Chapter Summaries

Chu Qing shattered the Life and Death Chess Array and overwhelmed most of its fifteen Chess Pieces, while Nian Xin and Nian An helped him defeat two Mas. After enduring the Cannons’ Heavenly Thunder Malignant Sound, he attacked them, but the two Chariots charged in, and Chu Qing met them head-on with both palms.

• Chu Qing broke the Life and Death Chess Array with a twelve-zhang blade strike, killing several Chess Pieces and injuring the rest.
• Nian An swung Nian Xin into the two charging Mas, and Chu Qing finished them with his saber.
• Chu Qing repelled four Bings with Shocking a Hundred Miles, then protected himself and his companions from the two Cannons’ Heavenly Thunder Malignant Sound.
• Chu Qing checked his system and found ten treasure chests available, including a Formation Technique Treasure Chest, while the Cannons exhausted themselves roaring at his Indestructible Golden Body.
• Chu Qing attacked the weakened Cannons, but the two Chariots charged him from both sides, and he struck them with both palms instead of retreating.

Chu Qing defeated all fifteen Chess Pieces in Ghost God Gorge, breaking Chess King's second-grade Life and Death Chess. As Blazing Fire Hall searched for evidence of Chess King's schemes, Chu Qing considered which martial arts treasure chest to claim for completing the Execution Order.

• Chu Qing broke the two Rooks' body-protection art with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and killed them with his saber.
• Chu Qing killed the two Cannons as they tried to flee, completing the defeat of all fifteen Chess Pieces under Chess King.
• Chess King learned that the chessboard in Ghost God Gorge had been broken, while Blood King considered going after Chu Qing before the old man warned her against ruining the Cult Master's plan.
• Chu Qing took the host's seat in Blazing Fire Hall as Beitang Zun's leaders searched the hall and monitored Iron Blood Hall, finding no chess tokens or Chess Pieces.
• Chu Qing reviewed the fifteen available martial arts treasure chests and struggled to decide which one to choose.

Chu Qing obtained the Vajra Zen Lion's Roar, accepted Blazing Fire Hall's allegiance without taking its leadership, and agreed to join Iron Blood Hall in investigating a dangerous valley beneath Ghost God Gorge. The expedition began the next morning, but Tie Xiaoyang encountered unknown people at the bottom of the gorge.

• Chu Qing opened a Sound Technique Treasure Chest and received the Vajra Zen Lion's Roar.
• Beitang Zun pledged Blazing Fire Hall's service to Chu Qing, whose strength persuaded the leaders to accept him as their patron.
• Tie Lingyun brought a map of a deadly region beneath Ghost God Gorge, and Chu Qing agreed that a small team from both halls would investigate it.
• Chu Qing, Wen Rou, Nian Xin, Nian An, Beitang Zun, Tie Lingyun, and others prepared to explore the valley, while Hong Tao and Cheng Tieshan stayed behind to oversee their halls.
• Tie Xiaoyang and Tie Xiaofeng descended ahead of the group, but Tie Xiaoyang cried out in alarm after encountering unknown people below.

Chu Qing and Tie Lingyun discovered that Chess Pieces had captured Tie Xiaoyang beneath Ghost God Gorge and led the group through the poisonous miasma to search for him. When Chess Pieces surrounded them in a swamp and Tie Lingyun rushed toward his son's voice, Chu Qing froze the area and told everyone to cover their ears.

• Chu Qing descended into the gorge and found Tie Lingyun fighting three Chess Pieces while protecting Tie Xiaofeng; the poisonous miasma corroded the attackers before they died.
• Tie Xiaofeng awakened and told Tie Lingyun and Chu Qing that Chess Pieces had captured Tie Xiaoyang.
• Chu Qing gathered the others, and the group advanced through poisonous miasma while encountering and defeating more Chess Pieces.
• The group reached a fog-covered swamp, crossed it carefully, and Nian Xin kicked a hidden Chess Piece out of the mud, prompting many others to surround them.
• Tie Lingyun heard Tie Xiaoyang call for help and rushed toward the voice; Chu Qing froze the swamp and its mist, immobilizing the surrounding Chess Pieces before telling everyone to cover their ears.

Chu Qing wiped out the Chess Pieces surrounding the frozen swamp and followed their blood-processing mechanism underground while searching for Tie Lingyun and Tie Xiaoyang. He found no sign of them, and the chapter ended with him unleashing the Vajra Zen Lion's Roar to kill the Chess Pieces in the cavern.

• Chu Qing used the Vajra Zen Lion's Roar to slaughter the Chess Pieces in the swamp, but its aftershock knocked Tie Xiaofeng unconscious.
• Chu Qing revived Tie Xiaofeng, who admitted that Tie Xiaoyang had criticized Chu Qing and influenced his own hostility toward him.
• Chu Qing suspected Tie Xiaoyang had deliberately stirred up discord and led the group into a white structure after asking Cao Qiupu to protect Tie Xiaofeng.
• Chu Qing broke through the structure's doors and discovered a mechanism that ground corpses into blood and minced flesh.
• Chu Qing and the others found Chess Pieces turning a giant capstan below the mechanism, but could not find Tie Lingyun or Tie Xiaoyang as they continued underground.
• Chu Qing attacked the Chess Pieces in the cavern with his blade, palm, ice field, and Vajra Zen Lion's Roar, leaving corpses strewn across the chamber.

Chu Qing and his companions discovered a poison pool and a vast structure beneath Ghost God Gorge, where Tie Lingyun and Tie Xiaoyang were bound. Tie Xiaoyang betrayed them, but Chu Qing survived his attack and rescued Wen Rou; Tie Xiaoyang then revealed his plan to kill everyone as more crazed Chess Pieces surrounded them.

• Chu Qing led the group through tunnels beneath Ghost God Gorge, where they found deep-green fissures, a strange fragrance, a seven-story building, and a deadly poison pool.
• The group found Tie Lingyun and Tie Xiaoyang bound beside the pool, and Chu Qing used the Divine Jade Nine Chapters to draw them away from the poison.
• Tie Xiaoyang feigned panic, stabbed Chu Qing, and kicked him toward the pool before escaping to safety.
• Wen Rou attacked Tie Xiaoyang with the Nine Heavens Star Finger, and he answered with the Blood Transformation Divine Palm; Chu Qing survived behind protective armor and pulled Wen Rou clear.
• Chu Qing challenged Tie Xiaoyang about his demonic techniques, and Tie Xiaoyang declared that everyone must die as crazed Chess Pieces bearing other chess-piece markings emerged from the building.

Chu Qing stopped Tie Xiaoyang’s plan, killed the Chess Pieces at his command, and crippled his martial arts before Tie Lingyun awoke and learned of his son’s betrayal. Tie Xiaoyang revealed that the Heavenly Evil Cult had refined five drops of the Poison of Dripping Water to target the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

• Tie Xiaofeng defended Tie Xiaoli and challenged Tie Xiaoyang’s claims that he deserved to lead Iron Blood Hall.
• Chu Qing struck Tie Xiaoyang with the Vajra Zen Lion’s Roar, captured him, and forced him to command the Chess Pieces to kill themselves.
• Tie Xiaoyang explained the Chess Control Technique and confessed that he had poisoned Tie Lingyun and plotted to kill Chu Qing; Chu Qing shattered his dantian.
• Cao Qiupu helped Tie Lingyun awaken, and Tie Xiaoyang admitted he had colluded with Chess King for three years and offered up a gold chess token.
• Tie Xiaoyang revealed that the Heavenly Evil Cult had made five drops of the Poison of Dripping Water using the gorge’s poisonous miasma and corpses.
• Tie Xiaoyang said the poison was intended to be used against the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Chu Qing collected a sample of the Poison of Dripping Water and raced to Yin Yang Recluse to seek an antidote, while Tie Lingyun killed Tie Xiaoyang for his crimes. Yin Yang Recluse identified the poison and said he might be able to cure it, just as Ghost Lamp Wuchan arrived to meet him.

• Tie Lingyun explained that he could not protect Tie Xiaoyang from the consequences of his crimes and killed him, grieving as he did so.
• Chu Qing collected the remaining Poison of Dripping Water in Wen Rou's Mysterious Jade Ice Crystal Bottle and set out to find an expert.
• Chu Qing raced to Yin Yang Forest, where Yin Yang Recluse examined the poison and said he might be able to prepare an antidote.
• Ghost Lamp Wuchan called out to Yin Yang Recluse, announcing his arrival to meet his old friend.

Chu Qing learned that Ghost Lamp Wuchan had been struck by the Bone Melting Palm, which he recognized as Chu Tian’s technique, and heard Yin Yang Recluse explain that rumors about Wuchan’s past were unreliable. After leaving Yin Yang Forest, Chu Qing waited for Wuchan on the road north.

• Yin Yang Recluse brought Ghost Lamp Wuchan to meet Chu Qing, and Wuchan asked for help with a palm injury that was dissolving his tendons and breaking his bones.
• Wuchan explained that a man in black had attacked him near North Lake Town, then left after saying he needed to borrow Wuchan’s name for a time.
• Chu Qing recognized the injury as the Bone Melting Palm and suspected Chu Tian had attacked Wuchan, but he pretended not to know the technique and declined to help treat him.
• Yin Yang Recluse told Chu Qing that Wuchan’s reputation for murdering his master concealed another truth and that Wuchan had spent nearly twenty years seeking proof of his innocence.
• Chu Qing asked Yin Yang Recluse to send news about the Poison of Dripping Water to Tie Lingyun at Iron Blood Hall, then left Yin Yang Forest.
• At dawn, Wuchan headed north and stopped when he saw Chu Qing waiting for him.

Chu Qing defeated Ghost Lamp Wuchan and captured him, disguising him so he could keep the monk from speaking while he pursued his own plans. He renamed Wuchan Chen Wu and continued toward Ghost God Gorge with him in tow.

• Chu Qing challenged Ghost Lamp Wuchan to a fight and matched his strength while revealing none of his full power.
• After Wuchan unleashed his martial arts, Chu Qing overwhelmed him with Flying Dragon in the Sky, sealed his acupoints, and explained that he intended to take him along.
• Chu Qing carried Wuchan more than a hundred li, changed him into a black robe, and disguised him as a middle-aged scholar.
• Chu Qing headed toward Ghost God Gorge and told Wuchan that he was dead for now and would be called Chen Wu.

Chu Qing returned to Blazing Fire Hall with Wuchan, assigned Beitang Zun tasks to expand their influence and build an intelligence network, and prepared to head north. His plans were interrupted when Qingguan of the Heavenly Unity Sect arrived and attacked him, accusing him of being a Heavenly Evil Cult scum.

• Chu Qing visited Tie Lingyun, gave him a map of Mirror of Sin branches, and arranged for Iron Blood Hall to target the branches in its territory.
• Chu Qing told Nian Xin and Nian An to work with Beitang Zun to expand Blazing Fire Hall's influence, and ordered Beitang Zun to dismantle Mirror of Sin and establish an intelligence organization called Night Eye.
• Chu Qing planned to take Wuchan to Guang'an City to search for a witness and prepared to leave north with Wen Rou.
• Two Taoists arrived at Blazing Fire Hall demanding to see Beitang Lie, and Beitang Zun told them that his brother had died.
• Qingguan of the Heavenly Unity Sect drew his sword and attacked Chu Qing, declaring that he had come to kill a Heavenly Evil Cult scum.

Chu Qing defeated Daoist Qingguan after the Daoist mistook him for a Heavenly Evil Cult villain, then explained that he led Blazing Fire Hall. He accepted an invitation to the Southern Ridge Martial Arts Gathering, where he considered the possibility of becoming the martial world’s leader, and left to continue his journey.

• Daoist Qingguan attacked Chu Qing with the Heaven Unity Sect’s Immortal Guiding the Way, but Chu Qing blocked the sword with his palm and beat him while trying to explain the misunderstanding.
• Chu Qing restrained Qingguan’s disciple, and Beitang Zun clarified that Chu Qing was the Third Young Master who had defeated Grave King and now led Blazing Fire Hall.
• Qingguan learned his mistake, then gave Chu Qing an invitation to the Southern Ridge Martial Arts Gathering, where martial artists would discuss how to oppose the Heavenly Evil Cult.
• Chu Qing accepted the invitation for the eighth day of the sixth month next year and privately considered using the gathering to become the Southern Ridge martial world’s leader.
• Chu Qing told Beitang Zun not to underestimate the Heavenly Evil Cult, then left the Blazing Fire Hall stronghold with Wen Rou and Wuchan to continue north.

Wu Qianhuan found Zuo Wenchuan at his wedding and learned that he had married Xu Qiaohui after an unexpected ordeal, then set out north after hearing that Ghost Lamp Wuchan was injured and heading that way. Meanwhile, Chu Qing and his companions destroyed another Mirror of Sin branch before a bedraggled woman appeared and asked to hire an assassin.

• Wu Qianhuan attended the Xu family wedding and recognized Zuo Wenchuan as the groom.
• Zuo Wenchuan told Wu Qianhuan how he met and married Xu Qiaohui, and said he had already written to his master to explain his choice.
• Wu Qianhuan told Zuo Wenchuan she was searching for Chu Tian, and he revealed that he had seen the injured Ghost Lamp Wuchan heading north.
• Wu Qianhuan left North Lake Town on Snowy Azure to continue her search for Chu Qing's elder brother.
• Chu Qing, Wen Rou, and Wuchan burned another Mirror of Sin branch after killing its members and finding no useful clues.
• A bedraggled woman in black found the trio and asked to hire someone to kill.

Liu Sanniang asked the Mirror of Sin Branch to kill Shen Juke and recounted how he murdered the Chen Family, forced her to stay with him for ten years, and framed Wuchan. After learning that her husband Chen Sheng had died, she sought revenge.

• Liu Sanniang asked Chu Qing to kill Great Hero Jinglan Shen Juke, claiming he was a hypocrite and villain.
• Liu Sanniang told Chu Qing, Wen Rou, and Wuchan how Shen Juke murdered the Chen Family on her wedding night and blamed the killings on Ghost Lamp Wuchan.
• Liu Sanniang said Shen Juke imprisoned and tortured her husband, then forced her to remain with him for ten years in exchange for Chen Sheng's freedom.
• After the ten years ended, Liu Sanniang left Shen Juke and learned from her parents that Chen Sheng had discovered the truth and left her a letter.
• Liu Sanniang read Chen Sheng's letter and ran to find him, but found only his grave by the lake.

Chu Qing investigated Liu Sanniang’s claims about Shen Juke and the Chen Family massacre, while agreeing to consider the assassination in exchange for a secret about the Nine Treasures of Heaven and Earth. After reaching Fanjing City and tracing the witnesses, he heard a rumor that Wuchan had killed Chu Tian, the Eldest Young Master of the Chu Family.

• Liu Sanniang asked Chu Qing to kill Shen Juke and offered the location of one of the Nine Treasures of Heaven and Earth as payment.
• Chu Qing traveled with Liu Sanniang, Wen Rou, and Wuchan toward Fanjing City, then found Liu bathing in a freezing pond during the night.
• Liu Sanniang showed the group Chen Sheng’s grave and urged Chu Qing to kill Shen Juke before his forty-fourth birthday in two days.
• Chu Qing investigated the Chen Family massacre and found that three of Liu Sanniang’s four named witnesses had died unnatural deaths; the remaining witness was Ye Feifan, Shen Juke’s third disciple.
• At an inn, Chu Qing heard people claim that Wuchan had killed Chu Tian, the Eldest Young Master of the Chu Family in Heavenly Dance City.

Chu Qing investigated Ye Feifan’s attempted escape from Fanjing City and discovered that Shen Juke’s disciples were pursuing him over a stolen sword technique. As Ye Feifan faced them again, Chu Qing stayed hidden nearby, waiting for the right moment to intervene.

• Chu Qing concluded that Chu Tian had staged his death by striking Wuchan with the Bone Melting Palm, then went to find Ye Feifan during the night.
• Chu Qing found a fake body and a trap in Ye Feifan’s bed; after a signal fire went up, he followed Ye Feifan and his pursuers out of the city.
• Chu Qing secretly tripped Ye Feifan’s horse, but Ye Feifan broke free from a sword formation and stole another horse to continue fleeing.
• Second Senior Brother accused Ye Feifan of stealing the Heaven and Earth Startling Storm Sword, and Ye Feifan challenged him over the unequal martial arts Shen Juke had taught them.
• Second Senior Brother ordered the swordsmen to attack Ye Feifan, while Chu Qing watched from the shadows and waited for his chance.

Chu Qing manipulated Ye Feifan into believing he had no choice but to seek help, then secretly aided him in killing Shen Juke’s Second Senior Brother. Ye Feifan revealed that Shen Juke had massacred the Chen Family ten years earlier and forced him to give false testimony, leaving Chu Qing poised to hear his account.

• Chu Qing reasoned that Ye Feifan would cooperate only if he believed refusal meant death, and let Shen Juke’s disciples corner him.
• Ye Feifan fought the swordsmen with a patchwork of basic sword arts, killing four before Second Senior Brother attacked with the Heaven and Earth Startling Storm Sword.
• Chu Qing instructed Ye Feifan where to move and secretly aided his strike, allowing Ye Feifan to kill Second Senior Brother while two disciples escaped.
• Chu Qing pretended to condemn Ye Feifan for killing his senior and slandering Shen Juke, then struck him with controlled force to make him plead for a chance to explain.
• Ye Feifan said Shen Juke had killed all sixty-seven members of the Chen Family to obtain Liu Sanniang and had bribed witnesses to give false testimony.
• Ye Feifan revealed that he had been a Chen Family servant, that Shen Juke had forced him to testify falsely, and that he had endured ten years as Shen Juke’s disciple while waiting to avenge his former masters.

Chu Qing questioned Ye Feifan about the Chen Family massacre and learned that Shen Juke was a Mirror of Sin assassin who had destroyed the Chen Family and silenced witnesses. Chu Qing arranged for Ye Feifan to expose Shen Juke at his birthday gathering, then hid him in Fanjing City and taught him three sword moves whose true meaning he deliberately withheld.

• Ye Feifan told Chu Qing that Shen Juke had massacred the Chen Family, threatened him into becoming a disciple, and secretly joined Mirror of Sin as an assassin.
• Ye Feifan showed Chu Qing letters linking Shen Juke to assassination plans and described how Shen Juke had silenced the other witnesses to the Chen Family massacre.
• Chu Qing asked Ye Feifan to expose Shen Juke's crimes at his upcoming birthday gathering, and Ye Feifan agreed after Chu Qing promised to protect him.
• Chu Qing carried Ye Feifan to Fanjing City, hid him in an abandoned house, and taught him three sword moves before leaving.
• Ye Feifan practiced the moves, unaware that Chu Qing had given him only the empty forms of Tai Chi Swordplay and withheld their intent.

Chu Qing and Wen Rou watched Li Hanguang defeat Zong Yang in a sword duel, then attended Shen Juke’s birthday with Ye Feifan. The chapter left Chu Qing openly entering the Shen residence as the celebrated Third Young Master.

• Chu Qing continued investigating Shen Juke and learned that Shen Juke had spent days in the courtyard where Liu Sanniang once lived.
• Chu Qing and Wen Rou watched Li Hanguang and Zong Yang duel atop Huibin Tower, and Li Hanguang won their thirty-second encounter.
• Zong Yang accepted his defeat, paid for the damage to the inn, and asked for aged wine.
• On Shen Juke’s forty-fourth birthday, Chu Qing brought Wen Rou, Wuchan, and Ye Feifan to the Shen residence.
• The gate servant announced Chu Qing’s arrival as Mad Saber, the Third Young Master, and Ye Feifan realized Chu Qing’s identity.

At Shen Juke’s birthday banquet, Chu Qing kept Li Hanguang from leaving because trouble was coming, while Ye Feifan waited to expose Shen Juke’s past deeds. Just as the banquet began, Ye Feifan revealed himself, leaving Shen Juke confronted by the man he had failed to recognize.

• Ye Feifan hid his face when Shen Juke arrived, waiting for the right moment to carry out the senior’s assignment.
• Shen Juke welcomed Chu Qing, who met Li Hanguang and discussed his swordsmanship and his connection to Cao Qiupu.
• Li Hanguang prepared to leave for Iron Blood Hall to help Cao Qiupu, but Chu Qing persuaded him to stay because something might happen at the banquet.
• Qi Zhenhai and the other guests showed deference to Chu Qing before Shen Juke began his birthday speech.
• Chu Qing stopped the banquet and announced that he wanted to introduce someone to Shen Juke, and Ye Feifan stepped forward and named himself.