Chapter Summaries

Li Musheng killed Old Man Wuxiang, learned that the assassin’s jade tokens pointed to the Second Prince’s residence and the Han Residence, and heard Murong Xiaoya confirm the Mei family’s collusion with Falling God Peak. Murong Xiaoya then recognized the Han connection and struggled to contain her fury.

• Li Musheng accepted the Formless Divine Skill from Old Man Wuxiang and snapped his neck before beginning to study the art.
• The big black cat brought two jade plaques to the courtyard, and Hu Ruian identified them as belonging to the Han Residence and a first-rank retainer of Second Prince Li Que.
• Wu Shang wondered about a connection between Han Chuiyuan and the dead man, prompting Murong Xiaoya to arrive and intimidate him and Hu Ruian until Li Musheng told her to stop.
• Murong Xiaoya told Li Musheng that the Mei family was colluding with Falling God Peak and recounted what she had learned from Mei Yanyu and the sect’s person in charge.
• Murong Xiaoya noticed the Han Residence jade plaque, named Han Chuiyuan, and saw bloody flames surge in her eyes.

Murong Xiaoya demanded to know where the Han Residence was and vowed to kill the Han Clan, while Li Musheng intervened and faced her. She attacked him with overwhelming crimson-gold flames, leaving him obscured within a vast sea of fire as his companions fled.

• Murong Xiaoya questioned Wu Shang about the Han Residence and threatened to slaughter the entire Han Clan.
• Li Musheng freed Wu Shang from Murong Xiaoya’s pressure and sent him out of the courtyard.
• Wu Shang tried to return to explain, but Hu Ruian stopped him and warned him not to approach.
• Murong Xiaoya asked whether Li Musheng would stop her, then dismissed his warning that something was wrong with her state.
• Murong Xiaoya unleashed a massive crimson-gold fire attack that swallowed Li Musheng and engulfed the Mei Residence and its surroundings.
• Hu Ruian led Shen Anran, Wu Shang, and the others away as they watched the burning area, while Murong Xiaoya stared into the flames.

Li Musheng stopped Murong Xiaoya’s rampage and realized the Vermilion Bird Bone was driving her toward uncontrollable slaughter. After Murong Xiaoya agreed to give it to him, she revealed the scar over her heart where it was held.

• Murong Xiaoya believed she had burned Li Musheng away, but he appeared unharmed as her control briefly faltered.
• Murong Xiaoya attacked Li Musheng again, but he evaded her strikes and restrained her wrist, forcing her killing intent to subside.
• Murong Xiaoya apologized as the flames around the Mei Residence faded, and Li Musheng recognized that her state of mind had been consumed by hatred and slaughter.
• Li Musheng pointed out the treasure near Murong Xiaoya’s heart and offered to keep it for her.
• Murong Xiaoya identified the treasure as the Vermilion Bird Bone, agreed to hand it over, and revealed a savage scar over her heart.

Li Musheng refused to take Murong Xiaoya’s life and promised to find a way to draw the Vermilion Bird Bone’s power without killing her. The next morning, he and his companions left Sheng Province’s provincial city and continued toward Falling God Peak, uncertain whether they would survive the coming fight.

• Li Musheng told Murong Xiaoya that he wanted the Vermilion Bird Bone but would try to extract its power without harming her, and asked her to stay by his side for a few days.
• Murong Xiaoya left to handle the Murong Family’s aftermath after Li Musheng placed a wisp of qi on her and told her he would depart in the morning.
• Hu Ruian and the others returned to the ruined Mei Residence, where Li Musheng explained what had happened and ordered the group to rest before setting out.
• The following morning, Li Musheng and his companions left the provincial city as the Murong, Yuan, Zhu, Cen, and Baili Families lay destroyed and Han Chuiyuan was dead.
• Wu Shang and Hu Ruian discussed the risk of Mu Tianxing investigating the Mei Residence, while Cheng Zhong reminded them that their coming attack on Falling God Peak could leave them dead.

Li Musheng’s group traveled from Sheng Province into Lanzhou, where Falling God Peak ruled the martial world. On the road to Falling God Peak, a mysterious hemp-clothed elder helped a sect escort and asked to join them with his hungry granddaughter.

• Shen Anran learned that Murong Xiaoya’s Vermilion Bird Bone grew stronger by devouring essence and blood, while Li Musheng said it would not let her challenge the strongest.
• Murong Xiaoya asked whether Li Musheng was truly the number one under heaven, and the large black cat appeared to affirm it.
• Li Musheng and his companions traveled for two days into Lanzhou, where nearly every martial sect answered to Falling God Peak.
• A scar-faced man and his disciples struggled to pull birthday gifts for Falling God Peak’s Seven Saints from a collapsed road pit.
• A hemp-clothed elder lifted the carriages out with a wave of his hand, then accepted food for his hungry granddaughter.
• The elder told the scar-faced man that he was also going to Falling God Peak and asked to travel with the escort.

Hu Ruian's group, the scar-faced man, and the old man in hemp clothes agreed to travel together toward Falling God Peak. As they neared it and encountered hurried groups of Falling God Peak disciples, Hu Ruian realized the Heavenly Brocade Guard had begun its operation and weighed whether to press ahead or regroup.

• Hu Ruian's party arrived on the road, and the old man in hemp clothes revealed that he was headed to Falling God Peak.
• Li Musheng offered to let the old man and his granddaughter travel with them, and the scar-faced man agreed to join the group as well.
• The scar-faced man explained that the Tin Mountain Saber Sect was going to Falling God Peak to congratulate its peak master on his birthday, while Hu Ruian kept his own purpose secret.
• The travelers encountered multiple groups of armed Falling God Peak disciples and a guarded roadblock as they neared the peak.
• Hu Ruian recognized that the Heavenly Brocade Guard had begun its move and considered whether to advance alone or regroup with the other guards.

Hu Ruian’s group clashed with Falling God Peak’s forces at a roadblock, and he killed the attackers who tried to seize them. After sending a signal for Commander Fu Qiwen, Hu Ruian informed Li Musheng that they had safely entered Lanzhou, prompting the prince to reconsider their approach to Falling God Peak.

• Falling God Peak experts stopped the Tin Mountain Saber Sect’s scar-faced leader and questioned Hu Ruian’s group for refusing to leave their carriage.
• Wu Shang struck at a young Falling God Peak expert, and the sect’s men surrounded Hu Ruian and his companions.
• Hu Ruian killed the attacking experts with martial true qi, while Cheng Zhong sent a blue-gold signal after the survivors launched a purple one.
• The two remaining Falling God Peak men fled, but both were killed by a flash of cold light.
• Hu Ruian told Li Musheng that Commander Fu Qiwen’s signal had been sent, and Li Musheng contemplated making plans against Falling God Peak.

Li Musheng chose to travel alone to Falling God Peak, leaving Shen Anran, Murong Xiaoya, and the black cat with Hu Ruian’s party. After proclaiming himself unquestionably the strongest under heaven, he began arranging a trade for the old man’s mule.

• Li Musheng asked Hu Ruian about his plans, then told him to leave a map of Falling God Peak and rendezvous with Lord Fu without him.
• Li Musheng sent Shen Anran and Murong Xiaoya with Hu Ruian’s party and warned Murong Xiaoya not to use the Vermilion Bird Bone unless absolutely necessary.
• Li Musheng left the black cat with Shen Anran, and he assured the women that no one could dispute his claim to be the number one under heaven.
• Li Musheng told Hu Ruian to convey his regards to Lord Fu, then took the little girl down from the mule and proposed trading for it.

Li Musheng set out toward Seven Sacred Peak with a map and captured guides, while Hu Ruian stayed behind to help the Heavenly Brocade Guard fight Falling God Peak. Hu Ruian told Fu Qiwen that Li Musheng’s martial cultivation was extraordinarily high, leaving the commander stunned.

• Li Musheng took a map and ordered the scar-faced man and his disciples to guide him toward Seven Sacred Peak.
• Hu Ruian and the others watched Li Musheng depart, and Hu Ruian reassured them that the prince could escape danger.
• Hu Ruian’s group waited and defeated several Falling God Peak reinforcements before Fu Qiwen’s Heavenly Brocade Guard arrived.
• Fu Qiwen questioned Hu Ruian about Li Musheng’s whereabouts, and Hu Ruian offered an incomplete defense map instead.
• Fu Qiwen grew angry upon learning Li Musheng had ridden toward Falling God Peak alone, but Hu Ruian claimed the prince’s strength was at least equal to Fu Qiwen’s.

Hu Ruian reassured Fu Qiwen that Li Musheng was strong enough to survive Falling God Peak, while Fu Qiwen organized a four-pronged assault on the sect. On the road to Falling God Peak, Li Musheng traveled with the Tin Mountain Saber Sect and was confronted by the little girl in pink.

• Hu Ruian told Fu Qiwen that Li Musheng had defeated Shen Juesheng with one punch and could leave Falling God Peak safely, while keeping Murong Xiaoya's Vermilion Bird Bone secret.
• Fu Qiwen praised Hu Ruian for securing Sheng Province, then gathered the Heavenly Brocade Guard commanders to plan an assault on Falling God Peak from four directions.
• Fu Qiwen assigned his forces to attack Star-Commanding Peak as the other commanders prepared to strike three other routes.
• The scar-faced man considered reporting Li Musheng to Falling God Peak but feared the consequences and continued leading him toward the sect.
• Li Musheng traveled behind the Tin Mountain Saber Sect while refining the Azure Dragon Firmament Scripture, then accused the little girl in pink of following him over a mule.
• The little girl in pink challenged Li Musheng's arrogance, pointing out that the expert who had accompanied him was gone.

Li Musheng traveled toward Falling God Peak alongside an old man in hemp robes and a little girl in pink, who planned to use the Great Li court’s campaign as a chance to infiltrate the sect and avenge their kin. They reached Hundred Refinement City with the Tin Mountain Saber Sect, where the scar-faced man invited Li Musheng and the old man to bathe at a pleasure house.

• Li Musheng agreed to travel with the old man in hemp robes and the little girl in pink, but warned them not to cause trouble or delay him.
• The old man and the little girl discussed Li Musheng’s strange lack of martial true qi and resolved to avoid provoking him while pursuing their revenge.
• The old man revealed that the Great Li court had begun acting against Falling God Peak, and said they would follow the Tin Mountain Saber Sect to infiltrate the sect.
• After another day of travel, the Tin Mountain Saber Sect and their companions entered Hundred Refinement City, which was governed by Falling God Peak.
• The group rested at an eatery and prepared to visit Hundred Refinement Peak, while the scar-faced man offered Li Musheng and the old man a trip to the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion.

Li Musheng and the hemp-clad old man visited Hundred Fragrances Pavilion with the scar-faced man and the little girl in pink, only to learn that Falling God Peak disciples had priority over every guest. When the pavilion’s attendant treated them with contempt, Li Musheng declared that the old man would book every courtesan for the night.

• The scar-faced man suggested Hundred Fragrances Pavilion, and Li Musheng agreed to go with the hemp-clad old man and the little girl in pink.
• The scar-faced man led the group to the pavilion and explained that its courtesans included women forced there after offending Falling God Peak.
• An attendant explained the pavilion’s high prices and said Sacred Peak disciples could enjoy themselves for free and could not be challenged for a courtesan.
• The little girl in pink told the group to leave, and the hemp-clad old man prepared to go with her.
• Li Musheng stopped the hemp-clad old man and announced that he would book every courtesan in Hundred Fragrances Pavilion for the night.

Li Musheng provoked the people of Hundred Fragrances Pavilion by demanding every top courtesan for the old man in hemp robes, and the group was surrounded. The scar-faced man embraced the danger and followed their escorts upstairs, while the old man and the little girl in pink decided to wait and see what happened.

• Li Musheng demanded that Hundred Fragrances Pavilion provide all its top courtesans, prompting the attendant to summon armed men and surround the group.
• The old man in hemp robes warned Li Musheng that he had provoked people from Falling God Peak, but Li Musheng dismissed the warning and insisted they stay.
• The old man in hemp robes and the little girl in pink realized martial artists on the upper floors had targeted them, while the scar-faced man regretted bringing Li Musheng there.
• The scar-faced man suddenly berated the Pavilion's men, threw silver at one of them, and demanded that they escort the group to the largest private room.
• The bearded brute led them upstairs, and the scar-faced man demanded two top courtesans for himself as the old man in hemp robes advised the little girl in pink to wait and assess their situation.

Li Musheng and his companions were brought to a hall in Hundred Fragrances Pavilion, where the scar-faced man demanded to meet the courtesan queens. The pavilion’s mistress explained its rules, and the scar-faced man ended by demanding every woman there, including her.

• The old man in hemp robes led Li Musheng, the little girl, and their companions upstairs while the brute’s men followed them.
• The scar-faced man tossed down a bag of gold and demanded the courtesan queen, then suggested using the little girl to pay the debt.
• The woman in black entered and said Hundred Fragrances Pavilion would provide the six available courtesan queens, but guests had to follow the pavilion’s rules.
• The scar-faced man tried to rush the courtesan queens, but the woman in black stopped him and explained that they chose their own guests.
• The woman in black said the debt remained due whether or not a courtesan queen chose them, and the scar-faced man demanded every woman in the pavilion, including her.

Li Musheng and his companions faced a six-thousand-gold demand from the woman in black at Hundred Fragrances Pavilion, where three more courtesans were serving guests from Falling God Peak. Li Musheng stayed confident but offered no clear explanation of his backing, and the old man in coarse linen chose to remain and drink with the courtesans.

• The woman in black demanded six thousand gold for the six courtesans and said the other three were with distinguished guests from Falling God Peak.
• Li Musheng mocked the woman in black and urged the old man in coarse linen to act boldly, while the little girl in pink suggested Li Musheng could pay the debt with his body.
• The scar-faced man asked Li Musheng to pay, but Li Musheng said he was thinking too much, leaving the scar-faced man to despair.
• The old man in coarse linen asked Li Musheng whether he had something to rely on, and Li Musheng said he would not stop him from leaving.
• The old man in coarse linen chose to stay and asked the courtesans to pour his wine, prompting the scar-faced man to demand they sit on his lap.
• The woman in black studied the old man in coarse linen, recognizing that he was no ordinary person.

Li Musheng and the old man in hemp clothes overwhelmed the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion’s staff, while the scar-faced man took revenge on the defeated madam. After Li Musheng revealed his connection to the Great Li Court, the old man prepared to ask him an important question.

• The old man in hemp clothes used his Heavenly Human strength to restrain the six courtesans and cripple the woman in black when she tried to flee.
• The old man subdued the pavilion’s attendants, and the scar-faced man celebrated by attacking them.
• The old man had the courtesans serve him, while the little girl in pink urged him to leave and then walked out in disgust.
• The scar-faced man assaulted the helpless woman in black, but Li Musheng and the old man in hemp clothes both told him to stop.
• Li Musheng explained that he had wanted to see how corrupt Falling God Peak’s Hundred Fragrances Pavilion was, then acknowledged that he was connected to the Great Li Court.
• The old man in hemp clothes asked Li Musheng an important question.

Li Musheng told the old man in hemp clothes that the Great Li court’s move against Falling God Peak depended on him, but the old man doubted his claim. When Zheng Zi and other Falling God Peak experts arrived at Hundred Fragrances Pavilion, the old man prepared to fight his way out.

• The old man in hemp clothes asked Li Musheng why the Great Li court had moved against Falling God Peak and what it was relying on.
• Li Musheng said the answer to both questions was himself, but the old man did not believe him.
• The scar-faced man suggested fleeing Hundred Refinement City, but the little girl in pink announced that people from Falling God Peak had arrived.
• Zheng Zi and Yuwen entered with their companions, identified the old man as the one who had attacked, and threatened the group.
• The old man in hemp clothes sent away the courtesans, told Li Musheng he hoped he could survive, and struck toward Zheng Zi and the others.

An old man in coarse cloth escaped Hundred Fragrances Pavilion with a little girl after unleashing a deadly attack that injured Zheng Zi and Yuwen Feng. Li Musheng remained unharmed when Zheng Zi struck at him, and Officer Miao moved to seize him after failing to find the supposed hidden expert.

• The old man in coarse cloth fled with the little girl and left a bloody qi trap that injured Zheng Zi and Yuwen Feng.
• Zheng Zi ordered Elder Shen and another elder to pursue the old man and commanded that Hundred Refinement City be sealed off.
• Zheng Zi confronted Li Musheng and the scar-faced man, but Li Musheng ignored him and asked whether Zheng Zi's father was the Peak Lord of Hundred Refinement Peak.
• Zheng Zi's attack failed to affect Li Musheng, prompting Officer Miao to search the hall for a hidden expert.
• Li Musheng asked whether Zheng Zi's father would seek revenge if news of his death reached Hundred Refinement Peak.
• Officer Miao declared that he would force the hidden person to reveal himself and lunged to seize Li Musheng.

Li Musheng killed Deputy Commissioner Miao and restrained Zheng Zi and Yuwen Feng after discovering their ties to Falling God Peak. He stayed at Hundred Fragrances Pavilion to wait for their fathers, then killed both men as well.

• Li Musheng sealed Deputy Commissioner Miao's acupoints and killed him after learning he was a Lanzhou Heavenly Brocade Guard colluding with Falling God Peak.
• Li Musheng sealed Zheng Zi and Yuwen Feng when they tried to flee, while both men attempted to threaten him and stall for time.
• The scar-faced man urged Li Musheng to escape with Zheng Zi and Yuwen Feng as hostages, but Li Musheng refused to leave and kept both men.
• The scar-faced man asked Li Musheng for one hostage, but Li Musheng refused and the man fled alone through a window.
• Li Musheng asked whether Zheng Zi and Yuwen Feng's fathers would come to Hundred Fragrances Pavilion, then killed both men with streams of true qi.

Li Musheng killed Zheng Zi and the others at Hundred Fragrances Pavilion, sent two courtesans to carry challenges to Falling God Peak and Ninth Peak, and waited for powerful opponents to arrive in Hundred Refinement City. Meanwhile, the old man in hemp clothes and the little girl in pink tried to escape two Falling God Peak elders by unleashing a poisonous mist.

• Li Musheng ordered two courtesans to tell the chiefs of Hundred Refinement Peak and Ninth Peak that he had killed their men and invited them to Hundred Fragrances Pavilion.
• The two courtesans left to deliver his messages, and Li Musheng told the remaining courtesans they could flee before Hundred Fragrances Pavilion fell.
• Li Musheng vanished to the pavilion rooftop, where he watched Hundred Refinement City and waited for the big fish to arrive.
• The people at Hundred Fragrances Pavilion discovered Zheng Zi and the others' corpses, and chaos broke out as Li Musheng remained on the roof.
• The old man in hemp clothes and the little girl in pink fled from two pursuing Falling God Peak elders, and the girl threw a Hundred Poisons Pill behind them.
• The old man in hemp clothes struck with his palm to spread the pill's poisonous mist, forcing the pursuers to stop and deal with it.