Chapter Summaries

Lu Leng forced Silong into submission and used him to gain access to Lou Gao at the Blacksmith Association. He tried to recruit Lou Gao to forge a gun from his description, leaving Lou Gao intrigued but skeptical about the weapon and Lu Leng’s ability to explain it.

• Lu Leng imprinted Silong with Evil Thought Power, then revealed that the supposed hostage was not Silong’s child and ordered him to take Lu Leng to Lou Gao.
• The next day, Lu Leng and Su Zhiyan entered the Blacksmith Association with Silong while Miles and the others waited outside.
• Lou Gao initially tried to send the visitors away, but became interested when Lu Leng showed him a description of a gun and asked him to forge it.
• Lu Leng identified the disassembled Zhuge Godly Crossbow on Lou Gao’s table and claimed his gun was even more powerful.
• Lu Leng explained that he could describe the gun’s principles but could not build it himself, and asked Lou Gao to partner with him.

Lu Leng taught Lou Gao the principles of firearms, and Lou Gao forged a crude pistol prototype in two days. Back at the Spirit Main Hall, Lu Leng learned that Su Zhiyan had spared Old Bao and ordered her to kill him immediately, then disappeared into the darkness in anger.

• Lou Gao excitedly agreed to attempt making a gun after Lu Leng praised his skills, and Lu Leng explained firearms to him through the night.
• Lu Leng sent Su Zhiyan away from the Blacksmith Association, and she ordered Miles to kill everyone who had seen Lu Leng's face at the Gengxin Grand Hotel except Old Bao.
• After two days of instruction, Lou Gao forged a crude pistol prototype, while Lu Leng explained how its ammunition would need to be made.
• Lu Leng returned to the Spirit Main Hall and learned that Su Zhiyan had spared Old Bao because of his connection to Lou Gao.
• Lu Leng angrily ordered Su Zhiyan to kill Old Bao, struck her down with Soul Power, and merged into the darkness.

Su Zhiyan led the Spirit Main Hall’s people to assassinate Old Bao, while Lu Leng concealed his role in the killing from Lou Gao. Lu Leng then supported Lou Gao’s pistol research and proposed mass production, leaving Lou Gao stunned by the weapon’s potential.

• Su Zhiyan ordered Miles to gather their men and execute Old Bao, and Miles gave her a Flame Amplification Potion to win her favor.
• Su Zhiyan led the black-clad group to the Gengxin City Grand Hotel, where they killed Old Bao that night.
• The next day, Lu Leng visited Lou Gao and pretended to be surprised when Lou Gao told him Old Bao had been assassinated.
• Lu Leng offered to investigate Old Bao’s murder, and Lou Gao showed him an improved pistol prototype and the progress on its bullets.
• Lu Leng gave Lou Gao Gold Soul Coins for research and said he would pay a deposit for mass production, surprising Lou Gao.

Lou Gao wrestled with whether to build Lu Leng’s weapon, while Lu Leng decided to seize control of him. Lu Leng then manipulated Lou Gao into believing Spirit Hall had killed Old Bao and was preparing an attack, setting the stage for an ambush.

• Lou Gao hesitated to create the weapon because he feared the disaster it could cause, and Lu Leng argued that people, not inventions, determined the harm.
• Lu Leng returned to the Spirit Main Hall and ordered Miles and Su Zhiyan to prepare an ambush for Lou Gao in the western outskirts.
• Lu Leng planned to use Evil Thought Power to control Lou Gao, citing Lou Gao’s hostility toward Spirit Hall and his doubts about making the weapon.
• Two days later, Lu Leng told Lou Gao that clues implicated Spirit Hall in Old Bao’s murder, including information he had arranged to reach Silong.
• Lu Leng claimed Spirit Hall had gathered two people in the western outskirts, including a Soul Sage, and proposed striking them first.
• Lou Gao believed Spirit Hall was preparing to attack the Blacksmith Association and cautiously asked about the gathered group’s strength.

Lu Leng tried to spur Lou Gao into attacking Spirit Hall by feeding him information, but Lou Gao delayed the operation despite Silong’s efforts to reinforce the story. Lu Leng then ordered his hidden forces to withdraw and make a diversion, while Lou Gao remained wary and began advising Silong about handling people and affairs.

• Lu Leng persuaded Lou Gao that Spirit Hall was vulnerable to a surprise attack, and Lou Gao agreed to prepare an assault for that night.
• Lu Leng learned from Silong that Lou Gao had not gathered his forces, then gave Silong a fabricated identity document to show Lou Gao the next day.
• Lu Leng ordered Miles to withdraw the men from the western outskirts and create a distraction elsewhere.
• Silong presented Lou Gao with the forged account of Lu Leng’s Demacia noble background and claimed Spirit Hall forces were gathering nearby.
• Lou Gao burned the document, accepted that Spirit Hall might be preparing an attack, but refused to strike immediately and told Silong he still had much to learn about handling people and affairs.

Lou Gao explained to Silong that Spirit Hall might be luring the Blacksmith Association into a trap and arranged for reinforcements to counter them. After Sihu was murdered, Lou Gao suspected Spirit Hall, while Lu Leng arrived at the laboratory the next day and quietly observed him.

• Lou Gao told Silong that Spirit Hall’s small deployment suggested a hidden Soul Douluo and that the western outskirts might be a trap.
• Lou Gao said he had invited two Soul Douluo to help ambush Spirit Hall and ordered Silong to discreetly gather manpower and monitor the western outskirts.
• Another disciple reported that Sihu had been killed in a single strike, and Lou Gao ordered an investigation, starting with Spirit Hall.
• Lu Leng visited the laboratory the next day and watched Lou Gao while smoking a cigarette he did not actually smoke.
• Lou Gao noticed the cigarette’s scent and found that it seemed unpleasant at first but refreshing when he smelled it more closely.

Lu Leng questioned Lou Gao about delaying their plan, then discussed weapons production and the M4A1 rifle with him. After ordering preparations for a possible battle in Gengxin City, Lu Leng learned that Lou Gao had hired outside reinforcements, including three people of particular concern.

• Lu Leng shared a cigarette with Lou Gao and asked why he had not acted the previous night; Lou Gao said he had withdrawn his people and asked Lu Leng to wait three days.
• Lou Gao told Lu Leng that pistol production had begun and that propellant and bullets still needed more development, so Lu Leng offered another deposit and explained the M4A1 rifle's design.
• After returning to Spirit Main Hall, Lu Leng ordered Miles to move and expose a new western-suburbs point while monitoring newcomers connected to the Blacksmith Association.
• Lu Leng warned Su Zhiyan to prepare for a hard battle and ordered her to protect Lou Gao from harm.
• On the second day, Miles reported that Lou Gao had hired mostly Soul Kings and some Soul Emperors, including three especially noteworthy reinforcements.

Lu Leng learned that Lou Gao and the Blacksmith Association planned to ambush Spirit Hall, while Lou Gao developed his first bullet and received Lu Leng’s apparent cooperation. At General's Slope, the Blacksmith Association surrounded Spirit Hall’s gathered leaders, unaware that Lu Leng’s agent had helped guide their plan.

• Su Zhiyan asked Lu Leng about Zhang Jiuri, Song Jie, and Ning Wei, the three powerful figures helping Lou Gao, and Lu Leng ordered the final battle to proceed the following night.
• Lou Gao showed Lu Leng the first bullet he had developed, and Lu Leng took it as a keepsake before telling him Spirit Hall would gather at General's Slope.
• After Silong reported Spirit Hall’s location, Lou Gao decided to proceed with the ambush, and Lu Leng secretly ordered Miles and Su Zhiyan to follow their plan.
• Lou Gao led the Blacksmith Association group to General's Slope, where Lu Leng’s disguised agent reported that Spirit Hall’s people had not noticed the encirclement.
• Lou Gao announced that they would wipe out Spirit Hall’s group, and Zhang Jiuri questioned why Lou Gao had not told him they were going to attack Spirit Hall.

Lou Gao led a hidden force preparing to attack Spirit Hall’s people in Gengxin City, while Zhang Jiuri learned he had been kept in the dark and Song Jie eagerly claimed the Soul Douluo as his target. The ambush was in position, and Lou Gao launched the attack with a shouted order and a pistol shot.

• Zhang Jiuri learned that Lou Gao, Song Jie, and Ning Wei had known about the plan to oppose Spirit Hall, while Ning Wei clarified he acted in a personal capacity.
• Song Jie revealed his eagerness to kill a Soul Douluo from Spirit Hall and asked Ning Wei to boost him, while Lou Gao assigned Zhang Jiuri to fight a female Soul Sage.
• Lou Gao told the group to leave no survivors and ordered them to wait for his signal as Silong reported that the ambushers were ready.
• Lou Gao shouted for his forces to attack and fired a pitch-black pistol into the air.

The Blacksmith Association launched a surprise attack on Spirit Hall, and Lou Gao, Zhang Jiuri, and Song Jie confronted the revealed Soul Sages and the mysterious black-clothed man. The battle spread across the camp, leaving Miles and Lou Gao locked in combat while Song Jie’s blade reached the motionless black-clothed man.

• A gunshot signaled the Blacksmith Association to attack Spirit Hall, and Lou Gao opened the assault with his Sacred Casting Pen’s golden net.
• Miles shattered Lou Gao’s net with his Tearing Claw, then exchanged threats with Lou Gao as the Blacksmith Association advanced on the room.
• A Spirit Hall member blasted the first attacker through the doorway, and Zhang Jiuri pursued Su Zhiyan after she drew him away from the room.
• Lou Gao identified the black-clothed man as a likely Soul Douluo, while Ning Wei buffed Song Jie and Silong guarded Ning Wei.
• Miles attacked Lou Gao with Pierce, and Lou Gao hurled a conjured golden spear at him; meanwhile, Song Jie sent his circular blade toward the apparently unmoving black-clothed man.

Song Jie and Ning Wei fought Lu Leng, whose control over time and overwhelming power drove them onto the defensive. As Lu Leng attacked Song Jie’s protective sphere, Silong shot Ning Wei, leaving Lou Gao to recognize the weapon as the gun he had researched.

• Song Jie used his Soul Skills and Ning Wei’s boosts to attack Lu Leng, but Lu Leng deflected the blades and closed in with his strange time-controlling technique.
• Song Jie realized Lu Leng controlled the Time Element, while Lu Leng’s rapid movement continued to force Song Jie backward.
• Lu Leng revealed a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and struck Song Jie’s defensive sphere with Evil God Slash.
• As Song Jie’s sphere resisted the attack, Silong shot Ning Wei in the head with a gun.
• Song Jie confronted Silong, and Lou Gao recognized the gun as the weapon Lu Leng had asked him to research.

Spirit Hall’s trap overwhelmed Lou Gao’s forces, and Lu Leng killed Song Jie before ordering the Blacksmith Association disciples wiped out. With Lou Gao captured, Lu Leng threatened his remaining disciples to force him to swear loyalty, leaving Lou Gao under pressure to choose.

• Silong revealed that he had followed his master’s orders, while Su Zhiyan returned with Zhang Jiuri’s severed head and identified herself as a Level Eighty-Eight Soul Douluo serving Spirit Hall’s Holy Son.
• Lou Gao ordered the Blacksmith Association disciples to fight their way out, but more than a hundred Spirit Hall members surrounded them as Lu Leng revealed his identity.
• Lu Leng broke Song Jie’s defense, pursued him with his Thunderclap Wings, and killed him after displaying his six soul rings, including three hundred-thousand-year rings.
• Lu Leng ordered Spirit Hall to leave no one alive, and Su Zhiyan led the slaughter that killed every Blacksmith Association disciple except Lou Gao and Silong.
• Lu Leng captured Lou Gao and brought forward his disciples Sidi, Siyu, and Sikai, then threatened to cripple them unless Lou Gao swore loyalty.
• After Lu Leng cut off fingers from two disciples to prove his threat, Lou Gao faltered as Lu Leng demanded an answer.

Lu Leng subdued Lou Gao and gradually took control of the Blacksmith Association, establishing a rudimentary handgun production line before leaving Gengxin City with Hu Liena. In Longxing City, he began a plan to capture the Defense Clan and successfully planted Evil Thought Power in Niu Ben.

• Lu Leng forced Lou Gao to submit, and Miles killed Lou Gao's three disciples to prevent them from exposing what had happened.
• Lou Gao recruited blacksmiths and searched for rare metal to conceal the previous night's deaths while Lu Leng infiltrated the Blacksmith Association with Spirit Hall personnel.
• After Lu Leng and Lou Gao built a rudimentary handgun production line, Lu Leng left Gengxin City with weapons and met Hu Liena, who joined him on his journey.
• Lu Leng and Hu Liena traveled to Longxing City, where Lu Leng took over the local Spirit Hall branch and observed the Defense Clan.
• Lu Leng forcibly planted an Evil Thought Power imprint in Niu Ben, Niu Gao's son, advancing his plan against the Defense Clan.

Lu Leng surrounded the Defense Clan and pressured Niu Gao to submit, while Spirit Hall’s preparations left the clan isolated and its members vulnerable. Niu Gao chose to challenge Lu Leng to a three-move contest, and Lu Leng claimed the first attack.

• Lu Leng led Spirit Hall forces to surround the Defense Clan and demanded that Niu Gao submit or face death.
• Niu Gao rejected Lu Leng’s offer, but reports revealed that Spirit Hall had taken Nannan, captured clan members, sealed off the surrounding cities, and gained traitors inside the clan.
• Lu Leng promised not to target the clan’s families, then warned that their safety would be uncertain if he died; Niu Ben reminded Niu Gao that his two-year-old daughter Nannan was missing.
• Niu Gao asked whether Lu Leng was acting for Spirit Hall or himself, and Lu Leng said he was acting in his own name.
• Niu Gao proposed a contest in which they would each endure three attacks from the other, and Lu Leng agreed to attack first.

Lu Leng prepared to defeat Niu Gao in one strike to force the Defense Clan into submission. After Niu Gao fortified himself with his Martial Soul and defensive soul skills, Lu Leng unleashed Drawing Sword Slash and vanished into a lightning-fast charge, leaving their clash about to land.

• Lu Leng revealed Divine Slaughter's Domain and used his Thunder Dragon right arm soul bone's Dragon Transformation, while Niu Gao summoned the Plated Armored Giant Rhinoceros.
• Lu Leng spread his Thunderclap Wings, took to the air, and gathered lightning for his attack, shocking Niu Gao with his additional soul bone and abilities.
• Niu Gao activated his Martial Soul Avatar and several defensive soul skills to strengthen his protection.
• Lu Leng revealed his soul rings, including three Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, and used Drawing Sword Slash with Swallow Return Flash to charge at Niu Gao.
• Niu Gao sensed Lu Leng's incoming attack and braced himself as his giant rhinoceros's horn pointed toward Lu Leng.

Lu Leng conquered the Defense Clan and began a scheme to bring the Speed Clan under his control by showering its members with money and indulgences. As Bai He grew suspicious of the sudden prosperity, he called the clan elders together to discuss it.

• Lu Leng defeated Niu Gao, then made him submit to a spiritual mark and took control of the Defense Clan.
• Lu Leng traveled with Niu Gao and Su Zhiyan to the Speed Clan, where he decided to win over its members rather than attack Bai He directly.
• Lu Leng ordered his followers to lavish money and pleasures on the Speed Clan, while preparing to replace Bai He if the plan failed.
• Spirit Hall agents used windfalls, lotteries, and other temptations to make the Speed Clan prosper, and the clan renovated its homes and enjoyed its new wealth.
• Bai He suspected a conspiracy behind the Speed Clan's sudden gains and summoned the elders, who debated whether the prosperity was a blessing or a danger.

Lu Leng’s scheme to take control of the Speed Clan succeeded, leaving Bai He to face a sudden wave of accusations, losses, and pressure. With the clan surrounded and Lu Leng still hidden, Bai He finally went out to confront the crowd.

• The First Elder warned Bai He that the sudden prosperity might be a conspiracy, but Sixth Elder and the Third Elder persuaded the elders to seize the opportunity while investigating.
• Over the next half month, Lu Leng’s agents controlled or bribed most of the Speed Clan, and the First Elder’s investigation found no useful clues.
• Su Zhiyan reported that 123 of the clan’s 187 members had fallen into Lu Leng’s trap, and Lu Leng ordered his agents to extort or kill their targets.
• A wave of claims and disasters struck the Speed Clan, including legal trouble, business losses, and Elder Bai Ci’s death, prompting Bai He to realize the clan was being targeted.
• Lu Leng’s forces and gathered crowds surrounded the clan estate, smashed its gates, and blocked the clan’s attempts to wait out the pressure.
• Bai He left the main hall to face the crowd after the First Elder confirmed that the hidden enemy had still not appeared.

Bai He struggled to contain the public outcry over the Speed Clan’s debts and misconduct until Niu Gao arrived and settled the crowd’s demands. With the clan’s wealth gone and its grand residence reduced to a shabby home, Bai He hosted Niu Gao for a meager meal that Sixth Elder openly insulted.

• Bai He tried to intimidate the angry crowd, but Lu Leng’s plants stoked their demands for compensation, repayment, and cooperation with the City Lord’s investigation.
• The City Lord’s Mansion steward arranged an asset settlement, which found that the Speed Clan owed 574,362 Gold Soul Coins more than its assets could cover.
• Sixth Elder threatened the crowd, escalating tensions until Niu Gao arrived and had Niu Ben negotiate compensation and treatment, dispersing the people.
• Bai He invited Niu Gao to the clan’s shabby residence for a sparse meal and worried that Niu Gao might also have fallen into a trap.
• Sixth Elder tasted the food, called it like eating grass, and angrily threw down his chopsticks.

Lu Leng used Niu Gao’s conspicuous wealth, pressure, and promises to turn the Speed Clan against Bai He and bring most of its members over to Spirit Hall. The chapter ended with Lu Leng confronting Bai He and offering to spare him if he submitted, while First Elder and several elders sided with Lu Leng.

• Nannan’s demand for expensive food embarrassed Bai He, while Niu Gao bought the clan’s favorite dishes and openly treated Nannan to them.
• A messenger reported that Bai Lang had borrowed ten thousand Gold Soul Coins from Spirit Hall and signed an indenture contract, and Niu Gao gave First Elder a deposit slip to cover the debt.
• Bai He ordered the clan members to gather, while Niu Gao reported to Lu Leng, who instructed him to speed up the plan by any means necessary.
• Niu Gao and Su Zhiyan used luxury, jealousy, threats, and promises to draw Speed Clan members toward Spirit Hall until Bai He realized too late that he was losing control.
• Lu Leng entered the Speed Clan estate with most of its members and Spirit Hall’s people, offered to spare Bai He if he submitted, and watched First Elder and several elders step behind him.

Lu Leng confronted Bai He after the Speed Clan submitted to Spirit Hall, then struck him with Spirit Destruction Arrow when Yang Wudi arrived to intervene. Yang Wudi fought Lu Leng as Breaking Clan fighters surrounded the manor, and their battle left Yang Wudi wounded but still resisting.

• Bai He rejected Lu Leng’s offer, and Niu Gao tried to persuade him to submit to Spirit Hall instead of taking his own life.
• Yang Wudi arrived as Bai He began to cut his throat, but Lu Leng struck Bai He with Spirit Destruction Arrow and knocked him unconscious.
• Yang Wudi attacked Lu Leng with his Soul-Breaking Spear, while more than twenty Breaking Clan fighters arrived and surrounded the manor.
• Lu Leng and Yang Wudi exchanged attacks; Lu Leng used an illusion and a black-glowing strike to drive Yang Wudi back.
• Yang Wudi tried to counter Lu Leng’s swift attack with a reverse thrust, but Lu Leng dodged it and cut a large wound into Yang Wudi’s arm.