Chapter Summaries

Xie Jun accepted Meng Zhao’s protection and agreed to spy on Xie Wanzhi, then went alone to meet his former master after Xie Wanzhi summoned him. He remained wary of both men, suspecting Meng Zhao’s apparent injury might be a ruse.

• Lü Yue confirmed that Meng Zhao valued Xie Jun for his potential and urged him to prove his usefulness.
• Xie Jun agreed to follow Meng Zhao’s lead and report Xie Wanzhi’s movements in exchange for protection.
• Xie Wanzhi summoned Xie Jun from outside his room after nightfall.
• Xie Jun hid a short blade in his boot and went to meet Xie Wanzhi at a farmstead in the northwest of Meng Family Village without alerting Lü Yue or Meng Zhao.
• On the way, Xie Jun reflected that Meng Zhao showed no sign of injury and wondered whether he had deliberately spread the news.

Xie Jun met Xie Wanzhi in a snow-covered Medicine Field and reported on Meng Zhao, while trying to steer his master away from trusting him. Xie Wanzhi planned to use Meng Zhao to address his hidden danger and ordered Xie Jun to build influence and investigate the Meng Family.

• Xie Jun met Xie Wanzhi in the Medicine Field and told him about his journey and meeting with Meng Zhao.
• Xie Jun suggested that Meng Zhao might have faked his injuries to lure Xie Wanzhi, but Xie Wanzhi said he had verified that the battle with the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord was real.
• Xie Wanzhi rejected Xie Jun's suggestion to return to Hidden Dragon Valley, explaining that he needed Meng Zhao's help to resolve his hidden danger.
• Xie Wanzhi told Xie Jun to stay in Meng Family Village, build ties with Lü Yue, and offer help to victims whose families had been destroyed.
• Xie Wanzhi ordered Xie Jun to investigate how many Meng Family experts possessed Special Physiques and make a list.

Xie Jun obeyed Xie Wanzhi’s request to investigate the Meng Family’s special physiques while trying to avoid arousing suspicion. After Xie Wanzhi left, Meng Zhao revealed his Primordial Spirit and explained that he had detected the intruder and made Meng Family Village his Dao field.

• Xie Jun warned Xie Wanzhi that probing Lü Yue about the Meng Family might make him suspicious, and Xie Wanzhi told him to use his own judgment and avoid danger.
• Xie Wanzhi vanished, and Xie Jun felt relieved to be away from the powerful threat.
• A voice summoned Xie Jun to the glowing Medicine Field greenhouse, where he found Meng Zhao’s Primordial Spirit.
• Meng Zhao confirmed that he had detected Xie Wanzhi entering Meng Family Village despite the latter concealing his aura.
• Meng Zhao explained that he perceived everything in Meng Family Village through his Primordial Spirit and could temporarily turn the village into his domain.

Meng Zhao gave Xie Jun fabricated intelligence about subordinates with Special Physiques to pass to Xie Wanzhi, while planting a Primordial Spirit Seed in Xie Jun as protection. As snow blanketed Lingwu City, Meng Zhao aided its people and publicized his support for the Avengers Alliance, while Yu Changkong continued to spread bloodshed under the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s control.

• Meng Zhao sent Xie Jun a list of real but untrusted subordinates with Special Physiques and instructed him to warn Xie Wanzhi not to target trusted aides such as Lü Yue.
• Meng Zhao planted a Primordial Spirit Seed in Xie Jun to protect him from danger, and Xie Jun resolved to rely on Meng Zhao rather than Xie Wanzhi.
• Meng Zhao coordinated relief for Lingwu City’s poor during a week of heavy snowfall, distributing clothing, food, and medicine.
• Meng Zhao received the Avengers Alliance members, introduced them to Xie Jun, and spread news that Xie Wanzhi had agreed to support them.
• Zhao Rulíng stayed hidden with the Meng Family, while Yu Changkong wandered Lingwu City under the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s control and committed further massacres.

Meng Zhao planned to draw Xie Wanzhi to Meng Family Village while weighing how to control the influence Xie Wanzhi and his descendants held in Liang Prefecture. He left Liang Muqiu with the names of Xie Wanzhi’s four branches and a larger design that Xie Wanzhi might resist.

• Meng Zhao told Xie Jun to go with Lü Yue to invite Xie Wanzhi to Meng Family Village and to give him a list at the right time.
• After Xie Jun left, Liang Muqiu joined Meng Zhao as he wrote down the names of four Xie family branches.
• Meng Zhao explained that Xie Wanzhi’s four sons had built a powerful network of influence in Liang Prefecture with their father’s protection.
• Liang Muqiu realized Meng Zhao intended to take control of Xie Wanzhi’s arrangements in Liang Prefecture as well as scheme against him.
• Meng Zhao considered Xie Wanzhi’s potential to rally opposition and reconnect with the Nine Surnames Xie Family, making him a threat to Meng Zhao’s future conquest of Liang Prefecture.

Liang Muqiu set out to avenge the destruction of her family with Meng Zhao’s support, while Xie Wanzhi returned to Meng Family Village and learned about her strength and status. Xie Wanzhi’s interest in Liang Muqiu’s unusual bloodline alarmed Xie Jun, who feared Meng Zhao’s reaction if the Great Grandmaster pursued her.

• Liang Muqiu told Meng Zhao she wanted to go out, and he authorized her to take honored retainers and mobilize three thousand cavalrymen for her revenge.
• Liang Muqiu departed Meng Family Village at the head of a formidable force as Lü Yue and Xie Jun arrived with Xie Wanzhi.
• Xie Wanzhi questioned Lü Yue about the armed departure, and Lü Yue explained that Liang Muqiu was Meng Zhao’s favored concubine and had urgent business.
• Xie Wanzhi recognized Liang Muqiu as a Grandmaster and asked whether she possessed a special physique or bloodline.
• Xie Jun realized that Xie Wanzhi’s interest in Liang Muqiu could provoke Meng Zhao, whose woman was untouchable.

Xie Wanzhi met Meng Zhao and, after mistaking him for an injured expert, was drawn into the landscape painting Meng Zhao had created. The experience left Xie Wanzhi humbled and eager to learn what technique had let him enter the painting.

• Lü Yue and Xie Jun led Xie Wanzhi to Meng Zhao’s hall and waited outside.
• Xie Wanzhi entered and found Meng Zhao studying a landscape painting.
• Meng Zhao asked Xie Wanzhi to judge the painting, and Xie Wanzhi’s consciousness entered its mountains and waters.
• Meng Zhao interrupted Xie Wanzhi’s state of Entering God, leaving the painting blank and restoring him to himself.
• Xie Wanzhi asked what technique Meng Zhao had used and wondered what realm could create such an experience.

Meng Zhao revealed that he had created the Dao Entry Divine Ability and confirmed that he had already cultivated the Heavenly Being Martial Dao. After experiencing its power, Xie Wanzhi gained hope that Meng Zhao could heal his old injuries and help restore his martial path.

• Meng Zhao offered to teach Xie Wanzhi his Dao Entry Divine Ability, which required a powerful Primordial Spirit to use.
• Xie Wanzhi inferred that Meng Zhao had reached the Heavenly Being realm, and Meng Zhao confirmed it while explaining his encounter with the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• Xie Wanzhi described how the divine ability had improved three of his qi apertures and made him believe Meng Zhao could repair his martial foundation.
• Meng Zhao explained that he had briefly guided Xie Wanzhi's spirit to Heavenly Dao, partially healing his Primordial Spirit and physical injuries.
• Xie Wanzhi was exhilarated by his glimpse of the Heavenly Being realm and saw new hope in Meng Zhao's ability to help him overcome his old wounds.

Meng Zhao offered to resolve Xie Wanzhi’s hidden martial affliction, earning his trust and willingness to help capture the Great Grandmaster fiend troubling Lingwu City. The two agreed to clarify their intentions, though Xie Wanzhi remained wary of Meng Zhao’s deeper motives.

• Meng Zhao told Xie Wanzhi that damage to his mind and body had weakened his martial foundation and promised to clear obstacles before he reached the Heavenly Being realm.
• Xie Wanzhi weighed Meng Zhao against the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and Nangong Yao, deciding Meng Zhao was the one he trusted most and should avoid provoking.
• Xie Wanzhi agreed to let Meng Zhao help heal him and said he would assist in capturing the fiend causing havoc near Lingwu City.
• Meng Zhao asked Xie Wanzhi to assess the fiend, and Xie Wanzhi described Yu Changkong as powerful but lacking refined techniques and having serious flaws in his divine essence.
• Xie Wanzhi confirmed he was willing to deal with Yu Changkong, while privately questioning why Meng Zhao had invited him and whether he was being used as a pawn.

Meng Zhao revealed that he knew several powerful martial artists, including the Heavenly Being Hui Kong, and confirmed that Hui Kong was behind the Pudu Cult. Xie Wanzhi realized Hui Kong might seek revenge for their old grudge and suspected Meng Zhao had lured him to the Meng Family, but he waited to see Meng Zhao’s intentions.

• Meng Zhao told Xie Wanzhi that he had connections to powerful Great Grandmasters and Heavenly Beings, including the Great Pudu Buddha Venerable.
• Xie Wanzhi suspected that the Pudu Cult’s Heavenly Being might be Hui Kong, his old enemy from the great battle years ago.
• Meng Zhao confirmed that Hui Kong had founded the Pudu Cult, attained Heavenly Being Martial Dao, and killed some of his former disciples.
• Xie Wanzhi feared Hui Kong would take revenge after learning of his recent challenge against Tong Lie and his past fight with Hui Kong.
• Xie Wanzhi suspected Meng Zhao and Hui Kong had arranged to lure him to the Meng Family, but held back and watched Meng Zhao’s behavior.

Xie Wanzhi questioned whether Meng Zhao planned to exploit his feud with Monk Huikong, but Meng Zhao said he would protect him only while he remained useful. Xie Wanzhi chose to negotiate rather than leave, and Meng Zhao assigned him a public hunt for the fiend near Lingwu City.

• Xie Wanzhi asked whether Meng Zhao had lured him to Lingwu City to help Monk Huikong take revenge, and Meng Zhao denied it.
• Meng Zhao said he would not hand Xie Wanzhi over to Huikong while Xie Wanzhi benefited him, but might do so if he became useless.
• Xie Wanzhi suppressed his anger and asked what he could do to prove his value to Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao ordered Xie Wanzhi to capture and kill the fiend near Lingwu City in a grand, public display framed as answering the pleas of the fiend's victims.

Meng Zhao explained why he wanted Xie Wanzhi to kill Yu Changkong, a former Great General controlled by the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord. He argued that the Imperial Court would eventually suppress Meng Zhao regardless, and Yu Changkong’s death would weaken Beitang Sheng and the Beitang Imperial Clan.

• Xie Wanzhi questioned Meng Zhao’s motives for asking him to kill the captured fiend.
• Meng Zhao revealed that the fiend was Yu Changkong, a former Great General and trusted confidant of Beitang Sheng, whose son Yu Huashen commanded the Imperial Palace Guards.
• Meng Zhao explained that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had defeated Yu Changkong and controlled his mind, turning him into a puppet.
• Xie Wanzhi suggested freeing Yu Changkong and claiming a reward from the Imperial Court, but Meng Zhao said he wanted no such reward.
• Meng Zhao argued that Beitang Sheng would treat his strength as a threat and eventually move against him, so he intended to weaken the Imperial Court first.
• Xie Wanzhi understood that Yu Changkong’s death would deal a major blow to Beitang Sheng and the Beitang Imperial Clan.

Meng Zhao persuaded Xie Wanzhi to take sole responsibility for killing Yu Changkong, keeping Meng Zhao from openly clashing with Beitang Sheng and the Beitang Imperial Clan. Xie Wanzhi agreed, and Meng Zhao’s assurance that he would intervene if necessary confirmed that the rumors of his severe injuries were false.

• Meng Zhao explained that he wanted Xie Wanzhi to take the blame so the Beitang Imperial Clan would focus on him instead of Meng Zhao.
• Xie Wanzhi agreed to claim sole responsibility for killing Yu Changkong, accepting the danger to his reputation and standing.
• Meng Zhao speculated that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord was using Yu Changkong to provoke a rupture between Meng Zhao and Beitang Sheng’s faction.
• Xie Wanzhi asked whether the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord might interfere when he confronted Yu Changkong.
• Meng Zhao promised to act if the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord intervened, and Xie Wanzhi realized Meng Zhao was not gravely injured.

Meng Zhao pressed Xie Wanzhi to bring the four branches of the Xie Family under his banner, explaining the extent of his influence in Liang Prefecture. Xie Wanzhi began weighing Meng Zhao’s demands and wondered whether he might have been involved in the Twelfth Prince Beitang Xing’s death.

• Xie Wanzhi accepted that he had little choice but to hear Meng Zhao’s demands.
• Meng Zhao showed Xie Wanzhi a list of his four sons and said he wanted them to serve under his protection, not as hostages.
• Xie Wanzhi accused Meng Zhao of trying to seize the Xie Family’s foundations, but Meng Zhao cited his troops and ties to the Dan Chi Clan and Fire Dragon Cave as evidence of his power in Liang Prefecture.
• Meng Zhao asked Xie Wanzhi’s second son to make military equipment and his fourth son to supply spirit rice to the army at Hu Mountain, offering to pay thirty percent below market price.
• Xie Wanzhi reconsidered Meng Zhao’s reach across the Northern Lands and wondered whether he had played a part in Beitang Xing’s death.

Xie Wanzhi agreed to have the four branches of the Xie Family cooperate with the Meng Family, while Meng Zhao set strict limits on whom Xie Wanzhi could kill. The chapter ended with Xie Wanzhi realizing Meng Zhao had protected Xie Jun as a means of keeping influence over him, though Xie Jun’s Azure Mulberry Physique was no longer needed for his plans.

• Xie Wanzhi agreed to make the four branches of the Xie Family cooperate with the Meng Family and asked Meng Zhao to give his descendants opportunities.
• Meng Zhao allowed Xie Wanzhi to deal with everyone on Xie Jun’s list but forbade him from harming anyone outside it.
• Xie Wanzhi asked how Meng Zhao had learned about his interest in people with Special Physiques and bloodlines, and Meng Zhao admitted he had investigated him.
• Meng Zhao declared that Xie Jun could not be touched because he was not on the list, leaving Xie Wanzhi to infer that Xie Jun was a means of restraining him.
• Xie Wanzhi realized that Meng Zhao’s assistance made using Xie Jun’s Azure Mulberry Physique to restore his cultivation unnecessary.

Xie Wanzhi revealed that Nangong Yao had taught him the Chaos Grinding Mill, which he used to reach the Great Grandmaster realm while seeking a way to heal his foundation. Meng Zhao warned that Nangong Yao may have created the technique to complete his own incomplete Chaos Body, leaving Xie Wanzhi to reconsider the danger behind the secret art.

• Xie Wanzhi agreed not to target Xie Jun and explained that he had hoped to use the Azure Mulberry Physique to repair his injured Martial Dao Foundation.
• Xie Wanzhi revealed that Nangong Yao taught him the Chaos Grinding Mill after Xie Wanzhi helped him with certain matters.
• Xie Wanzhi said he had used the technique to break through to the Great Grandmaster realm but still could not see a path to the Heavenly Being realm.
• Meng Zhao warned Xie Wanzhi that devouring Xie Jun's physique would not heal the injury unless the method also repaired Primordial Spirit damage.
• Meng Zhao told Xie Wanzhi about Nangong Yao's dealings with Madam Xie and the Chaos Body, then suggested that Nangong Yao had devised the Chaos Grinding Mill to complete his own incomplete Chaos Body.

Xie Wanzhi questioned whether Meng Zhao would honor his bargains, then revealed that Nangong Yao was seeking a Human Dao Supreme Divine Artifact. Meng Zhao recognized the potential danger, while Nangong Yao’s plans remained unknown.

• Xie Wanzhi suspected Madam Xie had secretly supported Meng Zhao in exchange for help avenging her grievances, and worried Meng Zhao might abandon their agreement.
• Xie Wanzhi asked Meng Zhao whether he had a transaction with Madam Xie and why he had not sought information about Nangong Yao.
• Meng Zhao offered to heal half of Xie Wanzhi’s injuries immediately and told him he was free to leave if he did not trust him.
• Xie Wanzhi reassured Meng Zhao and disclosed that Nangong Yao had been seeking information about a Human Dao Supreme Divine Artifact.
• Meng Zhao considered the artifact’s power and feared that Nangong Yao could become an exceptionally dangerous calamity if he obtained it.

Meng Zhao considered Nangong Yao’s possible access to a Human Dao Supreme Divine Artifact and weighed his own chances of obtaining one. He reflected on the difficult path toward becoming a God or Devil and resolved to keep seeking opportunities so others would not overtake him.

• Meng Zhao assessed his treasures and concluded that only the Heaven-Illuminating Divine Mirror might let him withstand a Human Dao Supreme Divine Artifact.
• Meng Zhao recalled the many vanished Human Dao Supreme Divine Artifacts and especially coveted Liu Xiu’s Starry Sky Diagram because it matched his Purple Origin Dragon Body.
• Meng Zhao suspected Nangong Yao had obtained a Human Dao Supreme Divine Artifact and decided he could not let Nangong Yao wield it if he could not obtain it himself.
• Meng Zhao considered the growing competition for great opportunities and felt urgency to harvest a Dao Fruit and become a God or Devil.
• Meng Zhao compared inheriting an existing Dao Fruit with forming his own, recognized the greater difficulty of his chosen path, and resolved to seize opportunities to maintain his lead.

Xie Wanzhi regained his resolve with Meng Zhao’s support and searched for Yu Changkong, while Liang Muqiu led a massacre at You Family Manor to avenge the destruction of her family. The arrival of a crimson gleam drew Liang Muqiu away to confront its source as the Meng Family’s retainers continued the attack.

• Meng Zhao told Xie Wanzhi to gather information about the Human Dao Supreme Divine Artifact and assured him that he had nothing to fear while Meng Zhao stood behind him.
• Xie Wanzhi stayed at the Meng Family and searched for Yu Changkong, while his relationship with Xie Jun grew more distant.
• Liang Muqiu led Meng Family forces in a ruthless assault on You Family Manor, ordering that no one be spared.
• A crimson gleam appeared from behind the manor, renewing the defenders’ hope and drawing Liang Muqiu’s attention.
• Liang Muqiu transformed into an azure blade and rushed to intercept the gleam, while the Meng Family’s Innate Realm experts continued killing the You Family.

Liang Muqiu fought You Tiesheng at You Family Manor and revealed herself as a Liang Family Descendant seeking vengeance for her family's destruction. You Tiesheng admitted he had acted under orders, but Liang Muqiu already knew the Plainclothes Alliance and Beitang Imperial Clan were behind the massacre, and she remained committed to revenge with Meng Zhao's support.

• As Great Perfection of Innate Realm experts joined the battle, Liang Muqiu's allies overwhelmed the defenders inside You Family Manor.
• Liang Muqiu's Green Emperor Longevity Saber clashed with You Tiesheng's crimson power and wrecked nearly half the manor's western buildings.
• You Tiesheng recognized Liang Muqiu as a Liang Family Descendant and recalled his role in the Liang Family's destruction.
• Liang Muqiu accused You Tiesheng of betraying the Liang Family, and he admitted he had acted under orders from a more powerful force.
• Liang Muqiu identified the Plainclothes Alliance and the Beitang Imperial Clan as the forces behind the massacre, silencing You Tiesheng.
• You Tiesheng urged Liang Muqiu to abandon revenge and build a life with Meng Zhao, but she remained determined to pursue vengeance with his support.