Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary:

Qin Suguan

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yuan, Liu Bai, and Bei Tianya enter the Capital City through its outer districts using forged identities and human-skin masks. Because the masks interfere with true qi, Chen Yuan and Liu Bai must rely mainly on physical strength while wearing them.
• Bei Tianya explains that Horizon Sea Pavilion has not yet confirmed the location of either objective:
  • A Seven-Kill Stele Fragment, possibly connected to a disputed treasure map seized in East Second City.
  • A Dragon Vein Branch, whose appearance is brief and difficult to track.
• Since the Radiance Cult has no permanent intelligence network in the Capital City, Chen Yuan proposes seeking help from his old friend Qin Suguan, now chief constable of the Serious Crimes Division at the Capital Six Fan School.
• After waiting for Qin Suguan to leave the heavily guarded East City headquarters, Chen Yuan meets him in South One City. Qin initially attacks when Chen appears unexpectedly, but recognizes him almost immediately.
• Chen reveals that he is truly Chen Yuan, heir of the Radiance Cult, rather than merely Chen Jiutian of the Martial Suppression Hall. Qin nevertheless accepts him as a friend.
• Qin describes the corruption of the Capital City and the difficulties of his position. Although the Serious Crimes Division has high authority, it is burdened with cases involving powerful officials, noble families, and imperial relatives. Arrests are often neutralized by political pressure, allowing criminals to escape punishment.
• Chen asks Qin for help locating the Seven-Kill Stele Fragment and identifying a Dragon Vein Branch. Qin is alarmed, especially by the potential danger to Great Xia’s Dragon Vein.
• Chen clarifies that the Radiance Cult does not intend to damage the main Dragon Vein, but only to obtain power from a Dragon Vein Branch.
• Chen summons Bei Tianya and Liu Bai, introducing them to Qin under their aliases: Gou Mang, Azure Wood Hall’s master, and Liu Bai, Open Sun Hall’s master.
• The chapter ends with Qin demanding a sworn guarantee that using the Dragon Vein Branch will not cause disorder or harm civilians.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Yuan is shown as cautious but confident. He carefully manages the group’s disguises and security, yet trusts his personal bond with Qin enough to reveal the truth about his identity and mission.
• Bei Tianya remains pragmatic and security-conscious. He emphasizes the limits of the Radiance Cult’s intelligence network and warns Chen about the danger of approaching Qin, demonstrating his concern for the group’s survival.
• Liu Bai functions primarily as the group’s combat strength and remains quiet during strategic discussions.
• Qin Suguan has risen from a junior constable in Qinzhou to a powerful official in the Capital Six Fan School, but his promotion has brought frustration rather than satisfaction. He has become more mature and hardened while retaining his commitment to justice.
• Qin’s loyalty is shown to be based on personal trust and moral principles rather than official affiliations. He accepts Chen despite knowing he is a Radiance Cult heir, but remains unwilling to compromise his responsibility toward the people and the state.
• Yan Wuhui, though absent, is established as Qin’s principled superior and protector, whose own commitment to justice has made him unpopular within the Six Fan School.

3. Significant Themes

• Friendship versus political identity: Qin continues to regard Chen as a trusted friend despite Chen’s affiliation with the outlawed Radiance Cult.
• Justice versus authority: Qin’s position exposes the gap between arresting criminals and actually securing justice when powerful families and imperial relatives control the legal process.
• Corruption and institutional decay: The Capital City, supposedly the center of Great Xia, is portrayed as deeply rotten, with influence and status shielding criminals from consequences.
• Trust and moral accountability: Chen trusts Qin, while Qin demands concrete assurances before assisting with a matter as dangerous as the Dragon Vein.
• Power and responsibility: The Seven-Kill Stele and Dragon Vein represent immense forces capable of producing either great advantages or widespread destruction. The characters must balance their goals against the potential consequences for the realm.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen and Bei Tianya debate whether Qin can be trusted, with Bei warning that Qin might expose Chen to the court. Chen counters that Qin’s character makes betrayal unlikely.
• Chen and Qin reunite warmly. Qin acknowledges Chen’s past help and insists that his hidden identity does not invalidate their friendship.
• Qin openly vents his frustration about serving in the Capital Six Fan School, while Chen listens and learns more about the political obstacles surrounding his friend.
• Chen honestly explains the Radiance Cult’s objectives instead of concealing them, strengthening Qin’s trust but also forcing Qin to confront the risks involved.
• Qin accepts a meeting with Bei Tianya and Liu Bai but refuses to extend his trust automatically to other Radiance Cult members. His demand for an oath establishes the moral and practical condition for any future cooperation.
• The chapter concludes with the alliance still uncertain: Qin is willing to listen because of Chen, but he will not assist until the Dragon Vein plan is proven safe.

Chapter Summary: “Capital City or Gotham?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mr. Bei defends the Radiance Cult’s plan to extract part of the Dragon Vein Branch’s power. After Qin Suguan demands a guarantee that this will not harm the realm or its people, Mr. Bei swears in the Cult’s name that the extraction will cause no chaos or casualties.
• Mr. Bei argues that the Dragon Vein’s instability is caused by the corrupt Great Xia court, not by those exploiting its power. Because the Dragon Vein reflects the realm’s collective fortune, the court’s tyranny and the people’s suffering have caused its power to erupt.
• Qin Suguan admits that he has witnessed the Capital City’s corruption firsthand but feels powerless beyond enforcing order in his own role as a constable.
• Chen Yuan explains that the appearance of a Seven Kill Stele is usually marked by mass slaughter or blood sacrifices. Qin counters that the Capital City’s outer cities are already so violent that ordinary killings would make the signs nearly impossible to distinguish.
• Qin proposes using a fake Seven Kill Stele infused with the real stele’s aura to lure out whoever is secretly conducting blood sacrifices or investigating the weapon.
• Mr. Bei explains that a Dragon Vein Branch causes unusual manifestations: vegetation may return to spring, ordinary people near it may enjoy extraordinary luck, and martial artists below the True Condensation Realm may experience sudden cultivation breakthroughs. These effects last only one to three days.
• Qin reveals that people have already been investigating such phenomena, suggesting that another faction may be searching for the Dragon Vein Branch. Mr. Bei finds this puzzling, since only the Radiance Cult and the Great Xia Imperial Clan have known cultivation methods that require Dragon Vein power.
• Qin describes several recent crises in the Capital City: the simultaneous deaths of three major gang leaders, the resulting riots, the assassination of Song Tiancheng, and the unexplained arrival of many powerful martial artists.
• Song Tiancheng’s death is especially serious because he was the son of the Duke of Qi, a Grandmaster, and a general of the Golden Feather Army. His death threatens the Duke of Qi’s political line and has led the Third Prince and the Imperial Noble Consort to demand a thorough investigation.
• Qin admits that political enemies and the absence of his protector, Yan Wuhui, have caused the investigation to be assigned to him as a likely scapegoat.
• Chen Yuan creates a decoy by infusing several dozen Origin Stones with the Seven Kill Stele’s aura. Qin distributes the fake through his informants in the outer cities.
• Within a single day, Qin’s network discovers that someone in the Capital City is monitoring the false stele’s power, confirming that the trap has attracted attention.

Character Developments

• Qin Suguan demonstrates increased maturity, caution, and strategic thinking. Unlike his formerly reckless self, he now uses informants, analyzes political circumstances, and develops an effective plan to expose hidden enemies.
• Chen Yuan continues to act as a supportive ally and recognizes Qin’s growth. He also takes the initiative in preparing the fake Seven Kill Stele and remains confident in his ability to conceal its true nature.
• Mr. Bei is shown to be calm but intimidating, courteous toward Chen Yuan yet openly domineering toward Qin. His explanation of the Dragon Vein reveals a more nuanced understanding of political legitimacy and the relationship between imperial rule and popular fortune.
• Qin Suguan becomes emotionally discouraged when Mr. Bei blames the court for the realm’s suffering, but Chen reassures him that he has fulfilled his duty as a constable despite the larger corruption surrounding him.
• The Great Xia court is portrayed as deeply corrupt and ineffective, while the Six Fan School is shown to be constrained by political influence and unequal treatment of the wealthy and poor.

Significant Themes

• Corruption and political responsibility: The chapter argues that social chaos originates in the court’s moral decay and inability to govern, not merely in supernatural forces or individual criminals.
• Unequal justice: The Capital City’s wealthy and noble districts receive protection, while the outer-city poor are largely ignored unless powerful interests are involved.
• Law versus systemic corruption: Qin represents officials trying to uphold order within a broken system, highlighting the limits of personal duty.
• Power and legitimacy: The Dragon Vein embodies the collective fortune of humanity and naturally resists dynasties that lose the people’s support.
• Deception and investigation: Chen and Qin use controlled misinformation to draw out hidden enemies, showing the importance of strategy in a city where direct investigation is nearly impossible.
• Political instability: The unexplained murders, gang riots, assassinations, and influx of martial artists suggest that a much larger conspiracy is developing in the Capital City.

Important Character Interactions

• Qin Suguan and Mr. Bei: Qin distrusts Mr. Bei and challenges him directly, while Mr. Bei responds with intimidation before respecting Qin’s integrity and intelligence.
• Chen Yuan and Qin Suguan: Their friendship is strengthened as Chen reassures Qin and acknowledges his development. They collaborate closely on the plan to expose the Seven Kill Stele’s hidden pursuers.
• Chen Yuan and Mr. Bei: Chen is treated with unusual courtesy by Mr. Bei, reflecting their shared interests and Mr. Bei’s recognition of Chen’s importance.
• Qin Suguan and the Six Fan School: Qin’s strained relationship with his colleagues and superiors leaves him vulnerable to political blame, though his informant network gives him an independent investigative advantage.
• Qin Suguan and his informants: Former criminals and martial artists now assist him after being captured and disciplined, providing intelligence that official investigators cannot obtain.

Ending

The chapter ends with the plan succeeding: only one day after the fake Seven Kill Stele’s aura is released, Qin’s informants discover that someone is secretly watching it. This establishes the next stage of the investigation and confirms that the Capital City’s recent disturbances are connected to the Seven Kill Stele or a related hidden faction.

Chapter Summary: “Red Lotus Sect Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Suguan secretly visits Chen Yuan, Mr. Bei, and Liu Bai after disguising himself to avoid suspicion from the Six Fan School.
• He reveals that their informants released the aura of the Seven Kill Stele, attracting investigators from the Everjoy Gang. He provides detailed information about the gang and its leader, Xiong Tianliang.
• Qin explains the enormous profits and powerful patrons behind the Capital City’s underground gangs, many of whom are supported by nobles, officials, or members of the imperial clan.
• Chen Yuan and the others travel to Everjoy Ward, where the Everjoy Gang’s headquarters is located.
• They confront Xiong Tianliang, an Origin Pill Realm martial artist who has built his gang through treachery and ruthless violence.
• Chen Yuan incapacitates Xiong before he can attack, while Mr. Bei seals the room and prevents any sound from escaping.
• Under interrogation and torture, Xiong initially refuses to reveal anything. Chen Yuan deduces that he is protecting his family from retaliation by a more powerful organization.
• Xiong finally confesses that the Red Lotus Sect recruited him three months earlier. He helped them search for a bead containing Blood Fiend Power and recently investigated the new Blood Fiend aura.
• He reveals that a Red Lotus Sect martial artist of the Peak Origin Pill Realm is stationed in a Black Tower at the end of Everjoy Ward.
• After extracting the information, Chen Yuan orders Xiong’s death. The group immediately heads toward the Black Tower.
• As they approach, the Red Lotus Sect martial artist inside prepares to self-destruct, prompting Mr. Bei to warn them to move.

Character Developments

• Qin Suguan: Demonstrates both caution and loyalty. Though he fears being exposed for cooperating with Radiance Cult members, he risks helping Chen Yuan and openly condemns corruption within the Six Fan School and the Capital City’s criminal networks.
• Chen Yuan: Shows stronger strategic judgment and psychological insight. He recognizes that Xiong’s silence stems from fear for his family and uses this understanding to break his resistance. He also suspects the Red Lotus Sect may still be searching for the Seven Kill Stele or its fragment.
• Mr. Bei: Reveals his ruthless methods through the Azure Dragon Wood Force, torturing and crippling Xiong. His initial failure to extract information highlights that physical pain alone is insufficient against someone protecting his family.
• Xiong Tianliang: Is portrayed as cruel, ambitious, and treacherous, having murdered his adoptive father to seize leadership. Despite his brutality, he remains vulnerable when his family is threatened and ultimately betrays the Red Lotus Sect to save them.
• The Red Lotus Sect: Emerges as an organized and continuing threat. Its members use local gangs as expendable intermediaries while concealing their larger objective.

Significant Themes

• Corruption and hidden power: The chapter emphasizes how gangs, officials, nobles, and even imperial figures cooperate for profit and influence.
• Loyalty under coercion: Xiong’s refusal to speak reflects the extreme pressure placed on people whose families are controlled by powerful organizations.
• Ruthlessness and moral ambiguity: Chen Yuan’s group uses intimidation, torture, and execution, but they target criminals and conspirators while claiming to avoid harming innocents.
• Pawns and larger conspiracies: Xiong is only a disposable tool for the Red Lotus Sect, suggesting that the true conspiracy extends far beyond the Everjoy Gang.
• The return of an old enemy: The Red Lotus Sect’s reappearance links the current investigation to the earlier conflict over the Seven Kill Stele in Qinzhou.

Character Interactions

• Qin Suguan and Chen Yuan cooperate as trusted allies, with Qin providing official intelligence while Chen handles the dangerous confrontation.
• Chen Yuan, Mr. Bei, and Liu Bai operate as a coordinated masked team, combining stealth, martial power, and interrogation tactics.
• Chen Yuan and Mr. Bei debate the meaning of Xiong’s resistance, with Chen providing the psychological interpretation that exposes Xiong’s fear for his family.
• Xiong’s confession reveals the indirect relationship between the Red Lotus Sect and the Everjoy Gang: the sect gives orders while local gang leaders perform the dirty work.
• The chapter ends with the group confronting the Red Lotus Sect directly, just as its hidden operative attempts suicide to avoid capture.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mr. Bei, Liu Bai, and Chen Yuan investigate the Black Tower in Everjoy Ward, suspecting it is connected to the Red Lotus Sect and the Everjoy Gang.
• Although the three suppress their auras and detect no formations, the Red Lotus Sect member inside senses their arrival through an unknown method.
• The Red Lotus martial artist, a Peak Origin Pill Realm expert, activates the Red Lotus Sacred Flame and burns his blood, qi, and Origin Pill in preparation for a suicidal attack. He declares his faith in the Red Lotus Holy Mother and explodes.
• Mr. Bei protects Chen Yuan and Liu Bai with azure dragon energy, but the Black Tower is destroyed. The martial artist dies before they can interrogate him.
• Chen Yuan concludes that the Red Lotus Sect has infiltrated the Capital City extensively. They likely know about the Seven Kill Stele but have not yet begun the blood sacrifice, since Xiong Tianliang was kept alive and monitored.
• Chen Yuan also infers that the Red Lotus Sect must have at least one Eighth-Level Divine Altar Realm expert overseeing the operation, and possibly an even stronger Ninth-Realm Heavenly Profound expert.
• Mr. Bei and Liu Bai decide to investigate Everjoy Ward themselves, while Chen Yuan informs Qin Suguan of the Red Lotus Sect’s involvement.
• Qin Suguan reveals that the four princes will leave the city to perform ancestral sacrifices, placing the Capital under heavy security and martial law. He warns Chen Yuan not to act openly during the ceremony.
• The next day, Chen Yuan watches the princes return from the imperial mausoleum. Though they appear dignified and affectionate before the public, their private conversation is filled with political hostility and personal insults.
• Zhao Jingyuan, angered by his recent losses and the assassination of his uncle Song Tiancheng, orders a servant to threaten the Six Fan School. He demands that they identify the murderer within seven days or he will destroy the organization.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan demonstrates strong analytical ability, extracting useful information from the failed Black Tower operation despite losing the chance to interrogate the Red Lotus member. He admits that bringing two powerful allies may have caused the enemy to choose suicide rather than surrender.
• Mr. Bei becomes frustrated and humiliated by the Red Lotus Sect’s ability to detect him and by the fanatic’s willingness to sacrifice himself. Nevertheless, he takes responsibility for continuing the investigation.
• Liu Bai works closely with Mr. Bei and joins the effort to monitor Everjoy Ward.
• Qin Suguan’s hatred of the Red Lotus Sect is revealed to be deeply personal: his parents died during the earlier rebellion. The new discovery reopens old anger and motivates him to investigate.
• Zhao Jingyuan is shown to be politically weakened and emotionally volatile after losing the Time Gu, the Gu God Sect, Xue Ju, and his uncle Song Tiancheng. His insecurity makes him increasingly aggressive.
• The four princes are revealed to be rivals rather than genuine brothers. Their public composure conceals intense competition for imperial succession.

Significant Themes

• Fanaticism and self-sacrifice: The Red Lotus Sect values religious loyalty above individual survival, making its members extremely difficult to capture or interrogate.
• Hidden infiltration and political danger: The Red Lotus Sect’s presence in the Capital is deeper than expected, while the imperial court itself is filled with secrecy, surveillance, and competing factions.
• Appearance versus reality: The princes smile and wave to the public while verbally attacking one another in private. Likewise, the Black Tower appears ordinary but conceals a dangerous Red Lotus operative.
• Power and succession: The emperor’s prolonged reign has intensified rivalry among his sons, turning familial relationships into political struggles.
• Failure and accountability: Chen Yuan reflects on his tactical mistake, while Zhao Jingyuan attempts to shift responsibility onto the Six Fan School through threats and intimidation.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Yuan, Mr. Bei, and Liu Bai: Their investigation shows mutual trust, though Chen Yuan recognizes that their overwhelming strength may have forced the enemy into suicide.
• Chen Yuan and Qin Suguan: Chen Yuan provides the crucial Red Lotus Sect information, while Qin Suguan commits to a formal investigation after the city’s security duties are completed.
• Mr. Bei and Liu Bai: They take the initiative to patrol Everjoy Ward and maintain surveillance in case the Red Lotus Sect returns.
• The four princes: Their conversation exposes bitter rivalry. The Crown Prince mocks Zhao Jingyuan’s losses and attacks the legitimacy of the Second Prince; Zhao Jingyuan accuses the Crown Prince of coveting the emperor’s death; the princes also attack the Fourth Prince’s supposedly innocent persona.
• Zhao Jingyuan and the Six Fan School: After the procession, Zhao Jingyuan lashes out at the organization, giving it a seven-day ultimatum to solve Song Tiancheng’s murder.

Key plot points and events

• The Six Fan School has made little progress investigating the assassination of Golden Feather Army General Song Tiancheng. Its leaders give Qin Suguan seven days to produce an answer, while denying him access to the military and imperial relatives whose cooperation he says he needs.
• Qin recognizes that he is being set up as a scapegoat. He tells Chen Yuan that Capital City has become unusually chaotic in recent months, with major crimes and outside forces appearing.
• Chen volunteers to help. Disguised with a human-skin mask and wearing a borrowed constable’s uniform and token, he enters South City with Qin.
• At the Duke of Qi’s Estate, Song Tiancheng’s son angrily accuses the Six Fan School of incompetence. The frail Duke of Qi nevertheless insists that the investigation proceed, because his family deserves an explanation for the death.
• Qin and Chen examine Song’s body. Qin recounts that Song left a gathering of noble friends after receiving a mysterious message and was found dead the next day in an alley. A single unadorned punch crushed his chest and killed him without a struggle.
• Chen asks whether the attacker might have been a Ninth-Realm Heavenly Profound expert. Qin rejects this: the Duke’s family had no such enemies, and the city’s formations showed no sign of an attack at that level.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Suguan remains principled but is isolated within the Six Fan School. Despite the pressure and hostility from its leaders, he accepts Chen’s help because he lacks trustworthy allies.
• Chen Yuan moves from observer to active investigator, disguising himself as Qin’s subordinate. His questions suggest he is looking beyond the obvious explanation for Song’s death.
• The Duke of Qi appears physically near death, yet remains resolute about his family’s honor and the need for justice. He briefly studies Chen, making Chen wonder whether his disguise has been noticed.
• Young Master Song is openly contemptuous of the investigators, but the Duke restrains him and insists that the court be allowed to investigate.
• Qin and Chen work collaboratively: Qin supplies the case history, while Chen probes its implications.

Significant themes

• Institutional corruption and scapegoating: The Six Fan School’s leaders prioritize political convenience over solving the case, leaving Qin to bear responsibility without giving him the tools he needs.
• Justice versus political power: The Duke’s family demands an answer, while the court’s sensitivities and the family’s status complicate the investigation.
• A city in growing turmoil: The recent surge of mysteries and arriving factions suggests that Song’s murder may be part of a wider upheaval.
• Hidden identities and uncertain evidence: Chen’s disguise and the unexplained message and apparently ordinary killing leave open the possibility that the case is more complicated than it appears.

Chapter Summary: “It Was Him!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Suguan and Chen Yuan investigate the murder of Song Tiancheng, whose heart meridians were shattered by a close-range punch.
• Chen Yuan argues that Song, an Eighth-Level Divine Altar Realm expert, could not have been killed without warning unless:
  1. His strength had first been weakened, or
  2. He trusted his killer enough to let him approach.
• Using the Inner Scenery Deity Visualization Method, Chen Yuan examines Song’s corpse and discovers that a tiny amount of true qi in Song’s dantian had been consumed.
• He identifies the residue as Heaven-Devouring Venom, a toxin previously developed by the Medicine King Valley traitor Ming Gongqiao.
• Chen Yuan deduces that Zhao Wuji, the Unique Double-Pupiled White-Clad Marquis, likely poisoned Song Tiancheng before killing him with a single punch.
• Zhao Wuji had access to Heaven-Devouring Venom through his former support of Ming Gongqiao’s research. Because the venom dissipated after Song’s death, the Six Fan School’s coroners failed to detect it.
• Qin Suguan explains that Song had been trying to recruit Zhao Wuji to support the Third Prince. Chen Yuan concludes Zhao Wuji had already chosen another prince and viewed Song—the Third Prince’s strongest political supporter—as an obstacle.
• Chen Yuan warns Qin Suguan that the Six Fan School may refuse to investigate Zhao Wuji because of his direct imperial ancestry and politically sensitive background.
• Qin Suguan nevertheless reports the discovery to the other Divine Constables, refusing to ignore a murder simply because pursuing it is dangerous.
• The other Divine Constables believe Qin Suguan’s deduction is highly credible, but conclude that the case cannot be pursued, revealing the political limitations of the Six Fan School.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan demonstrates exceptional investigative ability and combat insight. His knowledge of actual martial combat allows him to recognize that Song must have been weakened or betrayed by someone trusted. His specialized perception is the only reason the Heaven-Devouring Venom is discovered.
• Qin Suguan proves his integrity and courage. Although he understands that Zhao Wuji is politically untouchable, he insists on reporting the truth rather than concealing it. His refusal to compromise his principles reinforces why he became known as the “God of Constables.”
• Zhao Wuji is revealed as the likely murderer and as a powerful, calculating political player. His apparent relationship with Song Tiancheng concealed a deadly betrayal.
• Song Tiancheng is shown to have been the Third Prince’s central political support. His death severely weakens the Third Prince’s position.
• The Third Prince has become gloomy and shaken after losing both political momentum and his most important ally. He angrily blames the Six Fan School for failing to solve the murder.
• The other Divine Constables are portrayed as capable and perceptive, but also deeply aware of political realities. Their decision not to pursue the case shows the limits imposed on justice by imperial power.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus political power: Even when the truth is clear, powerful imperial connections can prevent an investigation from proceeding.
• Betrayal and misplaced trust: Song’s trust in Zhao Wuji allowed the assassination to succeed.
• The importance of firsthand knowledge: Chen Yuan’s combat experience and unique cultivation method reveal details that professional coroners overlooked.
• Moral courage: Qin Suguan chooses to report the truth despite knowing it may bring danger or achieve nothing.
• Institutional compromise: The Six Fan School is capable of uncovering crimes but is unwilling—or unable—to challenge figures protected by the imperial system.
• Political succession: Song Tiancheng’s death is not merely a personal murder; it is part of the struggle among the imperial princes for the throne.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Yuan and Qin Suguan: They cooperate closely in examining the corpse. Chen Yuan provides the crucial deduction, while Qin Suguan decides to act on it despite the risks.
• Chen Yuan and Zhao Wuji: Although they do not meet directly in the chapter, Chen Yuan identifies Zhao Wuji as the likely killer and recognizes the broader political motive behind the assassination.
• Qin Suguan and the Six Fan School’s Divine Constables: Qin reports his findings, but Yuan Qingfeng, Xie Yunting, and Han Dingyuan realize that Zhao Wuji’s status makes the case too dangerous to pursue.
• The Third Prince and the investigators: The Third Prince glares at Qin Suguan and Chen Yuan, viewing them as incompetent for failing to uncover the truth earlier.
• Song Tiancheng and Zhao Wuji: Their political contact began as Song’s attempt to recruit Zhao Wuji, but Zhao exploited that trust to lure Song into an ambush.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Six Fan School concludes that Zhao Wuji likely murdered Song Tiancheng because of the struggle for the throne. Since Song Tiancheng supported the Third Prince, suspicion naturally points toward factions opposed to him—possibly the Crown Prince or Second Prince.
• The Divine Constables, fearing that the investigation could implicate the Crown Prince and destabilize the court, order Qin Suguan to stop investigating. They question his evidence and remind him that Zhao Wuji is an imperial clansman whose arrest would require the Grand Clan Elder’s approval.
• Qin Suguan angrily leaves the Six Fan School, feeling that his authority and ideals are being suppressed by political power. He briefly considers resigning and wandering the martial world, but memories of his deceased master’s uncompromising dedication to justice renew his determination.
• Qin decides to investigate Zhao Wuji independently, intending to establish Zhao’s crimes first and only then uncover the person directing him.
• While traveling to South One City to inform Chen Yuan, Qin notices that the streets have become unnaturally silent and isolated. Zhao Wuji emerges and reveals that he has been waiting for him.
• Zhao offers Qin a chance to serve him, promising him a future position among the Four Divine Constables. Qin rejects the offer and attacks.
• Zhao easily overwhelms Qin with the imperial clan’s Nine Dragons Suppressing the World Scripture, empowered by the Capital City’s Dragon Vein. Qin survives several devastating attacks through the defensive power of the Immovable Tathagata Secret Scripture, but is left gravely wounded.
• Just as Zhao prepares the finishing blow, Chen Yuan arrives wearing the Underworld King Mask. He uses the Maudgalyayana Hell-Piercing Arrow to destroy Zhao’s Nine-Dragon River Mountain Seal and gives Qin healing pills.
• Zhao mocks Qin for needing help from a Radiance Cult member, but Chen explains that he intervened because Qin is his friend. Zhao then attacks Chen as well.
• Chen counters with his combined Buddhist, demonic, and Daoist cultivation, using the Black Dragon Visualization and the Chaos-Reversing Yin-Yang Spirit-Brightening Art. His Nine Deaths Netherworld Slash clashes directly with Zhao’s power.
• Chen and Zhao fight evenly for more than a dozen exchanges. Zhao realizes that Chen genuinely possesses combat strength comparable to an Eighth-Level Divine Altar Realm expert, while Chen is surprised by Zhao’s substantial improvement since the Furnace-Opening Assembly.
• Zhao ultimately withdraws because the battle is taking place in the Capital City. A prolonged or overly destructive fight could attract powerful officials from the inner city and expose his secret actions.

Character Developments

• Qin Suguan: Demonstrates increasing independence and moral courage. Though humiliated by the Divine Constables and tempted to abandon his official position, he remains loyal to the principles taught by his master. He refuses Zhao Wuji’s offer and continues fighting despite being severely outmatched.
• Zhao Wuji: Reveals himself as bold, politically ambitious, and willing to assassinate both a military official and a senior Six Fan School constable. He seeks capable subordinates but has no intention of cooperating with the Radiance Cult, viewing it as an irreconcilable enemy. His strength has grown considerably, especially with the Dragon Vein’s assistance.
• Chen Yuan: Shows strong loyalty to Qin and a willingness to intervene in court-related conflicts for the sake of friendship. He proves that his reputation for killing Divine Altar Realm experts is genuine, matching Zhao Wuji despite being only in the Origin Pill Realm.
• The Divine Constables: Their pragmatism and fear of political consequences are emphasized. They prioritize protecting the court’s balance over pursuing the truth, contrasting sharply with Qin’s uncompromising sense of duty.
• Qin’s former master: Though deceased and weak by martial standards, his example continues to guide Qin. His belief that a constable must protect the people becomes the moral foundation for Qin’s decision to continue investigating.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus political power: Qin seeks the truth, but the Six Fan School is forced to stop because the investigation could threaten the imperial succession.
• Duty and personal integrity: Qin’s choice to remain a constable reflects his belief that authority carries an obligation to serve ordinary people.
• Friendship transcending factional conflict: Chen Yuan, a Radiance Cult member and enemy of the Great Xia court, rescues Qin because of their personal bond.
• The corruption and limitations of institutions: The Six Fan School claims to pursue justice but retreats when the investigation reaches powerful imperial figures.
• Hidden ambition and danger beneath the court: Zhao’s actions suggest that the murder of Song Tiancheng is part of a larger succession struggle, though the true mastermind remains unknown.
• The rise of the younger generation: Chen Yuan’s battle with Zhao demonstrates that exceptional younger martial artists can now challenge established Grandmasters.

Important Character Interactions

• Qin Suguan and the Divine Constables: Their confrontation establishes the conflict between Qin’s insistence on justice and the officials’ cautious political calculations.
• Qin and his former master’s memory: Qin’s internal reflection restores his resolve after his humiliation.
• Qin and Zhao Wuji: Zhao attempts to recruit Qin, but Qin answers with violence, reaffirming his loyalty to justice rather than power.
• Chen Yuan and Qin: Chen’s rescue confirms their close friendship and mutual trust.
• Chen Yuan and Zhao Wuji: Their clash turns a rescue into a major confrontation between two powerful but ideologically opposed figures. Zhao recognizes Chen as a genuine threat, while Chen exposes Zhao’s recklessness and brutality.

Chapter Summary: “The Throne”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Wuji and Chen Yuan fight briefly but withdraw without a decisive victor. Both understand that continuing would be dangerous, especially in the capital, where their identities and political connections are sensitive.
• Zhao Wuji spares Qin Suguan but threatens him, boasting that he has allies throughout the Six Fan School, Imperial Guard, Ministry of Justice, and wider imperial court. He warns that continued investigation will cost Qin his position—and potentially expose Chen Yuan as a remnant of the Radiance Cult.
• Chen Yuan rescues Qin and brings him back to the inn. Qin explains that at least one of the Six Fan School’s Four Great Divine Constables is likely secretly connected to Zhao Wuji, confirming that the organization is compromised.
• Unable to investigate Zhao Wuji through official channels, Qin considers abandoning the case. Chen Yuan instead suggests investigating the larger political forces behind recent murders, the Changle Gang, and the Red Lotus Sect.
• Chen Yuan theorizes that the recent incidents are connected to the princes’ struggle for the throne. Zhao Wuji may be serving one of the princes and eliminating their rivals.
• Qin investigates through personal informants and low-level underworld contacts rather than the Six Fan School. After two days, he confirms that many recently murdered gang leaders and martial-world or court figures were connected to the Crown Prince, Third Prince, or Fourth Prince.
• The evidence reveals that Zhao Wuji is most likely working for the Second Prince, whose seemingly gentle and refined image conceals ruthless political ambitions. Zhao Wuji’s murder of Song Tiancheng may have been intended both to weaken the Third Prince and to provoke conflict between the Crown Prince and Third Prince.
• Qin also discovers that the Changle Gang is backed by Lin Huaihai, an Imperial Guard commander related to the Fourth Prince. This suggests the Fourth Prince is connected to the Red Lotus Sect and helped conceal its presence in the outer city.
• Chen instructs Qin to monitor Lin Huaihai and the Fourth Prince, hoping to locate the Red Lotus Sect through them. Chen recalls that the Third Prince’s actions, by contrast, have generally been open and politically conventional, while his brothers use covert and lawless methods.
• Chen summons Mr. Bei and Liu Bai, ending their surveillance of the Changle Gang and redirecting them toward Lin Huaihai. Mr. Bei explains that succession struggles and violent transfers of power have been a long-standing tradition in Great Xia; no Crown Prince in the dynasty’s history has properly inherited the throne.
• Chen, Mr. Bei, Liu Bai, and Qin’s people watch Lin Huaihai for five days, but he never leaves the western auxiliary city.
• A new lead emerges when Qin discovers that the small Black Snake Gang is investigating the Dragon Vein phenomenon. Rather than report its findings to the auxiliary city, the gang leader travels to a funeral home near the city outskirts, prompting Chen and the others to suspect a hidden connection.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan demonstrates caution, strategic insight, and political awareness. He recognizes that Zhao Wuji cannot be defeated through direct confrontation or ordinary legal channels, so he shifts the investigation toward the broader struggle for the throne.
• Qin Suguan loses faith in the Six Fan School after realizing that its upper ranks are infiltrated by Zhao Wuji’s allies. Though initially confused and discouraged, he regains purpose by using independent informants and successfully uncovers the princes’ involvement.
• Zhao Wuji is shown to be deeply entrenched in the imperial bureaucracy. His confidence comes not only from his own martial strength but from a broad network of officials and institutions supporting him.
• The Second Prince is revealed to be far more ruthless than his public reputation suggests. Through Zhao Wuji, he appears to be secretly eliminating the forces supporting rival princes.
• The Fourth Prince emerges as a possible ally of the Red Lotus Sect, using Lin Huaihai and the Imperial Guard to shelter or assist it.
• Mr. Bei provides historical context, explaining that violent succession struggles have repeatedly shaped Great Xia’s history. He also acknowledges Chen Yuan’s importance, recognizing that Chen’s deductions have prevented them from investigating blindly.
• The Third Prince is reassessed. Although previously viewed as the most aggressive prince, his methods are comparatively open and rule-bound, making him less covertly dangerous than his brothers.

Significant Themes

• Political corruption and institutional control: Zhao Wuji’s influence shows that official justice is ineffective when the court’s institutions have been infiltrated.
• The struggle for power: The murder of Song Tiancheng and other political killings are revealed to be pieces of a much larger contest over the imperial throne.
• Appearance versus reality: The gentle Second Prince is secretly ruthless, while the seemingly reckless Third Prince may actually be the most transparent of the contenders.
• Trust and betrayal: Qin’s loss of faith in the Six Fan School forces him to rely on personal networks, while Chen and Qin’s brotherly trust becomes essential to their survival.
• Historical cycles: Mr. Bei emphasizes that violent succession disputes are not unusual but a recurring feature of Great Xia’s imperial history.
• Hidden alliances and indirect warfare: The princes avoid acting openly, instead using assassins, gangs, officials, sects, and provocations to weaken their rivals.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yuan and Zhao Wuji: Their confrontation remains restrained but highly threatening. Zhao uses his political influence to intimidate Chen and Qin, while Chen refuses to be cowed and begins dismantling Zhao’s larger network through deduction.
• Chen Yuan and Qin Suguan: Their relationship deepens as brothers and allies. Chen saves Qin, comforts him, and redirects his investigation, while Qin trusts Chen’s judgment and follows his strategy.
• Qin Suguan and the Six Fan School: Qin becomes alienated from the institution after seeing its corruption. His decision to investigate independently reflects his growing distrust of official authority.
• Chen Yuan and Mr. Bei: Mr. Bei recognizes Chen’s value and supports his political analysis. Their conversation places the current crisis within Great Xia’s long history of succession violence.
• The Princes and their agents: The Second Prince uses Zhao Wuji, while the Fourth Prince appears to use Lin Huaihai and possibly the Red Lotus Sect. Their indirect methods reveal a sprawling network of hidden political alliances.
• The chapter’s closing interaction: The Black Snake Gang’s leader secretly visiting a funeral home introduces a new mystery and suggests that the investigation into the Dragon Vein and the Red Lotus Sect is about to uncover another concealed faction or conspiracy.

Chapter Summary: “Corpse-Driving Sect”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Suguan and Chen Yuan investigate why the Black Serpent Gang’s leader visited West Second City’s charity mortuary. The gang leader is known to be cruel and miserly, making it unlikely that he came to retrieve a subordinate’s corpse.
• Chen Yuan enters the remote mortuary alone while Mr. Bei waits nearby and Liu Bai guards the approach from the city. The mortuary is a decaying compound filled with unclaimed corpses and foul corpse odors.
• The mortuary’s hunchbacked caretaker reacts suspiciously when Chen Yuan mentions the Black Serpent Gang. Chen Yuan identifies one coffin as being made from Five-Ghost Wood and sealed with Soul-Suppressing Nails—equipment associated with corpse refinement rather than ordinary burial.
• The caretaker reveals himself as Mo Jiuyin, an elder of the Corpse-Driving Sect. When Chen Yuan exposes the coffin’s purpose, Mo Jiuyin summons an Ironclad Zombie.
• Chen Yuan battles the Ironclad Zombie and discovers that it possesses tremendous physical strength, enough to overpower him in a direct clash. He attempts to attack Mo Jiuyin, but a Bride Zombie emerges and restrains him with corpse-qi threads that corrode true qi, suppress blood and vitality, and drain life force.
• Chen Yuan unleashes Heavenly Flame, burning away the corpse-qi threads and injuring the Bride Zombie. Mr. Bei then arrives and drives back the Ironclad Zombie.
• Mo Jiuyin summons two additional zombies: a Three-Eyed Zombie capable of transforming yin into powerful yang energy, and a Bone-Winged Zombie capable of flight. The Three-Eyed Zombie fires a devastating golden beam, forcing Chen Yuan and Mr. Bei to combine their dragon-based techniques to destroy it.
• Mo Jiuyin escapes on the Bone-Winged Zombie with his four zombies. Chen Yuan fires three arrows at him, but the Ironclad Zombie blocks them. Liu Bai then attacks from a distance and severs one of the Bone-Winged Zombie’s wings.
• Mo Jiuyin sacrifices corpse qi from the Bride Zombie to regenerate the wing and escapes. Mr. Bei prevents Liu Bai from pursuing, explaining that Mo Jiuyin’s flying zombie, Feng Zhenzi, cannot be easily defeated without the Sun-Piercing Sword, a Divine Weapon too dangerous to use openly in the capital.
• Afterward, the group concludes that Mo Jiuyin is among the Corpse-Driving Sect’s strongest elders and an exceptionally gifted corpse refiner. His presence in the capital suggests that a major political power is employing him.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan demonstrates strong investigative ability, recognizing the coffin’s unusual materials and correctly identifying Mo Jiuyin’s sect. He also shows tactical awareness by concealing his true strength and exploiting Heavenly Flame against the Bride Zombie’s corpse-qi techniques.
• Mr. Bei proves to be a powerful and experienced combatant, quickly recognizing Mo Jiuyin and understanding the capabilities and limitations of his zombies. His frustration over failing to capture Mo Jiuyin reveals his concern about repeated operational failures.
• Liu Bai remains vigilant and contributes a well-timed long-range attack, severing the Bone-Winged Zombie’s wing even though Mo Jiuyin ultimately escapes.
• Mo Jiuyin is established as a highly dangerous and versatile enemy. Unlike ordinary corpse drivers who specialize in one type of zombie, he creates zombies with distinct abilities, making his combat style unpredictable and difficult to counter.
• The Third Prince, Zhao Jingyuan, is indirectly characterized as proud but insufficiently ruthless for the conspiracy behind the mortuary. Chen Yuan doubts that he is connected to the incident.

Significant Themes

• Hidden conspiracies beneath ordinary institutions: The mortuary appears to be a charitable facility, but it conceals a powerful unorthodox cultivator and a collection of refined zombies.
• Power through preparation and deception: Chen Yuan’s false appearance as an Origin Pill Realm cultivator allows him to approach Mo Jiuyin, while Mo Jiuyin similarly hides his true strength and uses the mortuary as a trap.
• Specialization versus versatility: Mo Jiuyin’s strength lies in refining zombies with completely different abilities, demonstrating the advantages of adaptability over a single perfected technique.
• The danger of political entanglement: The presence of a Corpse-Driving Sect elder in the capital implies that powerful factions are recruiting forbidden or unorthodox forces for political purposes.
• Limits imposed by the setting: Although Chen Yuan, Mr. Bei, and Liu Bai possess powerful weapons and techniques, they must restrain themselves in the capital to avoid revealing or misusing Divine Weapons and Demonic Arms.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yuan verbally probes the mortuary caretaker, using his knowledge of Five-Ghost Wood and Soul-Suppressing Nails to force the old man to reveal his identity.
• Chen Yuan and Mo Jiuyin engage in a battle of deception: Mo Jiuyin underestimates Chen Yuan’s apparent cultivation, while Chen Yuan attempts to break through the zombies and attack their vulnerable master.
• Mr. Bei arrives to support Chen Yuan and immediately recognizes Mo Jiuyin as an important Corpse-Driving Sect elder, turning the confrontation into a coordinated battle.
• Chen Yuan and Mr. Bei combine their dragon techniques to counter the Three-Eyed Zombie’s golden beam.
• Liu Bai supports the battle from afar, striking Mo Jiuyin during his escape, but the enemy’s regenerative tactics allow him to flee.
• After the battle, Chen Yuan, Mr. Bei, and Liu Bai analyze Mo Jiuyin’s motives and debate which prince might be backing the Corpse-Driving Sect.

Chapter Summary: Reborn Dragon Corpse

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yuan, Liu Bai, and Mr. Bei investigate the Corpse-Driving Sect’s presence in the morgue and question why the Crown Prince recruited such a conspicuous and dangerous faction.
• Mr. Bei reveals that the Corpse-Driving Sect inherited the Corpse Demon Cult’s lost technique for creating Poison Dragon Corpse Venom, a substance refined from millions of corpses that can contaminate Dragon Vein power.
• The Crown Prince intends to poison a Dragon Vein Branch, causing the contamination to spread to the main Dragon Vein. This would destabilize the Capital’s fate, harm or kill civilians, cause martial artists to suffer qi deviation, and ultimately turn the Dragon Vein against the Emperor.
• The Corpse-Driving Sect is cooperating because the Crown Prince has likely promised them an imperial corpse. Corpses of emperors, saturated with Dragon Vein power, can be refined into incredibly powerful zombies known as Reborn Dragon Corpses, potentially comparable to Ninth-Realm Heavenly Profound experts.
• Chen Yuan concludes that the Crown Prince and Corpse-Driving Sect are only one of several threats. The Second Prince is allied with White-Clad Marquis Zhao Wuji, while the Fourth Prince is connected to the Red Lotus Sect.
• Qin Suguan reports that Imperial Guard Commander Lin Huaihai has gone to Changning Ward, a densely populated market district containing roughly one hundred thousand people. Chen Yuan suspects the Red Lotus Sect is preparing to use the Seven Kill Stele, which requires a blood sacrifice, by sacrificing the entire district.
• The three factions possess considerable hidden strength, including at least six Eighth-Level Divine Altar Realm experts. Despite Liu Bai and Mr. Bei’s confidence in battle, Chen Yuan recognizes that fighting all of them directly would jeopardize their mission.
• Chen Yuan proposes manipulating the three factions into clashing with one another. While they fight over the throne, his group will seize both the Seven Kill Stele and the Dragon Vein.
• He also offers Qin Suguan the chance to expose the princes’ treasonous actions and gain great merit, potentially overturning his suppression by the Six Fan School’s leadership.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan demonstrates strategic restraint. Rather than pursuing Mo Jiuyin immediately or engaging every enemy head-on, he focuses on the larger objective and plans to exploit the factions’ rivalry.
• Mr. Bei shows intense anger toward the Crown Prince’s plan because he regards the Dragon Vein as a sacred resource belonging to humanity, not merely the Imperial Clan. His knowledge of the Corpse Demon Cult clarifies the enemies’ motives.
• Liu Bai remains confident and battle-ready, believing he and Mr. Bei can face the enemy experts directly. However, Chen Yuan’s broader strategy prevents them from being drawn into a costly confrontation.
• Qin Suguan is deeply shaken by the princes’ willingness to sacrifice civilians. His loyalty is revealed to lie not with the Emperor or court, but with protecting ordinary people and upholding the true duty of a constable.
• Qin’s disillusionment with the corrupt Imperial Clan marks an early step toward his eventual break with the court and his transformation into an independent martial-world figure.

Significant Themes

• Political ambition and moral corruption: The princes’ pursuit of the throne has driven them to endanger the Emperor, the Dragon Vein, and entire populations of civilians.
• The corruption of power: Great Xia was founded by overthrowing a corrupt dynasty, yet its rulers have gradually become similarly rotten.
• Sacrifice of the innocent: Both the Crown Prince and Fourth Prince treat commoners as expendable tools—one through Dragon Vein poisoning and the other through mass blood sacrifice.
• Tradition and desecration: The Corpse-Driving Sect’s desire to turn imperial remains into zombies represents the violation of ancestral bodies and sacred authority for power.
• Strategy over brute force: The chapter emphasizes that victory depends not merely on strength, but on controlling the conflict and allowing enemies to weaken one another.
• Justice versus official authority: Qin Suguan’s conflict highlights the difference between serving the people and obeying a corrupt court.

Character Interactions

• Mr. Bei explains the Corpse Demon Cult’s history and the dangers of Poison Dragon Corpse Venom to Chen Yuan and Liu Bai, shaping their understanding of the Crown Prince’s plan.
• Chen Yuan and Liu Bai debate whether to pursue the Corpse-Driving Sect; Chen Yuan rejects a direct pursuit because multiple enemy groups are involved.
• Qin Suguan brings intelligence about Lin Huaihai and Changning Ward, prompting Chen Yuan to identify the Red Lotus Sect’s likely blood-sacrifice plot.
• Qin’s horror at the princes’ actions reveals his moral character, while Chen Yuan silently recognizes that these events are pushing him toward rebellion against the court.
• Chen Yuan proposes an alliance of convenience with Qin, offering him both a role in the plan and the possibility of restoring his standing through exposing the princes’ treason.

Summary: “Schemes from All Sides, the Fisherman Profits”

Key Plot Points and Events

Chen Yuan, Mr. Bei, Liu Bai, and Qin Suguan refine a plan to obtain both the Seven Kill Stele and a Dragon Vein Branch while also helping Qin Suguan gain enough merit to secure his political position. Their main challenge is controlling where and when the Dragon Vein Branch appears so that Zhao Wuji and the Red Lotus Sect can be drawn into conflict.
Chen Yuan remembers that Liu Suifeng of the Heavenly Martial Alliance, a supreme Formation Dao expert, may be able to influence the Dragon Vein. Through the Skywind Rain-Listening Tower, they contact Liu Suifeng. Wen Rou, now deputy tower master of the capital branch and an Origin Pill expert, arrives to assist them. She reveals that the branch possesses a spatial transmission formation and sends Chen Yuan’s request to Liu Suifeng.
After three days, Liu Suifeng responds by transmitting more than ten formation disks and instructions. He explains that directly altering a Dragon Vein’s eruption is impossible, but the disks can concentrate the fortune of an area. If placed around Changning Ward, they will make it the strongest concentration of fortune in the capital, thereby drawing a Dragon Vein Branch there and potentially controlling the timing of its appearance.
Chen Yuan then outlines the larger scheme. The Corpse-Driving Sect will be drawn to Changning Ward by the Dragon Vein Branch, while the Red Lotus Sect is already hiding there and intends to blood-sacrifice the Seven Kill Stele. Since both factions want the Dragon Vein, they are certain to clash, allowing Chen Yuan’s group to benefit from the conflict.
To draw Zhao Wuji into the trap, Chen Yuan plans to capture the gang leaders in the outer city who serve the Second Prince and Zhao Wuji. Bringing them to Changning Ward will make Zhao Wuji anxious and force him to intervene.
Finally, Chen Yuan assigns Qin Suguan a crucial role: identify the relevant gang leaders, remain in Changning Ward, evacuate the civilians when the conflict begins, and expose the princes’ conspiracy publicly while bypassing the Six Fan School. By saving roughly one hundred thousand people and revealing the political plot, Qin Suguan will gain enormous merit and become nearly untouchable within the imperial court.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan demonstrates strategic flexibility and manipulative skill. He combines the goals of multiple factions, arranging for the Red Lotus Sect and Corpse-Driving Sect to fight while using the conflict to obtain the Dragon Vein and Seven Kill Stele. He also deliberately creates a political opportunity to protect and elevate Qin Suguan.
• Mr. Bei initially worries that the plan is impossible because the Dragon Vein’s eruption is unpredictable, but he quickly recognizes Liu Suifeng’s importance and supports Chen Yuan’s revised strategy.
• Liu Suifeng contributes indirectly but decisively through his advanced Formation Dao. His formation disks transform an apparently uncontrollable Dragon Vein event into something that can be guided and timed.
• Wen Rou has risen from her earlier position as the proprietress of Linked Mountains City to deputy tower master of the capital branch. Her cultivation and status have advanced significantly, and she remains loyal to Chen Yuan while recognizing how much his past assistance contributed to her success.
• Qin Suguan moves from being a stubborn, independent official to someone deeply indebted to and emotionally committed to Chen Yuan. He vows to repay Chen Yuan by risking his life, showing that their relationship has developed beyond simple cooperation or political convenience.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and indirect control: Chen Yuan cannot command every faction directly, so he shapes circumstances that force them to act according to his design.
• Conflicting schemes producing mutual benefit: The plans of the princes, Red Lotus Sect, Corpse-Driving Sect, and Radiance Cult overlap. Chen Yuan intends to let these forces collide while his own group profits.
• Power through information and networks: The Skywind Rain-Listening Tower’s intelligence system and transportation formations prove essential to the plan, showing that influence depends on communication as much as martial strength.
• Political legitimacy and public merit: Qin Suguan’s protection will come not from military power but from saving civilians and exposing corruption. Public reputation becomes a shield against imperial retaliation.
• Loyalty built through meaningful aid: Chen Yuan’s support of Wen Rou and Qin Suguan creates genuine loyalty rather than merely transactional alliances.
• Moral ambiguity: Chen Yuan’s methods are ruthless—capturing gang leaders and deliberately provoking factional conflict—but the plan also aims to save civilians and expose the princes’ conspiracy.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yuan and Mr. Bei jointly analyze the feasibility of redirecting the Dragon Vein, with Mr. Bei providing practical objections and Chen Yuan proposing Liu Suifeng as the solution.
• Chen Yuan and Wen Rou reunite through the Skywind Rain-Listening Tower. Their familiarity and mutual trust are evident, and Wen Rou openly acknowledges Chen Yuan’s growing fame and past influence on her career.
• Chen Yuan relies on Wen Rou to transmit the message to Liu Suifeng, strengthening the cooperative relationship between the Radiance Cult and the Skywind Rain-Listening Tower.
• Liu Suifeng communicates through Wen Rou’s tower, contributing the technical means that makes Chen Yuan’s strategy possible.
• Chen Yuan explains the trap to Mr. Bei and Liu Bai, who accept the logic of provoking a confrontation between the Red Lotus Sect and Corpse-Driving Sect.
• Chen Yuan gives Qin Suguan both practical instructions and a path to political security. Qin responds with sincere gratitude and promises absolute loyalty, impressing Mr. Bei and Liu Bai, who recognize that Qin’s allegiance has become genuine rather than interest-based.

Chapter Summary:

Red Lotus Saint Son

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yuan and Qin Suguan investigate the underground gangs operating in the outer city. Their cooperation has become a genuine friendship, despite Chen Yuan’s original intention of befriending Qin Suguan for political advantage.
• They discover that none of the gangs are directly supported by the Second Prince, Zhao Jinghong. Instead, five major gangs are secretly backed by Zhao Wuji, the White-Clad Marquis.
• Zhao Wuji has used these gangs as intelligence networks and political tools in the capital. He supports Zhao Jinghong because the Second Prince is weak and therefore more likely to accept Zhao Wuji’s demands.
• Zhao Wuji’s conditions include restoring his family’s princely title, vindicating his ancestors’ claim to the throne, and appointing him Regent Prince over the martial world.
• Chen Yuan captures all five gang leaders within six days and brings them to a warehouse in Changning Ward. One leader flees but is located through Qin Suguan’s informants.
• A threatening note is left at the Golden Blade Gang’s headquarters, demanding that Zhao Wuji come to Changning Ward or the gang leaders will be executed. Zhao Wuji recognizes the message as a trap but decides to go because the gang leaders are vital sources of information.
• Zhao Wuji orders his adviser, Fan Cheng, to arrange for Jiang Yuanming to accompany him. He also warns Zhao Jinghong not to abandon their original agreement.
• Beneath Changning Ward, the Red Lotus Sect secretly gathers hundreds of martial artists and prepares a blood-sacrifice formation. Their broader goals are to seize the Seven Kill Stele, place the Fourth Prince on the throne, clear the Red Lotus Sect’s name, and spread its teachings throughout the Central Plains.
• The Red Lotus Saint Son learns that Chen Yuan—also known as Chen Jiutian—has entered the capital. Because Chen Yuan is believed to have killed Su Mei and consumed part of the Red Lotus Holy Mother’s true spirit, the Saint Son immediately declares him an enemy and orders the sect to hunt him down.
• Elder Xu advises caution, arguing that the Red Lotus Sect should prioritize its larger political objectives and avoid provoking the powerful Radiance Cult. The Saint Son rejects this advice and uses the Holy Mother’s true-spirit power to suppress and intimidate him.
• The Saint Son commands the sect to accelerate the blood-sacrifice formation, intending to sacrifice Chen Yuan and reclaim the Seven Kill Stele.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan and Qin Suguan: Their relationship has evolved from calculated political networking into sincere loyalty. Their successful operation demonstrates their strong coordination and growing trust.
• Zhao Wuji: He is revealed to be deeply ambitious, calculating, and determined to restore his family’s lost status. Although he supports Zhao Jinghong, he remains wary of the prince’s opportunism and does not trust his promises.
• Zhao Jinghong: His outwardly virtuous image contrasts with his willingness to promise enormous rewards—including dividing the empire with Zhao Wuji—in order to secure power. He is already considering reducing or reneging on those promises after benefiting from Zhao Wuji’s assistance.
• Red Lotus Saint Son: He is charismatic and youthful in appearance but arrogant, ruthless, and fanatically devoted to the Red Lotus Holy Mother. His inherited true-spirit power gives him authority over even stronger elders.
• Elder Xu: He represents the older generation of the Red Lotus Sect, which values survival and long-term strategy. Though powerful, he is forced to submit because the Saint Son possesses the Holy Mother’s authority.
• Qin Suguan: His reliable informant network and unbending character make him an important ally in the investigation.

Significant Themes

• Political manipulation and unstable alliances: Zhao Wuji and Zhao Jinghong cooperate out of necessity, but their alliance is built on conflicting interests and fragile promises.
• Power versus legitimacy: Zhao Wuji seeks not merely influence but restoration of his family’s historical legitimacy, while Zhao Jinghong uses promises of legitimacy to secure military and political support.
• Fanaticism versus pragmatism: Elder Xu prioritizes the Red Lotus Sect’s survival and political goals, whereas the Saint Son places the Holy Mother’s personal vengeance above all practical concerns.
• Inherited authority and hierarchy: The Saint Son’s spiritual connection to the Red Lotus Holy Mother allows him to dominate more experienced and powerful elders.
• The danger of hidden networks: The underground gangs, secret sects, informants, and covert formations reveal that the capital’s political struggle is being fought through concealed organizations rather than open confrontation.
• Divine artifacts and control: The Seven Kill Stele is treated as a symbol of supreme authority. The Red Lotus Sect believes only the Holy Mother’s representative deserves to wield it.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Yuan and Qin Suguan work closely while capturing the gang leaders, reflecting their strengthened friendship.
• Zhao Wuji confronts Zhao Jinghong over the gang leaders’ abductions and warns him not to weaken their agreement.
• Zhao Jinghong attempts to reassure Zhao Wuji with grand promises, but Zhao Wuji’s suspicious reaction shows that he does not fully trust him.
• Zhao Wuji and his adviser discuss the trap and speculate about which prince may be behind the operation.
• The Red Lotus Saint Son clashes with Elder Xu over whether Chen Yuan should be pursued. The Saint Son overwhelms him with the Holy Mother’s power and forces him to obey.
• The Saint Son declares that the Holy Mother’s will supersedes all other objectives, establishing his fanatical priorities and setting Chen Yuan up as the Red Lotus Sect’s immediate target.

Summary of “Sowing Discord”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the Crown Prince’s residence, Corpse-Driving Sect elders Mo Jiuyin and Xin Ping repair Mo Jiuyin’s severely wounded bone-winged zombie after his encounter with Liu Bai of the Radiance Cult.
• Mo Jiuyin reveals that he underestimated the Radiance Cult’s strength, particularly Chen Yuan, Gou Mang, and Liu Bai. Despite the danger, he insists on continuing their plan because it could restore the Corpse-Driving Sect’s declining power.
• The sect possesses the last remaining portion of Poison Dragon Corpse Venom. If Crown Prince Zhao Jingchen succeeds in claiming the throne, he has promised them Emperor Zhao Guang’s corpse, allowing them to revive a legendary reincarnated dragon corpse.
• Zhao Jingchen agrees, expressing deep hatred for his father. He believes Emperor Zhao Guang deliberately encouraged the princes to compete against one another and has spent decades humiliating and manipulating him. Zhao Jingchen wants not only the throne but also revenge by having his father refined into a zombie.
• The next day, Mo Jiuyin and Xin Ping enter Changning Ward, where they detect unusually dense vitality and fortune. They conclude that a branch of the Dragon Vein is likely to erupt there. However, Mo Jiuyin senses another hidden force in the area and worries that the ward’s mysterious “Embroideress” may also be involved.
• Meanwhile, Zhao Wuji and his sworn brother Jiang Yuanming arrive in Changning Ward after receiving an anonymous clue. They follow signs left by several gang leaders under Zhao Wuji’s control and are led to a secluded warehouse.
• Inside, they discover Chen Yuan holding five of Zhao Wuji’s gang leaders captive. Chen Yuan has deliberately humiliated them by stuffing their mouths with horse dung.
• Chen Yuan openly declares that he is supporting the crown prince and urges Zhao Wuji to abandon the second prince and join the crown prince’s cause. He argues that the crown prince has greater legitimacy and a stronger foundation.
• Zhao Wuji refuses, explaining that the crown prince cannot meet his demands and that he has already committed too many crimes on the second prince’s behalf to change sides.
• Chen Yuan then kills the five captives with Blood Fiend attacks, intentionally destroying Zhao Wuji’s network of informants and making reconciliation impossible.
• Enraged, Zhao Wuji attacks Chen Yuan with Jiang Yuanming’s support. Chen Yuan retreats through the warehouse wall and reveals that the Corpse-Driving Sect is also backing the crown prince, claiming its elders are nearby to protect him.

Character Developments

• Mo Jiuyin becomes more cautious after recognizing the overwhelming strength of the Radiance Cult, but his devotion to the Corpse-Driving Sect’s revival outweighs his fear. He is willing to risk everything for the chance to obtain an emperor’s corpse.
• Xin Ping shows hesitation and concern over the danger and the loss of the final Poison Dragon Corpse Venom, but ultimately follows Mo Jiuyin’s determination.
• Crown Prince Zhao Jingchen is portrayed as deeply resentful, ambitious, and vengeful. Unlike the other princes, he seeks both political power and personal revenge against Emperor Zhao Guang.
• Zhao Wuji demonstrates strategic awareness and pragmatism. He understands that Chen Yuan’s proposal is intended to divide his faction, yet he remains trapped by his previous commitments to the second prince.
• Jiang Yuanming is shown as loyal and honorable. He is willing to investigate danger first and fight beside Zhao Wuji, while Zhao Wuji’s refusal to enter the warehouse himself subtly exposes the limits of his supposed brotherly courage.
• Chen Yuan reveals himself as an aggressive political manipulator. He does not genuinely seek Zhao Wuji’s alliance; instead, he uses a false offer, kills Zhao Wuji’s men, and provokes an open conflict.

Significant Themes

• Political betrayal and manipulation: The struggle for the throne is fought through deception, staged alliances, assassinations, and the deliberate destruction of rivals’ networks.
• Resentment and revenge: Zhao Jingchen’s ambition is fueled by decades of perceived mistreatment, making his desire for power inseparable from his hatred of his father.
• The corruption of power: Political factions are willing to ally with forbidden or hated forces, such as the Radiance Cult and Corpse-Driving Sect, when victory is at stake.
• Death and the pursuit of immortality: The Corpse-Driving Sect’s plans reflect an obsession with overcoming decay, even though their methods involve corpses, poison, and desecration.
• Open conflict beneath ordinary life: Changning Ward appears to be a normal marketplace, but beneath its peaceful surface, multiple factions are maneuvering around the Dragon Vein.
• False loyalty and hidden motives: Chen Yuan’s offer to Zhao Wuji illustrates how seemingly reasonable negotiations may merely be tools for sowing distrust and forcing enemies into conflict.

Important Character Interactions

• Mo Jiuyin and Xin Ping: They debate whether the Corpse-Driving Sect should proceed, with Mo Jiuyin emphasizing their centuries-old mission and the value of obtaining an emperor’s corpse.
• Mo Jiuyin and Zhao Jingchen: Their agreement reveals a mutually beneficial but sinister alliance: the prince seeks revenge and power, while the sect seeks access to his father’s corpse.
• Zhao Wuji and Jiang Yuanming: Their sworn-brother relationship is tested by danger. Jiang Yuanming acts decisively, while Zhao Wuji remains cautious but publicly speaks of shared life and death.
• Chen Yuan and Zhao Wuji: Chen Yuan attempts to lure Zhao Wuji into switching sides, but when Zhao Wuji refuses, Chen Yuan deliberately murders his men to provoke him.
• Chen Yuan and the broader succession struggle: By claiming both the Radiance Cult and Corpse-Driving Sect support the crown prince, Chen Yuan seeks to frighten Zhao Wuji, expose the crown prince’s expanding influence, and intensify conflict among the princes’ factions.

Chapter Summary: “Chaotic Battle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yuan enters Changning Ward intending to manipulate three factions into fighting each other. After learning that Mo Jiuyin and Xin Ping of the Corpse-Driving Sect are already there, he lures Zhao Wuji and Jiang Yuanming toward them and deliberately flees.
• Zhao Wuji mistakes the Corpse-Driving Sect for allies of the Crown Prince and the Radiance Cult. Enraged, he attacks Mo Jiuyin, while Jiang Yuanming engages Xin Ping.
• Mo Jiuyin and Xin Ping retaliate, using their specially refined zombies. Their battle with Zhao Wuji and Jiang Yuanming devastates much of Changning Ward.
• Qin Suguan evacuates the civilians by force, using previously subdued jianghu figures to prevent people from remaining as spectators and becoming casualties.
• The commotion disrupts the Red Lotus Sect’s plan to blood-sacrifice the ward’s inhabitants to activate the Seven Kill Stele. The Red Lotus Saint Son instead orders the sect to drive the fighters away—or kill them and use their blood and qi for the sacrifice.
• The Red Lotus Saint Son and Elder Xu enter the conflict, attacking all four combatants. The Red Lotus Sect uses its prearranged formations to strengthen the Saint Son and turn the battlefield into a five-sided confrontation.
• Chen Yuan, Mr. Bei, and Liu Bai hide at the edge of the ward, observing the battle and waiting for the right moment to intervene.
• The fight heavily depletes everyone. Mo Jiuyin loses one zombie and the others are badly damaged; Jiang Yuanming is wounded; Elder Xu suffers severely; and the Red Lotus Saint Son struggles to control his immense power. Zhao Wuji remains strongest because the Dragon Vein Branch beneath Changning Ward is empowering him.
• Zhao Wuji eventually realizes that Chen Yuan and the Radiance Cult have not joined the battle and suspects they have all been manipulated. When he and Mo Jiuyin compare information, they discover that neither side understood the other’s true objectives.
• Chen Yuan’s scheme is exposed: he abducted Zhao Wuji’s subordinate and lured him to Changning Ward, making Zhao believe the Corpse-Driving Sect and Radiance Cult were conspiring against him. His goal was to make the factions exhaust and weaken one another.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan demonstrates his skill as a strategist and manipulator. Rather than fighting directly, he engineers misunderstandings and observes the resulting conflict from safety.
• Zhao Wuji is shown to be powerful and particularly dangerous in the Capital City, where his Nine Dragons Suppressing the World Scripture is strengthened by the Dragon Vein’s power. However, his anger and assumptions make him easy to manipulate.
• Mo Jiuyin reveals considerable expertise in corpse refinement and possesses several versatile zombies. Mr. Bei suggests that he may eventually reach the Ninth-Realm Heavenly Profound if he develops a sufficiently powerful core zombie.
• Xin Ping is portrayed as an average elder of the Corpse-Driving Sect. His Ironclad Corpses have great physical strength but lack adaptability.
• Jiang Yuanming displays formidable swordsmanship but is hindered by an unstable mental state and distracting thoughts, which weaken the effectiveness of his Mountain-River Sword.
• The Red Lotus Saint Son possesses overwhelming power granted by the Red Lotus Holy Mother, but he cannot fully control it. His arrogance and lack of restraint leave him exhausted when facing several experienced Grandmasters.
• Elder Xu acts more cautiously and practically than the Saint Son, but he is badly injured because he cannot directly control the sect’s formations.
• Qin Suguan acts decisively to protect civilians, prioritizing evacuation over maintaining appearances or relying on polite persuasion.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and misinformation: Chen Yuan turns political suspicions into a weapon, showing how easily rival factions can be pushed into fighting through false assumptions.
• Political intrigue: The conflict reflects the competing interests of several princes and their alliances with powerful sects, including the Radiance Cult, Corpse-Driving Sect, and Red Lotus Sect.
• Arrogance versus judgment: Zhao Wuji and the Red Lotus Saint Son both possess great strength, but their impulsiveness and contempt for others lead them into traps.
• Power and control: The chapter contrasts raw strength with the ability to control and direct it. The Saint Son has immense power but poor mastery, while Zhao Wuji’s strength is amplified by the Dragon Vein.
• Chaos as opportunity: The destruction of Changning Ward benefits Chen Yuan and threatens the Red Lotus Sect’s ritual, illustrating how disorder can undermine carefully prepared plans while creating openings for schemers.
• The danger to civilians: The evacuation emphasizes that battles among powerful martial artists can devastate ordinary people and that political struggles carry consequences beyond the combatants.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yuan, Mr. Bei, and Liu Bai work together as observers, analyzing the fighters and preparing to strike after the battle weakens them.
• Zhao Wuji and Mo Jiuyin initially fight as enemies because of a fabricated misunderstanding. Their later exchange reveals that both were manipulated and that neither had intended to attack the other.
• Zhao Wuji and Jiang Yuanming fight in coordination against the Corpse-Driving Sect, with Zhao providing overwhelming force and Jiang using broad, powerful sword techniques.
• Mo Jiuyin and Xin Ping cooperate through their zombies, combining varied abilities with powerful physical combat.
• The Red Lotus Saint Son and Elder Xu join forces against all four combatants, though the Saint Son’s arrogance contrasts with Elder Xu’s concern about the danger.
• The chapter ends with Zhao Wuji and Mo Jiuyin blaming each other for failing to clarify the situation, even after recognizing Chen Yuan as the true mastermind.

Chapter Summary: “Cold Abyss Blood Fiend”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Wuji, the Corpse-Driving Sect, and the Red Lotus Sect realize that their prolonged battle in Changning Ward was manipulated by Chen Yuan. He deliberately lured the factions together and provoked them into fighting, exploiting their mutual suspicions and political entanglements.
• Elder Xu reveals that the Fourth Prince supports the Red Lotus Sect. Zhao Wuji understands that Chen Yuan used the Red Lotus Sect’s presence and their hostility toward the Radiance Cult to create the chaotic confrontation.
• While the major forces fight outside, Chen Yuan, Mr. Bei, and Liu Bai attack the Red Lotus Sect’s underground hideout and seize the Seven Kill Stele Fragment.
• The Red Lotus Sect’s guards fight desperately to protect the fragment, with some even self-destructing. Their fanaticism is attributed to their belief in returning to the Lotus-Born Pure Land after death.
• Chen Yuan quickly refines the fourth Seven Kill Stele Fragment. He gains the Cold Abyss Blood Fiend, an icy power capable of freezing true qi, blood qi, and spiritual power.
• The fragment also grants Chen Yuan the Cold Abyss Blood Fiend Heaven-Sealing Formation, a powerful formation that uses his body as its core and can suppress opponents at the Eighth-Level Divine Altar and Ninth-Realm Heavenly Profound levels.
• The Red Lotus Saint Son arrives, enraged that Chen Yuan has taken the Seven Kill Stele. Zhao Wuji and the other factions also converge, intending to kill Chen Yuan before the Imperial Guard and inner-city experts arrive.
• Chen Yuan orders Liu Bai to conserve the Sun-Piercing Sword for the final crisis and chooses to face the Red Lotus Saint Son personally.
• The chapter ends as Chen Yuan unleashes a combined attack of Netherworld Blood Fiend and Cold Abyss Blood Fiend, while the Red Lotus Saint Son counters with overwhelming Red Lotus Wish Power and four giant attacking hands.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan: Demonstrates superior planning, composure, and growing strength. He successfully acquires a fourth Seven Kill Stele Fragment and gains a major new combat technique. He also reveals his desire to devour the stronger Red Lotus True Spirit residing within the Saint Son.
• Zhao Wuji: His rage and distrust cause him to act impulsively, allowing Chen Yuan’s scheme to succeed. He becomes humiliated and furious after realizing he was manipulated.
• Red Lotus Saint Son: His arrogance and ambition remain unchanged, but his hatred of Chen Yuan intensifies after losing the Seven Kill Stele. He is eager to prove his superiority and use the Red Lotus Holy Mother’s power to kill Chen Yuan.
• Mr. Bei and Liu Bai: Continue supporting Chen Yuan. Liu Bai shows trust in Chen Yuan’s judgment by holding back the Sun-Piercing Sword and allowing him to fight the Saint Son alone.
• Red Lotus Sect followers: Their fanatic loyalty is emphasized through their willingness to die or self-destruct defending the sect’s sacred artifact.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and political conflict: Chen Yuan exploits the factions’ existing rivalries, fears, and political stakes to make them destroy one another.
• Fanaticism and faith: The Red Lotus Sect’s followers willingly sacrifice themselves because of their religious beliefs, contrasting with the self-serving motives of the other factions.
• Power and control: The struggle over the Seven Kill Stele reflects the broader contest to control divine artifacts and the forces they contain.
• Strategic restraint: Chen Yuan and his allies conserve their strongest weapons for the decisive moment rather than wasting them early.
• Transformation and possession: The Red Lotus Sect seeks to alter the Seven Kill Stele through Red Lotus Wish Power, while Chen Yuan directly fuses with its fragments and expands his own power.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhao Wuji confronts the Red Lotus Saint Son and demands to know who supports the Red Lotus Sect, but Elder Xu answers that the Fourth Prince is their backer.
• Chen Yuan taunts the Red Lotus Saint Son, denying that the Seven Kill Stele belongs to the Red Lotus Sect and provoking him further.
• Chen Yuan coordinates with Mr. Bei and Liu Bai regarding the approaching Dragon Vein eruption and the likely arrival of imperial forces.
• Liu Bai deliberately lets the Red Lotus Saint Son pass so Chen Yuan can fight him personally.
• Chen Yuan and the Saint Son exchange threats before beginning a major duel: Chen Yuan seeks to devour the Saint Son’s Red Lotus True Spirit, while the Saint Son intends to sacrifice Chen Yuan to the Red Lotus Holy Mother.

Summary: “Black Dragon Devours the Lotus”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Red Lotus Saint Son possesses the strongest Red Lotus True Spirit among all generations, granting him immense Red Lotus Wish Power. Upon activating it, he can rival an Eighth-Level Divine Altar Realm expert and may eventually reach the Ninth-Realm Heavenly Profound.
• Chen Yuan recognizes that the Saint Son’s strength is poorly controlled, comparing him to a child wielding a powerful weapon. He also understands that the Saint Son lacks real combat experience.
• The Saint Son attacks with enormous manifestations of Red Lotus Wish Power, including the Red Lotus God-Descending Finger. Chen Yuan counters with the Chaos-Reversing Yin-Yang Spirit-Brightening Art, the Nine Deaths Netherworld Slash, and the combined power of his Primordial Unity Divine Pill and Heavenly Flame.
• Their clash reaches the level of battles between Eighth-Level Divine Altar Realm Grandmasters, destroying buildings and attracting the attention of the other combatants.
• Chen Yuan then unleashes both the Divine Firmament Evil-Slaying Sword and the Violet Firmament Demon-Slaying Sword, breaking through the Saint Son’s enormous red lotus defense.
• At close range, Chen Yuan uses the Tara Mother Obstacle-Breaking Karma-Subduing Mantra to attack the Saint Son’s mind, then follows with saber, palm, and lightning-finger strikes.
• The Saint Son is unable to cope with Chen Yuan’s rapid close-quarters attacks. Over more than a hundred exchanges, Chen Yuan suppresses him so thoroughly that the Saint Son’s body is badly damaged and his internal organs rupture.
• Elder Xu attempts to intervene, but Liu Bai blocks him, insisting that the Dragon Vein has not yet appeared and that it is too early for a decisive confrontation.
• Desperate, the Saint Son uses the origin power of the Red Lotus True Spirit to drag Chen Yuan’s consciousness into a scarlet spiritual realm. He intends to destroy Chen Yuan’s spiritual power, though using this origin permanently consumes part of his own true spirit.
• Chen Yuan reveals that his spiritual cultivation is exceptionally strong. He activates the Secret Treasury Realm Sumeru Freedom Visualization, transforming his spiritual power into the Black Dragon Visualization.
• The Black Dragon overwhelms and tears apart the Saint Son’s spiritual body. Only the blood-jade-like Red Lotus remnant remains, which Chen Yuan’s Black Dragon then devours completely.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan: Demonstrates mastery over multiple forms of power—physical strength, martial techniques, spiritual cultivation, lightning arts, and the Primordial Chaos Power formed by combining his supreme abilities. He deliberately exploits the Saint Son’s lack of combat experience rather than engaging in a prolonged contest of raw strength. His ability to condense powerful techniques into precise close-range attacks highlights his exceptional control.
• Red Lotus Saint Son: Though possessing unprecedented strength due to the Red Lotus Holy Mother’s blessing, he is inexperienced and lacks refined control. He excels at long-range attacks and overwhelming force but becomes panicked and ineffective in close combat. His desperation ultimately drives him to sacrifice part of the true spirit’s origin, only for Chen Yuan to defeat him in the spiritual realm.
• Elder Xu: Shows concern for the Saint Son despite disapproving of his arrogance. His attempt to rescue him demonstrates the Red Lotus Sect’s need to preserve the Holy Mother’s chosen vessel.
• Liu Bai: Remains strategically restrained, preventing Elder Xu from interfering while the larger struggle over the Dragon Vein remains unresolved.

Significant Themes

• Power versus mastery: The Saint Son possesses greater inherited power, but Chen Yuan’s superior control, experience, and adaptability allow him to dominate the battle.
• Experience gained through struggle: The Saint Son’s divine inheritance gives him techniques and strength but cannot provide the instinctive combat knowledge developed through repeated life-and-death battles.
• The danger of borrowed power: The Saint Son’s strength comes from the Red Lotus Holy Mother’s true spirit, making him powerful but dependent on an external legacy. Damage to the true spirit’s origin is permanent.
• Adaptability and precision: Chen Yuan repeatedly changes tactics—from defensive force, to lightning arts, to close combat, and finally spiritual warfare—instead of relying on a single overwhelming technique.
• Consumption and transformation: The Black Dragon’s devouring of the Red Lotus remnant continues Chen Yuan’s pattern of absorbing powerful spiritual forces and turning an enemy’s strength into his own potential gain.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yuan and the Red Lotus Saint Son engage in a high-level duel that shifts from large-scale techniques to intensely personal close combat.
• The Saint Son’s hatred is fueled by Chen Yuan’s killing of Su Mei, but Chen Yuan uses that history to unsettle him and expose the Saint Son’s incomplete understanding of Su Mei’s defeat.
• Elder Xu tries to protect the Saint Son, while Liu Bai prevents him from changing the battle’s outcome.
• The confrontation ends with Chen Yuan not merely defeating the Saint Son physically, but destroying him on the spiritual level by devouring the remaining Red Lotus True Spirit.

Chapter Summary: “Former Comrades, Blades Drawn Against Each Other”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yuan successfully refines and absorbs the Red Lotus Holy Mother’s true spirit from the Red Lotus Saint Son. The Saint Son’s body is left completely lifeless.
• The Human-Skin Evil Book asks to consume the Saint Son’s skin and reveals that it possesses a secret technique capable of controlling three Ironclad Corpses created through ancient Corpse Demon Cult methods. The technique can even force them to self-destruct.
• Chen Yuan distrusts the book and burns it as punishment for hiding the technique. After consuming the Saint Son’s skin, the book finally provides the information.
• The Red Lotus Sect suffers a devastating defeat. Elder Xu and the other factions realize that Chen Yuan, despite being only in the Origin Pill Realm, possesses combat strength comparable to an Eighth-Level Divine Altar expert.
• The Dragon Vein Branch suddenly manifests in Changning Ward, causing the surrounding spiritual energy and fortune to surge. The Corpse-Driving Sect and the Radiance Cult immediately race to claim it.
• Mo Jiuyin and his companion use bone powder to reveal the Dragon Vein’s form beneath the ground. Before they can extract it, Liu Bai attacks, while Zhao Wuji moves to restrain Mr. Bei.
• Chen Yuan deliberately arranged for Qin Suguan to publicize the conflict, drawing the Six Fan School and Imperial Guard into Changning Ward. Hundreds of officials and more than a thousand Imperial Guards arrive and surround the area.
• Zhao Wuji chooses to remain involved rather than retreat, hoping the Dragon Vein may be connected to the succession struggle and could restore his political fortunes.
• The Imperial Guard and Six Fan School launch a general assault against the Corpse-Driving Sect, Radiance Cult, Red Lotus Sect, and Zhao Wuji’s forces. The battlefield becomes chaotic, with every faction fighting both the authorities and one another.
• Xie Yunting, secretly connected to Zhao Wuji, tries to avoid exposing their alliance but is forced to participate in the battle.
• Chen Yuan encounters Feng Tianbao, a former comrade from Youzhou. Feng now regards Chen Yuan as a demonic enemy because of his association with the Radiance Cult.
• Feng Tianbao attacks Chen Yuan with his Coiling Dragon Spear, but Chen Yuan overwhelms him with the Nine Deaths Netherworld Slash, shattering his spear momentum and protective qi.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan: Demonstrates rapidly increasing power, defeating the Red Lotus Saint Son and effortlessly suppressing Feng Tianbao. He remains cautious and distrustful, especially toward the Human-Skin Evil Book, while showing regret over having to fight former allies.
• Human-Skin Evil Book: Reveals a valuable but dangerous hidden ability. Its self-serving behavior reinforces Chen Yuan’s suspicion that it may betray him if given the opportunity.
• Zhao Wuji: Shows his characteristic gambling nature by refusing to retreat. He hopes the Dragon Vein can help reverse his political situation and strengthen the Second Prince’s claim.
• Xie Yunting: His hidden dependence on Zhao Wuji is exposed. Though he appears to serve the court, his interests are tied to Zhao Wuji, making him anxious and conflicted.
• Feng Tianbao: Remains fiercely loyal to Great Xia. Despite remembering his former bond with Chen Yuan, he accepts that their opposing allegiances require them to fight to the death.
• Mr. Bei, Mo Jiuyin, Liu Bai, and the other faction leaders: Continue pursuing the Dragon Vein while clashing with rival factions and the arriving court forces.

Significant Themes

• Former friendship turning into enmity: Personal bonds cannot overcome opposing loyalties and ideologies. Chen Yuan and Feng Tianbao once fought together, but now face one another as enemies.
• Trust and betrayal: Chen Yuan’s suspicion of the Human-Skin Evil Book reflects the danger of allies withholding information. Political alliances, especially Zhao Wuji’s relationship with Xie Yunting, are likewise based on mutual benefit rather than loyalty.
• Political ambition and risk: Zhao Wuji’s refusal to withdraw highlights his willingness to gamble everything for a chance to alter the succession struggle.
• Power and hidden strength: Chen Yuan’s growth has made him vastly more formidable than his apparent cultivation level suggests, causing even powerful enemies to reassess him.
• Duty versus personal feeling: Feng Tianbao’s affection and respect for Chen Yuan survive, but his loyalty to Great Xia takes precedence.
• The Dragon Vein and national fortune: The Dragon Vein represents the concentrated fortune of humanity and is linked to the broader struggle over the fate of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Yuan intimidates and punishes the Human-Skin Evil Book before exploiting its knowledge.
• Zhao Wuji intervenes to protect or assist his broader interests by engaging Mr. Bei and delaying the Radiance Cult.
• Liu Bai attacks the Corpse-Driving Sect just as it begins excavating the Dragon Vein.
• Xie Yunting recognizes Zhao Wuji’s danger but cannot openly protect him without revealing their connection.
• The Imperial Guard and Six Fan School confront all factions indiscriminately, transforming the struggle into a large-scale battle.
• Chen Yuan and Feng Tianbao exchange memories of their past cooperation before becoming locked in combat. Chen Yuan defeats Feng’s opening attack, leaving Feng shocked by his former comrade’s extraordinary advancement.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Yuan overwhelms Feng Tianbao in their duel, despite Feng’s enhanced strength and refusal to let others join in. Feng activates Nine Dragons Pressing the Body, bringing his power close to the Divine Altar Realm’s upper levels, but Chen is ready to answer with his full strength.
• Before the duel can conclude, Mr. Bei announces that he has seized a branch of the dragon vein. Mo Jiuyin detonates the Embroideress zombie, spreading corpse-qi threads, and releases the Corpse-Driving Sect’s last poison dragon corpse venom toward the remaining dragon vein.
• Feng senses the danger to the vein and intercepts the venom. It consumes his power, weapon, and body, killing him—but his sacrifice prevents the venom from reaching the vein.
• The North-Subduing Prince, Zhao Jian’an, arrives. As the various factions try to stop the Radiance Cult from escaping, Chen uses a mysterious technique to make Xin Ping’s three Ironclad Corpses swell and explode. The blasts kill Xin Ping, devastate Mo Jiuyin, injure Elder Xu, and wound several other fighters.
• Mr. Bei, Liu Bai, and Chen flee with the dragon-vein branch. Zhao Jian’an orders his former pupil, Zhao Wuji, to help pursue them and promises to seek mercy for him if they cooperate. Zhao Wuji obeys.
• Beyond Capital City, Liu Bai and Mr. Bei turn to confront Zhao Jian’an. Liu Bai draws the divine Sun-Piercing Sword, while Mr. Bei attacks using power drawn from the dragon vein. Their clash with Zhao Jian’an unleashes destructive force across the surrounding area.

Character developments

• Chen Yuan displays how far his strength has advanced since Youzhou, dominating Feng while still holding power in reserve. He also reveals a potent ability to manipulate zombies’ corpse qi.
• Feng Tianbao remains loyal to Great Xia despite his past bond with Chen. His final act—choosing to protect the dragon vein at the cost of his life—defines him as both a committed imperial officer and a self-sacrificing fighter.
• Mr. Bei secures the dragon-vein branch and uses its power in the escape and subsequent fight.
• Zhao Wuji is forced to submit to Zhao Jian’an, whose authority as imperial guardian and former teacher leaves him little room to resist.
• Mo Jiuyin loses the Corpse-Driving Sect’s last poison dragon venom and most of his forces, leaving him gravely wounded and furious.

Character interactions

• Feng and Chen’s former cooperation in Youzhou complicates their present conflict: Feng refuses to let others help kill Chen, insisting that he will face him himself.
• Feng’s intervention protects the dragon vein even as it costs him his life.
• Zhao Jian’an invokes his authority and personal history with Zhao Wuji to compel him to join the pursuit.
• Mr. Bei and Liu Bai work together to shield the escape, with Liu Bai wielding the Sun-Piercing Sword and Mr. Bei drawing on the dragon vein’s power.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and duty: Feng’s allegiance to Great Xia ultimately outweighs his personal connection to Chen.
• Sacrifice: Feng gives his life to prevent the dragon vein from being corrupted.
• Power and its consequences: The fight’s escalating techniques, zombies, and divine weapons exact devastating costs on nearly everyone involved.
• Imperial authority and political limits: Zhao Wuji’s ambitions collapse under the imperial clan’s larger priorities and the authority of its guardians.
• Complicated bonds: Former alliances and mentorships persist even amid conflict, shaping how characters fight, flee, and obey.

Chapter Summary: The Might of the Blood Spirit

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Jian’an, a Ninth-Realm Heavenly Profound expert, intercepts the Radiance Cult members Mr. Bei and Liu Bai as they attempt to escape. He recognizes Liu Bai’s Sun-Piercing Sword, which reminds him of his humiliating defeat a century earlier at the hands of Feng Tianyang, the sword’s former wielder.
• Zhao Jian’an uses the Frightful Dragon Grand Hand Seal, manipulating the power of Heaven and Earth to crush the group. Liu Bai counters with the Sun-Piercing Sword, cutting the technique apart.
• The group divides their responsibilities: Liu Bai and Mr. Bei join forces against Zhao Jian’an, while Chen Yuan stays behind to confront Zhao Wuji and Jiang Yuanming.
• Chen Yuan immediately unleashes Sun and Moon Sharing the Sky, severely injuring Jiang Yuanming and forcing Zhao Wuji to defend himself with Nine Dragons Body Protection, Ten Thousand Laws Unbroken.
• Chen Yuan then releases the terrifying Blood Spirit Heaven-Rending Gu. Its ultimate sharpness shatters Jiang Yuanming’s Ancient Heavenly Weapon, the Mountain-River Sword, and leaves Jiang gravely wounded.
• The Gu also tears through Zhao Wuji’s defenses, including an ancient divine-artifact fragment that provides protective azure light. Zhao Wuji survives by using the Nine Dragons Secret Art: Heavenly Star Devours the Dragon, barely forcing the Gu back.
• Rather than continue fighting, Chen Yuan prioritizes escape. He later returns to the main battle and uses the Cold Abyss Blood Fiend Heaven-Sealing Formation, powered by four Seven Kill Steles, to freeze the surrounding Heaven and Earth and temporarily cripple Zhao Jian’an’s control.
• Liu Bai and Mr. Bei exploit the opening to strike Zhao Jian’an with their full strength. The three Radiance Cult members then flee.
• Zhao Jian’an orders Zhao Wuji to pursue them, leaving the severely wounded Jiang Yuanming behind. The chase continues to the edge of Central Province, where both sides are nearly exhausted.
• Just as Zhao Jian’an prepares to attack, he senses an unidentified and apparently overwhelming danger ahead. His expression changes, and he immediately grabs Zhao Wuji and retreats.

Character Developments

• Chen Yuan demonstrates increasingly formidable combat ability and tactical intelligence. Though only at the Origin Pill Realm, he successfully injures stronger opponents through surprise, powerful secret techniques, the Blood Spirit Heaven-Rending Gu, and battlefield timing.
• Zhao Jian’an is shown to be intensely loyal to Great Xia and deeply resentful of the Sun-Piercing Sword because of his past defeat. Despite his overwhelming cultivation, he is temporarily restrained when Chen Yuan freezes the surrounding Heaven and Earth.
• Liu Bai proves that his mastery of the Sun-Piercing Sword allows him to challenge a Ninth-Realm expert. His swordsmanship is portrayed as completely unified with his essence, qi, and spirit.
• Mr. Bei becomes significantly stronger after obtaining the Dragon Vein and is capable of fighting alongside Liu Bai against Zhao Jian’an.
• Zhao Wuji reveals considerable resilience and multiple defensive trump cards. He withstands Chen Yuan’s Gu attack, but the effort causes severe internal damage and leaves him shaken.
• Jiang Yuanming suffers devastating injuries when the Blood Spirit Heaven-Rending Gu destroys his weapon and cuts deeply into his body. His combat ability is effectively compromised for the immediate pursuit.
• Zhao Wuji’s hatred of Chen Yuan remains a major motivation, but he also understands that Zhao Jian’an’s loyalty to the imperial court makes fleeing nearly impossible.

Significant Themes

• Power versus strategy: Chen Yuan cannot match the higher-realm experts directly, but he compensates through surprise attacks, specialized techniques, and careful prioritization of escape.
• The danger of divine weapons and artifacts: The Sun-Piercing Sword, Dragon Vein, ancient artifact fragment, and Blood Spirit Heaven-Rending Gu dramatically alter the balance between otherwise unequal opponents.
• Loyalty and political betrayal: Zhao Jian’an values loyalty to Great Xia above family ties. Zhao Wuji believes betrayal of the court makes him a more immediate target than the Radiance Cult members.
• Past defeats and lingering resentment: Zhao Jian’an’s hatred of the Sun-Piercing Sword stems from his century-old failure in Youzhou, showing how past humiliation continues to shape present conflicts.
• Limits of overwhelming power: Even a Ninth-Realm Heavenly Profound expert can be temporarily neutralized when his control over Heaven and Earth is sealed.
• Sacrifice and survival: The characters repeatedly abandon allies, weapons, or opportunities to preserve their own lives and complete their escape.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhao Jian’an and Liu Bai: Their confrontation is charged by Zhao Jian’an’s memories of Feng Tianyang, the former wielder of the Sun-Piercing Sword.
• Mr. Bei and Liu Bai: They coordinate their attacks, combining the Dragon Vein-enhanced power of Mr. Bei with Liu Bai’s swordsmanship.
• Mr. Bei and Chen Yuan: Mr. Bei initially urges Chen Yuan to escape, but Chen Yuan refuses and takes responsibility for confronting Zhao Wuji and Jiang Yuanming.
• Zhao Wuji and Jiang Yuanming: Jiang advises retreat, but Zhao Wuji insists on killing Chen Yuan, believing it is necessary both for revenge and to regain Zhao Jian’an’s favor.
• Chen Yuan and Zhao Wuji: Their duel escalates from Chen Yuan’s Sun-and-Moon technique to the devastating Blood Spirit Heaven-Rending Gu. Chen Yuan targets Zhao Wuji specifically while leaving Jiang Yuanming critically wounded.
• Chen Yuan, Liu Bai, and Mr. Bei: Chen Yuan’s sealing formation creates the opening for Liu Bai and Mr. Bei to jointly strike Zhao Jian’an, allowing all three to escape.
• Zhao Jian’an and Zhao Wuji: Zhao Jian’an commands the pursuit with ruthless authority, even dismissing Jiang Yuanming’s injuries. At the chapter’s end, however, he abruptly prioritizes retreat after sensing a greater threat.

Chapter Summary: “Killing Three Sons in One Day”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Beiming arrives at the border and reveals that he knows Zhao Jian’an, the King of Northern Suppression. Years earlier, Lu defeated Zhao Jian’an when he attempted to destroy a Radiance Cult branch altar, leaving Zhao traumatized enough to flee upon sensing Lu’s presence.
• Mr. Bei confirms that the group obtained both the Seven Kill Stele and the Dragon Vein during their upheaval in the Capital City. Lu Beiming is surprised by the scale of their actions and predicts that Great Xia’s imperial court is nearing collapse.
• Lu explains that the court can no longer ignore the Radiance Cult after its public assault on the Capital City. Emperor Zhao Guang’s obsession with prestige and grand achievements means he will inevitably retaliate.
• Lu declares that the Radiance Cult has endured for five hundred years and will eventually overthrow the decaying Great Xia Dynasty, just as it helped overthrow the previous dynasty.
• The group returns to a Radiance Cult branch altar. Mr. Bei enters seclusion to absorb the Dragon Vein and seek the Ninth-Realm Heavenly Profound, while Chen Yuan prepares to absorb the Red Lotus Holy Mother’s true spirit and master the Cold Abyss Blood Fiend Power. Liu Bai reports to Dantai Zhaorong, and Lu Beiming informs Yuan Longxi so the Cult’s other factions can prepare.
• Meanwhile, Zhao Jian’an returns Zhao Wuji to the imperial palace, where Emperor Zhao Guang publicly deals with the four princes.
• Zhao Guang condemns Crown Prince Zhao Jingchen for attempting to corrupt the Dragon Vein and conspiring with the Corpse-Driving Sect. He strips Jingchen of his title and orders Gu Chao’en to kill him.
• The emperor criticizes the second prince, Zhao Jinghong, for being impatient and politically foolish, then has Gu Chao’en kill him as well.
• Zhao Guang spares the trembling third prince, Zhao Jingyuan, for the moment.
• He initially comforts the fourth prince, Zhao Jingxiu, but then condemns him for exceeding the limits of the emperor’s permission. Gu Chao’en kills him too. Thus, Zhao Guang executes three of his four sons in a single day.
• Zhao Guang blames the court’s officials for allowing the Radiance Cult, Red Lotus Sect, and Corpse-Driving Sect to cause disorder in the Capital City. He orders the armies near Tanzhou to destroy the Corpse-Driving Sect and commands the Six Fan School to investigate the Red Lotus Sect.
• He praises Qin Suguan for evacuating Changning Ward before the fighting, saving one hundred thousand people, and for exposing the crimes of the four princes.

Character Developments

• Lu Beiming is shown as an immensely powerful and politically perceptive elder of the Radiance Cult. His past victory over Zhao Jian’an establishes his intimidating reputation. Though saddened by Great Xia’s decline, he becomes openly revolutionary and commits himself to overthrowing the dynasty.
• Mr. Bei takes responsibility for the Dragon Vein and begins seclusion to pursue a major breakthrough, suggesting that his strength may soon rise to the Ninth Realm.
• Chen Yuan begins adapting to the Red Lotus Holy Mother’s power, marking another stage in his growth and transformation.
• Zhao Guang is revealed as ruthless, calculating, prideful, and obsessed with imperial authority. He deliberately allowed his sons to compete for the throne, but kills them when their schemes threaten his control or expose the dynasty’s weakness.
• Zhao Jingchen, Zhao Jinghong, and Zhao Jingxiu each fall because of different flaws: reckless ambition, impatience and poor judgment, and overconfidence in the emperor’s favor.
• Zhao Jingyuan survives only because he remains passive and terrified, becoming the sole surviving prince.
• Qin Suguan has lost his former reverence for the imperial family. His experience during the Capital City crisis makes him recognize Zhao Guang as the true source of the princes’ destructive power struggles.

Significant Themes

• Dynastic decay: The Great Xia Court is portrayed as rotten from within, with selfish nobles, corrupt imperial politics, and rulers pursuing personal glory instead of the people’s welfare.
• Power and legitimacy: The Dragon Vein symbolizes the foundation of imperial rule, while the struggle over it reflects the instability of the dynasty itself.
• Ruthless political control: Zhao Guang believes authority depends entirely on what he grants or withholds. His execution of three sons demonstrates that even family ties are subordinate to imperial power.
• Public humiliation and retaliation: Because the Radiance Cult openly attacked the Capital City, Zhao Guang must respond to preserve the court’s prestige, making a larger conflict inevitable.
• Revolution and historical cycles: Lu Beiming presents the Radiance Cult’s future rebellion as part of a recurring pattern in which corrupt dynasties are overthrown and replaced.
• Appearance versus substance: Zhao Guang’s campaigns against distant tribes and barren territories reveal his concern with appearing historically glorious, even when such projects waste resources and offer little practical benefit.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Beiming and Mr. Bei: Lu reassures Mr. Bei that the confrontation with Great Xia is not his personal fault, insisting that the Radiance Cult is ready to reveal its strength.
• Lu Beiming and Zhao Jian’an: Their past battle explains Zhao Jian’an’s immediate retreat and establishes Lu’s dominance over a powerful imperial expert.
• Zhao Guang and his sons: The emperor personally judges each prince, combining moments of apparent affection with merciless execution. His interactions expose his belief that imperial favor is conditional and absolute.
• Zhao Guang and Gu Chao’en: The chief eunuch acts as the emperor’s executioner without hesitation, demonstrating the complete obedience of the inner palace to Zhao Guang.
• Zhao Guang and Qin Suguan: The emperor praises Qin’s service, but Qin internally rejects the imperial family’s authority after realizing that Zhao Guang deliberately engineered the princes’ rivalry.
• The Radiance Cult and Great Xia: Their conflict shifts from a hidden, long-term struggle into an approaching open war, with both sides preparing for inevitable confrontation.