Chapter Summaries

After an attack on the Emperor’s stand-in at Fengtian Hall, Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi appeared and killed the black-clad Wu Wan, then accused Jiang Dali and his allies of treason. As Zhu Wushi prepared to seize them, a powerful sword presence arrived outside the hall, putting Ye Gucheng on alert.

• Bai Yujing discovered that the Emperor’s stand-in had been killed, while the old eunuch exposed the black-clad intruder as an attacker and fought him.
• Jiang Dali recognized the intruder as Wu Wan, took a hidden medicinal pill, and pulled himself free from the beam despite his wounds.
• Zhu Wushi appeared, struck Jiang Dali aside, and killed Wu Wan before the old eunuch forced him back.
• Zhu Wushi defended his actions and accused Jiang Dali of attempting to assassinate the Emperor, while Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng accused Zhu Wushi of plotting and framing them.
• Ye Gucheng mocked Zhu Wushi, who declared he would seize the alleged rebels, but an unseen voice objected and Ye Gucheng sensed a formidable sword presence outside Fengtian Hall.

Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng began a sword battle in Fengtian Hall, joined by the man in white and Bai Yujing, while Jiang Dali confronted Iron Gallant Marquis. The chapter ended with Iron Gallant Marquis striking at Jiang Dali.

• Lu Xiaofeng and Ximen Chuixue entered Fengtian Hall, and Ximen Chuixue refused Zhu Wushi's attempt to recruit him.
• Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue exchanged their first sword attack, then agreed to face the danger in the hall before settling their duel.
• The man in white arrived, and he, Ximen Chuixue, and Ye Gucheng fought; Bai Yujing soon joined them with the Longevity Sword.
• Jiang Dali mocked Iron Gallant Marquis for his guilt and declared that he could leave if he wished.
• Iron Gallant Marquis attacked Jiang Dali with a powerful palm strike.

Jiang Dali battled the Iron Gallant Marquis, forcing him to reveal his Great Art of Absorbing Qi and then turning his attack toward the old eunuch. The old eunuch survived Jiang Dali’s dragon-shaped strike but was badly wounded by his follow-up blow.

• The Iron Gallant Marquis struck Jiang Dali with the Great Art of Absorbing Qi, but Jiang Dali resisted with his Adamantine Body Cultivation and counterattacked with the Undying Seal Method.
• Jiang Dali pressed the Iron Gallant Marquis with repeated blows until the Marquis unleashed a vast surge of true qi and hurled stone slabs and foundation at him.
• Jiang Dali shattered the stone attack and charged at the Iron Gallant Marquis in the form of a black dragon.
• The Iron Gallant Marquis turned and fled toward the old eunuch, drawing Jiang Dali’s attack into the eunuch’s path.
• The old eunuch tried to unleash Sunlight Sunflower, but the Iron Gallant Marquis’s suction disrupted him as he passed.
• Jiang Dali’s black dragon-shaped qi pierced the old eunuch, and his follow-up palm strike sent the wounded eunuch crashing through Imperial Forest Army soldiers.

Jiang Dali, Xiao Feng, and Lu Xiaofeng fought through the Imperial Forest Army after Jiang Dali killed the old eunuch, but Dongfang Bubai arrived and helped them escape. Zhu Wushi let them go while concealing his satisfaction at the emperor’s losses and privately declaring that ten thousand years was what he deserved.

• Jiang Dali killed the old eunuch, whose strange black-yellow aura entered Jiang Dali as he fought the surrounding soldiers.
• Xiao Feng broke through the Imperial Forest Army’s ranks, allowing him to join Jiang Dali and Lu Xiaofeng, and Jiang Dali led them onward despite Lu Xiaofeng’s injuries.
• Jiang Dali fought through the soldiers while Zhu Wushi stayed back, judging that attacking him would expose Zhu Wushi’s plans.
• Dongfang Bubai arrived on a giant bird alongside Jiang Dali’s Demonic Eagle, and Jiang Dali’s group escaped after he threatened Zhu Wushi and hurled three crossbow bolts at him.
• Zhu Wushi publicly mourned the dead and promised to seek punishment and pursue Black Wind Stronghold, then privately decided that ten thousand years was what he deserved.

Jiang Dali recovered from his injuries while discussing Iron Gallant Marquis’s strength and the scheme that had made him the apparent victor. He decided to raid Dragon Guard Manor and use Iron Gallant Marquis to bring down the emperor, then wondered about a notification on his panel.

• Dongfang Bubai removed the Sunflower Manual’s needle-like qi from Jiang Dali’s eye and explained how the Great Art of Absorbing Qi and the Adamantine Body Cultivation countered each other.
• Jiang Dali and Dongfang Bubai concluded that Iron Gallant Marquis had manipulated the Southern King and other martial artists, and that his power and endurance made him a formidable threat.
• Jiang Dali suspected Iron Gallant Marquis had killed Cao Zhengchun and absorbed his strength, then vowed to raid and destroy Dragon Guard Manor.
• Jiang Dali declared that the emperor had also tried to use them as pawns and planned to turn Iron Gallant Marquis against him; Lu Xiaofeng, Kou Zhong, Xiao Feng, and the others supported the plan.
• Jiang Dali proposed creating momentum to force the emperor and Iron Gallant Marquis into action sooner, then checked a notification on his panel.

Jiang Dali examined the dragon-qi titles he had gained from the fake Ming Emperor and the old eunuch, then traveled with his companions to Dragon Guard Manor to confront Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi. He summoned his Black Wind Stronghold followers with three arrows, preparing to make his revenge public.

• Jiang Dali read his new title attributes and realized the old eunuch had likely stolen dragon qi through the consorts he used as furnace vessels.
• Jiang Dali speculated that the Ming State Emperor might turn to Cihang Jingzhai for help against Zhu Wushi while issuing a wanted order to divert attention.
• Jiang Dali learned from the Jianghu Forum that Ye Gucheng, Ximen Chuixue, Bai Yujing, and the white-clad man had all survived the Forbidden City battle.
• Jiang Dali and his companions arrived near Dragon Guard Manor, where Lu Xiaofeng mentioned the manor’s imperial treasures.
• Jiang Dali vowed to humiliate Zhu Wushi by sending his followers into the manor and threw three Black Wind Arrows to summon them.

Jiang Dali rallied players to attack Dragon Guard Manor after claiming Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi had plotted against the Ming State Emperor and framed him. His quest drew more than two thousand players and spread rumors that could force Zhu Wushi and the Emperor into open conflict, while Dragon Guard Manor's martial arts experts prepared to respond.

• Jiang Dali's arrival above Xi City triggered an emergency city-defense quest, causing players to hesitate over joining him.
• Jiang Dali discovered the city-defense quest on the Jianghu Forum and issued the players a quest to attack Dragon Guard Manor.
• Jiang Dali claimed Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi had tried to assassinate the Emperor and framed him, prompting many players to accept the attack quest.
• Players spread the quest and its allegations across the Jianghu Forum, and more than two thousand gathered to join Jiang Dali.
• Three martial arts experts at Dragon Guard Manor watched Jiang Dali's force gather and discussed how to respond.

Jiang Dali led a host of outsiders to Dragon Guard Manor, claiming Iron Gallant Marquis had framed him for the emperor’s assassination and threatening to destroy the manor. He broke through the manor’s defenses and wounded Duan Tianya, leaving the battle underway as its defenders faced his overwhelming presence.

• Shangguan Haitang, Duan Tianya, and Guihai Yidao discussed Jiang Dali’s arrival, while the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi arrived to protect Haitang on their master’s orders.
• Number One Informant in the World told the manor’s defenders that Jiang Dali had accused Iron Gallant Marquis of framing him and had come to search for evidence of the Marquis’s rebellion.
• Jiang Dali approached Dragon Guard Manor with Dongfang Bubai and a force of outsiders, explaining that he hoped to recruit the manor’s talented people or let them go once they learned the Marquis’s true ambitions.
• Duan Tianya demanded that Jiang Dali leave, but Jiang Dali gave the defenders ten breaths to surrender and then ordered his Demonic Eagle to dive at the wall.
• The manor’s archers and ballistae fired at Jiang Dali, but he shattered the arrows with two saber energies and landed on the wall as the Demonic Eagle crushed several defenders.
• Duan Tianya attacked with Illusion Sword, but Jiang Dali broke his sword with Cloud Dragon Seizes Claw and wounded him before descending among the assembled heroes.

Jiang Dali attacked Dragon Guard Manor and overwhelmed its defenders with his newly combined Golden Bell Shield and Adamantine Body Cultivation, then defeated the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi despite their Phantom Shadow Divine Skill. As the players stormed the manor, he stood over the fallen experts and challenged their belief that their skill was unbeatable.

• Jiang Dali offered Dragon Guard Manor's gathered experts a chance to join Black Wind Stronghold, but the Number One Strongman Under Heaven refused and punched him.
• Jiang Dali repelled the strongman's punch with his new hardening technique, killed him with a counterattack, and caught Guihai Yidao's saber in his golden palm.
• Jiang Dali broke Duan Tianya's sword attack, shattered Guihai Yidao's hand with a headbutt, and turned Shangguan Haitang's armor-piercing spikes back toward her before the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi intervened.
• The Four Ghosts of Xiangxi used the Phantom Shadow Divine Skill to attack Jiang Dali together, but he resisted their assault, absorbed their power, and blasted them apart with a dragon-qi palm strike.
• Jiang Dali's attack damaged the battlements and hurled Dragon Guard Manor fighters toward the players, who rushed into battle and pushed up the stone steps.
• Jiang Dali confronted the wounded Four Ghosts of Xiangxi in the manor square and declared that both he and the Iron Gallant Marquis could break their divine skill.

Jiang Dali subdued the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi and prevented Shangguan Haitang from killing herself as he took control of Dragon Guard Manor. He reached the treasure hall and uncovered a secret chamber containing materials Iron Gallant Marquis had prepared for forging his saber.

• The Four Ghosts of Xiangxi tried to flee, but Jiang Dali captured them with the Mother-Child Life and Death Net and demanded they serve him for three years.
• The Four Ghosts of Xiangxi agreed to serve Jiang Dali if he spared Shangguan Haitang, repaying Wan Sanqian's past kindness.
• Shangguan Haitang tried to kill herself, but Jiang Dali disarmed and subdued her, then ordered the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi to stop anyone who resisted.
• Jiang Dali walked toward Dragon Guard Manor's treasure hall while players rushed in and looted the manor, leaving its defenders uncertain whether his accusations against Iron Gallant Marquis were true.
• Jiang Dali split the throne in the treasure hall with his saber, exposing a secret chamber and golden material that he said Iron Gallant Marquis had prepared for forging his saber.

Jiang Dali uncovered the Iron Gallant Marquis’s fake Golden Palace Hall, seized imperial treasures, and persuaded several of the Marquis’s former followers to join him. After failing to find the martial arts manuals in the Marquis’s residence, Jiang Dali traced the remaining lead to a formation-hidden forest and discovered a wooden hut inside.

• Jiang Dali found pseudo-dragon aura, an Imperial Decree, and an Imperial Sword in the fake Golden Palace Hall, then gave the sword to Wang Yuyan and sent players to search for the Marquis’s manuals.
• Duan Tianya, Yu Cheng'an, and seven other members of Dragon Guard Manor accepted Jiang Dali’s protection after seeing the evidence of the Iron Gallant Marquis’s ambitions.
• Jiang Dali searched the Marquis’s plain residence for manuals, then agreed with A Zhu that the final hiding place might be where the Marquis kept Suxin; he assured her he would not kill her merely to hurt the Marquis.
• Jiang Dali questioned players about a dense forest where their companions had become lost, then rode the Demonic Eagle above it to observe the formation’s changes.
• Jiang Dali worked out the formation’s pattern, found a wooden hut in the forest, and entered the woods.

Jiang Dali broke through the Lesser Six Multiplication Mind-Subduing Formation, found the Great Art of Absorbing Qi and Adamantine Body Cultivation manuals, and escaped the forest on the Demonic Eagle. He discovered that Iron Gallant Marquis’s intelligence base had been burned and its operatives killed, leaving the players to pursue their quest against the marquis.

• Jiang Dali cut through the formation’s tree walls and poisonous plants, then reached the cabin and found the Great Art of Absorbing Qi, Adamantine Body Cultivation, and Suxin’s hairpin.
• Jiang Dali read the Great Art of Absorbing Qi, mastered it, and concluded that Iron Gallant Marquis had likely developed a stronger version of the technique.
• Jiang Dali found a hidden passage beneath the cabin and entered a burned intelligence base where Dragon Guard Manor operatives lay dead.
• Jiang Dali left the forest on the Demonic Eagle as the players received quest completion and rewards, with some killing themselves to return to the city.

After the players exposed the fake Golden Palace Hall, the Ming State Emperor summoned Iron Gallant Marquis, who had already fled Yingtian Prefecture, and gave him seven days to explain himself. Jiang Dali completed his own Golden Bell Indestructible Body technique and sensed a visitor from Cihang Jingzhai arriving at Dragon Guard Manor.

• Jiang Dali lent Dongfang Bubai a Blood Bodhi in exchange for help fighting the Fire Qilin on a future trip to Lingyun Cave, and Dongfang Bubai left for Eastern Isles.
• Players spread news of Iron Gallant Marquis's fake Golden Palace Hall across the Jianghu Forum, prompting the Ming State Emperor to summon him and demand an answer within seven days.
• Xiao Feng, Xiao Yuanshan, and A Zhu departed for beyond the Great Wall, while Jiang Dali stayed at Dragon Guard Manor with Wang Yuyan and Kou Zhong.
• Jiang Dali used his accumulated Cultivation Points and Potential Points, with Wang Yuyan's guidance, to create the Heavenly Human Realm divine skill Golden Bell Indestructible Body.
• Jiang Dali learned that Iron Gallant Marquis had left Yingtian Prefecture and that the Ming State Emperor was preparing to move against him.
• Wang Yuyan cried out as Jiang Dali sensed someone from Cihang Jingzhai had arrived in the courtyard.

Yan Jing'an asked Jiang Dali to help kill the Iron Gallant Marquis, but he refused and she challenged him with Lang Fanyun to gauge the Marquis's strength. The chapter ended as Lang Fanyun launched his Overturning Rain Sword at Jiang Dali.

• Yan Jing'an visited Jiang Dali and revealed that Shi Feixuan had returned to Cihang Jingzhai and was attempting to enter the Heavenly Human Realm.
• Yan Jing'an offered Jiang Dali the Ming State Emperor's reward for killing the Iron Gallant Marquis, but Jiang Dali refused the mission.
• Yan Jing'an broke her prayer beads and prepared to fight Jiang Dali, explaining that she wanted to measure the Iron Gallant Marquis's strength.
• Lang Fanyun arrived and joined Yan Jing'an, but Jiang Dali refused their invitation to work together against the Marquis.
• Jiang Dali flung Wang Yuyan out of danger as Lang Fanyun's sword attack filled the courtyard with rain-like sword light.

Jiang Dali fought Lang Fanyun and Yan Jing'an at Dragon Guard Manor, overpowering them but allowing them to escape. The two concluded they needed greater help to face Iron Gallant Marquis and planned to seek Yan Jing'an's elders.

• Lang Fanyun attacked Jiang Dali with the Overturning Rain Sword, but Jiang Dali caught its tip with the Mighty Divine Finger and snapped the sword in two.
• Jiang Dali fought Lang Fanyun and Yan Jing'an together, using his absorbing technique as the battle intensified.
• Lang Fanyun unleashed his Yang Spirit and Passionate Sword, but Jiang Dali countered with Emotion Severing Great Strength Slash and wounded him.
• Lang Fanyun and Yan Jing'an fled, and Jiang Dali told Kou Zhong and the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi not to pursue them because he wanted them to challenge Iron Gallant Marquis.
• After Yan Jing'an collapsed from her injuries, she and Lang Fanyun discussed Jiang Dali's strength and decided to seek help from her master, martial aunt, and possibly grandmaster.

Jiang Dali tested his improved defensive skill, ordered Dragon Guard Manor burned, and arranged to have his Great Saber reforged into a first-grade famous weapon. He set sail for Ice Fire Island with his companions, while Kou Zhong and the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi prepared to pursue Evil King Shi Zhixuan.

• Jiang Dali confirmed that his fused Iron Cloth Divine Skill greatly strengthened his defense but consumed substantial true qi, and he ordered Fire King Zu Jindian to burn every building at Dragon Guard Manor except the manor itself.
• Jiang Dali asked Yu Cheng'an to forge his Great Saber into a first-grade famous weapon, and Yu Cheng'an explained that the work required earthfire, rare materials, and an exotic beast for consecration.
• Jiang Dali chose to use the Heavenly Sword and the Overturning Rain Sword fragment as materials and decided to obtain earthfire from the active volcano on Ice Fire Island.
• As Zu Jindian set Dragon Guard Manor ablaze, Jiang Dali departed by Demonic Eagle, leaving Kou Zhong and the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi to seek Evil King Shi Zhixuan and first meet Xu Ziling.
• Two days later, Jiang Dali's group boarded a merchant ship bound for Ice Fire Island, where the other passengers and high-ranking players nervously watched him.

Jiang Dali boarded a merchant ship to eat and rest, where he encountered the steward of a woman he had met at Mirror Lake. Before he could learn more, the Heavenly Demoness attacked the Kunlun Sect, and Jiang Dali’s roar shattered her Revolving Demonic Sound and revealed his presence to the hidden fighters.

• The ship’s guests feared Jiang Dali’s arrival, while its mistress recognized him and sent her steward to approach him.
• Jiang Dali dismissed the nervous onlookers and joked with Wang Yuyan as he ate with Fire King Zu Jindian and Yu Cheng'an.
• The steward reminded Jiang Dali that his mistress had played “Man Jiang Hong” for him at Mirror Lake and given him a token, prompting him to remember her.
• The Heavenly Demoness’s Revolving Demonic Sound rang through the ship, and three Kunlun Sect figures arrived with an injured Snow Mountain Sect disciple.
• The Heavenly Demoness threatened He Taichong, and Jiang Dali roared over her demonic sound, shaking the ship and forcing her to fall silent.
• Sinister figures emerged from the darkness and recognized Jiang Dali as the Black Wind Stronghold Master.

Jiang Dali refused to join Li Xiangfang’s royal struggle without a better offer, while the Heavenly Demoness and the Three Fiends of the Red River attacked the Kunlun Sect and the other guests. As the battle continued, Wang Yuyan’s martial-arts explanations distracted the fighters and seemed to worsen their plight.

• Jiang Dali roared to stop the people gathering near the ship, then denied that he had come to help Li Xiangfang and told her opponents to settle their business quickly.
• The Heavenly Demoness and the Three Fiends of the Red River boarded the merchant ship, and Li Xiangfang revealed that the gathering was part of her contest against the Fourth Prince.
• Jiang Dali received the Royal Struggle mission but told Li Xiangfang that her payment was not enough to make him fight.
• The Heavenly Demoness and the Three Fiends attacked He Taichong, Ban Shuxian, and the other martial artists despite being outnumbered.
• Wang Yuyan identified the fighters’ techniques as they battled, but her explanations distracted their opponents and drew complaints from the players.

Jiang Dali accepted Li Xiangfang’s offer to protect her and faced the experts sent by the Fourth Prince. He left Chicken-Foot Daoist, the Heavenly Wolf Venerable, and two Sacred Cult Envoys dead or defeated, while the merchant ship was wrecked around him.

• The Heavenly Wolf Venerable and Chicken-Foot Daoist arrived on the merchant ship and joined the fight against Li Xiangfang’s side.
• Chicken-Foot Daoist and the Heavenly Wolf Venerable tried to recruit Jiang Dali, but Li Xiangfang secretly offered him a core inheritance slot for the Son of Heaven Divine Fist.
• Jiang Dali declared that he would protect Li Xiangfang and challenged the enemy experts to leave.
• Chicken-Foot Daoist and the Heavenly Wolf Venerable attacked Jiang Dali while two Sacred Cult Envoys attacked Wang Yuyan and Zu Jindian.
• Jiang Dali shattered Chicken-Foot Daoist’s claws and crushed the Heavenly Wolf Venerable into the ship’s deck and cabin.
• Jiang Dali killed one Sacred Cult Envoy with a thrown beam and crushed the other’s head, leaving the ship in ruins.

Jiang Dali defeated the Sacred Cult Envoys, killed the Heavenly Demoness, and forced the Three Fiends of the Red River into serving the Black Wind Stronghold. He then met privately with Li Xiangfang to discuss the promise she had made him.

• Jiang Dali killed the Sacred Cult Envoy and forced the Heavenly Demoness and the Three Fiends of the Red River to choose between their lives and their wealth.
• The Heavenly Demoness tried to buy her life by offering to serve Jiang Dali, but he struck her into the sea and took her gold earrings.
• The Three Fiends of the Red River surrendered their savings and agreed to serve the Black Wind Stronghold as the Black Wind Three Fools.
• Jiang Dali ordered the Three Fools to retrieve the Sacred Cult Envoys' bodies and collect their Yin Yang Sacred Fire Tokens, which he intended to give to Zhang Wuji.
• Li Xiangfang thanked Jiang Dali for intervening and invited him to discuss her promise in private.
• Jiang Dali went with Li Xiangfang to a room on the third floor and asked her to get straight to the point.