Chapter Summaries

Zhang Rongfang continued his journey toward Ze Province after Ding Rui defeated two Western Sect monks, but he was intercepted in the Eastern Mausoleum Mountain Range by Chen Yunru and another swordswoman. As Zhang Rongfang prepared to fight, Ding Rui arrived to protect him again.

• Ding Rui killed two Western Sect monks who attacked him, while Kong Ming fled, then directed Zhang Rongfang to continue alone.
• Zhang Rongfang traveled through the Spring Dock Mountain Range, bought supplies, and skirted the misty Eastern Mausoleum Mountain Range.
• Chen Yunru and another masked swordswoman confronted Zhang Rongfang on the mountain road and demanded that he surrender.
• Zhang Rongfang took a fighting stance, but Ding Rui's Wish Wheel flew in and Ding Rui appeared beside him, promising to protect him.

Ding Rui rescued Zhang Rongfang from Chen Yunru and her companion, then killed them and took the Wish Wheel. Days later, Zhang Rongfang met the Four Fiends of Beautiful Spring Lake and hoped to fight their blond member, but Shangguan Li revealed that they were working for Ding Rui.

• Ding Rui arrived to save Zhang Rongfang, fought Chen Yunru and her companion, and told Zhang Rongfang to leave.
• Chen Yunru and her companion activated Saint Blood, but Ding Rui defeated and killed them before taking the Wish Wheel.
• Several days later, Zhang Rongfang encountered the Four Fiends of Beautiful Spring Lake on the road into Ze Province.
• Li Haosheng, Xiao Jingrong, Shangguan Li, and Nios introduced themselves and moved to capture Zhang Rongfang.
• Ding Rui emerged from the woodland as Shangguan Li killed Li Haosheng and revealed that the Four Fiends had been waiting for Zhang Rongfang at Ding Rui’s request.

Zhang Rongfang learned that his journey to Ze Province was partly meant to win recognition from Jade Void Palace, the Great Dao Sect’s other branch. He arrived at its mountain stronghold and was left alone outside the Palace Master’s hall, warned that she had an unusual temper.

• Ding Rui told Zhang Rongfang that the Grand Master had staged his earlier journey to draw out hidden threats and that he needed the Jade Void Palace Palace Master to acknowledge him fully.
• Ding Rui and the others escorted Zhang Rongfang into Ze Province and toward Jade Void Palace on Spirit Void Peak.
• Yun Shan welcomed the group at Heaven Gate, while Zhang Rongfang met Yun Shan’s daughter, Shangguan Yi, whose Daoist Title was Han Zhen.
• Han Zhen warned Zhang Rongfang that the Palace Master had a bad temper and explained that Jade Void Palace comprised twelve Clan Estates founded by Grandmasters.
• Han Zhen brought Zhang Rongfang by cable car to Lingxiao Hall, then hurriedly left him alone outside the Palace Master’s residence.

Zhang Rongfang met Jin Yuyan, the Palace Master of Jade Void Palace, and learned that becoming its Daozi required martial trials or ruthless alternatives. Jin Yuyan began sizing him up as a candidate for her training, leaving him wary of what her trials would involve.

• Zhang Rongfang followed the strong Flesh and Blood Aroma into Jade Void Palace and met its Palace Master, Jin Yuyan.
• Jin Yuyan explained that Jade Void Palace prized martial arts and said Zhang Rongfang would need to pass her trials to become its Daozi.
• Jin Yuyan examined Zhang Rongfang and recalled how she had trained Zhang Qingzhi through life-and-death combat, public nudity, and brutal encounters with women.
• Jin Yuyan offered two alternatives to her trials: cripple the other Daozi or kill all of Zhang Rongfang's relatives to sever his attachments.

Yue Dewen and the Armored Elder discussed Heaven and Earth's growing abilities and the Great Dao Sect's position, while Zhen Yunzi persuaded Demon Eagle to join a planned assault on Heavenly Treasure Palace. The chapter ended with Demon Eagle agreeing to act when the opportunity arose.

• Yue Dewen joked with the Armored Elder about uniting Great Ling's sects and admitted that the Great Dao Sect had declined.
• The Armored Elder reported Heaven and Earth's prestige in Citong, and they discussed his unusual martial progress and Yue Dewen's decision to send him to Jade Void Palace.
• Zhen Yunzi met Demon Eagle, who said his plan had failed and that he intended to withdraw from the Great Capital circle.
• Zhen Yunzi revealed that True One Sect and True Buddha Temple had secretly agreed to target Heavenly Treasure Palace, with the Western Sect leading the assault.
• Demon Eagle considered the plan and agreed to act when the opportunity arose to help drive Heavenly Treasure Palace from the Great Capital.

Zhang Rongfang left Jade Void Palace with Ding Rui and learned that his new post in Qingchuan Prefecture would involve suppressing the Righteous Army. As Ding Rui described the Rebel Alliance and Jade Void Palace’s harsh plans, Zhang Rongfang began to suspect a connection to Zhang Xuan and Zhang Xintai, the rebel leaders from his past.

• Ding Rui explained that the Palace Master had failed to complete Extreme Realm cultivation because she could not kill her beloved younger sister.
• Zhang Rongfang chose not to pursue the Daozi position and resolved to conceal his strength while building his own foundation.
• Ding Rui escorted Zhang Rongfang toward Qingchuan Prefecture and warned him about Shangguan Feihe, Zhu Xingxiu, and Ze Province’s powerful factions.
• Ding Rui revealed that rebel armies across Ze Province belonged to the Rebel Alliance, which Jade Void Palace intended to crush and whose followers it planned to enslave.
• Zhang Rongfang recalled that Zhang Xuan and Zhang Xintai had been rebel leaders and wondered whether their disappearance was tied to the Rebel Alliance.

Zhang Rongfang arrived in Qingchuan Prefecture to take up his post as Magistrate, where powerful local clans expected to control him. That night, he secretly attacked Assistant Prefect Jin Yonghe, who transformed and struck back with a Black Blade.

• Ding Rui told Zhang Rongfang that his handling of Qingchuan's local industries would be watched, warned him not to resort to force lightly, and left him to take up his post.
• Jin Yonghe and Shangguan Zhi discussed how they would cooperate to control Zhang Ying, threatening to cripple him if he refused to comply.
• Zhang Rongfang introduced himself to the officials, accepted Jin Yonghe's gift of a Magistrate's Mansion, and spent the night meditating at the Prefectural Office.
• Zhang Rongfang disguised himself with a mask and Bone Transformation, then broke into Jin Yonghe's bedroom and confronted him.
• Jin Yonghe evaded Zhang Rongfang's attack, seized a Black Blade, and surged with blood and vital energy before striking at him.

Zhang Rongfang attacked Jin Yonghe and Shangguan Zhi at the Prefectural Office to test their strength and establish authority on behalf of the newly appointed Magistrate, Zhang Ying. After overpowering their fighters, he drew the attention of a powerful Jade Void Palace observer, who prepared to confront him.

• Jin Yonghe and a white-clad ally attacked Zhang Rongfang, but he seized the ally and used him to knock both men unconscious.
• Zhang Rongfang broke through walls and crossbow fire to reach Shangguan Zhi, who was preparing to leave the Prefectural Office.
• Shangguan Zhi and Uncle Lin unleashed Profound Jade Mirror Light, but Zhang Rongfang casually evaded and deflected their attacks.
• A powerful observer watched Zhang Rongfang's fight and recognized his use of Heavenly Treasure Palace martial arts.
• The White-Haired Man took up his blade and went to teach Zhang Rongfang a lesson on Jade Void territory.

Zhang Rongfang tested Qingchuan Prefecture’s defenses, defeated local opponents, and secured control of the Prefectural Office for his younger brother, Zhang Ying. In Great Capital, Absolute Shadow and a hidden ally prepared to attack Yue Dewen in five days.

• Zhang Rongfang defeated Uncle Lin and subdued the Great Dao Sect officials, then escaped before Shangguan Zhi could identify him.
• Zhang Rongfang defeated Ming Xiong and blocked a surprise attack from Zhou Mengyi, then introduced himself as Zhang Wuxu and explained that he had come to test the defenses protecting Zhang Ying.
• Zhou Mengyi accepted Zhang Rongfang’s explanation, and the two parted on friendly terms.
• Zhang Rongfang spent the rest of the night at a wine house, then returned to the yamen, where Shangguan Zhi, Jin Yonghe, and the others submitted and yielded control of the Prefectural Office.
• Absolute Shadow and a hidden voice discussed their plan to attack Yue Dewen five days later, when the guards would be occupied protecting noble and Imperial Clan figures.

Jade Void Palace uncovered Zhang Rongfang’s connection to Zhang Ying, and Jin Yuyan revealed that she knew both identities. She warned him against personally risking himself and began explaining the realms above Super Grade.

• Yue Dewen reflected on his past loves and planned to return home after arranging a replacement, unaware that a net was being cast around him.
• Jade Void Palace’s spies linked Zhang Ying to Zhang Rongfang, and their intelligence report reached Jin Yuyan.
• Jin Yuyan ordered Zhang Rongfang to accompany Shangguan Feihe, Ning Hongli, and Shang Dingye when Jade Void Palace moved to suppress uprisings in five days.
• Jin Yuyan confronted Zhang Rongfang with his two identities and explained that spies and clues from his Martial Arts and talisman studies had exposed him.
• Jin Yuyan warned Zhang Rongfang that his talent was being wasted on dangerous personal actions and began teaching him about the realms above Super Grade.

Jin Yuyan explained the martial arts realms, demonstrated the power of Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters, and warned Zhang Rongfang about Great Grandmasters and the Gods and Buddhas. She gave him another chance to qualify as Jade Void Palace’s Daozi by demanding that he attack her, leaving him facing a test he could not avoid.

• Jin Yuyan described External Medicine, Internal Method, the Three Voids, and the Crescent Moon, Half Moon, and Full Moon stages of Grandmasters.
• Jin Yuyan demonstrated Internal Method, Three Voids, Grandmaster peak strength, and Great Grandmaster power by striking the Mystic Echo Scarlet Iron Chains.
• Jin Yuyan explained Infinite Final Style, warned Zhang Rongfang not to threaten Great Grandmasters, and told him not to investigate the Gods and Buddhas worshipped in Worship God.
• Jin Yuyan reconsidered accepting Zhang Rongfang as Jade Void Palace’s Daozi and offered him another chance because Little Yue had chosen him.
• Jin Yuyan ordered Zhang Rongfang to attack her, and he realized he could not conceal his martial arts level or physical abilities if he fought.

Zhang Rongfang advanced the Golden Toad Skill to its third layer, transforming his body and triggering an extreme hunger. Meanwhile, Jin Yuyan mobilized the Twelve Clan Estates to strike across Great Ling, and Zhang learned she had departed for Great Capital.

• Xiao Yi summoned Jin Yuyan to meet the Prefecture Lords, sparing Zhang Rongfang from a physical test that might have exposed his abnormal strength.
• Zhang Rongfang spent nine Attribute Points to advance his Golden Toad Skill to the third layer, which made his teeth and digestive organs increasingly inhuman and left him ravenously hungry.
• Jin Yuyan rallied the Twelve Clan Estates, declared that their time had come, and sent their forces across Great Ling with orders to act within a month.
• Zhang Rongfang toured Settled River, learned the Jin Family had provided the residence, and heard that Jin Yuyan had headed to Great Capital.

Zhang Rongfang joined an elite Jade Void Palace force heading to suppress six uprisings, while learning more about the power and interests behind its leaders. In the Great Capital, Yue Dewen went fishing and sensed that an unseen enemy had surrounded him.

• Zhang Rongfang learned that Jin Yuyan had gone to the Great Capital and prepared to stay in the area while the uprising operation proceeded.
• Zhang Rongfang joined the force at the Peach Tree Forest, where Shangguan Feihe led more than a hundred ranked Warriors alongside Ning Hongli and Shang Dingye.
• Ning Hongli told Zhang Rongfang the force would target six rebel strongholds and advised him to observe quietly as they set out for Yu De Town.
• Yue Dewen left the Imperial Palace after the Great Ling Imperial Clan Ceremony preparations and went to Rainy Sunny Fish Manor to fish.
• Yue Dewen noticed that the sounds and traces of movement around the lake had vanished, then sensed dense killing intent surrounding him.

Yue Dewen was betrayed and killed during an ambush arranged by Zhen Yunzi, the Western Sect, and the Snow Rainbow Pavilion old man. Meanwhile, Zhang Rongfang witnessed the slaughter of towns accused of aiding rebels and heard Ning Hongli explain how sects used overwhelming force to make rebellion seem hopeless.

• Zhen Yunzi and three other cloaked fighters confronted Yue Dewen, while an old man from Snow Rainbow Pavilion offered to help him fight.
• Zhen Yunzi used two women Yue Dewen had once loved to distract him, but Yue Dewen recognized the trap and transformed to attack his enemies.
• The Snow Rainbow Pavilion old man stabbed Yue Dewen from behind, and the four attackers cut his body apart.
• Zhang Rongfang accompanied Shangguan Feihe and Ning Hongli as Great Ling troops massacred Pine Mountain Town and then purged more towns over five days.
• In Mianqiu, Zhang Rongfang questioned the purpose of the massacres, and Ning Hongli explained that the sects used their power to extinguish commoners' hope of rebellion.

Zhang Rongfang encountered Xiao Qingying and Zhang Xuan in Mian Qiu County but kept his identity hidden. After learning that the county had been branded a Rebel Alliance stronghold, he watched Jade Void Palace and Spirit Army forces begin a citywide purge, leaving him trapped between his conscience and his need to protect his cover.

• Zhang Rongfang learned that his Golden Toad Skill had earned him three Free Attribute Points, which he added to his Life Attribute.
• Zhang Rongfang recognized Xiao Qingying at a barbecue stall, but she did not recognize him, and he left without revealing himself.
• Zhang Rongfang saw Zhang Xuan at the stall and decided not to approach him, then hurried back to the Inn to write him a warning note.
• Shang Dingye ordered the forces to seal off Mian Qiu County and exterminate its inhabitants after declaring the town infiltrated by the Rebel Alliance.
• Zhang Rongfang objected to the mass killing, but Ning Hongli urged him not to interfere, and the Jade Void Palace elites began attacking and plundering the Inn's guests.

As the Spirit Army massacred Mian Qiu County, Zhang Rongfang rushed to protect Zhang Xuan and Xiao Qingying as they tried to escape through a Rebel Alliance tunnel. He rescued Xiao Qingying and killed the soldiers who saw him, but Zhang Xuan recognized him as he disappeared.

• Ning Hongli comforted Zhang Rongfang about the massacre, but he hurried toward the northern district to protect Zhang Xuan.
• Xiao Qingying and Zhang Xuan led their group toward a hidden river passage, using Zhang Xuan's Great Dao Sect token to pass Spirit Army patrols.
• Zhang Xuan opened the escape tunnel beneath a stone bridge, but Zhou Tianqi spotted them and attacked as the group fled inside.
• A Great Dao Sect Daoist attacked Xiao Qingying, and Zhang Rongfang appeared behind him and crushed his neck.
• Zhang Rongfang killed Zhou Tianqi, warned Xiao Qingying to leave before the Spirit Guard revived, and attacked the soldiers who had witnessed him.
• Zhang Xuan recognized Zhang Rongfang, who vanished without answering.

Zhang Rongfang secretly helped Xiao Qingying and Zhang Xuan escape through a tunnel, then faced Shang Dingye’s accusation that he had killed Spirit Army soldiers and aided rebels. He deceived Shangguan Feihe into dismissing the charge, and the group prepared to leave the city.

• Zhang Rongfang watched Xiao Qingying and Zhang Xuan enter the tunnel, then learned Shang Dingye had witnessed his actions and feared the Grandmaster might expose his identity.
• Zhang Rongfang returned to the inn as the city’s violence continued through the night, while the surviving guests and staff waited in silence.
• Shangguan Feihe stormed into the inn and accused Zhang Rongfang of breaking the rules after Shang Dingye reported the killings and escape.
• Zhang Rongfang claimed the Spirit Army soldiers had tried to take a woman he wanted and accused Shang Dingye of distorting events and silencing witnesses.
• Shang Dingye failed to provide clear evidence and called the accusation a misunderstanding, while Shangguan Feihe warned him not to repeat it.
• Shangguan Feihe ordered the group to leave the city and continue to their next stop.

Zhang Rongfang learned that Shangguan Feihe was overwhelmingly stronger than Shang Dingye, then received news that his master Yue Dewen had been killed in an attack on Heavenly Treasure Palace. He refused to accept the report without seeing Yue Dewen’s corpse and resolved to confirm his master’s fate.

• Ding Wuyou told Zhang Rongfang that Shangguan Feihe had defeated the former Sensing Gate Right Divine Protector Xue Che in less than the time it took a stick of incense to burn.
• Shang Dingye sent a Shang Family member to investigate the tunnel and search for clues about Master Zhang Xuan and the others.
• Shang Dingye urged Zhang Rongfang to take action at Ning An Prefecture, but a Black White Swift Hawk arrived with urgent news.
• Shangguan Feihe read that Heavenly Treasure Palace had been attacked and Yue Dewen’s mangled corpse had been found after at least five Great Grandmasters ambushed him.
• Zhang Rongfang thanked Shangguan Feihe for his protection but insisted he would not believe Yue Dewen was dead until he saw the corpse himself.

Zhang Rongfang entered Ning An Prefecture with the Spirit Army after learning that his Master, Yue Dewen, was presumed dead. At a raid on the Black White Chess House, Rebel Alliance operatives escaped after killing soldiers, and Shang Dingye framed Zhang Rongfang as their collaborator.

• Shangguan Feihe assured Zhang Rongfang that Jade Void Palace rules applied equally to everyone, while Ning Hongli quietly comforted him over Yue Dewen’s suspected death.
• Shang Dingye taunted Zhang Rongfang and challenged him to prove his ability, then the group entered Ning An Prefecture to search for Rebel Alliance leaders.
• Zhang Rongfang and Wuyouzi joined a Spirit Army unit that raided the Black White Chess House to capture Luo Chengfei.
• The chess house’s Fat Boss and other patrons attacked the soldiers, then a powerful Shadow killed Wuyouzi and several soldiers before escaping; Zhang Rongfang struck the Shadow, who ignored him and fled.
• Shang Dingye accused Zhang Rongfang of colluding with the Rebel Alliance, and Ding Wuyou claimed the Shadow had deliberately spared him.
• Shang Dingye revealed through his thoughts that the Shadow and the other operatives were Shang Family informants who had helped set Zhang Rongfang up.

Shang Dingye forced Zhang Rongfang to prove his loyalty by executing captured Rebel Alliance members, while Shangguan Feihe ruled that the evidence against him was insufficient. Zhang Rongfang began the public executions at Wild Goose Pagoda, relieved that Master and the others were not among the prisoners, but learned that sixty people awaited him.

• Shang Dingye accused Zhang Ying of aiding the Rebel Alliance, but Shangguan Feihe intervened and ruled that the evidence was insufficient.
• Shang Dingye proposed that Zhang Ying execute captured Rebel Alliance leaders, and Zhang Rongfang agreed under pressure.
• Three shichen later, Zhang Rongfang went to Wild Goose Pagoda to carry out the public executions as ordered by Shangguan Feihe.
• At the pagoda, Zhang Rongfang saw that Master and the others were not among the prisoners, then learned that three batches totaling sixty people would be executed.
• Zhang Rongfang beheaded the first prisoner, a fat woman, and called for the second.