Chapter Summaries

Lü Yue used Shanhua’s guilt over Ma Shaokang to suggest that she avenge him by killing the two traitors, Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen. Shanhua was interested but worried about the powerful mastermind behind them, and Lü Yue proposed acting secretly without confronting him.

• Mountain Lord told Lü Yue to persuade Shanhua to avenge Ma Shaokang and warned him to protect her during the plan.
• Lü Yue found Shanhua grieving at Ma Shaokang’s grave and asked her to recount their history.
• Shanhua blamed herself for Ma Shaokang’s death, and Lü Yue reassured her that she had tried to help him.
• Lü Yue suggested that Shanhua avenge Ma Shaokang, which briefly brightened her spirits.
• Shanhua said her grandfather feared the powerful mastermind behind Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen, and Lü Yue proposed secretly killing the two traitors without pursuing their leader.

Lü Yue took Shanhua out of Hengqu Mountain to help her avenge Ma Shaokang by killing Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen, while also easing her guilt and bringing them closer. After days of enjoying the county town together, Shanhua began focusing again on their assassination plans, unaware that Mountain Lord had followed them.

• Lü Yue reassured Shanhua that they would face the consequences together and that Ma Shaokang would not blame her for seeking revenge.
• Two days later, Lü Yue and Shanhua secretly left Hengqu Mountain, while Mountain Lord followed them to protect their journey.
• Lü Yue took Shanhua to a nearby county town, bought her fashionable clothes and jewelry, and treated her to a lavish meal.
• Shanhua delighted in the unfamiliar pleasures of the outside world, and Mountain Lord watched as her affection for Lü Yue grew.
• After several days, Shanhua turned her attention back to their plan to assassinate Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen.

Shanhua prepared to help Lü Yue avenge Ma Shaokang, but Lü Yue urged her to learn Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen’s secrets before acting. As he explained Meng Zhao’s influence and romantic life, he warned Shanhua to avoid taking sides among the Meng Family’s women when she settled there.

• Shanhua practiced with her new sword and declared she could fight Ma Tianyi or Zhao Zhen without relying on the Beast Taming Arts.
• Lü Yue cautioned Shanhua that the enemies might still have Heavenly Thunder Seeds and said they should uncover their secrets before striking.
• Lü Yue revealed that his Meng Family intelligence network could help investigate Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen, and Shanhua asked about the family and Meng Zhao.
• Lü Yue recounted his life with Meng Zhao, leaving Shanhua impressed by Meng Zhao’s power and bewildered by his many romantic relationships.
• Lü Yue warned Shanhua not to cause trouble or take sides among the Meng Family’s female masters when she joined the household.

Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen struggled to take control of Ma Family Manor after Ma Ruzhen's death, only to learn from Meng Zhao that Ma Shaokang was alive near Hengqu Mountain. They resolved to hunt him down with a new trump card, knowing their own lives depended on his death.

• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen spread the news of Ma Ruzhen's death and temporarily took charge of Ma Family Manor while Ma Shaokang was missing.
• A dart delivered Meng Zhao's letter to Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen, revealing that Ma Shaokang had been spotted near Hengqu Mountain.
• Ma Tianyi told Zhao Zhen that killing Ma Shaokang was their test for joining Meng Zhao, and they had failed it before.
• Zhao Zhen suggested fleeing, but Ma Tianyi warned that Meng Zhao would find them and insisted they had to kill Ma Shaokang.
• Ma Tianyi revealed that he had found a new trump card and claimed Ma Shaokang would die when they found him.

Ma Tianyi told Zhao Zhen about the Blade Jade, a treasure capable of unleashing a Grandmaster's strike, and the two planned to kill Ma Shaokang. Lü Yue and Shanhua lured them to Little Lotus Peak, where they trapped the pair and revealed they had come to avenge Shaokang, leaving Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen wondering how anyone knew he had died.

• Ma Tianyi told Zhao Zhen that the Blade Jade hidden in Ma Family Manor's treasury could unleash a Grandmaster-level attack, and they agreed to use it with the Heavenly Thunder Seed against Ma Shaokang.
• Lü Yue proposed impersonating Ma Shaokang to draw Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen out, and Shanhua used her Art of Disguise to transform him.
• Lü Yue appeared near Hengqu Mountain as Ma Shaokang while Meng Zhao's information network fed clues to Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen.
• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen realized Lü Yue was an impostor and considered retreating, but Shanhua arrived on a Black Tiger and blocked their escape.
• Lü Yue and Shanhua trapped Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen, and Shanhua accused them of plotting to murder Ma Shaokang and vowed to avenge him.
• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen realized their opponents knew of Ma Shaokang's death and wondered how the truth had reached them.

Lü Yue and Shanhua confronted Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen, who blamed them for Ma Shaokang’s death and attacked. As Shanhua fought Zhao Zhen, Lü Yue faced Ma Tianyi and refused his attempt to bargain, while keeping watch on Shanhua’s progress.

• Zhao Zhen and Ma Tianyi falsely accused Lü Yue and Shanhua of killing Ma Shaokang so they could avoid blame and silence them.
• Zhao Zhen attacked Shanhua on Black Tiger, and she answered with the tiger’s roar and sword qi from her jade flute.
• Lü Yue and Ma Tianyi held back from attacking as Ma Tianyi assessed Lü Yue and questioned why he was helping Shanhua.
• Lü Yue admitted he was avenging Ma Shaokang only because Shanhua wished it, and rejected Ma Tianyi’s offer to capture her as leverage.
• Ma Tianyi prepared to fight Lü Yue, while Lü Yue watched Shanhua’s battle and grew reassured by her performance.

Lü Yue and Ma Tianyi exchanged dangerous techniques while Shanhua and Black Tiger kept Zhao Zhen on the defensive. Lü Yue injured Ma Tianyi and gained the upper hand, while the battle between Shanhua and Zhao Zhen remained unresolved.

• Shanhua and Black Tiger worked together to keep Zhao Zhen under pressure through a series of exchanges.
• Ma Tianyi decided to defeat Lü Yue quickly so he could help Zhao Zhen, or else use their escape treasures to retreat.
• Ma Tianyi attacked Lü Yue with a concealed palm force inspired by fragments of the Miro Divine Skill and Formless Blade, but Lü Yue's dragon-scale Gang Qi blocked it.
• Lü Yue countered with a tornado of hidden wind blades that shredded Ma Tianyi's protective Gang Qi and wounded both his fists.
• Ma Tianyi praised Lü Yue's martial arts and recognized that Lü Yue's skill surpassed Ma Shaokang's.

Lü Yue and Shanhua fought Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen, who struggled against their stronger opponents and tried to maneuver together. The fight ended with both sides facing off with powerful treasures in hand, while Lü Yue cut off Ma Tianyi’s attempt to invoke Meng Zhao.

• Lü Yue used nine phantom incarnations to attack Ma Tianyi, then wounded him badly in their exchanges.
• Zhao Zhen struggled against Shanhua and Black Tiger, while Shanhua’s inner force surged toward a breakthrough that she suppressed.
• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen edged their way toward each other as they fought, and Lü Yue secretly let them draw together.
• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen switched opponents and then stood shoulder to shoulder, holding Blade Jade and a Heavenly Thunder Seed; Lü Yue took out Meng Zhao’s wooden blade.
• Ma Tianyi warned that a great figure stood behind them, but Lü Yue stopped him and insisted they were only avenging Ma Shaokang.

Zhao Zhen threw a Heavenly Thunder Seed to create an opening for himself and Ma Tianyi to escape, but Lü Yue shielded Shanhua with the Star River Reversal divine power. The blast failed to harm them, leaving the two attackers’ escape plan thwarted.

• Ma Tianyi signaled Zhao Zhen, who hurled the last Heavenly Thunder Seed toward Lü Yue and Shanhua to create an opportunity to survive.
• Lü Yue raised the Star River Reversal divine power, a star-powered barrier created by Meng Zhao, to protect himself and Shanhua.
• Mountain Lord watched Lü Yue’s display and reconsidered his view of Meng Zhao, hoping to learn divine powers through serving him.
• The Heavenly Thunder Seed exploded, but its blast and hidden weapons only shook the barrier’s outer edge and left Lü Yue and Shanhua unharmed.
• Shanhua admired Lü Yue’s strength, while Lü Yue stayed alert to Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen’s movements.
• Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen’s plan to make Lü Yue dodge the blast and then use their Blade Jade to escape failed.

Lü Yue used Meng Zhao’s sealed Profound Ice Blade Intent to freeze Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen after they tried to escape with the Blade Jade. Shanhua and Mountain Lord witnessed the power of Meng Zhao’s old technique, and Shanhua began to let go of her grief over Shao Kang.

• Ma Tianyi told Zhao Zhen to flee in opposite directions after he used the Blade Jade to buy them time, and both men threw their Blade Jades at Lü Yue and Shanhua.
• Lü Yue crushed the wooden blade in his sleeve and unleashed the Profound Ice Blade Intent, freezing the blade qi, the valley, Ma Tianyi, and Zhao Zhen.
• Shanhua and Black Tiger reacted with shock to the frozen wasteland, while Lü Yue explained that the strike was one of Meng Zhao’s methods from several years earlier.
• Mountain Lord examined the ice and recognized the attack as a Grandmaster-level strike infused with a trace of law power.
• Shanhua mourned that Shao Kang might have avoided his fate if Ma Tianyi and Zhao Zhen had been defeated sooner, and Lü Yue urged her to let go now that they had avenged him.
• Shanhua accepted Lü Yue’s words and smiled faintly as she began to move on from her guilt and grief.

Meng Zhao deciphered the Kunpeng Art and explained that it was created to transform a Divine Demon into a humanoid Kunpeng at the cost of limiting their potential. The art’s creator may have intended to complete the transformation into a Kunpeng, but Meng Zhao left that possibility unresolved.

• Meng Zhao studied the Kunpeng Art while Ao Bing cultivated nearby, and the Heaven-Illuminating Divine Mirror gave him a breakthrough in understanding it.
• Ao Bing finished cultivating and asked Meng Zhao what he had learned about the art.
• Meng Zhao explained that the Kunpeng Art was designed for Divine Demons to transform their bones, blood, and soul into those of a Kunpeng and greatly increase their combat power.
• Meng Zhao said the art required precious materials and restricted its practitioner’s potential, so discerning cultivators would avoid it.
• Ao Bing was astonished that a Divine Demon would give up being human to become a beast, while Meng Zhao defended the creator’s pursuit of power.

Meng Zhao and Ao Bing traveled to Hengqu Mountain to deliver the Kunpeng cultivation art, but found an unexpected marriage delegation waiting outside Mountain Lord’s dwelling. Inside the valley, Shanhua confronted her grandfather over an old childhood engagement, while Meng Zhao and Ao Bing watched unseen.

• Meng Zhao decided to give Mountain Lord and Lü Yue the Kunpeng cultivation art before traveling with them to Ji Prefecture and Yanzhou.
• Meng Zhao considered how the Imperial Court might respond to his plans and trusted that the Shen Family could intervene if Beitang Sheng tried to eliminate him.
• Meng Zhao and Ao Bing reached Hengqu Mountain and found about a hundred people in red carrying heavy boxes.
• Meng Zhao recognized the delegation’s elderly leader and young companion as likely marriage suitors and concealed himself and Ao Bing to observe.
• Shanhua questioned Mountain Lord about a marriage proposal rooted in a drunken childhood engagement he had once made with the old man.

Lü Yue suspected that someone had revealed Mountain Lord’s secluded whereabouts and Shanhua’s unmarried status to the old man seeking a marriage alliance. He persuaded Mountain Lord to investigate the hidden schemer, then accompanied Shanhua as they invited the old man and his grandson into the valley.

• Lü Yue questioned how the old man had learned about Mountain Lord and Shanhua, prompting Mountain Lord and Shanhua to suspect that someone had leaked their information.
• Lü Yue warned Mountain Lord that a hidden mastermind might target Shanhua, so Mountain Lord agreed to investigate rather than simply drive the visitors away.
• Mountain Lord sent Lü Yue and Shanhua to invite the old man and his grandson into the valley for a conversation.
• The old man introduced his grandson as Shanhua’s prospective husband, while the grandson stared at her with lustful intent and Lü Yue silently resolved to kill him.
• Lü Yue concealed parts of his background as they walked, while Shanhua remained cold toward the visitors.

Fang Duohai brought his grandson to Mountain Lord’s cabin to propose marriage to Shanhua, invoking an old promise and offering wealth and security. Mountain Lord considered the proposal but had not yet answered, while the marriage alliance remained complicated by Meng Zhao and Lü Yue.

• Mountain Lord welcomed Fang Duohai and wondered how his old friend had advanced to the Grandmaster Realm.
• Fang Duohai praised Mountain Lord’s martial arts, and they shared tea and discussed Mountain Lord’s retreat and his children’s deaths.
• Fang Duohai proposed that Shanhua marry his grandson, citing their old Marriage Alliance, his family estate, and Mountain Lord’s support.
• Fang Duohai’s grandson promised to obey Shanhua and never go back on his word.
• Mountain Lord considered the proposal but thought its appeal would be different if Meng Zhao and Lü Yue were not involved.

Mountain Lord rejected Fang Duohai’s proposed marriage alliance for Shanhua, explaining that she already had an understanding with Lü Yue. When Fang Duohai tried to buy Lü Yue off and then threatened him, Lü Yue refused to yield and claimed even a Great Grandmaster should not expect to escape offending him easily.

• Mountain Lord told Fang Duohai that Shanhua was promised to Lü Yue and that he would not agree to Fang Duohai’s proposed match.
• Fang Duohai questioned Mountain Lord’s decision and suggested their old agreement remained valid, but Mountain Lord insisted it had ended and challenged Fang Duohai to resolve the matter himself.
• Fang Duohai offered Lü Yue whatever rewards he wanted in exchange for withdrawing, but Lü Yue declared that nothing mattered more to him than Shanhua.
• Fang Duohai warned Lü Yue that refusing could bring future calamity, and Lü Yue replied that even a Great Grandmaster who offended him would face trouble.

Lü Yue challenged Fang Duohai’s motives for arranging a marriage between their families, and Mountain Lord demanded to know how Fang had found him. Fang admitted he had come under orders from a powerful force but refused to reveal its identity, leaving Lü Yue to question whether it rivaled the Meng Family.

• Lü Yue accused Fang Duohai of hiding his true purpose and urged Mountain Lord to investigate how Fang had found him and Shanhua.
• Fang Duohai’s grandson angrily rebuked Lü Yue, who said the grandson’s impatience supported his suspicions.
• Mountain Lord questioned Fang about how he learned of his location and Shanhua’s existence, then rejected their old friendship as a reason to trust him.
• Fang admitted that he had been ordered to pursue the marriage and that his information came through a chain of agents, but said revealing more would endanger his entire family.
• Lü Yue asked whether Fang’s powerful backer could rival the Lord of the Northern Meng Dragon King or the Lingwu and Southern An Meng Families, and Fang’s expression turned ugly.

Lü Yue and Mountain Lord challenged Fang Duohai to prove that the powerful backing he claimed could rival Meng Zhao. Fang Duohai revealed his connection to the Earth Demon Alliance and admitted that its mysterious lord had helped him become a Grandmaster and ordered him to establish the alliance.

• Fang Duohai feared that Lü Yue’s mention of Meng Zhao meant the Dragon King was backing him.
• Lü Yue and Mountain Lord demanded that Fang Duohai identify his powerful patron and show whether that patron could rival Meng Zhao.
• Mountain Lord suppressed Fang Duohai with his martial presence and warned that he would fight if Fang Duohai resorted to force.
• Fang Duohai handed Mountain Lord a bronze token bearing the name Earth Demon Alliance.
• Fang Duohai explained that a mysterious lord had guided his cultivation, helped him reach the Grandmaster realm, and ordered him to found the Earth Demon Alliance.
• Fang Duohai revealed that Su Baixing had joined the alliance.

Fang Duohai explained that he had used Su Baixing’s information and the Earth Demon Alliance as leverage to pursue a marriage alliance with Mountain Lord, who refused and told him to leave. Fang Duohai then revealed he had secretly tampered with something, and Mountain Lord realized the Earth Demon Alliance Token was likely the key.

• Mountain Lord learned that Fang Duohai had coaxed information from Su Baixing without telling him he would seek Mountain Lord out.
• Fang Duohai said he had sought a marriage alliance to secure a powerful friend, while the Earth Demon Alliance’s leader had only ordered him to recruit experts.
• Mountain Lord rejected the marriage proposal and said he would not investigate the Earth Demon Alliance.
• Fang Duohai demanded that Mountain Lord let him kill Lü Yue, prompting Lü Yue to suspect that Fang Duohai had been stalling or diverting their attention.
• Fang Duohai admitted he had tampered with something, and Mountain Lord realized the Earth Demon Alliance Token might be the means.

Fang Duohai used the Earth Demon Alliance token to poison Mountain Lord and seize control of the situation. He demanded Mountain Lord’s Beast Taming Arts, Earth Dragon Sealing Heaven Array, and Kunpeng Art, while Lü Yue realized the array lay beneath the valley.

• The Earth Demon Alliance token burst with red light, returned to Fang Duohai, and left Mountain Lord weakened by dormant poison.
• Shanhua rushed to support Mountain Lord, while he recognized that Fang Duohai had outmaneuvered him with a poison tied to the token.
• Lü Yue realized Fang Duohai had targeted only Mountain Lord, leaving Lü Yue and Shanhua untouched so he could control the encounter.
• Fang Duohai dismissed Lü Yue’s condemnation and said he would leave Shanhua alone if Mountain Lord surrendered three treasures.
• Fang Duohai demanded the Beast Taming Arts, the Earth Dragon Sealing Heaven Array, and the Kunpeng Art.
• Lü Yue recalled Mountain Lord’s powerful valley array and suspected the Earth Dragon Sealing Heaven Array was beneath their feet.

Mountain Lord tried to use the Earth Dragon Sealing Heaven Array to overcome his poison and fight Fang Duohai, but a strange poison disrupted the array and left him helpless. Lü Yue stepped in with a small wooden knife and warned Fang Duohai that he had a lethal Trump Card.

• Mountain Lord activated the Earth Dragon Sealing Heaven Array, which briefly restored his strength and raised his control over Worldly Power to the Great Grandmaster level.
• Fang Duohai revealed that his poison could trigger internal chaos in Mountain Lord's Three Corpses and Nine Worms, causing the array's power to collapse.
• Mountain Lord realized he could not overcome the poison, while Meng Zhao suspected the mastermind behind it might be the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• Fang Duohai urged Mountain Lord to surrender and threatened him if he refused to cooperate.
• Lü Yue confronted Fang Duohai and displayed a small wooden knife, prompting Mountain Lord to remember Lü Yue's powerful blade technique.