Recaps

Chu Qing slaughtered the crowds gathered for his gold, using their blood to advance the Golden Toad Swallowing Heaven Method to perfection. He left the survivors terrified and deranged, then threw the bloodstained golden toad into the scarlet moat and told them his gold was there.

• After Chu Qing jumped into the moat, the Rebel Army incited the crowd to condemn him, and he emerged carrying the Red Copper Golden Toad.
• Chu Qing smashed several family heads with the golden toad, then hurled it across the moat into the densely packed crowd and demanded that they help him cultivate.
• As the crowd fled, Chu Qing crushed people for several minutes until the Red Copper Golden Toad was stained red and his Golden Toad Swallowing Heaven Method reached perfection.
• King Shiyu warned the surviving family heads that a supposedly mad Chu Qing would be dangerous to try to control.
• Chu Qing tossed the golden toad into the scarlet moat and told the terrified survivors to jump in for gold, leaving hundreds of people in Shi State City mad and muttering his words.

Chu Qing returned to the Shi Residence after perfecting the Golden Toad Swallowing Heaven Method and prepared to temper his organs before pursuing the Pelt Realm. As the city’s powerful factions argued over his killings and the danger posed by absent aberrants, Hua Yu led an attack on the Rebel Army for plotting against him.

• Chu Qing returned to the Shi Residence, where Madam Shi said she had killed everyone who gathered outside, and he announced his secret art had reached Perfection.
• Chu Qing told Madam Shi he planned to temper his five viscera and six bowels before seeking a Pelt Realm secret art worthy of his standards.
• At King Shiyu’s Mansion, King Shiyu warned the Heads of the House that uncollected corpses could produce abnormalities, but they dismissed the danger and blamed Chu Qing.
• The Rebel Army Iron Armor claimed Chu Qing had lost the people’s support, but Hua Yu arrived with armed forces and ordered the rebels executed for plotting against him.
• Iron Armor protested that Hua Yu’s forces were still helping Chu Qing, and Hua Yu ordered his limbs cut off and his body hung at the city gate.

Chu Qing focused on cultivating while Hua Yu and the five great families purged Rebel Army members who had plotted against him. Hua Yu then offered the families’ support for his entry into the Major City Martial Academy and opening the Heaven-Connecting Path, asking him to stand with them for ten years, and Chu Qing asked what they wanted in return.

• Hua Yu and five great families tracked down and killed Rebel Army members who had been bewitching people and plotting against Chu Qing.
• Chu Qing cultivated at the Shi Residence, gained strength rapidly, and studied Luo Sheng’s dragon tendon with Madam Jin, who found it was connected to Silver Coins spat out by the Golden Toad.
• Zhao Hongxiu told Chu Qing that Hua Yu had come to see him, and he went with her to her private estate outside the provincial city.
• Hua Yu told Chu Qing that the five great families would support his entry into the Major City Martial Academy and help him open the Heaven-Connecting Path if he stood with them in the major city for ten years.
• Chu Qing asked Hua Yu what the families wanted him to give in return.

Hua Yu explained that several lineages wanted Chu Qing to father descendants so they could benefit from his bloodline, which might help forge divine weapons. As Chu Qing’s cultivation accelerated and he prepared to pursue the main city Martial Academy, a woman in bridal garments burst through the wall and appeared before him.

• Hua Yu told Chu Qing that the five lineages would help him reach the main city Martial Academy if he attained Pelt Realm Perfection by the end of the year, while explaining their interest in his bloodline.
• The Cui family head asked the Cui Family Daughter about Chu Qing, but she refused to consider him until he opened the Heaven-Connecting Path.
• Chu Qing settled into a routine of cultivation, opera, studying dragon sinews with Madam Jin, and exchanging plans with the five lineages and letters with the Princess.
• Chu Qing’s Five Viscera and Six Bowels advanced to Silver Sinew Grade and grew stronger as the Golden Toad Swallowing Heaven Method and Sound Wave Skill accelerated his progress.
• Chu Qing practiced weapon techniques beneath the moon when an argument erupted next door and the wall exploded, revealing Daughter of Stonemason Xu in bridal garments.

Daughter of Stonemason Xu fled the Gongyang Family after her fiancé accused her of being involved with Chu Qing and proposed treating her like a concubine. She sought Hua Yu at the manor, where she found Hua Yu alive with Chu Qing, and the encounter ended with Chu Qing accidentally crushing her neck before she healed herself.

• Daughter of Stonemason Xu left the Gongyang Family after they blamed her for the loss of Golden Silk White Jade and planned to marry her as a concubine.
• Daughter of Stonemason Xu went to Hua Yu's manor to pay her respects and evade the Gongyang Family, hoping Chu Qing might clear her name.
• Daughter of Stonemason Xu found Hua Yu alive and enjoying herself with Chu Qing, then accused them of leaving her to suffer.
• Chu Qing threatened to kill Daughter of Stonemason Xu to keep his identity secret and seized her by the neck.
• Hua Yu warned Chu Qing against using force, but Daughter of Stonemason Xu tried to die and Chu Qing accidentally crushed her neck.
• Hua Yu threatened that Chu Qing would take advantage of her corpse, prompting Daughter of Stonemason Xu to heal herself and condemn them through tears.

Chu Qing avoided Hua Yu and Daughter of Stonemason Xu after their tearful reunion, focusing on cultivation until his Five Viscera and Six Bowels reached Gold Grade. Hua Yu finally came to see him with urgent news, but the chapter ended before she revealed what had happened.

• Chu Qing left Hua Yu's estate at dawn and stayed away from the women, devoting himself to cultivation.
• Hua Yu visited the Shi Residence, but Wind Flower Snow Moon stopped her and arranged for her to return after Chu Qing emerged from seclusion.
• Chu Qing's Five Viscera and Six Bowels reached Gold Grade, increasing his strength, recovery, senses, and combat ability.
• Chu Qing heard Hua Yu outside and went to meet her despite the maids blocking her way.
• Hua Yu told Chu Qing that something terrible had happened.

Chu Qing prepared to confront the powerful visitors from Loulan City, then ambushed their party at Shi State City’s gates. He killed Luo Yong and Gongyang Zhanren in quick succession, while the old woman remained behind.

• Hua Yu told Chu Qing that members of the Gongyang, Luo, and Xu Families, along with people from Loulan Martial Academy, had come to Shi State City looking for him.
• Gongyang Zhanren and Luo Yong led the visitors toward the city, each intending to claim the kill, while an old woman from the Xu Family traveled with them to protect Daughter of Stonemason Xu.
• Chu Qing rejected Madam Shi and Hua Yu’s offers to accompany him, saying he would face the visitors alone and return if he failed.
• At the city gates, Chu Qing leaped down and struck Luo Yong with the Overbearing Spear, piercing his forehead despite his attempt to block.
• Gongyang Zhanren attacked Chu Qing with Eight Divine Hands: Peacock, but Chu Qing broke both his arms and struck his heart, killing him beside Luo Yong.

Chu Qing headed for Loulan Main City after killing Luo Yong and Gongyang Zhanren, while the old woman withdrew from the conflict. He entered the city at night and sought intelligence on the Gongyang Family and the Luo Family, preparing to strike.

• Chu Qing warned the old woman not to have gone to Shi State City, threatened her friends and family, then continued toward Loulan as she abandoned the struggle and settled in a remote town.
• Chu Qing encountered martial artists escorting a festive procession to kill a country bumpkin, and they later found Luo Yong and Gongyang Zhanren dead outside Shi State City.
• The procession members learned that Chu Qing had killed the two young experts, and a man who tried to pull out the Overbearing Spear was killed by other martial artists seeking to curry favor with Master Qing.
• Chu Qing reached Loulan City at night, covered his face, and entered quietly.
• Chu Qing found a Human World stronghold and demanded basic intelligence on the Gongyang Family and the Luo Family, silencing the broker’s attempt to sell him scandalous gossip.

Chu Qing hired Human World to identify members of the Gongyang Family and the Luo Family, then launched a rapid series of killings across the main city. The chapter ended with Gongyang Zhige realizing the masked assassin was coming for him.

• Chu Qing ordered the intelligence chief to find active members of the Gongyang Family and the Luo Family, regardless of age or gender.
• Human World identified several targets, and Chu Qing killed Luo Xiao in his private residence, leaving the women there mentally shattered.
• Chu Qing killed Gongyang Ziyu and three Third Limit experts of the Gongyang Family as Human World relayed reports of his attacks.
• The intelligence chief planned to warn Gongyang Zhige so the assassin would be forced into a confrontation with the two families.
• Gongyang Zhige saw Chu Qing emerge from a brothel after killing a Gongyang elder, met the masked assassin's gaze, and realized Chu Qing intended to kill him.

Chu Qing slaughtered the Major City Martial Academy students who tried to stop him and pursued Gongyang Zhige after he fled Juxian Pavilion. The chapter left Gongyang Zhige still running from Chu Qing.

• A Major City Martial Academy youth attacked Chu Qing with Melting Gold Heart-Urging Claw, but Chu Qing crushed his skull, forced him to kneel and accept death, and tore off his head.
• Chu Qing discovered that Gongyang Zhige had fled Juxian Pavilion and swore to kill him even if he ran home.
• Gongyang Zhige ordered his two companions to stop Chu Qing, and they pretended to pursue him while shouting challenges.
• Chu Qing abruptly turned on the two students and killed them with his Blood Peacock technique.
• Chu Qing resumed his pursuit of Gongyang Zhige as onlookers watched the Sonic Boom Barrier scatter blood mist through the night.

Chu Qing pursued Gongyang Zhige to the Gongyang Family estate and killed him with the Blood Peacock after breaking through the guards. Gongyang Zhige’s body shattered in front of his mother and the Head of the House, leaving the family to confront his death.

• Gongyang Zhige fled while trying to persuade Chu Qing to spare him, but Chu Qing said he had to die because he belonged to the Gongyang Family.
• Chu Qing chased Gongyang Zhige to the estate and waited until he reached the entrance before striking.
• The guard captain charged at Chu Qing, who smashed through the guards and bronze gates, killing the captain.
• A Blood Peacock burrowed into Gongyang Zhige’s head and drove him through the estate to the front hall, where cracks spread across his face.
• Gongyang Zhige ran to find his mother, but his body shattered beside the flowerbeds and the Blood Peacock exploded into blood mist.

Chu Qing killed Gongyang Zhige, the Human World Organization's intelligence chief, and numerous pursuing guards before forcing his way toward the city gate. As he broke through the sealed gate, heavy-armored cavalry arrived to block his escape.

• Gongyang Zhige's mother begged the Gongyang Family Head to avenge her son, and he ordered the Gongyang Knights to hunt Chu Qing.
• The Luo Family deployed the Silver Spear Guard to intercept anyone leaving the city, while the Human World Organization's chief ordered his subordinates to share information about Chu Qing's route.
• Chu Qing killed the intelligence chief with Eight Divine Hands: Sun and Moon after suspecting he would reveal Chu Qing's information, then raced toward the city gate.
• Gongyang Family soldiers sealed the city gate and fired arrows at Chu Qing, but he smashed through the armored soldiers guarding its passage.
• Chu Qing struck down a black-clad figure at the gate, and a force of heavy-armored cavalry arrived as he tried to escape.

Chu Qing turned back to fight the Gongyang Knights after they attacked him as he left the main city, and wiped out all twenty-seven in seconds. He left the stunned city behind, while the Luo Family’s Silver Spear Guards arrived and learned the knights had been reduced to a pile of blood and wreckage.

• Chu Qing closed the main city gate behind him, but a Gongyang Knight hurled a war halberd through it as the knights prepared to charge after him.
• The Gongyang Knights formed an Army Formation and charged through the gate, while Chu Qing turned and rushed toward them.
• Chu Qing smashed through the gate and killed five Gongyang Knights in his first collision.
• Chu Qing charged again and destroyed all twenty-seven Gongyang Knights within three seconds, leaving only blood mist and scattered wreckage.
• Chu Qing left the city as its soldiers and guards watched in silence and relief.
• The Luo Family’s Silver Spear Guards arrived looking for the murderer, and a witness told them the pile of blood and debris was all that remained of the Gongyang Knights.

The Gongyang Family, Luo Family, and Human World responded to killings in the main city, while the Gongyang Family discovered the killer may have used the legendary Eight Divine Hands. Human World suspected Chu Qing was the outsider behind the attacks.

• The Head of the Gongyang Family ordered a citywide search and security crackdown, then commanded his people to find and capture the killer after learning the wounds matched the Eight Divine Hands.
• The Luo Family ordered its people to find the outsider and urged Luo Yong to bring Chu Qing back so they could use him to restore their prestige and undermine the Gongyang Family.
• Human World’s leaders examined the headless corpse of an intelligence chief and debated whether Chu Qing had killed him.
• A Human World member argued that the outsider had targeted the Gongyang Family, Luo Family, and Human World, the same groups Chu Qing had offended, making him a possible suspect.

The Human World Organization tried to persuade the Gongyang and Luo Families to join forces and kill Chu Qing, identifying him as a possible culprit behind the families’ losses. The two family heads suspected the organization had an ulterior motive and abandoned the attack, effectively admitting defeat for now.

• The Human World Organization linked Chu Qing to the outsider and proposed that the Gongyang and Luo Families help kill him.
• The organization warned that Chu Qing had mastered the Golden Toad Method, Golden Inlaid Jade, and Eight Divine Hands, so the families agreed to send Golden Spear and Gongyang Feng after him.
• The Human World Organization cautioned the family heads that Chu Qing might retaliate against their people in the main city.
• The Head of the Gongyang Family and the Head of the Luo Family suspected the organization was trying to manipulate them and withdrew their plans to send their prodigies.
• The two family heads decided they could not safely send their foundations alone and admitted defeat for the time being.

Chu Qing abandoned his plan to attack the noble families in the main city and returned toward Shi State City, killing a funeral procession of Gongyang and Luo Family retainers along the way. In Shi State City, five noble family heads debated backing him despite the powerful enemies he had made, hoping he could help them rise during the coming Millennial Tribulation.

• Chu Qing found the main city gates shut and newly repaired, so he gave up waiting for its experts and headed back to Shi State City.
• On the road, Chu Qing met a funeral procession whose mourners claimed their masters, Gongyang Zhanren and Luo Yong, had been killed; when they pleaded for help, Chu Qing killed them instead.
• After nightfall, illusory white figures rose from the dead retainers and continued their slow funeral procession, repeatedly looking back.
• Five noble family heads met in Shi State City and discussed Chu Qing's attacks on the Gongyang Family, Luo Family, and Martial Academy.
• The Hua Family head urged the others to keep supporting Chu Qing, arguing that he could survive in the main city and help their families gain power during the Millennial Tribulation.

Chu Qing returned safely from the main city, prompting King Shiyu and the lineage heads to abandon plans to confront him and keep their distance. Back at the Shi Residence, Chu Qing reunited with Madam Jin, Madam Shi, and Hua Yu, then exchanged rapid blows with Madam Shi while she sang opera.

• King Shiyu received news that Chu Qing had returned unharmed, and he urged the lineage heads to stay away from him while they waited for their chance to rise during the Millennial Tribulation.
• Chu Qing returned to the Shi Residence, where Madam Jin, Madam Shi, and Hua Yu checked that he was safe.
• Hua Yu scolded Chu Qing for killing people in the main city, but he defended his actions and said he would kill anyone who provoked him.
• Hua Yu left after Madam Shi gave her a hostile look, then turned back and found Madam Shi singing opera as she fought Chu Qing.
• Madam Shi praised Chu Qing's techniques after their fast-paced exchange ended, while Nangong argued that Chu Qing was already stronger than her.

Chu Qing searched Stone Ridge Mountain for Princess Consort and Hong Yi, hoping to trade with them for a top-tier Pelt Realm secret transmission. After following signs of fierce battles between otherworlders, he encountered Hong Yi, whose expression and gaze seemed to belong to someone else.

• Chu Qing reviewed the Pelt Realm secret transmissions offered by Hua Yu, Madam Shi, and Daughter of Stonemason Xu, but found none from the aristocratic families that matched the two-trait transmissions he wanted.
• Chu Qing left Madam Shi and the others and traveled to Stone Ridge Mountain to find Princess Consort and Hong Yi.
• Chu Qing searched deeper into the mountains, observing unusual animals and increasing numbers of Three-legged Golden Toads, but found no sign of the two otherworlders.
• Chu Qing followed traces of battles marked by red and golden blood, eventually finding ashes and golden blood where an otherworlder had likely died.
• As Chu Qing began returning, a vast crimson light swept toward him, and Hong Yi appeared with an expression and gaze that made her seem like a different person.

Chu Qing learned that strange folk were fighting over the Millennial Calamity, which Red Robe said threatened their kind, and he set out to find a two-trait secret inheritance and the Daoist Nun. At the desert inn, he discovered that the Daoist Nun’s companion belonged to the Azure Cloud Sect of Great Zhou, then faced Daoist Golden Toad’s challenge with a single raised finger.

• Red Robe told Chu Qing that no strange folk had a two-trait Pelt Realm secret inheritance and warned him to stay away from Stone Ridge Mountain because strange folk were battling over the Millennial Calamity.
• Chu Qing shared the desert diary’s warning about investigating the calamity, and Red Robe urged him to keep it secret before giving him a token and telling him to seek a secret inheritance in Great Zhou.
• Chu Qing returned to Madam Jin and the others for a day, then traveled to the desert to look for the Daoist Nun.
• The innkeeper told Chu Qing that the Daoist Nun’s companion Xiao Suo belonged to the Azure Cloud Sect, and Daoist Golden Toad explained that the sect was affiliated with Bai Yu Jing in Heaven and based in Great Zhou.
• Chu Qing asked the innkeeper and Daoist Golden Toad to pass the Daoist Nun a message if they encountered her, then Daoist Golden Toad claimed his strength had improved and asked how many of Chu Qing’s moves he could withstand.
• Chu Qing pointed one finger at Daoist Golden Toad’s forehead and declared that one finger was enough to kill him.

After finding Other Redclad’s hidden room, Chu Qing read her diary and learned that she had fought anomalies and feared the Millennial Tribulation. He left her belongings untouched and prepared to seek more secret transmissions at the Martial Academy, giving Madam Shi a token to shelter her household if danger came.

• The Daoist gave up training after comparing himself with Chu Qing and decided to plant trees instead.
• Chu Qing went to Other Redclad’s manor and opened her black-gold secret chamber with her token.
• Chu Qing found Redclad’s diary, which described her anomaly-clearing work, her fear that her other self would awaken, and her conflict with groups seeking to kill Others.
• Chu Qing returned to the Shi Residence without taking anything and gave Madam Shi Redclad’s token as a possible refuge.
• Chu Qing said he would visit the Martial Academy for more secret transmissions, while Madam Shi and Madam Jin teased him about seducing Other Redclad.

Chu Qing discovered that the Martial Academy’s assessment tasks centered on the Empire’s new reforms and decided to take them all for the secret transmissions. He threatened the noble houses with a choice between giving him transmissions and letting him mobilize the city to carry out reforms that would undermine their power.

• Chu Qing accepted the Library Pavilion’s assessment to teach Qingshui Street’s residents about the new legal system and learned that the reforms were being poorly communicated.
• Chu Qing returned to the Martial Academy and inspected the assessment tasks, finding that nearly all concerned reforms inspired by his earlier letter to the Princess.
• Chu Qing realized that the noble-born students would avoid tasks that threatened their houses’ interests, leaving him free to claim hundreds of secret transmissions by completing them.
• Chu Qing told the old scholar to take his ultimatum to the Heads of the House: each house could give him five Skin Marrow Realm secret transmissions, or he would complete every task and claim the Academy’s transmissions.

Chu Qing explained that he wanted hundreds of Pelt Realm secret inheritances to fuse into a new one, while warning aristocratic families he would rally the public or kill opposing Heads of the House. After learning that seventy-two Heads of the House would gather at King Shiyu's Mansion, he decided to meet them, claiming he would avoid violence.

• The old teacher warned Chu Qing that aristocratic families would resist land distribution and free education, but Chu Qing said he wanted secret inheritances to create a new one.
• Chu Qing described two ways to overcome the families' resistance: stir public support for reform or kill the Heads of the House who opposed him.
• The old teacher spread Chu Qing's intentions, prompting aristocratic families to debate whether to support, oppose, or kill him.
• Chu Qing asked five allied Heads of the House to watch King Shiyu's faction and repeated that he wanted secret inheritances, not a place in the Reformists or conservatives.
• The allies learned that seventy-two Heads of the House would attend a night banquet at King Shiyu's Mansion, and Chu Qing decided to go speak with them without resorting to violence.

King Shiyu and the assembled family heads agreed to kill Chu Qing and stall the reforms, believing they could stop the Reformists by eliminating him. The Head of the Cheng Family arrived with a box that revealed a severed head, leaving the banquet hall stunned.

• The family heads gathered at King Shiyu's Mansion and denounced Chu Qing's land and education reforms, with the Head of the Qi Family urging them to pool their hidden reserves and kill him.
• King Shiyu explained that Chu Qing's demand for secret transmissions was an excuse and that he was acting as a weapon for the Reformists and the Princess.
• The family heads agreed to kill Chu Qing and delay the reforms for ten days, expecting the Reformists to back down if they could not implement them.
• King Shiyu noticed that the Heads of the Liu and Cheng Families had not arrived, then welcomed the Head of the Cheng Family when he appeared carrying a tray and a box.
• The Head of the Cheng Family insisted on handing the box to King Shiyu himself, then said he wanted to go home.
• King Shiyu opened the box, and a severed head rolled out, silencing the banquet hall.

The Head of the Liu Family traveled toward King Shiyu's Mansion with Liu Yidao as his guard, but Chu Qing intercepted them and demanded secret manuals. Chu Qing defeated Liu Yidao and beheaded the Liu family head, leaving Liu Yidao fleeing with the corpse as he called on the Cheng family head to save him.

• The Head of the Liu Family summoned Liu Yidao to escort him to King Shiyu's Mansion, despite his growing unease.
• Chu Qing blocked the Liu family's convoy and demanded that the Head of the Liu Family quietly return and provide fur-and-hide secret manuals.
• The Head of the Liu Family ordered his guards and several Third Limit experts to attack Chu Qing, who used the Peacock technique to daze them and snap their necks.
• Liu Yidao attacked Chu Qing with Seven Flashes in the Wind, but Chu Qing's sound-wave attack shattered his afterimages and forced him to flee with the Head of the Liu Family.
• Liu Yidao ran past the Cheng family convoy and called for the Cheng family head to save him, while Chu Qing beheaded the Head of the Liu Family and left Liu Yidao carrying the headless corpse.

After Chu Qing killed the Head of the Liu Family, he forced the Head of the Cheng Family to deliver the head to King Shiyu and demand secret manuals from the aristocratic houses. The killing frightened many leaders into retreat, while King Shiyu secretly ordered his Forbidden Army to eliminate the Head of the Duan Family.

• Chu Qing ordered the Head of the Cheng Family to deliver the Head of the Liu Family to King Shiyu and demand five hundred secret manuals from the aristocratic houses.
• The Head of the Cheng Family carried the box into King Shiyu's Mansion, where the head fell out before the banquet guests.
• The Head of the Cheng Family admitted he feared Chu Qing and said he would give him secret manuals and implement his new laws.
• Many heads of aristocratic houses hurried away, while the remaining leaders urged King Shiyu to organize an attack on Chu Qing.
• The Head of the Duan Family vowed to target Chu Qing's loved ones and Stone Rock County, but King Shiyu disavowed him.
• After the guests left, King Shiyu ordered his Forbidden Army to wipe out the Head of the Duan Family.