Chapter Summaries

Jiang Dali endured Zhu Wushi’s great hall assault and nearly defeated him, but Xiong Ba intervened with Three Parts Return to One Qi and struck Jiang Dali down. Xiong Ba then confronted Zhu Wushi and declared he would settle their dispute according to their agreement.

• Zhu Wushi hurled half a great hall at Jiang Dali, who resisted beneath it with his saber and Golden Bell Indestructible Body.
• Jiang Dali took medicinal pellets and broke free, then struck Zhu Wushi with a powerful saber attack as the Heaven's Wrath Sword began draining Zhu Wushi’s true qi.
• Xiong Ba appeared and used Three Parts Return to One Qi to smash Jiang Dali’s saber energy and knock him backward, leaving him badly injured.
• Xiong Ba praised Jiang Dali’s strength, then told Zhu Wushi that he would end their dispute and enforce their gentleman’s agreement.

Jiang Dali and Xiong Ba clashed after Xiong Ba tried to force Zhu Wushi to honor their agreement, while Nie Renwang joined the fight under pressure over Yan Ying. As Xiong Ba held off Jiang Dali and Nie Renwang’s combined saber strikes, Zhu Wushi suddenly attacked him from behind with Heavenly Wrath.

• Xiong Ba tried to extract Heavenly Wrath from Zhu Wushi and demanded that he fulfill their agreement, but Zhu Wushi resisted and Xiong Ba wounded him.
• Xiong Ba ordered Jiang Dali to submit to the Heavenly Alliance, and Jiang Dali challenged him to a fight.
• Xiong Ba summoned Nie Renwang and demanded he capture Jiang Dali to prove himself worthy of getting Yan Ying back.
• Nie Renwang and Jiang Dali turned their attacks toward Xiong Ba, who blocked their combined saber strikes with his True Essence.
• As Xiong Ba struggled against the two saber attacks, Zhu Wushi launched a sudden sword strike at his back.

Xiong Ba unleashed the power of the Return to Origin Realm and overwhelmed Jiang Dali, Nie Renwang, Zhu Wushi, and Dongfang Bubai during their attack. After taking heavy injuries, he escaped, leaving Jiang Dali to approach the building where Zhu Wushi had crashed.

• Xiong Ba used his primordial spirit to suppress the attackers, injuring Nie Renwang and Zhu Wushi while Jiang Dali's Realm Breaking Bead absorbed some of the force.
• Xiong Ba struck the three attackers with separate attacks, but Jiang Dali defended himself with his Frost Sword and Nie Renwang pressed forward with Red Apricot Wall.
• Xiong Ba pulled the Heaven's Wrath Sword from his back and fought off Nie Renwang and Jiang Dali, taking severe injuries in the exchange.
• Xiong Ba used Wind God Leg to flee as a black hurricane after smashing apart Jiang Dali's saber attacks.
• Jiang Dali abandoned the pursuit when his allies were badly hurt, then approached the building where Zhu Wushi had crashed.

Jiang Dali watched Zhu Wushi die, then tried to seize the Ming State imperial dragon qi released from his body. Most of it escaped into two carved dragon pillars, and Jiang Dali began hauling the pillars away as Nie Renwang arrived and asked whether his Qilin Mad Blood had gone berserk.

• Jiang Dali questioned the dying Zhu Wushi, who explained why he had absorbed Heavenly Wrath and over two thousand prisoners of war.
• Zhu Wushi exploded, and Jiang Dali used the Great Art of Absorbing Qi to catch the golden dragon qi released from his body.
• Jiang Dali used the Realm Breaking Bead in the Dali Fire Qilin Saber to absorb part of the dragon qi, while the rest fled into two carved dragon pillars.
• Jiang Dali inspected a pillar and learned that it could increase his faction's fortune, then decided to carry both pillars away.
• Jiang Dali lifted one carved dragon pillar as Nie Renwang entered and asked whether the Qilin Mad Blood in his body had gone berserk.

Jiang Dali and Nie Renwang survived the battle against Xiong Ba, who had been defeated after Zhu Wushi turned against him and died. Jiang Dali treated Dongfang Bubai’s injuries while Nie Renwang searched the ruins for the missing Divine Weapon Heavenly Wrath.

• Jiang Dali pulled two Carved Dragon Pillars from the hall and learned from Nie Renwang that Zhu Wushi had died by self-destruction.
• Jiang Dali explained that he had arranged for Guan Yutian to rescue Yan Ying, and Nie Renwang thanked him for saving his wife.
• Jiang Dali and Nie Renwang carried the pillars outside, where the gathered soldiers and players discussed Zhu Wushi’s death and the uncertain succession to the throne.
• Jiang Dali restored some of Dongfang Bubai’s spiritual strength, then asked Nie Renwang to search the battlefield for the missing Divine Weapon Heavenly Wrath.
• Jiang Dali brought Dongfang Bubai to a quiet side hall, drew Xiong Ba’s lingering True Essence from Dongfang Bubai’s meridians, and treated Dongfang Bubai with gold needles.

After Zhu Wushi’s death, Jiang Dali reviewed players’ recordings of the Forbidden City battle and learned that Wei Jinzhong had been killed by players using poison and repeated attacks. With the succession still uncertain and Prince Yan Di’s fate unclear, Jiang Dali planned to support Imperial Grandson Yun and turned to players to help search for the missing Divine Weapon Heavenly Wrath.

• Players shared and debated recordings of the battles involving Jiang Dali, Zhu Wushi, Xiong Ba, Nie Renwang, and Dongfang Bubai on the Jianghu Forum.
• Jiang Dali watched a recording of Wei Jinzhong being overwhelmed and poisoned to death by players, and considered the weakness of absorption arts against poisoned bait.
• Jiang Dali read that Prince Yan Di had survived an assassination attempt after being rescued, but found no further news about him or Imperial Grandson Yun.
• Jiang Dali decided he would support Imperial Grandson Yun as the next Ming State emperor rather than Prince Yan Di.
• Nie Renwang told Jiang Dali that he could not find Divine Weapon Heavenly Wrath, so Jiang Dali summoned nearby players to search for it.

After Zhu Wushi’s death, Jiang Dali arranged the burial of the Ming State emperor and discovered that Living Buddha Ying Yuan, Chuan Ying’s son, was hiding in the palace with the Eagle Saber. As Jiang Dali pursued Ying Yuan toward the harem, the story shifted to Guan Yutian and Yan Ying crossing into the Shenwu Kingdom, where Yan Ying openly sought his embrace.

• Jiang Dali offered players ten thousand taels of silver to find Divine Weapon Heavenly Wrath, then confirmed the Ming State emperor’s identity and arranged for him and Zhu Wushi to be buried beneath Dulong Fu.
• Jiang Dali, Nie Renwang, and Dongfang Bubai discussed the hidden Ying Yuan, his lost martial arts, and the Eagle Saber’s connection to the War God’s Catalogue and Shattering the Void.
• Jiang Dali and his companions rode toward the harem to seek Ying Yuan, but Ying Yuan used a soul-locking technique to disappear from their senses.
• Jiang Dali sensed that Ying Yuan had lured them toward a magnificent pavilion and headed there with Dongfang Bubai and Nie Renwang.
• Guan Yutian and Yan Ying forced their way through a checkpoint at the Shenwu Kingdom’s border, and Yan Ying fell into Guan Yutian’s arms after clasping his hand on the reins.
• Yan Ying told Guan Yutian she had only wanted to sit more securely in his embrace.

Jiang Dali and his companions discovered mummified bodies in the Ming State imperial palace and uncovered evidence of the Blood Transformation Divine Skill. When two eunuchs attacked, Jiang Dali fought off their blood-based techniques and captured one of them.

• Guan Yutian refused Yan Ying’s advances, explained that Jiang Dali had asked him to rescue her, and carried her away toward their agreed meeting place.
• Jiang Dali, Nie Renwang, and Dongfang Bubai found eight mummified corpses in a palace pavilion and recognized signs of the Blood Transformation Divine Skill.
• A trace of dragon qi rose from a dead child and split between Jiang Dali and Dongfang Bubai.
• Two eunuchs attacked Jiang Dali, who used his Golden Qi Power to withstand one’s blood mist and knocked both attackers down.
• Jiang Dali restrained one eunuch with dragon qi and sealed his major acupoints before he could use the Blood Transformation Divine Skill.

Jiang Dali questioned and killed the last Blood Transformation monk, then suspected Prince Yan Di of orchestrating the massacre of the Ming imperial family. As he rewarded the players and sent the Carved Dragon Pillars toward Black Wind Stronghold, the Ghost King and a Blood Transformation monk prepared to take out Heavenly Wrath and advance their plan.

• Jiang Dali questioned the captured eunuch, who blamed Iron Gallant Marquis Zhu Wushi for ordering the killings before biting off his tongue and dying.
• Jiang Dali, Dongfang Bubai, and Nie Renwang considered Prince Yan Di a likely suspect, while Jiang Dali said he intended to meet the Living Buddha rather than support Prince Yan.
• Nie Renwang left to search for Ying Yuan, and Jiang Dali returned to the battlefield, where players continued searching for Heavenly Wrath and looting the palace grounds.
• Jiang Dali loaded the Carved Dragon Pillars onto carriages, sent four thousand Black Wind Stronghold players to escort them, and distributed rewards from the Ming State treasury.
• The Ghost King confronted a Blood Transformation monk, who explained that his master feared Xiong Ba’s power and destiny, then ordered the monk to retrieve Heavenly Wrath for the plan’s crucial next step.

Wang Yuyan and Murong Qingqing rescued Zhu Yunwen from masked assassins and escaped town, while a hidden plotter chose not to intervene. In Ming State, Jiang Dali consolidated support for Imperial Grandson Yun to take the vacant throne, leaving Prince Yan Di with little chance to succeed.

• Murong Qingqing detected an assassin above the teahouse after Wang Yuyan mentioned Zhu Yunwen, then killed him with a sonic attack.
• Eight Desolations Little Whirlwind arrived by carriage, and Wang Yuyan and Murong Qingqing escaped with Zhu Yunwen while fighting off more than a dozen masked pursuers.
• Wang Yuyan wounded the attackers, and Murong Qingqing used her Golden Bell Shield and Sky Demon Zither to slaughter them as the carriage fled town.
• A hidden observer decided not to capture Zhu Yunwen, preferring to avoid revealing his identity and relying on the Blood Monk's preparations.
• Jiang Dali used his authority and Lady Ma's support to rally most officials behind Imperial Grandson Yun's succession, while rejecting Prince Yan Di's claim.

Jiang Dali prepared to secure Zhu Yunwen’s claim to the Ming throne by persuading Cihang Jingzhai to abandon Prince Yan and support him. After meeting Zhu Yunwen, Jiang Dali discussed making him an obedient emperor, but Zhu Yunwen surprised him by asking to marry Wang Yuyan.

• Jiang Dali received another secret message from Prince Yan’s side and told Dongfang Bubai he would seek Cihang Jingzhai’s support for Zhu Yunwen rather than kill Prince Yan himself.
• Jiang Dali praised Iron Bull’s strength and promised to teach him the Great Strength Divine Skill when they returned to the stronghold.
• Zhu Yunwen greeted Jiang Dali and acknowledged that Jiang Dali had chosen him because his claim to the throne was legitimate and he had few forces of his own.
• Jiang Dali told Zhu Yunwen he wanted an obedient emperor and said he would give him insurance to ensure their relationship.
• Zhu Yunwen asked Jiang Dali to arrange his marriage to Wang Yuyan and promised to make her empress.

Jiang Dali rejected Zhu Yunwen’s attempt to claim Wang Yuyan, then grew wary of the calm surrounding the new emperor’s succession and decided to seek Cihang Jingzhai’s acknowledgment. Murong Qingqing’s music helped him recognize how much he wanted freedom from palace life, and he resolved to leave for the Black Wind Stronghold after the coronation; Nie Renwang arrived asking where his wife was.

• Jiang Dali slapped Zhu Yunwen for asking to take Wang Yuyan, implanted a Mother-Child Life and Death Net in him, and ordered an imperial physician to treat him.
• Wang Yuyan and Murong Qingqing joked about Jiang Dali’s refusal, and Wang Yuyan rejoiced that he had protected her.
• After officials verified Zhu Yunwen’s identity, they selected an auspicious date for his ascension, while Jiang Dali remained uneasy about the lack of opposition.
• Jiang Dali decided to visit Di Ta Peak so Cihang Jingzhai would acknowledge the new emperor and Prince Yan’s hopes would be crushed.
• Murong Qingqing’s qin music helped Jiang Dali realize he wanted freedom rather than the palace, so he announced they would leave after the coronation.
• Nie Renwang arrived at the boat and asked Jiang Dali where his wife was.

Jiang Dali arranged a secret meeting in the imperial palace where Guan Yutian returned Yan Ying to Nie Renwang and received the Frost Sword in exchange for rescuing her. Yan Ying’s beauty and the mission offering her destiny tempted Jiang Dali, but he declined, leaving her increasingly fascinated by him as Guan Yutian and Jiang Dali completed their bargain.

• Jiang Dali led Nie Renwang through a hidden passage in the palace to meet Guan Yutian and Yan Ying privately.
• Jiang Dali praised Guan Yutian for rescuing Yan Ying, and Nie Renwang thanked him before rushing to check on his wife.
• Yan Ying thanked Jiang Dali and tried to attract his attention, triggering a mission that offered great rewards if he took her as his wife.
• Jiang Dali declined the mission, unwilling to betray Nie Renwang or rely on Yan Ying’s destiny, while Yan Ying grew more interested in him.
• Jiang Dali lent Guan Yutian the Frost Sword for six months, and Guan Yutian agreed to provide the manuals for the Indestructible Divine Art and Innate Gang Qi.

Jiang Dali and Wang Yuyan studied Innate Gang Qi and Indestructible Divine Art, then circulated their True Qi together while seeking ways to integrate the arts into the Great Strength Divine Skill. After absorbing dragon aura from the Realm Breaking Bead, Jiang Dali gained the title True Dragon Hidden in the World and became directly linked to Ming State’s imperial fortune.

• Wang Yuyan proposed that ancient innate experts might naturally possess Innate Gang Qi and extraordinary spiritual force, while Jiang Dali considered how cultivation in the Heavenly Human Realm had developed.
• Jiang Dali rejected cultivating Innate Gang Qi as written because its yang energy could cause his cultivation to collapse on full-moon nights, and he planned to adapt its defensive qualities instead.
• Jiang Dali explained that he wanted to integrate Indestructible Divine Art’s ability to revive the gravely injured into the Great Strength Divine Skill.
• Wang Yuyan and Jiang Dali circulated their True Qi together for more than half a day, refining their energy and learning each other’s cultivation pathways.
• Jiang Dali drew dragon aura from the Realm Breaking Bead, gained the title True Dragon Hidden in the World, and linked his fortune directly to Ming State.
• Imperial Grandson Yun and Prince Yan Di both felt an oppressive jolt from afar and looked toward Jiang Dali in astonishment.

Jiang Dali oversaw Zhu Yunwen’s enthronement and was named Protector King of Ming State, but his quest to secure the throne remained incomplete. Suspecting Prince Yan Di and Cihang Jingzhai could still threaten Zhu Yunwen, he set out for Di Ta Peak.

• Jiang Dali let selected Black Wind Stronghold players witness and livestream Zhu Yunwen’s enthronement ceremony.
• Zhu Yunwen completed the rites, accepted the Imperial Jade Seal and Tiger Tally from Jiang Dali, and was formally proclaimed emperor.
• Zhu Yunwen named Jiang Dali Protector King of Ming State, granted him Yangzhou City and other rewards, and allowed him to enter the palace freely without bowing.
• Jiang Dali realized the quest to quell rebellion and support the dragon remained incomplete because Zhu Yunwen had not firmly secured his throne while Prince Yan Di and Cihang Jingzhai remained powerful.
• Jiang Dali paid his respects at the memorial hall, then mounted the Demonic Eagle and departed with Dongfang Bubai and the others for Di Ta Peak.

After Zhu Yunwen became emperor, Jiang Dali set out for Cihang Jingzhai to force its support for the new ruler, despite the threat posed by its founder, Di Ni. He traveled ahead alone with his companions following at a distance, and the group reached the Yangtze near Tiger Leaping Gorge.

• Jiang Dali learned that his dragon aura had reached its limit after he was made Protector King and received Yangzhou as his fief.
• Jiang Dali explained that he was heading to Cihang Jingzhai because its silence during Zhu Yunwen’s rise suggested it wanted him to come, and Di Ni might still be alive.
• Jiang Dali decided to enter Cihang Jingzhai alone, while Wang Yuyan, Murong Qingqing, and Dongfang Bubai discussed how they could support him.
• Jiang Dali said he had found help and prepared for Di Ni’s spiritual attacks by mentally rehearsing his battle with Demon Master Pang Ban.
• Jiang Dali and his companions traveled toward the Tang State and reached the Yangtze, near Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Jiang Dali traveled with Wang Yuyan, Murong Qingqing, and two companions toward Cihang Jingzhai, where he watched a fight break out between the Six Heroes of West Yue and seven Eight Desolations disciples. A veiled woman from Cihang Jingzhai shattered the disciples’ Death-Exempting Token and threatened to expose their identities, leaving them ready to kill themselves.

• Jiang Dali and his companions stopped at a restaurant near Yumeng Mountain and drew the attention of the Six Heroes of West Yue.
• Seven Eight Desolations disciples arrived, and the two groups argued over the disciples’ attempt to spy on Cihang Jingzhai’s women before taking their fight into the street.
• The Eight Desolations disciples used lime dust and hidden weapons to gain the advantage and badly wound the Six Heroes of West Yue.
• A veiled Cihang Jingzhai woman entered the fight and knocked the weapons from all seven Eight Desolations disciples, injuring them.
• The woman smashed the Black Wind Stronghold Master’s Death-Exempting Token and threatened to remove the disciples’ hoods and reveal their identities.
• The seven Eight Desolations disciples prepared to kill themselves, but the woman’s flute swept toward them again.

Jiang Dali disguised himself and intervened when Fan Qinghui attacked the Seven Eight Desolations disciples, defeating her and exposing her face. The disciples recognized him as their Patriarch, and Fan Qinghui asked whether he was heading to Cihang Jingzhai.

• Jiang Dali used Remote Skill Impartation to empower the Seven Eight Desolations disciples and help them repel Fan Qinghui’s flute shadows.
• Jiang Dali threw wine droplets at Fan Qinghui, then joined a burly newcomer whose palm strike overwhelmed her and sent her crashing to the ground.
• The newcomer seized Fan Qinghui with a powerful suction force, ripped away her veil, and smashed her into the ground before she fled his grip and struck the tavern wall.
• The Six Heroes of West Yue recognized Fan Qinghui but stopped themselves from helping her when Jiang Dali warned them against it.
• The Seven Eight Desolations disciples recognized Jiang Dali by his voice and called him their Patriarch, while Fan Qinghui asked if he intended to go to Cihang Jingzhai.

Jiang Dali revealed himself at Cihang Jingzhai’s mountain gate, made Fan Qinghui apologize to his disciples, and forced the Six Heroes of West Yue to carry him up the mountain in a sedan chair. As he entered the secluded grounds, he sensed Di Ni watching him before an unidentified woman called down from the trees.

• Jiang Dali revealed his identity and rebuked Fan Qinghui for disciplining his Eight Desolations disciples after they invoked his name.
• Fan Qinghui apologized to the seven players and gave them ten Snow Lotus White Aspect Pills.
• Jiang Dali announced that he had come to learn whether Cihang Jingzhai supported the current Ming emperor, then ordered the Six Heroes of West Yue to carry him up the mountain.
• Jiang Dali rode in the sedan chair while practicing Vajra Subduing Demons, making it so heavy that the Six Heroes of West Yue struggled up the mountain.
• After entering Cihang Jingzhai’s grounds, Jiang Dali sensed an eye watching him and suspected Di Ni.
• A woman hidden in the treetops called out that Jiang Dali had kept her waiting and that she had nearly gone exploring alone.

Jiang Dali and Wanwan entered Cihang Jingzhai, where Fan Qinghui revealed that the sect had prepared a trap under Abbess Yun Xiangzhen to deal with him. They reached the back mountain banquet and were greeted by Shi Feixuan.

• Wanwan joined Jiang Dali at the sedan and challenged Fan Qinghui over Cihang Jingzhai's role in stirring up political conflicts.
• Wen Tianni welcomed Jiang Dali and Wanwan and led them through the vermilion gate toward Pine Wave Pavilion to meet Abbess Yun Xiangzhen.
• Jiang Dali and Wanwan recognized that Cihang Jingzhai had gathered its strength to confront them, while Jiang sensed that Di Ni might be watching them across Di Ta Peak.
• Fan Qinghui explained that Yun Xiangzhen had emerged from seclusion to guard the sect amid the unrest and that Qin Mengyao might eventually succeed her.
• Wen Tianni led the group to a pavilion beside a waterfall, where several women had laid out a banquet and Shi Feixuan greeted Jiang Dali.