Chapter Summaries

Meng Zhao won the Cao Family’s support for the Meng Family’s Cloud Mist Mountain venture and revealed that he had secretly orchestrated the bloody conflict between rival powers. Cao Yan and Cao Zhan pledged to keep his secrets, and Cao Yan put the Cao Family’s cooperation entirely in Meng Zhao’s hands.

• Cao Yan promised the Cao Family’s full support for the Meng Family’s venture and asked whether Meng Zhao had caused the battle beneath Cloud Mist Mountain.
• Meng Zhao admitted that he had planned the conflict and claimed he had used forged Flood Dragon Scales to provoke the rival factions.
• Cao Yan and Cao Zhan were astonished by Meng Zhao’s strategy, and Cao Zhan asked why he trusted them with such dangerous secrets.
• Meng Zhao explained that he wanted an alliance because the Cao Family faced a looming crisis, and Cao Zhan and Cao Yan swore to keep his secrets.
• Cao Yan pledged that the Cao Family would not let down the Fourth Young Master and said they would follow Meng Zhao’s wishes, leaving Cao Zhan stunned.

Cao Yan pledged the Cao Family’s cooperation to Meng Zhao and praised his character, then unexpectedly asked him to take Cao Zhan under his wing. Meng Zhao weighed the powerful alliance and Cao Zhan’s talent, leaving the request unanswered as Cao Zhan struggled with the prospect of leaving home.

• Cao Yan said he trusted Meng Zhao to treat the Cao Family fairly and offered to follow his arrangements.
• Meng Zhao promised to mediate the matter and preserve trade between the Meng Family and the Cao Family after the flood dragon matter was settled.
• Cao Yan asked Meng Zhao to judge Cao Zhan, and Meng Zhao praised the young man’s gifts, strength, and temperament.
• Cao Yan asked Meng Zhao to take Cao Zhan by his side, leaving Cao Zhan stunned at the prospect of leaving the Cao Family.
• Meng Zhao considered Cao Yan’s offer as a major investment in him and weighed the benefits of gaining Cao Zhan and the Cao clan’s support.

Meng Zhao persuaded Cao Zhan to leave Cloud Mist Mountain and join him, while Cao Zhan asked to test Meng Zhao's martial arts. In the courtyard, Cao Yan recognized Zhu Guangxi's unusual sword qi and injury, leaving Zhu Guangxi wary of the old master's skill.

• Meng Zhao deferred to Cao Zhan's wishes, but Cao Yan urged his grandson to follow Meng Zhao and help build a future for the Cao Family.
• Meng Zhao encouraged Cao Zhan to leave the mountain, and Cao Zhan agreed to become his subordinate.
• Cao Zhan asked Meng Zhao to spar so they could assess each other's strength, and Meng Zhao accepted.
• Meng Zhao and Cao Zhan went to the courtyard with Cao Yan, who brought the Mountain Shaking Bow.
• Cao Yan examined Zhu Guangxi's sword qi, noticed his lack of yang qi, and offered him Jade Blood Paste; Zhu Guangxi concealed that he was a eunuch and grew wary of Cao Yan.

Meng Zhao and Cao Zhan tested their strength in a head-on spar, and Meng Zhao overwhelmed Cao Zhan with a single palm strike. Cao Zhan charged at him again, his resolve strengthened by the defeat.

• Cao Zhan warned Meng Zhao before attacking with the Through-the-Back Fist of the Great Sage Splitting Heaven Art.
• Meng Zhao answered with the Coiling Dragon Palm, shattering the bricks as their attacks collided.
• Meng Zhao remained steady while Cao Zhan was driven back, his hands trembling from the impact.
• Cao Yan realized Meng Zhao had used a powerful dragon-lineage martial art and had not shown his full strength, while Zhu Guangxi grew more wary of him.
• Cao Zhan roared and lunged at Meng Zhao again, his unyielding will awakened by the disparity in their strength.

Meng Zhao defeated Cao Zhan in a martial arts bout by using Dragon Might to disrupt his focus, then disabled his inner breath with a finger strike. Convinced by Meng Zhao’s skill, Cao Zhan pledged his loyalty and asked to follow him.

• Cao Zhan and Meng Zhao fought with their martial techniques, exchanging around fifty moves across the courtyard.
• Meng Zhao unleashed Dragon Might, causing Cao Zhan to falter, then struck his right chest with a finger technique that disrupted his inner breath.
• Cao Yan and Zhu Guangxi recognized that Meng Zhao had won by exploiting Cao Zhan’s weakness in spiritual cultivation.
• Cao Yan woke Cao Zhan from his daze and urged him to thank Meng Zhao for his guidance.
• Cao Zhan declared himself wholeheartedly convinced and pledged to obey Meng Zhao, who welcomed him and urged him to build an undertaking of his own.

Meng Zhao welcomed Cao Zhan into his circle and secured the Cao Family’s support, then prepared for the dangers surrounding the search for the Flood Dragon Egg. The market town settled into a fragile peace as Meng Zhao gained secret routes, supplies, and mountain knowledge that could improve his chances of surviving Cloud Mist Mountain.

• Cao Zhan met Lü Yue and Han Pu, while Meng Chuan’s friendly welcome helped him adapt to the Meng Family’s stronghold.
• Meng Zhao sent a detailed letter to the Meng Family in the prefectural city, reporting the Cao Family’s alliance and requesting reinforcements against a possible backlash from the Marquis of Beining’s Estate.
• Steward Mao spread news of the Cao Family’s alliance with the Meng Family to put the Lei Family on guard.
• As fighting subsided and trade resumed in the market town, Meng Zhao obtained two secret mountain paths, six supply points, and a rough map of dangerous sites from Cao Yan.
• Cao Yan shared decades of hidden knowledge about Cloud Mist Mountain, giving Meng Zhao more ways to survive the dangers ahead.

A wounded Fire Dragon Cave disciple reached Meng Zhao and reported that Tang Ling'er and several others had been ambushed by two Demonic Path fighters near Fir Forest Bend. Meng Zhao learned they needed immediate rescue, but the chapter ended before he dispatched anyone.

• Han Pu and Lü Yue brought a gravely wounded Fire Dragon Cave disciple to Meng Zhao, who used his Crimson Dragon Force to dispel the demonic force in the man's wound.
• After waking, the disciple told Meng Zhao that Tang Ling'er, Zheng Xie, Shi Siming, and three others had gone to scout Cloud Mist Mountain without their elders' permission.
• The group was ambushed by two powerful fighters at Fir Forest Bend, and the wounded disciple's injuries broke their formation, forcing Tang Ling'er and the others to flee.
• The disciple escaped because the attackers focused on Tang Ling'er, then made his way to Meng Zhao's stronghold to seek reinforcements.
• The disciple pleaded with Meng Zhao to send experts at once to rescue Tang Ling'er and the others.

Meng Zhao prepared to intervene after learning that Tang Ling'er and her group from Fire Dragon Cave had been ambushed, while the Demonic Path’s involvement threatened to destabilize the forces beneath Cloud Mist Mountain. He sent Lü Yue to report to the Meng Mansion and Fire Dragon Cave, then planned to rescue Tang Ling'er with Shi Jie and Cao Zhan as Han Pu guarded their interests.

• Meng Zhao sent the wounded messenger to a physician and wrote to his eldest uncle requesting experts, then ordered Lü Yue to deliver the letter to the commandery city.
• Lü Yue warned Meng Zhao that the Demonic Path might have powerful backing, while Han Pu offered to lead the rescue himself to keep Meng Zhao safe.
• Meng Zhao insisted on handling the rescue personally and told Lü Yue to inform the Meng Mansion and Fire Dragon Cave about the new threat.
• Meng Zhao said he would bring Shi Jie and Cao Zhan, while Han Pu stayed behind to watch the Lei Family, the Yang Family, the Nine Abyss Sect, and the Twelve Linked Forts.
• Meng Zhao arranged further precautions and hoped Tang Ling'er could hold out, believing her rescue might improve his relationship with Fire Dragon Cave.

Meng Zhao, Zhu Guangxi, and Cao Zhan followed the Fire Dragon Cave disciple’s trail through a blizzard to Fir Forest Bend, where they found signs that the ambushed group had scattered. Meng Zhao split them up to search for Tang Ling'er, while Zhu Guangxi suspected Meng Zhao hoped to win her favor and build ties with Fire Dragon Cave.

• Meng Zhao traveled with Zhu Guangxi and Cao Zhan through the snow, following the Fire Dragon Cave disciple’s markers toward Fir Forest Bend.
• At Fir Forest Bend, Cao Zhan found battle damage and determined that the fleeing group had gone in three different directions.
• Meng Zhao decided Tang Ling'er had to be rescued and ordered each of them to pursue a separate route, explaining her connection to True Monarch Fire Dragon.
• Zhu Guangxi inferred that Meng Zhao wanted to use the rescue to form an alliance with Fire Dragon Cave and agreed to help him save Tang Ling'er.

Meng Zhao followed the trail of a fierce battle through the fir forest and found Tang Ling'er, Shi Siming, and Zheng Xie trapped beyond a mountain pass. Zheng Xie was overwhelmed by Xu Laizi, while the Demon Path woman urged him to finish the fight.

• Meng Zhao warned Cao Zhan to protect himself, and the three men split up to search for the missing people.
• Meng Zhao found a scrap of a woman's garment high in a fir tree and continued following the trail.
• Tang Ling'er tended to the gravely wounded Shi Siming, who said he would use a final life-ending strike to help her escape.
• Zheng Xie fought Xu Laizi with the Soft Cloud Sun-Sweeping Sword Art but struggled against the hooded man's powerful palms.
• The Demon Path woman mocked Xu Laizi, who knocked Zheng Xie's sword into the air and struck him in the chest.

Xu Laizi left Zheng Xie dying and overwhelmed Tang Ling'er and Shi Siming with his threats. As Xu Laizi prepared to violate her, Tang Ling'er decided to kill herself to preserve her chastity for the man she loved.

• Xu Laizi's sinister strike gravely wounded Zheng Xie, and Tang Ling'er failed to save him despite sending him her inner strength.
• Tang Ling'er attacked Xu Laizi, but he shattered her sword qi and injured her hand.
• Xu Laizi leered at Tang Ling'er and threatened to make her his woman, while Shi Siming cursed him and secretly prepared a life-for-life strike.
• Tang Ling'er thought of Meng Zhao and resolved to preserve her chastity for him.
• Tang Ling'er raised her sword to her neck and smiled sorrowfully, preparing to cut her throat.

Tang Ling'er was nearly captured after the seductive young woman weakened her resolve, but Shi Siming’s desperate attack distracted Xu Laizi. Shi Siming died after exhausting his life force, and as Xu Laizi moved to seize Tang Ling'er, overwhelming killing intent suddenly descended.

• The seductive young woman used her words and spiritual enchantment to persuade Tang Ling'er to lower her sword.
• Xu Laizi knocked the sword from Tang Linger's hand and lunged for her, but Shi Siming launched a desperate attack to stop him.
• Xu Laizi fought defensively until Shi Siming's forbidden technique exhausted his cultivation and killed him.
• Tang Ling'er ran to Shi Siming's corpse and wept while Xu Laizi and the seductive young woman showed no pity.
• Xu Laizi prepared to seize Tang Ling'er, then froze when a tyrannical killing intent descended upon them.

Meng Zhao arrived in time to stop Xu Laizi from harming Tang Ling'er, who was devastated after Shi Siming died and Zheng Xie lay near death. Tang Ling'er threw herself into Meng Zhao’s arms and fell deeply in love with him, while he secretly welcomed how easily his plan had succeeded.

• The seductive young woman felt her bloodline react to an unknown stirring, while Xu Laizi searched for the source of the killing aura surrounding him.
• Meng Zhao appeared beside Tang Ling'er after using Dragon Might and killing aura to delay Xu Laizi, then asked whether she was all right.
• Meng Zhao saw that Shi Siming had died and Zheng Xie was close to death, and concluded that Tang Ling'er had been pursued after their group was separated.
• Tang Ling'er recognized Meng Zhao and, overwhelmed by relief and affection, embraced him and refused to let go.
• Meng Zhao comforted Tang Ling'er while privately savoring how readily she had fallen into his grasp.

Meng Zhao confronted Xu Laizi after learning that he was a candidate Holy Son of the Demon Venerable Hall and the man who had harmed Young Hero Shi. The two unleashed their martial arts, and their dragon and spider-shaped forces battled in midair.

• Xu Laizi raged when he saw Tang Ling'er embrace Meng Zhao and threatened to make her suffer.
• Meng Zhao asked Tang Ling'er whether Xu Laizi had harmed Young Hero Shi, and she identified him as a candidate Holy Son of the Demon Venerable Hall.
• Meng Zhao considered the danger of a powerful protector secretly guarding Xu Laizi.
• Xu Laizi attacked Meng Zhao with the Bare-handed Demonic Art, shaping his palm force into a giant spider.
• Meng Zhao protected Tang Ling'er and countered with the dragon force of Hundred Transformations of the Divine Dragon, and the dragon and spider forces fought in midair.

Meng Zhao overwhelmed Xu Laizi while protecting Tang Ling'er, then sensed that the alluring young woman watching them could be important to his dragon body. Xu Laizi sought the woman's help, while Tang Ling'er grew jealous of Meng Zhao's attention toward her.

• Meng Zhao's Dragon Form Qi shattered Xu Laizi's attack and forced him back, leaving the Demon Venerable Hall prodigy shocked by his strength.
• Meng Zhao refused to give Xu Laizi his name and used his Dragon Might to nearly make him kneel in fear.
• Xu Laizi decided he could not defeat Meng Zhao alone and asked the young woman watching nearby to join forces with him.
• Meng Zhao sensed that the young woman might have a Special Physique that could enhance his dragon body.
• Tang Ling'er pinched Meng Zhao's arm with her Two-Finger Zen Divine Skill after noticing him stare at the young woman, and he realized she was jealous.

Meng Zhao rejected the seductive girl’s offer to trade Tang Ling'er for her help, choosing instead to protect Tang Ling'er while avoiding a fight with the formidable opponent. The girl then learned Meng Zhao was from the Southern An Meng Family, while Xu Laizi seethed at the difference in how Meng Zhao answered them.

• Tang Ling'er warned Meng Zhao that the seductive girl was more formidable than Xu Laizi, and the girl offered to kill Xu Laizi if Meng Zhao gave Tang Ling'er to her.
• Xu Laizi flew into a rage and spat blood, then urged the girl to stop provoking him and attack Meng Zhao instead.
• Meng Zhao considered the benefits of accepting the girl’s offer but decided Tang Ling'er’s trust and the risks of fighting alongside the Demonic Path mattered more.
• Meng Zhao comforted Tang Ling'er, refused the girl’s offer, and asked her to leave to avoid a clash.
• The seductive girl asked whether Meng Zhao was from the Earl of Nan'an’s family, and Meng Zhao introduced himself as Meng Zhao of the second branch of the Southern An Meng Family, leaving Xu Laizi furious at his courtesy.

Meng Zhao arrived at the pass as Xu Laizi weighed whether to fight or retreat, and Tan Cai'er flirted with him while Tang Ling'er grew jealous. A giant venomous serpent erupted from the frozen creek, leaving everyone terrified and Xu Laizi looking for a way to escape.

• Xu Laizi recognized Meng Zhao's growing reputation and considered how difficult it would be to fight him.
• Tan Cai'er introduced herself to Meng Zhao and teased that she might become his wife, while Tang Ling'er grew angry.
• A giant black serpent burst through the creek's ice and emerged near Tan Cai'er.
• Tan Cai'er identified it as resembling an Iron Wire Python, though it was far larger and more venomous than ordinary ones.
• Xu Laizi abandoned thoughts of capturing Tang Ling'er and began searching for a chance to flee.

Meng Zhao tried to escape with Tang Ling'er while the Fierce Serpent Beast hunted them and Xu Laizi. Xu Laizi unleashed a powerful palm attack against the beast, but Meng Zhao judged it too weak to matter.

• Meng Zhao decided to flee with Tang Ling'er and promised they would survive, while she mistakenly thought he planned to abandon her and tried to kiss him.
• The Fierce Serpent Beast hesitated between Meng Zhao and Tang Ling'er as prey, while Xu Laizi panicked and tried to run.
• Xu Laizi's movement drew the beast's attack, and he sensed that he could not escape by fleeing.
• Xu Laizi burned through his strength and struck the charging beast with thirty-six layered palm forces.
• Meng Zhao fled with Tang Ling'er and recognized Xu Laizi's skill, but believed the attack would not harm the Fierce Serpent Beast.

Meng Zhao escaped the Fierce Serpent Beast by redirecting it toward Zheng Xie, while the beast devoured Xu Laizi and pursued the wounded men. The chapter left Tan Cai'er in the path of the beast as it chased Zheng Xie toward her.

• Xu Laizi begged Meng Zhao and Tan Cai'er to save him and offered clues to his great fortune, but both fled in separate directions.
• The Fierce Serpent Beast caught and swallowed Xu Laizi, then pursued Meng Zhao as he fled with Tang Ling'er.
• Meng Zhao used Dragon Seizing Hand to pull the unconscious Zheng Xie toward him while the serpent closed in.
• Meng Zhao smeared his blood on Zheng Xie, hurled him toward Tan Cai'er, and fled with Tang Ling'er.
• The Fierce Serpent Beast followed Zheng Xie's blood scent instead of pursuing Meng Zhao and Tang Ling'er.

After escaping the Fierce Serpent Beast, Meng Zhao defended his decision to use the dying Zheng Xie as bait when Tang Ling'er accused him of abandoning her senior brother. As Tang Ling'er turned her grief and anger against herself, Meng Zhao weighed whether the beast’s apparent interest in his Purple Origin Dragon Body made continuing to Cloud Mist Mountain too dangerous.

• Meng Zhao carried Tang Ling'er back to the passage entrance and found her dazed and trembling.
• Tang Ling'er confronted Meng Zhao for sacrificing Zheng Xie to distract the Fierce Serpent Beast.
• Meng Zhao argued that he had protected her and that Zheng Xie would likely have died regardless.
• Tang Ling'er reconsidered his words, blamed herself for her senior brothers’ deaths, and fell silent.
• Meng Zhao wondered whether his Purple Origin Dragon Body would draw other beasts and whether he should continue to Cloud Mist Mountain for the Flood Dragon Egg.