Chapter Summaries

After Old Ma failed to attack Luo Yan and was shaken by his True Form, he urged Zuo Ren and Liu Ying to abandon the job, but they chose to continue. Luo Yan reunited with Yang Tao and learned that Blood River had sent the assassin, prompting him to recognize the organization from an earlier encounter.

• Luo Yan told Zheng Liangcai that an attacker had dragged him into a consciousness world, and Zheng Liangcai ordered his aide to find the culprit using the restaurant's surveillance footage.
• Luo Yan described Old Ma to Han Xu, who mobilized his contacts to search for him.
• Old Ma told Zuo Ren and Liu Ying that Luo Yan had overwhelmed his confidence and advised them to cancel the operation, but Zuo Ren and Liu Ying decided to continue pursuing Luo Yan themselves.
• Luo Yan tested Yang Tao's training and arranged a room for her after she returned to check on him.
• Han Xu informed Luo Yan that the attacker was an assassin from Blood River, and Luo Yan said he knew the southern assassination organization and its troublesome members.

Luo Yan agreed to cooperate with Nine Phoenixes and called his allies to plan an operation against Yellow Springs. Meanwhile, Liu Rui arrived at Qingxiu Base for a gathering of branch representatives and learned that Jiang Chengxuan had come in Mister Huang’s place.

• Han Xu explained that Yellow Springs had likely hired Blood River to assassinate Luo Yan, and identified The Unreturning as another powerful assassin organization with a grudge against Yellow Springs.
• Luo Yan asked Han Xu to contact The Unreturning and explore working with them.
• Guan Qi told Luo Yan that Nine Phoenixes would provide intelligence services for three years in exchange for his protection and resources, and Luo Yan accepted the agreement.
• Luo Yan summoned Han Xu and told him to gather Zhixin and the others at Jianghai Building for a meeting about an operation against Yellow Springs.
• Liu Rui left Yong City for Qingxiu Base, where representatives from Yellow Springs branches had gathered, and questioned Jiang Chengxuan about why he had come in Mister Huang’s place.

Jiang Chengxuan relayed Mister Huang’s plan to use the branches as a diversion for Blood River’s attempt to assassinate Crimson Ghost, but news that Crimson Ghost’s convoy was heading toward Jinguan City forced a change of plans. Liu Rui secured Mister Huang’s order to send troops immediately, leaving Jiang Chengxuan blamed in advance if the operation caused losses.

• Jiang Chengxuan told the branch representatives that Blood River had failed in an exploratory attack on Crimson Ghost and would need their cooperation for another attempt.
• Jiang Chengxuan explained that Mister Huang wanted the branches to pressure Crimson Ghost while Blood River carried out an assassination.
• An informant reported that a convoy from Guan City was heading northwest toward Jinguan City, prompting Jiang Chengxuan to demand an immediate response.
• Liu Rui argued that the convoy might be a trap and that the branches’ forces were not ready to move, while Jiang Chengxuan warned that King Zhuan Lun Branch could not hold out alone.
• After speaking with Mister Huang by phone, Liu Rui ordered the branches to send troops immediately to intercept Crimson Ghost.
• Liu Rui reminded the representatives that Mister Huang cared about Jiang Chengxuan, making Jiang Chengxuan the focus of their resentment in case the operation went badly.

Luo Yan planned to seize Gulin Base to draw Jiang Chengxuan’s forces away while his hidden army prepared to strike Qingxiu Base. When Yang Tao’s Nishang charged the seemingly undefended base, supervisor Guo Feng watched from the Command Building, hoping his feigned weakness would buy time.

• Han Xu told Luo Yan that Huangquan’s army had left Qingxiu Base without all its forces, and that Liu Rui and Hengxing were absent.
• Luo Yan ordered Han Xu to try to secure Liu Rui’s surrender and planned to take Gulin Base before bypassing Huangquan’s army for a direct assault on Qingxiu Base.
• Yang Tao’s Nishang killed the Mirage Turtle, and the recovery convoy continued toward Gulin Base.
• Luo Yan and Yang Tao recognized that Gulin Base’s lack of visible guards might be a trap, and Luo Yan ordered Yang Tao to attack.
• Guo Feng explained that he had made Gulin Base appear undefended to delay Luo Yan until Huangquan’s army arrived.
• Guo Feng learned that the enemy had deployed only one mecha, as Yang Tao’s Nishang sped down the road toward Gulin Base.

Yang Tao attacked Gulin Base alone in Nishang, destroying its Mechanical Spiders and forcing Guo Feng and the base’s four other mechas to confront her. She activated the Great Sage Equal to Heaven mask and multiplied Nishang into a host of illusions, leaving the defenders facing an apparent one-mecha army.

• Guo Feng learned that a single red-and-white mecha was approaching Gulin Base and ordered his assistant to direct the battle while he prepared to meet it in Cold Light.
• Yang Tao piloted Nishang through the minefield and dodged an ambush by Mechanical Spiders that emerged from the woods.
• Nishang weaved through the attackers and destroyed Mechanical Spiders with its sword as Guo Feng arrived outside the base with four other mechas.
• Guo Feng ordered the other pilots to flank Nishang while he drew its attention from the front.
• Yang Tao activated the Great Sage Equal to Heaven mask, and its clones combined with her Water Moon Secret Scroll’s illusions to fill the highway with apparent Nishangs.

Yang Tao used Nishang and the Great Sage's Mask clones to overwhelm Gulin Base, then defeated Guo Feng with an illusion and Ten Steps, One Kill. Two hours later, a drone recorded the wreckage and the burning base.

• Guo Feng ordered Gulin Base's mecha to fire everything at Nishang and her clones, but Yang Tao's forces intercepted the attacks and destroyed the base's mecha one by one.
• Guo Feng activated a secret technique and used Cold Light to eliminate many Divine Clones, but his Mystic Qi quickly dwindled.
• Guo Feng attacked what he thought was Nishang, only to discover it was an illusion as the real Nishang struck Cold Light from behind.
• Yang Tao killed Guo Feng with Ten Steps, One Kill, destroying Cold Light and nearly exhausting her Mystic Qi.
• Two hours later, a drone arrived and filmed the wreckage and Gulin Base burning beneath thick smoke.

At Qingxiu Base, Liu Rui dismissed Jiang Chengxuan’s urgent request for help, insisting Red Ghost was using a feint and refusing to deploy without orders from Huang Yuanlong. Jiang Chengxuan pressed ahead toward Red Ghost despite warnings that his forces could fall behind.

• Liu Rui demonstrated his strength by punching a heavy shield nearly a hundred meters backward during training.
• Jiang Chengxuan contacted Liu Rui and showed him footage of the devastated Gulin Base, saying Red Ghost had destroyed it and demanding that Liu deploy.
• Liu Rui refused, arguing that Red Ghost was luring him away from Qingxiu Base and advising Jiang to regroup before attacking Wancheng Base.
• Jiang Chengxuan invoked Huang Yuanlong’s authority, but Liu Rui closed the laptop and demanded that Huang give the order himself.
• Jiang Chengxuan ordered his convoy to speed up and threatened to shoot anyone who fell behind despite a warning that the forces at the rear could not keep pace.

Yang Tao captured Yu Zhengchu after Luo Yan’s forces overran a King Zhuan Lun branch smuggling camp. Luo Yan questioned Yu Zhengchu, praised Yang Tao, and promised her an Ultimate Skill before Guan Qi arrived.

• Yang Tao fought through the camp and searched its buildings for supervisor Yu Zhengchu.
• Yu Zhengchu fled from the processing plant, but Yang Tao blocked his escape and forced him to surrender.
• Luo Yan questioned Yu Zhengchu about the King Zhuan Lun branch and Jiang Chengxuan, then had him taken away.
• Luo Yan praised Yang Tao’s victories and promised to reward her with an Ultimate Skill.
• Guan Qi of Nine Phoenixes arrived in a modified sedan.

Luo Yan laid out a plan to draw Jiang Chengxuan away and strike Yellow Springs’ rear forces before launching a surprise attack on Qingxiu Base. He hired Huang Bin of The Unreturning to assassinate Jiang Chengxuan in exchange for a smuggling camp and secured a long-term partnership with the organization.

• Guan Qi reported that Jiang Chengxuan and the Yellow Springs convoy were following about two hours behind, and Luo Yan ordered the convoy to rest before setting out again.
• Luo Yan planned to lure Jiang Chengxuan away, attack Yellow Springs’ rear forces, and have his hidden army strike Qingxiu Base.
• Yang Tao introduced Luo Yan to Huang Bin of The Unreturning, and Luo Yan asked him to kill Jiang Chengxuan.
• Luo Yan offered Huang Bin control of a smuggling camp as payment, and Huang Bin requested that Luo Yan prioritize The Unreturning for future assassination jobs.
• Luo Yan accepted Huang Bin’s request, and Huang Bin pledged that The Unreturning would serve as his dagger.

Luo Yan’s forces prepared to move while Jiang Chengxuan’s troops pursued the Red Ghost’s convoy through the night. A reconnaissance drone detected the convoy’s departure, and the chapter ended when Ren Anguo’s radar picked up a mech energy signal.

• Huang Bin left after arranging for The Unreturning to target Jiang Chengxuan, while Luo Yan told Yang Tao to rely on the organization’s resources rather than handle everything herself.
• A drone pilot reported that the Red Ghost’s people had taken his camp, then began hourly reconnaissance with his companions to monitor them.
• During a midnight patrol, the pilot spotted the Red Ghost’s convoy preparing to leave, and its forces destroyed the drone.
• The bearded man ordered his group to flee and contact Minister Jiang; explosions soon destroyed their abandoned camp.
• Jiang Chengxuan ordered his convoy to pursue the Red Ghost toward Jinguan City and told the exhausted convoy behind him to catch up.
• Ren Anguo’s convoy struggled to keep pace because it was transporting mechs, then its radar detected a mech energy signal.

Ren Anguo’s convoy came under attack from a mysterious black mecha that destroyed its defenses and overwhelmed the escort mecha. The black mecha continued its slaughter as the surviving convoy watched in terror.

• Ren Anguo detected a Divine General-class mecha approaching and ordered the convoy into Level One Alert.
• A massive purplish-red sword fell from the sky and destroyed a transport vehicle and the Divine Guard Mecha inside it.
• A seemingly intangible black mecha emerged from the flames and cut through the convoy’s heavy armored vehicles.
• The black mecha charged into battle and easily defeated the six Advanced Mecha.
• The black mecha decapitated two mecha and hurled their heads into the convoy, crushing several vehicles near Ren Anguo.

Luo Yan spared the surviving Huangquan convoy to sow suspicion within Huangquan, while Jiang Chengxuan led his mecha forces to intercept Chi Gui’s convoy. As Jiang’s forces attacked, a red-and-white mecha emerged and stood alone against the pursuers.

• Ren Anguo surrendered the surviving Huangquan convoy, and Luo Yan let its people leave with their weapons.
• Luo Yan destroyed the abandoned vehicles and sent a message to Han Xu, intending to stir distrust within Huangquan.
• Jiang Chengxuan led his Divine General Mecha, Saint King, and the other mecha to intercept Chi Gui’s convoy before it reached Jinguan City.
• Jiang Chengxuan ordered his forces to attack after the convoy scattered, but their gunfire and missiles hit few vehicles.
• A red-and-white mecha leaped from a transport vehicle, intercepted two missiles, and stopped on the highway to face Jiang Chengxuan’s forces alone.

Jiang Chengxuan fought Nishang while the other mechas pursued Red Ghost’s fleeing vehicles, but Nishang escaped after using the Great Sage’s Mask and its Divine Clones. Ren Anguo then reported that Red Ghost had attacked his group.

• Jiang Chengxuan used three defensive Mystic Arts before attacking Nishang, whose watery defense absorbed his Lightning Strike.
• Nishang struck the Saint King with a fast sword-light attack, and Jiang Chengxuan countered with a barrage of offensive and control Mystic Arts.
• Nishang used the Great Sage’s Mask to create dozens of Divine Clones, which attacked the Saint King until Jiang Chengxuan unleashed Five Thunders Strike the Top.
• Jiang Chengxuan’s lightning destroyed the clones, but Nishang’s main body escaped amid the bombardment.
• Jiang Chengxuan learned that Red Ghost’s vehicles had scattered and that his forces had stopped only a few of them.
• Ren Anguo contacted Jiang Chengxuan and reported that Red Ghost had attacked them.

Liu Rui learned that Han Xu’s forces, joined by Mister Red Ghost’s troops, were advancing on Qingxiu Base and demanded that he surrender. The base went on full alert as Liu Rui prepared his mecha and faced the approaching attack.

• Liu Rui argued with Jiang Chengxuan, who demanded reinforcements and accused him and Ren Anguo of betraying the organization.
• Liu Rui learned that Outpost Number Four had been destroyed and that contact with King Taishan Branch personnel in Guancheng had been lost.
• Liu Rui ordered a first-level alert, martial law, and preparations for his Hengxing mecha as Qingxiu Base’s soldiers took up battle positions.
• Han Xu called Liu Rui and revealed that his main army, including Mister Red Ghost’s forces and three Divine General mecha, was advancing on Qingxiu Base.
• Han Xu urged Liu Rui to surrender, warning that Jiang Chengxuan and the forces he had taken away would not return that day.

Jiang Chengxuan accused Liu Rui of undermining Huang Yuanlong’s orders and secured a promise of support, then delayed helping Qingxiu Base so he could exploit the fighting. Luo Yan used a decoy advance to draw Jiang Chengxuan away from Qingxiu, while preparing to seize the King Zhuan Lun headquarters base; Yellow Springs faced defeat whichever way Jiang chose.

• Jiang Chengxuan complained to Huang Yuanlong that Liu Rui had refused support, and Huang Yuanlong agreed to pressure Liu Rui while warning Jiang not to fail again.
• Jiang Chengxuan learned that Red Ghost’s main force was approaching Qingxiu Base and agreed to send help, but decided to wait until Liu Rui and Red Ghost had weakened each other.
• Scouts reported that the enemy convoy was heading toward the King Zhuan Lun headquarters base, prompting Jiang Chengxuan to mobilize his mechas and rush back.
• Luo Yan waited alone on the road to the headquarters base after directing the convoy to create the impression of an assault there.
• Luo Yan planned to take the headquarters base if Jiang returned to defend it, or exploit Jiang’s absence if he went to reinforce Qingxiu Base.

Luo Yan faced Jiang Chengxuan and Yellow Springs on the highway, and both sides invoked powerful mask techniques. A Yellow Springs pilot named Zhang Huacan was trapped in Luo Yan’s illusion and began falling into Saber Saw Hell.

• Luo Yan spotted Jiang Chengxuan’s group approaching in one Divine General, two Divine Guards, and five Advanced Mechas, then sent Nishang a message.
• Jiang Chengxuan confronted Luo Yan over refusing to return to Qingxiu Base and claiming King Zhuan Lun.
• Luo Yan put on the King Yama mask, and Jiang Chengxuan responded by using the White Mask, True Lord Erlang.
• Luo Yan’s illusion transported a Yellow Springs pilot named Zhang Huacan to Ghost Gate Pass, where a voice sentenced him to Saber Saw Hell.
• Zhang Huacan fell into a hell filled with sinners nailed to burning stakes as saw teeth rose beneath them.

Luo Yan used the Yanluo Mask to trap the Huangquan members in separate hellish illusions, but Jiang Chengxuan escaped with the True Lord Mask and ordered an attack. Luo Yan’s Phantom then split an enemy mecha with one slash, while Jiang Chengxuan witnessed the Scarlet Ghost’s overwhelming strength.

• Luo Yan’s Yanluo Mask sent Zhang Huacan and the other Huangquan members into different hellish illusions, where Zhang Huacan was pinned and sawn apart repeatedly.
• Jiang Chengxuan fell into a volcanic hell but escaped when a paper crane carried him through the clouds and back to the command platform.
• Jiang Chengxuan saw that five squad members had died and ordered an attack after two Divine Guard-class mechas charged Luo Yan’s Phantom.
• Luo Yan’s Phantom turned intangible to evade a mecha’s kick, appeared behind it, and used the Red Face secret technique to power up.
• Luo Yan’s Phantom used Ultimate Skill, Ten Steps, One Kill to split the dark-gray mecha in two, killing its pilot in the explosion.

Jiang Chengxuan used the True Lord Mask’s Mystic Arts to fight Luo Yan’s Phantom, but his allies fell and he was left alone. He sealed the Phantom’s escape and summoned the Four Spirits of Heaven, leaving the battle poised for his next attack.

• Jiang Chengxuan expanded a Giant Spirit phantom with Dharma Heaven Phenomenon Earth and struck at the Phantom with Heavenly Thunder, but the Phantom evaded the lightning.
• Luo Yan unleashed Que Tian Sword, and a one-armed Divine Guard used a life-consuming Ultimate Skill to weaken it; Jiang Chengxuan escaped with Shifting Forms and Changing Positions.
• Jiang Chengxuan’s Giant Spirit phantom pinned the Phantom with five blades, but Luo Yan’s mecha cut them apart and killed the approaching one-armed Divine Guard.
• Jiang Chengxuan activated emergency mode after realizing he was alone, then sealed the space around the Phantom so it could not escape into Shadow.
• Jiang Chengxuan summoned the Four Spirits of Heaven: a bird, a Coiling Dragon, a great tiger, and a giant tortoise.

Luo Yan broke Jiang Chengxuan’s Four Spirits Sealing Formation and destroyed the Saint King, but Jiang Chengxuan escaped. Luo Yan then headed toward King Zhuan Lun’s weakened Surface Base in an abandoned city.

• Jiang Chengxuan trapped the Phantom in the Four Spirits Sealing Formation and prepared another Mystic Art while the four spirit beasts attacked.
• Luo Yan unleashed a blood-colored storm that erased the formation’s attacks, then struck the Saint King with Three Talents United.
• The Saint King twisted apart, and its emergency system ejected Jiang Chengxuan, who fled through the forest toward Guangfu.
• Luo Yan chose not to pursue Jiang Chengxuan, messaged Yang Tao and Han Xu, and piloted the Phantom toward King Zhuan Lun’s headquarters.
• Luo Yan reached the abandoned city housing King Zhuan Lun’s Surface Base and entered Shadow state as he approached.

Luo Yan piloted Phantom through King Zhuan Lun’s defenses, using Shadow State to evade mines and artillery before breaking into the base. The chapter ended with Phantom looming over Pei Bo in the exposed Command Hall.

• Pei Bo ordered the base to activate its highest defenses and deploy its mechs after identifying the approaching Phantom as the Red Ghost’s mech.
• Phantom passed through the minefields and ignored manually detonated mines and artillery while in its ethereal state.
• Phantom briefly regained its physical form to destroy the nearby gun emplacements, and Pei Bo realized it might be vulnerable while attacking.
• Luo Yan activated Shadow State and passed through the base’s outer wall despite Pei Bo’s orders to stop him.
• Phantom cut open the Command Hall’s roof with its greatsword and appeared above Pei Bo.