Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuezhou traveled with Sect Master Jieyin and Sect Master Zhunti to Fengxi Marsh, learning about the Peacock Great Wisdom King’s exceptional flying and how to refine his spirit-wood staff. They reached the marsh and began searching for it.

• Zhang Xuezhou guided Sect Master Jieyin and Sect Master Zhunti from Mount Tai toward Fengxi Marsh, and the Peacock Great Wisdom King flew them there at great speed.
• Sect Master Zhunti and Sect Master Jieyin explained that rankings among the Three Realms’ fliers were approximate and that the Peacock Great Wisdom King excelled at short-distance flight.
• Sect Master Zhunti handed Zhang Xuezhou the lotus-wrapped staff, which had begun to respond to him.
• Sect Master Jieyin explained that killing powerful opponents was the best way to refine the staff, and proposed that Zhang Xuezhou use it to kill the Heaven Beyond Heaven cultivator who had been stealing everywhere.
• Sect Master Zhunti told the Peacock Great Wisdom King to slow down as they reached the area where Fengxi Marsh should be, and the two sect masters began searching below.

Zhang Xuezhou guided Sect Master Jieyin and Sect Master Zhunti through the Yellow Springs toward 'Bai' while waiting with the Peacock Great Wisdom King. After discussing Kong Ning’s danger and offering suggestions, Zhang Xuezhou prompted the Peacock Great Wisdom King to ask for his advice respectfully.

• Zhang Xuezhou led Sect Master Jieyin and Sect Master Zhunti to the map in the Yellow Springs, then stayed behind with the Peacock Great Wisdom King while the sect masters continued toward 'Bai'.
• Sect Master Jieyin and Sect Master Zhunti followed the Yellow Springs Water into the darkening depths, and the Peacock Great Wisdom King lit their waiting area with his seven-colored glow.
• Zhang Xuezhou told the Peacock Great Wisdom King that Kong Ning could not easily rescue him from the Western Sect and might face calamity if she tried.
• The Peacock Great Wisdom King asked to hear Zhang Xuezhou's suggestions, but Zhang Xuezhou stopped speaking and made him wait.
• The Peacock Great Wisdom King changed into an old monk, bowed to Zhang Xuezhou, and asked for his advice.

Zhang Xuezhou accepted the Peacock Great Wisdom King's Peacock Transformation inheritance and considered how it might improve his flying skills. He offered one poor plan for Kong Ning's escape: move to Chang'an City and use the Nine Cauldrons Technique to evade the Demon-Revealing Mirror.

• The Peacock Great Wisdom King explained that his body could float while carrying weight and offered to teach Zhang Xuezhou the Peacock Transformation.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked about humans transforming into peacocks and listened to the technique's requirements, hoping to compare it with the Technique Within the Clouds.
• The Peacock Great Wisdom King transmitted the Peacock Transformation to Zhang Xuezhou as multicolored light while the Yellow Springs Water surged.
• Zhang Xuezhou gave the Peacock Great Wisdom King one poor plan for Kong Ning: have her move to Chang'an City and learn the Nine Cauldrons Technique to avoid the Demon-Revealing Mirror.

Zhang Xuezhou and the Peacock Great Wisdom King left the Yellow Springs as Bai faced the Western Sect’s two sect masters. A battle of techniques erupted, and the Peacock Great Wisdom King realized Zhang Xuezhou had avoided the lightning by recognizing Words Followed by Law.

• Zhang Xuezhou led the Peacock Great Wisdom King out of the churning Yellow Springs and refused his offer of a life-bound feather in exchange for the best plan.
• Zhang Xuezhou observed the storm and surging Yellow Springs, concluding that Bai was fighting or defending against the two sect masters.
• Zhang Xuezhou invoked the Lightning Avoidance Instruction as lightning struck, while the Peacock Great Wisdom King’s attempt to dodge drew the bolts toward him.
• The Peacock Great Wisdom King recognized that the storm was a battle of techniques using Words Followed by Law and that Zhang Xuezhou had been judged no threat.
• The Peacock Great Wisdom King escaped the lightning with a burst of speed, and Zhang Xuezhou praised his flight as he watched Bai’s battle from outside the Yellow Springs.

Zhang Xuezhou watched the Western Sect masters defeat and capture Bai, then hid from them as they departed west with the Peacock Great Wisdom King. When golden Karmic Fortune began streaming from the Fengxi Marsh, he overcame his hesitation and flew toward it.

• Zhang Xuezhou kept his distance from the battle at Fengxi Marsh, judging that Bai was unlikely to overcome the two Western Sect masters.
• After the battle lasted through the night, a huge azure lotus emerged from the marsh and pulled Bai’s dragon body inside as he cursed Liu Bang’s descendants.
• Sect Master Jieyin and Sect Master Zhunti emerged injured, searched for the missing Peacock Great Wisdom King, and then rode him west toward the Western Aparagodaniya Continent.
• Zhang Xuezhou stayed concealed until the sect masters had left, then considered asking Li Shaojun to investigate beneath the marsh.
• Golden Karmic Fortune streamed west from the place where Gaozu had erected the stele, and Zhang Xuezhou flew toward it despite his hesitation.

Zhang Xuezhou entered Fengxi Marsh to absorb its golden Karmic Fortune, hoping to strengthen his Fortune Technique, but encountered Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty. After arguing about dynastic fortune and rule, he was told to find the stolen white dragon so Great Han could claim its fortune.

• Zhang Xuezhou entered Fengxi Marsh and gathered its golden Karmic Fortune with illusory dragon-fish, but noticed his form had not evolved as he expected.
• Emperor Gaozu appeared and demanded to know who had taken the white dragon sealed away by him, causing Great Han's Karmic Fortune to flow west.
• Zhang Xuezhou tried to stall Emperor Gaozu by arguing that dynasties could not rely on Karmic Fortune to endure, while continuing to gather it.
• Emperor Gaozu argued that replacing ineffective emperors and allowing regimes to overthrow one another could clear conflicts and preserve the dynasty.
• Emperor Gaozu ordered Zhang Xuezhou to find the white dragon, then grew dark-faced as he stared ahead.

Zhang Xuezhou stalled Emperor Gaozu in a dragon-fish illusion, but Gaozu summoned the Red Empyrean Sword and threatened to kill him. Zhang Xuezhou tried to stop Gaozu by warning that the current emperor might lose access to the sword, then leaped toward one of his other forms to escape.

• Emperor Gaozu realized Zhang Xuezhou was an outsider stealing Great Han's Fortune and transformed into a golden dragon to attack him.
• Zhang Xuezhou used countless dragon-fish phantoms to evade Gaozu, knowing Gaozu's power was temporary and his own form could outlast him.
• Gaozu failed to find Zhang Xuezhou's true form and began to worry as the dragon fish multiplied around him.
• Gaozu sensed that the current emperor had activated the Red Empyrean Sword and summoned its faint sword light into his jaws.
• Zhang Xuezhou recognized the sword, warned Gaozu that using it could leave the current emperor unable to wield it, and leaped upward as the sword gathered strength.

Zhang Xuezhou took Ying Fusu’s form and called on Emperor Qin for help as Emperor Gaozu consecrated the Red Empyrean Sword. Emperor Qin struck back and hurled an imperial seal across the distance, but Emperor Gaozu’s sword strike shattered their connection, leaving Zhang Xuezhou exposed and the Red Empyrean Sword apparently spent.

• Zhang Xuezhou transformed into Ying Fusu’s half-dragon, half-human form, and Emperor Gaozu recognized him as Great Qin’s crown prince.
• Emperor Gaozu consecrated the Red Empyrean Sword and redirected his strike toward Emperor Qin after sensing him through Ying Fusu’s invocation.
• Zhang Xuezhou called for help, and Emperor Qin answered through a vision of Xianyang Palace, striking Emperor Gaozu with the phantom Tai'e Sword.
• Emperor Qin sent an imperial seal across the distance, and its Eight Gates Golden Lock froze the Fortune War as Emperor Gaozu’s dragon body was badly damaged.
• Emperor Gaozu released the Red Empyrean Sword’s strike, shattering Emperor Qin’s apparition and severing his connection to Zhang Xuezhou.
• Emperor Gaozu prepared to strike Zhang Xuezhou again, but the Red Empyrean Sword no longer answered his call.

Zhang Xuezhou controlled Ying Fusu’s Fortune Form to outlast Emperor Gaozu in the Fortune War, exploiting his damaged body and dodging his attacks until the Reincarnation Stone pulled him away. As both Fortune Forms dissolved, Emperor Gaozu realized his opponent was not Ying Fusu but someone whose Fortune Body had reached its final development.

• Zhang Xuezhou evaded Emperor Gaozu’s attacks and taunted him while Yellow Springs Water corroded his true body.
• Zhang Xuezhou used sword light to harass the wounds Emperor Qin had inflicted on Emperor Gaozu, while dodging his dragon roars and tail strikes.
• Emperor Gaozu tried to learn why the Great Qin Dynasty had abandoned its dynasty and lain dormant, but Zhang Xuezhou refused to answer.
• The Reincarnation Stone called Emperor Gaozu away, and his dragon body fell apart as his Karmic Fortune flowed toward Zhang Xuezhou.
• Emperor Gaozu saw Ying Fusu’s Fortune Form dissolve into countless dragon fish and realized his opponent was not Ying Fusu.

After the Fortune War, Zhang Xuezhou celebrated surviving and headed toward Suiyang, hoping to return to Kunlun and brew Nine Treasures Wine when he could. A defeated woodcutter followed him, seeking his help, and learned from Liu Ji’s stele that the world had changed.

• Zhang Xuezhou rejoiced that Bai had been taken away and Emperor Gaozu had fallen, then planned to stay at Liang Garden in Suiyang for twelve days.
• Zhang Xuezhou left Fengxi Marsh and traveled toward Suiyang, intending to return to Kunlun later to gather Drunken Peaches and brew Nine Treasures Wine.
• A woodcutter emerged after Zhang Xuezhou departed and recognized him as a Heavenly Court cultivator, but admitted he lacked the strength to attack him.
• The woodcutter decided to follow Zhang Xuezhou and seek his goodwill, hoping to borrow some of his Fortune and find a way forward.
• The woodcutter read Liu Ji’s stele and touched its inscription, while his hand and face began to change.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to Liang Garden and met Li Su, the queen dowager of Liang, who sought a private audience with him. After offering him wine and other treasures, she appeared ready to reveal what she wanted from him.

• Zhang Xuezhou entered Liang Garden using his token and found the attendants had prepared a meal and bath for him.
• Li Su arrived with the young King of Liang, recognized Zhang Xuezhou from ten years earlier, and agreed to let him enter seclusion for half a month.
• Li Su dismissed her attendants and privately showed Zhang Xuezhou a Heaven and Earth Pouch she had struggled to open.
• Li Su brought out turtle-and-deer wine from King of Liang Liu Wu's collection and offered it to Zhang Xuezhou.
• When Zhang Xuezhou only took a polite sip, Li Su reached into her belt again to offer him something else.

Zhang Xuezhou explained that the State of Liang’s turmoil came from powerful allies collecting on old debts, not from the new emperor. He advised Li Su that Liang’s great wealth was making it vulnerable and recommended paying tribute to the empress dowager for short-term peace and to His Majesty for lasting peace.

• Li Su showed Zhang Xuezhou a collection of curiosities, and he took interest in her finely crafted south-pointing chariot.
• Li Su asked how the State of Liang could escape its turmoil and protect her grandson, Liu Xiang.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Chang'an City had not caused Liang’s troubles; people who had helped the King of Liang were now demanding repayment.
• Zhang Xuezhou said the State of Liang was too wealthy to defend itself under its weaker successors.
• He advised Li Su to offer tribute to the empress dowager for three to five years of peace and to His Majesty for lasting peace.

Zhang Xuezhou exchanged places with the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon and endured an especially severe freezing sensation before waking in the real world. He learned that twelve days had passed and turned his attention to the Aomeijia Alliance’s turmoil, where he and his allies planned to force through the founding of a new state.

• Zhang Xuezhou took a south-pointing chariot and a Yin-Yang Inverting Wine Pot from Li Su, then prepared to travel with the new emperor to Suiyang City.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to the real world through the exchange with the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon and felt his three souls and seven spirits freeze during the crossing.
• Zhang Manqian reported that Zhang Xuezhou had been unresponsive and trembling, with his physical vitality readings down eighty percent, before he woke half an hour later than usual.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Ren Anran that he had tried using luck against Hongku, but he could not tell whether the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon had benefited or suffered from the spirit spring.
• Zhang Xuezhou learned that twelve days had passed and heard about changes in the Aomeijia Alliance, where the plan was to summon the major Lineage representatives to Bulanpeida and drive out the Montes Lineage.

Zhang Xuezhou and his companions considered seizing Bulanpeida City’s communications center to help locate those directing rocket attacks and prepare for a strike against the Aomeijia Alliance’s leadership. As they left the hotel, Zhang Xuezhou recognized Linna treating the wounded near a bombarded building, suggesting the Montes Lineage might be operating in the Academy District.

• Ren Anran reported that the Aomeijia Alliance’s traded Ferocious Beast extracts could help produce twelve more Seventh Sequence Holders, while Ren Yisheng still had not sent word.
• Zhang Manqian described how fighting, shelling, and panic had disrupted ordinary life in Bulanpeida City.
• After rocket artillery struck near their hotel, Zhang Xuezhou examined the rocket’s lingering trail, and Zhang Manqian proposed using local communications networks to track the attackers.
• Ren Anran agreed they could try to take control of the city’s main communications center, and Zhang Xuezhou decided they would head there.
• As the group drove away from the hotel, Zhang Xuezhou recognized Linna treating the wounded near the bombarded building.

Zhang Xuezhou and his companions spotted Linna near the rocket-struck disaster site, then continued toward Bulanpeida’s communications center while recruiting students to help coordinate their work. As Zhang Manqian approached a breakthrough, she experienced a precognitive hallucination of a furry leg containing a dark, gemlike light.

• Zhang Xuezhou recognized Linna treating the wounded near the rocket strike, but the group decided not to pursue her.
• Zhang Xuezhou concluded they needed support from Bulanpeida’s local Lineage leaders and chose to continue to the communications center.
• Zhang Manqian recruited young students for the journey and assigned those skilled in mathematics, communications, and information technology to study relevant materials.
• Zhang Manqian felt her Fifth Sequence and cultivation nearing a breakthrough as her mental state and techniques began to loosen.
• Zhang Manqian saw a precognitive hallucination of a long, furry leg on the truck’s windshield, with a faint dark light like a gemstone inside it.

Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Manqian, and Ren Anran investigated Zhang Manqian’s visions before reaching Bulanpeida’s communications station. After breaking through its sealed gates, Zhang Xuezhou found the corpses of people trapped underground and reflected on the human cost of collapsing order.

• Zhang Manqian recovered from her daze after taking Origin-Nurturing Paste and described her visions to Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran.
• Ren Anran suggested that Zhang Manqian might benefit from a predictive Physiognomy Technique, and Zhang Manqian agreed to look into it.
• Zhang Xuezhou drove the group to Bulanpeida’s communications center, where Ren Anran guided them past the blockade.
• Zhang Xuezhou used the Sand Transformation Technique to destroy the locks on twelve heavy gates, allowing the group to enter the underground works.
• Zhang Xuezhou found more than ten rotting corpses and considered the dangers of social collapse and uncontrolled power.

Zhang Xuezhou and his companions found the First Communications Station badly damaged, overheated, and filled with decomposing bodies, leaving them unable to use it to track their enemies. With the civil war threatening to cause wider disasters, Zhang Xuezhou decided to move quickly against the Montes Lineage and force Grian into power.

• Ren Anran used the Dragon Elephant Combat Technique to calm the group as they passed through the stench of the decomposing bodies.
• Zhang Xuezhou and the others found the communications equipment damaged and the underground facility dangerously hot, preventing them from using it to locate potential commanders.
• Ren Anran warned that failures at power stations and chemical plants could worsen the civil war’s effects on ordinary people.
• Zhang Xuezhou decided to capture key members of the Montes Lineage, arguing that Grian should be put in power before further crises arose.
• Zhang Xuezhou rejected bringing Genas into the operation, saying he would only cooperate safely when they had a major advantage.

Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran returned to the hotel area, only to find it bombed and Grian apparently captured after switching sides. With their plans unraveling and communications unavailable, Ren Anran went to act quickly, while Zhang Manqian faced forced conscription by the wounded city guard chief.

• Zhang Xuezhou said they would place Grian in a high position and leave his later choices to him, rather than kill him.
• Zhang Xuezhou, Ren Anran, and Zhang Manqian found their former hotel destroyed by another bombing.
• Ren Anran contacted Grian and realized he had switched patrons and was likely being held in a basement.
• Ren Anran concluded they had to act fast and left to pursue their next move.
• Boqi Gaier arrived and ordered Zhang Manqian and the students to serve in the city guard under temporary conscription.

Zhang Xuezhou followed a blood trail into the underground complex and joined the chaotic battle between the Montes Lineage and its attackers. He armed himself with a heavy sniper rifle and found a concealed position from which to identify the fighters by their legs.

• Zhang Xuezhou found blood at the site of a sniper attack and followed the trail through an underground passage.
• Zhang Xuezhou subdued a masked man who attacked him from a smoke-filled doorway, took his breathing mask, and pushed onward.
• Zhang Xuezhou used realm intimidation to disable a prone sniper and took his specialized heavy rifle.
• Zhang Xuezhou spotted fighters through the rifle's scope and entered the burning, flooded underground complex after Grian's accident disrupted the plan.
• Zhang Xuezhou subdued a fighter carrying hidden weapons and crouched in his position to distinguish the factions by their legs beneath the smoke.

Zhang Xuezhou infiltrated the battle disguised as Texibolai, wounding Montes Ganghao and surviving Montes Clark’s attacks while claiming to be a newly emerged Seventh Sequence Holder. He left the fight still under attack, but the rebel group began coordinating against Clark and Ganghao as the Montes Lineage’s control weakened.

• Zhang Xuezhou fired into the smoke, wounded Montes Ganghao in the right leg, and learned that Montes Clark was coming after him.
• Montes Clark attacked Zhang Xuezhou with three head slashes, but his Fleshly Body Technique let him survive and counterfire into the smoke.
• Zhang Xuezhou charged into the melee using the Halt Warfare Formula, deflected a flaming wheel of thorns, and shot at an unseen attacker.
• Zhang Xuezhou claimed he was Texibolai, a Seventh Sequence Holder, and swore he had no interest in becoming grand council president while enduring bullets and sword strikes.
• The fighters discovered Zhang Xuezhou was vulnerable to electricity, and the rebel Sequence Holders rallied to restrain Clark as opposition to the Montes Lineage grew.