Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• The city of Ninggu is locked down following the Old Man's death, with Tiger Lian Mountain's guards controlling the streets but not conducting house-to-house searches.
• Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia discuss the situation with the innkeeper, concluding that the lockdown is a show of force to intimidate the murderer.
• Liao Tieshan and his niece, Liao Qing, arrive at the inn. Liao Tieshan tries to gather information from Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia, suspecting they are not ordinary merchants.

Character Developments

• Jiang Qiao maintains his calm and nonchalant demeanor, giving away little information about himself or his purpose in Ninggu.
• Shen Boxia remains observant and cautious, picking up on Liao Tieshan's probing questions.
• Liao Tieshan is revealed to be an adventurer with a curious and probing nature, likely seeking information about the recent events in Ninggu.

Significant Themes

• The theme of deception and trust is prominent, with each character trying to gauge the intentions of the others.
• The tense political climate in Ninggu is explored further, with the lockdown serving as a display of power and intimidation.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia continue to present a united front, working together to navigate the situation in Ninggu.
• Liao Tieshan attempts to befriend Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia, hoping to learn more about their true identities and purposes in Ninggu.
• Liao Qing remains quiet and observant, assessing Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia with a keen eye.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ninggu City is under lockdown, allowing residents to move only on main streets and prohibiting business and gatherings.
• Jiang Qiao discovers a secret plot involving a group called "Dead Man's Wealth," a treasure transported by evil entities, to be robbed by a group led by Liao Tieshan and Liao Qing.
• The robbery is planned for midnight, with the treasure expected to pass through a mass grave in the northern hills.

Character Developments

• Jiang Qiao demonstrates his sharp hearing and keen interest in the mysterious treasure.
• Liao Tieshan and Liao Qing reveal their greed and recklessness, planning to rob the treasure despite the risks.
• An unknown person joins their plan, showing initial hesitation but ultimately agreeing to participate.

Significant Themes

• Greed and its consequences: The characters' desire for wealth leads them to take dangerous risks.
• The unknown and its allure: The mysterious treasure and the evil entities transporting it draw the characters' curiosity and ambition.
• Trust and betrayal: The characters' plans involve deception and betrayal, as they aim to profit from the situation.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Qiao eavesdrops on Liao Tieshan, Liao Qing, and the unknown person as they discuss their plan to rob the treasure.
• Liao Tieshan and Liao Qing try to convince the unknown person to join their plan, using persuasive arguments and reassurances.
• Jiang Qiao considers watching the robbery unfold, indicating his interest in the situation and the characters involved.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Qiao follows Liao Tieshan's group to a mass grave north of Ninggu City.
• Liao Tieshan prepares for an encounter with a dead procession by setting up protective measures, including Human Skin Paper Money, Living Human Incense Ash, and an Eye-Obscuring Candle.
• The group waits for the dead procession to arrive, with Liao Tieshan giving instructions on how to scatter the Paper Money and use the Incense Ash.

Character Developments

• Liao Tieshan demonstrates his cautious nature and thorough preparation, earning respect from the Scar-faced man and Jiang Qiao.
• Jiang Qiao observes the group from a distance, revealing his ability to sense supernatural phenomena and his knowledge of the Supernatural World.

Significant Themes

• The dangers of the Supernatural World and the precautions necessary to navigate it.
• The value of thorough preparation and caution in facing supernatural threats.
• The use of human remains and byproducts in supernatural rituals and items.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Qiao observes Liao Tieshan and his group from a distance, not interacting directly but learning about their plans and preparations.
• Liao Tieshan interacts with the Scar-faced man and his helpers, providing instructions and distributing protective items.
• The Scar-faced man and his helpers show deference to Liao Tieshan, acknowledging his experience and expertise.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A procession of the dead, led by two black-robed figures, six box carriers, four sedan-chair bearers, and an old man with a white paper lantern, approaches Liao Tieshan's group.
• The dead carry three chests, unlike the reported seven or eight, and the sedan chair's description doesn't match.
• Liao Tieshan notices anomalies, but one of his men scatters human skin paper money, drawing the dead's attention.
• Liao Tieshan and his group attack, discovering that the dead are not as they expected: they stop moving, turn towards them, and react abnormally to living human incense.
• The Scar-faced man and his helpers kill two box carriers, revealing gold bars inside the chests. They become greedy and eager to continue the fight.
• The old man releases a white paper lantern, causing cold green flames to spread, engulfing the mass grave.

Character Developments

• Liao Tieshan: Initially cautious and observant, he becomes decisive when the situation turns dangerous. He shows concern for his group's safety and makes quick decisions based on new information.
• Liao Qing: Remains silent and observant throughout the chapter, showing trust in Liao Tieshan's leadership.
• The Scar-faced man: Greedy and impulsive, he becomes reckless when he sees the gold bars, ignoring the strange occurrences and Liao Tieshan's retreat.

Significant Themes

• Greed: The Scar-faced man and his helpers are driven by their desire for wealth, leading them to disregard the danger they're in.
• Trust and Leadership: Liao Tieshan's group follows his orders, showing trust in his judgment, while the Scar-faced man's group acts independently, leading to potential disaster.
• Appearances vs. Reality: The procession of the dead does not behave as expected, highlighting the danger of relying on assumptions and incomplete information.

Character Interactions

• Liao Tieshan and Liao Qing exchange a glance, indicating their shared concern and understanding of the situation.
• Liao Tieshan gives a decisive order for his group to move, showing his authority and quick thinking.
• The Scar-faced man and his helpers act independently, ignoring Liao Tieshan's retreat and focusing on the gold bars.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A sea of green, cold fire ignites in the Mass Grave, burning without heat or smoke.
• Four men attempt to take a gold bar from the fire, each suffering a gruesome death:
  • The first man's body shrinks and dries as silver dollars pour from his mouth until he dies.
  • The second man's body oozes black liquid that solidifies into ink blocks before he collapses.
  • The third man's hand rots away, revealing inscribed bones with his debts before he turns into a mummy.
  • Scar-faced man's body shrinks, and his shadow separates and walks away before he dies.
• The old man in the sedan chair says, "Disturbing a ghost wedding... It has been entered into the ledger."
• Liao Tieshan and Liao Qing flee, pursued by the old man's slow yet heavy footsteps.

Character Developments

• The four men show initial greed but quickly succumb to terror and helplessness as they die.
• Scar-faced man's fear and desperation grow as he realizes he's trapped and dying.
• Liao Tieshan and Liao Qing become increasingly panicked and desperate to escape the pursuing old man.

Significant Themes

• Greed and its consequences: The men's desire for wealth leads to their gruesome deaths.
• The power of the supernatural: The green fire and the old man demonstrate immense, otherworldly power.
• The inevitability of fate: Once the men disturb the ghost wedding, their fates are sealed.

Character Interactions

• The four men interact briefly before dying, showing initial camaraderie but no help or support for each other.
• Liao Tieshan and Liao Qing work together to flee, showing a level of trust and teamwork, but their fear and desperation grow as they're pursued.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Qiao discovers a small blue cloth sedan chair with a red wedding dress and a note inside, mentioning a wedding procession in Spring City on the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the Year of Gengchen.
• A hunchbacked old man, who was controlling the dead bodies, attacks Jiang Qiao after he finds the note. Jiang Qiao defeats him with three punches.
• The wedding dress inside the sedan chair fades and decays rapidly after the hunchbacked old man's death.

Character Developments

• Jiang Qiao demonstrates his powerful abilities and strategic thinking, understanding that the sedan chair and its contents were set up for him.
• The hunchbacked old man is revealed to be a puppet controlled by an unknown force.

Significant Themes

• The theme of deception and hidden intentions is prominent, as Jiang Qiao realizes he has been set up, and the true purpose behind the sedan chair's appearance is yet to be revealed.
• The passage of time and decay are emphasized through the rapid deterioration of the wedding dress.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Qiao interacts with the hunchbacked old man, provoking it into attacking him and revealing its true nature.
• Jiang Qiao's internal monologue reveals his thought processes and deductions about the sedan chair's origins and the forces behind it.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Qiao returns to the inn at dawn after a night out.
• He found a mysterious note in a sedan chair during a supposed wedding procession.
• The note mentions a wedding on the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month in the Year of Gengchen at Locust Tree Alley in Spring City's Eastern Suburbs.
• Shen Boxia reveals that Locust Tree Alley is infamous as a 'ghost alley' due to a family annihilation and subsequent supernatural events.

Character Developments

• Jiang Qiao shows curiosity and interest in the supernatural event at Locust Tree Alley.
• Shen Boxia demonstrates knowledge of the southern Supernatural Circle's history and legends.

Significant Themes

• The power of the unknown and supernatural.
• The consequences of meddling with evil forces.
• The taboo nature of certain places and events.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia discuss the note and the history of Locust Tree Alley.
• They decide to investigate the matter further when they reach Spring City.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The city gates are reopened, but everyone must undergo strict inspections.
• Liao Tieshan and Liao Qing return, alive but disheveled and shocked.
• Liao Tieshan thanks Jiang Qiao for saving them, offering his assistance in the future.
• Liao Tieshan reveals they are from Spring City and came to the north for business after offending the Chen Family.

Character Developments

• Jiang Qiao remains calm and composed, showing no reaction to the mention of Spring City or the Chen Family.
• Shen Boxia shows curiosity and asks questions, revealing his knowledge of the Chen Family's influence.
• Liao Tieshan and Liao Qing are terrified after their encounter with the old ghost and the revelation of the Locust Tree Alley connection.

Significant Themes

• The power dynamics and influence of different families in the Supernatural Circle (Chen Family, Gui Family, and the potential influence of Jiang Qiao's family).
• The consequences of one's actions and the need to face them (Liao Tieshan's past actions leading to his current predicament).

Character Interactions

• Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia have a casual conversation, with Shen Boxia showing curiosity about Liao Tieshan and Liao Qing's origins.
• Liao Tieshan approaches Jiang Qiao to express his gratitude and offer his assistance, hoping to establish a connection.
• Liao Tieshan shares his past with Shen Boxia, revealing the details of his offense against the Chen Family and his subsequent flight to the north.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liao Tieshan recounts the story of a cursed pair of shoes from Locust Tree Alley that caused mass deaths on a hijacked ship.
• The curse only affected those who had boarded the cargo ship, and it continued to claim victims even after they returned to shore.
• The Chen Family, who owned the shoes, sent them to the South Seas, raising suspicions about their intentions.

Character Developments

• Liao Tieshan: Initially reluctant to share his story, he becomes more forthcoming as he recalls the traumatic event. He reveals his plan to stay in the north temporarily to care for his concubines.
• Shen Boxia: He listens intently to Liao Tieshan's story and later analyzes the situation, concluding that the Chen Family likely created the chest to counter the curse and sent it to the South Seas for a specific purpose.
• Jiang Qiao: He listens to the story and engages in conversation, showing curiosity and understanding. He plans to visit the Chen Family in Spring City to uncover the truth.

Significant Themes

• Supernatural Elements: The cursed shoes and the chest from Locust Tree Alley introduce supernatural elements into the story, hinting at ancient curses and their potential to cause widespread harm.
• Greed and Its Consequences: The pirates' greed led them to hijack the ship, which resulted in numerous deaths and a curse that continued to claim victims even after they escaped.
• Power and Influence: The Chen Family's extensive reach and connections are mentioned, suggesting they have the power and influence to deal with the curse and send the chest to the South Seas.

Character Interactions

• Liao Tieshan and Shen Boxia: Liao Tieshan shares his story with Shen Boxia, who listens attentively and later analyzes the situation, showing understanding and empathy.
• Jiang Qiao and Liao Tieshan: Jiang Qiao engages in conversation with Liao Tieshan, showing curiosity and understanding. He also expresses admiration for Liao Tieshan's plan to care for his concubines.
• Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia: They discuss the situation and agree to visit the Chen Family in Spring City to uncover the truth, demonstrating their partnership and shared goals.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Great Families' Coalition Army arrives south of Ninggu City, setting up camp.
• The great families (Tao, Feng, Gui) and their affiliated families are represented by large and small banners respectively.
• A meeting is held in the central command tent, with Tao Yuanshan (Tao Family's top expert) leading the discussion.
• The main objective is to retake Ninggu City and eliminate Tiger Lian Mountain within three days.
• Withered Elder, an elderly expert, senses a strange, muddled aura north of the city.
• Feng Jizu (Feng Family's representative) suggests that Tiger Lian Mountain might have several Great Sirs, indicating a high level of threat.
• It's decided that the attack on Tiger Lian Mountain will commence the next day.

Character Developments

• Tao Yuanshan: Shows determination to retake Ninggu City and eliminate Tiger Lian Mountain, but also displays irritation with Gui Mingtang's scheming.
• Gui Mingtang: Reveals his cunning nature, trying to use the unknown expert who killed Tiger Lian Mountain's person in charge for his own gain.
• Withered Elder: Shows wisdom and caution, sensing an unusual aura north of the city and advising against underestimating Tiger Lian Mountain.
• Feng Jizu: Demonstrates analytical skills, suggesting that Tiger Lian Mountain might have several Great Sirs, indicating a high level of threat.

Significant Themes

• Power dynamics: The great families' arrival highlights the power struggle between them and the Secret Organizations like Tiger Lian Mountain.
• Caution vs. confidence: The characters display a mix of caution (Withered Elder, Feng Jizu) and overconfidence (Tao Yuanshan, Gui Mingtang) regarding the upcoming battle.
• Uncertainty: The strange aura sensed by Withered Elder and the unknown expert who killed Tiger Lian Mountain's person in charge add an element of uncertainty to the situation.

Character Interactions

• Tao Yuanshan and Gui Mingtang: Their interaction reveals Gui Mingtang's scheming nature and Tao Yuanshan's irritation with it.
• Withered Elder and Tao Yuanshan: Withered Elder's advice influences Tao Yuanshan's decision to attack the next day.
• Feng Jizu and the others: Feng Jizu's analysis of the situation contributes to the decision to attack the next day.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The allied forces of noble families attack Ninggu City at dawn.
• A hundred-man vanguard led by smaller noble families enters the city, encountering no resistance.
• The vanguard vanishes at an intersection, revealed by Feng Jizu's Bronze Mirror to have become a Supernatural Space entrance.
• Tao Yuanshan sends fifty men to investigate; they also vanish upon entering the intersection.
• A middle-aged man in a green robe appears at a tavern window in the inner city, identified as a Great Sir from a Secret Organization behind Tiger Lian Mountain.

Character Developments

• Tao Yuanshan: Shows strategic thinking and calmness in the face of unexpected supernatural occurrences.
• Feng Jizu: Demonstrates his ability to sense and reveal supernatural phenomena using his Bronze Mirror.
• Old Ku: Reveals his ability to sense distant presences, identifying the middle-aged man as a Great Sir.

Significant Themes

• The power dynamics between great noble families and Secret Organizations.
• The use of supernatural spaces and distortions in combat strategies.
• The role of Special Ability Users in warfare.

Character Interactions

• Tao Yuanshan consults with Feng Jizu and Old Ku to understand and respond to the supernatural threat.
• Gui Mingtang expresses confidence in the power of great noble families compared to Secret Organizations.
• Tao Yuanshan orders affiliated families to send troops as cannon fodder for investigation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tao Yuanshan, a powerful member of the Tao Family, neutralizes a supernatural phenomenon at the city intersection, demonstrating his terrifying strength.
• Gui Mingtang, from the Gui Family, enters the city to seize control of the fortress, but encounters a mysterious woman in a qipao who blocks his path.
• The woman effortlessly kills two of Gui Mingtang's subordinates and prevents him from using his special ability. She then stops Gui Mingtang from escaping, causing him to return to the starting point, with all his subordinates killed.

Character Developments

• Tao Yuanshan: Shows off his immense power, nearly matching the Tao Family's head, and gains respect from other family leaders.
• Gui Mingtang: Initially confident, he becomes alarmed and fearful upon encountering the mysterious woman, revealing his vulnerability when faced with unexpected threats.
• Mysterious Woman: Reveals herself as a formidable opponent, capable of stopping Great Sirs from the great families, hinting at her significant power and background.

Significant Themes

• Power Dynamics: The struggle for control over Ninggu City highlights the power dynamics between the great families and the common folk, with the mysterious woman representing a new force challenging the established order.
• Unexpected Threats: The appearance of the mysterious woman serves as a reminder that threats can come from unexpected quarters, challenging the assumptions and confidence of the great family leaders.

Character Interactions

• Tao Yuanshan and Gui Mingtang: They cooperate to deal with the Tiger Lian Mountain threat, with Tao Yuanshan providing support while Gui Mingtang enters the city. Their interaction is brief but shows mutual respect.
• Gui Mingtang and the Mysterious Woman: Their interaction is tense and one-sided, with the woman displaying dominance and preventing Gui Mingtang from achieving his objective, revealing the power imbalance between them.

Key Plot Points and Events

• An aristocratic family coalition has appeared outside the city, causing the inn to close and guests to leave. Remaining guests are spies and scouts from various factions.
• Jiang Qiao observes carrier pigeons being used to transmit information.
• A chill wind blows, signaling an impending battle.
• Jiang Qiao senses strange auras descending, including one familiar from his past on Blue Star.
• He witnesses the construction of a supernatural environment and the descent of a powerful entity.

Character Developments

• Jiang Qiao demonstrates his ability to sense and analyze supernatural auras, revealing his vast knowledge and experience.
• Shen Boxia shows curiosity and shock about the impending battle and Jiang Qiao's insights.

Significant Themes

• The power dynamics between different factions, including the aristocratic families and the Secret Organization behind Tiger Lian Mountain.
• The use of old and new methods of communication (carrier pigeons vs. modern technology).
• The survival and growth of powerful individuals from Jiang Qiao's past on Blue Star.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia discuss the battle and the strength of the different factions involved.
• Jiang Qiao shares his insights about the familiar auras with Shen Boxia, hinting at their past encounters.
• Jiang Qiao observes the actions of the remaining guests at the inn, revealing their roles as spies and scouts.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jizu leads 300 men into Ninggu City, aiming for the inner city and the fortress.
• They encounter a mysterious dwarf old man blocking their path, who claims the road is closed.
• Feng Jizu's group fires at the old man, but he heals instantly and retaliates by killing 53 of Feng Jizu's men.
• Feng Jizu draws a rusted short blade, ready to confront the old man.

Character Developments

• Feng Jizu demonstrates his decisiveness and leadership by changing their route to help Gui Mingtang.
• The dwarf old man reveals his supernatural abilities and mysterious nature, showing no fear against Feng Jizu's group.

Significant Themes

• The theme of debt and repayment is introduced, with the old man keeping an account book of debts.
• The power dynamics between Feng Jizu's group and the old man shift, challenging Feng Jizu's authority.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jizu and the dwarf old man have a tense standoff, with Feng Jizu initially underestimating the old man's power.
• The old man's actions cause fear and confusion among Feng Jizu's men, challenging their loyalty and resolve.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jizu, a formidable warrior, confronts a dwarf Old Man with a mysterious ledger and a short blade.
• The Old Man's blade cannot harm him, but he records the attack as a debt and inflicts the same injury on Feng Jizu.
• Feng Jizu retaliates by injuring himself, causing the Old Man to share the damage. However, the Old Man records this as another debt.
• Feng Jizu uses a Bronze Mirror to transfer his injuries to his reflection, but the Old Man lends the reflection a debt, causing it to shatter and Feng Jizu to be gravely wounded.
• Three hundred soldiers open fire on the Old Man, but he records each bullet as a debt and repays them by killing all the soldiers instantly.
• Feng Jizu flees, and the Old Man attempts to stop him by lending him a debt, severely wounding him again. Feng Jizu escapes, gravely injured but alive.

Character Developments

• Feng Jizu shows immense resilience and resourcefulness, using a Bronze Mirror to transfer injuries and trying to outrun the Old Man. However, he is ultimately gravely wounded.
• The dwarf Old Man demonstrates an eerie and powerful ability to record and repay debts, which can be used to inflict damage on others. He remains calm and collected throughout the confrontation.

Significant Themes

• The theme of debt and repayment is central to this chapter, with the Old Man's ability to record and repay debts driving the plot and conflict.
• The power dynamics between Feng Jizu and the Old Man shift throughout the chapter, highlighting the Old Man's superior strength and the limits of Feng Jizu's abilities.

Character Interactions

• The interaction between Feng Jizu and the dwarf Old Man is intense and violent, with each trying to outmaneuver the other using their unique abilities.
• Feng Jizu's attempt to use the soldiers against the Old Man fails, as the Old Man repays their attack by killing them all instantly.
• Feng Jizu's final attempt to escape is hindered by the Old Man, who lends him a debt that severely wounds him again.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gui Mingtang, after fleeing, finds himself back at the archway, facing an unknown woman in a qipao.
• He attempts to use his supernatural power, Shadow Control, to subdue her but fails.
• The woman effortlessly tears apart a paper person, mirroring Gui Mingtang's dismemberment and eventual beheading.

Character Developments

• Gui Mingtang: Initially confident due to his aristocratic family's superiority, he becomes increasingly fearful and desperate as he realizes the woman's power far exceeds his.
• The Woman in Qipao: Remains calm and composed throughout the encounter, displaying immense power and indifference towards Gui Mingtang's pleas.

Significant Themes

• The power dynamics between aristocratic families and civilian Special Ability Users.
• The consequences of underestimating one's opponent.

Character Interactions

• Gui Mingtang and The Woman in Qipao: Their interaction is one-sided, with Gui Mingtang attempting to intimidate and reason with her, while she remains unfazed and ultimately kills him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The great families are retaking Ninggu City, but the battle is silent and invisible to most residents.
• Four Great Sirs have been deployed, indicating the high stakes of this conflict.
• A powerful Evolver dies in the south of the city, likely a Fourth Order.
• The city's fortress is under attack, and its power is unleashed, causing tremors throughout Ninggu City.

Character Developments

• Jiang Qiao reveals he can sense the battle's supernatural fluctuations and the death of a powerful Evolver.
• Shen Boxia is desensitized to the revelations of Tiger Lian Mountain's strength, having been shocked many times by Jiang Qiao.

Significant Themes

• The power dynamics between the great families and Tiger Lian Mountain.
• The importance of the city's fortress and its potential to turn the tide of the battle.
• The desensitization of Shen Boxia to the extraordinary, reflecting his growing acceptance of Jiang Qiao's abilities.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia discuss the battle and the death of a powerful Evolver.
• Spies from various factions gather to discuss the tremors and the battle for the city's fortress.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Withered Elder enters Ninggu City through the unguarded North Gate.
• He heads to the city's fortress, his childhood home.
• Inside the fortress, he encounters an unknown figure who appears and disappears, blurring their appearance.
• Withered Elder attacks using a chilly aura, but it passes through the figure without effect.
• He reveals that the figure is a mind-dependent existence and activates the Stone Platform in the hall.

Character Developments

• Withered Elder demonstrates his power and knowledge of the fortress, showing he's a formidable opponent.
• The unknown figure remains mysterious, revealing no clear appearance or abilities.

Significant Themes

• The power of the fortress and its control platform.
• The unknown figure's Supernatural Aura and mind-dependent existence, hinting at the mystical aspects of the story.

Character Interactions

• Withered Elder and the unknown figure engage in a tense, wordy exchange before Withered Elder initiates an attack.
• Their interaction is marked by Withered Elder's calm confidence and the figure's enigmatic, evasive responses.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The fortress trembles, and the Stone Platform's snake patterns come to life, indicating the awakening of a powerful force.
• Withered Elder reveals that the fortress was built a hundred years ago and is one of the seven original fortresses, meant to be a major city's greatest trump card.
• He attempts to unleash the fortress's true power to avenge his adopted son, Wang Tianquan, but the blurry figure remains unfazed.
• Withered Elder uses his trump card, a remnant soul of a half-step Master sealed within his rib, to attack the blurry figure.
• The blurry figure easily deflects the attack and kills Withered Elder with a single wave of her hand.

Character Developments

• Withered Elder: Reveals his past and his relationship with Wang Tianquan. He becomes desperate and uses his strongest trump card to defeat the blurry figure but ultimately fails and dies.
• The Blurry Figure: Demonstrates immense power and composure, effortlessly blocking the fortress's attacks and defeating Withered Elder. Her identity remains unknown.

Significant Themes

• Power and Control: The fortress represents power and control, but the blurry figure's immunity to its attacks suggests that her power surpasses it.
• Revenge: Withered Elder seeks revenge for his adopted son's death, but his actions ultimately lead to his own demise.
• The Unknown: The blurry figure's identity and origins remain a mystery, adding an element of intrigue and unpredictability.

Character Interactions

• Withered Elder and the Blurry Figure: Their interaction is one-sided, with Withered Elder trying to intimidate and defeat the blurry figure, while she remains calm and composed, ultimately defeating him with ease.
• Withered Elder and Wang Tianquan: Their relationship is revealed through Withered Elder's monologue, showing that Wang Tianquan was like a son to him, and his death motivates Withered Elder's actions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Withered Elder successfully activates the fortress, but no further action follows, causing concern.
• Feng Jizu returns severely wounded, reporting the loss of 300 men and the presence of a peak Great Sir expert.
• The middle-aged man atop the tavern leaves, signaling a change in the situation.
• Tao Yuanshan and Feng Jizu decide to retreat, calling for reinforcements and inviting their ancestors.

Character Developments

• Tao Yuanshan: Initially confident, he becomes increasingly worried and eventually accepts the need to retreat.
• Feng Jizu: Despite his severe injuries, he remains calm and rational, advising Tao Yuanshan to retreat.
• Withered Elder: His fate is uncertain, and his absence causes Tao Yuanshan to consider the possibility of a Master in the Secret Organization.
• The Middle-Aged Man: He leaves the tavern, indicating a shift in the power dynamic.

Significant Themes

• Underestimation of the Enemy: The three great families and four Great Sirs underestimate the strength of Tiger Lian Mountain's people, leading to their retreat.
• Power Dynamics: The presence of a Master in the Secret Organization could shift the balance of power among the top families.
• Resilience and Adaptation: Despite their setbacks, Tao Yuanshan and Feng Jizu adapt and make strategic decisions to ensure their survival.

Character Interactions

• Tao Yuanshan and Feng Jizu: They discuss the situation, with Feng Jizu providing crucial information and advice, leading Tao Yuanshan to accept the need to retreat.
• Tao Yuanshan and the Middle-Aged Man: Their standoff is a symbol of the tension and uncertainty between the two sides.