Chapter Summaries

Zhang Rongfang traveled to Canghai City and negotiated an agreement with Hui Yong to keep Shan Province peaceful and share intelligence. He then reached his elder sister’s mansion in Wushan Prefecture, where Zhang Rongyu rushed out to greet him.

• Jueying told Zhang Rongfang about Hui Yong and the lives of the Ming Consorts who had settled in Canghai City.
• Zhang Rongfang met Hui Yong at Kongming Temple, and they agreed to cooperate, share information, and avoid conflict.
• Hui Yong showed Zhang Rongfang the Guild Halls that provided work and shelter for Western women.
• Zhang Rongfang traveled to Wushan Prefecture without further obstacles and arrived at the greatly expanded Mu Chi Family mansion.
• A guard recognized Zhang Rongfang and summoned Zhang Rongyu, who ran out to meet her returning younger brother.

Zhang Rongfang returned to Wushan Prefecture and reunited with Zhang Rongyu, learning of the Mu Chi Family’s troubles and preparing to spar with Chen Yu Xi. Elsewhere, Moon King confronted a Daoist Elder and Master Yuan on a painted boat in Upper Capital, then removed his mask.

• Zhang Rongfang embraced Zhang Rongyu and caught up on Jin Xiu and Lu Mei Sha’s lives, while both siblings hinted they were keeping secrets from each other.
• Zhang Rongyu told Zhang Rongfang and Lu Mei Sha that Great Ling’s fleet in Xi Yi had been defeated, with many ships lost and Mu Chi Family members among the casualties.
• Suda Heqi told Zhang Rongfang that he had refused his family’s repeated calls to return because they would not admit Zhang Rongyu into the clan.
• Lu Mei Sha and Zhang Rongyu urged Zhang Rongfang to spar with Chen Yu Xi, and the two prepared to fight in the Mansion’s Martial Arts Field.
• On a painted boat on the Green River, Moon King faced a Long-Bearded Elder and Master Yuan, then broke his mask apart and invited them to see who he was.

Zhang Rongfang faced Chen Yu Xi in a public spar at the Mu Chi Family mansion, where Chen planned to humiliate him and impress Lu Mei Sha. Chen repeatedly fell before Zhang could land a blow, and the chapter ended with Lu Mei Sha fleeing while Chen remained unable to stand.

• Mu Supporter assessed Chen Yu Xi as a powerful Sixth Grade fighter and said Zhang Rongfang’s strength was harder to judge.
• Chen Yu Xi began his planned attack, but twisted his ankle and fell before reaching Zhang Rongfang.
• Chen Yu Xi insisted he was fine and invited Zhang Rongfang to strike, but fell again when Zhang’s punch stopped short of him.
• The crowd began doubting Chen Yu Xi’s ability, while Zhang Rongyu sent for Xu Apothecary to examine him.
• Lu Mei Sha shouted at Chen Yu Xi and ran away, and Chen found that both his feet were twisted and could not chase her.

Zhang Rongfang returned to the rebuilt Golden Wing Tower and gave Ding Yu a difficult task, promising to help him find Sea Dragon if he completed it. Meanwhile, Moon King revealed his identity and declared that no one could stop him.

• Zhang Rongfang watched Chen Yu Xi sprain his ankle during the test, then left so Zhang Rongyu could comfort him and calm Lu Mei Sha.
• Moon King removed his mask and revealed a face identical to Yue Dewen's; he claimed to be Yue Dewen's Brother and said he had come to avenge his Younger Brother.
• Daoist Qing Yi and Master Yuan recognized that Moon King had won their game and fled, leaving him laughing alone on the boat.
• Zhang Rongfang arrived at the rebuilt Golden Wing Tower, where Qing Su and Ding Yu were waiting, and learned that Bao Ning had left to seek treatment for his son.
• Zhang Rongfang offered Ding Yu a task and promised to take him to find Sea Dragon if he completed it; Ding Yu eagerly agreed and followed him inside.

Zhang Rongfang tested Ding Yu’s strength and sent him to Dan Province to investigate the Five Cauldrons Sect and search for three Treasure Medicines. Meanwhile, the Great Dao Sect’s victory was overtaken by the emperor’s death, and the Five Kings began gathering support as the realm headed toward chaos.

• Zhang Rongfang sparred with Ding Yu, judged his strength, and assigned him to investigate the Five Cauldrons Sect in Dan Province for Mi Rhinoceros Horn, Three Sects Bewitching Incense, and Blood Coagulation Grass.
• Yue Dewen and Jin Yuyan discussed the Western Sect’s retreat and the danger posed by Ling Emperor’s worsening condition.
• The Imperial Palace’s Mourning Bell rang, and Yue Dewen rushed toward the palace as panic spread through the Great Capital.
• Emperor Boer Zhijin died in early November 1188, and the Five Kings issued proclamations and sought support from Divine Generals across the provinces.
• Zhang Rongfang read a letter in Wushan Prefecture and reconsidered the Great Dao Sect’s ties to Great Ling’s nobles and aristocratic clans.

After Jin Xiu was injured trying to become Zhang Rongfang’s partner, he advanced his Civilian Skill to Refining Spirit Perfection and was drawn toward a mysterious woman’s voice. Meanwhile, Ding Yu reached Dan Province on his mission but was drugged and captured by a local group.

• Jin Xiu visited Zhang Rongfang and insisted on trying to become part of his family, but she was badly injured and taken to a clinic.
• Zhang Rongfang used five attribute points to raise his Supreme Bright Void Skill to Refining Spirit Perfection, increasing his life force from 224 to 229.
• A familiar female voice called to Zhang Rongfang, and his body began walking toward it despite his alarm.
• Ding Yu arrived in Black Dragon Township while traveling toward Huanxi County to investigate the Heaven Lock Sect’s Treasure Medicine.
• A local woman weakened Ding Yu with a drug, and the group captured him while discussing how to use him.

Zhang Rongfang encountered a supernatural woman during meditation, escaped her illusion, and found a trace of it near his Blood God Statue. He set out to investigate, while Ding Yu woke captive in a village where Xiao Jing claimed she had taken him to father a child.

• Zhang Rongfang followed a voice to a strange House of Wishes and saw a White Dress Woman beckoning him through a web-filled building.
• The woman attacked Zhang Rongfang with webs, but his Blood Lotus broke them and he awoke in his own home as the Attribute Panel reported the danger had left.
• Zhang Rongfang found a speck of ash bearing the spider web's aura near the Blood God Statue and left to investigate the woman's origins.
• Ding Yu woke bound in a woodshed after being drugged and abducted by locals from Dan Province.
• Xiao Jing told Ding Yu she had taken him because her family needed a strong laborer and she wanted him to father her son.

Ding Yu was drugged and captured by Xiao Jing, while Zhang Rongfang investigated a legend about a mysterious woman in white and learned of major changes in Great Ling. He decided to meet a group of powerful newcomers at Golden Lotus Nanbo Temple, where Zhang Xuan, Xiao Qingying, Zhang Xintai, and the Flying Bear King awaited his help with their poisoning.

• Ding Yu broke free and grabbed Xiao Jing, but she claimed she was carrying his child before drugging him unconscious again.
• Zhang Rongfang learned of a Crimson Flame Gorge legend involving a woman in white who granted wishes, and ordered teams to investigate the poisonous region.
• Qing Su told Zhang Rongfang that the Ling Emperor had died, Yue Dewen had resumed his position as Grand Master, and Heavenly Treasure Palace had been reorganized as Heavenly Sincerity Palace.
• Zhang Rongfang received Hui Yong's warning that an unknown group of powerful people was seeking him, and he set out for Golden Lotus Nanbo Temple to meet them.
• At Nanbo Temple, Zhang Xuan, Xiao Qingying, Zhang Xintai, and the poisoned Flying Bear King discussed seeking Zhang Rongfang's help before the poison killed them.

Zhang Rongfang reunited with Zhang Xuan, Xiao Qingying, and Zhang Xintai, who had come seeking a cure for a mysterious poison, and swiftly defeated the Rebel Alliance’s Flying Bear King. Meanwhile, masked conspirators revealed that they had arranged for Yue Dewen’s trusted aide to witness Zhang Rongfang’s ties to the rebels, setting a trap intended to force him to choose sides.

• Xiao Qingying and Zhang Xuan welcomed Zhang Rongfang at Nanbo Temple and asked him to help their poisoned companions.
• Zhang Rongfang examined Zhang Xintai, admitted he could not identify the poison himself, and promised that someone under him could treat it.
• After Zhang Rongfang suspected Flying Bear King was falsely claiming to have helped the group, he attacked and overwhelmed him with a single blow.
• Zhang Xintai explained that Flying Bear King was a senior Rebel Alliance commander, so Zhang Rongfang spared him and helped him to his feet.
• Two masked conspirators said they had lured Zhang Rongfang into contact with the rebels and arranged for Yue Dewen’s trusted aide to see him, hoping to expose his identity as Zhang Ying and force him into a choice.

Zhang Rongfang discovered that a plot had been laid to implicate him in collusion with the Rebel Alliance and force him to prove his identity. When Zhou Lingsong demanded that he kill the rebels, Zhang Rongfang exposed the supposed General Director as an impostor and attacked.

• Two masked men ambushed Zhang Rongfang's scouts after signaling for reinforcements, and Zhang Rongfang arrived in time to kill one of them.
• A Gold-rimmed Black Mask accused Zhang Rongfang of colluding with the Rebel Alliance, while Zhou Lingsong demanded proof that he was the Daozi.
• Zhang Rongfang said his identity token was unavailable, and Zhou Lingsong ordered him to prove his loyalty by killing the Rebel Alliance members.
• Zhang Rongfang attacked Zhou Lingsong, then blocked the Gold-rimmed Black Mask's strike and revealed that Zhou Lingsong was an impostor in disguise.
• Zhang Rongfang activated another Limit State and declared that he would kill everyone present.

Zhang Rongfang killed the attackers who ambushed him and learned that Taiji Palace had ordered the plot to discredit him and harm Yue Dewen. He brought Flying Bear King and the others to a Pine Crane Temple branch, while a mysterious figure appeared at the scene and showed interest in Zhang Ying, Zhang Rongfang.

• Flying Bear King stopped Zhang Xuan and the others from approaching as Zhang Rongfang fought Zhou Lingsong and the Gold-rimmed Black Mask old man.
• Zhang Rongfang defeated and killed Zhou Lingsong, then caught the fleeing Gold-rimmed Black Mask old man.
• The old man revealed that the Shang Family of the Jade Void Palace had leaked Zhang Rongfang's whereabouts and that Taiji Palace had ordered the attack to damage Yue Dewen and his allies.
• Zhang Rongfang killed the old man despite promising to let him leave, then told his subordinate to clean up and led Flying Bear King and the others to a nearby Pine Crane Temple branch.
• A grayish-white-robed figure appeared at the site, examined the blood-soaked soil, and remarked that Zhang Ying, Zhang Rongfang, was interesting.

Yue Dewen learned that Zhang Rongfang had left behind the Token that could verify his identity and sent Xin Yue to retrieve it. In Wushan Prefecture, Zhang Rongfang investigated deadly incidents at Crimson Flame Gorge and led an expedition into the poisonous gorge, where the two guides’ eyes flashed blue.

• Yue Dewen discovered that Zhang Rongfang had not brought his Token and suspected his disciple had deliberately left it behind, so he ordered Xin Yue to take the Token to Wushan Prefecture.
• Qing Su reported that uprisings had spread across Shan Province and that investigators at Crimson Flame Gorge had encountered hallucinogenic gas, poisonous beasts, deaths, and disappearances.
• After learning that an antidote had been made and obtaining maps, Zhang Rongfang decided to investigate Crimson Flame Gorge in person.
• Zhang Rongfang and more than a hundred fighters reached the gorge and recruited Zhong Wang and Xu Siyi to lead them inside.
• Zhong Wang and Xu Siyi led the party into the mist, while an inexplicable blue flash passed through their eyes.

Zhang Rongfang entered Crimson Flame Gorge with Song Xinye and a group of Hunters, but an illusion separated him from the others and led him to kill Zhong Wang. He ordered the party to retreat, only to find the gorge’s path repeating endlessly, and called Qing Su for help.

• Zhang Rongfang led Song Xinye, Xu Siyi, Zhong Wang, and fifteen Hunters into the fog-shrouded gorge.
• The guides and Hunters vanished from Zhang Rongfang’s view, and he found a cabin where a White Dress Woman offered to grant him a wish.
• Zhang Rongfang threw a stone at the woman in the apparent illusion, then returned to reality to discover that the stone had killed Zhong Wang.
• Zhang Rongfang learned that Xu Siyi had fled, promised to help Zhong Wang’s family, and ordered the party to withdraw.
• The group ran for more than half an hour without reaching the gorge entrance, so Zhang Rongfang called Qing Su to bring people into the gorge.

Zhang Rongfang became trapped in a mist-filled gorge and met Xue Tong, who claimed to be the true Yue Dewen. Xue Tong left him questioning the identity of the Yue Dewen who had raised him and the fate of the Moon King.

• Qing Su accepted Zhang Rongfang’s token and led her people into the gorge, while Zhang Rongfang found himself and his hunters trapped in the mist.
• Zhang Rongfang tried blindfolded walking and climbing the cliff but could not escape or find his companions.
• Xue Tong approached after seeing Zhang Rongfang’s signal flare and explained that the Wish Woman, also called Manata, strengthened her power when more people entered.
• Zhang Rongfang and Xue Tong recognized each other’s Great Dao Sect hand seals, but Xue Tong insisted he was Yue Dewen and challenged Zhang Rongfang to verify his claim with Jin Yuyan.
• Xue Tong claimed he had killed the Moon King seventy years earlier and warned that the Yue Dewen in Heavenly Treasure Palace might be someone else.

Zhang Rongfang followed Xue Tong to a hidden cave where he was told to destroy a Statue of the Wish Woman without looking at it. Inside, he encountered a strange presence and attacked blindly as the cave began to collapse.

• Qing Su and her group were led into the mist by Zhang Rongfang, then were poisoned by the bees and fell unconscious after Zhang Rongfang vanished.
• Xue Tong warned Zhang Rongfang not to look directly at Gods and Buddhas or make genuine contact with them, and described ways to escape the Doubt Cloud Blockade.
• Xue Tong led Zhang Rongfang to a hidden cave and instructed him to enter with his eyes closed and destroy the Statue of the Wish Woman.
• After hearing a distant scream, Zhang Rongfang entered the cave and used a stone cane to feel his way through the darkness.
• Zhang Rongfang touched a cold, soft figure, was restrained by its hands, and attacked blindly until the cave shook and Xue Tong shouted for him to get out.

Zhang Rongfang failed to escape the collapsing Rock Cave and followed Xue Tong through the Mist of Doubt, learning secrets about Gods and Buddhas as he tried to reach a cabin. When the White Dress Woman and buried arms blocked his way, Zhang Rongfang attacked, and a giant figure of blood erupted from the cabin and struck her down.

• Zhang Rongfang escaped the collapsing Rock Cave and told Xue Tong that he had encountered a person inside instead of the Golden Divine Statue.
• Xue Tong warned Zhang Rongfang not to kill anyone in the Mist of Doubt, revealed that Gods and Buddhas were immortal, and led him toward the Brown Cabin.
• Xue Tong told Zhang Rongfang to approach the cabin slowly and avoid the White Dress Woman, but buried hands seized Zhang Rongfang and hurled him away before he could touch it.
• Zhang Rongfang charged at the White Dress Woman, but pale arms burst from the earth and immobilized him.
• A red object Zhang Rongfang had thrown caused the cabin to explode, and a giant figure made of blood struck the White Dress Woman and shattered her.

Zhang Rongfang escaped the Mist of Doubt after destroying the Wish Bell and the wooden hut, then found Qing Su and the others unconscious, with half their group dead. After the survivors woke, he ordered everyone to gather the bodies and leave, learning that Song Xinye was among the missing.

• Xue Tong led Zhang Rongfang beneath the stream and showed him the Wish Bell, claiming Zhang Rongfang alone could destroy it.
• Zhang Rongfang smashed the Wish Bell, and the battle between the Blood God and the Wish Woman vanished along with Xue Tong and the mist.
• Zhang Rongfang found the Blood God Statue cracked, searched the empty hut, and heard what he believed was Xue Tong urging him to take the clock and find his subordinates.
• Zhang Rongfang found Qing Su and the others unconscious near the woods, where half the group had died and their bodies turned to black ash.
• Zhang Rongfang used Awakening Pills to wake the survivors and ordered them to leave with the bodies; an old hunter told him Song Xinye was gone too.

Zhang Rongfang learned that the Wish Woman could be forgotten only by eliminating her believers and all records of her, then heard Xue Tong reveal that Worship God Warriors survived death by transferring it to a follower. Xue Tong's voice faded before he could explain further, leaving Zhang Rongfang with a warning about the special quality that made the gods fight over him.

• Zhang Rongfang led the survivors out of the gorge and found that Qing Su and the others could not see the Wish Bell.
• Zhang Rongfang waited and meditated beside the stream for three days, repeatedly hearing a faint voice calling to him.
• Zhang Rongfang entered a trance and finally saw Xue Tong, who warned that the Wish Woman had set her sights on him.
• Xue Tong told Zhang Rongfang that gods could be forgotten if their believers and records were eliminated, and asked him to eradicate the Wish Woman's followers.
• Xue Tong began explaining the secret of Worship God Warriors, revealing that their apparent immortality came from transferring death to a believer or follower before his voice faded.

Zhang Rongfang accepted Xue Tong’s request to deal with the Wish Woman, while the Great Dao Sect and its allies launched an assault on the Black Ten Sect in Yi Province. In Wushan Prefecture, Zhang Rongyu received news of the sects’ growing power and planned to assess the strength of a guard who had offered to repay her kindness.

• Zhang Rongfang realized that the figure he had pursued was only branches, confirmed Xue Tong’s existence, and vowed to fulfill his promise to deal with the Wish Woman.
• A rider delivered urgent military news to a Black Ten Sect outpost, where two Great Dao Sect agents killed the watchtower archers and announced the sect’s alleged crimes.
• Ran Army Master and Prefectural Lord Qian led the Black Flag Army into battle against the Black Ten Sect’s White Cavalry, and a giant crushed Big Beard before absorbing his Silver Thread.
• Zhang Rongyu received a letter reporting that the Great Dao Sect and Snow Rainbow Pavilion had united, and she told Suda Heqi that the Five Kings were seeking their support.
• Zhang Rongyu explained that the junior brother of an old man she had rescued had offered to serve as a guard, and she and Suda Heqi went to meet Zhang Rongfang and Lu Mei Sha for a meal.

Zhang Rongfang learned that the Rebel Alliance was pressuring Zhang Xuan and Zhang Xintai to spy on him, but they chose to leave rather than endanger him. After they departed for New Hui City, Zhang Rongfang added ten points to his life and noticed the sphere in his mind darken slightly.

• Zhang Rongfang asked Suda Heqi about the Rebel Alliance and learned that it had organized forces and launched several attacks.
• Xiao Qingying showed Zhang Xuan a letter ordering him to spy on Zhang Rongfang, while Zhang Xintai found that the alliance was using his wife and child as leverage.
• Zhang Xuan decided to leave with Xiao Qingying and Zhang Xintai rather than betray Zhang Rongfang, and Zhang Rongfang offered to escort them to New Hui City.
• Zhang Rongfang reflected on the possible danger of his Supreme Bright Void Skill and spent ten attribute points to raise his life from 229 to 239.
• Zhang Rongfang noticed that the sphere in his mind had darkened slightly as he entered meditation, while Zhang Xintai encountered a new problem packing to leave.