Chapter Summaries

Jiang Dali expanded his plans for Zhang Wuji and an overseas Formless Sect while traveling to Yingtian Prefecture City for the battle between Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng. He entered the inner city under Ming State soldiers’ escort and issued a search mission to the gathered players.

• Jiang Dali monitored the elite squad sailing toward Ice Fire Island and added rewards for helping Zhang Wuji, founding the Formless Sect, and claiming the Dragon-Slaying Saber.
• Scheming Rich Woman and the other players celebrated the chance to establish an overseas branch, while the Xuanming Elders worried about striking Zhang Wuji without killing him.
• After three days of rain, Jiang Dali rode into Yingtian Prefecture City with Lu Xiaofeng, Kou Zhong, and his followers, escorted through the crowds by Ming State soldiers.
• Jiang Dali speculated that Zhu Wushi might confront him over Gu Santong’s death, then issued a search mission to the players gathered in the city.

Jiang Dali and Lu Xiaofeng settled into Yunlai Inn, where Golden Wheel Dharma King Chida demanded Jiang’s room and attacked after Jiang refused. Jiang disarmed Chida and prepared to strike again, but a stern middle-aged voice interrupted as his blow began.

• Players across Yingtian Prefecture received a mission to find Cheng Shifei, the Black Wind Stronghold Master's missing younger brother.
• Jiang Dali and his companions were escorted to Yunlai Inn, where Jiang took Heaven Room Three and Lu Xiaofeng took an Earth room.
• Almon, acting on Chida’s orders, demanded Jiang’s room and attacked him, but Jiang shattered Almon’s arm and sent him crashing through the railings.
• Chida caught Almon with two golden wheels and attacked Jiang with three more, but Jiang seized two wheels and knocked the third away.
• Chida apologized for Almon’s behavior, but Jiang demanded that Chida kneel and kowtow; Chida charged at him in anger.
• A stern middle-aged voice called for them to stop as Jiang raised his arm to strike Chida.

Jiang Dali defeated Golden Wheel Dharma King Chida before Zhu Wushi intervened and tested his strength, then openly invited Zhu Wushi’s secret agents to join Black Wind Stronghold. The chapter left Jiang Dali preparing with Wang Yuyan to develop a new external cultivation technique before the battle at the Pinnacle of the Forbidden City.

• Jiang Dali struck Chida hard and nearly dragged him back with his dragon-head aura, but Zhu Wushi dispersed the attack and ended the confrontation.
• Zhu Wushi praised Jiang Dali and invited him to visit Dragon Guard Manor, while Jiang Dali invited Duan Tianya, Guihai Yidao, and Shangguan Haitang to join Black Wind Stronghold; they refused.
• Jiang Dali told Lu Xiaofeng that Chida had likely tested him on Zhu Wushi’s behalf and explained that his Adamantine Body Cultivation came from Zhu Wushi’s imprisoned nemesis.
• Zhu Wushi discussed the failed test with his secret agents, noting that Jiang Dali had apparently used Adamantine Body Cultivation six times and that Chida could not force him to reveal its full power.
• After Lu Xiaofeng and Kou Zhong teased Jiang Dali about Wang Yuyan, Jiang Dali threw them out and asked Wang Yuyan to help him create an external cultivation technique suited to his physique and true qi.

Jiang Dali had Wang Yuyan examine his hardening techniques and help devise a plan to combine Adamantine Body Cultivation with Golden Bell Shield. While she worked on the plan, he raised Great Strength Divine Fist to the ninth realm and formed a new set of powerful moves, leaving him considering how to develop the martial art further.

• Wang Yuyan studied Jiang Dali's Iron Cloth Skill, Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training, and Golden Body Skill as he demonstrated them, then explained their limitations and proposed combining Adamantine Body Cultivation with Golden Bell Shield.
• Wang Yuyan agreed to devise a cultivation plan within three days, and Jiang Dali told her he had already comprehended the essence of Golden Bell Shield.
• Jiang Dali returned to his room and raised Great Strength Divine Fist to the ninth realm, Return to Simplicity and Truth, using Cultivation Points and Potential Points.
• Jiang Dali formed a series of new palm, fist, and claw moves by combining techniques he had learned, and realized that Nine Syllable Mantra Hand Seal and Undying Seal Method could help him advance Great Strength Divine Fist toward the tenth realm.
• Wang Yuyan watched Jiang Dali cultivate and reflected on his relentless pursuit of strength, comparing him with her cousin and Lu Xiaofeng.

As the duel between Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng approached, Lu Xiaofeng and Jiang Dali uncovered signs that a much larger conspiracy surrounded the battle. On the night before the duel, a heavyweight figure left the Forbidden City, confirming Jiang Dali’s suspicion that the Southern King’s plot would prevent the fight from ending normally.

• Lu Xiaofeng used Otherworlders to gather intelligence and learned that Xiao Feng, Xiao Yuanshan, and Kunlun’s Desert Eagle Tu Fang had entered the city.
• Lu Xiaofeng joined Jiang Dali, Xiao Feng, and Xiao Yuanshan at Yunlai Inn, where Jiang Dali reasoned that Ye Gucheng’s allies would need powerful experts to support a larger scheme.
• Sikong Zhaixing arrived and realized that he had been drawn into a conspiracy far more dangerous than the duel he had come to watch.
• Lu Xiaofeng and Jiang Dali discussed the unknown figure in the Number Two Heavenly Room and the possibility that someone would lure a heavyweight away from the Forbidden City.
• In the days before the duel, martial artists crowded Yingtian Prefecture while the Number Two Heavenly Room remained vacant.
• On the night before the duel, a heavyweight figure left the Forbidden City after a sudden incident, confirming Jiang Dali’s prediction that the Southern King’s plot would disrupt the battle.

Jiang Dali learned that his younger brother Cheng Shifei was waiting in a bamboo grove and left the inn despite suspecting a trap. As the others split up to protect the Emperor’s key allies, Wang Yuyan revealed that she could defend herself; Jiang Dali arrived at the grove and heard a mysterious host’s song.

• Jiang Dali told Lu Xiaofeng that the Iron Gallant Marquis had left to protect the woman he loved, who was now a living corpse, and Lu Xiaofeng realized the palace was in greater danger.
• A white dove brought Jiang Dali a message saying Cheng Shifei was waiting on Fragrant Bamboo Path, and Jiang Dali decided to go alone despite Lu Xiaofeng and Wang Yuyan warning him it could be a trap.
• Jiang Dali left on the Demonic Eagle and told Kou Zhong to stay with Lu Xiaofeng, who suspected that Ximen Chuixue or Cao Zhengchun might also be lured away.
• Lu Xiaofeng and Xiao Yuanshan went to find Ximen Chuixue, while Kou Zhong and Sikong Zhaixing set out to find Cao Zhengchun, leaving Xiao Feng with A Zhu and Wang Yuyan.
• Wang Yuyan explained that Jiang Dali had prepared her to defend herself and displayed powerful true qi, astonishing Xiao Feng.
• Jiang Dali reached the bamboo grove and heard an unseen host sing about awaiting a bold guest, then warned that he would be an unwelcome visitor.

Jiang Dali was lured to a bamboo grove, where King of Joy Chai Yuguan and his allies tried to detain him by holding his younger brother Cheng Shifei hostage. Jiang Dali fought off Yun Zhongyu and clashed with Chai Yuguan before Miao Guangzong and Shanzuo Tianyin joined the attack.

• Jiang Dali descended into the bamboo grove and confronted Chai Yuguan, who said he wanted to discuss cooperation and resolve past misunderstandings.
• Shanzuo Tianyin revealed that he had captured Cheng Shifei and threatened to kill him if Jiang Dali tried to leave.
• Miao Guangzong and Yun Zhongyu appeared as additional opponents, and Jiang Dali injured Yun Zhongyu with his Mighty Dragon Claw Hand.
• Chai Yuguan attacked Jiang Dali, broke apart his cloak, and escaped Jiang Dali's Great Art of Absorbing Qi with the Shaolin Yi Jin Jing.
• Miao Guangzong released pale pink mist while Shanzuo Tianyin hurled hidden weapons at Jiang Dali.

Jiang Dali overwhelmed his opponents, killing Yun Zhongyu and Miao Guangzong while shrugging off their attacks. The fight continued as Yamato Ama-no-ne was contaminated by Bone-Melting Powder and severed her arm to survive.

• Jiang Dali broke through Miao Guangzong's poisonous sand and mist, then drove back King of Joy Chai Yuguan with his Furious Tablet-Slamming Palm.
• Jiang Dali struck Yun Zhongyu with his third-layer palm technique, crushed him underfoot, and killed him.
• Jiang Dali taunted Chai Yuguan, Miao Guangzong, and Yamato Ama-no-ne before Miao Guangzong attacked with a whale cry and Bone-Melting Powder.
• Jiang Dali countered with Lion's Roar, blasting apart the attack and causing the Bone-Melting Powder to melt Miao Guangzong into a pool of blood.
• Jiang Dali shook the powder from his chest as Yamato Ama-no-ne screamed and severed her contaminated arm after throwing Cheng Shifei aside.

Jiang Dali defeated King of Joy and Yamato Ama-no-ne, then discovered Bone-Melting Powder and suspected Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi had secretly conspired with the Southern King to test him. He turned toward Cheng Shifei, whose hostility was growing.

• King of Joy struck Jiang Dali with a lightning-fast saber, but Jiang Dali endured the blow and counterattacked, badly injuring him.
• Yamato Ama-no-ne intervened to help King of Joy escape; Jiang Dali crushed her with a palm strike and wounded King of Joy with a distant saber slash.
• King of Joy fled in agony, abandoning the Southern King's struggle for the throne as he resolved to recover from his injuries.
• Jiang Dali questioned the dying Yamato Ama-no-ne about how Miao Guangzong obtained Bone-Melting Powder, but she died before revealing its source.
• Jiang Dali found Miao Guangzong's Whale Tooth, Whale Call, Whale Roar manual and a bottle of Bone-Melting Powder, then suspected Zhu Wushi had arranged the attack to test his Adamantine Body Cultivation.
• Jiang Dali approached Cheng Shifei and noticed the hostility around him growing denser.

Jiang Dali killed the impostor posing as Cheng Shifei and returned to Yingtian Prefecture City, where he learned that an impostor posing as Lu Xiaofeng had attacked his companions. He demanded that Golden Wheel Dharma King Chida surrender, but Western Depot chief Yu Huatian intervened, and Chida launched an attack as the confrontation escalated.

• Jiang Dali freed the man impersonating Cheng Shifei, discovered his hidden Bone-Melting Powder, and killed him with it.
• Jiang Dali flew back to Yingtian Prefecture City and found Yunlai Inn devastated after an impostor posing as Lu Xiaofeng attacked Wang Yuyan and A Zhu before Chida helped him escape.
• Xiao Feng explained what had happened, and Jiang Dali said he had killed the other attackers outside the city while King of Joy escaped.
• Jiang Dali ordered Chida to surrender so he could investigate his role, but Chida refused and prepared to fight.
• Yu Huatian arrived with Western Depot officers and demanded that Jiang Dali and Chida stop fighting, but Jiang Dali rejected his authority.
• Chida hurled seven or eight golden wheels at Jiang Dali.

Jiang Dali defeated Golden Wheel Dharma King Chida and drove Yu Huatian and the Western Depot from the building. He tortured Chida with the Mother-Child Life and Death Net, then demanded to know whether the Iron Gallant Marquis had ordered Chida to attack him.

• Jiang Dali repelled Chida’s golden wheels and overpowered him with the Golden Bell Flaming Dragon Whirlwind Palm and a crushing palm strike.
• Jiang Dali refused to let Chida kneel to Buddha instead of him, and Yu Huatian attacked to intervene.
• Jiang Dali wounded Yu Huatian with finger force and forced the Western Depot eunuchs to carry him away.
• Jiang Dali activated Chida’s child net, causing him intense pain, then warned him that the net could control his life and suffering.
• Jiang Dali lifted Chida by the collar and asked whether the Iron Gallant Marquis had ordered the earlier attack.

Jiang Dali suspected the Iron Gallant Marquis was plotting against the Emperor and decided to counter the enemy’s disguises by sending Xiao Feng undercover as King of Joy. The pair reached the Southern King’s residence to investigate, while the Southern King’s intentions remained unconfirmed.

• Jiang Dali detained Golden Wheel Dharma King Chida and tied him to the Demonic Eagle after deciding to hold him until his possible connection to the Iron Gallant Marquis was clarified.
• Jiang Dali warned Xiao Feng, A Zhu, and Wang Yuyan that the Southern King might strike before the duel and identified the Iron Gallant Marquis as a greater threat to the Emperor.
• Jiang Dali gave Wang Yuyan the Bone-Melting Powder and proposed using disguises to investigate the enemy, assigning A Zhu to disguise Xiao Feng as King of Joy.
• Jiang Dali disguised himself as Miao Guangzong, and he and Xiao Feng set off for the Southern King’s residence.
• Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng watched the residence from a pavilion roof and planned to search its living quarters for the Southern King or the person who had impersonated Lu Xiaofeng.

Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng infiltrated the Southern King's residence disguised as allies, where they encountered Wang Lianhua and a mysterious swordsman in white. After convincing them to let the pair join their mission, the four set off together, while Jiang Dali noticed that his panel had changed.

• Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng entered the Southern King's residence, and Jiang Dali disabled hidden crossbow defenses beneath a lake.
• The man in white attacked them with powerful sword qi, which Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng blocked before entering the pavilion.
• Wang Lianhua mistook Xiao Feng for the King of Joy and asked whether they had dealt with the Black Wind Stronghold Master; Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng maintained their disguises and claimed Cheng Shifei was still in their custody.
• Wang Lianhua questioned why they had returned, and Xiao Feng asserted that they had come to help the Southern King’s cause.
• The man in white, Xiao Feng, and Wang Lianhua agreed to proceed together, and Jiang Dali noticed an abnormal change in his panel.

Yun Qianchen learned that Black Wind Stronghold Master had returned, while Jiang Dali accepted a mission to thwart the Southern King's plot and followed Wang Lianhua and the man in white to the Forbidden City. As the Southern King's player forces stormed Chengtian Gate, Jiang Dali joined the assault in disguise, leaving the palace invasion underway.

• Yun Qianchen received Gray Goose's report that Black Wind Stronghold Master had returned, captured Golden Wheel Dharma King Chida, and disrupted the Southern King's agents, then realized the plotters might already be moving.
• Jiang Dali triggered and accepted the mission to stop the Southern King's Heir's conspiracy after learning the heir planned to exploit Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue's duel to seize the throne.
• Jiang Dali reflected on how his players had helped capture covert agents and followed Wang Lianhua and the man in white toward the Forbidden City with Xiao Feng.
• The four waited near Chengtian Gate until a crowd of players charged across the bridge and clashed with the Imperial Forest Army.
• The man in white led the group toward the gate, and Jiang Dali blasted guards aside with a whale-like roar while announcing himself as Sea Sky White Whale Miao Guangzong.

Jiang Dali, Xiao Feng, Wang Lianhua, and the man in white were trapped by the Imperial Forest Army after the Southern King's Heir used them as pawns. Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng escaped on the Demonic Eagle, leaving Wang Lianhua and the man in white surrounded as the fighting inside the Forbidden City continued.

• Jiang Dali and the others fought their way into the Forbidden City but realized at Fengtian Gate that the Southern King's Heir had betrayed them and arranged for the Imperial Forest Army to surround them.
• Wei Ziyun ordered the Imperial Forest Army to fire arrows, but the man in white's sword qi and Jiang Dali's whale-like roar shattered or deflected the volley.
• Jiang Dali revealed himself as Black Wind Stronghold Master, absorbed Wang Lianhua's internal force, and hurled him into the encircling troops.
• Xiao Feng used Dragon Fights in the Field to break a path through the soldiers, and Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng mounted the Demonic Eagle together.
• Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng unleashed twin golden dragons that cleared the arrows and forced Wang Lianhua and the man in white back into the encirclement.
• The Demonic Eagle carried Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng toward the fighting inside the Forbidden City while Wei Ziyun ordered his troops to kill Wang Lianhua and the man in white.

Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng flew into the Forbidden City as players speculated that the Southern King was rebelling and debated Jiang Dali’s intentions. They reached Fengtian Hall, where the Emperor invited them inside, leaving Jiang Dali wondering who was fighting Ye Gucheng and why the Emperor trusted him to enter.

• Unfazed by Lofty Peaks revealed that the Southern King had secretly recruited players to attack Chengtian Gate, prompting speculation that the Southern King planned to rebel.
• Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng discussed Wang Lianhua’s poison and mind-control technique, then questioned the identities of the swordsmen fighting in Fengtian Hall and whether Iron Gallant Marquis was plotting against the Emperor.
• Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng arrived on the Demonic Eagle above Fengtian Hall, where Imperial Forest Army soldiers aimed their bows and crossbows at them.
• Jiang Dali shouted that he had come at the Emperor’s invitation to protect him and ordered the soldiers to move aside.
• The Emperor invited Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng into Fengtian Hall, saying he would thank them before the Southern King; Jiang Dali realized the Emperor’s confidence might come from the old eunuch’s knowledge of their earlier encounter.

Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng entered Fengtian Hall and found Ye Gucheng fighting Bai Yujing while the Ming State emperor watched. The emperor declared that he would grant Jiang Dali death, and the chapter ended as Ye Gucheng and Bai Yujing sheathed their swords and Ye Gucheng asked Jiang Dali whether he was satisfied with the outcome.

• Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng entered Fengtian Hall and saw Ye Gucheng battling Bai Yujing, who was protecting the Ming State emperor.
• Jiang Dali recognized Bai Yujing as the Longevity Sword and noticed that the Southern King lay dead nearby.
• The Ming State emperor offered Jiang Dali a reward, then declared that he would grant him death after Jiang Dali asked for a smile.
• The elderly eunuch revealed himself as an enemy Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng recognized, while the emperor's guards stood ready.
• Ye Gucheng and Bai Yujing sheathed their swords, and Ye Gucheng asked Jiang Dali whether he was satisfied with the outcome.

Jiang Dali faced the Ming State Emperor’s attempt to execute him and fought the Thirteen Taibao while Xiao Feng was held back by the old eunuch. He began tearing through the formation, leaving the battle raging in Fengtian Hall.

• Jiang Dali rejected Ye Gucheng’s and Bai Yujing’s explanations, while Ye Gucheng said he expected Ximen Chuixue to arrive for a peerless sword battle.
• The Ming State Emperor ordered the Thirteen Taibao to attack Jiang Dali and threatened Xiao Feng after he refused to abandon his benefactor.
• The old eunuch intercepted Xiao Feng with silver needles and forced him into a fast-moving fight across the hall.
• The Thirteen Taibao struck Jiang Dali with their combined formation, but his Adamantine Body Cultivation let him withstand their blows.
• Jiang Dali counterattacked, killed three of the Thirteen Taibao, and battered the remaining men as they tried to reform their formation.

Jiang Dali fought through the emperor’s guards and pressed his attack on the Ming State emperor, then faced the old eunuch in a devastating clash. The chapter ended as their palms collided, leaving the victor undecided.

• Jiang Dali crushed the Thirteen Taibao and charged toward the Ming State emperor as Ye Gucheng blocked his path.
• Seven shadow eunuchs used the Blood Transformation Divine Skill, but Jiang Dali broke free from the blood mist with his golden bell defense.
• Jiang Dali dragged the emperor toward him, discovered he knew martial arts, and tore away part of his scalp before three silver needles deflected his hand.
• The old eunuch attacked, and Jiang Dali met him with the Nine-fold Fury Tablet Smash as they traded momentum across Fengtian Hall.
• The old eunuch unleashed a blood-red needle and yin-yang palm strikes, while Jiang Dali countered with successive tablet-smashing strikes.
• Jiang Dali and the old eunuch collided in a final palm strike that left the outcome uncertain.

Jiang Dali and the old eunuch exchanged devastating attacks in Fengtian Hall, but the eunuch unleashed his Yang Spirit and filled the hall with a deadly storm of needles. The chapter ended with Jiang Dali covered in needles and bleeding as Xiao Feng struggled to his feet and called out to him.

• Jiang Dali's Adamantine Body Cultivation absorbed the old eunuch's sinister palm strike, while Jiang Dali shattered the eunuch's arm with his counterattack.
• Jiang Dali used Twin Dragons Snatching Pearls to tear at the old eunuch's broken hand and inflict further damage.
• The old eunuch broke free, revealed his Yang Spirit, and unleashed a blazing storm of needles across Fengtian Hall.
• The needle attack wounded Jiang Dali, Xiao Feng, Bai Yujing, Ye Gucheng, the Emperor of the Ming State, and many Imperial Forest Army soldiers.
• Xiao Feng stood despite his wounds and called out to Jiang Dali, whose golden radiance had faded as blood seeped from the needles embedded in him.