Chapter Summaries

Duanmu Haotian, Flowing Cloud Matriarch, Gongsun Haoyue, and Dao Fan Shangren battered Lu Tianheng until Duanmu Haotian captured him alive. Jiang Zongquan’s anxiety caused his concealed Peak Grandmaster aura to leak, forcing him to reveal himself.

• Duanmu Haotian, Flowing Cloud Matriarch, Gongsun Haoyue, and Dao Fan Shangren took turns attacking Lu Tianheng while preventing him from dying outright.
• Jiang Zongquan held back from joining the fight because revealing his strength could provoke the three sects against the imperial family.
• Duanmu Haotian punched through Lu Tianheng’s depleted defenses, pierced his dantian, and sealed it before he could self-detonate.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue guarded Lu Tianheng as Dao Fan Shangren realized he could not kill him.
• Jiang Zongquan’s concealed Peak Grandmaster aura leaked, and Flowing Cloud Matriarch attacked the spot where it emerged.
• Jiang Zongquan appeared and blocked Flowing Cloud Matriarch’s Thunder strike.

Jiang Zongquan revealed himself as a newly advanced Peak Grandmaster after the sect leaders captured Lu Tianheng, and the group returned to River City amid rumors about the Imperial Family’s plans. In the City Lord’s Mansion, Duanmu Haotian questioned Lu Tianheng about the Bloodfiend Art, but his attempt to probe Lu Tianheng’s spiritual sea triggered a violent reaction.

• Jiang Zongquan identified himself and claimed he had only recently advanced to Peak Grandmaster and happened to pass by, while the sect leaders questioned why he had hidden his strength.
• Duanmu Haotian, Flowing Cloud Matriarch, and Gongsun Haoyue left with the captured Lu Tianheng, and Dao Fan Shangren and Jiang Zongquan followed.
• News of Lu Tianheng’s capture and Duanmu Haotian’s involvement spread through Great Qian, prompting martial artists to abandon the hunt and major powers to suspect the Imperial Family had plans for the Martial Prohibition Hall.
• Duanmu Haotian brought Lu Tianheng to the River City City Lord’s Mansion and asked where he had obtained the Bloodfiend Art.
• Duanmu Haotian invaded Lu Tianheng’s spiritual sea with his Divine Sense, causing Lu Tianheng’s eyes to turn blood-red and his aura to fluctuate wildly, so Duanmu Haotian stopped probing.

Duanmu Haotian brought the captured Lu Tianheng to the Flowing Cloud Sect and asked Jiang Liu to interrogate him for secrets. Jiang Liu began probing Lu Tianheng’s mind, while the others waited to learn what he knew.

• Dao Fan Shangren offered to interrogate Lu Tianheng, but Duanmu Haotian refused because he feared Dao Fan Shangren would kill him.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch recommended Jiang Liu, whose mental power had reached the Peak Grandmaster level, and Duanmu Haotian set out for Yun City with Lu Tianheng.
• While Jiang Liu continued tempering his blood vessels with Star Power, Murong Yin and Feng Yue gathered medicines and Natural Treasures to support him.
• Duanmu Haotian, Flowing Cloud Matriarch, and Gongsun Haoyue arrived at the Flowing Cloud Sect and summoned Jiang Liu.
• Duanmu Haotian handed Lu Tianheng to Jiang Liu, who rendered him unconscious and began questioning him with mental power.

Jiang Liu’s interrogation of Lu Tianheng confirmed the source of the Bloodfiend Art, while the sect leaders prepared to execute Lu Tianheng publicly. As Great Qian faced growing turmoil and rumors of a powerful imperial Grandmaster, Jiang Liu returned to cultivation and the three Sects issued a warning to the Jianghu.

• Jiang Liu interrogated Lu Tianheng twice, and Duanmu Haotian verified that the answers matched before praising him.
• Duanmu Haotian and Gongsun Haoyue left, and Flowing Cloud Matriarch scolded Tang Wanyu and Chen Xiaoyun before asking Liu Xing about her cultivation progress.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch learned that Jiang Liu had completed strengthening all his bones with the Star Cloud Saint Art and questioned him about the process.
• Jiang Liu returned to his mansion, considered the Bloodfiend Sect and the likely political upheaval, then resumed cultivating.
• The three Sects announced that Lu Tianheng would be publicly beheaded in Qian Province three days later and warned that anyone practicing the Bloodfiend Art would face the same fate.

After Lu Tianheng’s arrest and impending execution, the Martial Prohibition Hall’s thirteen deputy commanders debated what to do as the imperial family’s involvement made them fear the Hall would be dismantled. They considered resisting, joining another power, or submitting to the imperial family, but reached no decision.

• Chen Qiansong called on the deputy commanders to share their views about the Hall’s future.
• Sun Yunlu and Tang Fei urged the Grandmasters to resist the Three Sects and occupy Mo Province, but the others hesitated over the enemies and grudges that would bring.
• Chen Qianliu proposed gauging the imperial family’s attitude, though the others distrusted it for helping capture Lu Tianheng.
• Li Xuewu said he was considering joining Exotic Beast Valley because of his relationship with Mo Han.
• The deputy commanders debated independence, joining a Jianghu power, or submitting to the imperial family, but none of the options won agreement.

After the Martial Prohibition Hall’s Grandmasters divided its resources and personnel, they officially disbanded and chose where to go next. Li Xuewu’s group headed for Qi Province, while the other factions moved to claim territory or return to Tian Province.

• Sun Yunlu, Li Xuewu, Chen Qianliu, and Yu Qi formed separate factions with different plans for the Martial Prohibition Hall’s future.
• The Grandmasters agreed to divide the Hall’s resources and subordinates, then part ways rather than risk a fight.
• After the supplies and personnel were divided, the Grandmasters exchanged farewells and the Martial Prohibition Hall disbanded.
• Li Xuewu led Chen Qiansong, Ming Chengyun, Jiang Congyue, He Chu, Lin Chi, and their subordinates toward Tian Province, planning to join Mo Han in Qi Province.
• Sun Yunlu, Tang Fei, and Cheng Tian took over the commanderies the Hall had occupied in Mo Province.
• Chen Qianliu and Liu Changxing returned to Tian Province, while Yu Qi and He Baiyi headed to Dui Province to challenge the Zheng Family.

After the Martial Prohibition Hall split, Jiang Lan enlisted two Grandmasters to rebuild the Tianwu Army as a force made entirely of martial artists. Jiang Liu watched the developments from Yun Province and grew wary of Jiang Lan’s plans.

• Jiang Lan ordered Wei Jin to investigate which Martial Prohibition Hall Grandmasters still supported Great Qian and planned to rebuild the Tianwu Army.
• Chen Qianliu and Liu Changxing pledged allegiance to Jiang Lan, who appointed them commander and vice commander of the reestablished army.
• Chen Qianliu and Liu Changxing recruited ordinary martial artists, and the Tianwu Army began training.
• Jianghu factions dismissed the new army as no threat, unaware that it was composed entirely of martial artists.
• Jiang Liu learned of the developments in Yun Province and worried about the strength of Jiang Lan’s army.

The three sect masters returned to their bases to decide how to respond to the Great Qian Imperial Family’s two Peak Grandmasters, and Flowing Cloud Matriarch summoned Jiang Liu to the sect for the coming council. After arriving, Jiang Liu rested at his courtyard, where Tang Wanyu invited him out for fun.

• Flowing Cloud Matriarch, Gongsun Haoyue, and Duanmu Haotian returned to their sects and agreed to convene councils before deciding whether to confront the Great Qian Imperial Family.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch sent for Jiang Liu because the dispute with the imperial family was a major matter for the Flowing Cloud Sect.
• Jiang Liu left Murong Yin and Feng Yue, returned to the Flowing Cloud Sect with the Fire-Winged Monkey, and went to the council hall.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch told Jiang Liu to rest and join the meeting the next day, so he returned to his courtyard.
• Qiao Jiao greeted Jiang Liu and went to report to the Sect Master, while Tang Wanyu later invited him to go out and have fun.

Jiang Liu learned that Duanmu Haotian had returned while investigating the Bloodfiend Sect, and Flowing Cloud Matriarch convened the sect to discuss the imperial family's hidden Peak Grandmaster, the Bloodfiend Sect's return, and the Star Cloud Saint Art. The meeting turned to whether the three sects should continue their plan or join the war, with elders worried about the danger posed by the imperial family's unknown strength.

• Qiao Jiao told Tang Wanyu not to drag Jiang Liu around and explained that Duanmu Haotian had spent years tracking the Bloodfiend Sect overseas after it harmed his family.
• Jiang Liu suspected someone had planted the Bloodfiend Art with Lu Tianheng to deepen the chaos in Great Qian, where bloodshed could aid its cultivation.
• Jiang Liu attended the meeting, where the elders teased him before Nangong Yun helped him find his seat.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch announced that the Great Qian Imperial Family had a hidden Peak Grandmaster, the Bloodfiend Sect had returned, and she would impart the Star Cloud Saint Art.
• Nangong Yun asked whether the three sects should continue their plan or join the war, prompting an elder to question the risks as the meeting considered the imperial family's concealed experts.

Flowing Cloud Matriarch discussed the three Sects’ war plans and their changed strategy against the Great Qian Imperial Family. She then began teaching the Grandmaster elders the new Star Cloud Saint Art while secretly testing them for Bloodfiend Art, as the other Sects also investigated their members.

• Flowing Cloud Matriarch calmed the elders but left undecided whether the Flowing Cloud Sect would enter the war directly.
• The elders debated the war and the plan against the Great Qian Imperial Family, but found no way to overcome Jiang Zongquan’s threat.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch announced that the elders would learn the new Star Cloud Saint Art.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch used the Star Cloud Saint Art lessons to test the Grandmaster elders for Bloodfiend Art cultivation.
• The Star Moon Sect and Haotian Sect also recalled and investigated their elders for possible ties to the Bloodfiend Sect.

Flowing Cloud Matriarch arranged an internal investigation to find Bloodfiend Sect spies, and the Grandmaster elders tested the Star Cloud Saint Art’s effect on them. The test found no spies among the Grandmasters, but Jiang Liu’s blood vessels burst from the intense Star Power, leaving him in danger because he lacked enough power to repair them.

• Flowing Cloud Matriarch assigned Bone Tempering Grandmasters to investigate Core Disciples first, followed by Inner Sect and Outer Sect Disciples, and required Servant Disciples to pass an examination before promotion.
• The provincial elders reported no abnormalities, and Jiang Liu reflected on the Haotian Sect’s lack of a Peak Grandmaster successor as everyone went to the cultivation plaza.
• The elders and True Inheritor Disciples taught the Star Cloud Saint Art to newly learning Grandmasters, who then cultivated together and drew down Star Power.
• Jiang Liu’s blood vessels burst under the intense Star Power, but he endured the pain without crying out, encouraging the other Grandmasters to continue.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and the others watched the new practitioners’ blood and qi, found no Bloodfiend Sect spies among the Grandmasters, and planned to investigate the rest of the Sect.
• Jiang Liu realized the Star Power he had saved was insufficient to repair his burst blood vessels, putting his life at risk.

Jiang Liu nearly died after drawing too much Star Power to strengthen his blood vessels, but Flowing Cloud Matriarch saved him after Tang Wanyu alerted everyone. The next morning, Jiang Liu was summoned to question a captured Bloodfiend Sect informant and began probing her consciousness.

• Tang Wanyu tried to pull Jiang Liu away from the Star Power, was shocked by it, and alerted the others with her scream.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch rescued Jiang Liu and repaired his ruptured blood vessels; Jiang Liu thanked Tang Wanyu, who fled after noticing her soot-covered appearance.
• Jiang Liu warned the elders and senior sisters about the dangers of drawing too much Star Power, then returned to his courtyard to recover and cultivate the Saintly Sky Art.
• The next morning, Jiang Liu sensed Nangong Yun's aura and learned from Qiao Jiao that the sect had discovered a Bloodfiend Sect informant.
• Qiao Jiao led Jiang Liu through a secret passage to the Discipline Hall's hidden chamber, where Jiang Liu began probing the captured woman's sea of consciousness.

Jiang Liu helped Flowing Cloud Sect uncover its Bloodfiend Sect sleeper agents and interrogate captured operatives, though the Qian Prefecture leader destroyed his own consciousness before he could be questioned. Information from the three Sects exposed further agents across the Jianghu, and the Sects prepared to hold a joint meeting as the purge spread.

• A captured Core Disciple revealed that the Bloodfiend Sect had planted agents in Flowing Cloud Sect and had arranged for Lu Tianheng to find his cultivation manual, allowing Flowing Cloud Matriarch to identify the Qian Prefecture leader.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch left to capture the leader while Nangong Yun organized arrests and inspections, with Jiang Liu and Qiao Jiao helping check the disciples.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch brought back the middle-aged leader, but his hidden consciousness detonated when Jiang Liu invaded his Divine Sense sea, killing him and destroying the lead.
• Jiang Liu interrogated sleeper agents over the following days and learned that the Star Moon Sect and Haotian Sect had also captured agents, with the Haotian Sect facing a more serious situation.
• Jiang Liu's interrogations revealed sleeper agents in other Jianghu factions, prompting a wider purge as opportunists targeted rival factions and the three Sects prepared a joint meeting.

After Jiang Liu’s list exposed Bloodfiend Sect informants, the three sects began arresting remnants across Great Qian. Wang Dali and Liu Yihang plotted to frame Liu Changxing, while foreign agents in Qi Province saw the turmoil as a chance to advance their invasion plans.

• The three sects sent provincial elders to arrest the Bloodfiend Sect remnants named by Jiang Liu, setting off a purge across the Jianghu.
• Wang Dali and Liu Yihang agreed to use the purge to direct suspicion toward the Great Qian Imperial Family and retaliate against the Martial Prohibition Hall.
• The three sects’ elders searched the Wang Family estate, where Wang Daxing suggested that Liu Changxing also cultivated the Bloodfiend Art.
• Wang Dali and Liu Yihang headed to Tian Province to plant evidence against Liu Changxing and make the three sects discover it.
• In Qi Province, Yamagami Ichiro and Isonobe Jiro prepared to exploit a Bloodfiend Sect associate and the growing disorder to advance their plans against Great Qian.

Buddhism’s reputation in Xun Province suffered after its rivals spread rumors about its Servant Disciple recruitment, but its relief efforts won popular support and helped the Lotus Sect Alliance strike at the Ghost School Five Great Families Alliance. Xuan Wen and his junior brothers killed Ji Xingyu, eliminating the Ji Family’s last Grandmaster.

• The Five Great Families Alliance and other opponents accused Buddhism of secretly cultivating the Bloodfiend Art through its recruitment of young Servant Disciples, damaging its standing in Xun Province.
• Buddhism countered the rumors by aiding disaster victims and repairing bridges and roads, prompting people to condemn the Ghost School Five Great Families Alliance’s harsh rule and share intelligence with Buddhism.
• Xuan Wen, Xuan Jian, Xuan Zhi, and Xuan Xing surrounded Ji Xingyu after learning he was killing people indiscriminately.
• The four Buddhist practitioners blocked Ji Xingyu’s escape and killed him before he could self-destruct, ending the Ji Family’s line of Grandmasters.

After Ji Xingyu's death left the Ghost School and Five Great Families Alliance weakened, Kuang Qianzi launched a major assault. The battle began with the Daoist sect surrounding Feng, while the remaining fighters were tied down in separate duels.

• Ji Xingyu's death sparked celebrations among common people and martial practitioners, while the Ghost School and Five Great Families Alliance worried about losing his reckless strength.
• Kuang Qianzi assessed the opposing alliance's losses and ordered an attack on the night the news spread, assigning the Daoist sect to surround Feng.
• Dao Sheng engaged Feng, while Dao Xing and Dao Hai joined in and Xuan Jian and Xuan Xing intercepted Gui Shan and Gui Pu.
• Kuang Qianzi stopped Wang Dahai from helping Feng, and Xu Kuangsheng and Chen Hui engaged Li Qiankun and Li Qianqi.
• Xuan Wen and Xuan Zhi fought Ye Guyun and Ye Gucheng, while Li Qiantong attacked Xiahou Yi, Qi Shengyuan fought Liu Yifei, and Liu Hai blocked Liu Yihai from reaching Feng.

Feng fought Dao Sheng, Dao Hai, and Dao Xing, but their combined attacks and Dao Hai’s Soul-Suppressing Talisman weakened him and stopped his escape. Feng then summoned a poisonous blue giant to fight back, while Dao Xing used the Celestial Net Fan to turn Feng’s poisonous air against him.

• Feng attacked Dao Sheng, Dao Hai, and Dao Xing, but Dao Hai’s Soul-Suppressing Talisman struck him and Dao Xing’s attack drove him downward.
• Feng threw poisoned needles at Dao Hai and Dao Xing, then tried to flee, but Dao Sheng stopped him.
• Dao Sheng, Dao Hai, and Dao Xing surrounded Feng again, and Feng chose to fight for his life rather than surrender.
• Feng gathered primordial energy and formed a blue giant wielding a Soul-Summoning Banner that sent poisonous air after the three Dao Sect brothers.
• Dao Xing opened the Celestial Net Fan and redirected Feng’s poisonous air back toward him as Dao Hai and Dao Sheng joined him.

Xiahou Yi poisoned and captured Li Qiantong while the fighting between the Ghost School alliance and its opponents continued. Gui Shan maneuvered to escape by drawing Chen Hui into a fight, and Feng ended his battle with the Dao Sect brothers by self-destructing.

• Xuan Jian wounded Gui Shan and offered to spare him if he surrendered, but Gui Shan kept fighting and edged toward Li Qianqi and Chen Hui.
• Xiahou Yi tricked Li Qiantong with poisoned needles, weakened him with her ribbons, and carried him away from the battlefield.
• Gui Shan used Li Qianqi as cover to draw Chen Hui into a fight, then battled him while Xuan Jian and Li Qianqi faced each other.
• Dao Xing, Dao Hai, and Dao Sheng pressed Feng with their coordinated attacks until Feng released a powerful aura and self-destructed.

After Feng’s self-detonation, the Lotus Sect’s alliance defeated the Ghost School’s Alliance of Five Great Clans in Kui City, but the Buddhist School and Dao School’s hostility caused the alliance to fracture. Jiang Liu learned of the victory and saw that Xun Province would be easier to attack.

• Dao Xing, Dao Hai, and Dao Sheng recovered from Feng’s self-detonation, and Xuan Wen attacked Dao Xing before the Dao and Buddhist Schools temporarily joined forces against their enemies.
• Kuang Qianzi found that the Alliance of Five Great Clans had fled and that Xiahou Yi and Chen Hui were missing, then ordered Xu Kuangsheng to search for Chen Hui.
• Dao Xing’s group hunted the Ghost School while Kuang Qianzi’s group pursued the remaining forces; after a day and a night, the Lotus Sect’s alliance wiped out the enemies left in Kui City.
• Xu Kuangsheng found Chen Hui, who explained that Gui Shan had escaped using a blood-escape technique after luring him away.
• The alliance fractured into three rival factions as the Buddhist School and Dao School renewed their conflict, and news of the defeat spread to other provinces.
• Jiang Liu received the news and concluded that Xun Province would be easier to attack while its factions were divided.

Flowing Cloud Matriarch brought Jiang Liu to a meeting with Gongsun Haoyue and Duanmu Haotian, who discussed the Bloodfiend Sect’s infiltration and the Great Qian Imperial Family. Jiang Liu agreed to help restrain the Imperial Family’s Peak Grandmasters as the three Sects prepared to build a case against the Imperial Family before acting against it.

• Flowing Cloud Matriarch summoned Jiang Liu and took him to meet Gongsun Haoyue and Duanmu Haotian near the Martial Arts Tournament of the Realm.
• Duanmu Haotian described the Bloodfiend Sect’s deep infiltration of the Haotian Sect, and Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue reported that their Sects had suffered fewer corruptions.
• Duanmu Haotian learned that Jiang Liu had subdued the Fire-Winged Monkey and asked him to help restrain the Great Qian Imperial Family’s Peak Grandmasters.
• Jiang Liu agreed to join the battle while planning to conceal some of his spiritual power and other capabilities.
• The three Sect Masters decided to keep investigating Bloodfiend Sect informants and Grandmasters, including those absorbed by the Imperial Family, before seeking a justification to strike.