Chapter Summaries

Chu Qing exposed Shen Juke’s role in the Chen Family massacre and his collusion with the Mirror of Sin, using Ye Feifan’s testimony and letters to turn the hall against him. Shen Juke confessed and drew his sword, but Chu Qing seized on his claim that someone had died and demanded to know who.

• Chu Qing stopped Shen Juke’s disciple from attacking Ye Feifan and began questioning Shen Juke about the Chen Family massacre.
• Chu Qing revealed that Ghost Lamp Wuchan had denied responsibility for the massacre, and Ye Feifan accused Shen Juke of murdering the Chen Family and framing Wuchan.
• Ye Feifan claimed Shen Juke had imprisoned Chen Sheng, coerced Liu Sanniang, and tried to kill witnesses while working with the Mirror of Sin.
• Li Hanguang examined Ye Feifan’s letters and confronted Shen Juke with evidence of his collusion and crimes.
• Shen Juke confessed to the massacre, lamented that a woman had died, and drew his sword as the hall erupted.
• Chu Qing asked Shen Juke who had died.

Chu Qing watched Shen Juke and Li Hanguang fight, then stopped Shen Juke from striking again and learned that Liu Sanniang had feigned her death. Shen Juke was left wounded and defeated, while the mystery of how Liu Sanniang deceived him remained unresolved.

• Li Hanguang and Shen Juke fought with their signature sword arts, and their clash destroyed the Shen family’s main hall.
• Shen Juke unleashed Heavenly Startling Storm Break, but Li Hanguang countered with Killing Intent Relies on This Autumn before both swordsmen crashed into the ruins.
• Chu Qing caught Shen Juke’s sword barehanded and asked who had died; Shen Juke said Liu Sanniang was dead, then realized Chu Qing had seen her and that she had feigned her death.
• Chu Qing questioned Shen Juke about regretting his choices, but Shen Juke said he only regretted meeting Liu Sanniang too late.
• Chu Qing shattered Shen Juke’s sword and struck him with Heavenly Frost Fist, sending him flying into the ruins.

After killing Shen Juke, Chu Qing discovered that the woman who had posed as Liu Sanniang was still alive and had buried the real Liu Sanniang beside Chen Sheng. A cryptic clue led Chu Qing and his companions back to Fanjing City, where they caught the impostor and brought her to an inn for questioning.

• Chu Qing completed his commission by killing Shen Juke, told Qi Zhenhai to search the Shen family for anything tied to the Mirror of Sin, and asked him to ensure Li Hanguang received medical care.
• At the lakeside courtyard, Chu Qing and Wen Rou opened a grave and found Liu Sanniang's body beside Chen Sheng's bones, confirming that the woman who had stayed with Shen Juke was an impostor.
• Chu Qing found a letter from the impostor containing the cryptic clue, “Wind upon Qing Luan Mountain, moon within the Divine Sound's shadow,” and asked Wen Rou to track her.
• Wen Rou tracked the impostor to a tavern across from the Shen residence, where she fled upon seeing them, but Chu Qing caught her outside the city and carried her back.
• At the inn, Chu Qing released the girl's mute acupoint, warned her not to shout, and asked her name.

Feng Xiaoyu explained how she had tried to help Liu Sanniang and the Chen Family, then left Chu Qing and traveled toward a bandit stronghold. After killing the stronghold’s bosses, she fantasized about Chu Qing, but a massive saber strike suddenly descended toward her.

• Feng Xiaoyu told Chu Qing that she had befriended Liu Sanniang, stolen her body back from Shen Juke, and tried to find evidence of Shen Juke’s ties to Mirror of Sin.
• Chu Qing released Feng Xiaoyu’s acupoints and let her leave Fanjing City without pursuing her deception.
• Two bandits abducted Feng Xiaoyu on the road and carried her to their mountain stronghold, where Third Boss took her from them.
• Feng Xiaoyu killed Third Boss, Second Boss, and another man who came to the door, draining them and leaving the room covered in blood.
• Feng Xiaoyu left the room while thinking about Chu Qing, but a twelve-zhang saber light suddenly struck toward her face.

Chu Qing confronted Feng Xiaoyu and discovered she was the Blood King of the Heavenly Evil Cult. Their battle devastated the bandits’ stronghold, and the chapter ended as Chu Qing launched another attack against her.

• Chu Qing struck Feng Xiaoyu, but she survived and he explained how her behavior had exposed her deception of Liu Sanniang’s identity.
• Chu Qing deduced Feng Xiaoyu was the Blood King from her use of the Blood Shadow Phantasm Body, and she admitted she had lured him there for his sake.
• Feng Xiaoyu attacked Chu Qing, and the two exchanged dozens of blows before their powerful techniques collided and wrecked the surrounding buildings.
• The bandits hiding nearby were crushed, frozen, or dissolved by the fighters’ attacks, while Feng Xiaoyu’s outer dress and skin mask were destroyed.
• Chu Qing asked whether she was the Blood King or the Plum King, and Feng Xiaoyu confirmed she was not the Plum King.
• Chu Qing called Feng Xiaoyu a witch and attacked with Arrogant Dragon Regrets and Sixteen Paths of Startling Evil Blade.

Chu Qing fought Blood King across the mountain stronghold and learned that she had helped destroy Ling Beichen’s family after he rejected the Heavenly Evil Cult. As onlookers gathered and Blood King threatened to draw on their blood, Chu Qing combined his blade arts and Warm Jade cultivation to overwhelm her, though her fate remained unclear.

• Chu Qing wounded Blood King with a transformed seven-part blade attack, but she reattached her severed arm and explained why the Heavenly Evil Cult had killed Ling Beichen’s family.
• Blood King attacked with a demonic blood claw, and Chu Qing met it with the full strength of his Cold Jade cultivation and the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.
• Chu Qing and Blood King fought for hours across more than a hundred li, as Blood King repeatedly healed from his attacks and neither combatant showed signs of exhaustion.
• Martial artists and masters from the Blazing Fire Hall arrived, and Chu Qing realized Blood King could use them as a source of blood.
• Chu Qing unveiled a new saber art, Heaven and Earth, Ghosts and Gods All Bound, disrupting Blood King’s control over her blood.
• Chu Qing released his saber and struck Blood King with a red-and-white Dragon Form palm attack that broke through her blood barrier and swallowed her in its force.

After apparently killing the Blood King, Chu Qing suspected she had escaped using the Blood Shadow Phantasm Body and returned to Fanjing City to follow up on the Shen Family. He learned more about Shen Juke’s schemes and Ye Feifan’s role, then entrusted Shen Juke’s martial art to Li Hanguang to find a worthy successor.

• Chu Qing found only the Blood King’s legs after their battle and suspected she had used the Blood Shadow Phantasm Body to flee.
• Chu Qing showed the Blazing Fire Token to Niu Kui, claimed he had killed the Blood King, and left for Fanjing City.
• Chu Qing questioned Qi Zhenhai about the Shen Family’s seized wealth and learned that Shen Juke had known a contact called Black Piece.
• Chu Qing read the records detailing Ye Feifan’s role in framing Chen Sheng and helping Shen Juke cover up the Chen Family’s destruction.
• Qi Zhenhai reported that Ye Feifan had survived but was badly crippled, and Chu Qing left his fate to Qi Zhenhai.
• Chu Qing gave Shen Juke’s Heaven and Earth Startling Storm Art to Qi Zhenhai to pass to Li Hanguang, who would find it a suitable successor.

Chu Qing pursued the wounded Blood King north with Wen Rou and Wuchan, but Wen Rou eventually lost her faint trail. After opening two chests and gaining the Lightning Flash Divine Movement Steps, Chu Qing headed toward Guang'an City with his companions, where Wuchan hoped to find someone.

• Chu Qing returned to the battle site with Wen Rou and Wuchan, and Wen Rou traced the Blood King's bloody scent north despite being unable to detect her usual internal-force scent.
• Chu Qing pursued the Blood King with Wen Rou and Wuchan for more than a hundred li, then paused when Wen Rou grew exhausted.
• Chu Qing opened the clue chest and received the clue Great Constancy Sect, then opened Shen Juke's chest and gained the Lightning Flash Divine Movement Steps.
• Chu Qing resumed the pursuit, but Wen Rou eventually could no longer find the Blood King's scent.
• Wuchan pointed out that they were near Guang'an City, so Chu Qing decided to go there, then noticed something was wrong with Wen Rou.

Chu Qing brought Wen Rou and Wuchan to Guang'an City, where he ordered Blazing Fire Hall to watch for victims of the Blood King and learned that Wuchan's former martial uncle, Zen Master Huiji, was hosting a Dharma assembly. After Wen Rou fought two Vajra Sect monks in a teahouse, Chu Qing forced them to their knees and ordered them slapped, prompting the Vajra Sect's Buddha's Son, Lingxin, to intervene.

• Wen Rou dismissed her nosebleed as a minor matter, and Chu Qing decided to rest her while postponing the search for the Blood King.
• In Guang'an City, Wen Rou stopped at a teahouse to hear a storyteller, while Wuchan told Chu Qing that Zen Master Huiji might know about his past.
• Chu Qing ordered Deputy Branch Leader Lu Changhe to report unnatural deaths and learned that Huiji was hosting a seven-day Dharma assembly at Guang'an Temple.
• Chu Qing returned to the teahouse and found Wen Rou fighting two Vajra Sect monks while Wuchan and a white-robed monk watched.
• The white-robed monk identified himself as Lingxin, Vajra Sect's Buddha's Son, and insulted Chu Qing and Blazing Fire Hall.
• Chu Qing ordered the two monks to kneel and have their mouths slapped, but Lingxin rose and shouted for the disciples to stop.

Chu Qing and Wen Rou accompanied Wuchan to Guang'an Temple at night, where Wuchan's Martial Uncle Huiji met with Lingxin. Lingxin tried to stab Huiji while asking for the Shakyamuni Treasure Scroll, but Huiji's Indestructible Vajra stopped the dagger, leaving Lingxin caught in the act.

• Chu Qing forced Lingxin and two Vajra Sect monks out of the teahouse after Blazing Fire Hall disciples beat the two monks for insulting the hall.
• Chu Qing, Wen Rou, and Wuchan spent the day in Guang'an City, then prepared to visit Huiji at Guang'an Temple that night.
• Chu Qing and Wen Rou dressed in night clothes, and Chu Qing helped Wuchan cover his face before they entered the temple.
• The three followed Huiji to his meditation chamber, where Lingxin was waiting to deliver Wudao's message and request the Shakyamuni Treasure Scroll.
• Lingxin stabbed Huiji in the lower back, but the dagger struck Huiji's Indestructible Vajra and rang against his flesh.

Wuchan learned from Zen Master Huiji that Wudao and three others had killed his master, Zen Master Huiming, to prevent Wuchan from becoming the Vajra Sect’s Buddha’s Son. After hearing the truth, Wuchan stopped Lingxin from escaping.

• Zen Master Huiji prepared to take Lingxin back to the Vajra Sect and reveal the truth, but Lingxin’s Thousand Mechanism Powder poisoned him and Lingxin tried to stab him.
• Wuchan and Chu Qing intervened, drove Lingxin back, and cleared the poisoned fumes from the meditation room.
• Wuchan revealed his identity to Zen Master Huiji and asked why Zen Master Huiming had been killed.
• Zen Master Huiji explained that Zen Master Huiming had supported Wuchan as Buddha’s Son, and that Wudao, Xingshen, Xingjie, and Xingzhi had killed him with Thousand Mechanism Powder.
• Wuchan wept as he learned his master had known about the Lamp Lighting Divine Skill and had wanted him to lead the Vajra Sect.
• Lingxin tried to slip away, but Wuchan stopped him, and Lingxin recognized him.

Wuchan uncovered the truth about Zen Master Huiming’s death and obtained evidence against the Vajra Sect’s leaders, while choosing to protect the sect from public disgrace. Chu Qing offered to avenge Huiming in secret, help Wuchan leave his old identity behind, and accepted assassination quests targeting Wudao and Xingzhi.

• Chu Qing captured Lingxin, and Wuchan decided to demand an explanation from the Vajra Sect without exposing its scandal to the martial world.
• Zen Master Huiji wrote and sealed accounts of Huiming’s death and Lingxin’s attempted murder, while Lingxin signed his confession after Wuchan crippled his martial arts.
• After leaving Guang'an Temple, Wuchan explained that Lingxin’s attack had pushed Huiji to provide the evidence, and Chu Qing offered to kill Wudao and Xingzhi in secret.
• Chu Qing proposed that Wuchan be considered dead and begin a new life as Chen Wu, and Wuchan accepted the plan.
• The system issued assassination quests for Wudao and Xingzhi, and Chu Qing accepted both.

Chu Qing left Guang'an City for Great Constancy Sect after learning that Wudao and Xingzhi would attend its Sword Bestowal Ceremony, while continuing to search for Blood King. During a snowstorm, he sheltered in a ruined temple with Wen Rou and Wuchan, where two brothers awaiting a scheduled fight arrived.

• Chu Qing learned that Wudao and Xingzhi would attend Great Constancy Sect’s Sword Bestowal Ceremony, giving him a chance to confront both men at once.
• Chu Qing agreed to represent Blazing Fire Hall at the ceremony and left Guang'an City with Wen Rou and Wuchan to travel north.
• A heavy snowstorm forced Chu Qing’s group to shelter in a ruined temple, where Big Tie and Second Tie arrived to wait for a fight they had arranged.
• Chu Qing shared food and hot water with the brothers, who then sat to block the cold wind for his group.
• Chu Qing sensed the brothers’ opponents approaching, and when one arrived, he recognized the figure and exclaimed that they had met before.

Chu Qing reunited with Hua Jinnian, who explained that he and Zhou Rui had been investigating a Head Tower that might signal the return of Cold Corpse Chu Huaifeng. A group of martial artists gathered to pursue the suspected killer, and Chu Qing agreed to join them, though the formidable Red-Clothed Girl was missing.

• Chu Qing met Hua Jinnian and learned that Big Tie and Second Tie had mistaken their gathering for a fight with Hua Jinnian.
• Hua Jinnian recounted the Golden Hook Xu Family’s downfall and explained that he had found a Head Tower made from villagers’ heads.
• Hua Jinnian told Chu Qing that he and Zhou Rui had tracked the Head Tower’s killer and assembled martial artists to confront the suspected Cold Corpse Chu Huaifeng.
• Hua Jinnian described a powerful, beautiful young woman in red who was supposed to join the group, but whose name he did not know.
• Liao Jun, Zhang Chi, Ling Xue, and Ling Yan arrived, then followed the Fleeing Scholar after a blue-robed man urged them onward.
• Chu Qing agreed to go with Hua Jinnian and help confront the suspected Cold Corpse Chu Huaifeng.

Chu Qing’s group reached a snowbound village and fought Cold Corpse Chu Huaifeng, whose iron armor and poisonous internal force overwhelmed the Fleeing Scholar and the others. As Chu Qing prepared to intervene, a red-clothed woman descended with the Dawn Moon’s Moonlight Like Sword and attacked Chu Huaifeng.

• The Fleeing Scholar rushed onto a village roof and was seized by Chu Huaifeng, while Liao Jun and Zhang Chi entered the house and the Tie brothers smashed through its wall.
• Chu Huaifeng emerged from the destroyed house in iron armor and fought the Fleeing Scholar as Chu Qing and Hua Jinnian questioned whether he had truly remained young.
• Chu Huaifeng repelled Liao Jun, Zhang Chi, the Tie brothers, Zhou Rui, and the Snow Goose Twin Beauties, then wounded the Fleeing Scholar with poisonous internal force.
• Chu Qing recognized the immense sword intent of Moonlight Like Sword as a full moon appeared above the battlefield.
• A red-clothed woman descended within the moon shadow and struck at Chu Huaifeng, who responded by attacking her with a clawed hand.

Wu Qianhuan and the martial-world fighters battled Chu Huaifeng, but Chu Qing arrived in time to rescue her and take over the fight. He overwhelmed Chu Huaifeng with his saber and martial arts, ending the chapter by smashing him into the ground.

• Wu Qianhuan, the Fleeing Scholar, Hua Jinnian, and the other fighters attacked Chu Huaifeng, but his howl scattered them and he defeated the poisoned Fleeing Scholar.
• Chu Huaifeng gained the upper hand against Wu Qianhuan until Chu Qing appeared, replenished her strength, and sent Chu Huaifeng flying with her help.
• Wu Qianhuan hugged Chu Qing in relief, and Hua Jinnian revealed that he was Third Young Master, Young Master Mad Blade.
• Chu Huaifeng charged again, but Chu Qing pushed him back and drew his saber to challenge him.
• Chu Qing struck Chu Huaifeng with the Sixteen Paths of Startling Evil Blade, then seized his ankle midair and smashed him into the ground.

Chu Qing defeated Chu Huaifeng, who died after warning him about related martial arts and beginning to name the person who had saved him. After helping Fleeing Scholar recover from his injuries, Chu Qing watched a girl in red approach through the snow.

• Chu Qing battered Chu Huaifeng, shattered his armor, and drove him into a deep crater.
• Chu Huaifeng confirmed he practiced the Cold Corpse Record, warned Chu Qing to avoid those who practiced similar martial arts, and died before finishing the name of his rescuer.
• Blue mist rose from Chu Huaifeng's corpse and left only dry bones after Chu Qing dispersed it.
• Zhou Rui treated Fleeing Scholar's poisoned injuries, and Fleeing Scholar told Chu Qing that his wife was hunting him because she had forgotten who he was.
• Chu Qing stepped outside the graveyard and turned to see a girl in red approaching through the snow.

Chu Qing reunited with Wu Qianhuan, explained how Chu Tian had faked his death using Wuchan’s identity, and learned that Wu Qianhuan’s meridians were damaged. As they prepared to continue north and pursue Blood King, Chu Qing also discovered that Hua Jinnian was determined to kill someone powerful, though he did not reveal who.

• Chu Qing told Wu Qianhuan that Wuchan was alive and that Chu Tian had used Wuchan’s name to fake his own death and disappear from the martial world.
• Chu Qing examined Wu Qianhuan’s injured meridians and offered to find a healer, but she questioned his northern plans; he explained he needed to attend Great Constancy Sect’s Sword Bestowal Ceremony, deliver Ling Beichen’s ashes, and pursue Blood King.
• Chu Qing offered Wu Qianhuan a Painted Skin to conceal her identity, and the two chatted beneath a tree while holding hands until Hua Jinnian came looking for them.
• Hua Jinnian teased Chu Qing about his relationship with Wu Qianhuan, then said he wanted to master more martial arts so he could kill someone he could not defeat.
• Chu Qing offered to help if Hua Jinnian’s target deserved to die, and Hua Jinnian asked him not to forget that promise if he ever came seeking help.

Chu Qing learned that Wu Qianhuan’s damaged meridians could recover with time or special remedies, including a melody from the Liu Family of Heavenly Sound Manor, a powerful family he had been asked to contact. After traveling north and preparing aid for a severe snow disaster, Chu Qing’s group reached a remote inn near Mount Taiheng, where they reunited with Luo Wushuang and detected the scent of the Blood King.

• Zhou Rui examined Wu Qianhuan and warned that she must not cultivate while her meridians healed, recommending several possible treatments.
• Chu Qing learned that the Liu Family of Heavenly Sound Manor controlled one of Northern Ridge’s nine great powers and considered whether his own family was connected to them.
• Chu Qing set aside Zhou Rui’s prescription after Wu Qianhuan refused to take medicine, and the group rested through the night.
• After the snow stopped, Chu Qing sent Beitang Zun a warning about the snow disaster and sent a letter to Heavenly Dance City with a section of the Nine Yang Divine Skill for Qin Yuqi’s unborn child.
• Chu Qing’s group traveled north toward the Great Constancy Sect, then stopped at a remote inn near Mount Taiheng and encountered Luo Wushuang again.
• Wen Rou smelled the Blood King’s presence at the inn.

Chu Qing and Wen Rou traced the Blood King's scent to a corpse in the inn's woodshed, then heard West Mountain bandits describe a terrifying encounter with a ghost in the Sophora Tree Forest. Chu Qing and Wu Qianhuan set out to investigate the forest, where they suspected the Blood King was hiding.

• Chu Qing's group took the inn's three remaining rooms and learned that several West Mountain bandits had arrived with corpses.
• Chu Qing sent Wen Rou and himself to investigate a scent in the rear courtyard while Wu Qianhuan, Wuchan, and Hua Jinnian watched the bandits in the main hall.
• Wen Rou identified the scent on a dried corpse in the woodshed as the Blood King's, and Chu Qing returned to the hall with her.
• A West Mountain bandit recounted how a footless woman in red trapped his group in the Sophora Tree Forest and attacked them, leaving A-Liang as a dried corpse.
• Chu Qing agreed to take Wu Qianhuan to the Sophora Tree Forest while the others waited at the inn.