Chapter Summaries

Linghu Rui brought Howling Wind Hall’s captured disciples and families before Howling Wind Fortress, offering the defenders a chance to surrender. When the fortress commander ordered surrendering warriors killed, Linghu Rui saw the defenders’ morale begin to fracture.

• Linghu Rui announced that Zhang Zhichong had collaborated with the southern Rebel Army and offered safety to anyone who surrendered.
• Several defenders took their own lives, while dozens of others rushed toward the Yangwu Army and surrendered.
• A burly commander on the watchtower hurled a spear at the surrendering warriors and ordered the archers to kill them all.
• The archers killed the surrendering warriors, leaving the defenders shaken by their own side’s ruthlessness.
• Linghu Rui watched with a faint smile, believing the killings had weakened the defenders’ morale and will to fight.

Linghu Rui began the assault on Howling Wind Hall’s watchtower, using a battle formation and specially built ballistas to overcome the defenders. As the Yangwu Army’s shield formation stopped the arrows, Linghu Rui prepared to gather its power and strike the tower.

• Linghu Rui ordered his troops to cover the retreat of the few surviving surrendering warriors and withdraw the prisoners before beginning the assault.
• The square-faced defender rallied Howling Wind Hall’s fighters by promising that their allies in Lingwu City could resolve the conflict with the Imperial Court.
• Linghu Rui ordered the ballistas forward toward the watchtower’s ironstone gate, and the defender ordered his archers to suppress the attackers.
• The Yangwu Army used its Battle Formation Secret Method to form a vast shield of light that blocked the defenders’ arrows without casualties.
• After judging the formation’s first combat test successful, Linghu Rui prepared to gather its power and deliver a decisive blow to the watchtower.

Linghu Rui reported that the Yangwu Army had crushed Howling Wind Fortress with almost no casualties, and Meng Zhao praised his command and promised him future opportunities to lead troops. Linghu Rui then explained his tactics to Meng Zhao, who hoped to learn from the battle.

• Linghu Rui told Meng Zhao that his two battalions had routed Howling Wind Fortress, killing roughly a thousand fighters, capturing more than two thousand prisoners, and seizing extensive supplies and three account books, one concerning the southern Rebel Army.
• Linghu Rui reported that his troops had suffered no deaths, with twelve severely wounded and ninety-eight lightly wounded.
• Meng Zhao praised Linghu Rui, promised rewards for the victory, and offered him future chances to command troops in battle.
• Linghu Rui humbly credited Meng Zhao's surprise strategy and the weakness of the fortress's disorganized fighters.
• Meng Zhao asked about the battle, and Linghu Rui described his tactics, troop deployments, psychological warfare, and plan for breaching the towers.

Meng Zhao’s Yangwu Army seized Howling Wind Hall’s stronghold after Linghu Rui’s White Tiger Dharma Form killed its defender and the ballista carts broke the gate. Meng Zhao prepared to destroy Zhang Zhichong the next day, confident the attack had remained secret.

• Linghu Rui used the power of three thousand soldiers to form a White Tiger Dharma Form and kill the Howling Wind Hall Innate Master in one strike.
• The Yangwu Army’s ballista carts shattered the ironstone gate, and the soldiers routed Howling Wind Hall without losing a man.
• Meng Zhao rebuked Linghu Rui for boasting about the killing formation’s ability to defeat Grandmasters and ordered him to verify spoils and military merits.
• Linghu Rui asked Meng Zhao to send Dou Xi and Gao Yue to help with the records, signaling that he would leave military authority and rewards in Meng Zhao’s hands.
• Linghu Rui reported that his ambushes had stopped every escapee and gave Meng Zhao a booklet alleging Howling Wind Hall’s collusion with the southern Rebel Army.
• Meng Zhao declared that Zhang Zhichong would die the next day and said he hoped the confrontation would entertain him.

Meng Zhao led three battalions of the Yangwu Army into Lingwu City and surrounded Howling Wind Main Hall, making Zhang Zhichong their conspicuous target. Zhang Zhichong and the remaining Howling Wind Hall Innates confronted the army at the gates as the standoff began.

• Meng Zhao marched three elite battalions and most of his generals from Yangwu Grand Barracks into the inner city.
• The army’s disciplined march stirred fear and speculation among Lingwu City’s residents and influential families.
• The Yangwu Army surrounded Howling Wind Main Hall, and observers realized the Zhang Family was Meng Zhao’s target.
• Howling Wind Hall warriors gathered at the gates, with some stepping into the street to challenge the soldiers.
• Zhang Zhichong appeared with five Innates and used his powerful voice to address the army.

Meng Zhao publicly accused Zhang Zhichong and Howling Wind Hall of treason, then demonstrated a voice technique that reached across Lingwu City and astonished its martial artists and hidden experts. The chapter left Zhang Zhichong facing the accusation while Dragon City rushed to see Meng Zhao, and a concealed Grandmaster continued guarding Meng Family Village.

• Meng Zhao declared that Howling Wind Hall and Zhang Zhichong were guilty of major and lesser crimes, including aiding the southern Rebel Army, and demanded that Zhang Zhichong admit his guilt.
• Meng Zhao's voice carried across much of Lingwu City without visible use of true qi, revealing a profound divine skill that stunned the city's residents and martial artists.
• Dragon City crushed his cup in disbelief and hurried out to witness Meng Zhao's abilities for himself.
• A blood-pool figure and the Yanping Commandery Prince's Grandmaster separately considered Meng Zhao's extraordinary martial arts, while the royal Grandmaster chose to return to cultivation.
• The hidden Grandmaster at Meng Family Village praised Meng Zhao's growth but remained there to protect Meng Zhao's women.

Meng Zhao’s accusation that Howling Wind Hall had colluded with the southern Rebel Army left Zhang Zhichong and his confidants facing ruin. Unwilling to abandon the family’s hard-won estate, Zhang Zhichong publicly denied the charge and appealed to Howling Wind Hall’s good deeds.

• Zhang Zhichong realized Meng Zhao and Beitang Ang had uncovered Howling Wind Hall’s profitable dealings with Gao Yingzhong and Luan Xiaojie.
• A burly Innate Master urged Zhang Zhichong to flee Lingwu City, and the other confidants agreed that the Yangwu Army had them outmatched.
• Zhang Zhichong recalled how his father, Zhang Kuan, had built Howling Wind Hall through betrayal, murder, and stolen martial arts and treasures.
• Zhang Zhichong decided he could not abandon the estate and made one more effort to defend Howling Wind Hall.
• Zhang Zhichong denied colluding with the rebels, cited his family’s charitable acts and military service, and asked Meng Zhao to restore their innocence.

Meng Zhao exposed Howling Wind Hall’s crimes and collusion with the southern rebels, turning public opinion against Zhang Zhichong. After Dou Xi revealed evidence from the captured account books and reported the fall of Howling Wind Fortress, Zhang Zhichong fell silent as Meng Zhao sensed someone entering the area.

• Meng Zhao cited testimony from Howling Wind Hall members and account books to accuse Zhang Zhichong of crimes and collusion with the southern rebels.
• Dou Xi read verified transactions from the account books, causing onlookers and allies of Howling Wind Hall to turn against it.
• Zhang Zhichong realized Meng Zhao had seized the books and asked what had happened to Howling Wind Fortress and his junior brother.
• Dou Xi said the Yangwu Army had destroyed Howling Wind Fortress and that General Linghu had killed Zhang Zhichong’s junior brother after he resisted.
• Zhang Zhichong fell silent, and Meng Zhao sensed Dragon City entering his perception.

Meng Zhao confronted Zhang Zhichong over Howling Wind Hall’s collusion with the southern Rebel Army, while secretly detecting Dragon City’s arrival. After Meng Zhao promised to punish only the chief perpetrators, Zhang Zhichong accepted his Senior Brother’s plan to fight a way out and escape.

• Meng Zhao sensed Dragon City’s arrival and watched to see whether anyone would support Zhang Zhichong.
• Zhang Zhichong called on Lingwu City’s hidden forces to unite against Meng Zhao, but no one came forward.
• Meng Zhao accused Zhang Zhichong of aiding the southern Rebel Army and said he had agreed with the Prince to punish only the chief evildoers.
• Zhang Zhichong’s Senior Brother urged him to escape before the crowd sealed off their routes.
• Zhang Zhichong abandoned his hesitation and agreed to fight a way out, leaving his survival to fate.

Meng Zhao watched the Yangwu Army crush Howling Wind Hall’s charge and then stopped Zhang Zhichong and five fellow Innates from fleeing with his qi pillars. The six were forced back beneath his overwhelming spiritual pressure.

• Meng Zhao sensed that Zhang Zhichong and his five allies were preparing to fight to the death, so he warned Dou Xi to keep the soldiers alert and avoid needless casualties.
• Zhang Zhichong accused Meng Zhao of framing him and urged Howling Wind Hall’s warriors to charge the Yangwu Army.
• The Yangwu Army held formation and slaughtered the charging warriors, leaving onlookers shaken by the army’s strength.
• Zhang Zhichong and the other five tried to flee in different directions as the battlefield grew chaotic.
• Meng Zhao raised his hand and summoned five towering pillars of qi that blocked the six Innates and blasted them backward.

Meng Zhao used the North Sea Dragon Fighting Hand to seal six Innate Masters inside five qi pillars, leaving them shocked by the power of his martial art. The Howling Wind Hall fighters boosted their strength with the Golden Needle Acupuncture method and unleashed a deadly whirlwind, which Meng Zhao contained with five Qi Dragons that were rapidly worn down.

• Meng Zhao used the North Sea Dragon Fighting Hand to trap and suppress Zhang Zhichong and five other Innate Masters inside five qi pillars.
• Dragon City recognized that Meng Zhao's technique linked the qi pillars to heaven and earth, though he failed to grasp its full essence.
• The burly Howling Wind Hall fighter and the others used Golden Needle Acupuncture to raise their cultivation by thirty to fifty percent.
• The five Innate Masters launched a coordinated whirlwind that flayed nearby people, including their own allies, and threatened the Yangwu Army soldiers.
• Meng Zhao transformed the qi pillars into five Qi Dragons and contained the whirlwind, but the dragons were worn down to a thin layer.

Meng Zhao defeated Howling Wind Hall’s five Innate Masters with one move, leaving them badly injured and inspiring the soldiers. The five sacrificed themselves to use Transferring Flowers and Grafting Trees on Zhang Zhichong, whose true qi and Qi and Blood Power surged to rival Meng Zhao’s.

• Meng Zhao resisted the five Innate Masters’ Wind of Death and sent them flying, while its sinister force failed to harm his Purple Origin Dragon Body.
• Dragon City recognized the strength of Meng Zhao’s true qi, and the soldiers roared their support for the general.
• Zhang Zhichong treated the five wounded Innate Masters, who warned him that they could not escape or defeat Meng Zhao.
• The five Innate Masters used Transferring Flowers and Grafting Trees to transfer their essence blood and true qi into Zhang Zhichong, with their bodies shriveling as his power rose dramatically.

Zhang Zhichong absorbed the life force and true qi of five Innate Masters, gaining a dramatic surge of strength and confidence. He challenged Meng Zhao, who accepted the fight, and Zhang Zhichong attacked first with the Thousand Shadow Fist as Meng Zhao struck back.

• The five Innate Masters sacrificed their true qi, blood vitality, and life force to Zhang Zhichong, and onlookers recognized them as Trump Cards prepared by Zhang Kuan.
• Zhang Zhichong absorbed their power, grew younger, and destroyed the five corpses and the bodies of Howling Wind Hall's fallen disciples.
• Overconfident in his newfound strength, Zhang Zhichong challenged Meng Zhao to a fight.
• Meng Zhao silenced his angry generals, approached Zhang Zhichong, and vowed to kill him before Howling Wind Hall's headquarters.
• Zhang Zhichong charged Meng Zhao with the Thousand Shadow Fist, and Meng Zhao stamped his foot and punched toward the azure tornado.

Meng Zhao overwhelmed Zhang Zhichong with a single punch that shattered his fist technique and blasted a passage into the earth. The onlookers marveled at Meng Zhao’s power, while Dragon City and Zhang Zhichong recognized how far his foundation surpassed theirs.

• Meng Zhao struck Zhang Zhichong with a dragon-shaped punch that swept away his Thousand Shadow Fist and forced him to flee while coughing blood.
• Meng Zhao’s punch broke through the earth, creating a flooded underground passage and stunning the soldiers and spectators.
• Martial artists praised Meng Zhao’s fist intent, true qi, and potential to surpass Grandmasters.
• Dragon City judged Meng Zhao’s strength and foundation to be far beyond his own and briefly wondered whether Meng Zhao possessed a Supreme Physique.
• Zhang Zhichong realized that inheriting the foundations of five Innate Realm Warriors had not made him a match for Meng Zhao.

Meng Zhao overwhelmed Zhang Zhichong, whose unstable power and faltering will left him unable to fight back effectively. As Zhang Zhichong faced defeat, he summoned his hidden divine weapon, Clearwind.

• Meng Zhao's punch shook Zhang Zhichong's mind and destabilized the power he had absorbed from five Innate Realm Warriors.
• Zhang Zhichong used a secret art from the Ruyi Xunfeng Hengtian Book to suppress the restless power within him.
• Meng Zhao struck Zhang Zhichong with a palm that drove him into the ground and caused him to bleed from all seven apertures.
• Zhang Zhichong counterattacked with the Solitary Dragon Leg Technique, but Meng Zhao swallowed its force and sent him staggering backward.
• Zhang Zhichong considered whether dying at Meng Zhao's hands might make him part of a legend, then rejected the thought and summoned the divine weapon Clearwind.

Zhang Zhichong revealed the Earth-tier Divine Weapon Qingfeng and connected with its spirit, becoming its temporary Weapon Master. Meng Zhao remained confident that he would defeat Zhang Zhichong and claim the dagger.

• Zhang Zhichong summoned Divine Weapon Qingfeng, stunning the onlookers and prompting speculation about how his family had obtained it.
• The onlookers doubted Qingfeng could help Zhang Zhichong escape Meng Zhao, given the vast difference in their strength.
• Using the Ruyi Xunfeng Hengtian Book, Zhang Zhichong connected with Qingfeng's spirit and temporarily became its Weapon Master.
• Qingfeng settled into Zhang Zhichong's hand as a jade-green dagger, and its aura sharpened and strengthened him.
• Meng Zhao dismissed the dagger as inferior to his other weapons but decided he would take it as a gift for the women in his inner residence.

Zhang Zhichong gained extraordinary speed after temporarily becoming the Weapon Master of the Divine Weapon Qingfeng, but Meng Zhao overwhelmed him with a Buddha Dharma Form that suppressed the entire field. Meng Zhao crushed Zhang Zhichong, leaving the green dagger unharmed.

• Zhang Zhichong tested Qingfeng's blessing and discovered that it had greatly increased his speed.
• Meng Zhao invoked Star Power and combined the Immovable Wisdom King Subduing Demon Great Hand Seal with the Emperor's Qi Gazing Technique.
• Meng Zhao's Buddha Dharma Form suppressed everyone in the field and stripped Zhang Zhichong of his enhanced speed.
• Meng Zhao seized Zhang Zhichong with a golden Buddha Palm, and Zhang Zhichong's green wind blade failed to harm it.
• Meng Zhao crushed Zhang Zhichong in the Buddha Palm, leaving only the green dagger intact.

Meng Zhao crushed Zhang Zhichong and destroyed Howling Wind Hall, using the victory to intimidate Lingwu City's other powers. He spared Dragon City for now, then ordered his troops to kill Howling Wind Hall's remaining disciples and seize its wealth.

• Meng Zhao killed Zhang Zhichong with his Immovable Wisdom King Dharma Form and took Divine Weapon Qingfeng.
• Dragon City reconsidered his plans to oppose Meng Zhao but recognized that forces behind him might still compel a future conflict.
• Meng Zhao judged that he could defeat Dragon City but held back because of the mysterious forces supporting him and the threat of higher realms.
• Meng Zhao ordered his soldiers to execute Howling Wind Hall's remaining disciples, raid its main hall, and store all seized wealth in the army's logistics stores.
• Meng Zhao's generals led their units in slaughtering the remaining members of Howling Wind Hall.

After Meng Zhao destroyed Howling Wind Hall, he consolidated its spoils and placed Divine Weapon Clearwind in Liang Muqiu’s care, hoping she could master it. Though she could not gain its recognition, she used its sharp aura to improve her saber art and accepted that Meng Zhao would prioritize his broader ambitions.

• Meng Zhao’s defeat of Howling Wind Hall spread fear through Lingwu City, and he distributed a small portion of the spoils after discussing matters with Beitang He.
• Liang Muqiu cultivated with Divine Weapon Clearwind, absorbing its sharp aura to strengthen her saber art.
• Liang Muqiu complained that Clearwind had not recognized her, and Meng Zhao explained that he had subdued its spirit by force rather than earning its acknowledgment.
• Meng Zhao promised to find Liang Muqiu a divine saber suited to her martial art, but she told him to prioritize his great undertaking and give any future weapon to a subordinate.
• Liang Muqiu continued to manage Meng Zhao’s household and support his ambitions as his trusted female aide.

Meng Zhao explained why he had to travel to Liang Prefecture to deal with the Rebel Army before facing the Pudu Cult, despite Liang Muqiu’s fears for his safety. He entrusted Lingwu City’s affairs to her and prepared to leave, while she urged him to return quickly.

• Meng Zhao encouraged Liang Muqiu to strengthen her martial arts and promised to prepare what she and A-Le’s group needed.
• Liang Muqiu worried that Meng Zhao would leave Lingwu City vulnerable and face danger in chaotic Liang Prefecture.
• Meng Zhao explained that he planned to suppress the Liang Prefecture Rebel Army before confronting the greater threat posed by the Pudu Cult.
• Liang Muqiu accepted that Meng Zhao had made up his mind and asked him to remember that she and the other women awaited his return.
• Meng Zhao entrusted the household to Liang Muqiu, passed three-tenths of his cultivation to her so she could imitate his aura, and told her to watch Ding Yuqin’s situation.
• Liang Muqiu warned that Meng Zhao’s deterrence over Lingwu City would weaken the longer he was away, and he resolved to return as quickly as possible.