Chapter Summaries

Ji Boying defeated Lu Lianrong and defended Liu Zhengfeng against the Songshan Sect’s accusations. Liu Zhengfeng claimed Qu Yang had been ambushed and killed under his design, leaving the Songshan Sect’s representatives shocked and disbelieving.

• Ji Boying caught Lu Lianrong’s Mount Heng sword between two fingers and praised Mo Da and Liu Zhengfeng while rebuking Lu Lianrong.
• Ji Boying twisted Lu Lianrong’s sword, forced him to release it, and tossed the ruined blade to the ground.
• Ding Mian and Lu Bai accused Liu Zhengfeng of colluding with Qu Yang and demanded that he hand Qu Yang over.
• Liu Zhengfeng said Qu Yang had already been ambushed and killed under his design, with no body left to recover.
• The Songshan Sect’s Guardians and the Golden-Eyed Crow reacted with disbelief at Liu Zhengfeng’s claim.

Liu Zhengfeng claimed he had secretly killed Qu Yang and defended his decision to retire from the martial world, while Ji Boying turned the Songshan Sect’s accusations back on them. The gathered martial artists increasingly sided with Liu Zhengfeng, leaving the Songshan Sect publicly humiliated.

• Ji Boying mocked the Songshan Sect for threatening Liu Zhengfeng’s family despite claiming to uphold righteousness, and the onlookers shifted their attention toward them.
• Ding Mian demanded proof of Liu Zhengfeng’s claim that he had devised a plan to kill Qu Yang, so Liu Zhengfeng described befriending Qu Yang through music before killing him.
• Liu Zhengfeng presented Qu Yang’s Black Blood Divine Needles as evidence, while Yue Buqun and Ji Boying challenged the Songshan Sect to provide proof for its own accusations.
• Liu Zhengfeng explained that he was retiring because he felt ashamed of using schemes to kill Qu Yang, and Ji Boying praised his character while condemning the Songshan Sect’s threats against his family.

Liu Zhengfeng and Lord Zhang turned the Songshan Sect’s accusations into a legal crisis, while Ning Zhongze captured Songshan fighters in the rear courtyard. With the Songshan Sect cornered, Tong Baixiong reluctantly prepared to act on Dongfang Bubai’s order.

• Liu Zhengfeng accused the Songshan Sect of holding his family hostage, while trusting Ning Zhongze and the Hengshan nuns to defend them.
• Lord Zhang invoked the court’s authority, condemned the Songshan Sect for threatening Liu Zhengfeng’s family, and called on the crowd to seize the lawbreakers.
• Yue Lingshan and Yiqing led captured Songshan disciples into the courtyard, including Guardian Zhong Zhen, whom Ning Zhongze had defeated.
• Ding Mian and the Songshan Sect members hesitated to fight under Lord Zhang’s watch and with their fighters captured.
• Wang Cheng urged Tong Baixiong to act under Dongfang Bubai’s order, and Tong Baixiong reluctantly commanded the cult members to prepare.

Tong Baixiong ordered the Sun Moon Divine Cult to attack Liu Zhengfeng’s gathering and used the assault to implicate the Songshan Sect. Zuo Lengchan realized he had been forced into a decisive battle and ordered his men to attack.

• Tong Baixiong devised a plan to draw the Songshan Sect into the fighting and blame it for the resulting deaths.
• At Liu Zhengfeng’s command, dozens of Sun Moon Divine Cult experts entered the courtyard and attacked the gathered martial artists with hidden weapons.
• Tong Baixiong accused Liu Zhengfeng of killing Qu Yang and claimed the Songshan Sect had allied with the Divine Cult, throwing the crowd into confusion.
• Ding Mian and Lu Bai denied Tong Baixiong’s accusation, while Zuo Lengchan recognized that Tong was forcing the Songshan Sect into the battle.
• Zuo Lengchan weighed the danger to his sect and ambitions, then ordered the Songshan Sect to attack.

Zuo Lengchan's men trapped the martial artists at Liu Zhengfeng's gathering and began slaughtering them, while Ji Boying stirred the crowd to fight back. Tong Baixiong tried to recruit Ji Boying, prompting Yue Buqun to attack and overpower him briefly before three black-clad men challenged Yue Buqun's claim to Mount Hua's orthodox tradition.

• Zuo Lengchan's black-clad men and their allies sealed the courtyard and attacked the gathered martial artists, killing those caught unprepared.
• Ji Boying convinced the trapped martial artists that Songshan and the Demon Cult meant to silence them, and they joined the fight instead of trying to flee.
• Tong Baixiong praised Ji Boying's schemes and offered him a path to power in the Divine Cult, but Yue Buqun stepped in to protect him.
• Yue Buqun fought Tong Baixiong, knocked back his saber, and chipped its edge before retreating to his allies.
• Three black-clad men accused Yue Buqun of entering the demonic path and challenged his authority as Mount Hua Sect Leader.

The Sword Faction challenged Yue Buqun for the Mount Hua Sect Leader position while Yu Jizi’s group moved against Daoist Master Tianmen. Linghu Chong prepared to defend his master, but Yue Buqun sent him back and faced the Sword Faction himself as Feng Buping unleashed his Gale Fast Sword.

• Yue Buqun recognized Cheng Buyou and the other Sword Faction seniors, who demanded that the victor of a fight to the death become Mount Hua Sect Leader.
• Yu Jizi and his followers demanded that Daoist Master Tianmen hand over the Mount Tai Sect Leader’s iron sword, accusing him of endangering the sect and siding with Liu Zhengfeng.
• Tong Baixiong rebuked Wang Cheng and insisted on carrying out Dongfang Bubai’s orders properly rather than attacking amid the sects’ internal conflict.
• Linghu Chong stepped forward to protect Yue Buqun, but Yue told him to let the Qi Faction handle the Sword Faction, leaving Linghu Chong ashamed and moved.
• Yue Buqun challenged Feng Buping and the other two to attack together, and Feng Buping opened with his one hundred and eight forms of Gale Fast Sword.

Yue Buqun calmly held off Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou, and Cong Buqi, while Ji Boying recognized that their defeat was inevitable. When Daoist Master Tianmen was ambushed by two black-clad fighters and nearly killed, Ji Boying saved him with a Bone-Penetrating Nail, and the Mount Tai disciples prepared to join the fight.

• Yue Buqun used Nourishing Self Swordplay and Purple Mist True Qi to withstand the three Sword Faction men's attacks without being forced back.
• Ji Boying recognized that the three attackers could no longer defeat Yue Buqun, while Linghu Chong wondered why Yue Buqun did not finish them.
• Two black-clad men challenged Daoist Master Tianmen, whose unfamiliar opponents quickly drove him into danger.
• Ji Boying shot a Bone-Penetrating Nail through one attacker's palm, shattering bones and crippling his hand as he tried to strike Daoist Master Tianmen.
• Daoist Master Tiansong thanked Ji Boying, and he and Tianbai stood with Daoist Master Tianmen as Ji Boying offered to help.

Tianmen’s allies joined the fight against the Songshan Sect and the unorthodox fighters while Yue Buqun faced Feng Buping and the other Sword Faction successors. Yue Buqun defeated all three, leaving Tong Baixiong anxious as his expected reinforcements had yet to arrive.

• Abbess Dingyi and Liu Zhengfeng stepped in to help Tianmen, while Tianmen assigned Tiansong and Tianbai to face Yu Jizi and the other two martial uncles.
• Tianmen ordered the Mount Tai Disciples to drive back the Songshan Sect and unorthodox fighters, and Mount Heng disciples joined the defense of Liu Zhengfeng’s family.
• Tong Baixiong watched Ji Boying warily and signaled for help as the Demon Cult experts remained on the sidelines.
• Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou, and Cong Buqi launched one last assault on Yue Buqun, but he broke or knocked away their swords and defeated them.
• Ji Boying smiled at Tong Baixiong as Yue Buqun became free to act, and Tong Baixiong wondered where his reinforcements were.

Yue Buqun defeated Feng Buping and the other Mount Hua Sword Faction fighters, while Yu Jizi’s group faced mounting danger during the battle. Ji Boying intervened against Mu Gaofeng, then moved with such speed that blood appeared on his sword as the fight continued.

• Yue Buqun broke Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou, and Cong Buqi’s swords, and the three killed themselves rather than live with their defeat.
• Yu Jizi and his allies struggled against Daoist Master Tianmen’s group, prompting Yu Qingzi to call on Zuo Lengchan for help.
• A hunchbacked fighter attacked the Mount Tai faction, and Daoist Tianbai was forced back after their palms collided.
• Ji Boying struck Mu Gaofeng with Bone-Penetrating Nails, exposing his face and mocking his disguise.
• Ji Boying suddenly flashed past Tong Baixiong and reappeared with his drawn sword bloodied.

Ji Boying killed White Board Fiend and Qinghai One-Eyed Wolf, while Old Tiansong executed Yu Jizi and the other two Mount Tai elders. Tong Baixiong then led the Divine Sect fighters in an attack on Ji Boying and Yue Buqun, as Ji Boying suspected the conflict was tied to Tian Chengzi.

• Ji Boying intercepted White Board Fiend as he tried to escape and killed him with a Bone-Penetrating Nail.
• Qinghai One-Eyed Wolf fled after White Board Fiend died, but Liu Zhengfeng killed him with Mount Heng Swordplay.
• Old Tiansong beheaded Yu Jizi and the other two Mount Tai elders after they begged Daoist Master Tianmen for mercy.
• Wang Cheng invoked the Black Wood Token and pressed Tong Baixiong to attack, while the Divine Sect fighters waited without reinforcements.
• Tong Baixiong led the Divine Sect fighters toward Ji Boying and Yue Buqun, and Ji Boying suspected the dispute involved Tian Chengzi.

Ji Boying overwhelmed Tong Baixiong and the Demon Cult fighters who tried to stop him, while Yue Buqun and Linghu Chong kept other opponents occupied. The battle continued with Tong Baixiong wounded and the Demon Cult elders still unwilling to face Ji Boying directly.

• Tong Baixiong, Jia Bu, and Shangguan Yun attacked Ji Boying, but his movement and swordsmanship kept them from landing a blow.
• Ji Boying disarmed Tong Baixiong, cut Shangguan Yun's sword in half, and struck Tong Baixiong with a palm that injured his organs.
• Shangguan Yun retrieved two swords and tried to save Tong Baixiong, but Ji Boying knocked away the elders' hidden weapons and kicked Tong Baixiong aside.
• Sang Sanniang tried to catch Tong Baixiong, but the force injured her arms and sent both of them crashing to the floor.
• Tong Baixiong used Sang Sanniang as a shield, and Ji Boying cut her in two with his sword.
• Yue Buqun held back Wang Cheng and Qin Weibang while Linghu Chong kept the nearby Demon Cult Hall Masters and Banner Masters occupied.

Linghu Chong held off four first-rate Demon Cult experts with the Nine Swords of Dugu, but their willingness to trade wounds for his left him in grave danger. Just as Monk Bujie prepared to intervene, Iron Bodhi Seeds killed all four attackers, though their unseen wielder remained unidentified.

• Liu Zhengfeng, Tianmen, Dingyi, and the other freed fighters joined the battle while the Mount Tai and Mount Hua disciples helped drive back the Songshan Sect and Demon Cult forces.
• Monk Bujie watched the courtyards as Ning Zhongze and the female disciples guarded the rear, where they faced only a small group of hidden enemies.
• Linghu Chong used the Nine Swords of Dugu to hold four Demon Cult experts at bay, exploiting their flaws while leaving himself open to attack.
• White Bear of the Twin Heroes of Mobei let Linghu Chong pierce his shoulder, then fought on alongside the savage monk and the other two experts.
• The four Demon Cult experts rushed Linghu Chong, intending to trade injuries and overwhelm him, but Iron Bodhi Seeds struck them in the backs of their heads and killed them instantly.

Ji Boying overwhelmed the Demon Cult experts with his sword and hidden weapons while Yue Buqun and Linghu Chong survived the battle. As the Demon Cult elders waited desperately for reinforcements, a new expert attacked Yue Buqun from behind with a chilling palm strike.

• Ji Boying killed several Demon Cult experts, took Jia Bu's head, severed Tong Baixiong's right arm, and saved Linghu Chong from four attackers.
• Tong Baixiong demanded to know where the reinforcements were, and Jia Bu admitted that their signal had received no response.
• Ji Boying used Qingcheng Sect hidden weapon techniques and overwhelming force to injure and kill Demon Cult fighters, leaving the elders unable to face him or flee.
• A newly arrived expert launched a cold, powerful palm strike at Yue Buqun's back.

Yue Buqun survived Zuo Lengchan’s ambush and a coordinated assault by thirteen Songshan fighters, while Ji Boying turned the battle in the Mount Hua Sect’s favor. With Zuo Lengchan’s scheme collapsing, he claimed reinforcements were still on the way.

• Yue Buqun severed Wang Cheng’s right hand and forced Zuo Lengchan back after exchanging three palm strikes.
• Thirteen black-clad fighters surrounded Yue Buqun, who wounded several attackers but was struck by three swords.
• Ji Boying stepped in to protect Yue Buqun, defeated the thirteen attackers, crippled Zhang Jingchao and Sima De, and declared that the Songshan Sect had lost.
• Liu Zhengfeng and the others gathered behind Ji Boying as the battlefield’s remaining fighters withdrew and Zuo Lengchan’s forces suffered heavy losses.
• Yue Buqun concealed the full strength of his Purple Mist Divine Skill while Zuo Lengchan accused him of relying on a failed scheme.
• Zuo Lengchan glared at Ji Boying and claimed he still had disciples and five hundred reinforcements coming.

Liu Zhengfeng claimed that Zuo Lengchan and the Demon Cult had plotted rebellion and that imperial troops had destroyed their waiting forces. The chapter revealed that Ji Boying had secretly arranged for Mo Da, Qu Yang, and Fang Qianju to secure the troops by appealing to officials’ ambition and accepting bribes.

• Tong Baixiong stopped the bleeding from his shoulder, while Ji Boying denied knowing what had happened to the Songshan Sect and Demon Cult forces.
• Liu Zhengfeng blamed Zuo Lengchan for attacking his family and claimed his official appointment made the attack an act of rebellion against the imperial court.
• The gathered jianghu fighters feared and cursed Zuo Lengchan and the Demon Cult after hearing that thousands of their troops had supposedly been wiped out.
• The narration revealed that Ji Boying had sent Qu Yang, Mo Da, and Fang Qianju overnight to request troops from nearby officials and garrisons.
• Officials dispatched soldiers after hearing they could earn merit by suppressing rebels and receiving Liu Zhengfeng’s wealth as bribes.
• The imperial army intercepted and destroyed the ambushing Demon Cult members and Zuo Lengchan’s reserves, while Mo Da and Qu Yang guarded the officials and generals.

Ji Boying killed Zuo Lengchan and then slaughtered the Songshan Sect's Thirteen Taibao and the Demon Cult masters who attacked him. With the courtyard awed by his overwhelming power, Lord Zhang also recognized how extraordinary the young master of the Ji Family had become.

• Zuo Lengchan tried to rally his allies to kill Ji Boying, but Ji Boying struck him down with a single unseen sword attack.
• As Zuo Lengchan died, he insisted Yue Buqun had not defeated him, and Yue Buqun taunted him over his inferior ability to teach disciples.
• The remaining Songshan Taibao and Demon Cult masters charged Ji Boying, who killed them all in a blur of swordplay and purple qi.
• The assembled martial artists praised Ji Boying's strength and flocked to Yue Buqun, while Lord Zhang marveled at the young master's martial prowess.

After the battle at Liu Zhengfeng’s ceremony, the Mount Hua Sect’s reputation soared, and Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze accepted several new disciples, including Qu Feiyan. Once the sect returned to Mount Hua, Ji Boying took his sword and went alone to the Cliff of Contemplation.

• Word of the battle spread, establishing Mount Hua as a powerful sect and Ji Boying as a leading expert of the righteous path.
• On the journey home, Yue Buqun recruited six junior disciples for Ji Boying, while Ning Zhongze took in two orphaned girls and Qu Feiyan.
• Yue Buqun agreed to accept Qu Feiyan after Ji Boying asked him, prompting Ning Zhongze to roll her eyes at him.
• The Fuwei Escort Agency expanded across several regions with support from Mount Hua, Liu Zhengfeng, and local officials.
• After returning to Mount Hua, Ji Boying took up a longsword, bid farewell to his fellow disciples and elders, and headed to the Cliff of Contemplation.

Ji Boying studied the lost sword arts in the hidden cave at Cliff of Contemplation and reduced them to fundamental sword movements through days of practice. He fully absorbed the Five Great Mountains Swordplay, carved his name beside Feng Qingyang’s, and prepared to begin his next task.

• Ji Boying found the hidden cave at Cliff of Contemplation and memorized the lost sword arts of the Five Great Mountains Sword Sects.
• Ji Boying spent three days contemplating the sword arts, then practiced them until their complex forms became clumsy, basic movements.
• Ji Boying practiced the simplified swordplay for several days, gradually regaining smooth movement and refining his Mount Hua Swordplay.
• Ji Boying declared that the Five Great Mountains Swordplay had become his nourishment and carved “Ji Boying” beside Feng Qingyang’s name.
• Ji Boying performed the Five Great Mountains Swordplay again, displaying its varied qualities as the sword arts grew more concise.

Ji Boying refined the Five Great Mountains Swordplay into the Heavenly Merit Five Directions Sword and perfected his inner force cultivation. He returned to Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze with a manual of three hundred sword moves, while the lost sword arts remained in the cave on Cliff of Contemplation.

• Ji Boying streamlined the Five Great Mountains Swordplay into three hundred moves, then developed seventy-two forms and named the resulting art the Heavenly Merit Five Directions Sword.
• Ji Boying's insight caused his Purple Mist True Qi to circulate through all Twelve Main Meridians, bringing the Azure Capital Purple Star Divine Skill to perfection.
• Ji Boying left the cave and descended the mountain to Sky Lute Gorge, where Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze noticed his improved cultivation.
• Ji Boying told Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze about the cave and its lost Five Great Mountains sword arts, prompting them to hurry toward Cliff of Contemplation.
• Ji Boying stopped Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze and gave Yue Buqun the manual containing the three hundred sword moves.

Ji Boying gave Mount Hua Sect the General Outline of Five Peaks Swordplay and the Heavenly Merit Five Directions Sword, while Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze studied their potential. After three months of training the sect's disciples and leaders, Ji Boying left Mount Hua with his martial arts gifts in place.

• Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze examined the three hundred moves in the General Outline of Five Peaks Swordplay, and Yue Buqun insisted that its secrets be guarded.
• Ji Boying explained that Mount Hua could pass down its own sword moves freely, then presented the seventy-two-form Heavenly Merit Five Directions Sword he had created.
• Ji Boying described how the Five Directions Sword could be divided into six arts and entrusted to the sect leader and trusted confidants.
• Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze recognized that Ji Boying's manuals and training methods could greatly strengthen Mount Hua Sect.
• Ji Boying spent three months training Linghu Chong, Liang Fa, Shi Daizi, Lu Dayou, Yue Lingshan, and others, while also guiding Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze.