Recaps

Xie Jinghan and the tall man fought the Cold-Blooded Thirteen Eagles, who had served the city lord and were responsible for killing Miao Cunyi’s master, Xu Lingkong. After they killed Eagle Four and broke through the encirclement, the two men escaped into the mountain forest as the battlefield descended into chaos.

• Xie Jinghan recognized the Cold-Blooded Thirteen Eagles and learned they had been working for the city lord.
• Eagle One ordered Xie Jinghan, the tall man, and their companions to surrender, but the tall man attacked and Xie Jinghan joined the fight.
• Xie Jinghan and the tall man combined their strongest attacks, breaking open the Thirteen Flying Eagles Life-Taking Combined Attack Formation.
• Xie Jinghan bound Eagle Four with the Fire Net Technique, and the tall man killed him with a sword strike.
• Xie Jinghan and the tall man escaped into the mountain forest while the remaining seven companions scattered and Bai Ji ordered the soldiers to pursue them.

After escaping the prison battle, Xie Jinghan and Yan Xiong agreed to meet in three days to plan the rescue of Chu Xunfang, whom Yan believed had been framed. At Dutian Prefecture, Bai Ji reported the failed pursuit to City Lord Yang Shijing and identified the two escapees as Yan Xiong and Xie Jinghan.

• Xie Jinghan and Yan Xiong escaped their pursuers and introduced themselves on a secluded mountain summit.
• Yan Xiong told Xie Jinghan that Chu Xunfang had been framed and asked him to meet at Rocky Ridge in three days to plan a rescue; Xie Jinghan agreed.
• Bai Ji learned that six people had been captured, the woman had escaped with a treasure, and the Cold-Blooded Thirteen Eagles were still pursuing the fugitives.
• Bai Ji ordered the fallen soldiers buried and their families compensated, then went to the city lord's residence to accept responsibility for the defeat.
• Bai Ji told Yang Shijing that the escapees were Yan Xiong and Xie Jinghan, and said they would return because Miao Cunyi and Chu Xunfang remained in custody.

Qian Sanqi broke through to the seventh level of the innate realm and retaliated after learning that the city lord had broken his rules. His old servant killed the remaining Cold-Blooded Thirteen Eagles and confronted Yang Shijing, leaving him terrified and chastened.

• Bai Ji ordered Bai Yi to secretly move the corpses from the prison fight to an underground location.
• Qian Sanqi sensed that he had reached the seventh level of the innate realm after Little Gold refined a Spirit Stone.
• A Cai reported the prison incident, and Qian Sanqi sent his old servant to deliver a punishment and a gift.
• The old servant killed the twelve remaining Cold-Blooded Thirteen Eagles with a sweep of sword qi.
• The old servant slapped Yang Shijing and showed him the twelve severed heads, forcing the city lord to promise to follow the rules.

Under martial law in Dutian Prefecture, Xie Jinghan met Yan Xiong and Jiang Lingshan to plan a rescue of the prisoners awaiting execution. They decided to attack the execution ground in nine days, using Jiang Lingshan’s Heaven-Shaking Thunder to create an opening for Xie Jinghan to free the prisoners.

• Xie Jinghan heard townspeople say the Qian Residence had killed the Cold-Blooded Thirteen Eagles and left their heads at the city gates.
• Xie Jinghan met Yan Xiong at their appointed place on the northern outskirts of Dutian Prefecture.
• Yan Xiong brought Xie Jinghan to an abandoned courtyard, where they met Jiang Lingshan, who wanted to save her father, Jiang Shenzhi.
• Yan Xiong proposed raiding the execution ground because the prison was too heavily guarded to attack directly.
• Jiang Lingshan said she could make at least a hundred Heaven-Shaking Thunder bombs in nine days if she had enough materials.
• Yan Xiong agreed to draw the guards’ attacks while Xie Jinghan rushed the execution platform to rescue the prisoners.

On the day of the autumn executions, Xie Jinghan reached the fifth level of the innate realm and joined Chu Xiong and Jiang Lingshan in waiting for the condemned prisoners’ procession. As the carts passed through the southern market and headed for Fallen Soul Slope, Xie Jinghan studied the prisoners and guards without revealing his purpose.

• Xie Jinghan completed his cultivation and discovered that he had advanced to the fifth level of the innate realm.
• Xie Jinghan met Chu Xiong and Jiang Lingshan, and the three headed to the southern market to await the prison carts.
• Soldiers escorted the condemned prisoners through the crowded streets as townsfolk hurled filth and shouted curses at them.
• Xie Jinghan watched the prisoners from the rear of the crowd, while Jiang Lingshan held back her reaction and Chu Xiong surveyed the guards and hidden sentries.
• After more than two hours, the procession passed through the south gate and continued toward Fallen Soul Slope.

At Fallen Soul Slope, City Lord Yang Shijing prepared to execute Miao Cunyi, Chu Xunfang, and Jiang Shenzhi while Xie Jinghan, Chu Xiong, and Jiang Lingshan secretly moved closer. Yang Shijing dropped the execution token as the appointed hour arrived, leaving the execution—and any rescue—on the verge of beginning.

• Yang Shijing oversaw the executions from the dais while Bai Ji assured him that the grounds were surrounded and the would-be rescuers would be trapped.
• Xie Jinghan, Chu Xiong, and Jiang Lingshan spotted the wounded, chained Miao Cunyi, Chu Xunfang, and Jiang Shenzhi on the platform.
• As a quarter to one approached, Xie Jinghan and his companions spread out and quietly drew closer to the execution platform.
• The timekeeping official announced that the appointed hour had arrived, and Yang Shijing threw down the execution token and ordered the prisoners beheaded.

Masked bandits attacked the execution ground and rescued the condemned Xin Ye, but the Eight Falcon Generals trapped him and his uncle on the platform. As the uncle began to lose against their formation, Yan Xiong charged in to confront the generals.

• A masked force fired arrows into the execution platform and rushed the soldiers, throwing the execution ground into chaos.
• A figure Xie Jinghan recognized as one of the prison visitors freed Xin Ye from his chains and called him his nephew.
• The Eight Falcon Generals surrounded Xin Ye and his uncle and used their combined formation to overpower the uncle’s sword attacks.
• Yang Shijing declared that the raiders would be killed, while Bai Ji remarked that the Eight Falcon Generals would prevent the man from escaping.
• Yan Xiong charged from the crowd toward the Eight Falcon Generals, shouting “Exterminate All!”

Yan Xiong and Li Yuanli broke the Eight Falcon Generals’ formation during the chaotic execution, while Xie Jinghan and Jiang Lingshan used Heaven-Shaking Thunders to rescue the condemned prisoners. The escapees fled through the smoke as Bai Ji vowed that none would get away.

• Yan Xiong arrived to aid Li Yuanli and Li Xin Ye, and together they fought the Eight Falcon Generals.
• Jiang Lingshan hurled ten Heaven-Shaking Thunders, blasting apart the platform and filling it with smoke.
• Yan Xiong and Li Yuanli exploited a flaw in the generals’ formation, defeated them, and escaped with Li Xin Ye.
• The masked figures withdrew as the soldiers’ formation fell into disarray.
• Xie Jinghan freed Miao Cunyi, Chu Xunfang, and Jiang Shenzhi from their shackles and led them off the platform.
• Bai Ji watched the escape unfold and declared that no one would get away.

Xie Jinghan and his companions escaped the execution platform with Jiang Shenzhi, but the Mountain-Subduing Army’s Heavy Armor Guards trapped the fleeing crowd on Fallen Soul Slope. As the group fought to break through, Cai Jinjian defeated Yan Xiong and Li Yuanli, while the Eight Falcon Generals arrived behind them.

• Xie Jinghan regrouped with Jiang Lingshan, Jiang Shenzhi, and the others, and Jiang Lingshan set off Heaven-Shaking Thunders to help the group escape amid the fleeing civilians.
• Armor-piercing arrows killed many people at the slope’s exit, forcing the crowd back as the Mountain-Subduing Army’s Heavy Armor Guards sealed off Fallen Soul Slope.
• Chu Yuehu ordered the troops to kill anyone who tried to leave and advanced uphill to push the crowd toward the execution platform.
• Jiang Lingshan threw Heaven-Shaking Thunders at the shield wall, and Yan Xiong and Li Yuanli broke through it with their sword techniques.
• Cai Jinjian struck Yan Xiong and Li Yuanli with golden palm force, then demanded their surrender.
• The Eight Falcon Generals arrived behind the group with their silver spears.

At Fallen Soul Slope, Xie Jinghan, Yan Xiong, and Li Yuanli faced Chu Yuehu, Cai Jinjian, the Eight Falcon Generals, and a vast army. As their opponents split them into three duels, Jiang Lingshan guarded the others and prepared her hidden weapons.

• The Eight Falcon Generals asked Chu Yuehu for permission to fight Li Yuanli, and Li Yuanli vowed to break their combined formation.
• Cai Jinjian asked to fight Yan Xiong, but Chu Yuehu intervened and offered Yan Xiong a place in the Mountain-Subduing Army; Yan Xiong refused and advanced to face him.
• Yan Xiong warned Xie Jinghan not to confront Cai Jinjian head-on, and Xie Jinghan accepted the challenge from the peak Innate Realm expert.
• Jiang Lingshan guarded Jiang Shenzhi, Miao Cunyi, Chu Xunfang, and Li Muye while keeping Heaven-Shaking Thunders ready.
• Yang Shijing watched from the execution platform as Bai Ji observed the battlefield with a faint smile.

Xie Jinghan battled Cai Jinjian, using lightning sword techniques and evasive movement against Cai’s powerful Golden Light techniques. After surviving their exchanges, Xie Jinghan faced Cai’s mind-attacking Golden Light Lotus Mantra.

• Xie Jinghan unleashed Thunder Induction and struck at Cai Jinjian with Million Volts, but Cai dodged with Golden Light Illusionary Shadow Step.
• Cai Jinjian attacked with Golden Light Finger, and Xie Jinghan evaded it by using Treading the Void.
• Xie Jinghan descended with Sword-Edge Flowing Light, but Cai Jinjian blocked the attack with Golden Light Slash and emerged unharmed.
• Cai Jinjian acknowledged Xie Jinghan’s strength, learned his name, and declared that he would kill him.
• Cai Jinjian sent his mind-attacking Golden Light Lotus Mantra toward Xie Jinghan.