Chapter Summaries

Ye Zhen drove off the Black Tiger Guard, rewarded the defenders, and returned to the Crimson Fire Branch Hall to assert his authority. Flying Tiger Hall plotted to weaken the branch hall before attacking, while Ye Zhen ended his first meeting by executing former Hall Master Luo Shanhan for disobeying orders.

• Ye Zhen rejected Hong Jiayin’s proposal to destroy the retreating Black Tiger Guard, explaining that Flying Tiger Hall’s reinforcements and rival sects made a wider battle too risky.
• Kong Yu and the Spirit Crystal Mine defenders welcomed Ye Zhen, who gave them hundreds of thousands of Mid-grade Spirit Crystals before leading his force back to the branch hall.
• He Zixiong heard Li Jiang and Jiang Biao explain how Ye Zhen and his Demonic Servant had forced the guards to retreat, then ordered surveillance, intelligence gathering, and rumors to stir other factions against the Crimson Fire Branch Hall.
• Ye Zhen summoned the three defense-zone commanders, announced that he controlled personnel movements, and ordered them to distribute the Divine Sect Master’s rewards without skimming any.
• Ye Zhen had Luo Shanhan admit to disobeying orders, then ordered the Law Enforcement Hall enforcers to execute him under Divine Sect rules.

After taking control of the Crimson Fire Branch Hall, Ye Zhen assessed the forces threatening Chihuo Martial City and learned that false defense maps were being circulated to entice smaller factions into attacking. He recognized the scheme as an attempt to weaken the Branch Hall and decided to scout the city himself.

• Jian Qianxiong praised Ye Zhen for taking control of the Crimson Fire Branch Hall and ordered the Shadow Moon Guard Commander to make a move that night.
• Ye Zhen assessed the threats from the Flying Tiger Hall, the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect, and the city’s many smaller factions.
• Hong Jiayin reported that inaccurate maps of the Crimson Fire Branch Hall’s defenses and troop numbers were circulating among Chihuo Martial City’s factions.
• Ye Zhen deduced that the false maps were meant to make the Branch Hall appear weak and lure the smaller factions into a costly fight.
• Ye Zhen asked Hong Jiayin for a detailed map of Chihuo Martial City and announced that he would scout the city at night.

Ye Zhen discovered that Chihuo Martial City's three leading small factions had united with more than a hundred branch-hall leaders to plan attacks on the Crimson Fire Branch Hall. As Liu Qi offered a strategy to resolve their dispute over targets and reinforcements, Ye Zhen recognized him as a figure tied to Flying Tiger Hall and listened underground.

• Ye Zhen investigated Flying Tiger Hall and found its leader He Zixiong heavily guarded, while the storehouse's formation prevented him from sneaking inside unnoticed.
• Ye Zhen learned that the Brotherhood, Heavenly Horse Gang, and Five Immortals Hall led Chihuo Martial City's smaller factions, then found their leaders gathered at the Brotherhood's headquarters.
• Ye Zhen overheard more than a hundred leaders arguing over how to divide the Sun Moon Divine Cult's territory and who would face the Crimson Fire Branch Hall's reinforcements.
• Liu Qi, a strategist from the Heavenly Horse Gang's Ruyi Society, asked to speak, and Ye Zhen recognized him from intelligence linking him to Flying Tiger Hall.
• After Man Chen challenged Liu Qi and Yue An offered him a Mid-grade Treasure Weapon for a solution, Liu Qi claimed he could resolve the dispute over targets and reinforcements.

Ye Zhen overheard the three alliances agree to unite against the Crimson Fire Branch Hall and assembled a force far stronger than its defenders. He left to investigate the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect, where a meeting ended with a startling revelation.

• Liu Qi proposed that the Brotherhood, Heavenly Horse Gang, and Five Immortals Hall combine forces to attack the Crimson Fire Branch Hall, with each alliance's contribution determining its choice of defense zone.
• Yue An and Xu Yueshan supported the proposal, and Man Chen agreed after the alliances spent hours bargaining over contributions and rules.
• The Brotherhood contributed the most and chose the Spirit Crystal Mine defense zone, while the Five Immortals Hall unexpectedly took second place and the Heavenly Horse Gang was left with the final choice.
• Ye Zhen realized the joint force could overwhelm the Crimson Fire Branch Hall, sent Little Cat to watch the alliance leaders, and traveled underground to investigate the Longevity Sect's stronghold.
• Ye Zhen found Pan Feng, Ren Tiannan, Shang Lingqi, Ji Xuan, and two unfamiliar, grief-stricken people gathered in a guarded room, then was startled when the middle-aged man spoke.

Ye Zhen secretly listened as the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect planned to attack the Sun Moon Divine Cult and capture him, while Yun Ce’s parents demanded revenge. The factions agreed to swear a Soul Oath to capture Ye Zhen alive, but Ye Zhen fled underground after Little Cat alerted him that the Brotherhood Hall’s Three Great Alliances meeting had ended.

• Yun Pochuan and Zhou Muqing threatened to pursue Ye Zhen themselves if the sects did not act soon.
• Pan Feng and Shang Lingqi expected reinforcements within five days, while Ji Xuan warned that Ye Zhen’s powerful master and spirit-tier Demonic Servant could thwart their plans.
• The sect leaders admitted they had only two Palace Opening Realm Kings available and feared Ye Zhen’s master might be far stronger.
• Zhou Muqing and Yun Pochuan claimed they had obtained a secret art to severely injure Ye Zhen’s master and demanded a Soul Oath guaranteeing Ye Zhen would be captured alive.
• Ren Tiannan, Pan Feng, Ji Xuan, and Shang Lingqi reluctantly agreed to the demand and began discussing the oath’s terms.
• Ye Zhen fled through the earth after Little Cat sent word that the Brotherhood Hall’s Three Great Alliances meeting was over.

Ye Zhen learned that the Flying Tiger Hall had arranged for the three minor powers to attack the Crimson Fire Branch Hall at midnight the following night, so he disguised himself as True Lord Black Water and began killing their leaders to disrupt the alliance. He killed the leaders of the Heavenly Horse Gang and Five Immortals Hall, leaving Man Chen dying as the alarm sounded.

• Ye Zhen overheard Liu Qi tell Li Jiang that the three minor powers would attack the Crimson Fire Branch Hall at midnight the following night, with the Flying Tiger Hall backing the plan.
• Ye Zhen used the True Transformation Technique to disguise himself as an old man and traveled to the Heavenly Horse Gang headquarters.
• Ye Zhen killed Heavenly Horse Gang leader Xu Yueshan, knocked out the two women in his room, and left a bloody message signed True Lord Black Water.
• Ye Zhen infiltrated the Five Immortals Hall and killed the guard watching over Man Chen with Little Cat.
• Ye Zhen struck Man Chen with Soul Refining Divine Light, fatally wounding him as the Five Immortals Hall's alarm rang.

Ye Zhen killed Man Chen and hurried to the Brotherhood to assassinate Yue An, but he fell into a prepared ambush. Yue An revealed that he had planned for the attack and asked whether Ye Zhen had heard of the Demon Extermination Marshal.

• After Man Chen's death, the other four Five Immortals Hall leaders fled and summoned their followers to fight for control.
• Ye Zhen took Man Chen's Storage Ring, then rode Cloud Winged Tiger King Xiao Mao toward the Brotherhood's main hall.
• Ye Zhen entered Yue An's residence and attacked what appeared to be the sleeping leader, but Yue An vanished as a substitute Jade Talisman broke apart.
• A burly-faced martial artist blasted the room apart, exposing Ye Zhen, while Yue An and nearly thirty Pulse Forging Realm martial artists surrounded him.
• Yue An said his ambush was prepared to deal with a Palace Opening Realm King and asked Ye Zhen whether he had heard of the Demon Extermination Marshal.

Ye Zhen escaped underground after the Brotherhood’s Demon Extermination Marshals unleashed a devastating volley, though the blast injured him and destroyed his protective equipment. As Yue An’s men searched the crater for his presumed corpse and Storage Ring, a sudden blade strike sounded overhead.

• Yue An revealed three Demon Extermination Marshals and demanded that Ye Zhen swear loyalty and accept a Soul Burst Talisman Seed.
• Ye Zhen cursed Yue An and fled underground using the Shadowless Mountain-Piercing Beast’s earth-escape ability.
• The three Demon Extermination Marshals fired thirty Spirit Arrows, and their combined Five Elements shockwave shattered Ye Zhen’s armor and Green Mother Green Light Mirror and wounded him.
• Ye Zhen steadied himself and escaped into the distance, vowing revenge.
• Yue An ordered his men to search the vast crater for Ye Zhen’s body and Storage Ring, but they found neither.
• A blade struck flesh overhead, and Yue An and the Brotherhood’s martial artists looked up.

Ye Zhen ambushed Yue An’s forces and seized all three Demon Extermination Marshals, then unleashed his puppets and Xiao Mao against the Brotherhood’s martial artists. With his subordinates slaughtered, Yue An was left bound by Ye Zhen’s Thousand Vine Luo.

• Ye Zhen and Xiao Mao killed the three martial artists carrying Demon Extermination Marshals and took the weapons from Yue An.
• Yue An ordered his thirty trusted Pulse Forging Realm fighters to attack Ye Zhen, who summoned three Great Ape Fire Monkey King Puppets.
• The puppets killed six fighters, while Xiao Mao killed nineteen more in a lightning-fast attack.
• The puppets killed the last five fighters, leaving Yue An alone among the fallen Brotherhood members.
• Ye Zhen bound Yue An with the Thousand Vine Luo as Yue An protested that the attack was despicable.

Ye Zhen spared Yue An after defeating the Brotherhood and forced him to become a Soul Locking Puppet, keeping him as the Brotherhood's leader under Ye Zhen's control. After revealing that he was the Sun Moon Divine Cult's new Crimson Fire Branch Hall Master, Ye Zhen sent Yue An back to stabilize the Brotherhood and conceal what had happened.

• Ye Zhen gathered the Storage Rings from the fallen warriors, took the bound Yue An, and fled beneath Xiao Mao's concealing mist as the Brotherhood headquarters descended into chaos.
• At an abandoned mine, Ye Zhen threatened Yue An's family and offered him a choice between death and becoming a Martial Slave controlled by the Soul Locking Puppet Technique.
• Yue An agreed to serve Ye Zhen in exchange for his family's safety, and Ye Zhen successfully used the technique to make him a puppet.
• Ye Zhen removed his disguise and revealed that he was Ye Zhen, the Sun Moon Divine Cult's newly appointed Crimson Fire Branch Hall Master whom the three alliances planned to attack.
• Ye Zhen ordered Yue An to return to the Brotherhood and report that he had barely escaped True Lord Black Water with the Demon Extermination Marshals' help.

After True Lord Black Water threw Chihuo Martial City’s factions into chaos, Ye Zhen revealed that the feared figure was his master and ordered the Crimson Fire Branch Hall to recruit their scattered fighters. He equipped the recruitment drive with spirit crystals and cultivation manuals, while the arrival of major enemies in five days remained a looming threat.

• Hong Jiayin reported that the three great alliances planned to attack the Crimson Fire Branch Hall, while Yu Qianlou explained that True Lord Black Water had killed leaders and plunged the factions into chaos.
• Ye Zhen revealed that True Lord Black Water was his master and urged the branch to exploit the upheaval by recruiting fighters rather than seizing territory.
• Hong Jiayin proposed recruiting alliance members, and Ye Zhen ordered him, Zuo Xiong, and Yu Qianlou to recruit openly with generous rewards.
• Ye Zhen supplied more than twenty chests of spirit crystals and nearly a hundred Heaven Grade Cultivation Manuals for the recruitment effort.
• Hong Jiayin devised Soul Oaths and other measures to keep recruits loyal, then the three leaders departed to carry out Ye Zhen’s orders.
• Ye Zhen worried about the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect reinforcements expected in five days, while an urgent Talisman Signal woke Li Jiang of the Flying Tiger Hall’s White Tiger Guard.

Flying Tiger Hall tried to exploit the chaos among the three major alliances by recruiting their fighters, but Hong Jiayin’s invitation strategy let the Crimson Fire Branch Hall recruit far more effectively. The chapter ended with Flying Tiger Hall’s recruitment faltering as another passage in the Crimson Fire Branch Hall’s Talisman Signal turned prospective recruits away.

• He Zixiong berated Li Jiang after learning that the three major alliances had fallen into internal strife, while Jiang Biao warned that True Lord Black Water’s intervention made the crisis dangerous.
• He Zixiong ordered the four Tiger Guard commanders to recruit fighters from the alliances, but Zhu Huayu’s suggestion to attack the Crimson Fire Branch Hall was rejected.
• Hong Jiayin had newly recruited martial artists invite trusted friends by Talisman Signal, rapidly bringing the Crimson Fire Branch Hall eight more Pulse Forging Realm fighters and nearly forty Soul Sea Realm fighters.
• The four Tiger Guard commanders discovered Hong Jiayin’s method and persuaded He Zixiong to match the Crimson Fire Branch Hall’s allowances and free Heaven Grade Cultivation Manuals.
• Flying Tiger Hall recruited more fighters after matching the terms, but further invitation Talisman Signals from the Crimson Fire Branch Hall caused prospective recruits to leave, enraging the Tiger Guard commanders.

Ye Zhen’s Crimson Fire Branch Hall recruited hundreds of martial artists through Hong Jiayin’s schemes, while Yue An consolidated control of the Brotherhood and greatly expanded its forces. With the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect due to attack in five days, Ye Zhen ordered the new recruits integrated quickly and prepared for the coming battle.

• Hong Jiayin’s recruitment campaign drew sixty-four Pulse Forging Realm martial artists and four hundred and fifty Soul Sea Realm martial artists to the Crimson Fire Branch Hall, while Flying Tiger Hall struggled to recruit anyone.
• Yue An returned, subdued rival gangs, and brought most of the Brotherhood alliance under his direct command, expanding the Brotherhood with more than eighty Pulse Forging Realm martial artists and five hundred Soul Sea Realm martial artists.
• Ye Zhen rewarded Hong Jiayin with gauntlets and armor, and gave Yu Qianlou and Zuo Xiong High-grade Treasure Artifacts for their contributions.
• Ye Zhen ordered Hong Jiayin to disperse the recruits within a day and integrate them into the Crimson Fire Branch Hall within five days.
• After receiving Yue An’s report, Ye Zhen calculated that most forces from the three alliances had fallen under his control and prepared for the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect’s arrival in five days.

Ye Zhen prepared the Crimson Fire Branch Hall for an impending battle against the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect, whose elite reinforcements and Palace Opening Realm Kings gave them overwhelming strength. He secured the Brotherhood as an ally by having Yue An negotiate supplies in advance, then waited as the enemy launched its attack on Chihuo Martial City.

• Ye Zhen abandoned plans to assassinate enemy leaders after their new warning arrays made covert attacks too dangerous, and he focused on training the Crimson Fire Branch Hall’s forces.
• Ye Zhen learned that Gongsun Li, Feng Ting, and elite troops from the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect had arrived, while Jian Qianxiong warned that the Sun Moon Divine Cult could not send reinforcements.
• Pan Feng and Shang Lingqi sought the Brotherhood as an ally to limit their losses and guard against the Flying Tiger Hall after the battle.
• Yue An accepted the alliance on Ye Zhen’s instructions and obtained a large cache of supplies, including the Cloud-Breaking Seal, which Ye Zhen left in Yue An’s hands.
• Ye Zhen kept the Crimson Fire Branch Hall on the defensive as Chihuo Martial City emptied and its formations were activated.
• At noon on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month, the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect launched their attack.

Ye Zhen’s preparations anticipated the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect’s assault on the Crimson Fire Branch Hall’s mine defenses, and he ordered his forces to move as the decisive battle began. Meanwhile, Flying Tiger Hall waited for both sides to weaken so it could seize control of Chihuo Martial City.

• Reports confirmed that the allied forces had split into three divisions, with their main force heading for the northern Spirit Crystal Mine and the Brotherhood also moving there.
• Ye Zhen’s subordinates praised his accurate predictions, and he told them the battle had only just begun before ordering them to carry out the plan.
• Ye Zhen learned that the allied advance force had reached its designated location and departed with his assembled men.
• Jian Qianxiong considered sending the Shadow Moon Guard Commander to help Ye Zhen, but worried that doing so would leave the headquarters vulnerable to attack.
• He Zixiong and Flying Tiger Hall’s commanders decided to let the Longevity Sect, Heavenly Net Sect, and Crimson Fire Branch Hall fight before moving in to seize the greatest benefits.

The Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect alliance prepared to battle the Crimson Fire Branch Hall at Tiger Mouth Gorge, where Ye Zhen confronted old enemies and the hidden powerhouses on both sides revealed their weapons. Ye Zhen challenged the enemy leaders to look below, leaving them shocked by what they saw.

• The allied forces assembled in Tiger Mouth Gorge and were reinforced by Yue An and most of the Brotherhood’s martial artists.
• Shang Lingqi, Pan Feng, and Ren Tiannan confronted Ye Zhen, while Ye Zhen warned Shang Lingqi and Ji Xuan not to join the fight.
• Little Cat roared at Shang Lingqi, drawing four Palace Opening Realm powerhouses out of the clouds as they searched for True Lord Black Water.
• Yue An revealed the Demon Extermination Marshal and locked its aura onto Little Cat, prompting Pan Feng to demand Ye Zhen’s surrender.
• Ye Zhen claimed the four powerhouses could be defeated if they failed to subdue his master and Little Cat quickly, then told Pan Feng and Shang Lingqi to look down into Tiger Mouth Gorge.

Ye Zhen activated an eighteen-Spirit-Vein Nine Earth Sealing Heaven Yuan Array at Tiger Mouth Gorge, trapping the allied Soul Sea Realm forces and revealing that he had anticipated their attack and gathered most of the Crimson Fire Branch Hall’s strength. As the array began killing those trapped inside, Pan Feng and Shang Lingqi prepared to face Ye Zhen while the powerful figures overhead remained occupied.

• Ye Zhen activated the Nine Earth Sealing Heaven Yuan Array, trapping nearly two thousand Soul Sea Realm martial artists from both sides in a killing mist.
• Yu Qianlou controlled the array so Crimson Fire Branch Hall fighters escaped while the allied forces’ Soul Sea Realm fighters remained trapped.
• Pan Feng and the allied leaders realized Ye Zhen had prepared the array in advance and had assembled 150 Pulse Forging Realm fighters, far more than they expected.
• Ye Zhen reflected that he had prepared the array to preserve his forces for Flying Tiger Hall’s likely attack after the battle.
• The trapped fighters began attacking the array and were struck by its defenses, while the four figures overhead refused to intervene because they had not found True Lord Black Water and were wary of a spirit-rank Monster Beast.
• Pan Feng said they needed time to break the array, and Shang Lingqi declared that he would settle his grudge with Ye Zhen.

Ye Zhen fought Shang Lingqi while searching for Yun Pochuan and Zhou Muqing, then overwhelmed Shang’s blade strike with the Kun Yuan Divine Palm and demonstrated control over Worldly Essence. Demonic Blade Gongsun Li saved Shang Lingqi, Xiao Mao drove back Life Reaping Lady Feng Ting, and a Soul Transmission ordered Pan Feng and Shang Lingqi to use the Demon Extermination Marshal.

• Ye Zhen accepted Shang Lingqi’s challenge and sent Xiao Mao away from the duel while searching for Yun Pochuan and Zhou Muqing with his Spiritual Sense.
• Shang Lingqi built his momentum and unleashed a massive golden blade strike, but Ye Zhen countered with a Kun Yuan Divine Palm that gathered Earth Spirit Energy through Innate Soul Light.
• Ye Zhen’s palm shattered Shang Lingqi’s blade light and descended on him, prompting Life Reaping Lady Feng Ting and Demonic Blade Gongsun Li to intervene.
• Xiao Mao knocked Feng Ting’s whip aside, while Gongsun Li’s black blade light cleaved Ye Zhen’s palm apart and saved Shang Lingqi.
• Gongsun Li challenged Ye Zhen to summon True Lord Black Water, as a Soul Transmission ordered Pan Feng and Shang Lingqi to use the Demon Extermination Marshal.

Ye Zhen’s forces revealed that the Brotherhood had switched sides, turning the battle against the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect. The chapter ended with the allied forces reeling from the Brotherhood’s ambush as Ren Tiannan and Pan Feng charged Yue An.

• Demonic Blade Gongsun Li ordered the Demon Extermination Marshal to target the Cloud Winged Tiger King while the allied Pulse Forging Realm warriors launched their assault.
• Ye Zhen told Hong Jiayin and Yu Qianlou that the Brotherhood was now an ally and instructed them to release its warriors from the formation.
• Ye Zhen warned Gongsun Li about a cloud concealing a Demon Extermination Marshal, which fired ten spirit arrows at him.
• Yue An’s Demon Extermination Marshal targeted Feng Ting, while the Brotherhood’s eighty Pulse Forging Realm warriors ambushed the Longevity Sect’s central force.
• The Brotherhood’s attack seriously injured many Longevity Sect warriors and killed twelve, prompting Ren Tiannan and Pan Feng to charge Yue An.

Ye Zhen’s trap turned the battle against the Longevity Sect–Heavenly Net Sect alliance, killing Feng Ting and two powerful hall masters while the Brotherhood and Crimson Fire Branch Hall gained the upper hand. The allied leaders watched their forces collapse in shock as Xiao Mao continued attacking without restraint.

• Yue An revealed his betrayal and unleashed the Demon Extermination Marshal, whose Supreme-grade Spirit Crystal-powered arrow overwhelmed Gongsun Li and pursued Feng Ting.
• Feng Ting’s defenses barely survived the first arrow, but the nine following arrows struck and killed her.
• The Crimson Fire Branch Hall’s fighters gained a decisive advantage as the allied troops faltered under the ambush, betrayal, and Feng Ting’s death.
• With no one left to restrain Xiao Mao, it killed the Heavenly Net Sect’s Heaven Character Hall Master and the Longevity Sect’s Azure Dragon Hall Master.
• Shang Lingqi, Ji Xuan, Pan Feng, and Ren Tiannan stared in disbelief as three key figures fell in less than ten breaths.