Chapter Summaries

Qi Meng and his Ministry of Justice soldiers arrived at the Green Gang headquarters, accusing its members of rebellion, but Yang Ling recognized their visit as a suspicious attempt to intimidate the gang. After Yang Ling challenged Qi to justify the accusation, Qi realized Yang Ling was connected to the Iron Clothes Department.

• The players panicked when Qi Meng accused them of conspiring to rebel, though Yang Ling suspected the officials had come to extort them.
• Qi Meng mistakenly identified Yang Yi as the leader of the Heavenly Tiger Gang, then tried to leave after she corrected him.
• Yang Ling ordered the gates shut again, and Lin Caiyi and Zhang Shendao easily knocked aside Qi Meng's men.
• Yang Ling demanded to know why Qi Meng had accused the Green Gang of rebellion, and his players seized a soldier after he threatened them.
• Yang Ling invoked the Iron Clothes Department's authority and demanded an explanation, prompting Qi Meng to ask whether Yang Ling was one of his men.

Yang Ling exposed Officer Qi’s role in the Heaven Tiger Gang’s attack on the Green Gang and ordered an investigation, while his allies captured the gang’s deputy leader and several experts. The chapter ended with Officer Qi charging at Hou Dazhu in fury.

• Yang Ling confronted Officer Qi for abusing his authority and ordered Qin Mo to summon Zhao Xun from the Iron Clothes Department.
• Officer Qi confessed that the Heaven Tiger Gang’s leader had asked him to suppress the Green Gang and admitted to using similar tactics against other gangs.
• Yang Ling sent Zhang Shendao and Lin Caiyi to seize the Heaven Tiger Gang’s deputy leader and three other experts as they tried to leave.
• Zhang Shendao and Lin Caiyi brought Hou Dazhu and the others to the Green Gang headquarters, where Hou recognized Yang Ling and praised his reputation.
• Officer Qi charged at Hou Dazhu, declaring that one of them had to die.

Yang Ling exposed the Heaven Tiger Gang’s plot to frame the Green Gang as rebellion and ordered Zhao Xun to help investigate the Third Prince. The Iron Clothes officers moved against the Heaven Tiger Gang, while Zhao Xun grew alarmed when he realized the case implicated the Star Gazing Academy Head.

• Hou Dazhu admitted that the Heaven Tiger Gang worked for the Palace, and Yang Ling had him beaten until he could barely speak.
• Yang Ling questioned the gang’s three eighth-rank experts, but they remained silent as Zhao Xun and Qin Mo arrived with Iron Clothes officers.
• Yang Ling told Zhao Xun that Hou Dazhu had framed the Green Gang on orders from the Third Prince and appointed Zhao Xun deputy leader of a special case team.
• Yang Ling ordered Zhao Xun to bring the Third Prince to the Iron Clothes Department for questioning and sent officers to seize the Heaven Tiger Gang’s leader and core members.
• Zhao Xun realized Yang Ling had said the case involved the Star Gazing Academy Head and reacted with alarm.

Yang Ling learned that Zheng Hai, the Star Gazing Academy Head, had defected to the Rong Tribe and led over two hundred Iron Clothes to the academy to summon its core members for questioning. The group arrived with the academy sealed by Yang Ling’s mental perception, while the Eldest Princess arrived by carriage.

• Yang Ling told Zhao Xun that Zheng Hai had admitted to betraying Zhao State and that Xu Wenjun’s investigation would help conclude the case.
• Yang Ling sent Zhao Xun to invite the Third Prince and ordered Investigator Qi, Hou Dazhu, and the others escorted to the Iron Clothes Department.
• Yang Ling gathered more than two hundred player Iron Clothes and said they were going to Star Gazing Academy to invite its core members for questioning.
• Yang Ling urged the players to speedrun their main quest for its potential rewards and told them to warn their Star Gazing Academy friends to lie low.
• Yang Ling’s group reached Star Gazing Academy, where he sealed the grounds with his Object Control skill, and the Eldest Princess arrived in a carriage.

Yang Ling led the Iron Clothes Department to detain the Star Gazing Academy’s scholars for questioning over the reopened Xiangfeng Prefecture case, while the Eldest Princess learned his plans and went to the department. Just as Yang Ling prepared to bring more than a thousand academy members back, Qi Tairan arrived and ordered him to withdraw.

• Yang Ling met the Eldest Princess, confirmed her strength, and told her he planned to bring Star Gazing Academy disciples and the Third Prince in for questioning.
• The Eldest Princess challenged Yang Ling’s reasons, then headed to the Iron Clothes Department after he whispered an explanation to her.
• Yang Ling confronted the Star Gazing Academy and ordered its scholars to accompany the Iron Clothes Department for questioning about the Xiangfeng Prefecture case.
• The academy’s scholars agreed to go without resisting, and Lin Caiyi and the others gathered more than a thousand people, but Yang Ling noticed Luo Kai was missing.
• Qi Tairan and a crowd of officials arrived, accused Yang Ling of acting without authorization, and ordered him to return to the Iron Clothes Department.

Yang Ling accused Star Gazing Academy Head Zheng Hai of treason and said he was reopening the case, shocking the officials and sect disciples gathered at the academy. When Qi Tairan tried to leave after backing down, Yang Ling ordered him to assist the investigation and beat him when he refused.

• Officials and Star Gazing Academy scholars confronted Yang Ling, while the Four Great Sects’ leaders noticed their disciples among his warriors and watched to learn his purpose.
• Yang Ling accused Zheng Hai of betraying Zhao State for the Rong Tribe and said he was reopening the investigation into Zheng Hai’s alleged attack on the Pacify the Rong King.
• Qi Tairan realized Yang Ling’s accusation was likely true and tried to withdraw from the confrontation.
• Yang Ling accused Qi Tairan of obstructing the investigation and ordered him to come to the Iron Clothes Department.
• Qi Tairan refused and turned to leave, so Yang Ling beat him until his skin split and his flesh tore.

Yang Ling beat Qi Tairan and Qi Baiyan outside the Star Gazing Academy, then brought the academy’s scholars and officials to the Iron Clothes Department for questioning over the reopened Xiangfeng Prefecture case. The chapter ended with Yang Ling beginning to question Qi Tairan about his ties to Zheng Hai.

• Qi Baiyan charged at Yang Ling to defend his father, but Yang Ling knocked him unconscious and continued beating Qi Tairan.
• Xu Wenjun arrived with the Iron Clothes and tried to stop Yang Ling, who accused Qi Tairan and several officials of obstructing the investigation and possibly aiding Zheng Hai.
• Yang Ling ordered Xu Wenjun to bring the officials in for questioning, and they agreed to cooperate.
• At the Iron Clothes Department, over a thousand Star Gazing Academy disciples, officials, and detained members of the Heaven Tiger Gang were questioned.
• Yang Ling approached the recovered Qi Tairan and asked how close he was to Zheng Hai.

Yang Ling questioned Qi Tairan and the Heaven Tiger Gang over their interference in the Zheng Hai investigation, then linked their actions to the Xiangfeng Prefecture arson case and accused the Third Prince of wanting the Pacify the Rong King dead. The Third Prince arrived with Zhao Xun and Cao Yunlong as Yang Ling prepared to question him.

• Yang Ling confronted Qi Tairan about obstructing the Special Case Team, and Qi admitted he had been at fault.
• Yang Ling questioned the officials brought back with him and had Investigator Qi recount his dealings with the Heaven Tiger Gang.
• Yang Ling accused Xu Heavenly Tiger of acting on the Third Prince's orders to frame him and said he had summoned the Third Prince for questioning.
• Yang Ling connected Zheng Hai, the Third Prince, and the Xiangfeng Prefecture arson case, arguing that the Third Prince had wanted the Pacify the Rong King dead.
• The Third Prince entered with Zhao Xun and Cao Yunlong, challenging Yang Ling to make his accusations to his face.

Yang Ling confronted the Third Prince over the Xiangfeng Prefecture arson case and linked Luo Kai, the Immortal God Cult, and Zheng Hai to the supply of explosives. He claimed that locating the explosives hidden in the capital would expose Luo Kai, while the Third Prince asked where they were.

• The Third Prince arrived at the Command Department, and Yang Ling’s pressure left Cao Yunlong terrified and drenched in sweat.
• Yang Ling used his Insight Technique to learn that Cao Yunlong had moved thirty thousand catties of explosives from the Third Prince’s palace toward Rong State.
• Yang Ling accused the Third Prince’s circle of supporting Luo Kai and explained that Immortal God Cult explosives had been used in the Xiangfeng Prefecture arson and at Water Qilin Cave.
• Yang Ling declared that Luo Kai was the Immortal God Cult Master and said Zheng Hai had traded the explosives formula for resources from the Rong Tribe.
• Yang Ling claimed several hundred thousand catties of explosives remained in the capital and said finding them would reveal Luo Kai’s identity.
• The Third Prince challenged Yang Ling to say where the explosives were.

Yang Ling accused the Third Prince and Cao Yunlong of moving explosives for the Immortal God Cult, then kept the Third Prince from leaving while the Iron Clothes Department pursued the shipment. Ning Xiu and the Eldest Princess arrived and agreed to wait for the evidence, as a giant ape stopped the boats carrying the explosives.

• Yang Ling accused Cao Yunlong of smelling of explosives and said three hundred thousand jin had been shipped from the Third Prince’s palace toward Rong State; he sent Xu Wenjun and Ji Tianming to recover it.
• Ji Tianming vanished at incredible speed, while Xu Wenjun led over a hundred Iron Clothes officers to pursue the shipment.
• The Third Prince tried to leave, but Zhao Xun and Qi Tairan insisted he wait for the investigation’s results; Cao Yunlong protested that the department had no authority to hold him.
• Ning Xiu arrived, condemned Yang Ling’s investigation, and attempted to take the Third Prince away, but the Eldest Princess blocked him and demanded they wait for the evidence.
• A giant ape rose from the sea near the docks and ordered the boats carrying the explosives to stop.

Ji Tianming intercepted the Cao Gang boats carrying explosives and brought Huang Zhaolong and the recovered cargo to the Iron Clothes Department, where Yang Ling assessed the factions backing the Third Prince and Crown Prince. Huang Zhaolong then claimed sole responsibility for colluding with the Immortal God Cult, leaving the Third Prince hopeful and Ning Xiu unreadable.

• Ji Tianming identified Huang Zhaolong as the Iron Clothes Department branch master and told him Xu Wenjun was coming to take over the boats carrying explosives.
• Huang Zhaolong disabled more than a dozen experts who tried to resist and admitted he had been helping the Third Prince transport Immortal God Cult Explosives to the Rong Tribe.
• Ji Tianming returned to the Iron Clothes Department and told Yang Ling that the three hundred thousand jin of explosives had been delivered safely.
• Yang Ling concluded that the Civil Official Group was divided between factions supporting the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, with the latter tied to the Rong Tribe.
• Huang Zhaolong arrived with Xu Wenjun, called Ning Xiu his teacher, and warned him to stay out of the matter.
• Huang Zhaolong challenged Yang Ling, was struck down, and confessed that he alone had colluded with the Immortal God Cult, offering the explosives as evidence.

Yang Ling exposed Huang Zhaolong’s attempt to take the blame and accused the Third Prince and Ning Xiu of colluding with the Rong Tribe to undermine the Grand Secretary. The Third Prince lost his right to ascend the throne, and Zhao State players suffered a major attribute penalty.

• Huang Zhaolong claimed he had confessed to colluding with the Immortal God Cult only because Ji Tianming had forced him to, then admitted to arranging several cases against Yang Ling.
• Yang Ling rejected Huang Zhaolong’s attempt to shield the Iron Clothes Department and accused the Third Prince, Ning Xiu, and their allies of cooperating with the Rong Tribe.
• Yang Ling alleged that the Third Prince had ordered Zheng Hai to ambush and kill the Pacify the Rong King as part of a plan to eliminate threats before challenging the Crown Prince.
• The Third Prince demanded evidence, but Yang Ling said the Grand Secretary would provide it and warned that the Third Prince’s faction would face consequences.
• A system announcement declared that the Third Prince had lost his right to ascend the throne and halved the attributes of 131098 Zhao State players.
• Lin Caiyi and the other players watched Yang Ling, and one called him the MPV while another corrected the term to MVP.

Yang Ling forced the Third Prince and Huang Zhaolong to confess their collusion with the Rong Tribe and the attack on him, then suspected the conspiracy involved the Great Dream Dynasty. When a Land Immortal launched a sword at Yang Ling, White Bone Divine Lord stopped it and vanished with the attacker, leaving Yang Ling free to confront Ning Xiu.

• Huang Zhaolong admitted that he worked for the Third Prince and transported explosives made by the Third Prince and Luo Kai, who was also the Immortal God Cult Master.
• The Third Prince confessed to helping Luo Kai in the Xiangfeng Prefecture case and arranging Ying Taisui's ambush to kill Yang Ling and frame the Crown Prince.
• Yang Ling suspected that the officials backing Ning Xiu were cooperating with the Great Dream Dynasty rather than the Rong Tribe.
• Ning Xiu tried to hand the case over to the Ministry of Justice, but Yang Ling insisted that Ning Xiu and everyone connected to the Immortal God Cult would face justice.
• A Land Immortal sent a sword toward Yang Ling, but White Bone Divine Lord caught it and disappeared with the sword and the old attacker.
• Yang Ling resumed moving and told Ning Xiu that his side had attacked first.

Yang Ling fought Ning Xiu in the sky, revealing himself as a Second Rank Human Immortal and overwhelming the vice libationer with his strength and summoned Blue-Faced Arhat Beast. Ning Xiu activated his Immortal Deity Domain, but Yang Ling warned him that resisting could cost him one chance at Rebirth.

• Qi Tairan concluded that Yang Ling was a Second Rank Human Immortal and had faked his death to draw out the mastermind behind the Iron Clothes Department attack.
• Cao Yunlong warned the Third Prince that Ning Xiu might lose, but the Third Prince insisted Ning Xiu's allies had the resources to prevent defeat.
• Players including Lin Caiyi and Zhang Shendao celebrated the possibility that Yang Ling could protect players' rights as a Second Rank Human Immortal.
• Yang Ling battered Ning Xiu with his Crane-Mouth Hoe and Wind God Vajra Leg, while Ning Xiu questioned Yang Ling's identity and background.
• Ning Xiu activated his Immortal Deity Domain and surpassed Yang Ling's attributes, so Yang Ling used his Thunder God Battle Armor and summoned the Blue-Faced Arhat Beast.
• The Blue-Faced Arhat Beast activated its Arhat Golden Body and endured Ning Xiu's attacks as Yang Ling struck from nearby and warned Ning Xiu not to waste a chance at Rebirth.

Yang Ling defeated Ning Xiu and ordered punishments for the officials and suspects involved in the case. With the Xiangfeng Prefecture case concluded, the Special Case Team’s assignment came to an end, leaving Lin Caiyi and the other players grieving for their dead compatriots.

• Yang Ling and the Blue-Faced Arhat Beast overwhelmed Ning Xiu, while Zhao De and Zhao Chongxu discussed the White Bone Divine Lord and the Immortal God Cult’s suspected collusion with the Great Dream Dynasty.
• Yang Ling captured Ning Xiu and ordered Xu Wenjun to cripple and imprison Huang Zhaolong, Cao Yunlong, the Third Prince, and Zheng Hai’s disciples, while Xu Heavenly Tiger and his gang’s core members were sentenced to execution.
• Xu Heavenly Tiger pleaded to be questioned before his execution, but Yang Ling ignored him as Wei Xing’s Iron Clothes escorted the gang away.
• Yang Ling crippled Huang Zhaolong and the Third Prince, then accidentally struck Cao Yunlong so hard that he turned to ash.
• Yang Ling told Xu Wenjun that the Special Case Team’s assignment and the Xiangfeng Prefecture case were complete, prompting Lin Caiyi and the other players to remember the players who had died.

Yang Ling arranged the imprisonment of the Third Prince and other Star Gazing Academy members while officials debated Ning Xiu’s fate. The Directorate of Ceremonial arrived and removed Ning Xiu as Minister of Justice, ordering him to surrender the official seal.

• Yang Ling had the unconscious Third Prince transferred to the private cells in his courtyard and agreed to combine the investigation with Ying Taisui’s assassination case.
• Yang Ling urged Ning Xiu to confess, but the officials expected his status as a Second Rank Human Immortal to shield him from severe punishment.
• The Eldest Princess said the Third Prince would await trial, Huang Zhaolong would be executed, and Ning Xiu’s life would be spared.
• Seal-Holding Eunuch Hong arrived with officials from the Directorate of Ceremonial and ordered Ning Xiu removed as Minister of Justice, with Qi Tairan temporarily taking over.
• Seal-Holding Eunuch Hong demanded that Ning Xiu hand over the official seal while Yang Ling still held him by the neck.

Yang Ling oversaw Ning Xiu’s removal as Minister of Justice, while Qi Tairan took the post temporarily and Ning was confined pending investigation. White Bone Divine Lord revealed her strength and agreed to watch Ning, leaving the Third Prince and Huang Zhaolong imprisoned alongside him.

• Seal-Holding Eunuch Hong ordered Ning Xiu to surrender his Official Seal, and Qi Tairan accepted it as acting Minister of Justice.
• Qi Tairan told Yang Ling to keep Ning under investigation, then departed with the other officials after they apologized for interfering.
• White Bone Divine Lord returned unharmed, and Yang Ling explained that Zhang Xuanshui and the others would be questioned alongside Ning when they reached the capital.
• White Bone Divine Lord agreed to keep Ning from escaping, and Ning promised he would stay in custody.
• Ning Xiu was confined with Huang Zhaolong and the Third Prince; Huang learned his cultivation had been devastated, while Ning said the Third Prince was finished.

The Eldest Princess learned that Yang Ling was Zhao De’s senior disciple, and Zhao De agreed that Zhao Zheng should take the throne. Before leaving to speak with the Blue-Faced Buddha, Zhao De took Zhang Wei along to help Yang Ling investigate Luo Kai.

• The Eldest Princess questioned Yang Ling about his rank and accepted that he was Zhao De’s disciple after Zhao De confirmed it.
• Zhao De told the Eldest Princess that he had stayed away to protect her, then said Yang Ling wanted Zhao Zheng to ascend the throne; she agreed to the plan.
• Zhao De warned Yang Ling to avoid Arhat Temple and explained that he was going to the Great Underworld Temple to speak with the Blue-Faced Buddha.
• Zhang Wei told Yang Ling he had been promoted to Seventh Rank eunuch, and Yang Ling asked Zhao De to take him along so he could investigate Luo Kai.
• Zhao De took Zhang Wei away, and Yang Ling remarked that a bright future awaited Eunuch Zhang.

Yang Ling sent players to distribute Spirit Deer Sets and warned them that the Grandmaster Network wanted to drain the Divine Domain’s resources and force its shutdown. Three days later, as the Iron Clothes Department’s arrests continued, Zhang Xuanshui’s group and Rong Tribe officials arrived at the Capital docks in custody.

• Yang Ling assigned Lin Caiyi and the players to deliver Spirit Deer Sets across the Seven Provincial Capitals, with fifth-rank branch heads accompanying them.
• Yang Ling explained that the Grandmaster Network had tried to exploit the Divine Domain, blacklist him, and hunt him during missions, urging players to support one another; Zhang Shendao led them in shouting, “Down with the aliens!”
• Over the next three days, Xu Wenjun and Yun Buchuan expanded their investigation, arresting more than a thousand people connected to gangs, sects, and government offices.
• A giant ship arrived at Capital Port, where Yang Ling, Xu Wenjun, and the branch heads waited to receive its passengers.
• Zhang Xuanshui and the Star Gazing Academy disciples were escorted off under guard, followed by Chen Quan and Heavenly Wolf Guards, then Pei Zhiyan and Xie Jinjia.

Yang Ling received Pei Zhiyan and learned that the Grand Secretary had ordered Chen Quan handed over to the Rong Tribe. He killed Chen Quan before Qi Tairan could take him to the Palace, leaving the Rong Tribe’s response uncertain.

• Pei Zhiyan brought Zhang Xuanshui, Chen Quan, and their captured followers to Yang Ling at Harbor Wharf.
• Yang Ling told Pei Zhiyan and Xie Jinjia that the Star Gazing Academy had been sealed and that Ning Xiu and the Third Prince had been imprisoned.
• Qi Tairan arrived under the Grand Secretary’s orders to take Chen Quan to the Palace for handover to the Rong Tribe.
• Chen Quan demanded to be freed, and Yang Ling struck him dead with a single palm.
• Qi Tairan ordered his subordinates to carry Chen Quan’s body to the Palace, while Xie Jinjia worried the Rong Tribe might send troops.