Chapter Summaries

Li Xingchen’s first two swords failed to trouble Meng Zhao, but Li Xingchen launched his strongest technique, the Heavenly Dragon Sword Strike. Its dragon-shaped sword aura briefly affected even Meng Zhao, and the clash remained unresolved.

• Meng Zhao used the North Sea Dragon Fighting Hand to dissolve Li Xingchen’s Ocean Wave Sword.
• A Sword Dao Grandmaster admired Meng Zhao’s martial skill, while Li Xingchen’s confidence faltered.
• Li Xinglu began to value Meng Zhao’s strength and considered building ties with him.
• Li Xingchen unleashed the Heavenly Dragon Sword Strike, whose Dragon Might briefly disturbed Meng Zhao’s senses.

Meng Zhao defeated Li Xingchen’s Mountain Sea Hidden Dragon strike by suppressing both its visible and concealed swords with his dragon aura and force field. Li Xingchen was left injured and shaken, while a Sword Dao Grandmaster recognized the kingly power behind Meng Zhao’s Martial Dao Divine Charm.

• Meng Zhao discerned the hidden sword within Li Xingchen’s Heavenly Dragon Sword Strike and summoned his Emperor Dragon Vital Energy and purple dragon aura to defend himself.
• Meng Zhao shattered the visible Heavenly Dragon sword aura, then suppressed and destroyed the concealed sword tip before it could reach his heart.
• Li Xingchen suffered internal injuries and a severe loss of composure after all three of his sword moves failed to defeat Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao praised Li Xingchen’s swordsmanship and admitted that its hidden strike could have harmed him if he had been careless.
• Li Ya’er explained the hidden sword’s strength and limitations, while the Sword Dao Grandmaster recognized the kingly majesty of Meng Zhao’s aura.

Meng Zhao defeated Li Xingchen in their sparring match, leaving him mentally shaken and unable to use his martial power for a time. Li Ya'er apologized and asked Meng Zhao to keep the match and its outcome secret, and Meng Zhao agreed.

• Li Xingchen spat blood and slumped into a dazed state after Meng Zhao broke his Sword Intent.
• Li Ya'er and Li Xinglu examined Li Xingchen and found that his internal organs were bleeding, though his meridians had suffered only minor damage.
• Li Ya'er accused Meng Zhao of striking cruelly, but Meng Zhao explained that he had only defended himself and that Li Xingchen could recover his morale and Sword Intent.
• Li Ya'er realized he had no grounds to blame Meng Zhao, apologized, and asked him to conceal the sparring match and its result.
• Meng Zhao agreed to keep the matter confidential rather than risk offending the Li Family.

After defeating Li Xingchen, Meng Zhao agreed to keep the fight secret, easing tensions between the Li and Meng families. He then revealed that he could sense Li Xingchen’s hidden Sword Dao Grandmaster, leaving the Li family impressed and wary of his unknown abilities.

• Meng Zhao agreed to conceal Li Xingchen’s defeat and preserve the Li family’s reputation, relieving Li Ya'er, Li Xinglu, the Sword Dao Grandmaster, and Li Xingchen.
• Li Ya'er thanked Meng Zhao and offered benefits, relieved that he had chosen compromise rather than forcing a confrontation with the Meng family.
• The Li and Meng groups returned to calm, but the Sword Dao Grandmaster vanished from sight when Meng Zhao tried to speak with him.
• Meng Zhao said he could still sense the hidden Grandmaster, astonishing the Li family and making Li Xingchen wonder whether Meng Zhao had crossed into the Innate Realm.
• Li Ya'er reassured Meng Zhao that the Grandmaster would not act against him, while the Li family concluded that Meng Zhao had a Trump Card that made him unafraid of Grandmaster-level power.

After Meng Zhao cautiously befriended the Li Family, he explained to Niu Dali and Yuan Bin why he had avoided provoking them and taught them that strength required judgment as well as force. His followers came to see their service under him as a rare opportunity, while Yuan Bin hoped Meng Zhao might one day help him return to the Qing Prefecture Yuan Family.

• Li Ya'er declined Meng Zhao's invitation to visit Meng Family Manor for Li Xingchen's sake, but said he would visit in a few days if Meng Zhao kept their encounter from becoming gossip.
• As Meng Zhao left the teahouse with Niu Dali and Yuan Bin, Niu Dali asked why he had treated the Li Family politely despite their arrogance.
• Meng Zhao explained that although he could withstand an ordinary Grandmaster, his companions could not, and the Sword Dao Grandmaster might have killed them all.
• Meng Zhao said he had also avoided making an enemy of the powerful Li Family and advised Niu Dali and Yuan Bin to balance toughness with flexibility in martial arts and conduct.
• Niu Dali was encouraged by Meng Zhao's promise to entrust them with important responsibilities, while Yuan Bin grew more confident that Meng Zhao could help him return to the Qing Prefecture Yuan Family.

Meng Zhao assessed Li Xingchen’s swordsmanship and secretly taught Niu Dali and Yuan Bin ways to counter it. As the group approached Lingwu City’s outer district, two concealed assassins attacked Meng Zhao and then self-destructed after their strike missed.

• Meng Zhao asked Niu Dali and Yuan Bin to assess Li Xingchen’s three sword strikes, and both said they would struggle to survive them.
• Meng Zhao agreed that Li Xingchen was among the strongest Innate Realm fighters and warned that his swordsmanship could improve further with battle experience.
• Meng Zhao secretly transmitted tailored methods for resisting Li Xingchen’s sword Dao, deepening Niu Dali and Yuan Bin’s understanding and loyalty.
• Two ordinary-looking men suddenly attacked Meng Zhao with a combined palm-and-fist strike that sent Niu Dali and Yuan Bin flying.
• Meng Zhao eluded the attack by becoming undetectable to spiritual perception, and the assassins’ strike missed before both men self-destructed, shocking the witnesses.

After two deathsworn assassins attacked Meng Zhao and died in a self-destructive technique, he and Yuan Bin identified their artificial cultivation and poisonous blood threads. The technique resembled Mountaintop Temple’s forbidden Self-Sacrificing Art, giving Meng Zhao a lead as he suspected the assassins had ties to Lingwu City.

• Two assassins exploded into bloody mist and sent poisoned blood threads toward Meng Zhao, who destroyed them with streams of purple qi.
• Yuan Bin suspected the Li Family had sent the assassins, but Meng Zhao said the family was only a weak possibility because Li Xingchen’s master could have made a more effective attacker.
• Yuan Bin examined the bloodstains and inferred that the assassins had used medicinal power and a secret technique to unleash a final strike.
• Meng Zhao determined that the men were artificially created one-aperture Innate Realm Warriors whose cultivation shortened their lifespans and whose deaths could spread poison.
• Yuan Bin connected the assassins’ method to Mountaintop Temple’s Self-Sacrificing Art, and Meng Zhao decided it could help identify who in Lingwu City had arranged the attack.

Meng Zhao returned to Meng Family Village, where the guards welcomed him with fervent respect and he reunited with the strength of his growing household. As Mu Qiu, Lü Yue, and others rushed to greet him, Niu Dali and Yuan Bin saw that their new allies had powerful backing.

• Meng Zhao and his group reached the heavily fortified gates of Meng Family Village, impressing Niu Dali and Yuan Bin with the estate’s scale and defenses.
• The gate guards recognized Meng Zhao, leaped down to greet him, and knelt before him in unison.
• Meng Zhao recognized Lin Rui and asked him to notify Mu Qiu, Lü Yue, and the others that he had returned.
• Lin Rui hurried into the village while Meng Zhao praised the guards’ martial arts and pointed out ways they could improve.
• Niu Dali and Yuan Bin approved of Meng Zhao’s capable subordinates and the strength of the Lingwu Meng Family.
• A group of people rushed toward the gates to welcome Meng Zhao.

Meng Zhao returned to Lingwu City and reunited with his allies and the women who had missed him. Zhu'er clung to him in tears before he teased her into smiling, while Liang Muqiu and Han Lu greeted him more reservedly.

• Meng Zhao saw Liang Muqiu, Han Lu, Zhu'er, and the Meng Family faction hurry to welcome him back.
• Meng Zhao noticed how much Liang Muqiu, Han Lu, Zhu'er, Lü Yue, Cao Zhan, Zhou Hu, and the others had grown in strength during his absence.
• Zhu'er ran into Meng Zhao's arms and clung to him while crying.
• Meng Zhao held Zhu'er, promised himself he would protect those he loved, and teased her to stop crying.
• Zhu'er smiled, realized how tightly she had clung to Meng Zhao, and hurried to Han Lu's side in embarrassment.

Meng Zhao returned to the Meng Family manor and reunited with Liang Muqiu and the others, then began arranging a feast and managing the affairs that had piled up during his absence. He left Niu Dali and Yuan Bin in Han Lu’s care as he prepared to attend to his private matters and welcome his friends.

• Meng Zhao warmly took Liang Muqiu’s hand and reassured her that he had returned safely.
• Meng Zhao sent Lü Yue to arrange a feast and summon Han Pu and the influential members of the Meng Family.
• Meng Zhao considered the family’s delayed business and his plans involving the Demon Venerable Hall, the Pudu Cult, the dockside assassins, and other powers.
• After most of the family experts left, Meng Zhao asked Han Lu to prepare adjoining rooms for his friends.
• Han Lu led Niu Dali and Yuan Bin toward the manor’s inner quarters while they reflected on Meng Zhao’s closeness with his women.

After returning to Meng Family Manor, Meng Zhao learned that the family had gained influence and uncovered two valuable sites in the Divine Demon Ancient Battlefield. He tested the Killing Intent mist and effortlessly refined it, then told Liang Muqiu and Zhu'er about his journey.

• Meng Zhao walked with Liang Muqiu and Zhu'er and heard that the Meng Family had profited from Lingwu City's upheaval, including adding six Cloudsea Treasurewood ships to its fleet.
• Liang Muqiu told Meng Zhao that the Meng Family's expeditions into the Divine Demon Ancient Battlefield had found a blood pool and dangerous Killing Intent mist.
• Liang Muqiu explained that the Killing Intent mist had helped A-Le, Cao Zhan, and Zhou Hu break through to the Innate Realm by tempering their minds.
• Meng Zhao inhaled the concentrated Killing Intent mist and refined it without difficulty, then said it was useless to him.
• Meng Zhao recounted his journey to Liang Muqiu and Zhu'er, who reacted with surprise to what he shared.

Meng Zhao recounted his battles and a deadly ambush to Liang Muqiu and Zhu'er, who helped him consider who might have ordered the attack. The three concluded that many Lingwu City powers might want Meng Zhao dead because of his growing fame, and planned to investigate the assassins’ use of the Self-Sacrificing Art.

• Meng Zhao told Liang Muqiu and Zhu'er about defeating the Pudu Cult's Three Great Dharma Kings, sparring with Li Xingchen, and surviving an ambush by two dead warriors.
• Liang Muqiu warned Meng Zhao that the ambushers had used a deadly Self-Sacrificing Art and poison, then questioned whether the Li Family was behind the attack.
• Meng Zhao argued that the Li Family would have chosen a surer plan, and Liang Muqiu suspected other people within Lingwu City had arranged the ambush.
• Liang Muqiu explained to Zhu'er that Lingwu City’s great powers feared Meng Zhao’s rise and might try to kill him to protect their interests.
• Meng Zhao and Liang Muqiu decided to investigate forces connected to Mountaintop Temple, since the assassins appeared to have used its Self-Sacrificing Art.

Meng Zhao resumed managing his growing operation and received Li Ya'er and Li Xinglu at the manor, where the conversation turned to the recent assassination attempt. The chapter ended with Li Ya'er asking whether Meng Zhao suspected the Li Family was responsible.

• Meng Zhao held a banquet to announce his return, then spent three days rewarding and disciplining his subordinates.
• Meng Zhao and Liang Muqiu began handling accumulated affairs before a report arrived that the Nine Surnames Li Family had sent visitors.
• Meng Zhao and Liang Muqiu went to the reception hall and met Li Ya'er and Li Xinglu, while Li Xingchen stayed away.
• Li Ya'er asked about the assassins, and Meng Zhao confirmed that two attackers had died and their bodies had released poison.
• Li Ya'er asked whether Meng Zhao had suspects or believed the Li Family had arranged the attack.

Li Ya'er tested Meng Zhao's suspicions about the assassination, then revealed that the two assassins had used Mountaintop Temple's Self-Sacrificing Art. His investigation traced that forbidden technique to a disciple of the Fierce Monk Hui Kong who had settled in Lingwu City, leaving Meng Zhao with a possible link to the mastermind.

• Li Ya'er asked Meng Zhao whether he suspected the Li Family, and Meng Zhao said another force in Lingwu City was more likely responsible.
• Li Ya'er told Meng Zhao that his investigation had uncovered a connection to the Blood Sea Fierce Monk Hui Kong.
• Meng Zhao recalled Hui Kong's history as a Mountaintop Temple monk who stole thirteen ultimate skills, including the Self-Sacrificing Art, and became a feared killer.
• Li Ya'er said the assassins had been trained in the Self-Sacrificing Art, which had only been passed beyond Buddhism by Hui Kong.
• Li Ya'er explained that a disciple of Hui Kong inherited the art, returned to Lingwu City, and established a family there.

Li Ya'er revealed that the Zhou Family descended from a disciple who betrayed Monk Huikong and inherited the Self-Sacrificing Art, along with his poison skills. Meng Zhao and Liang Muqiu judged the Zhou Family to be the leading suspect in Meng Zhao’s assassination, though they still needed to investigate further.

• Meng Zhao and Liang Muqiu learned that Monk Huikong’s disciple had betrayed him to the Righteous Alliance and later received an Imperial Court pardon.
• Li Ya'er identified the western Zhou Family as the disciple’s descendants and explained that they used the Self-Sacrificing Art to train deathsworn warriors.
• Meng Zhao recalled his friendly dealings with Zhou Zheng and realized the Zhou Family might have concealed its connection to Mountaintop Temple.
• Li Ya'er connected the assassins’ poisonous self-destruction to the Zhou Family elder’s poison arts, making the family the strongest suspect.
• Meng Zhao thanked Li Ya'er and returned to the Li Family, impressed by how much deeper its intelligence was than his own and Liang Muqiu’s.

Li Ya'er thanked Meng Zhao for protecting the Li Family's reputation and proposed buying resources from him, while Meng Zhao considered using his Demon Venerable Hall connection to supply them. Li Ya'er then revealed that Monk Huikong had once obtained a Heavenly Tier Divine Weapon, leaving Meng Zhao intrigued by the weapon and the reason Huikong could not use it.

• Li Ya'er thanked Meng Zhao for keeping Li Xingchen's defeat private and explained that it had spared the Li Family from blame and preserved Xingchen's future.
• Li Ya'er offered to buy daily necessities and cultivation resources from Meng Zhao at fifty percent above the highest market price, and Meng Zhao agreed to leave the arrangement to Liang Muqiu.
• Meng Zhao considered selling the Demon Venerable Hall's resources to the Li Family through his own channels for a large profit.
• Liang Muqiu agreed to handle the cooperation cautiously despite her suspicion that the Li Family was behind the Xu Prefecture rebellion.
• Li Ya'er told Meng Zhao that Monk Huikong had once possessed a Heavenly Tier Divine Weapon, but could not use it because he lacked its recognition or the power to suppress its spirituality.

Li Ya'er told Meng Zhao how Gaozu Li Yuan obtained and commissioned the Four Symbols Heaven Shaking Bow, a Heavenly Tier Divine Weapon that he later gave to Emperor Taizong. She said the bow disappeared after Crown Prince Jiancheng died, leaving Meng Zhao to suspect that its disappearance was tied to Li Shimin's role in Jiancheng's death.

• Li Ya'er described the Four Symbols Heaven Shaking Bow and identified Gaozu Li Yuan as its first master.
• Li Ya'er recounted how Li Yuan won Empress Dou's hand by shooting two swift peacocks with a Rainbow Bow.
• Li Ya'er explained that Li Yuan commissioned the divine bow after raising his army, but never used it to kill anyone.
• Li Ya'er said Li Yuan bestowed the bow on Emperor Taizong and that it vanished after Crown Prince Jiancheng died.
• Meng Zhao compared the account with his previous life's history and suspected that Li Shimin had killed Jiancheng and seized the throne.

Meng Zhao reasoned that Li Er had likely killed Li Jiancheng with the Four Symbols Heaven Shaking Bow and hidden the weapon afterward. Li Ya'er hinted that the Zhou Family might know where it was, and Meng Zhao suspected the Li Family wanted him to investigate while concealing its own motives.

• Meng Zhao concluded that Li Er may have sealed away the Four Symbols Heaven Shaking Bow because he had used it to kill Li Jiancheng.
• Li Ya'er told Meng Zhao that a former disciple of Monk Huikong from the Zhou Family might know something about the weapon.
• Meng Zhao suggested that Li Ya'er could use his status to obtain information from the Zhou Family.
• Meng Zhao inferred that Li Ya'er wanted him to investigate the Zhou Family on the Li Family's behalf, perhaps because the Li Family feared drawing the Beitang Imperial Clan's attention.
• Meng Zhao suspected that the Li Family believed he could not use the Four Symbols Heaven Shaking Bow and intended to reclaim it if he found it.

Meng Zhao delegated family affairs to his trusted subordinates before setting out alone to investigate the Zhou Family, the assassination, and the Four Symbols Heaven Shaking Bow. He also considered the value of the Zhou Family’s inherited martial arts as he weighed the risks and rewards of confronting them.

• Meng Zhao assigned Niu Dali to work with Su Can and Zheng Que on the liquor business, with Lü Yue assisting him, and tasked Yuan Bin with building Flower-Insect Valleys and raising exotic insects.
• On the fourth night after the Li Family’s visit, Meng Zhao left the manor in disguise to investigate the Zhou Family, refusing Liang Muqiu’s offer to accompany him.
• Meng Zhao considered obtaining the Four Symbols Heaven Shaking Bow, believing the Heaven-Illuminating Divine Mirror might let him become its Weapon Master.
• Meng Zhao reflected on the Zhou Family’s Self-Sacrificing Art and Great Demon Subduing Fist, especially the latter’s origins as part of a supreme Buddhist divine skill.

Meng Zhao secretly watched the Zhou Family residence and used the Emperor's Qi Gazing Technique to detect a hidden trace of powerful, bloody qi. He suspected the qi might come from the supposedly dead Zhou Wangqiao, but its source remained unknown.

• Meng Zhao surveyed the Zhou Family grounds and noticed that their abundant earth qi was mixed with an unsettling trace of bloody, vicious qi.
• Meng Zhao recalled Zhou Gushan's history and concluded that the family's known deathsworn training could not explain the strange pressure he sensed.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that the concealed qi might belong to a Grandmaster-level person or a fierce object, possibly connected to the Demonic Path.
• Meng Zhao considered that Zhou Wangqiao might have faked his death to escape Hui Kong and could have advanced to the Grandmaster Realm through unorthodox methods.