Chapter Summaries

Tian Fen brought the new emperor onto his Heaven-Riding Shuttle as Dao Lord attacked the fleeing Han forces. Dao Lord caught Zhang Xuezhou’s flying dagger but was wounded, while the attack devastated the defenders and left the emperor gravely shaken.

• Tian Fen descended in his Heaven-Riding Shuttle after Zhang Xuezhou called for the new emperor to escape onto it.
• The new emperor switched shuttles, and Zhang Xuezhou abandoned his own shuttle to ride with Cheng Bushi.
• Gongsun He warned that Xiong State reinforcements were coming as the Han cultivators turned their horses and Dao Lord unleashed his Flying Dagger Technique.
• Dao Lord caught Zhang Xuezhou’s short sword between his palms, but it cut his forehead, and he called to Nine Spirits before falling toward him.
• Tian Fen’s protective talismans shattered, sending him flying from his out-of-control shuttle, while Cheng Bushi saved him and revealed that the dagger had severed four of his fingers.
• Cheng Bushi saw the new emperor’s ashen face after Zhang Xuezhou grabbed him, and his heart sank.

Zhang Xuezhou realized the Spirit Wood Staff could threaten powerful cultivators but could not kill them, while Dao Lord’s flying knives left the empress dowager gravely wounded. After the ambush ended with the enemy fleeing, the new emperor distributed pills to keep his allies alive.

• Zhang Xuezhou reflected that the Spirit Wood Staff’s power could threaten Dao Lord but not kill him, and recalled how the new emperor’s flying sword had helped drive Dao Lord back.
• Dao Lord’s flying knives pierced the empress dowager’s head and wounded Tian Fen, while Cheng Bushi blocked another knife and lost fingers; Zhang Xuezhou called for something to save the empress dowager.
• Li Shaojun declared Zhu Jiuyin dead and Dao Lord defeated, then signaled the army to charge, but Cheng Bushi did not pursue the fleeing enemies.
• The new emperor gave Cheng Bushi a glowing pill and told him to use the others on Dongfang Shuo and Tian Fen if needed; Cheng Bushi took the first pill himself to recover.
• Cheng Bushi later gave the next pill to Tian Fen, remembering the new emperor’s instructions.

Zhang Xuezhou struggled to refine the spiritual radiance of Dao Lord's flying knife while the new emperor's party dealt with the wounded. Li Jiao tried to heal the empress dowager, but the knife's lingering power struck him too.

• Zhang Xuezhou used a Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill to slow the bloody light tearing through his sea of consciousness, then continued refining it with his mental power.
• Cheng Bushi stopped his mount, and the new emperor found the empress dowager, Tian Fen, and others gravely wounded by the flying knives.
• The new emperor asked Zhang Xuezhou to treat the empress dowager, but Zhang Xuezhou said his injury and limited healing ability made him unable to help.
• Gongsun He went to summon Li Jiao while the new emperor checked on Tian Fen, who cursed despite his muddled condition.
• Li Jiao closed the wound on the empress dowager's forehead, but Dao Lord's flying knife's lingering power clashed with his technique and left him clutching his head in pain.

Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor learned that the Han forces had failed to trap the retreating Xiong State Legion, while the Dao Lord remained at large. Facing the prospect of renewed attacks and political turmoil, the new emperor decided he could not follow his father’s cautious approach and needed bold reform.

• Zhang Xuezhou told the new emperor that his earlier head injury might explain why his symptoms differed and suggested seeking an antidote from the Dao Lord or Western Kunlun.
• The new emperor waited for news from Li Guang’s pursuit and the clash between the Han and Xiong State forces, hoping the army could compensate for their injured cultivators.
• Gongsun He told Zhang Xuezhou that the Han troops had failed to catch the Xiong State Legion, and Zhang realized Wang Hui had not dared to attack from a disadvantage.
• The new emperor threw down the fake Red Empyrean Sword and lamented that the Han forces had missed their chance to kill the Dao Lord and break Xiong State’s power.
• The new emperor concluded that holding fast would lead to disaster and vowed to abandon Emperor Jing’s path in favor of bold talent and reform.

After the ambush at Mayi, Zhang Xuezhou traveled toward Chang'an with Dong Zhongshu, who discussed his failed attempt to enter the True Self Realm and the pills he needed for another try. Dong Zhongshu headed off to meet Li Shaojun, while Zhang Xuezhou doubted that his advice would improve Dong Zhongshu's chances.

• The Great Han kept troops mobilized along the frontier in anticipation of a fierce counterattack after the ambush at Mayi.
• Zhang Xuezhou left Wuzhou Pass by carriage and spoke with Dong Zhongshu, who explained that the Confucian Realm Technique had left him unable to match Zhu Jiuyin.
• Dong Zhongshu told Zhang Xuezhou that the empress dowager's Fortune Pills had helped him recover and that he still needed Eight-Step Immortal Ascension Pills for another attempt at True Self.
• Dong Zhongshu congratulated Zhang Xuezhou on reaching Only Me and asked about the child prodigy Huo Qubing, whom he hoped to see in Chang'an.
• After learning that Li Shaojun was traveling in the same convoy, Dong Zhongshu hurried to meet him and discuss cultivation, while Zhang Xuezhou privately doubted the wisdom of relying on Li Shaojun.

After returning to Chang'an, Zhang Xuezhou arranged for Yi Shuo to treat him as seriously ill so he could obtain medical resources while recovering from his injuries. He learned that a sword thief had been caught at his residence and focused on building his strength before Dao Lord could seek revenge.

• Zhang Xuezhou arrived at Chang'an after spending the journey refining Dao Lord's flying-dagger essence.
• Yi Shuo met Zhang Xuezhou at the city gate, and he told her to record his condition as a serious brain injury and continue treating him.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Yi Shuo to check with Zheng Wukong and Chunyu Tiying about their Life-Creating Fortune Pill research.
• Dou Shisan told Zhang Xuezhou that a sword thief had been caught at his residence.
• Zhang Xuezhou continued toward the palace for treatment, hoping to gain medicinal resources and strengthen himself before Dao Lord could come after him.

At the Imperial Medical Hall, Tian Fen questioned why Zhang Xuezhou received a bizarre, dangerous prescription while his own treatment was only a calming decoction. He learned that the empress dowager was also injured by Dao Lord’s flying knife, and the chapter ended with her pain worsening as she recalled Zhang Xuezhou’s pill-refining ability.

• Tian Fen complained that his symptoms persisted and demanded to know why Zhang Xuezhou had been prescribed medicine containing arsenic.
• Zhang Xuezhou responded with confused nonsense after taking his medicine, and medical officers carried him into a room.
• Tian Fen went to the empress dowager and learned that she, too, had been prescribed a calming decoction for divine-soul injuries caused by Dao Lord’s flying knife.
• Tian Fen listed Zhang Xuezhou’s thirty-six ingredients, including several poisons, and the empress dowager was alarmed that Yi Shuo had prescribed them.
• The empress dowager reminded Tian Fen that Zhang Xuezhou had refined the pill that helped preserve his life, then clutched her head as her injury worsened.

Zhang Xuezhou learned Yi Shuo’s version of the Life-Creating Fortune Pill formula while recovering at the Imperial Medical Hall. After a dwarf thief was captured at his residence, Zhang questioned him and discovered that the man, Laotong, did not recognize him.

• Zhang Xuezhou considered refining the Life-Creating Fortune Pill formula and concluded he would need to test it in repeated batches.
• Yi Shuo told Zhang that his illness was severe and he would have to remain at the Imperial Medical Hall for ten days to half a month.
• Zheng Dangshi told the new emperor that a three-chi-tall thief had broken into Zhang’s residence seeking Kunlun’s secret medicine of immortality and had been captured with the Demon-Revealing Mirror.
• Zhang challenged Zheng Dangshi’s account and asked to question the thief himself.
• Zhang questioned the captured dwarf, who identified himself as Laotong, a Heavenly Court envoy, but failed to recognize Zhang.

Laotong was interrogated by Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor about the stolen secret immortality medicine and his origins in Kunlun. The new emperor kept him in custody but gave him a chance to earn merit by sharing what he knew about the Dao Lord, though his account of Lu Ya's flying blade raised doubts.

• Laotong insisted that he had been sent on an errand by the Divine Lord and explained that the secret immortality medicine had preserved his body for over a thousand years.
• Laotong accused Dongfang Shuo of stealing the medicine from Kunlun's inner vault, but could not explain how he had bypassed its guards.
• Zhang Xuezhou argued that someone else could have used the name Dongfang Shuo to frame him, and the new emperor concluded that Zhang had likely been left carrying the blame.
• The new emperor ordered Zheng Dangshi to keep Laotong imprisoned, then offered him a chance to atone by sharing what he knew about the Dao Lord.
• Laotong identified the Dao Lord as Lu Ya and described a soul-slaying blade forged from cold iron and released from an immortal gourd, but the new emperor doubted his story.

After the ambush at Mayi, Zhang Xuezhou showed Laotong the tiny flying blade that had wounded him, and Laotong identified it as a weapon made of brittle cold iron. The new emperor prepared to avoid a direct clash with Dao Lord, while the empress dowager accepted that her battle plans had failed and that the emperor needed to take over, provided he survived Dao Lord’s coming retaliation.

• The new emperor doubted Laotong’s claim about Dao Lord’s divine soul, while Zhang Xuezhou considered how difficult Dao Lord’s blade would be to withstand or evade.
• The new emperor asked Laotong to examine Zhang Xuezhou, who showed him the transparent flying blade he had taken from Dao Lord.
• Laotong identified the blade as cold iron and explained that the material was brittle and that Lu Ya had once used a cold-iron blade nurtured in a gourd.
• The new emperor concluded that the group should rely on deceptive formations rather than confront Dao Lord directly, since Dao Lord would retaliate once recovered.
• The new emperor and Zhang Xuezhou entered the main chamber, where they found the empress dowager shaken by her inability to approach Zhu Jiuyin and Tian Fen cowering nearby.
• The empress dowager acknowledged that her plans had failed in battle and that the new emperor should take over many matters, but his survival against Dao Lord came first.

Tian Fen and the empress dowager sought a way to survive the blades lodged in their heads, but Laotong could offer no certain cure and instead demanded an Immortality Elixir he believed Zhang Xuezhou had stolen. Zhang Xuezhou learned that Donghua, controlling the Divine Lord’s body, planned to visit Spirit Mountain to borrow its spiritual essence, and concluded that Dao Lord posed the greater immediate danger.

• Medical officers found Dao Lord’s flying knife lodged in Tian Fen’s head, and Tian Fen refused to have his skull opened because it could destroy his cultivation.
• Zhang Xuezhou offered to make life-preserving pills, but the new emperor explained that the ingredients and Zhang’s demanding methods made that option impractical.
• Laotong said the empress dowager and others might survive with the secret Immortality Elixir, then insisted Zhang Xuezhou was not the Dongfang Shuo he sought because he believed the elixir thief was someone else.
• As Zheng Dangshi led Laotong away, Zhang Xuezhou questioned him about the Divine Lord and learned that Donghua planned to visit Spirit Mountain to study its spiritual essence.
• Zhang Xuezhou inferred that Donghua had gained control of the Divine Lord’s body and shifted his attention to the danger posed by Dao Lord.

Zhang Xuezhou stayed in the imperial palace to avoid retaliation from the Dao Lord, while the new emperor considered how to protect the court and prepare for revenge. The emperor used his new authority to reassign officials and weigh changes to the military, hoping to strengthen the Great Han Dynasty amid a power vacuum in the Three Realms.

• The new emperor arranged for Zhang Xuezhou to stay in the palace when he fell unconscious and discussed the unreliable Red Empyrean Sword and Zhang Xuezhou's medicine.
• Zhang Xuezhou left the Imperial Medical Hall with Yi Shuo and went to stay at the palace.
• The new emperor dismissed Zheng Dangshi from his post and appointed Shen Chong to serve in the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant.
• The new emperor considered replacing officials selectively and worried that Wang Hui's indecision had weakened the army's ability to seek revenge.
• The new emperor reflected on the Three Realms' lack of strong successors and an Immortal Court as a possible opportunity for the Great Han Dynasty.

Zhang Xuezhou refined Dao Lord’s flying blade radiance in the ancient tree’s crown while considering how to survive Dao Lord’s revenge. The refinement strengthened his divine soul’s capacity and brought him close to another mental-power transformation, leaving him hopeful that he could eventually defeat Dao Lord.

• Zhang Xuezhou worried that Dao Lord was likely to come to Chang'an City for revenge, while Zhu Jiuyin remained constrained by his injuries and the Demon-Revealing Mirror.
• Zhang Xuezhou kept Mallard in the ancient tree’s crown, where Mallard fell asleep amid the nourishing green radiance.
• Zhang Xuezhou refined the destructive flying blade radiance in his divine soul and considered how Dao Lord had mastered his technique.
• After the radiance was gone, Zhang Xuezhou sensed that his divine soul could contain more mental power, though its quality had not changed.
• Zhang Xuezhou weighed the danger of Dao Lord’s retaliation against the benefits he had gained and hoped another transformation would let him defeat Dao Lord with his staff.

Zhang Xuezhou woke to find that Ren Anran had entered the Sole Self Realm and split her Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation into two independent selves. He reassured her about the difficulty of advancing further, leaving her less burdened as they considered possible guidance from powerful cultivators.

• Ren Anran told Zhang Xuezhou that she had waited ten days before breaking through to the Sole Self Realm and using the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique as her second Divine Ability.
• Zhang Xuezhou saw Ren Anran's two independent Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnations arguing and learned that they could think and work separately from her Fleshly Body.
• Ren Anran explained that Mallard's advice had helped her transform the technique, but she had no clear direction for reaching the True Self Realm.
• Zhang Xuezhou comforted Ren Anran by explaining that even talented cultivators faced obstacles and suggested she learn from the Emperor, Huang, and Badun.
• Ren Anran regretted being unable to help Zhang Xuezhou reach the True Self Realm, but his reassurance eased her doubts and those of her incarnations.

Zhang Xuezhou returned from Sinkhole No. 2 and explained the developing cultivation paths to the Sovereign, who was struggling to find a way to restore his lightning domain. Zhang Xuezhou suggested that Qinmeng might offer opportunities, leaving the Sovereign interested in exploring it after reaching the Seventh Sequence.

• Zhang Xuezhou emerged from Sinkhole No. 2, and the Sovereign explained that he had placed first in Western Capital's adult examination and was studying Gene Sequence papers.
• The Sovereign described how the Gene Sequence and lack of Spiritual Qi made it difficult to regain his lightning domain, while Zhang Xuezhou explained the Realm Technique, Sequence Lock, and other cultivation developments.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to B13 Research Institute and offered to help the Sovereign, then suggested he look for opportunities in Qinmeng.
• Zhang Xuezhou told the Sovereign about Qinmeng's dangers, its Fire Meteor beings, and Mengtesi Badun's Quelling Chief and Nurturing Technique.
• The Sovereign became interested in traveling to Qinmeng after reaching the Seventh Sequence, where he might find a path toward cultivation success.

Zhang Xuezhou reviewed the many unresolved matters around Sinkhole No. 2 and discussed Huang’s wish to obtain a body, deciding to have Tuer Kelanduo use his parents’ genes for the gestation. He also learned that Ning Que had reached the same Seventh Sequence barrier that troubled many Sequence Holders, leaving Zhang Xuezhou to consider how to overcome the shortage of Ferocious Beast resources.

• Zhang Manqian updated Zhang Xuezhou on the accumulated invitations, research exchanges, and unresolved affairs surrounding Sinkhole No. 2.
• Zhang Manqian told Zhang Xuezhou that Huang wanted a body, while Tuer Kelanduo refused to conduct another gestation experiment.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered Huang’s sense that the world was changing and ordered Zhang Manqian to have Tuer Kelanduo use Song Fengying and Zhang Weimeng’s genes to gestate Huang.
• Zhang Manqian reported that Ning Que had helped her reach the Sixth Sequence and asked whether Sequence advancement was impossible without Ferocious Beast resources.
• Zhang Xuezhou recognized that Ning Que’s path had stalled at the Seventh Sequence and considered breaking the resource requirements that blocked further advancement.

Zhao Tianhua worried that he was falling behind younger fighters and asked Zhang Xuezhou about reaching the Seventh Sequence. Zhang invited him to help test genetic catalysts and improved Ferocious Beast extracts with Luo Burang, leaving the research effort ready to begin early trials.

• Zhao Tianhua visited Zhang Xuezhou at the research institute and explained that the rising strength of young fighters made him fear becoming obsolete.
• Zhang Xuezhou described three possible research approaches to overcoming the Ferocious Beast extract barrier and asked Zhao to join the testing.
• Zhang told Zhao he could assist Luo Burang with laboratory tests despite not understanding the research, and Zhao agreed to help.
• Luo Burang welcomed Zhao's participation and said the tests could begin early for his son, Luo Gaogao, whose Sequence was advancing quickly.
• Zhang recognized that he and others also needed a solution, and that early access to experimental drugs could offer advantages despite the risks.

Zhang Xuezhou welcomed Zhou Yueyan into catalyst research before Mengtesi Badun arrived with news of a dangerous spider outbreak in North Rehe. Mengtesi Badun revealed that a true god was feeding power into the disaster, and he left determined to seek Zhang Xuezhou’s help against the growing threat.

• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to bring Zhou Yueyan and her team into catalyst research, where her methodical approach could support Luo Burang’s inventive work and free Zuo Teng and Zuo Denggao.
• Mengtesi Badun arrived at the institute and questioned Zhang Xuezhou about Ren Yisheng, Fast and Slow, and the missing domain staff member.
• Mengtesi Badun showed Zhang Xuezhou evidence that giant spiders had survived the cold wave, reproduced, and gathered around egg-shaped objects in underground caverns.
• Mengtesi Badun explained that a true god was supplying dark power to a dead giant human-faced spider through a sacrifice, spawning disasters and powerful creatures.
• Zhang Xuezhou suggested using modern weapons to wipe out the spiders, but Mengtesi Badun said the underground targets were too difficult to reach and could grow stronger than Seventh Sequence.
• Unable to wait for Ren Yisheng to emerge from the small world, Mengtesi Badun considered joining Zhang Xuezhou and Montes Arthur to attack the threat with the Mental Fighting Technique.

Mengtesi Badun asked Zhang Xuezhou to help recruit Seventh Sequence experts for a dangerous mission against the spider tide, but Zhang instead supplied medicine to help twenty people attempt the Seventh Sequence. Mengtesi Badun praised Grian’s leadership and asked Zhang to keep him in office until the spider tide was dealt with.

• Mengtesi Badun asked Zhang Xuezhou to recruit experts to help him face the spider tide, but Zhang said he could not persuade anyone to risk their lives.
• Zhang offered Jingluo Vine medicine for twenty people and explained its effects and side effects to Mengtesi Badun.
• Mengtesi Badun asked whether Grian was Zhang’s ally, and Zhang offered to arrange Grian’s peaceful transfer of power.
• Mengtesi Badun said Grian’s policies and speeches helped maintain stability and urged Zhang to tell him not to defect to Western Capital City.
• Zhang agreed that Grian should remain in office until the spider tide was dealt with and felt relieved that the transfer of power could wait.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to the small world with supplies and X864 Gene Medicine, which could assist in cultivating Mental Strengthening. The medicine gave Zhou Rihui a chance to catch up, while the group debated how the medicine and several cultivation methods might help them develop Control.

• Zhang Xuezhou arrived from North Rehe and demonstrated Control over Fast and Slow, prompting Changkong Yinghao and Changkong Yinglian to discuss its limits.
• Zhou Rihui rejected Li Qi's suggestion to practice Mental Strengthening until he discovered that X864 Gene Medicine could assist with the cultivation method.
• Zhang Xuezhou's companions learned that the medicine had been produced domestically and discussed how much they could safely use.
• Qin Zhong advised saving the medicine for crucial moments, while Bi Dazhi and Zhen Wudi suggested that the boulder's energy might let them take more.
• The group gathered to discuss Control, the risks and limits of their cultivation methods, and whether combining those methods could improve their chances.