Pagoda members arrived at the battered Star Luo camp and learned that Huo Yuhao had devastated the allied army, captured the White Tiger Duke and his sons, and halted his advance. Xu Jiujiu’s scouts discovered the Holy Spirit Empire had withdrawn into a fortress guarded by the Death God Tower, so she waited for Xu Xingyu’s reinforcements.

• Xu Xingyu, Ma Xiaotao, Jiang Nannan, and the other Spirit Contract Pagoda members arrived at the ruined Star Luo border camp and met Xu Jiujiu.
• Xu Jiujiu explained that the Holy Spirit Empire had used massed Soul Tools and Huo Yuhao’s power to inflict heavy losses on the allied army.
• Huo Yuhao had captured the White Tiger Duke, Dai Yueheng, Dai Huabin, and Dai Luoli, leaving Xu Jiujiu to take command.
• Xu Jiujiu sent a squad with high-altitude detectors to scout the enemy position after rejecting the assumption that the Holy Spirit Empire was merely waiting for supplies.
• The scouts found the enemy forces inside a fortress protected by the Death God Tower, so Xu Jiujiu ordered the army to regroup and await Xu Xingyu’s reinforcements.

Xu Xingyu led a squad into the Ming Dou Mountain Range to investigate the Holy Spirit Empire’s sinister plans, but Huo Yuhao confronted them at the castle and revealed how he had restored the Rakshasa Godhood. Huo Yuhao declared his intention to destroy the world and vowed to bury Xu Xingyu there.

• Xu Xingyu took Ma Xiaotao, Jiang Nannan, and elite disciples toward the Holy Spirit Empire’s stronghold while Xu Jiujiu stayed behind to oversee the military camp.
• Xu Xingyu discovered that the castle’s formations contained an unnatural mass of resentful spirits and sent a disciple back to warn headquarters.
• Huo Yuhao appeared before the infiltrators wearing the Rakshasa God Armor and wielding the Rakshasa Demon Scythe, revealing that he had become a God Level powerhouse.
• Huo Yuhao explained that Xu Xingyu had helped him understand his hatred and described how he used Evil Soul Bombs and sacrifices to restore the Rakshasa Godhood.
• Huo Yuhao threatened to bury Xu Xingyu and make him suffer the humiliation he had once endured.

Xu Xingyu confronted Huo Yuhao over his choices and revealed the gap between their powers as they fought inside the castle. The chapter left their god-level attacks colliding in a fierce clash.

• Xu Xingyu criticized Huo Yuhao for blaming the world, while Buer told him that Huo Yuhao's repaired Rakshasa Godhood only made him a Second-Level God.
• Huo Yuhao sent resentful spirits toward Xu Xingyu's teammates, but Xu Xingyu charged in and punched him into a stone wall.
• Huo Yuhao mistook Xu Xingyu for a newly ascended True God and attacked with resentment, but Xu Xingyu repeatedly countered him with star and Dragon God powers.
• Huo Yuhao unleashed Nether Rakshasa, and Xu Xingyu answered with Dragon Star Heaven-Splitting Slash as their blades collided.

Xu Xingyu defeated Huo Yuhao, but Huo Yuhao’s resentment summoned the Blood Tiger Corpse Dragon. Xu Xingyu destroyed the monster and purified Huo Yuhao, completing one part of the Dragon God Nine Trials’ eighth trial.

• Xu Xingyu overwhelmed Huo Yuhao’s Nether Rakshasa and knocked him unconscious, but the resentment on the battlefield continued to grow.
• The Blood Tiger Corpse Dragon rose from beneath the castle, and Huo Yuhao revealed how he had devoured the Evil Eye Holy King and the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon’s power.
• The Blood Tiger Corpse Dragon absorbed resentful spirits to strengthen itself, prompting Xu Xingyu to unleash his Dragon God Avatar Bone Armor and Dragon God One Breath Becomes Nine.
• Xu Xingyu severed the monster’s channels for absorbing resentment and destroyed it with Abyss infused with Light-Dark Divine Lightning.
• Xu Xingyu purified Huo Yuhao’s body and soul, and the eighth trial’s mission completion count advanced to one out of three.

Xu Xingyu killed Huo Yuhao, but two Divine Cores escaped through a spatial rift, prompting him to send a Star Soul Clone after them. After Xu Jiujiu led the Douluo Allied Army to victory in the Mingdu Mountain Range, an emergency message revealed trouble in the Dou Ling Empire, and Xu Xingyu rushed there.

• Xu Xingyu found Huo Yuhao’s black and purple Divine Cores and sent a Star Soul Clone after them when they tore open a spatial rift and escaped.
• Xu Xingyu returned to camp and told Xu Jiujiu that Huo Yuhao was dead and the black pearl had escaped.
• Xu Jiujiu ordered the Douluo Allied Army to attack, and the army captured the Holy Spirit Empire’s strongholds in the Mingdu Mountain Range.
• Xu Xingyu noticed that few Titled Douluo had fought and suspected the battle had been a diversion.
• An emergency message reported trouble in the Dou Ling Empire, and Xu Xingyu left to investigate while Xu Jiujiu stayed to stabilize the forces.

The Sage King’s Abyssal rift devastated the Dou Ling Empire, and Zhongli Wu reported that the Holy Emperor’s Divine Artifact had opened it. Xu Xingyu confronted the Sage King alone among the ruins as the Abyssal invasion continued.

• Zhongli Wu told the Sage King that the rift was fully open and credited the Holy Emperor’s Divine Artifact, while the Sage King dismissed both men as tools of the Abyss.
• The narration revealed that Tang Hao had given Zhongli Wu the artifact as part of plans to gather faith for Tang San and prepare against a possible threat involving Xu Xingyu.
• Xu Xingyu stood alone amid the ruined Dou Ling Empire because Xu Jiujiu, Wang Dong'er, and their forces could not reach him in time.
• The Sage King descended before Xu Xingyu and asked where Huo Yuhao was; Xu Xingyu claimed Huo Yuhao was dead.
• The Sage King declared himself unopposed on the continent, and Xu Xingyu charged him in a burst of nine-colored light.

Xu Xingyu fought the Sage King and forced him back with Light-Dark Divine Lightning, but Zhongli Wu arrived with a God Level monster and turned the battle into a three-on-one. Surrounded, Xu Xingyu readied his nine-colored chaos power and challenged the three enemies to a decisive fight.

• The Sage King gained the upper hand against Xu Xingyu with the defense-ignoring Heavenly Sacred Abyssal Rift Halberd.
• Xu Xingyu struck the Sage King with Light-Dark Divine Lightning, forcing him back and drawing blood.
• Xu Xingyu began gathering nine-colored chaos energy, but a surprise attack sent him flying.
• Zhongli Wu appeared atop a God Level dragon-ox monster and revealed that the Sage King had helped him reach God Level.
• Facing the Sage King, Zhongli Wu, and the monster, Xu Xingyu gathered his power again and challenged them to fight.

Xu Xingyu fought the Sage King, Zhongli Wu, and their powerful monsters, learning that the Sage King had fused three emperors’ powers into the Holy Demonic Skycrack Dragon. Just as Xu Xingyu faced being overwhelmed, Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi arrived to help him.

• Xu Xingyu struggled against the Sage King, Zhongli Wu, the Bone Dragon, and the Holy Demonic Skycrack Dragon while their attacks wore down his strength.
• Xu Xingyu recognized the Spirit Emperor, Blaze Emperor, and Devil Emperor’s powers within the Holy Demonic Skycrack Dragon, and the Sage King admitted he had erased their consciousnesses and fused their powers with his Longhorn Beetle Emperor.
• Zhongli Wu revealed that his Bone Dragon held the Silver Dragon’s presence and the resentment of tens of millions of souls, and he boasted that it could restore itself after Xu Xingyu struck it.
• Xu Xingyu found that the enemy had sealed off his escape routes and was forced to fend off the Sage King’s and the dragons’ attacks as his strength dwindled.
• Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi arrived on the battlefield and offered to help Xu Xingyu fight.

Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi joined Xu Xingyu on the battlefield, prompting the Sage King to divide the fight into three separate battles. Xu Xingyu faced the Sage King while Gu Yuena confronted the Holy Demonic Skycrack Dragon and Gu Qiuxi fought Zhongli Wu, with all three battles still raging.

• Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi arrived to support Xu Xingyu, and Gu Yuena reassured him that her pregnancy had strengthened her defenses.
• The Sage King used Spatial Splitting to separate the battlefield into three fights.
• Gu Qiuxi attacked Zhongli Wu and his Bone Dragon, showing the results of her training in Dragon Valley.
• Gu Yuena faced the Holy Demonic Skycrack Dragon and said she intended to defeat it quickly so she could help Xu Xingyu.
• Xu Xingyu exchanged powerful attacks with the Sage King, using his nine-element saber and Light-Dark Divine Lightning.
• Gu Qiuxi clashed with the Bone Dragon’s dark dragon breath as the battle continued.

Gu Qiuxi used her Golden Dragon King strength and newly awakened God Position as the Goddess of Ruin to defeat Zhongli Wu. After Zhongli Wu vanished into a black hole, she headed to help Xu Xingyu fight the Abyssal Sage King.

• Gu Qiuxi's Golden Dragon King body withstood Zhongli Wu's attacks and cracked the Bone Dragon with her claws.
• Gu Qiuxi endured the Bone Dragon's spiritual attack, then revealed the God Position she had infused with the Power of Ruin to become the Goddess of Ruin.
• Gu Qiuxi pierced Zhongli Wu with Golden Dragon Space-Time Annihilation, shattering the Bone Dragon and freeing the resentful spirits.
• Zhongli Wu turned into a blood-red crystal and was swallowed by a black hole, leaving Gu Qiuxi puzzled.
• Gu Qiuxi saw that Gu Yuena's fight was nearly over and Xu Xingyu was still battling the Abyssal Sage King, so she flew to assist him.

Gu Yuena fought the Holy Demonic Skycrack Dragon and discovered its healing came from four Abyss Planes. After cutting off its connection and destroying it, she watched a black hole steal the four Plane Seeds and flew toward Xu Xingyu’s battlefield.

• Gu Yuena used her elemental power and Spiritual Domain to battle the Holy Demonic Skycrack Dragon, but its wounds healed instantly.
• Gu Yuena traced its recovery to connections with four Abyss Planes and used Spatial Lockdown to sever them.
• Gu Yuena struck the weakened dragon with the seven elements and destroyed it, leaving four Plane Seeds behind.
• A black hole swallowed the four Plane Seeds before Gu Yuena could claim them, and she flew toward Xu Xingyu’s battlefield.

Xu Xingyu fought the Abyssal Sage King in the Abyss, breaking through his dark barrier and forcing him to reveal his Half-Step God King power. Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi joined Xu Xingyu and merged their powers into him, leaving him ready to face the Sage King with God King-level strength.

• Xu Xingyu battled the Abyssal Sage King, who grew stronger after sensing Zhongli Wu and the Holy Demonic Skycrack Dragon had been defeated.
• Xu Xingyu shattered the Abyssal Sage King's defensive barrier with a barrage of lightning and saber attacks.
• The Abyssal Sage King revealed the four Seeds of the Plane and the blood-red crystal, returning to his Half-Step God King state.
• Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi arrived and merged into Xu Xingyu to combine their powers.
• Xu Xingyu's presence rose to God King level, and he declared that they would end the Abyssal Sage King.

Xu Xingyu joined Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi in the Dragon God Descent fusion skill and fought the Abyssal Sage King. He defeated the Sage King by striking his bonded Plane Core, ending the battle and bringing the Abyss crisis to a close for now.

• Xu Xingyu, Gu Yuena, and Gu Qiuxi completed the Dragon God Descent fusion, raising Xu Xingyu's strength to the Half-Step God King level.
• The God Examination warned Xu Xingyu not to use the Dragon God Divinity to overpower his opponent, but said killing the Abyssal Sage King would complete the examination.
• Xu Xingyu attacked the Abyssal Sage King with the Super Divine Artifact Abyss, while Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi strengthened him.
• Xu Xingyu summoned the thirteen elements and broke through the Sage King's dark defense with the Thirteen-Element Elemental Storm.
• The Abyssal Sage King tried to escape by self-destructing, but Xu Xingyu forced his way through the dark torrent and struck the Sage King's bonded Plane Core.
• The Abyssal Sage King perished, and Xu Xingyu declared victory.

Xu Xingyu discovered that the Abyssal Sage King's soul survived in the Heavenly Sacred Abyssal Rift Halberd and erased it, completing the Eighth Trial of the Dragon God Nine Trials. After Buer devoured her share of the Abyssal Core's energy and Douluo Star began to flourish, Xu Xingyu and his companions set out for Dragon Valley to pursue the final trial.

• Xu Xingyu found the Abyssal Sage King's lingering soul in the Heavenly Sacred Abyssal Rift Halberd and had Lysithea help him burn it away.
• Xu Xingyu added Lightning Tribulation power to the flames and completely erased the Sage King's soul, triggering the completion of the Eighth Trial and the start of the Ninth Trial.
• Xu Xingyu stored the halberd and allocated the Abyssal Core's energy, with forty percent going to Buer to devour.
• Buer devoured her share, and Douluo Star's energy rose as the suppression caused by its lack of a God Position began to fade.
• Xu Xingyu, Gu Yuena, and Gu Qiuxi set out for Dragon Valley so Xu Xingyu could inherit the Dragon God Divinity.

After Douluo Star evolved and the war ended, Xu Xingyu led the alliance in purging the remaining Holy Spirit Cult forces and returning territory to the surviving Sun Moon Empire. He convened the leaders of the Heavenly Soul, Star Luo, and Sun Moon Empires at Shrek Academy to discuss the postwar future, opening a new stage for the Douluo Plane.

• Xu Xingyu confirmed that Douluo Star had advanced, raising its strength limit to level 120, then joined the alliance forces to finish the purge in Dou Ling Empire.
• Xu Xingyu placed Dou Ling’s territory under Xu Sanshi’s control and, with Electrolux, purified corrupted Soul Masters across the Holy Spirit Empire, restoring their free will.
• Xu Xingyu ordered the extermination of Holy Spirit Cult remnants who were devoted to slaughter, while gathering and sparing those who had been forced to fall.
• Xu Xingyu returned the Holy Spirit Empire’s territory to the surviving Sun Moon Empire and announced a conference to secure the nations’ agreement and prevent future disputes.
• Leaders of the Heavenly Soul Empire, Star Luo Empire, and Sun Moon Empire assembled at Shrek Academy, where Xu Xingyu called for cooperation in postwar reconstruction.

Xu Xingyu proposed uniting the four empires into the Douluo Federation, governed by federal laws that abolished noble privileges. All four nations agreed, and Xu Xingyu accepted the role of first speaker as the federation prepared to establish its political center in Heavenly Sin City.

• Xu Xingyu proposed forming the Douluo Federation with a federal system, equal status based on ability, and no noble privileges.
• Xu Sanshi and Xu Tianzhen supported the proposal, citing the damage caused by the Holy Spirit Empire's invasion.
• Xu Jiawei and Wei Tian agreed to join the federation on behalf of the Star Luo and Heavenly Soul Empires.
• The four nations unanimously approved the federation and required Xu Xingyu to serve as its first speaker.
• Xu Xingyu accepted the position and announced that the federation's political center would be established in Heavenly Sin City.

Xu Xingyu established Heavenly Sin City as a home for Evil Soul Masters and formed the Enforcers to bring them into the federation’s legal system. After unifying the continent and delegating government work to Xu Jiujiu, he traveled to Dragon Valley with Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi to begin the final Dragon God trial.

• Xu Xingyu built Douluo City and Heavenly Sin City, creating a lawful refuge for Evil Soul Masters and founding the Enforcers to judge criminals under federal rules.
• Xu Xingyu placed Tang Ya and Ling Luochen in charge of Heavenly Sin City, then directed the Enforcers’ first operation against corrupt nobles and old noble factions.
• After unifying the continent, Xu Xingyu handed the chairmanship to Xu Jiujiu so he could pursue the Dragon God Nine Trials.
• Xu Xingyu traveled to Dragon Valley with Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi, where Ya Lin'er welcomed them at the entrance.
• Xu Xingyu headed into Dragon Valley to begin the final trial of the Dragon God Nine Trials.

Xu Xingyu began the Dragon God Nine Trials’ final inheritance trial after the Nine Great Dragon Kings acknowledged his right to inherit the Dragon God Position. He entered the place of inheritance, leaving Gu Yuena, Gu Qiuxi, and Ya Lin'er waiting for his return.

• Ya Lin'er led Xu Xingyu, Gu Yuena, and Gu Qiuxi to the Star Dragon Tower’s sacred domain, where the Dragon God's Heart responded to Xu Xingyu.
• Ya Lin'er prepared the formation to open the final trial, and Gu Yuena and Gu Qiuxi promised to support Xu Xingyu and urged him to return safely.
• Ya Lin'er called upon the Nine Great Dragon Kings, and each acknowledged Xu Xingyu’s qualification and sent a Dragon King Soul Bone to circle him.
• Ya Lin'er used the Golden and Silver Dragon Kings’ power to open the place of inheritance, and Xu Xingyu stepped into the nine-colored pillar of light.
• The pillar closed after Xu Xingyu vanished, and Gu Yuena, Gu Qiuxi, and Ya Lin'er voiced their hopes that he would succeed and return in triumph.