Chapter Summaries

Two days after the battle at Mingxiu Lake, Meng Zhao assessed his gains, the powerful ally tied to the Meng Family, and the reputation he had earned by defeating the Lei Family’s forces. His growing fame brought him the nickname “Dragon King,” though he disliked it.

• Doctor Yang drew blood from one of the eleven unconscious Lei Family warriors and tested it with medicines while Meng Zhao watched.
• Meng Zhao recalled sparing Dragon City because the Ding Family protected him and killing Dragon City could have endangered Liang Muqiu, Han Pu, and the others.
• Meng Zhao considered how the mysterious figure who killed the old Lei Family man might serve as a powerful backer for him and the Lingwu Meng Family.
• Meng Zhao recognized that his victory at Mingxiu Lake had showcased his strength and was likely to spread his reputation beyond Lingwu City.
• People suspected Meng Zhao possessed a Dragon Body, and some began calling him the Dragon King, a nickname he disliked.

Meng Zhao learned from Doctor Yang that the Lei Family’s warriors gained their strength by mutating with ferocious beast blood, though the process was dangerous and difficult to reproduce. He ordered the captives studied and planned to invite Divine Doctor Tong to help uncover the method.

• Meng Zhao recognized that his victory had earned the Meng Family goodwill from local factions and motivated Lü Yue, Han Lu, Zhu'er, and his other subordinates to train harder.
• Doctor Yang explained that eleven of the twelve Lei Family warriors used ferocious beast blood to gain Innate Realm battle prowess, while the four-armed Strange Man was a true Innate Realm Warrior with a weakened Special Physique.
• Doctor Yang warned that ferocious beast blood damaged its users and could kill them or consume their consciousness after they passed fifty.
• Meng Zhao asked whether the mutation could strengthen his own soldiers, but Doctor Yang said the process was difficult to replicate and control.
• Meng Zhao ordered the eleven captives kept under Doctor Yang and Bai Shicheng’s supervision and said he would invite Divine Doctor Tong to study them.

Meng Zhao visited Han Pu, who was recovering from his injuries at Zhuangzi's residence while practicing the Spirit Communion Method with the Changyang Divine Saber. He advised Han Pu to strengthen his physique and foundation, then offered to choose a hard-body technique for him.

• Meng Zhao visited Han Pu and watched him practice a saber method that fused his aura with the Changyang Divine Saber.
• Han Pu explained that the Spirit Communion Method let him communicate with the saber's spirit and draw on the weapon's power.
• Meng Zhao warned Han Pu that divine weapon power could harm its wielder and advised him to use the method carefully.
• Han Pu explained that his injuries had exposed weaknesses in his physique, so he planned to use the method to strengthen his body.
• Meng Zhao advised Han Pu to take medicinal baths and cultivate a hard-body technique, offering to choose one from his secret martial arts repository.

Meng Zhao assigned Han Pu to oversee exploration of the Ancient Battlefield in Eternal Mausoleum, while warning that he would enter it himself only when sufficiently prepared. He also urged Han Pu to pursue Wang Xuemei and proposed using their marriage to strengthen ties with the Wang Family, leaving Han Pu flustered and facing a choice.

• Meng Zhao asked Han Pu about his injuries, and Han Pu said he would recover in about seven days but need half a month before he could fight.
• Meng Zhao told Han Pu to command the Great Banner Gang’s efforts to explore the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm and gather information about the Ancient Battlefield.
• Han Lu and Han Pu worried about the danger, but Meng Zhao said Han Pu would coordinate from outside and that he would not enter until he was confident.
• Meng Zhao explained his dedication to the Martial Dao and asked Han Pu to send people into the battlefield and bring back a map.
• Meng Zhao told Han Pu to pursue Wang Xuemei, the Wang Family head’s third daughter, so he could propose marriage and build ties with the Wang Family.
• Han Pu blushed and stammered as Meng Zhao challenged him to decide whether he wanted Wang Xuemei to marry someone else.

Meng Zhao urged Han Pu to pursue Wang Xuemei, then warned him not to let love undermine his loyalty or ambitions. Han Pu accepted the warning and prepared to pursue her while protecting the Meng Family’s interests.

• Han Lu encouraged Han Pu to pursue Wang Xuemei and marry her, and Meng Zhao urged him to consider how it would please his family.
• Han Pu admitted that he loved Wang Xuemei but feared he was unworthy of the Wang Family’s daughter.
• Meng Zhao praised Han Pu’s status and potential, reassured Han Lu when his words made her doubt herself, and learned that Wang Xuemei had promising martial talent.
• Meng Zhao told Han Pu to pursue Wang Xuemei boldly but warned that he would act against him if love damaged his ambitions or the Meng Family’s interests.
• Han Pu solemnly promised not to let his feelings harm the Meng Family, and Meng Zhao promised him a grand wedding gift.

Dragon City explained the failed ambush to Lei Youbai and urged him to report the hidden powerhouse who had helped Meng Zhao. Lei Youbai left with hope that revealing this threat might lessen his punishment and prompt the Lei Family to reconsider its hostility toward the Meng Family.

• Lei Youbai confronted Dragon City over the Lei Family’s devastating losses in the failed ambush at Mingxiu Lake.
• Dragon City argued that the Lei Family could not have stopped the unknown expert who had silently killed Sixth Uncle Lei.
• Lei Youbai feared that the family head and his rivals would punish him for the failure.
• Dragon City advised Lei Youbai to submit a detailed account to Marquis Lei and stressed that the hidden expert was the real cause of the plan’s collapse.
• Lei Youbai recognized that exposing the expert might count as a service to the Lei Family and reduce his punishment.

Dragon City offered Lei Youbai two ways to recover from the failed attempt to kill Meng Zhao: attack Meng Zhao again or replace some of the Lei Family's lost strength. Lei Youbai rejected the first and doubted the second, but Dragon City claimed he could help.

• Dragon City proposed that Lei Youbai regain Marquis Lei's favor by killing or severely wounding Meng Zhao, but Lei Youbai refused because Meng Zhao was too dangerous.
• Lei Youbai rejected Dragon City's suggestion that he use the Lei Family's influence to pressure the Meng Family and said he planned to leave for Ye City.
• Dragon City warned Lei Youbai that Meng Zhao might seek revenge, but Lei Youbai dismissed the threat because he expected Meng Zhao would not pursue him to the Lei Residence.
• Dragon City suggested Lei Youbai replace some of the Lei Family's losses to fend off rivals within the Lei Residence.
• Lei Youbai said the losses in innate fighters and the Green Frog Poison Newt were too great to replace, and Dragon City offered to help if Lei Youbai would trust him.

Dragon City offered to help Lei Youbai recruit powerful fighters to rebuild the Lei Family’s strength, and Lei Youbai accepted while setting conditions and a deadline. Before they parted, Lei Youbai asked Dragon City who would win in a fair fight against Meng Zhao, souring Dragon City’s mood.

• Lei Youbai guessed that Dragon City planned to recruit experts for the weakened Lei Family and accepted the offer despite his suspicions.
• Dragon City said his martial-world connections included formidable fighters with criminal pasts who had avoided registration by the Heavenly Punishment Hall.
• Lei Youbai required the recruits to be free of Heavenly Punishment Hall warrants and asked Dragon City to arrange a meeting within ten days, before he left for Ye City.
• Lei Youbai praised Meng Zhao’s rapid rise and asked Dragon City whether he or Meng Zhao would win in a fair fight.
• Dragon City grew jealous and resentful as he realized Lei Youbai’s question challenged him to compare himself with Meng Zhao.

Dragon City and Lei Youbai argued over whether Dragon City could defeat Meng Zhao, until a hidden eavesdropper mocked Dragon City and exposed their secret conversation. The intruder evaded their searches, and Dragon City realized the person was hiding underground.

• Dragon City claimed he could defeat Meng Zhao in a fight to the death, while Lei Youbai doubted his confidence.
• An unseen person mocked Dragon City from nearby, startling both Dragon City and Lei Youbai.
• Lei Youbai feared the intruder would reveal their plans and attacked the surrounding clearing to flush him out.
• Dragon City sensed that the intruder was underground and used his true qi to tear open the earth.

A mysterious black-clad man appeared before Dragon City and Lei Youbai, claiming he had spoken up because he disliked their boastful talk about Meng Zhao. After Lei Youbai attacked to protect their secret conversation, the man effortlessly crushed his Thunderous Ten Directions strike, leaving Lei Youbai shaken and hoping Dragon City would handle the fight.

• The black-clad man emerged from underground, and Dragon City questioned his origins and connection to Meng Zhao.
• The man said he had first met Meng Zhao at Mingxiu Lake and challenged Dragon City to test his abilities.
• Lei Youbai attacked the man with Thunderous Ten Directions to keep his conversation with Dragon City from being exposed.
• The black-clad man enlarged his tattooed hand and crushed Lei Youbai's lightning pillar without being harmed.
• The man dismissed Lei Youbai's martial arts, and Lei Youbai feared him while counting on Dragon City to fight.

Dragon City and Lei Youbai confronted the Mysterious Black-Clad Man, who revealed his Demonic Path origins and overwhelmed Lei Youbai with a demonic attack. The chapter ended with Lei Youbai shielding himself with Thunderous Ten Directions as he waited for Dragon City to intervene.

• Dragon City attacked the Mysterious Black-Clad Man, but the man’s icy true qi injured Dragon City’s arms before Dragon City healed them.
• Dragon City identified the Mysterious Black-Clad Man as a practitioner of the Demonic Path, and the man confirmed it.
• Lei Youbai invoked the Imperial Court and the Heavenly Punishment Hall to threaten the man, who ignored him and criticized Dragon City’s divided focus on martial arts.
• The Mysterious Black-Clad Man released his demonic aura and summoned a towering demonic shadow before attacking Lei Youbai with a Demonic Mountain.
• Lei Youbai activated Thunderous Ten Directions to form a lightning barrier, hoping Dragon City would save him.

The Mysterious Black-Clad Man nearly killed Lei Youbai, but Dragon City rescued him and fought back. As their battle intensified, Lei Youbai tried to escape but was caught by a mysterious red-clad figure whose illusion plunged the world into darkness.

• The Mysterious Black-Clad Man broke through Lei Youbai’s thunder-qi defense and sent a deadly Qi Needle toward his head.
• Dragon City pulled Lei Youbai out of the needle’s path and attacked the Mysterious Black-Clad Man with Edge Breaking Finger Force.
• Dragon City hurled a massive ball of mud at the Mysterious Black-Clad Man, who crushed its scattered pellets and counterattacked with giant qi palms.
• Lei Youbai decided to flee while Dragon City and the Mysterious Black-Clad Man fought.
• A mysterious red-clad figure appeared before Lei Youbai, showed him a moonlit river, and plunged him into darkness.

Meng Zhao taught Lü Yue, Cao Zhan, and Zhou Hu the twelve forms of Azure Dragon Force, an auxiliary martial art he had developed from his own knowledge. He urged them to cultivate patiently and promised resources as they worked toward Postnatal Great Perfection and the Innate realm.

• Meng Zhao demonstrated the twelve forms of Azure Dragon Force, and Lü Yue, Cao Zhan, and Zhou Hu absorbed its techniques and mental formulas.
• Meng Zhao explained that the art would strengthen their bodies and help them build internal energy without damaging their potential.
• Lü Yue, Cao Zhan, and Zhou Hu thanked Meng Zhao and vowed to study the art carefully.
• Meng Zhao told the three not to rush their cultivation, predicted they could reach Postnatal Great Perfection within one to three months, and promised regular supplies and resources.
• A blue firework burst above the village and lingered in the sky before fading.

After blue fireworks appeared near Meng Family Village, Meng Zhao reassured his worried companions and went to meet the people who had launched them. The Mysterious Black-Clad Man and the man in red discussed Meng Zhao’s role in their master’s plans and anticipated his future clash with Dragon City.

• Lü Yue, Cao Zhan, and Zhou Hu worried that the fireworks signaled another plot against Meng Zhao, but Meng Zhao told them to calm the villagers.
• Lü Yue offered to have Yang Cai escort Meng Zhao, but Meng Zhao refused and flew toward the fireworks alone.
• The Mysterious Black-Clad Man asked the man in red why he had not joined their fight against Dragon City to defeat him.
• The man in red explained that helping would have spoiled the Mysterious Black-Clad Man’s enjoyment of the fight and might have caused them serious injuries.
• The Mysterious Black-Clad Man said their master needed Meng Zhao’s aid and that he hoped to watch Meng Zhao face Dragon City in a future battle.

Meng Zhao met Gu Sinan and Gu Sinan’s fellow guest, Yun Fei, after displaying his overwhelming martial strength. Yun Fei tested Meng Zhao with a gift, then recognized how much Meng Zhao had advanced and held back his urge to fight.

• Gu Sinan and Yun Fei sensed Meng Zhao approaching with a fearsome aura and prepared to meet him.
• Meng Zhao landed before the pair, greeted Gu Sinan, and assessed Yun Fei’s fighting intent.
• Gu Sinan introduced Yun Fei as his Eldest Brother’s Personal Disciple, and Yun Fei offered Meng Zhao a wooden case as a test.
• Meng Zhao caught the case with his true qi and effortlessly dispelled Yun Fei’s layered forces and Mental Power.
• Yun Fei was astonished by Meng Zhao’s strength and suppressed his fighting intent until a more suitable opportunity.

Meng Zhao learned that Dragon City had helped Lei Youbai before Lei Youbai’s death, making him suspect a hidden scheme, then heard Yun Fei’s request to use his fleet to sell the Demon Venerable Hall’s goods. The chapter ended with Meng Zhao weighing whether to accept the proposal.

• Meng Zhao used true qi to break open the box and inspect the bloodied head inside, then asked Gu Sinan and Yun Fei why they had brought it.
• Gu Sinan recounted how Dragon City had advised Lei Youbai after the Lei Family’s failed operation, prompting Meng Zhao to suspect Dragon City had ulterior motives.
• Meng Zhao thanked Gu Sinan and Yun Fei for Lei Youbai’s death, and Yun Fei asked him for a favor on behalf of the Demon Venerable Hall.
• Yun Fei explained that the Hall needed silver after internal turmoil and asked to use Meng Zhao’s fleet to sell its herbs and weapons in exchange for ten percent of the net profit.
• Meng Zhao considered the Hall’s financial troubles and began weighing whether to agree.

Meng Zhao weighed the risks of cooperating with the Demon Venerable Hall against the chance to build ties with Tan Cai'er and Tan Changming. Concluding that his status and backing could protect him, he agreed to help the Hall and offered to lend it silver.

• Meng Zhao considered the danger of being exposed as a collaborator with the Demonic Path and judged the Hall's promised profits unimportant to him.
• Meng Zhao saw a chance to use Ye Huan as a way to cultivate ties with Jade Faced Rakshasa and Tan Changming, whose influence could strengthen his position in the north.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that Tan Changming's power and the protection afforded by the aristocratic faction made the risk of Demonic Path connections manageable.
• Meng Zhao agreed to cooperate with the Demon Venerable Hall and offered to lend it silver if needed.

Meng Zhao agreed to help the Demon Venerable Hall transport and sell its goods through the Meng Family’s trade routes, in exchange for a share of the profits. Gu Sinan then invited him to join a mission to hunt down nearby defectors and recover stolen sect treasures.

• Gu Sinan offered Meng Zhao an additional half share of the profits as interest on the loan, and Meng Zhao accepted the arrangement.
• Meng Zhao asked that the trade be kept quiet and handled through a formal merchant association, and Gu Sinan agreed.
• Gu Sinan explained that defectors had fled the Demon Venerable Hall with sect treasures and that three groups were hiding in Lingwu City.
• Gu Sinan invited Meng Zhao to join him and Yun Fei in hunting the defectors, offering him a choice of recovered treasures as payment.

Meng Zhao agreed to help Gu Sinan and Yun Fei deal with defectors from the Demon Venerable Hall, disguising himself before they set out for Yellow Bridge Village. There, a group of escaped Demon Wind Hall experts waited for a mysterious contact who might help them find a new patron.

• Meng Zhao accepted Gu Sinan and Yun Fei's offer to join them in hunting down the Demon Venerable Hall defectors in exchange for a chance to examine the sect's treasures.
• Meng Zhao used the Muscle-Tendons Shrinking Bone Technique to alter his appearance, impressing Yun Fei with his mastery, and the three traveled toward the defectors' hiding place.
• At a farmhouse in Yellow Bridge Village, the injured Zhao complained that he needed women with abundant Primordial Yin to heal his wounds.
• The young Luan-surnamed leader reminded Zhao and the rat-eyed Innate that they were waiting to meet a powerful contact who could help them return to the Demon Venerable Hall and oppose Ye Huan.
• The three Demon Wind Hall experts had fled after Ye Huan seized control of the Demon Venerable Hall, and Zhao and the rat-eyed Innate followed Luan in hopes of finding a new patron.

After escaping the Demon Venerable Hall, Luan brought the Bald strong man and the rat-eyed Innate martial artist to seek protection from the Human Path's Heaven Swallowing Dao Child. They worried he might consume their cultivation, but Luan believed gifts and cautious distance would keep them safe.

• The Bald strong man and the rat-eyed Innate martial artist considered hiding from Ye Huan and the Demon Venerable Hall, but Luan offered them a chance to join the Human Path.
• Luan revealed that he had a prior connection to the Heaven Swallowing Dao Child, one of the Three Great Dao Children, and warned the group to show loyalty and respect.
• Luan explained that the Human Path was a powerful faction with influence throughout Great Yong, and the group felt reassured by the protection it could offer.
• The rat-eyed Innate martial artist worried that the Heaven Swallowing Dao Child might consume their Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and the Bald strong man also became uneasy.
• Luan acknowledged the risk but said their gifts, careful conduct, and distance from the Dao Child should help them avoid becoming his victims.