Chapter Summaries

Liang Muqiu tried to extract information from Bian Lao Er, but he resisted out of loyalty to Beitang Shu and hoped to warn him by giving false information. Liang Muqiu used Bewitching Incense and a secret technique to overwhelm Bian Lao Er, whose dazed mind began to glimpse Beitang Shu.

• Bian Lao Er recovered from Liang Muqiu’s questioning and urged her to destroy the forces he had revealed, hoping to provoke the Meng Family into attacking Beitang Shu’s supporters and cautious neutrals alike.
• Liang Muqiu recognized that Bian Lao Er was trying to mislead her and understood that some of the forces had not pledged themselves to Beitang Shu.
• Bian Lao Er declared that he would never betray Beitang Shu and resolved to use his capture to warn the Ninth Prince against trusting the Meng Family.
• Liang Muqiu placed Bewitching Incense in a specially prepared brazier and explained how its ingredients were meant to affect the mind.
• Liang Muqiu lit the incense and struck thirteen of Bian Lao Er’s major acupoints, making his true qi reverse and his thoughts grow confused.
• Bian Lao Er inhaled the incense and, in a daze, saw Beitang Shu as his spirit seemed to travel into the past.

Liang Muqiu used Bewitching Incense and Bian Lao Er’s weakened mental defenses to extract extensive secrets about Beitang Shu and his forces. She left Bian Lao Er alive and planned to capture the Vulture Eagle Team and purge unruly people within the Meng Family.

• Bian Lao Er awoke from Liang Muqiu’s soul-bewitchment and accused her of using sorcery.
• Liang Muqiu reviewed the information she had recorded about Beitang Shu’s hidden forces, relationships, and conspiracies.
• Liang Muqiu explained that Bewitching Incense and Bian Lao Er’s lingering spiritual injury from his failed breakthrough had made him vulnerable.
• Liang Muqiu decided to keep Bian Lao Er alive because he could still be useful to the Meng Family.
• Liang Muqiu planned to capture or kill the Vulture Eagle Team members and purge unruly people within the Meng Family.

After returning to Lingwu City, Meng Zhao strengthened his allies, prepared for secluded cultivation, and uncovered evidence of Beitang Sheng’s hidden crimes. The revelations confirmed that the emperor had colluded with the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and secretly forged the demonic weapon Star Tribulation.

• The Meng Family announced that a Demonic Path expert had destroyed several Lingwu City factions before they killed him, while rumors blamed the Meng Family and linked the struggle to Beitang Shu.
• Chen Siyuan and Fu Fei left for Ji Prefecture after pledging themselves to Meng Zhao, who returned to Lingwu City the next day with Monk Cheng Kong and Tan Cai'er.
• Meng Zhao used his Primordial Spirit seeds to help the women advance and used the Mind-Reading Great Law to guide his martial subordinates and strengthen them.
• Meng Zhao organized his gains from Yanzhou, managed the Meng Family's affairs, and began preparing for secluded cultivation before analyzing Bian Lao Er's memories at Liang Muqiu's request.
• Meng Zhao learned that Beitang Sheng had obtained the Ziwei Flying Star Record, improved the Beitang Imperial Clan's ultimate art, and colluded with the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord to forge Star Tribulation.

Meng Zhao uncovered the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s schemes and learned that Beitang Shu had arranged to poison Beitang Ang and Beitang He with a lethal, undetectable toxin. The father and son had already been poisoned, leaving Meng Zhao to face the danger to the Yanping Commandery Prince’s Mansion.

• Meng Zhao learned that Beitang Xing and Beitang Su had been intended as nourishment for Beitang Sheng and the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, but Meng Zhao had taken their fortunes by defeating them.
• Meng Zhao discovered that Bian Lao Er’s Vulture Eagle Team had been sent to gather intelligence and turn Meng Zhao’s allies against him.
• Meng Zhao learned that Beitang Shu had ordered Beitang Ang and Beitang He killed to remove the Beitang Imperial Clan’s representatives in Lingwu City.
• Meng Zhao identified Zong Shuying as the poison-body grandmaster who created Blood Calamity, a colorless, odorless poison that could not be cured.
• Meng Zhao learned that Blood Calamity had already infected Beitang Ang and Beitang He and would eventually kill them.

Meng Zhao told Liang Muqiu that his Primordial Spirit Power could cure the Beitang father and son’s Blood Calamity Poison. He decided they should be saved, but carefully timed the rescue so he could turn Beitang Shu’s betrayal into an opportunity to win their favor.

• Liang Muqiu asked Meng Zhao whether he could save the poisoned Beitang father and son and whether they should be warned.
• Meng Zhao explained that his Primordial Spirit Power could separate the poison from their blood and cure them.
• Liang Muqiu weighed the risks of letting the father and son die against saving them and preserving a potential threat.
• Meng Zhao decided to save them, noting that their deaths could make the Meng Family a prime suspect and serve Beitang Shu’s plans.
• Meng Zhao resolved to choose the timing and manner of the rescue carefully, hoping their desperation and anger at Beitang Shu would help win them over.

Meng Zhao had the Meng Family's divine physicians reveal that Beitang Ang and Beitang He were poisoned with a deep-rooted, incurable toxin. After their own physician confirmed the diagnosis and warned that their antidotes could make it worse, Beitang Ang suspected Meng Zhao had poisoned them and exposed the plot as a warning.

• Meng Zhao had Liang Muqiu send three divine physicians to the City Lord's Mansion under the pretext of warning Beitang Ang and Beitang He about a possible poisoning.
• The Meng Family's physicians diagnosed Beitang Ang and Beitang He with a latent poison that had penetrated their blood, veins, and marrow.
• Beitang Ang summoned his longtime physician, who confirmed the poison was incurable and could erupt suddenly.
• Beitang Ang had the mansion's antidotes and treasures examined, but the physician warned that the Ten Thousand Year Blood Ganoderma could worsen the poison.
• After dismissing the servants, Beitang Ang accused Meng Zhao of poisoning them and pretending to expose the crime, though he feared confronting him because the Yanping Commandery Prince's Mansion had no Grandmaster expert.

Beitang He reasoned that Meng Zhao likely knew who had poisoned him and Beitang Ang, but was not responsible for it and might be able to save them. The father and son weighed whether to abandon their imperial pride and submit to Meng Zhao, while Beitang He considered what terms they might secure.

• Beitang He argued that Meng Zhao probably had inside knowledge of the poisoning and had warned them because he did not want them to die without learning the truth.
• Beitang Ang questioned how Meng Zhao could save them when the physicians had declared their condition incurable, and Beitang He inferred that Meng Zhao might have a cure in exchange for their allegiance.
• Beitang He explained that seeking Meng Zhao's aid would require the father and son to cast aside their former status and serve beneath his banner.
• Beitang Ang leaned toward accepting help but hid his preference, hoping Beitang He would propose it first.
• Beitang He recognized that the Yanping Commandery Prince's Mansion could not rival the Meng Family in Lingwu City and began considering what terms to seek if they submitted.

Beitang He persuaded Beitang Ang to align the Yanping Commandery Prince's Mansion with Meng Zhao, then proposed strengthening the bond by sending one of Beitang Ang's illegitimate daughters to Meng Zhao as a concubine. Father and son agreed on what qualities she should have, but had not yet chosen which daughter.

• Beitang He told Beitang Ang that he wanted to secure a place for their mansion under Meng Zhao, and Beitang Ang agreed to support him.
• Beitang He proposed offering one of Beitang Ang's illegitimate daughters to Meng Zhao as a concubine to deepen their alliance.
• Beitang Ang considered the proposal and accepted it, despite initially being angered by the idea.
• Beitang He said the chosen daughter should be beautiful, loyal to their family, and steady rather than ambitious or jealous.
• Beitang Ang asked which daughter they should choose.

Beitang Ang and Beitang He split up to seek Meng Zhao’s help and strengthen their ties with the Meng Family. On his way to the manor, Beitang He assessed its powerful array and guards before witnessing a vast phantom Ice Lotus bloom over the estate.

• Beitang Ang set out to find his former lover and verify whether his illegitimate daughter was truly of the Beitang bloodline, while planning to build a relationship with her.
• Beitang He went to the Meng Family Manor to seek Meng Zhao’s help and observed its intricate Five-Element array and heavily equipped guards.
• Beitang He concluded that Meng Zhao’s family had grown stronger since his return from Yanzhou, easing his worries about relying on them.
• Beitang He saw an enormous phantom Ice Lotus appear above the manor, spreading snowy light before being confined within Meng Family Village.

Beitang He witnessed the Meng Family’s Ice Lotus release a gentle Spirit Liquid and realized Liang Muqiu had likely broken through to Grandmaster with Meng Zhao’s help. Confronted by Meng Zhao’s immense standing, Beitang He abandoned thoughts of bargaining and directly asked him to save his father and himself.

• The Ice Lotus showered Beitang He and the Meng Family Manor with nourishing Spirit Liquid, and Beitang He suspected it marked a Grandmaster breakthrough and revealed Liang Muqiu’s Ice Lotus Physique.
• Beitang He and his party waited for the enormous Ice Lotus to dissipate, then continued to Meng Zhao’s residence.
• Meng Zhao invited Beitang He inside, where Beitang He saw Liang Muqiu beside him and judged that she had recently become a Grandmaster with Meng Zhao’s assistance.
• Beitang He bowed deeply to Meng Zhao and asked him to save his father and himself, giving up on trying to negotiate as partners.

Liang Muqiu survived a dangerous breakthrough and became a Martial Dao Grandmaster with Meng Zhao’s help. Beitang He asked about Meng Zhao’s cultivation, and Meng Zhao hinted that his realm was higher than a Great Grandmaster’s.

• Meng Zhao used his power to seat Beitang He and assured him he could remove the poison affecting him and Beitang Ang.
• Beitang He recognized that Liang Muqiu had become a Martial Dao Grandmaster, and she confirmed her breakthrough.
• Liang Muqiu’s Ice Lotus Physique disrupted her breakthrough by devouring the Worldly Power she had gathered, but Meng Zhao helped stabilize her and strengthen her bloodline.
• Beitang He asked Meng Zhao whether he had reached the Great Grandmaster Realm, and Meng Zhao told him to guess higher.

Meng Zhao explained that he was a Half-step Heavenly Being and used his Primordial Spirit to save Beitang He and his father from poison. Liang Muqiu revealed that Ninth Prince Beitang Shu had arranged the poisoning, leaving Beitang He to suspect the plot’s network had been established long before Beitang Shu inherited it.

• Meng Zhao clarified that his Primordial Spirit had advanced ahead of his Great Grandmaster cultivation, making him only a Half-step Heavenly Being.
• Meng Zhao told Beitang He that his Primordial Spirit had enabled him to counter the poison afflicting Beitang He and his father.
• Beitang He asked who had poisoned them, and Liang Muqiu said Ninth Prince Beitang Shu had dispatched a covert force led by Bian Lao Er.
• Liang Muqiu named four agents embedded in the Commandery Prince’s Mansion, and Beitang He recognized them, including one of Beitang Ang’s bed companions.
• Beitang He realized the infiltration was extensive and wondered whether someone else had planted the agents before Beitang Shu inherited their connections.

Beitang He told Meng Zhao and Liang Muqiu that Beitang Shu’s mother had stolen the Yang Key Qi meant for his unborn child and later suppressed his family. After discovering that she may have planted spies in the County King's Mansion, Beitang He planned to investigate and vowed that his family would no longer tolerate Beitang Shu.

• Beitang He rejected the idea that Beitang Sheng had planted the spies and identified Beitang Shu’s mother as the woman he hated.
• Beitang He explained that Beitang Shu’s mother had seized Yang Key Qi from his mother and used it to enhance Beitang Shu before his birth.
• Beitang He said his mother had died young after years of suppression and despair, deepening his family’s feud with Beitang Shu.
• Beitang He confirmed that two of the four uncovered spies had served in the County King's Mansion for more than ten years and might have been planted by Beitang Shu’s mother.
• Beitang He decided to discuss a thorough investigation with Beitang Ang and declared that the County King's Mansion would no longer tolerate Beitang Shu.

Meng Zhao tested Beitang He’s loyalty and agreed to protect him in exchange for his allegiance against Beitang Shu. He began detoxifying Beitang He and arranged for Beitang Ang to be treated afterward.

• Beitang He explained that Beitang Shu wanted him and Beitang Ang dead so he could use Lingwu City to expand his power and potentially turn Meng Zhao against the imperial clan.
• Meng Zhao asked whom Beitang He would support if he and Beitang Shu went to war, and Beitang He pledged to stand with Meng Zhao even if the imperial clan became involved.
• Meng Zhao promised not to betray Beitang He as long as Beitang He remained loyal, and said they would share wealth and honor.
• Beitang He asked when Meng Zhao could remove the poison, and Meng Zhao said he would treat him immediately and have Beitang Ang come to Meng Family Village later.
• Meng Zhao sent a crimson dragon of Primordial Spirit spiritual qi into Beitang He, who saw the poison as jade-green vapor eroding the life force in his blood vessels.

Meng Zhao cured Beitang He’s poison and rebuilt his martial foundation, then learned that Beitang Sheng had sent experts to the Northern Lands to investigate Beitang Xing’s death. Though Meng Zhao knew he had killed Beitang Xing, he believed his hidden methods and new strength could keep him safe unless Beitang Sheng intervened personally.

• Meng Zhao used his Primordial Spirit Power and Worldly Power to destroy Beitang He’s poison and turn it into nourishment for his body.
• Beitang He awoke with a stronger aura, and Meng Zhao told him his remade foundation gave him a chance to reach the Grandmaster realm.
• Beitang He thanked Meng Zhao and warned him that the Great Emperor had sent experts to the Northern Lands after Beitang Xing’s death.
• Meng Zhao recognized that he had killed Beitang Xing and understood that Beitang Sheng might be using the investigation to target him and the Meng Family.
• Meng Zhao judged that his Primordial Spirit, protective treasures, cultivation, and connections could conceal his involvement and withstand the arriving experts unless Beitang Sheng acted himself.

Beitang He told Meng Zhao and Liang Muqiu about Eunuch Wuming, an ancient palace eunuch whose Sunflower Facing Sun Divine Skill let him transform between pure yin and pure yang. Meng Zhao suspected Human Dragon Qi had enabled Wuming’s impossible transformation and wondered whether that was why Wuming served the Beitang Imperial Clan.

• Liang Muqiu asked Beitang He about the martial strength of the expert approaching the Northern Lands.
• Beitang He described Eunuch Wuming as an ancient, unranked palace eunuch who might be a Great Grandmaster or even a Celestial Being.
• Beitang He explained how Wuming used the Sunflower Facing Sun Divine Skill to reverse yin and yang and restore his severed limbs.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that Wuming’s transition from a Pure Yin Body back to pure yang should have been impossible under the martial arts rules he knew.
• Meng Zhao suspected Human Dragon Qi had made Wuming’s transformation possible and questioned whether it had led him to serve the Beitang Imperial Clan.

Meng Zhao concluded that Nameless Eunuch was likely a Heavenly Man whose path to restoring his body had made him an extraordinary martial artist, and he worried that the eunuch could become a threat in the Northern Lands. Beitang He explained that the Emperor would not deploy him lightly and suggested that Meng Zhao cultivate his goodwill by offering rare sunflowers.

• Meng Zhao reasoned that Nameless Eunuch had used Human Dragon Qi and dual cultivation to reverse his yin and yang, and concluded that his cultivation had reached the Heavenly Man realm.
• Meng Zhao judged that Nameless Eunuch pursued the Dao through his transformation rather than seeking martial techniques for their own sake.
• Meng Zhao warned Beitang He and Liang Muqiu that Nameless Eunuch's arrival could bring trouble to the Northern Lands, especially if Beitang Shu sought his help.
• Beitang He reassured Meng Zhao that Nameless Eunuch served as the Emperor's trump card and would not be easily ordered to suppress the Dragon King.
• Beitang He told Meng Zhao that Nameless Eunuch favored rare sunflowers and suggested that earning his goodwill might limit the imperial clan's influence over him.

Beitang He told Meng Zhao that Yu Changkong, the true leader of the imperial experts sent to investigate Beitang Xing’s death, was a formidable enemy who might target the Meng Family. Meng Zhao planned to rely on Beitang He’s imperial standing to restrain Yu Changkong as the Northern Lands faced growing upheaval.

• Meng Zhao recalled meeting Yu Huashen and asked whether he was related to Yu Changkong, and Beitang He confirmed Yu Changkong was Yu Huashen’s father.
• Beitang He recounted how Yu Changkong created the Myriad Dharma As-You-Wish Kingly Slaughter Fist, killed Shi Fo'er, and extracted his Stone Buddha Blood for Yu Huashen.
• Beitang He explained that Nameless Eunuch was the nominal supervisor of the imperial experts, but Yu Changkong was their true leader and might use the investigation to challenge the Meng Family’s power.
• Meng Zhao said the investigators could not blame him without evidence and asked Beitang He to mediate if Yu Changkong caused trouble in Lingwu City.
• Beitang He agreed that he would present Lingwu City’s prosperity as his own achievement and act as a buffer between Yu Changkong and Meng Zhao.

Beitang He offered his illegitimate sister as a concubine to Meng Zhao to secure the County King's Mansion's ties with him, and Meng Zhao accepted for political reasons. Liang Muqiu reacted with jealousy and grievance, but Meng Zhao comforted her after Beitang He left.

• Beitang He told Meng Zhao that the County King's Mansion wished to marry his illegitimate sister to him as a concubine.
• Liang Muqiu grew furious and accused Beitang He of scheming, while he explained that the marriage alliance was meant to secure his household's future.
• Meng Zhao accepted the proposal, explaining that he needed the County King's Mansion's support as turmoil approached the Northern Lands.
• Liang Muqiu fell silent after Meng Zhao signaled her to ease up, and Beitang He left to bring Beitang Ang for detoxification.
• Meng Zhao promised Liang Muqiu that she would remain the woman he loved most, despite the new concubine joining his household.

Meng Zhao interpreted news of Shen Tianci’s supposed qi deviation as a cover for the Jinling Shen Family to protect him from an impending upheaval in the south. Meanwhile, Eunuch Zhan announced he would investigate the Meng Family in Lingwu City, leaving Meng Zhao to wonder whether he wanted a bribe or suspected him of killing Beitang Xing.

• Beitang Ang and Beitang He brought Meng Zhao a roster of the Yanping Commandery Prince's Mansion's recruited experts and secret contacts.
• News spread that Shen Tianci had suffered qi deviation and become half-crippled, though some suspected the Shen Family had staged the story to shield him.
• Meng Zhao judged the qi-deviation report unlikely and concluded that the Shen Family was concealing Shen Tianci ahead of a major upheaval in the south.
• Eunuch Zhan, known for extorting powerful clans, sent word that he would investigate the Meng Family in Lingwu City.
• Meng Zhao wondered whether Eunuch Zhan meant to extort him or investigate his role in Beitang Xing's death.