Chapter Summaries

Liu An, Shi Jiawen, Yan Libing, and Qiao Nian discussed why they had come to Lingwu City and how to approach Meng Zhao. They agreed to seek his help investigating Beitang Xing’s murder, then headed for Meng Family Manor.

• The four came to Lingwu City to find Beitang Xing’s murderer and hoped to use Meng Zhao’s local influence to aid their investigation.
• They also wanted to learn how Meng Zhao had transformed and whether he had obtained a secret fortune.
• Liu An urged the group to keep a low profile and avoid provoking Meng Zhao, while Shi Jiawen revealed his intense interest in Meng Zhao’s secrets.
• Yan Libing backed Liu An and warned Qiao Nian not to treat Meng Zhao as the novice monk he had once known.
• Qiao Nian agreed to approach Meng Zhao respectfully so they could persuade him to send people to help, and the four set off for Meng Family Manor.

Four Imperial Capital City visitors sought Meng Zhao’s help, but Liang Muqiu received them in his absence and offered to handle their business. Qiao Nian was disappointed to miss Meng Zhao and remained eager to see how the man would react to their past.

• Liang Muqiu and Lü Yue received Liu An, Qiao Nian, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen at Meng Family Manor, and the visitors felt Liang Muqiu’s overwhelming Grandmaster pressure.
• Liu An explained that the four had been sent to investigate Beitang Xing’s assassination and asked to speak with Meng Zhao, citing their past acquaintance.
• Liang Muqiu said Meng Zhao was away and that she could make decisions for the manor, while Meng Zhao remained in Meng Family Village focused on martial arts.
• Liu An and Yan Libing accepted that Liang Muqiu could handle their request, but Qiao Nian regretted missing Meng Zhao.
• Qiao Nian recalled bullying Meng Zhao as a child and anticipated meeting him again, confident that Meng Zhao would not dare attack him.

Liang Muqiu warned the visiting nobles that Meng Zhao had already shared valuable clues about the Twelfth Prince’s assassination with Eunuch Zhan. Her account revealed suspects and details about the Chaos Body, leaving Shi Jiawen stunned by the possibility of such a supreme bloodline.

• Shi Jiawen struggled to suppress his greed for the secret behind Meng Zhao’s rise after Liang Muqiu’s reply extinguished his hopes.
• Liang Muqiu sensed strong malice from Qiao Nian and Shi Jiawen and remained outwardly composed as Liu An explained the group’s purpose.
• Liang Muqiu told the four that Eunuch Zhan had already obtained valuable clues from Meng Zhao about the Twelfth Prince’s assassination.
• The four realized they had overlooked Eunuch Zhan and learned from Liang Muqiu about several suspects, though she withheld Beitang Shu’s name.
• Liang Muqiu’s account of Nangong Yao, the Chaos Body, and the Spirit Seizing Secret Art shocked Shi Jiawen.

The group learned that Nangong Yao had created a Chaos Body and plundered its origin, prompting Liu An to consider how such a body might be created again. Yan Libing, Qiao Nian, and Shi Jiawen began eyeing Nangong Yao as a target, while Shi Jiawen took comfort in the presence of Nameless Eunuch.

• Liu An considered theories for creating another Chaos Body and how the Spirit Seizing Secret Art could plunder a person's origin, physique, and bloodline.
• Yan Libing, Qiao Nian, and Shi Jiawen saw Nangong Yao as an easier target than Meng Zhao because he had no family or backing.
• Shi Jiawen considered using the imperial clan's supreme treasure against Nangong Yao to seize his fortune and opportunity.
• Shi Jiawen feared Nameless Eunuch but recognized that his power made him a reassuring presence against Nangong Yao.

Shi Jiawen’s group shifted their suspicion from Meng Zhao to Nangong Yao and asked the Meng Family to help investigate the Twelfth Prince’s assassination. Liang Muqiu offered family resources and up to five thousand Yangwu Army troops, then hosted the four investigators at the manor for the night.

• After Liang Muqiu revealed Nangong Yao’s possible role in harming the Twelfth Prince, Shi Jiawen’s group turned its attention away from Meng Zhao.
• Liu An asked Liang Muqiu to provide more investigators and, if necessary, mobilize the Yangwu Army.
• Liang Muqiu agreed to deploy Meng Family personnel and spies, and offered up to five thousand elite troops without Meng Zhao’s order.
• Yan Libing used his secret art to judge Liang Muqiu’s words sincere, and Liu An accepted her offer.
• Liang Muqiu invited the four investigators to stay at the manor, and Lü Yue escorted them to the guest residence.

Liu An, Qiao Nian, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen discussed how Meng Zhao’s absence had disrupted their plans and debated whether his achievements came from his physique or from other strengths. They acknowledged that Meng Zhao was an extraordinary talent, leaving Qiao Nian’s earlier dismissal of him exposed as narrow-minded.

• Shi Jiawen asked what the group should do now that Meng Zhao was absent and their original plan could not proceed.
• Qiao Nian dismissed Meng Zhao as an ordinary talent elevated by his era and claimed the Chaos Body would surpass him.
• Yan Libing argued that physique alone could not explain a prodigy’s abilities and cited Meng Zhao’s undefeated record and willingness to wager against Tong Lie.
• Liu An recounted Xie Wanzhi’s defeat by Tong Lie, prompting Yan Libing to argue that Meng Zhao’s confidence pointed to strengths beyond his physique.
• The four acknowledged that Meng Zhao and Shen Tianci combined their physiques with other exceptional qualities, and Qiao Nian’s disdain for Meng Zhao proved narrow-minded.

Qiao Nian urged the four officials to scheme against Nangong Yao and seize a share of the Chaos Body, despite the dangers and their limited strength. Shi Jiawen and Yan Libing revealed powerful weapons they could contribute, leaving the group better equipped to pursue the plan.

• Qiao Nian admitted that he coveted Nangong Yao's Chaos Body and proposed that the four officials find a way to profit from it.
• Liu An warned that the four could not defeat Nangong Yao, while Yan Libing noted that Nameless Eunuch and Old General Yu would have little reason to intervene and would keep the spoils for the imperial clan.
• Qiao Nian urged the others to risk pursuing the rare opportunity, and Shi Jiawen argued that gaining strength would help him serve the imperial clan.
• Shi Jiawen revealed a weapon capable of threatening Great Grandmasters and demanded the largest share of any spoils if it was used.
• Yan Libing revealed a handwritten copy of Jade Blood Pill Heart, which could seal and weaken a Great Grandmaster.

Qiao Nian, Shi Jiawen, Yan Libing, and Liu An revealed their trump cards and debated how to capture Nangong Yao and obtain the origin of his Chaos Body. Unable to see a way past Nameless Eunuch, they considered recruiting Meng Zhao, Xie Wanzhi, or Tong Lie, with Tong Lie’s tribe offering a possible bargaining point.

• Qiao Nian revealed a Sky-Stopping Halberd, and Liu An contributed a Daoist Divine Talisman that could teleport him ten li.
• The four agreed their weapons alone could not defeat Nangong Yao and disagreed over whether to involve Nameless Eunuch and Yu Changkong or seek outside help.
• Liu An and Yan Libing argued that outside allies could be ambushed with their weapons, while Qiao Nian and Shi Jiawen warned that involving others risked losing control of the prize.
• The four concluded that Nameless Eunuch’s strength and unknown loyalties made it difficult to steal the Chaos Body’s origin under his watch.
• The four identified Meng Zhao as their first potential ally because of his strength and knowledge of Nangong Yao, and considered approaching Xie Wanzhi or Tong Lie as alternatives.

Meng Zhao gathered private information about Liu An, Yan Libing, Qiao Nian, and Shi Jiawen while they slept, revealing their secrets and weaknesses. The four nobles remained unaware as Meng Zhao assessed how each might be used.

• Liu An, Yan Libing, Qiao Nian, and Shi Jiawen agreed to seek secret cooperation with Meng Zhao and Tong Lie while remaining wary of Nameless Eunuch and Yu Changkong.
• Liu An slept while cultivating, but a divine radiance entered his brow and plunged him into a vivid dream; similar radiances entered the other three nobles.
• Meng Zhao watched the snowfall outside their residence and received a flood of information about the four sleeping nobles.
• Meng Zhao learned that Liu An had a mistress and illegitimate son, and that Yan Libing had ties to the Heavenly Demon Palace and two distinct hearts.
• Meng Zhao discovered that Qiao Nian had plotted to kill his younger brother, while Shi Jiawen seemed ordinary but carried intense pressure to grow stronger.

Meng Zhao used his Dream-Entering Marvelous Art to uncover the secrets and obsessions of Liu An, Qiao Nian, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen. He concluded that Shi Jiawen’s drive to become stronger made him the easiest of the four to manipulate.

• Meng Zhao explained that his Dream-Entering Marvelous Art could extract secrets or kill weaker targets in their dreams, though powerful minds could resist it or cause backlash.
• Meng Zhao learned that Liu An had deceived a princess, kept a secret lover, and fathered an illegitimate son.
• Meng Zhao discovered that Yan Libing concealed an Innate Demonic Heart and cultivated both Confucian and demonic arts, though Meng Zhao doubted he could reach the Primordial Spirit realm without a great fortune.
• Meng Zhao found that Qiao Nian had plotted to kill his six-year-old younger brother and kept the boy’s severed finger as an ornament.
• Meng Zhao uncovered Shi Jiawen’s overwhelming obsession with becoming stronger, recognized that his will could resist the dream art, and decided he could be won over by offering him visible progress.

Meng Zhao entered Shi Jiawen’s room and discovered that Shi was dreaming of seizing power, founding a dynasty, and becoming immortal. Meng Zhao woke him with a thread of killing intent, leaving Shi on guard as he tried to conceal that he recognized his visitor.

• Shi Jiawen dreamed that he gained powerful arts and talents, rose through the court, and replaced the Beitang Imperial Clan with a new dynasty.
• Meng Zhao judged Shi Jiawen’s ambition and sent a thread of killing intent toward him as he slept.
• Shi Jiawen’s true qi shattered his bed as he sprang up and defended himself against the unseen threat.
• Shi Jiawen saw Meng Zhao standing nearby and questioned him while pretending not to recognize him.

Meng Zhao met Shi Jiawen and revealed that he had developed the Dream Infiltration Method, which let him enter dreams and probe memories and secrets. Shi Jiawen realized Meng Zhao had cultivated a Primordial Spirit, though the chapter left unclear what special quality Meng Zhao valued in him.

• Shi Jiawen reconsidered his earlier confidence and accepted that he had badly underestimated Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao greeted Shi Jiawen and recalled meeting him years earlier at Great Compassion Temple.
• Shi Jiawen asked why Meng Zhao had appeared in his room, and Meng Zhao said he had stayed at Meng Family Manor to integrate his martial arts.
• Meng Zhao told Shi Jiawen he had already observed all four visitors through the Dream Infiltration Method and had chosen to meet them.
• Meng Zhao explained that the method used the light of the Primordial Spirit to enter dreams and uncover memories and secrets, terrifying Shi Jiawen.

Shi Jiawen questioned why Meng Zhao valued him despite his poor martial talent, and learned that his unusually powerful will made him difficult to enter through dreams. Meng Zhao explained that Shi Jiawen’s obsessive nature could be an advantage in cultivating the Wrathful God Art.

• Shi Jiawen asked Meng Zhao what trait made him value him more than Liu An, Yan Libing, and Qiao Nian.
• Meng Zhao explained that Shi Jiawen had been the hardest of the four to infiltrate with his Dream Infiltration Method because of his powerful will.
• Meng Zhao described Shi Jiawen as a stubborn, obsessive person who would pursue a goal for decades rather than let it go.
• Meng Zhao told Shi Jiawen that upper-tier martial arts cultivated the spirit and that strong will could shape a martial artist’s path.
• Meng Zhao explained that the Wrathful God Art’s power depended heavily on the practitioner’s natural endowments and talent, with an exceptionally high upper limit.

Meng Zhao explained that Shi Jiawen’s stubborn obsession could become a unique talent if he created martial arts suited to it. He revealed that Shi Jiawen’s changed plans had altered his future, then offered him a choice whose nature remained unanswered.

• Meng Zhao told Shi Jiawen that his persistence and fixation could awaken great potential through martial arts tailored to his disposition.
• Shi Jiawen doubted he could create such an art, but Meng Zhao argued that opportunity, fortune, and choices mattered more than ability.
• Meng Zhao revealed that Shi Jiawen had once planned to attack him with Nameless Eunuch and Yu Changkong, and warned that doing so would have led to Shi Jiawen’s death.
• Meng Zhao said news of Nangong Yao and the Chaos Body had changed Shi Jiawen’s plans and prompted him to offer a new path forward.
• Shi Jiawen, drawn in despite his unease, asked Meng Zhao what the right choice was.

Meng Zhao offered to help Shi Jiawen realize his martial potential in exchange for his loyalty and friendship. He imparted the first level of a custom mental method, leaving Shi Jiawen to begin a spiritual cultivation path unlike ordinary martial arts.

• Meng Zhao proposed that Shi Jiawen join him as a loyal ally and promised to help him reach extraordinary heights in martial arts.
• Shi Jiawen doubted that Meng Zhao could create a suitable martial art, but his longing for progress made him hear Meng Zhao out.
• Meng Zhao claimed his goal was to reach the Supreme Gods and Devils realm and dismissed Nangong Yao as incapable of transcendence.
• Meng Zhao sent the first level of a custom mental method into Shi Jiawen's Sea of Consciousness, where it appeared as a pillar of Demonic Script.
• Shi Jiawen learned that the method relied on visualization to temper the spirit and will, then use them to strengthen the body and develop divine abilities.

Meng Zhao used his Primordial Spirit Power to help Shi Jiawen cultivate the Nameless Mind Method and form an illusory Gate of Consciousness. Shi Jiawen gained strength and faith in Meng Zhao’s ability, but worried that his new martial art was demonic.

• Meng Zhao’s Nameless Mind Method drew on mental potential and willpower, and Shi Jiawen’s stubborn nature made him suited to it.
• With Meng Zhao’s help, Shi Jiawen visualized a Gate of Consciousness and began imprinting it to stimulate his potential.
• Shi Jiawen’s true qi increased by ten percent, grew purer, and his body and mental will strengthened.
• Shi Jiawen believed Meng Zhao could create a martial art tailored to him, feeling sorrow for how easily Meng Zhao achieved what he had pursued and joy at the hope it offered.
• Shi Jiawen accepted that Meng Zhao might restrain him but worried that the powerful martial art was still a demonic art.

Meng Zhao tried to persuade Shi Jiawen that demonic arts were a valid path to supreme martial power and revealed that Yan Libing cultivated both Confucian and demonic arts. He offered Shi Jiawen further benefits in exchange for information and help concerning the imperial court, leaving Shi Jiawen to consider the political danger facing the Meng Family.

• Meng Zhao argued that martial artists should embrace both righteous and demonic paths, and warned Shi Jiawen that rejecting demonic arts would limit his cultivation.
• Meng Zhao revealed that Yan Libing had an Innate Demonic Heart and cultivated both Confucian and demonic arts, shocking Shi Jiawen.
• Meng Zhao said Shi Jiawen was suited to demonic cultivation and offered him a share of Nangong Yao's Chaos Body Origin.
• Shi Jiawen asked what Meng Zhao wanted in return, and Meng Zhao requested information about Imperial Capital City's political and military forces and help warning or mediating if the court moved against the Meng Family.
• Shi Jiawen accepted Meng Zhao's explanation as plausible while considering how the Meng Family's growing strength and Meng Zhao's prominence made them a threat to the imperial clan.

Meng Zhao used the Nameless Mind Method and promises of martial progress to bind Shi Jiawen to him, then demanded that Shi Jiawen kill Qiao Nian. After realizing Meng Zhao had appeared through a powerful illusion, Shi Jiawen resolved to carry out the murder for the sake of his future.

• Shi Jiawen agreed to cooperate with Meng Zhao in exchange for guaranteed progress in martial cultivation.
• Meng Zhao demanded that Shi Jiawen kill Qiao Nian to prove his sincerity, and Shi Jiawen worried about the risks and possible leverage against him.
• Meng Zhao vanished, leaving Shi Jiawen unable to tell whether their meeting had happened in person or through an illusion.
• Shi Jiawen confirmed that the Nameless Mind Method was real and felt a strong desire to attain Meng Zhao's power.
• Shi Jiawen decided to kill Qiao Nian, though he planned to wait for the right opportunity and prepare carefully.

A mysterious scarlet-clad powerhouse entered Yanzhou, wounded the Pudu Cult Master, and summoned Monk Huikong to a riverbank. The stranger questioned Huikong about Beitang Xing’s death and demanded that he submit the Pudu Cult to the Beitang Imperial Clan or face its destruction.

• Liu An and the other three asked Liang Muqiu to help them contact Meng Zhao, and she said she would do her best without promising when he would respond or return.
• A veiled figure in scarlet entered Yanzhou, killed several attackers, wounded the Pudu Cult Master from afar, and carved a warning onto the Great Pudu Buddha Venerable’s golden body.
• The Pudu Cult tightened its defenses after the attack, and Monk Huikong used a resonance of qi to seek out the mysterious figure.
• Monk Huikong met the scarlet-clad stranger across a river and asked why they had wounded his disciple and drawn him there.
• The stranger asked whether Huikong had murdered Beitang Xing, and Huikong denied involvement.
• The stranger demanded that Huikong submit the Pudu Cult to the Imperial Court and the Beitang Imperial Clan, threatening to kill its leaders if it rebelled.

Monk Huikong rejected the mysterious red-robed man’s demand to disband the Pudu Cult or submit it to the Imperial Court, then attacked him with the Great Brahma Sacred Palm. The red-robed man deflected the strike and revealed that Huikong’s mind-affecting technique could not harm him.

• The mysterious red-robed man warned Monk Huikong that the Pudu Cult could become a source of rebellion and demanded that Huikong disband it or merge it into the Imperial Court.
• Monk Huikong refused, recognized the man as a hidden foundation of the imperial clan, and challenged him to a fight.
• Monk Huikong unleashed Sacred Light Emerges, the first form of his Great Brahma Sacred Palm, against the red-robed man.
• The red-robed man countered with a golden sunflower that met the Buddha Palm in a powerful clash and cleared the storm clouds.
• The red-robed man praised Huikong’s martial skill and explained that his flawless spiritual realm made him immune to the palm’s mind-affecting power.