Chapter Summaries

Meng Zhao took control of the Iron Hand Society, reassured Lou Guanlan about his position, and planned to investigate the Mitian Alliance and the Song Family. Lou Guanlan then revealed that Tie Xiongfei had reacted fiercely when Meng Zhao destroyed several small gangs, giving Meng Zhao a new lead into the attempted poisoning.

• Meng Zhao decided to have Night Cat investigate the Mitian Alliance and the Song Family while seeking the person behind Tie Xiongfei's attempt to poison him.
• Meng Zhao outlined changes to the Iron Hand Society and promised Lou Guanlan authority and support as its leader under the Meng Family.
• Lou Guanlan trusted Meng Zhao's assurances and abandoned his fallback plan to seek refuge with the Zhuo Family.
• Lou Guanlan reported that Tie Xiongfei had once wanted to wage war on the Meng Family after Meng Zhao wiped out several small gangs he secretly supported.
• Meng Zhao suspected the gangs' destruction had exposed a secret or provoked the person who ordered Tie Xiongfei to kill him, and resolved to investigate the clue.

After the Meng Family destroyed the Iron Hand Society, Meng Zhao shared its spoils with allied factions, strengthened his forces, and placed a bounty on Tie Xiongfei. He also used Night Cat’s investigations to purge traitors from his manor, leaving his authority secure while Lü Yue and Zhou Hu took the blame for the executions.

• Rumors about the Iron Hand Society’s destruction spread through Lingwu City, but the major powers stayed quiet as the matter faded under the city’s rules.
• Meng Zhao distributed about one-tenth of the Iron Hand Society’s spoils to factions that had supported him, preserving his alliances and avoiding becoming a target.
• After the Iron Hand Society returned to orderly operations under Lou Guanlan, Meng Zhao counted his enlarged forces and placed a secret bounty on Tie Xiongfei.
• Night Cat uncovered thirteen Meng Family personnel who had betrayed the family, including an old retainer who had followed Meng Zhao from Nan'an.
• Lü Yue and Zhou Hu presided over the execution of the thirteen traitors and their families, while Meng Zhao remained publicly portrayed as poisoned and unconscious.
• Night Cat investigated several other gangs and made a modest discovery.

Meng Zhao investigated a wasteland linked to Tie Xiongfei’s secret support of three small gangs and discovered it had secretly become Eternal Mausoleum. Liang Muqiu, Bai Shicheng, and Han Pu sensed that the cemetery gathered unusually pure yin Qi, leaving Meng Zhao to wonder what lay behind its creation.

• Night Cat’s investigation led Meng Zhao to suspect Tie Xiongfei had protected three small gangs and pointed him toward wasteland in Shunning Ward.
• Meng Zhao brought Liang Muqiu, Bai Shicheng, Lü Yue, Han Pu, and others to inspect the site.
• A Great Banner Gang junior banner leader explained that the wasteland had secretly been turned into a cemetery called Eternal Mausoleum several years earlier.
• The junior banner leader described the cemetery’s favorable feng shui and said he had considered moving his father’s grave there.
• Liang Muqiu, Bai Shicheng, and Han Pu sensed that Eternal Mausoleum held unusually heavy, pure yin Qi that gathered rather than dispersed.

Meng Zhao investigated a graveyard whose dense yin qi and linked tombs suggested an artificially created formation designed to benefit a main tomb. He suspected the graveyard was tied to Tie Xiongfei and the plot against him, and the chapter left him examining the eerie site with Liang Muqiu.

• Meng Zhao agreed with Liang Muqiu, Bai Shicheng, and Han Pu that the graveyard was an excellent place for yin qi to gather, but he remained convinced he was missing a crucial clue.
• The little banner master described the Moon Treading Immortal Formation, which supposedly funneled the graves’ benefits toward a main tomb and could nurture an extraordinary descendant.
• Meng Zhao connected the graveyard to the gangs backed by Tie Xiongfei and suspected the hidden mastermind had tried to kill him to keep the site’s secret concealed.
• Meng Zhao and the others entered the tower and felt the temperature drop as dense yin qi seeped into them, though Meng Zhao’s powerful qi and blood dispersed it.
• Liang Muqiu judged the yin gathering unnatural and the tomb layout unrecognizable, while Meng Zhao observed the stepped graveyard and its surrounding ghostly trees.

Meng Zhao and his companions discovered a patch of ground in the Eternal Mausoleum where all yin qi had vanished, casting doubt on the feng shui master’s account of the Moon Treading Immortal Formation. Meng Zhao suspected the missing main tomb might lie in a Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm and, despite foreseeing a dangerous struggle over its contents, resolved not to give up the opportunity.

• Liang Muqiu, Han Pu, and Bai Shicheng sensed that yin qi had disappeared from a small patch beside a tomb, and Meng Zhao confirmed the area felt strangely hot and pure.
• Han Pu and the Little Banner Chief explained that the Moon Treading Immortal Formation gathered yin qi from every tomb to supply a main tomb.
• Bai Shicheng questioned the explanation, noting that the tombs showed no clear main tomb and that no route of yin qi flow could be found.
• Meng Zhao suspected the main tomb might exist in a Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm overlapping the ordinary world, though he kept the theory to himself.
• Meng Zhao anticipated that the force behind Tie Xiongfei would pursue the hidden treasure, but decided he would not surrender the opportunity.

Meng Zhao’s group discovered that someone had been guarding the Eternal Mausoleum, and Liang Muqiu identified the captured attacker as connected to Tie Xiongfei. Meng Zhao ordered an interrogation and a search of the mausoleum, then decided to wait for whoever wanted its secret to make a move.

• Bai Shicheng found bloodstains beside an empty tomb, and Meng Zhao ordered the group to search for more traces.
• A hidden man killed one of Meng Zhao’s warriors, but Han Pu defeated him and sealed his qi channels and acupoints.
• Liang Muqiu recognized the captive’s fist technique as belonging to Tie Xiongfei’s lineage, and Meng Zhao concluded Tie Xiongfei had sent him to guard the mausoleum.
• Meng Zhao ordered the captive taken back for torture, directed a thorough search of the Eternal Mausoleum, and arranged for it to be guarded permanently.
• Meng Zhao decided to wait, using his control of the Eternal Mausoleum to pressure whoever knew its secret into acting or negotiating.

After returning to the Meng Mansion estate, Meng Zhao interrogated a captured man through Night Cat and organized his growing affairs while weighing the possible treasures hidden in Eternal Mausoleum. He awaited Qian Jiao's Emperor Yu Battle Armor, which might help conceal his Ziwei Star Body, but prepared to flee if he could not keep his identity secret.

• Meng Zhao handed the captured man to Night Cat to extract information about Eternal Mausoleum and Tie Xiongfei.
• Meng Zhao arranged to send Lü Yue to Nan'an Commandery with birthday gifts for Meng Chuan and reports for Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao, including a complaint about the suspected Lei Family assassination attempt.
• Meng Zhao planned for Han Peng to deepen business ties with Kuang Tianyou at Jianan Pass and purchase deathsworn for his forces.
• Meng Zhao reviewed the daily reports and relied on Lü Yue, Han Pu, Cao Zhan, and Zhou Hu to help manage his affairs while he waited for the Emperor Yu Battle Armor.
• Meng Zhao set a half-month deadline for Qian Jiao to deliver the armor and prepared to conceal his identity and flee if no way to hide his Ziwei Star Power emerged.
• News of the Meng Family's actions in Eternal Mausoleum quickly reached those monitoring the site.

Tie Xiongfei met with his Young Master at Hundred Fragrances Garden after the Iron Hand Society fell. They discussed Meng Zhao’s discovery of the Eternal Mausoleum and the failed attempts to kill him, leaving the Young Master unwilling to strike again without certainty.

• Tie Xiongfei arrived at Wan Niang’s room and knelt before his Young Master.
• Tie Xiongfei guessed that Meng Zhao had uncovered the secret of the Eternal Mausoleum, and the Young Master confirmed it.
• The Young Master said Meng Zhao had surrounded the site and captured Tie Xiongfei’s men, threatening their long-running plans there.
• Tie Xiongfei warned that reclaiming the site would be difficult and asked whether the Young Master planned another assassination.
• The Young Master refused to try again, revealing that Dark Sun’s Ji Prefecture assassin had also failed to kill Meng Zhao.

A young Young Master planned to wait for Dark Sun to make another attempt on Meng Zhao, while keeping Tie Xiongfei in Lingwu City to pursue a deal over the Ancient Battlefield. Tie Xiongfei resented being used as an intermediary but could not refuse.

• The young Young Master told Tie Xiongfei that the Ancient Battlefield would likely open in about two months and that they could afford to wait.
• The young Young Master said he expected Dark Sun to try assassinating Meng Zhao again after its first failure.
• Tie Xiongfei warned that Meng Zhao might survive another attempt and urged the young Young Master to prepare other plans.
• The young Young Master ordered Tie Xiongfei to stay in Lingwu City and watch events unfold.
• The young Young Master planned to approach Meng Zhao if he survived, first offering to buy back the land and otherwise proposing cooperation to excavate the Ancient Battlefield.
• Tie Xiongfei realized the young Young Master intended to use him to negotiate with Meng Zhao while avoiding personal risk.

Tie Xiongfei reluctantly agreed to hide at Hundred Fragrances Garden and meet Meng Zhao, relying on the young master's protection despite distrusting his plans. After Wan Niang settled him in a maidservant's room, the young master ordered her to kill Tie Xiongfei if he made any suspicious move.

• Tie Xiongfei voiced fears that Meng Zhao would kill him, but the young master promised Wan Niang and Hundred Fragrances Garden would keep him safe.
• Tie Xiongfei agreed to follow the young master's plan, though he privately doubted the man's predictions after their failed attempt to poison Meng Zhao.
• Wan Niang served Tie Xiongfei a meal, then led him to a pink room where he would stay and be attended by her maidservant.
• After Wan Niang returned to the young master's chamber, he told her to watch Tie Xiongfei and kill him if he acted suspiciously.
• Wan Niang accepted the order, revealing a formidable aura as a powerful martial artist.

Meng Zhao inspected the Vermilion Bird Divine Guards and instructed Han Pu to investigate their backgrounds before assigning them to his personal guard under Bai Shicheng's command. Han Lu then delivered urgent news that made Meng Zhao leave in anger.

• Meng Zhao watched thirty elite fighters demonstrate the Vermilion Bird Divine Array, and Han Pu explained how they could contend with an Innate Master.
• Meng Zhao asked Han Pu to train three hundred more guards, but Han Pu said he could not assemble enough suitable fighters.
• Meng Zhao accepted the limitation and ordered Night Cat to investigate the thirty guards before they joined his personal guard, which Bai Shicheng would lead.
• Han Lu whispered urgent news to Meng Zhao, who angrily called it nonsense and hurried away.

Meng Zhao learned that Meng Rong had been abducted after Meng Chuan and she were attacked in Lingwu City, and he questioned his injured brother for details. The kidnappers’ identities and Meng Rong’s fate remained unknown as Meng Zhao prepared to find her.

• Han Lu told Han Pu that Meng Chuan had arrived injured and Meng Rong had been captured, prompting Han Pu to prepare men and follow Meng Zhao.
• Doctor Yang assured Meng Zhao that Meng Chuan’s injuries were not serious.
• Meng Chuan blamed himself for taking Meng Rong to Lingwu City and told Meng Zhao that unknown attackers had abducted her.
• Meng Chuan recounted how Meng Rong had secretly left home with him after growing upset over Meng Xi and Meng Wen’s rivalry.
• The siblings reached Lingwu City after a dangerous journey, where a skilled group injured Meng Chuan and took Meng Rong.

After Meng Rong was abducted, Meng Zhao blamed Meng Chuan for recklessly exposing her to danger, then focused on finding a way to rescue her. He suspected the attack was connected to his enemies in Lingwu City and ordered his people to investigate the docks.

• Meng Zhao furiously reprimanded Meng Chuan for bringing Meng Rong into danger, while Han Lu urged them to focus on rescuing her.
• Meng Chuan agreed that they needed to act quickly, and Meng Zhao set aside his plans to lie low because he would not let Meng Rong come to harm.
• Meng Zhao asked whether Meng Chuan and Meng Rong had been attacked after asking about his residence; Meng Chuan confirmed they had.
• Meng Zhao concluded that the attackers might be among his many Lingwu City enemies, though he could not identify them immediately.
• Bai Shicheng suggested investigating the dock bosses, and Meng Zhao ordered him to gather Mu Qing, Cang Shu Yun, Xue Huaiyong, and the others before they left at once.

Meng Zhao gathered Meng Family experts and set out with the injured Meng Chuan to find Meng Rong, preparing for a violent confrontation if she had been harmed. They rode through Lingwu City's busy outer district toward the lair of Master Hong, whose connections might help them uncover what had happened.

• Meng Chuan insisted on joining Meng Zhao's search for Meng Rong, and Meng Zhao warned him not to act on his own.
• Bai Shicheng arrived with the preparations complete, and Meng Zhao left Lü Yue to guard the manor as he led Meng Chuan and the Innate Masters out on Black Scale Horses.
• Meng Zhao's group rode through the crowded streets toward Master Hong's lair near Pier 7, clearing a path with Bai Shicheng's shouts.
• A burly man cursed the riders and moved to pursue them, but an old martial-world hand identified them as Meng Family members and warned him of their power.
• The burly man and the young man who had mocked him backed down after learning the riders were from the Meng Family.

Meng Zhao arrived at Master Hong's understated residence with his companions, hoping to learn who had abducted Meng Rong. Master Hong came out to meet him, and Meng Zhao began explaining his urgent request.

• Meng Zhao and his companions reached Master Hong's residence, where Bai Shicheng described Master Hong as low-key and cautious.
• An elderly steward recognized Meng Zhao as the Meng Family's Young Master from Nan'an and escorted him inside.
• Meng Zhao waited outside Master Hong's study while the steward announced him.
• Master Hong greeted Meng Zhao with praise, and Meng Zhao politely explained that he had come because he faced an urgent problem.

Meng Zhao asked Master Hong to investigate the abduction of his younger sister, Meng Rong, but Master Hong’s reaction to secret news made Meng Zhao suspect he was withholding information. The chapter left Meng Zhao confronting Master Hong over whether the culprit had powerful ties to him.

• Meng Zhao told Master Hong that Meng Rong had been abducted after she and Meng Chuan arrived at Pier 7, C Section, and asked him to find her and the culprit.
• Meng Zhao explained that the attackers might have been targeting him, while he and Master Hong considered whether the missing Tie Xiongfei could be responsible.
• Master Hong sent his old steward to investigate, and the steward returned with a voice-transmitted message that visibly unsettled him.
• When Meng Chuan asked if there was news, Master Hong said he could not help because his men had found nothing.
• Meng Zhao rejected Master Hong’s explanation and accused him of hiding the culprit’s identity, suggesting the person had high status or a powerful connection to Master Hong.

Meng Zhao confronted Master Hong after learning he had found Meng Rong’s abductor but feared revealing the culprit. He invoked the Meng and Kong Families’ power to warn that anyone who harmed Meng Rong would pay, leaving Master Hong alarmed by her maternal ties to the Kong Clan.

• Master Hong admitted to Meng Zhao that he had tracked down Meng Rong’s abductor but feared the person’s influence.
• Meng Zhao told Master Hong that he would find Meng Rong and bring her back, whatever it took.
• Meng Zhao explained that his eldest aunt belonged to the powerful Kong Family and warned that it would retaliate if Meng Rong were harmed.
• Master Hong sprang to his feet after realizing that Meng Rong’s maternal family was the Kong Clan.
• Meng Zhao declared that anyone who harmed Meng Rong, even a member of the imperial clan, would pay the price.

After Master Hong identified Wu Kaijing and Xun Tao as the men behind Meng Rong’s abduction, Meng Zhao realized she was in grave danger and rushed to find her. He left with his family to search for her, while Master Hong feared the affair could throw all of Lingwu City into chaos.

• Master Hong told Meng Zhao that Wu Kaijing’s subordinates, including Yang Yan, had abducted someone with Xun Tao present.
• Meng Zhao learned that Xun Tao had a history of abducting young women, and he feared Meng Rong was in immediate danger.
• Meng Zhao smashed a table in fury and vowed to kill Wu Kaijing and Xun Tao if Meng Rong had been harmed.
• Meng Zhao apologized to Master Hong, then left with Meng Chuan and the others to search for Meng Rong.
• Master Hong and his steward worried that the abduction could unleash turmoil across Lingwu City.

Wu Zunyuan learned that Meng Zhao had arrived at Wu Manor with armed Xiantian martial artists and suspected a new dispute involving his family. Meng Zhao explained to Meng Chuan why they had come to the Wu Family first, hoping to find Wu Kaijing and trace his missing younger sister.

• You Shuren informed Wu Zunyuan that Meng Zhao had come to the manor with at least ten Xiantian martial artists, and Wu Zunyuan asked whether his Twelfth Young Master had provoked the Meng Family.
• After You Shuren said Wu Kaijing had behaved himself, Wu Zunyuan ordered Meng Zhao's group brought to Listening Wind Hall and secretly summoned guards.
• Meng Chuan questioned Meng Zhao's decision to visit Wu Manor instead of asking Master Hong to search or going directly to the Xun Family.
• Meng Zhao explained that he would not pressure Master Hong to oppose the Wu and Xun Families, and that the Wu Family was the more practical place to begin searching for Wu Kaijing.
• Meng Zhao told Meng Chuan that finding their younger sister safely mattered more than revenge, and Meng Chuan agreed to follow his lead.

Meng Zhao barged into Listening Wind Hall and faced Wu Zunyuan, where his bloodline’s aura shattered the Wu Family head’s show of force. The two men ended the chapter locked in silence, each wary of how the negotiations would begin.

• You Shuren welcomed Meng Zhao’s party into Wu Manor with a lavish display.
• Meng Zhao led his followers through Listening Wind Hall without waiting to be announced, while You Shuren stopped the guards from blocking them.
• Wu Zunyuan pressed Meng Zhao with an imposing aura, but Meng Zhao’s bloodline power overwhelmed it and left Wu Zunyuan shaken.
• Wu Zunyuan reconsidered how to deal with Meng Zhao, and both men remained silent in a tense stalemate.