Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu tested his newly achieved Dragon Tiger Golden Body with Yang Dongxiong and learned that it was exceptionally resistant to blunt attacks but less effective against blades. He then teamed up with Xu Yuelong to sell access to an impending Great Marsh phenomenon, leaving Wei Lin furious over the proposed ticket prices.

• Liang Qu demonstrated his Dragon Tiger Golden Body to Yang Dongxiong, who found its defensive power formidable and approved Liang Qu's plan to combine two cultivation methods.
• Yang Dongxiong warned Liang Qu that his movement technique might not keep pace with stronger opponents, while Liang Qu worried that he lacked the Long Qi needed to improve the Ying Long Mark.
• Liang Qu found Xu Yuelong fishing and told him that the Black Tortoise had predicted a phenomenon in the Great Marsh within seven days.
• Xu Yuelong proposed selling boat tickets to officials and martial artists seeking the phenomenon, charging up to thirty thousand taels for Hunting Tiger cultivators and fifty thousand for Wei Lin.
• The next day, Wei Lin learned of the ticket prices and angrily demanded to know why he was being charged fifty thousand taels.

Liang Qu helped Xu Yuelong arrange ships and collect ticket payments for a journey into the Great Marsh to witness a celestial phenomenon. After Ran Zhongshi emerged from seclusion, the group departed early, and Liang Qu guided the fleet onto a protected route toward Pingyang Prefecture.

• Xu Yuelong negotiated payments from Sui Hongyan, Zuo Heng, and the Three Laws Department to secure their support against Wei Lin.
• Liang Qu selected ten Azure Cloud Wind Skiffs and requisitioned them with one hundred small skiffs and supplies.
• Ran Zhongshi emerged as a Great Martial Master, and Xu Yuelong moved the departure up to that afternoon.
• Xu Yuelong paid Liang Qu one hundred ninety thousand taels, and Liang Qu stored the money before gathering his Master and Senior Brothers for the journey.
• Liang Qu led the fleet out onto the Great Marsh, changed course twice to prevent passengers from evading payment, and the ships used repellent balm and incense to keep Spirit Monsters away.

Liang Qu joined Ke Wenbin and the others in flying enormous kites above the Great Marsh. The exhilarating flight triggered a sudden realization as he began condensing his meridians, leaving the fleet astonished while the other kite flyers wondered why they had felt nothing.

• Ke Wenbin and his companions assembled giant kites and sent Xiang Fangsu soaring above the Azure Boat.
• Several neighboring ships borrowed kites, and Weng Shaoping joined the activity with members of the Weng Family.
• After Xiang Fangsu landed, Liang Qu took a turn and climbed higher than the other kite flyers.
• While riding the kite, Liang Qu experienced a sudden realization and began condensing his meridians.
• Xu Yuelong identified Liang Qu's breakthrough, and the fleet's Martial Masters watched in amazement as the other kite flyers felt no change.

Liang Qu achieved enlightenment while flying a kite, drawing admiration and envy from the travelers on the Azure Boats. Jian Zhongyi’s flute music deepened Liang Qu’s insight, and he advanced his blood and qi while comprehending new levels of Falling Star Arrow.

• Liang Qu meditated on a kite in the sky and entered a sudden enlightenment, while Sui Hongyan, Zuo Heng, and Qi Hongyuan watched from their ship.
• The travelers reacted with admiration, envy, or discomfort, and Weng Shaoping and Xu Zishuai felt disappointed that they had gained nothing from flying.
• Jian Zhongyi played Secluded Bamboo Enlightenment on his flute, calming the fliers and helping Liang Qu’s state of mind rise further.
• Liang Qu’s blood and qi accelerated, condensed into silver mist, and formed a pulsating Heart Meridian.
• Liang Qu opened his Golden Eye and displayed powerful arrow intent, prompting Xu Zishuai to recognize Falling Star Arrow and Yang Dongxiong to realize Liang Qu had advanced through Chasing the Moon and Piercing the Sun.

Liang Qu experienced a sudden enlightenment on a kite, forming his Heart Meridian and improving his endurance, before Xiang Fangsu cut the kite’s cord and sent Liang Qu, Xu Zishuai, and Weng Shaoping tumbling into the marsh. Back aboard the fleet, Liang Qu argued over compensation and learned that Prefect Jian Zhongyi had played the flute that helped inspire his enlightenment.

• Liang Qu formed his Heart Meridian during a sudden enlightenment, increasing his strength and endurance as he rode a kite above the marsh.
• Xiang Fangsu cut Liang Qu’s kite cord after the enlightenment ended, and Liang Qu leaped onto Xu Zishuai’s kite, causing both kites and Weng Shaoping’s kite to crash into the water.
• Liang Qu and Xu Zishuai wrestled in the marsh before soldiers retrieved them and Weng Shaoping in a small boat.
• Weng Shaoping told Liang Qu and Xu Zishuai that he and his younger clansmen had become rivals while competing for family opportunities and power.
• Ke Wenbin demanded three thousand liang for the kite ride, while Liang Qu countered by demanding five thousand taels from Xiang Fangsu for cutting the cord.
• Liang Qu asked who had played the flute that accompanied his enlightenment, and Ran Zhongshi identified Prefect Jian Zhongyi, who stood at the fleet’s bow with his jade-green flute.

With the phenomenon less than five hundred li away, Xu Yuelong explained how the River Conservancy Office might respond to the Dragonfolk, Southern Frog, Northern Fish, and Ghost Mother Sect. The fleet prepared for possible conflict while rival forces gathered at the phenomenon, and Northern Fish learned it had appeared in the south.

• Bai Yinbin and Ran Zhongshi told Liang Qu and the others that Liu Changfeng had sent his grandson to the phenomenon in hopes of curing his hysteria.
• Xu Yuelong announced that the fleet was less than five hundred li from its destination and warned everyone to prepare for a possible fight with the Dragonfolk, Southern Frog, or Fish Monsters.
• Xu Yuelong told Liang Qu that the River Conservancy Office hoped to ally with the Dragonfolk and Southern Frog against Northern Fish, while adapting its plans if the Ghost Mother Sect or other forces arrived.
• Over a hundred Dragonfolk carved caves and planted glowing vines near the phenomenon as members of the Frog Clan prepared to absorb its spiritual opportunity.
• Several Big Fish in the east learned from the Coral Crystal Insect that a phenomenon had appeared in the south, in the Toads' territory.

The River Conservancy Office halted its fleet short of the valley and waited for the Dragonfolk to make contact while its scouts surveyed the area. As Dragonfolk leaders learned that both the fleet and strange fish had arrived, they hurried to discuss what to do.

• Dou Shou calculated that the fleet was about two hundred li from its destination, and Xu Yuelong ordered it to anchor rather than risk an early clash with the Dragonfolk and Frog Clan.
• Xu Yuelong assigned Liang Qu and others to scout the surroundings as the fleet’s crews began taking shifts on watch.
• Long Binglin and the other Dragonfolk leaders completed their preparations and sent out scouts, while Frog Elder ordered the Frog Clan to search in groups.
• Liang Qu distributed Toad Skin Coats among his Water Beasts and sent them to investigate nearby Demon Beast settlements and track the strange fish.
• Liang Qu spotted two Dragonfolk heading toward the valley as Round Head reported that armored fish had approached.
• Long Binglin learned that the River Conservancy Office fleet had arrived from the south and two Great Monster Spirits had appeared from the east, so Long Yanrui urged the leaders to consult Frog Elder.

Liang Qu’s detailed intelligence helped the River Conservancy Office prepare for negotiations as its fleet advanced toward the Dragonfolk, who faced pressure from both the south and east. Xu Yuelong set out to meet the Dragonfolk elders, while Iron Head Fish’s scouts encountered a Frog patrol in the southern waters.

• Yin Chi struggled against his restraints aboard the fleet, and Liang Qu presented Xu Yuelong with detailed intelligence about the Dragonfolk and Frog Clan.
• Xu Yuelong praised Liang Qu’s scouting and promised him a prime position for drawing in spiritual opportunity.
• As the River Conservancy Office fleet advanced, Long Zongyin decided to meet its leaders with Binglin and E Ying while Long Yanrui stayed behind.
• The Dragonfolk sent nine representatives to invite the River Conservancy Office leaders to meet in the Great Marsh, and Xu Yuelong chose a group to go by boat.
• A Red-skinned Frog confronted Iron Head Fish’s vanguard scouts in the southern waters.

Xu Yuelong used Liang Qu’s intelligence to gain leverage over the Dragonfolk and proposed an alliance against Northern Fish, then negotiated a costly sale of Old Ice in exchange for payment and part of the Treasure Land. The chapter ended with Liang Qu learning that the ice the River Conservancy Office had offered had not yet been delivered.

• The Red-skinned Frog and Iron Hero’s forces clashed over the Frog Clan’s territory.
• Liang Qu identified the Dragonfolk leaders and reported that a third candidate was absent from their boats.
• Xu Yuelong rattled Long Zongyin and the other Dragonfolk by revealing how much the River Conservancy Office knew about their candidates and plans.
• Xu Yuelong proposed that the River Conservancy Office, Dragonfolk, and Frog Clan unite against Northern Fish.
• Xu Yuelong demanded payment for 1.2 million jin of Old Ice and half the Treasure Land, prompting Long Zongyin and Long Binglin to bargain over the terms.
• Liang Qu asked Ran Zhongshi whether they had brought the ice, and Ran Zhongshi said the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild had ordered it but had not delivered it yet.

The Dragonfolk and the River Conservancy Office negotiated an alliance to buy ice and divide the Treasure Land, with the Dragonfolk agreeing to pay more after confirming the strange fish were approaching. After the deal, Long Zongyin learned that Long Binglin and Long E Ying thought Liang Qu resembled the Dragon Lord.

• Long Zongyin and Xu Yuelong haggled over the ice price and Treasure Land while Liang Qu wondered why Dragonfolk were staring at him.
• Ran Ying teased Liang Qu, and Ran Zhongshi and Xiang Fangsu shielded him when two Dragonfolk focused on him.
• Round Head warned Liang Qu that the Frog Clan patrol had clashed with the strange fish, and Round Head's wife delivered the news to Xu Yuelong.
• Xu Yuelong revealed that Northern Fish had gathered twelve fish demons and over a hundred Great Monster Spirits, prompting Long Binglin to send Dragonfolk to verify the report.
• After the Dragonfolk confirmed the clash, Long Zongyin added another hundred thousand taels and both sides finalized the deal.
• Ran Zhongshi warned Xu Yuelong that the Dragonfolk had watched Liang Qu, and Long Zongyin later asked Long Binglin and Long E Ying why they thought Liang Qu resembled the Dragon Lord.

Long Zongyin and the Dragonfolk considered whether a human at the River Conservancy Office might be the Dragon Lord Reincarnation, but chose to secure their cooperation before investigating. As the fleet raced toward its destination, the Frog Clan reported Iron Head Fish’s invasion, and Xu Yuelong prepared the River Conservancy Office for the coming skirmishes.

• Long Binglin and Long E Ying told Long Zongyin that a human naval officer bore Jiang Huai's Favor, leading them to suspect he was the Dragon Lord Reincarnation.
• Long Zongyin decided to inform the First Elder and Second Elder, secure the River Conservancy Office agreement, and investigate the suspected reincarnation afterward.
• Long Zijian and Long Zihe returned to the valley and told Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe that Snake Demons had gathered in Fragrant Township County.
• A wounded Frog Clan group reported that Iron Head Fish had invaded the Frog Southern Domain, and Long Yanrui urged the frogs to wait for the Dragonfolk Elders.
• Xu Yuelong sent Kai Yun, Yi Peng, and Yin Bin to meet the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild and ordered Zhong Shi to prepare Ink Arrays as skirmishes with Northern Fish loomed.
• The Dragonfolk spotted the River Conservancy Office fleet as it surfaced and returned to report its arrival.

Liang Qu joined the River Conservancy Office’s alliance with the Frog Clan and Dragon Man Tribe to stop the Iron Head Fish from reaching an anomaly. The allied patrol encountered an Iron Head Fish vanguard, and Xu Yuelong ordered an attack on its transformed leader.

• Iron Hero led the wounded Iron Head Fish scouts south toward a canyon where he expected to find the anomaly.
• Xu Yuelong reported that the Frog Clan and Dragon Man Tribe had agreed to cooperate, and Liang Qu learned that the frogs had adopted his Mountain Character Anchors as weapons.
• The River Conservancy Office distributed Spirit Pattern Wood waist tokens and medicine, organized patrol teams, and set out with the allied forces to block the Iron Head Fish vanguard.
• Xu Yuelong and Yang Dongxiong led a patrol with the Dragonfolk while Ran Zhongshi stayed aboard to guard the ships.
• Liang Qu spotted an Iron Head Fish vanguard led by a demon in human form, and Xu Yuelong ordered the patrol to attack.

Liang Qu supported the ambush on an Iron Head Fish vanguard, while Yang Dongxiong and Xu Yuelong struck down its deputies and the team overwhelmed the remaining fish monsters. The battle continued as Liang Qu aimed a powerful arrow at a fish monster attacking Xu Zishuai.

• Yang Dongxiong led the team around behind the Iron Head Fish vanguard and concealed them while Liang Qu and Xu Yuelong waited in ambush.
• Yang Dongxiong killed the vanguard's right deputy with a saber strike, and Xu Yuelong killed its left deputy with sword astral force.
• The vanguard leader attacked Xu Yuelong and Yang Dongxiong, but Liang Qu's arrows and the team's charge helped split the battlefield and engage the fish monsters.
• Liang Qu used his underwater senses to target fish monsters through the blood mist, while the team gained the advantage in the fight.
• Liang Qu drew Abyssal Wood Bow and shot a red arrow toward a fish monster attacking Xu Zishuai.

Liang Qu killed an Iron Head Fish with his Sun Piercing Arrow, helping the River Conservancy Office and Dragonfolk repel an enemy assault. Over the following two days, their alliance held the line, while Xu Yuelong explained why Great Demons stayed out of ordinary clashes.

• Liang Qu pierced the Iron Head Fish’s armor with a crimson Sun Piercing Arrow and killed it instantly.
• The fighters drove off the Iron Head Fish vanguard, leaving several Great Monster Spirits dead and the remaining Water Beasts wounded.
• Xu Yuelong told Liang Qu to collect fifty-refinement Profound Water Arrows as campaign supplies, and the allies continued patrolling together.
• The Dragonfolk guide explained that the Iron Head Fish had allies among the Lantern Fish and Pufferfish, while the Frog Clan had allies including the White Sturgeon and Manta Ray Clans.
• Xu Yuelong explained that Great Demons avoided ordinary battles because their involvement could escalate the fighting into a wider conflict between races.

As the blue-lit valley’s phenomenon neared, the River Conservancy Office and its allies prepared for an inevitable battle while the Iron Head Fish and allied clans waited nearby. After a shipment of pure blue goods arrived, Xu Yuelong sent Bai Yinbin, Liang Qu, and Ran Zhongshi to deliver it to the Dragon Man Tribe and protect the approaching ice transport ships.

• The Frog Clan, Dragon Man Tribe, and River Conservancy Office held three defensive lines against the Iron Head Fish, Lantern Fish, and Pufferfish clans, which had already suffered heavy losses.
• Wei Lin and Zuo Heng wagered over who would kill a Fish Demon, while Liang Qu inspected his new Profound Water Arrows.
• Ran Zhongshi reported that ship anchors had been stolen from four Azure Boats, and he and Xu Yuelong suspected the Frog Clan had taken them.
• Bai Yinbin arrived with more than 1,205,400 jin of pure blue goods and reported that four Broad-bellied Arks were following.
• Xu Yuelong ordered Bai Yinbin to trade the goods with the Dragon Man Tribe and sent Liang Qu and Ran Zhongshi with him to protect the shipment and the ice transport ships.

Liang Qu and Ran Zhongshi discovered Ghost Mother Sect scouts hiding among the ice convoy and set out to capture them. Meanwhile, Long Zongyin considered how the Dragon Man Tribe should approach Liang Qu, whose identity as the Dragon Lord remained uncertain.

• Liang Qu inspected the pure Old Ice with Ran Zhongshi and learned that the convoy had traveled swiftly through the Great Marsh under the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild’s protection.
• Liang Qu sensed hostile gazes aboard the ships and identified several hidden scouts, while Ran Zhongshi and Bai Yinbin suspected the Ghost Mother Sect.
• Ran Zhongshi ordered the Steward to gather the crew on deck so they could capture the scouts alive and question them.
• Liang Qu and the others began clearing the scouts from the ships, confident that the hidden enemies were no match for them.
• Long Zongyin reviewed what Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe had disclosed and resolved that the Dragon Man Tribe should befriend Liang Qu while continuing to verify whether he was the Dragon Lord.

Long Zongyin planned to strengthen the Dragon Man Tribe’s ties with Liang Qu while the battle against the Iron Head Fish raged. After the River Conservancy Office captured Ghost Mother Sect spies aboard the ice ships, Liang Qu’s group decided to recruit the arriving Dragonfolk to help ambush the sect’s nearby forces.

• Long Zongyin ordered Long Pingjiang and Long Ping He to serve Liang Qu and considered arranging official posts and two Dragon Girl maids to build goodwill with him.
• As the Frog Clan and Iron Head Fish fought across the valley, the Dragonfolk waited for the River Conservancy Office’s ice-transporting ships.
• Liang Qu, Ran Zhongshi, and the others exposed and captured disguised spies aboard the four Broad-bellied Arks, then learned that Ghost Mother Sect forces were waiting forty li away.
• Liang Qu proposed enlisting the Dragonfolk to attack the Ghost Mother Sect forces, and Ran Zhongshi agreed to the plan.
• Long Zongyin arrived to collect the ice, and Ran Zhongshi warmly welcomed him onto the ships.

Long Zongyin agreed to help Ran Zhongshi attack the Ghost Mother Sect in exchange for support placing Dragon Man Tribe juniors in the River Conservancy Office. Liang Qu recognized that the Elder’s real aim was to build ties with him, and the combined force approached a Ghost Mother Sect ship to begin the assault.

• Ran Zhongshi offered the Dragon Man Tribe Old Ice and asked Long Zongyin to help defeat the Ghost Mother Sect, prompting Long Zongyin to request River Conservancy Office posts for his juniors.
• Long Zongyin and several Dragonfolk knelt before Ran Zhongshi, who agreed to introduce him to Commander Xu after Liang Qu signaled his approval.
• Long Zongyin led twenty Wolf Smoke Experts to join Ran Zhongshi’s force, and Dragonfolk carried the slower River Conservancy Office officials through the water.
• Liang Qu asked Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe why Long Zongyin had sought the clan’s appointment, and they explained that the Elder hoped to establish ties with Liang Qu.
• The party spotted a Ghost Mother Sect skiff, and Ran Zhongshi asked Long Zongyin to bore through its hull so they could attack underwater.

Long Zongyin and the River Conservancy Office destroyed a Ghost Mother Sect force and captured three survivors before returning to the larger underwater battle. Liang Qu joined the fighting, where he saw Wei Lin’s enormous crimson roc True Aura and began quietly picking off fish demons with his bow.

• Long Zongyin shattered the Ghost Mother Sect’s flatboat and overwhelmed its fighters, while Ran Zhongshi and Liang Qu helped kill enemies and capture three survivors.
• Ran Zhongshi left Long Zongyin to guard the prisoners and led the group back toward the fiercest fighting in the valley.
• Liang Qu spotted Wei Lin fighting an upper-realm fish demon beneath his immense crimson roc True Aura and wondered what it represented.
• Liang Qu joined the underwater battle and used silent Chasing Moon Arrows to pick off lone fish demons, especially Lantern Fish.

During the battle in the valley, Liang Qu used Awei’s Nether Water Calamity Poison to animate a dead Iron Head Fish Demon as a Water Corpse. He left the fight with Tie Qing badly wounded and a spear driven into his eye.

• Liang Qu injected Awei’s venom into the Iron Head Fish Demon corpse suspended on the valley wall, and it awakened as a Water Corpse.
• Ran Zhongshi told Xu Yuelong and Yang Dongxiong how A Shui had helped expose the Ghost Mother Sect spy, then noticed Liang Qu had disappeared.
• The Water Corpse charged out of the valley, and the humans mistook it for an ambushing Iron Head Fish Demon as it rushed toward them.
• Tie Qing called for the apparent reinforcements, but the Water Corpse instead attacked him and tore open his belly.
• Liang Qu leaped onto the Water Corpse, vaulted toward Tie Qing, and stabbed his spear into the fish demon’s eye.