Chapter Summaries

Meng Zhao investigated Ma Family Manor and learned that its lord, Ma Ruzhen, was also Liang Prefecture’s Moon Guard Commander, whose duties and financial support for the Moon Guards were draining the manor’s resources. As he reached the estate’s depths, Meng Zhao questioned whether the Beitang Imperial Clan’s apparent collapse was genuine or a trap.

• Meng Zhao walked through Ma Family Manor and observed its exhausted workers and martial artists as they prepared for the annual horse-racing tournament.
• Meng Zhao learned that Ma Ruzhen had diverted the manor’s funds, leaving its finances strained and its people overworked.
• Meng Zhao discovered that Ma Ruzhen was the Moon Guard Commander of Liang Prefecture and reasoned that he was using manor funds to keep the Moon Guards operating.
• Meng Zhao concluded that Ma Ruzhen and Ma Family Manor might collapse by year’s end as the Beitang Imperial Clan struggled to maintain the Moon Guard system.
• Meng Zhao questioned whether the Beitang Imperial Clan’s weakness was real or a deliberate ploy, then continued deeper into Ma Family Manor.

Ma Ruzhen decided to risk his life using the Miro Divine Skill and Formless Blade to pursue the Grandmaster realm and preserve the Moon Guards. He prepared to stake everything on a dangerous secret art, leaving Ma Family Manor to A Kang.

• Ma Ruzhen recognized that Ma Family Manor’s wealth could not sustain the Moon Guards and decided that only his strength as a Grandmaster might keep them together.
• He recalled how, as a youth, he had received the Miro Divine Skill, the Formless Blade, and a secret art that required him to cut himself to stimulate his potential.
• After years of doubting the secret art, Ma Ruzhen concluded that the two martial arts had to be reunited and that the perilous method might complete his martial path.
• Ma Ruzhen took down the Snow Tiger Saber and reflected that A Kang had inherited his teachings and could take over Ma Family Manor.
• Ma Ruzhen decided to stake everything on attempting the breakthrough.

Ma Ruzhen considered the threats within Ma Family Manor and feared that his son, Ma Shaokang, might not be able to control them. Meng Zhao appeared in the hall, and Ma Ruzhen recognized him, realizing he faced an overwhelming danger.

• Ma Ruzhen worried that Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen might undermine Ma Shaokang’s future leadership of Ma Family Manor.
• Ma Ruzhen gripped the Snow Tiger Saber and contemplated clearing obstacles for his son.
• Meng Zhao appeared in the hall without Ma Ruzhen noticing him, and Ma Ruzhen pointed his saber at the stranger.
• Ma Ruzhen sensed that Meng Zhao’s aura surpassed even that of a Grandmaster and feared he might be a Great Grandmaster or Celestial Being.
• Meng Zhao told Ma Ruzhen to guess his identity, and Ma Ruzhen recognized him as Meng Zhao.

Meng Zhao confronted Ma Ruzhen over his identity as the Moon Guard Commander and threatened his family to force him to reveal information. Ma Ruzhen chose to take his own life, but he remained conscious and realized Meng Zhao had intervened.

• Ma Ruzhen recognized Meng Zhao and denied being the Moon Guard Commander, determined to protect the Moon Guards and the Beitang Imperial Clan.
• Meng Zhao said he had killed another Moon Guard and threatened to destroy Ma Ruzhen's family line if Ma Ruzhen refused to cooperate.
• Ma Ruzhen understood that Meng Zhao already believed he was the commander and decided that death was preferable to betraying Great Yong.
• Ma Ruzhen slashed himself and unleashed his Miro true qi, reflecting that he had never dared cultivate the Miro Invisible Saber physique.
• Ma Ruzhen discovered that he was still alive but unable to sense or move his body, and realized Meng Zhao had done something to him.

Meng Zhao seized Ma Ruzhen’s saber and used his Dragon Pupils to make the Moon Guard Commander reveal his secrets and the roster of more than fourteen hundred Moon Guards in Liang Prefecture. He learned of two major threats involving the Beitang Imperial Clan and the Arctic Ice Plains, and planned to take the Moon Guards for himself and use them to find their commanders in Ji Prefecture and Yanzhou.

• Meng Zhao stopped Ma Ruzhen from slashing his own throat and compelled him to disclose the Moon Guard roster and his knowledge of the organization.
• Ma Ruzhen explained how a peerless stranger had recruited him into the Moon Guards and helped him rise to command the network in Liang Prefecture.
• Ma Ruzhen revealed that the Beitang Imperial Clan was preparing a powerful demon corpse buried in a Dead Dragon Vein, though its location and activation required imperial blood.
• Ma Ruzhen also disclosed a vague secret about Arctic Ice Plains experts potentially entering the pass to reinforce the Northern Lands.
• Meng Zhao obtained the identities and contact details of more than fourteen hundred Liang Prefecture Moon Guards and intended to recruit them rather than kill them.
• Meng Zhao considered using the Liang Prefecture Moon Guards to locate the commanders in Ji Prefecture and Yanzhou, whose identities Ma Ruzhen could only guess at.

Meng Zhao killed Ma Ruzhen and decided to place Ma Family Manor under Ma Tianyi’s control rather than manage it himself. He summoned Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen, who were already preparing to leave after the horse-racing tournament, and they wondered whether Ma Ruzhen had set a trap.

• Meng Zhao revealed that he knew Ma Ruzhen had plotted against his sworn brother and declared that Ma Family Manor should belong to Ma Tianyi.
• Ma Ruzhen resisted the idea of Ma Tianyi taking over, but Meng Zhao killed him and warned that Ma Shaokang would soon follow.
• Meng Zhao chose to subdue Ma Tianyi and use him to carry out the Lingwu Meng Family’s orders, while recognizing the growing rift between the three sworn brothers.
• Meng Zhao located Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen with his Primordial Spirit Power and summoned them together.
• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen suspected Ma Ruzhen might be setting a trap and planned to leave with their followers after the horse-racing tournament.

Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen entered Ma Ruzhen’s seclusion hall expecting danger and found a stranger, Meng Zhao, standing beside a corpse and the Snow Tiger Saber. Meng Zhao claimed Ma Ruzhen had planned to kill them and hinted that Ma Ruzhen had another identity, leaving the brothers questioning who he really was.

• Ma Tianyi warned Zhao Zhen that Ma Ruzhen’s summons might be a trap and told him to carry the Heavenly Thunder Seeds.
• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen entered Ma Ruzhen’s hall and found Meng Zhao, the Snow Tiger Saber, and a corpse.
• Zhao Zhen accused Ma Ruzhen of trying to kill them, but Ma Tianyi recognized that the stranger was not their Elder Brother.
• Meng Zhao said Ma Ruzhen had resolved to kill both brothers and that he had saved their lives.
• Ma Tianyi put away his Heavenly Thunder Seed and asked Meng Zhao what he wanted, while Zhao Zhen guessed he wanted Ma Family Manor.
• Meng Zhao dismissed their assumptions and asked whether they knew Ma Ruzhen had another identity.

Meng Zhao revealed that Ma Ruzhen had secretly served the Beitang Imperial Clan as Moon Guard Commander and recruited Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen to take control of Ma Family Manor. He left them to deal with Ma Shaokang, making clear that whoever led the manor had to obey him.

• Meng Zhao told Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen that Ma Ruzhen had funded the Moon Guard network while the Imperial Court focused on suppressing a rebellion.
• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen learned that their visitor was Meng Zhao, the Dragon King, and pledged to serve him.
• Meng Zhao proposed that Ma Tianyi take over Ma Family Manor, whose fortunes he said the brothers had helped maintain.
• Zhao Zhen objected that Ma Ruzhen's son, Ma Shaokang, remained an obstacle to taking control of the manor.
• Meng Zhao warned that they had to handle Ma Shaokang themselves and obey him if they became masters of Ma Family Manor.

Meng Zhao forced Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen to choose between obeying him and losing their usefulness, and they agreed to eliminate Ma Shaokang and seize Ma Family Manor. He vanished after ordering them to carry out the plan while he watched from the shadows, leaving the two men to accept their fate under his control.

• Zhao Zhen argued that Ma Shaokang had to die so he would not seek revenge, and Ma Tianyi agreed after seeing Ma Ruzhen's corpse.
• Meng Zhao rejected the idea of recruiting Ma Shaokang, fearing he would eventually discover that Meng Zhao had killed his father and turn against him.
• Zhao Zhen warned that killing Ma Shaokang and taking Ma Family Manor could draw condemnation from Ma Ruzhen's surviving sworn brothers and the martial world.
• Ma Tianyi proposed using his Soul Capturing Pill to make Ma Shaokang surrender Ma Family Manor publicly after Ma Ruzhen's death was blamed on Qi Deviation.
• Meng Zhao approved the plan, ordered the two men to handle it carefully, and disappeared while promising to watch them from the shadows.
• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen examined Ma Ruzhen's twisted corpse and realized they had no way to escape Meng Zhao's control.

Ma Shaokang rode into Hengqu Mountain with his retainers to hunt a Golden-Winged Azure-Eyed Flying Eagle and make a striking debut at Ma Family Manor’s horse racing meet. After sensing danger in the unusually quiet mountain, he realized the hunting party might have been lured into a trap.

• Ma Shaokang set out for Hengqu Mountain with several loyal manor retainers, determined to hunt a Golden-Winged Azure-Eyed Flying Eagle.
• He explained that he wanted to prove himself at the horse racing meet and win the manor’s people’s respect.
• Two unidentified people followed Ma Shaokang’s group into the mountain as they hunted their way toward the eagle’s nest.
• Ma Shaokang demonstrated his archery by killing a mottled leopard and saving a retainer from an emerald viper.
• Ma Shaokang warned the retainers to stay alert, then noticed the mountain had become unnaturally quiet.

Ma Shaokang confronted Zhao Zhen and Ma Tianyi on Hengqu Mountain after discovering they had turned against him, and learned that his father, Ma Ruzhen, was dead. The chapter left Ma Shaokang enraged and wondering who had forced his uncles to act and killed his father.

• Ma Shaokang sensed danger and fired a chained-arrow attack at Zhao Zhen, who emerged from the forest and revealed that he had concealed his true strength.
• Ma Shaokang summoned Ma Tianyi, who arrived and explained that a sudden accident had left him and Zhao Zhen with no choice but to oppose him.
• Ma Shaokang asked after Ma Ruzhen, and Zhao Zhen told him that his father had already died, though neither uncle had killed him.
• Ma Shaokang realized that some person or force had likely compelled his uncles and wondered whether that same force had killed Ma Ruzhen.

Ma Shaokang and Ma Tianyi fought after their ties to Ma Family Manor were severed, while Zhao Zhen and Ma Shaokang's retainers clashed nearby. Ma Tianyi and Ma Shaokang remained evenly matched, though Ma Tianyi held the edge in battle experience.

• Ma Shaokang attacked Ma Tianyi with a deadly net of Saber Light, and Ma Tianyi countered with his Raging Lion Fist.
• Zhao Zhen hurled a stone block at Ma Shaokang, but four manor retainers shattered it and moved to hold Zhao Zhen back.
• Ma Tianyi formed a Lion Dharma Form and used its roar to dispel the saber qi from Ma Shaokang's net.
• Ma Shaokang closed in and exchanged twenty lethal moves with Ma Tianyi, but neither gained the upper hand.
• Ma Tianyi used his superior experience and control of the battle to keep Ma Shaokang's attacks within his grasp.

Ma Shaokang wounded Ma Tianyi with the Formless Blade, prompting Ma Tianyi to recognize how much of the technique he had mastered. As Zhao Zhen gained the upper hand against Ma Shaokang’s four allies, Ma Tianyi tried to unsettle Shaokang by offering cooperation and pointing to the danger of being outnumbered.

• After more than twenty exchanges, Ma Shaokang unleashed a storm of Formless Blade shadows and cut Ma Tianyi’s shoulder and cheek.
• Ma Tianyi used a surge of true qi to break the blade attack, then praised Shaokang’s skill and compared him favorably with Ma Ruzhen.
• Ma Shaokang said his father had delayed his Grandmaster breakthrough to protect him and blamed outside interference for the Ma Family Manor’s turmoil.
• Ma Tianyi dismissed the possibility that Ma Ruzhen’s advancement would have changed their fate, citing the power of Meng Zhao.
• Ma Tianyi offered Shaokang a chance to cooperate while pointing out that Zhao Zhen was gaining an advantage over Shaokang’s four helpers.
• Ma Tianyi secretly intended to shake Shaokang’s composure and planned to kill him despite the offer.

Ma Shaokang pressed Ma Tianyi in their fight until Ma Tianyi used a hidden Heavenly Thunder Seed to blast him with poisoned iron sand. Ma Shaokang survived through the golden pellet his father had placed in his dantian, though neither he nor Ma Tianyi knew its true origin, and the battle remained unresolved.

• Ma Shaokang ignored Zhao Zhen’s nearby battle and attacked Ma Tianyi, using the Formless Blade to gain the upper hand.
• Ma Tianyi secretly activated a Heavenly Thunder Seed and hurled it at Ma Shaokang, blasting him with poisoned iron sand and shattering his saber.
• Ma Shaokang rose from the blast as the iron sand was expelled from his body and the poison faded, astonishing Ma Tianyi.
• Ma Tianyi suspected Ma Shaokang had a Special Physique, but Ma Shaokang’s recovery came from a golden pellet his father, Ma Ruzhen, had placed in his dantian.
• The golden pellet’s powers included resistance to poison, extraordinary vitality, and increased physical and combat strength, but Ma Shaokang had never been told it was there.

Ma Shaokang recovered unexpectedly and fought Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen until they drove him into a deep pool, where a Heavenly Thunder Seed blasted him. Ma Tianyi searched the pool but found neither Ma Shaokang nor his corpse, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Ma Shaokang realized an external force had restored him, credited his father, and resumed fighting Ma Tianyi with Formless Blade Qi.
• Zhao Zhen killed the four estate guards and joined Ma Tianyi, but the two struggled to gain an advantage over Ma Shaokang.
• The three fought across the forest toward a deep pool while Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen waited for a chance to use Zhao Zhen's Heavenly Thunder Seed.
• A giant purple crocodile lunged at Ma Shaokang, and as he killed it, Zhao Zhen threw the Heavenly Thunder Seed and blasted him into the pool.
• Ma Tianyi searched the pool for half an hour but found no trace of Ma Shaokang, and he and Zhao Zhen could not tell whether Ma Shaokang was dead or had escaped.

Ma Shaokang survived Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen’s attempt to kill him, while Meng Zhao secretly watched and became interested in his apparent good fortune. As Ma Shaokang recovered, beasts gathered around the pool to the sound of a flute.

• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen searched the pool for Ma Shaokang, left, and returned three times before finally departing.
• After night fell, Ma Shaokang emerged from the pool alive and vowed revenge for his father’s murder.
• Meng Zhao revealed that he had observed the attack and recognized Ma Shaokang’s feigned escape and hidden endurance.
• Meng Zhao judged Ma Shaokang to be a minor Child of Fortune and chose to watch how his fate unfolded instead of killing him.
• Ma Shaokang recovered much of his strength using the remaining power of a golden pill, while savage beasts gathered around the pool as flute notes sounded.

Ma Shaokang escaped the beast tide by meeting Shanhua, a young woman who commanded the beasts of Hengqu Mountain. As Shanhua led him to her grandfather, Ma Shaokang saw a chance to gain powerful help for his revenge, while Meng Zhao began considering how to recruit the grandfather.

• Shanhua rode a Black Tiger through the beasts surrounding Ma Shaokang and revealed that she had summoned them with her flute.
• Ma Shaokang flattered Shanhua and persuaded her to take him deeper into Hengqu Mountain.
• Shanhua told Ma Shaokang that she lived with her grandfather, who could command even the Golden-Winged Azure-Eyed Flying Eagle.
• Ma Shaokang considered using Shanhua to gain her grandfather's help but decided to proceed cautiously.
• Meng Zhao judged Shanhua's grandfather to be a valuable potential ally and began thinking of a suitable match for Shanhua among his followers.

Meng Zhao and Ma Shaokang followed Shanhua to her grandfather’s hidden valley, where they met the powerful, suspicious old master. Ma Shaokang explained his family’s downfall, and Shanhua’s grandfather recognized his father’s name.

• Meng Zhao observed the valley’s ancient formation, gathered dragon veins, trained beasts, and formidable aura as he and Ma Shaokang arrived with Shanhua.
• Shanhua called for her grandfather, who appeared and questioned Ma Shaokang about his origins and friendship with her.
• Shanhua objected to her grandfather’s suspicion, while Ma Shaokang respectfully explained how he had met her while fleeing after his father’s death.
• Shanhua’s grandfather recognized Ma Shaokang as Ma Ruzhen’s son and questioned whether his father’s sworn brothers could truly have killed him.

Ma Shaokang revealed that an unknown mastermind had killed his father, and Shanhua's Grandfather warned him that pursuing revenge could put Shanhua in danger. Shanhua rejected his restrictions and offered to teach Ma Shaokang the Beast Taming Arts, giving him hope of taking revenge.

• Ma Shaokang admitted that Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen had said an unknown person or force was behind Ma Ruzhen's death.
• Shanhua's Grandfather questioned whether Ma Shaokang could pursue revenge without endangering Shanhua and warned him not to involve her.
• Ma Shaokang vowed to try to avenge his father while promising not to bring trouble to Shanhua.
• Shanhua offered to help Ma Shaokang, but her grandfather insisted that friendship should not involve fighting and killing.
• Shanhua defied her grandfather by offering to teach Ma Shaokang the Beast Taming Arts, and Ma Shaokang saw a path toward confronting Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen.

Shanhua's Grandfather let Ma Shaokang stay in the valley temporarily, while Shanhua eagerly befriended him. Meng Zhao then revealed himself to Shanhua's Grandfather, who questioned why he had allowed Ma Shaokang to reach the valley.

• Shanhua's Grandfather explained that the Beast Taming Arts came from the Myriad Beast Sect's legacy and refused to approve Ma Shaokang as a recipient.
• Shanhua asked her grandfather to let Ma Shaokang stay, and he agreed while warning that he would intervene if Ma Shaokang tried to exploit her or learn the Beast Taming Arts.
• Meng Zhao emerged from hiding after Shanhua led Ma Shaokang around the valley, and Shanhua's Grandfather praised his concealment and martial skill.
• Shanhua's Grandfather inferred that Meng Zhao had followed Ma Shaokang and asked why he had let Ma Shaokang come to the valley when he could easily have stopped him.