Chapter Summaries

A mysterious powerhouse terrorized the Jianghu by destroying sects and families, prompting victims and influential forces to ask Meng Zhao to stop him. At Meng Family Manor, Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon grew impatient as he and the other mourners waited for Meng Zhao to respond.

• A powerful, unidentified martial artist killed and plundered across Ji Prefecture, Yanzhou, and Liang Prefecture, while leaving Lingwu City untouched.
• Rumors blamed Tong Lie, the Demonic Path, or a murderous bandit, and many people urged Meng Zhao to capture the fiend.
• Victims and representatives gathered in Lingwu City to seek help from the Meng Family and the Yanping Commandery Prince's Mansion.
• Beitang Ang and Beitang He avoided appealing to the imperial clan and relied on the Meng Family's assurance that Meng Zhao would appear.
• Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon, whose younger sister's family had been slaughtered, complained that he had waited several days without receiving a clear answer from Meng Zhao.

People seeking revenge grew frustrated by the Meng Family’s silence, and Elder Wang explained why Meng Zhao had no obligation to help them. The Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon asked the Meng Family to state its intentions so they could seek other help before the fiend struck again.

• The Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon and the other visitors grew restless as the Meng Family gave no clear answer about helping them.
• Elder Wang struck his staff against the ground and quieted the arguing crowd.
• Elder Wang explained that he had brought them to Meng Zhao because the attacks had occurred on his territory and seeking aid elsewhere could offend him.
• Elder Wang reminded the visitors that Meng Zhao had no personal reason to avenge their losses and was not obliged to help them.
• The Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon said they were not trying to force Meng Zhao to act, but asked the Meng Family to tell them promptly if it would refuse so they could seek other options.

Elder Wang persuaded the Avengers that Meng Zhao and the Meng Family had reason to pursue the fiend, and Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon agreed to wait more patiently. Liang Muqiu arrived to explain the delay and investigate their enemy, leaving them eager to learn whether she had contacted Meng Zhao.

• Elder Wang argued that Meng Zhao would not stall the Avengers merely to protect his reputation, and that the fiend's crimes on Meng territory gave him reason to act.
• Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon accepted Elder Wang's reasoning and admitted the Avengers might have been too impatient.
• A teenage boy announced Liang Muqiu's arrival, prompting the Avengers to wonder whether the case had reached a conclusion.
• Liang Muqiu greeted the group and explained that Meng Zhao was away and that she had spent time investigating the fiend's movements.
• Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon asked Liang Muqiu whether she had contacted Dragon King Meng.

Liang Muqiu assured the survivors seeking revenge that Meng Zhao had gone after the fiend, winning their trust and gratitude. The survivors and Elder Wang aligned themselves with the Meng Family, while Liang Muqiu considered how the affair could strengthen Meng Zhao’s reputation and influence.

• Liang Muqiu told the gathered survivors that Meng Zhao had pursued the fiend and that the Meng Family would seek justice for them.
• The Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon thanked Liang Muqiu and pledged that the survivors would serve the Meng Family if asked.
• Liang Muqiu urged the survivors to wait at the residence and trust that Meng Zhao would bring good news.
• Liang Muqiu considered how helping the survivors—and possibly defeating Tong Lie—could increase Meng Zhao’s standing.
• Elder Wang decided that joining Meng Zhao’s circle would provide protection and a future for his descendants.

Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng investigated a massacred manor and traced the killer’s methods to the Great Yong military’s Crimson Fierce Fist Art. They suspected Yu Changkong, though his motives and whereabouts remained unclear.

• Meng Zhao examined the ruined manor and sensed that its killer was a Great Grandmaster with an aura resembling Great Yong military killing arts.
• Zhao Rulíng said Yu Changkong was the only known Great Grandmaster in the Great Yong military, but questioned why he would commit the killings.
• Meng Zhao suspected Yu Changkong might be secretly pursuing another mission for Beitang Sheng and provoking him near his home.
• Zhao Rulíng inspected a victim’s corpse and identified the Crimson Fierce Fist Art, an art Yu Changkong was known to have mastered.
• Zhao Rulíng wondered whether Beitang Sheng had secretly ordered Yu Changkong to massacre even forces loyal to the imperial clan.

Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng discussed how to deal with Yu Changkong without provoking an open clash with Beitang Sheng. They considered Xie Wanzhi and a Heavenly Human expert as possible means to kill Yu Changkong while uncovering who was directing the violence.

• Zhao Rulíng suspected the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had plotted against Yu Changkong, though he could not explain why Yu Changkong had committed the bloody crimes.
• Meng Zhao asked how Zhao Rulíng would respond if Yu Changkong was responsible, and Zhao Rulíng said Meng Zhao should do what he thought necessary while promising to report the truth to Beitang Sheng.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that killing Yu Changkong himself could provoke Beitang Sheng, so he asked whether the emperor would discover the killer’s identity and how he would react.
• Meng Zhao proposed identifying the force behind the violence and suggested Xie Wanzhi as a candidate to defeat Yu Changkong, with secret help or a divine weapon if needed.
• Meng Zhao mentioned that he knew a Heavenly Human expert who could make success more certain, and Zhao Rulíng guessed he meant Monk Huikong.

Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng discussed whether Monk Huikong might help them target Yu Changkong, and Zhao Rulíng revealed that he had fought Huikong before. When a massive disturbance shook the fortress, the two Celestial experts headed southwest to investigate.

• Meng Zhao concealed his suspicion that Zhao Rulíng had wounded Monk Huikong and asked about their connection.
• Zhao Rulíng admitted that he had fought Huikong and suggested that Huikong might act against Yu Changkong if told the culprit’s identity.
• Meng Zhao considered recruiting Xie Wanzhi and identified him as his first choice, with Monk Huikong as a possible second ally.
• A series of violent tremors and collapses shook the fortress’s southwestern quarter without warning.
• Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng raced toward the southwest to investigate the disturbance, which Zhao Rulíng suspected Yu Changkong had caused.

Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng examined the shattered peak and found evidence that Yu Changkong had destroyed it with the Crimson Fierce Fist Art. They concluded that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord might be controlling Yu Changkong, but that Yu Changkong had possibly resisted and lashed out, leaving him with flaws that could give Xie Wanzhi a chance to defeat him.

• Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng examined the shattered peak and found a dense trace of crimson baleful aura from the Crimson Fierce Fist Art.
• Meng Zhao used the aura to reconstruct Yu Changkong's fist art, and he and Zhao Rulíng noticed that its movements had become stiff and flawed.
• Zhao Rulíng suspected that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had controlled Yu Changkong and corrupted his spirit or martial path.
• Meng Zhao proposed that Yu Changkong had resisted the control and destroyed the peak in a fit of fury, rather than acting as part of a deliberate test.
• Zhao Rulíng agreed that Yu Changkong's flaws were good news and might allow Xie Wanzhi to defeat him.

Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng staged a battle and spread a false account that Meng Zhao had fought the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, using the spectacle to protect Meng Zhao’s reputation and advance his plans against Yu Changkong. The story left the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord exposed to public scrutiny while Meng Zhao’s supposed injuries gave him a reason to lie low.

• News spread that Meng Zhao had fought the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord in a devastating battle across Ji Prefecture, leaving both grievously wounded.
• People across the Divine Continent praised Meng Zhao for supposedly stopping the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s plot and fighting beyond his realm.
• Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng had actually fought each other, with Zhao Rulíng imitating the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s demonic arts.
• Meng Zhao had arranged the false story to preserve his reputation while avoiding direct conflict with Beitang Sheng and the Beitang Imperial Clan over Yu Changkong.
• Meng Zhao had also used the spectacle to drag the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord into the open and make his schemes harder to pursue in secret.
• Meng Zhao intended his supposed injuries to cool the attention focused on him without damaging his prestige.

Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng spread a story that Meng Zhao had fought the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and suffered severe injuries, boosting his reputation while concealing his true condition. The Avengers learned of the supposed battle and feared they had lost their chance to avenge their families.

• Meng Zhao used rumors of his battle with the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord to build a heroic public image and make potential enemies less wary of him.
• Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon investigated the battlefield in Ji Prefecture and confirmed signs of the battle, including a lingering Dao resonance and Meng Zhao's True Dragon Profound Dao art.
• The Avengers heard that Meng Zhao had fought the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and accepted that the Heavenly Demon Palace might have ordered the crimes they were investigating.
• The Avengers were impressed by Meng Zhao's apparent strength but worried that his injuries would keep him from helping them kill the criminal behind their blood-deep vendetta.

After Meng Zhao was badly injured fighting the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, his allies debated whether they should remain with the Meng Family and how they could still avenge their families. Elder Wang announced that Meng Zhao planned to invite Great Grandmaster Xie Wanzhi to kill the culprit, but the group doubted whether Xie could defeat him.

• Some of the survivors considered leaving the Meng Family because Meng Zhao could no longer help them take revenge.
• Elder Wang rebuked them, and Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon urged everyone to remain patient and trust that Meng Zhao would continue to act.
• Elder Wang said the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s whereabouts were unknown, Meng Zhao was healing in seclusion, and the actual culprit remained unharmed.
• Elder Wang revealed that Meng Zhao would invite Great Grandmaster Xie Wanzhi from Liang Prefecture to eliminate the culprit.
• A woman in mourning clothes and Eight-Armed Crocodile Dragon questioned whether Xie could win, recalling his defeat by Tong Lie.

Elder Wang reassured the Northern Lands martial artists that Meng Zhao would invite Xie Wanzhi to Lingwu City and lend him a divine weapon to fight Tong Lie, though he privately wondered why Meng Zhao was taking such risks. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord examined evidence of the staged battle and identified Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng as the people behind it.

• Elder Wang told the gathered martial artists that Tong Lie had flaws in his spiritual essence and that Meng Zhao would help Xie Wanzhi defeat him with a divine weapon.
• Elder Wang explained that Meng Zhao’s influence made him far more likely than the grieving martial artists to persuade Xie Wanzhi to come to Lingwu City.
• Elder Wang questioned why Meng Zhao would risk his power and reputation to aid others, but concluded that Meng Zhao was no fool and that staying with the Meng Family was what mattered to him.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and Yu Changkong watched Lingwu City from across a tributary of the Wu River as the Palace Lord mocked Yu Changkong for misjudging Zhao Rulíng and Meng Zhao.
• After examining the battlefield and its lingering Martial Charm, the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord recognized Zhao Rulíng’s yin-yang Martial Intent and concluded that Zhao Rulíng and Meng Zhao had arranged the deception.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord discussed Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng’s staged report of Meng Zhao’s injury with the mind-controlled Yu Changkong, who briefly regained clarity and offered to help kill Zhao. The Palace Lord refused to release him and considered how the scheme might target him, build Meng Zhao’s influence, or lure out the Meng Family’s enemies.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord accepted the rumors about Meng Zhao’s injury as a useful way to distract Beitang Sheng and recognized that Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng had spread them to advance their plans.
• Yu Changkong briefly regained clarity, recalled the crimes committed under the Palace Lord’s control, and suppressed an impulse to kill himself.
• Yu Changkong offered to help the Palace Lord kill Zhao Rulíng, hoping to test whether he could escape the Palace Lord’s control.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord warned that Yu Changkong could not defeat Zhao Rulíng or Meng Zhao, whom he believed had reached the Heavenly Being realm.
• Yu Changkong accused the Palace Lord of using him to test Zhao Rulíng and Meng Zhao, then proposed joining forces against them.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord speculated that Meng Zhao’s false injury report was meant to draw him into the open, protect Meng Zhao’s standing, and possibly lure the Meng Family’s enemies into an ambush.

Yu Changkong and the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord considered how Meng Zhao’s actions protected Yu Changkong from being killed, while Beitang Shu received confirmation that Meng Zhao and the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had fought and suffered grave injuries. Beitang Shu celebrated the news, seeing Meng Zhao’s setback as a chance to pursue his ambitions in the Northern Lands.

• Yu Changkong reasoned that Meng Zhao had spread the news to avoid killing him and provoking Beitang Sheng, and wondered whether the Emperor would send help in time.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord agreed that Meng Zhao would leave traces if he moved against Yu Changkong, then suppressed Yu Changkong’s awareness and took control of him again.
• In Prince Fu’s Mansion, Beitang Shu celebrated reports of Meng Zhao’s rumored battle before ordering his operatives to verify the story.
• A black-cloaked intelligence agent reported that traces of Meng Zhao’s Dragon Way Ultimate Skill and the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s art confirmed their fierce battle and serious injuries.
• Beitang Shu rejoiced at Meng Zhao’s apparent setback, reflecting on his fear of Meng Zhao and his ambition to dominate the Northern Lands.

Beitang Shu saw Meng Zhao’s grave injury as a chance to weaken the Meng Family and establish supremacy in the north. After ordering Lei Wanche to return to Ji Prefecture, he sought advice from Mister Feng and Mister Tao, who supported acting against Meng Zhao but warned him to be cautious and distrustful of Lei Wanche.

• Beitang Shu planned to use Meng Zhao’s injury to suppress the Meng Family, divide its allies, and seek help from the Beitang Imperial Clan if needed.
• Beitang Shu sent a black-cloaked figure to summon Lei Wanche and ordered Mister Feng and Mister Tao to meet with him.
• Mister Feng and Mister Tao reviewed their spies’ findings that the Meng Family had strengthened security and that Meng Zhao had been badly hurt after fighting the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• Mister Feng endorsed Beitang Shu’s plan but urged caution in how they carried it out.
• Mister Tao agreed that Meng Zhao’s injury offered a rare opportunity but warned Beitang Shu not to trust Lei Wanche or the Lei Family.

Beitang Shu planned to disrupt Meng Zhao’s marriage alliance with the Tan Family, then proposed abducting or killing Tan Cai'er when his advisers warned the match would be difficult to break. Mister Tao approved the scheme and suggested framing the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord or another Demonic Path faction, leaving the plot poised for a covert attack.

• Mister Tao warned Beitang Shu that the powerful Lei Family could become a threat after helping him bring down the Meng Family.
• Beitang Shu said he wanted to sever Meng Zhao’s marriage alliance with Tan Changming’s granddaughter before it strengthened the Meng Family.
• Mister Feng cautioned Beitang Shu that the Tan Family would not easily break the engagement, since doing so would provoke Meng Zhao.
• Beitang Shu proposed abducting or killing Tan Cai'er, shocking Mister Feng and Mister Tao with the danger of angering Tan Changming.
• Mister Tao decided the plan could work if Prince Fu’s Mansion stayed unconnected to the crime and proposed blaming the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord or another Demonic Path faction.

Beitang Shu and his advisers planned to assassinate Tan Cai'er and blame the Demonic Path, hoping to break the Meng Family marriage alliance and weaken Meng Zhao. They agreed to send three God Forging Warriors while preserving enough strength to confront the Meng Families later.

• Mister Tao supported Beitang Shu's proposal to kill Tan Cai'er and make the Demonic Path appear responsible.
• Mister Feng recommended using the God Forging Plan to create deathsworn with Demonic Qi and conceal Prince Fu's Mansion's involvement.
• Beitang Shu hesitated to risk his six strongest God Forging Warriors, while Mister Tao urged him to send at least three and preferably five.
• Beitang Shu settled on sending three God Forging Warriors, and Mister Feng agreed that more would be an unnecessary risk given the Meng Families' strength.

Beitang Shu and his advisers planned to sabotage Meng Zhao’s marriage alliance and weaken the Meng Family by assassinating Meng Jizu, while avoiding a crude attack that would expose Prince Fu’s Mansion. They left the details to Mister Feng and Mister Tao and considered whether Xie Wanzhi’s arrival in Lingwu City could disrupt their plans or offer a chance to recruit him.

• Beitang Shu asked what they should do after sabotaging Meng Zhao’s marriage alliance with the Tan Family, and Mister Tao proposed killing Meng Jizu.
• Beitang Shu suggested eliminating Meng Hongdao too, but Mister Feng and Mister Tao argued that leaving one Meng Family leader alive would disguise their role and make it easier to absorb the family.
• Mister Feng warned that Meng Jizu might have secretly reached Grandmaster strength and could have protections left by Meng Zhao.
• Mister Tao revealed that Meng Yuanqiao was a Grandmaster with connections to other powerful experts, prompting Beitang Shu to ask his advisers to devise a careful assassination plan.
• Beitang Shu told Mister Feng and Mister Tao that Meng Zhao had invited Xie Wanzhi to Lingwu City, and Mister Feng suggested recruiting the Great Grandmaster for Prince Fu’s Mansion.

Beitang Shu sought to recruit Xie Wanzhi, a newly ascended Great Grandmaster, into Prince Fu's Mansion and offered imperial national destiny to aid his cultivation. Mister Feng and Mister Tao doubted the offer would persuade Xie Wanzhi, but Beitang Shu ordered them to investigate and continue the effort.

• Mister Feng and Mister Tao discussed how Xie Wanzhi could greatly strengthen Prince Fu's Mansion, while noting that his status and conflicts with the Beitang Imperial Clan would make him difficult to recruit.
• The men observed that Xie Wanzhi would be more likely to respect a powerful martial artist like Meng Zhao than submit to Beitang Shu based on imperial blood alone.
• Beitang Shu promised to spend Human Dragon Qi and the Great Yong Dynasty's National Destiny to help Xie Wanzhi overcome future cultivation bottlenecks if he joined the mansion.
• Mister Feng and Mister Tao doubted that Xie Wanzhi would accept an offer tied to a dynasty facing collapse, and Mister Feng proposed sending people to Liang Prefecture to investigate him.
• Beitang Shu approved the plan and promised to provide whatever people or money the effort required.

Lü Yue arrived at Hidden Dragon Valley to pay respects to Xie Wanzhi on Meng Zhao’s orders, drawing the attention of the martial artists waiting outside. He announced himself at the valley boundary, and his powerful cultivation stunned the crowd.

• A rider galloped toward Hidden Dragon Valley, prompting Liu Xiong to prepare to stop him.
• Zhou Sheng dispersed Liu Xiong’s gathered power and warned him not to act without knowing the rider’s identity.
• The martial artists watched as the young rider approached on a crimson, horned Dragon Steed and opened a path for him.
• Lü Yue stopped at the boundary between the outer and inner valley and identified himself as a member of the Lingwu Meng Family.
• Lü Yue said Meng Zhao had sent him to pay respects to Xie Wanzhi and request an audience, and his voice and cultivation astonished the waiting crowd.