Chapter Summaries

Feng Chen learned from Niu Dahan that the black-mist path could lead out of the mountains, but it required ten human sacrifices. He rewarded Niu Dahan with an advanced cultivation technique and told him to test the path several more times.

• Niu Dahan and all ten Black Tiger Gang members returned safely after using the ten wicked men to open a passage through the black mist.
• Niu Dahan reported that the black mist parted after consuming the sacrifices and revealed a mountain road leading beyond the mountains.
• Feng Chen declined to leave immediately because the ten sacrifices had been used, and led the group back to Green Mountain Town.
• Feng Chen gave Niu Dahan an advanced Black Tiger Fist technique that could support cultivation up to Body Tempering, Fourth Heaven.
• Feng Chen told Niu Dahan to take men and test the path several more times.

Feng Chen continued testing a dangerous route while preparing the Black Tiger Gang for his eventual departure, then devoted seven days to cultivating the Giant Force Divine Art. He broke through to Body Tempering, Seventh Heaven.

• Feng Chen ordered Niu Dahan to test the route again and rewarded the ten gang members who had accompanied him with three hundred taels each.
• Feng Chen urged Wang Kun to break through to Body Tempering, Fourth Heaven so he could lead the Black Tiger Gang after Feng Chen left Green Mountain Town.
• Feng Chen told Lin Qing'er, Zhao Yuan'er, and Li Hehua about the caravan and scouting expedition, then prepared Qi-Blood Soup and cultivated the Giant Force Divine Art.
• For seven days, Niu Dahan repeatedly tested the route while Wang Kun handled gang affairs and Feng Chen focused on cultivation.
• Feng Chen reached Body Tempering, Seventh Heaven and discovered that his body had gained greater strength and resilience.

Feng Chen broke through to Body Tempering, Seventh Heaven and confirmed his strength could threaten even a Ninth Heaven Martial Artist. Wang Kun then told him that the gang had exhausted the cultivation resources available in Green Mountain Town.

• Feng Chen advanced from Body Tempering, Sixth Heaven to Seventh Heaven and tested his improved fists, movement, and saber techniques.
• Feng Chen reviewed his attribute panel and saw that one throwing dart could kill a Martial Artist at Body Tempering Ninth Heaven.
• Lin Qing'er told Feng Chen that Deputy Leader Wang was waiting in the council hall with important news.
• Feng Chen met Wang Kun, who confirmed that Niu Dahan's repeated tests of the sacrificial route had gone smoothly.
• Wang Kun reported that the gang had bought or traded for all the cultivation resources it could find in Green Mountain Town and could collect no more.

Feng Chen set the Black Tiger Gang’s departure for the Sacrificial Road three days away and outlined reforms to the gang’s businesses. At midnight, a gang member suddenly sat up in bed with his body and head held at unnatural angles.

• Feng Chen agreed to keep gathering scarce cultivation resources and announced that the gang would set out along the Sacrificial Road in three days.
• Feng Chen told Wang Kun to end forced prostitution and protection fees, replacing them with voluntary work at the brothel and rental income from gang-owned properties.
• Wang Kun reported that Li Xiaoting had reached Body Tempering, First Heaven in less than a month, and Feng Chen ordered that she receive rewards and more cultivation resources.
• Feng Chen ate with Lin Qing'er, Zhao Yuan'er, and Li Hehua, then guided their cultivation and corrected their fist techniques.
• At midnight, a Black Tiger Gang member abruptly sat upright on his bed, his head drooping at an unnatural angle.

A gang member transformed into a black-misted, inhuman creature and infiltrated Feng Chen’s room to attack him. Feng Chen’s saber could barely hurt the attacker, leaving him certain that something far beyond ordinary martial arts was at work.

• A transformed Black Tiger Gang member slipped past the patrols and entered the rear residence unseen.
• Feng Chen sensed hostile intent outside his door and warned Lin Qing'er to prepare for danger.
• The intruder claimed to be a gang member, then blasted the door apart and announced that he would eat Feng Chen.
• Feng Chen struck the attacker with his saber, but the blade bounced off its body as if it had hit steel.

Feng Chen fought and destroyed the Anomaly that had possessed a Black Tiger Gang member and infiltrated his bedroom. After confirming no other Anomalies were nearby, he told Lin Qing'er what had happened and left to find Wang Kun and the others.

• The possessed gang member revealed that the Anomaly from the Sacrificial Road had come to eat Feng Chen and seize control.
• Feng Chen used Blood Vitality Force to burn away the Anomaly’s black-smoke armor and defeat its body.
• Feng Chen severed the Anomaly’s head, then repeatedly struck the escaping black smoke until it dissipated.
• Feng Chen checked the courtyard for other Anomalies and found none.
• Feng Chen explained the Anomaly’s connection to the Sacrificial Road to Lin Qing'er and left with her to find Wang Kun and the others.

After an Anomaly possessed a Black Tiger Gang member and attacked Feng Chen, he destroyed it and ordered the gang to investigate whether others had been possessed. The night passed without another attack, and Feng Chen went to the council hall in the morning to hear the results.

• Feng Chen summoned Wang Kun and recounted how he had sensed the Anomaly, fought it, and destroyed it with Blood Vitality Force.
• Feng Chen ordered Wang Kun to gather and confine the gang members who had investigated the road, while the gang kept watch through the night.
• Feng Chen took Lin Qing'er to Zhao Yuan'er's room, where Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua joined them; none of them slept soundly.
• When morning came, Feng Chen ate breakfast with the three women and told them to continue cultivating as usual.
• Wang Kun summoned Feng Chen to the council hall, where Niu Dahan and ten key gang leaders waited to greet him.

Feng Chen handled the Black Tiger Gang’s response to the anomaly and kept preparations for leaving Green Mountain Town on schedule. He then visited the recovering Fang Clan Martial Hall and found Fang Yuan practicing in the rear courtyard.

• Niu Datian apologized to Feng Chen for failing to inspect the gang members, and Feng Chen told him to stand aside.
• Wang Kun reported that the twenty-four men who had traveled the dangerous road showed no signs of anomalies, and Feng Chen ordered continued observation and compensation for the slain gang member’s family.
• Feng Chen instructed the gang leaders to report suspicious behavior and told Wang Kun to proceed with departure preparations for three days later.
• Feng Chen assured Wang Kun that the anomaly had been only at the Seventh Heaven of Body Tempering and said he had already slain it.
• Feng Chen told Lin Qing'er there was no major trouble and directed her to keep practicing with Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua.
• Feng Chen visited the Fang Clan Martial Hall and saw Fang Yuan practicing fist techniques in the rear courtyard.

Feng Chen checked on Fang Yuan and left him a pouch bearing the Black Tiger Gang’s emblem, then returned to his abandoned home in Green Mountain Village before his planned departure. He visited Auntie Li’s grave, leaving his past behind as the strange entity’s growing strength made leaving town urgent.

• Feng Chen visited Fang Yuan, confirmed the martial hall was doing well, and gave him a brocade pouch to take to the Black Tiger Gang if he needed help.
• Fang Yuan suspected Feng Chen might be the Black Tiger Gang’s new leader and took the pouch as a sign that the martial hall had a powerful patron.
• Feng Chen decided to leave Green Mountain Town in three days because the strange entity in the mountains could grow beyond his ability to escape.
• Feng Chen returned to Green Mountain Village, looked through his abandoned old home, and then went to the grave of Auntie Li.

Feng Chen discovered that Aunt Li and the little girl had vanished from their disturbed grave, then found a letter addressed to him in Aunt Li’s strangely clean, abandoned house. The chapter ended as he recognized Aunt Li’s handwriting on the envelope.

• Feng Chen visited Aunt Li’s grave and realized the mound had been disturbed.
• Feng Chen dug up the grave and found the coffin open and empty, with both bodies missing and no sign of decay.
• Feng Chen reburied the coffin and returned to Green Mountain Village.
• Feng Chen entered Aunt Li’s unusually clean house and found a dusty letter addressed to him in her handwriting.

Feng Chen found Aunt Li’s letter explaining that she and the little girl had been brought back to life by the girl’s father, and he shared the news with Lin Qing'er. Lin Qing'er was astonished and wondered who the father was.

• Feng Chen read Aunt Li’s letter and learned that she and the little girl had been revived and taken away by the girl’s father.
• Feng Chen folded the letter away, left the village without saying goodbye, and returned to Green Mountain Town.
• Feng Chen found Lin Qing'er teaching Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua to practice their fists, then took Lin Qing'er into a room and handed her the letter.
• Lin Qing'er read the letter and asked Feng Chen whether Aunt Li and the little girl were truly alive.
• Feng Chen explained that he had found their graves empty, and Lin Qing'er wondered what kind of person could bring the dead back to life.

After learning Aunt Li and the others were alive, Feng Chen destroyed the letter and prepared to help Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua break through. He guided Zhao Yuan'er through the first stage of her breakthrough, with Li Hehua still waiting her turn.

• Feng Chen and Lin Qing'er learned from Aunt Li's letter that she and the others were alive, and Feng Chen burned the letter to keep the secret.
• Feng Chen asked Wang Kun to gather High-Grade Blood-Qi Medicinal Herbs, then cultivated with a pot of the herbs and increased his Giant Force Divine Art proficiency.
• Wang Kun delivered fifty portions of herbs, and Feng Chen set ten portions aside to help Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua break through to Body Tempering, First Heaven.
• Feng Chen had Zhao Yuan'er drink the medicinal soup and guided Blood Vitality Force through her body as she endured the pain and focused on the circulation path.

Feng Chen helped Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua break through their martial bottlenecks despite warning them that they had to endure the physical tempering themselves. Both women survived the painful process and emerged as Martial Artists, ready to face his coming departure with greater strength.

• Feng Chen warned Zhao Yuan'er that she had to endure the tempering herself, then used his Blood Vitality Force to break open her bottleneck.
• Zhao Yuan'er endured the painful transformation as her Blood Vitality Force opened new meridians and tempered her body.
• Feng Chen told Lin Qing'er that Zhao Yuan'er would become a Martial Artist if she endured, then instructed Li Hehua to drink the remaining Qi-Blood Soup.
• Feng Chen helped Li Hehua break through in a nearby room while Lin Qing'er waited for him outside.
• Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua emerged from their rooms and excitedly announced that they had become Martial Artists.

Feng Chen prepared the Black Tiger Gang for his departure, helped Wang Kun break through to Body Tempering, Fourth Heaven, and set out with Lin Qing'er toward the Black Mountain Range. Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua stayed behind, promising to wait for his return.

• Feng Chen asked Lin Qing'er to help Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua adjust to their breakthroughs, then spent three days with them before preparing to leave.
• Feng Chen handed Wang Kun responsibility for the Black Tiger Gang and the Fang Clan Martial Hall, then used High-Grade Blood-Qi Medicinal Herbs to help him break through to Body Tempering, Fourth Heaven.
• Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua tearfully asked Feng Chen not to forget them and to return, while he reminded them to stay behind and cultivate until they were strong enough.
• Wang Kun confirmed that preparations were complete, and Feng Chen departed with Lin Qing'er, four Black Tiger Gang members, and ten bound criminals for the Black Mountain Range and the Anomaly route.
• Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua watched Feng Chen leave and vowed to wait for him.

After Feng Chen left Green Mountain Town for the Black Mountain Range, Wang Kun killed Zhao Xiaoliu for trying to exploit his absence and undermine him. Mayor Zhou Kailin judged that Feng Chen might survive the journey and refused to move against the Black Tiger Gang until he knew Feng Chen was dead.

• Wang Kun escorted Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua back after Feng Chen departed for the Black Mountain Range.
• Zhao Xiaoliu urged Wang Kun to take control of the Black Tiger Gang because Feng Chen might not return.
• Wang Kun revealed he had reached Body Tempering, Fourth Heaven, and crushed Zhao Xiaoliu's neck for sowing discord.
• Zhao Yuan'er and Li Hehua heard the commotion and smiled inside their sedan.
• Zhou Kailin heard that Feng Chen had entered the Black Mountain Range and said he believed Feng Chen had a reason and some confidence.
• Zhou Kailin told his adviser he would not act against the Black Tiger Gang until he received definite news that Feng Chen was dead.

Feng Chen led Lin Qing'er, four Black Tiger Gang elites, and ten prisoners to the fog-shrouded boundary of the Black Mountain Range, where the prisoners were meant to be sacrificed to reveal a passage out. He cautiously observed the forest before acting, while the prisoners realized their fate and erupted in protest and pleas.

• Feng Chen led Lin Qing'er and four Black Tiger Gang elites along the verified mountain route, escorting ten bound prisoners toward the Anomaly's territory.
• Lin Qing'er insisted on accompanying Feng Chen, and he kept her close so he could protect her.
• Zhao Changkong identified the foggy forest and explained that killing the ten prisoners and throwing them into it would reveal a passage through the mountains.
• Feng Chen observed the fog, tested it with his senses, and threw a stone into it, but found no obvious sign of danger.
• The prisoners heard that they were to be killed as sacrifices and shouted, threatened to report the gang, and begged to be released.

Feng Chen led Lin Qing'er into the foggy forest after sacrificing ten criminals opened a path through the white fog. Zhao Changkong and three gang members insisted on accompanying them, and the group advanced toward the dangerous depths of the forest.

• Zhao Changkong exposed Zhang Laoliu’s and Li Laosi’s crimes, and Feng Chen ordered the prisoners sacrificed to test the fog.
• The fog churned as it consumed the bodies, then parted to reveal a narrow path.
• Feng Chen gave Zhao Changkong Soul-Attracting Incense, which kept the fog at bay, and warned Lin Qing'er to stay close to him.
• Zhao Changkong and three gang members volunteered to escort Feng Chen despite his telling them to return, and Lin Qing'er told them Feng Chen had agreed.
• The group entered the forest with Zhao Changkong leading and the other gang members guarding Feng Chen and Lin Qing'er as strange thuds sounded from the fog.

Feng Chen and his companions traveled deeper into the White Mist Forest, where missing corpses and a strange heartbeat-like sound marked the path. They discovered a black-eyed Anomaly waiting ahead, and Feng Chen prepared the group to fight it.

• Feng Chen questioned Zhao Changkong, Wu Shan, and Zhou Long about the vanished corpses and strange sound, and they confirmed it had happened on earlier journeys.
• Zhao Changkong led the group along the treacherous mountain path while Lin Qing'er kept pace despite her exhaustion.
• At a bend in the path, Zhao Changkong spotted a human figure hiding beside a giant tree, though the group had never seen anyone there before.
• Feng Chen recognized the pale, black-eyed figure as an Anomaly and identified it as the thing that had eaten the corpses.
• Feng Chen ordered everyone to prepare for a fight, and Zhao Changkong, Wu Shan, Zhou Long, and Li Tianmin drew their sabers.

Feng Chen and his companions faced a human-centipede monster and a swarm of black-Qi-corrupted figures in White Mist Forest. Feng Chen fought the monster, but its wounds kept healing as he assessed its strength and the danger of its many-handed attacks.

• A monster made from about ten joined bodies emerged and declared that it would eat Feng Chen.
• Zhao Changkong, Zhou Long, Wu Shan, and Li Tianmin activated their Blood Vitality Force, while corrupted figures charged from the surrounding forest.
• Feng Chen ordered the four men to protect Lin Qing'er as he confronted the monster, and Lin Qing'er promised to defend herself.
• Feng Chen struck the monster's leading head with his saber, weakening its black Qi, then evaded an attack from its dozens of hands.
• Feng Chen landed more than thirty slashes, but the monster's black Qi quickly covered each wound again, and he retreated to assess his dimming blade.

Feng Chen unleashed his full strength to destroy the corpse-built Anomaly on the mountain path. After its final attack failed, the Anomaly vanished and the forest’s white fog dispersed, revealing what it had hidden.

• Feng Chen used his Thousand Mountains Saber Art to sever the Anomaly’s heads and burned away the phantom of a dead Black Tiger Gang member it used to unsettle him.
• Feng Chen darted around the Anomaly with Snow-Treading Without Trace, cutting its body into ruins and severing nine of its ten heads.
• The Anomaly’s remaining head burst into black mist and launched a final attack at Feng Chen.
• Feng Chen struck the black mist with the Triple Wave technique from his Hundred Blades Saber Art, burning away the Anomaly’s remnant soul.
• The Anomaly’s body collapsed, and the white mist covering the mountain forest dispersed completely.