Chapter Summaries

Meng Zhao confronted Qian Jiao over their past conflict, intimidated him with Dragon Might, and confirmed that he possessed Flood Dragon Blood. Qian Jiao agreed to pay whatever Meng Zhao demanded for a drop, while secretly planning to kill him after using it.

• Meng Zhao entered the pavilion with Liang Muqiu and argued with Qian Jiao over who had started their conflict and the deaths of Qian Jiao’s disciples.
• Qian Jiao demanded compensation for Meng Zhao disrupting his plans, and Meng Zhao sarcastically offered him a Flood Dragon.
• Meng Zhao released Dragon Might and warned Qian Jiao that he would not tolerate being threatened or asked to compensate him.
• Qian Jiao asked whether Meng Zhao could obtain Flood Dragon Blood, and Meng Zhao confirmed that he had it and had sent Yao Shun as a spy to learn Qian Jiao’s needs.
• Qian Jiao offered to pay whatever Meng Zhao wanted for a drop of Flood Dragon Blood, while secretly plotting to kill Meng Zhao and reclaim his payment afterward.

Meng Zhao rejected Qian Jiao’s proposed treasures and revealed that he wanted Qian Jiao himself in exchange for the Flood Dragon Blood. Qian Jiao reacted with anger and unleashed his power, while Liang Muqiu moved to protect Meng Zhao; the confrontation remained poised on the edge of battle.

• Meng Zhao dismissed Qian Jiao’s offers of pills, a spear, and other martial treasures as unworthy of the Flood Dragon Blood.
• Qian Jiao lost patience and demanded to know what Meng Zhao wanted.
• Meng Zhao said he wanted Qian Jiao, prompting Qian Jiao to realize Meng Zhao intended to bring him under his command.
• Qian Jiao released a menacing aura, and Liang Muqiu moved beside Meng Zhao and countered with her mind as a blade.
• The people outside the pavilion prepared for a fight as Meng Zhao calmly said he would not force Qian Jiao if he refused the deal.

Qian Jiao struggled to choose between accepting Meng Zhao’s offer of service and risking the loss of his martial power, then tried to trade an Emperor Yu battle armor for Flood Dragon Blood. Meng Zhao questioned the claim but learned the armor might contain Emperor Yu’s divine arts, leaving him to weigh its promise against the uncertainty that it would recognize him.

• Qian Jiao hesitated over Meng Zhao’s terms, fearing both humiliation and the dangers of losing his cultivation.
• Meng Zhao prepared to leave with Mu Qing, but Qian Jiao offered a peerless treasure in exchange for a drop of Flood Dragon Blood.
• Qian Jiao secretly revealed that his treasure was one of the auxiliary armors forged by Emperor Yu.
• Meng Zhao challenged why Qian Jiao had not used the armor to kill the flood dragon, and Qian Jiao admitted he could not activate it.
• Qian Jiao claimed the armor’s spirit might recognize Meng Zhao and grant him access to Emperor Yu’s divine arts, though its long history of remaining dormant made that uncertain.

Meng Zhao negotiated with Qian Jiao over the Emperor Yu Battle Armor and Flood Dragon Blood, ultimately agreeing to a sworn bargain that also bound Qian Jiao to kill one person in Lingwu City. Meng Zhao planned to obtain the armor soon and use Qian Jiao’s help when complications arose there.

• Meng Zhao demanded that Qian Jiao pledge the Emperor Yu Battle Armor and submit to him in exchange for Flood Dragon Blood.
• Qian Jiao refused to submit and warned Meng Zhao that rejecting the deal could lead them to fight to the death.
• Meng Zhao proposed giving Qian Jiao the Flood Dragon Blood after obtaining the armor and having Qian Jiao complete a task for him.
• Qian Jiao offered to kill one person in Lingwu City, but insisted on receiving the Flood Dragon Blood first.
• After nearly half an hour of bargaining, Meng Zhao and Qian Jiao swore to exchange the Flood Dragon Blood for the armor and Qian Jiao’s help killing one person in Lingwu City.

After Meng Zhao left with Liang Muqiu and the others, Qian Jiao’s anger triggered a painful transformation as the flood dragon demon inside him stirred. Qian Jiao revealed he planned to trade the Emperor Yu Battle Armor for Meng Zhao’s Flood Dragon Blood, then kill Meng Zhao and reclaim the armor; Mu Ge agreed to watch Meng Zhao in Lingwu City until Qian Jiao was ready.

• Meng Zhao departed with Liang Muqiu and the others, while Qian Jiao secretly vowed to make him pay.
• Qian Jiao transformed into a scaled humanoid demon, and Mu Ge used Spirit-Restoring Incense to calm him and suppress the flood dragon demon.
• Qian Jiao told Mu Ge that he was exchanging the Emperor Yu Battle Armor for Meng Zhao’s Flood Dragon Blood to remove the danger caused by his flawed cultivation.
• Qian Jiao revealed he intended to kill Meng Zhao and take back the armor after recovering his strength, and ordered Mu Ge to monitor Meng Zhao in Lingwu City.
• Mu Ge accepted the assignment as his final service to Qian Jiao before returning to the True Martial Temple.

Meng Zhao worried that his forces were too weak to establish themselves in Lingwu City and considered how to enter the powerful Aristocratic Family Alliance without provoking it. As the ship neared the city, he reassured Han Lu that Han Pu would be waiting at the dock.

• Meng Zhao explained to Liang Muqiu that Lingwu City was controlled by powerful factions, especially the City Lord's Mansion and the twenty-seven families of the Aristocratic Family Alliance.
• Meng Zhao decided that his best path was to join or replace a family in the alliance, but he planned to gather more information before acting.
• Han Lu and Zhu'er joined Meng Zhao and Liang Muqiu on deck as the ship approached Lingwu City.
• Meng Zhao told them they would soon dock at Pier Number Nine in West Port and that Han Pu should be waiting there.
• Han Lu smiled when Meng Zhao reminded her that Han Pu would be with her.

Meng Zhao arrived at Lingwu City and met the people responsible for the Meng Family's gang, properties, and fleet. The welcome turned ominous when he realized Han Pu was missing.

• Meng Zhao disembarked at Pier Number Nine amid a grand reception organized by the Meng Family's local gang.
• Meng Zhao met Meng Xiang, Wang Shian, and Han Peng, assessing their roles and deciding he would rely on Han Peng's navigation skills.
• Meng Zhao greeted Bai Shicheng and the Seven Freaks' married couple, then asked why Han Pu had not come to receive him.
• The gathering fell silent, and the three local leaders grew uneasy.

Meng Zhao learned that Han Pu had been gravely injured after standing up to Wu Kaijing, and he rode toward the city to see him. Bai Shicheng recounted how Han Pu had awakened the Changyang Divine Saber’s power to fight an Innate Master, leaving Meng Zhao furious and ready to deal with the Wu Family.

• Bai Shicheng told Meng Zhao that Han Pu was gravely injured and unconscious, shocking Han Lu and enraging Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao ordered the group to ride to the city so he could learn what had happened and see Han Pu.
• Bai Shicheng explained that Han Pu had encountered Wu Kaijing pursuing a man who claimed to be Meng Yan’s friend, and Han Pu had politely asked Wu Kaijing to let him investigate the man’s identity.
• Wu Kaijing insulted Han Pu and the Meng Family, then ordered an Innate Master to kill Han Pu when he could not defeat him himself.
• Han Pu fought back with the Changyang Divine Saber, reached Innate-level battle power, and forced Wu Kaijing’s men to retreat, but he severely injured himself and fell unconscious.
• The Wu Family offered Bai Shicheng one thousand taels of patterned silver as an apology, but he refused to settle the matter before Meng Zhao arrived.

Meng Zhao reached the manor where Han Pu was recovering and had Doctor Yang examine him. Han Pu was not in immediate danger, but he remained unconscious from depleted mental strength; the chapter left him expected to recover and awaken within days.

• Meng Zhao reassured Bai Shicheng that he had acted well by restraining Fourth Sister and Fifth Brother and waiting for Meng Zhao to decide how to handle the dispute.
• Meng Zhao and his group rode to the manor near Guangping Mountain where Han Pu was being treated.
• Han Lu broke down in tears when she saw Han Pu bedridden, and Meng Zhao asked her to let Doctor Yang examine him.
• Doctor Yang found that Han Pu's severe internal injuries came from exhausting his vital essence and should heal within half a month, but mental exhaustion had left him unconscious.
• Doctor Yang said Han Pu might awaken sooner with a spirit-restoring treasure or Spirit Nourishing Pill, though he expected him to wake naturally within three to five days.

Meng Zhao learned that Han Pu’s attackers were being held and heard Bai Shicheng’s account of the Wu Family’s strength and alliances. He struggled to find a way to defend Han Pu without provoking the Aristocratic Family Alliance as the prisoners were brought before him.

• Meng Zhao arranged for Doctor Yang to treat Han Pu and ordered Bai Shicheng to explain what had happened to him.
• Bai Shicheng said the man and woman who had sought help were detained after Han Pu was gravely injured, and Meng Zhao ordered them brought in.
• Bai Shicheng described the Wu Family’s history, Spirit Crystal Rice business, martial strength, and ties to powerful families and temples.
• Meng Zhao weighed the risk of attacking the Wu Family against the damage that ignoring Han Pu’s injury would do to his followers’ trust.
• Fourth Sister and Fifth Brother of Minshan brought the detained man and woman into the room.

Meng Zhao interrogated Lu Chengqi and Xiao Feng after they sought refuge with the Meng Family, verifying Lu Chengqi’s connection to Meng Yan and questioning their conflict with Wu Kaijing. Lu Chengqi explained that Wu Kaijing pursued them over Xiao Feng, but Meng Zhao suspected they were hiding something.

• Meng Zhao examined Lu Chengqi and confirmed that the folding fan he presented was a genuine gift from Meng Yan.
• Xiao Feng told Meng Zhao that she had worked at Hundred Fragrances Garden and was now Lu Chengqi’s wife.
• Bai Shicheng informed Meng Zhao that Hundred Fragrances Garden was a brothel with ties to the Wu Family.
• Lu Chengqi said he had redeemed Xiao Feng, but Wu Kaijing tried to claim her, so the couple fled and sought help from the Meng Family.
• Meng Zhao asked whether Lu Chengqi was concealing another reason for Wu Kaijing’s pursuit; Lu Chengqi denied it, while Xiao Feng trembled and lowered her head.

Xiao Feng revealed that Wu Kaijing had exposed a secret about an illegitimate son of Wu Zunyuan who might unite the Wu and Song Families. Meng Zhao suspected the secret could spark a conflict between the allied families and saw an opportunity for his faction, though he remained unsure of the man's identity.

• Meng Zhao pressured Xiao Feng to explain why Wu Kaijing had pursued her, and she said she might have overheard one of his secrets.
• Xiao Feng recounted how Wu Kaijing had abused her at Hundred Fragrances Garden, mistaken her for someone else, and drunkenly cursed an illegitimate son of Wu Zunyuan.
• Xiao Feng said Wu Kaijing had claimed the illegitimate son would lead the Wu and Song Families, and had raged that Wu Zunyuan had not chosen him instead.
• Xiao Feng explained that she escaped after Wu Kaijing fell asleep and fled with Lu Chengqi, eventually involving Han Pu.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that Wu Kaijing was trying to silence Xiao Feng because the secret could drive the Wu and Song Families into conflict.
• Meng Zhao considered that the situation might benefit him and the Second Branch faction, especially after Han Pu's injury.

Meng Zhao spared Lu Chengqi and Xiao Feng but kept them under his protection and imposed a punishment for Han Pu’s injury. He reorganized his forces in Lingwu City, ordered intelligence gathering on the Wu and Song Families and nearby powers, and began training his troops in the Vermilion Bird Divine Array.

• Meng Zhao told Lu Chengqi and Xiao Feng to remain at his estate for protection and said they would be punished for Han Pu’s injury.
• Meng Zhao gathered Lingwu City’s senior members and his trusted experts, then tasked Wang Shian with secretly collecting information on the Wu and Song Families.
• Meng Zhao reassigned authority over Lingwu City’s industries and forces, keeping Meng Xiang, Wang Shian, and Han Peng as deputies and rewarding them with wealth, pills, and a choice of Innate martial art for their descendants.
• Meng Zhao sent Lü Yue to investigate nearby forces and those friendly with Earl of Nan'an's Meng Family, seeking potential targets and new sources of revenue.
• Meng Zhao ordered Bai Shicheng to train his martial artists in the Vermilion Bird Divine Array.

Doctor Yang healed Han Pu, and Meng Zhao spent ten days visiting Lingwu City's major powers to build alliances and establish his presence. His efforts won public recognition of his connections and eased his position as an outsider, while revealing how local forces viewed him.

• Doctor Yang refined a pill from Meng Zhao's supplies and revived Han Pu, who thanked Han Lu and apologized to Meng Zhao for bringing trouble upon himself.
• After two days of rest, Meng Zhao had Lü Yue prepare gifts and began visiting Lingwu City's major powers.
• Meng Zhao visited Xindeng Martial Hall, Tianhuo Martial Hall, Qianhuan Temple, and Xuanxin Temple, building relationships with Qu Hao, Li Li, Master Pukong, and Fu Yangzi.
• Meng Zhao visited Beitang He at the City Lord's Mansion and met important figures from the Ding, Xun, and Zhuo Families.
• After roughly ten days of visits, local powers acknowledged Meng Zhao's ties and warned their juniors against making enemies of the Meng Family.
• Meng Zhao regarded the visits as a success because they built alliances, integrated him into Lingwu City, strengthened his reputation, and helped him assess local attitudes.

Meng Zhao consolidated his forces as the Meng Family of Lingwu City, then began seizing nearby gangs and attracting powerful recruits. The Great Banner Gang expanded under Han Pu’s command, but Meng Zhao still had no news from Qian Jiao about the Emperor Yu Battle Armor.

• Han Pu recovered, entered the Innate Realm, awakened his Shihuo Pig Star Destiny, and reached seven apertures with the aid of the Changyang Divine Saber.
• Meng Zhao organized his followers and industries under the Meng Family of Lingwu City, assigning trusted companions to manage its halls and affairs.
• Meng Zhao’s forces destroyed seven gangs near the Great Banner Gang, annexed their territories, and increased the gang’s membership to 2,500.
• Xue Huaiyong and Jia Qiang joined Meng Zhao’s ranks as Innate Realm warriors.
• Meng Zhao sent Han Pu to lead the Great Banner Gang, where Han Pu subdued unruly commanders and reorganized its personnel with help from veterans of the second branch.
• Meng Zhao continued waiting for Qian Jiao to deliver the Emperor Yu Battle Armor.

Wu Zunyuan summoned his twelfth son, Wu Kaijing, and confronted him over injuring Han Pu, a trusted man of the Meng Family. He explained that the Meng Family had rapidly gained power in Lingwu City, leaving Wu Kaijing’s actions a serious threat to the Wu Family.

• Wu Kaijing returned to Wu Manor after Wu Zunyuan called him back, claiming he had been about to punish Li Dadan for stealing Wu Family business.
• Wu Zunyuan accused Wu Kaijing of whoring around and demanded to know whether he had injured someone from the Meng Family.
• Wu Kaijing recalled the incident but assumed the secret had not spread, then dismissed the Meng Family as insignificant.
• Wu Zunyuan threw papers at Wu Kaijing and revealed that the injured man was Han Pu, now leader of the Great Banner Gang and an Innate Master under twenty.
• Wu Zunyuan described how the Meng Family’s Second Branch had arrived with wealth and Innate Masters, while Meng Zhao had built alliances and expanded his influence in Lingwu City.

Wu Zunyuan rebuked Wu Kaijing for underestimating Meng Zhao and ordered him to apologize and seek cooperation with the Meng Family. Wu Kaijing agreed but concealed a troubling detail, while Wu Zunyuan reflected on the Wu Family’s future heir.

• Wu Kaijing resented that a former minor opponent had become an Innate Realm expert, and Wu Zunyuan scolded him for his arrogance and lack of ability.
• Wu Zunyuan told Wu Kaijing to read the intelligence on Meng Zhao, but Wu Kaijing dismissed Meng Zhao’s achievements as the result of family support.
• Wu Zunyuan explained that Meng Zhao’s connections, decisive takeover of seven gangs, and ruthless character made him dangerous to antagonize.
• Wu Zunyuan ordered Wu Kaijing to visit Meng Zhao with a generous gift, apologize sincerely, and propose business cooperation with the Meng Family.
• Wu Kaijing agreed but hid his worry about a woman who might have overheard him, then left in the rain as Wu Zunyuan reflected on his chosen heir.

Meng Zhao trained while considering how to hide his imminent Ziwei Star Destiny awakening from the Beitang Imperial Clan. He prepared to rely on the Emperor Yu Battle Armor and other countermeasures, while Little Nine continued growing into a formidable flood dragon.

• Meng Zhao finished training and judged that his physique and strength already surpassed those of body-tempering martial artists.
• Meng Zhao sensed his Ziwei Treasure Body nearing awakening and estimated that he would break through to the Innate Martial Dao within one or two months.
• Meng Zhao worried that the Beitang Imperial Clan would discover his taboo Ziwei Body and considered using a supreme treasure to conceal his qi, fate, and Heavenly Secrets.
• Meng Zhao hoped the Emperor Yu Battle Armor promised by Qian Jiao could suppress his Star Body, while he ordered people to gather meteorite stones and Azure Flower Mallow.
• Meng Zhao prepared to flee and hide if he was exposed, then planned to emerge after his divine arts reached great accomplishment.
• Little Nine grew to eight meters long, ate Black Sand Bronze Crystal, and became powerful enough to crush a Postnatal Great Accomplishment martial artist.

Meng Zhao agreed to meet Wu Kaijing, who had come to apologize and mend relations on Wu Zunyuan’s orders. When Meng Zhao arrived, You Shuren used the Spirit Void Eye to examine him and recognized his extraordinary cultivation and aptitude, while Meng Zhao sensed that You Shuren was an expert.

• Meng Zhao ended his martial training and told Lü Yue to entertain Wu Kaijing while he washed up.
• Wu Kaijing complained that Meng Zhao was deliberately making him wait, but You Shuren urged him to be patient.
• After waiting another quarter of an hour, Wu Kaijing and You Shuren saw Meng Zhao enter with Lü Yue and Cang Shu Yun.
• You Shuren used his Spirit Void Eye to perceive the dragon-like currents of qi and abundant blood and qi within Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao felt someone watching him and realized that You Shuren was an expert.

You Shuren and Wu Kaijing visited Meng Zhao to apologize for Wu Kaijing injuring Han Pu, offering rare gifts from the Wu Family. Meng Zhao accepted the gifts but demanded Wu Kaijing personally apologize to Han Pu, leaving You Shuren puzzled by how easily he had agreed to settle the dispute.

• Meng Zhao received You Shuren and Wu Kaijing, who brought a lavish gift list as compensation for Wu Kaijing’s dispute with Han Pu.
• Meng Zhao said the gifts could not erase the insult to his family, and Wu Kaijing angrily denied insulting the Southern An Meng Family.
• Meng Zhao threatened Wu Kaijing with his Killing Aura, frightening him into silence while You Shuren prepared to intervene.
• You Shuren offered to meet any demands, and Meng Zhao accepted the gifts on condition that Wu Kaijing pour tea for Han Pu and apologize privately.
• You Shuren wondered why Meng Zhao’s terms were so simple and whether Meng Zhao feared the Wu Family.