Arc 75The Iron Jaw Reordering

Chen Xiaojun and the Joint Management Council reorganized Iron Jaw Fortress, planned a shared energy formation, and uncovered Barton’s ties to Spirit Hall through Dou Jing’s testimony. Meanwhile, intelligence about Chen Xiaojun and Donghuang Xiuyi reshaped the tournament’s prospects, and the Crimson Embrace’s prophecy about Azure Bamboo triggered panic across the Underworld.

  • Chen Zhang and the council reorganized the Bone-Digging Corps’ assets and prisoners, while Chen Xiaojun proposed new trade, infrastructure, refugee-screening, and training plans for the Canopy District.
  • Chen Xiaojun presented Chen Cong’s Baleful Energy Absorption Magic Formation, explained how it could benefit all four families, and secured Chen Zhang’s order to begin construction using the Divine Wood Heart as its core.
  • Qin Lüguang and Zhu Yanfeng interrogated Dou Jing and the captured Soul Saints, while Chen Xiaojun survived Dou Jing’s mental attack and pressured the prisoners to reveal Barton’s network.
  • Yan Zhen and Mo Li described the corps’ dealings with Bloodfang and Spirit Hall, and Dou Jing explained how Barton rose to power and became entangled with the Jin Family and Spirit Hall.
  • Dou Jing revealed that Barton had used his family as leverage and that Bloodfang’s faction controlled much of the trafficking route, while Chen Xiaojun bluffed about knowing where Dou Jing’s children were.
  • Ma Yin Qi revealed that Chen Xin Yi was Donghuang Xiuyi and confronted Chen Jianjun over concealing her identity and Chen Xiaojun’s abilities, prompting the team to abandon its plans against Chang’an and prepare for the tournament.
  • As the search for Azure Bamboo entered its fourth day, Ye Xiao forces found the Crimson Embrace preparing to use him as a vessel for the Lord of Corrupt Blood, and Ge Laizheng and Yu Yuancheng killed the cult priest.
  • The dying priest prophesied that Azure Bamboo would become the Evil God’s vessel within seven days, causing crowds to flee the Underworld as Ge Laihao recognized the resulting disorder as a new crisis.
Chapters 1887–1911 Vol. 19 Read

Ch. 1887Debts of Love, Nets and Bones

Ximen Wenye, Chen Zhang, Yang Zhicheng, and Ma Zhibin discussed bringing Hahn’s underground network into their Joint Management Council and teased Ma Zhibin about Tan Yashuang’s choice to work with him. Chen Zhang then reported on the Bone-Digging Corps’ businesses and stronghold, leaving the council focused on the scale of its exploitation in Iron Jaw Fortress.

  • Ximen Wenye and Chen Zhang agreed that Hahn’s five-percent share was a fair price for his local expertise and connections as the Joint Management Council built its underground network.
  • Yang Zhicheng and Ximen Wenye teased Ma Zhibin about Tan Yashuang choosing the Ma Family and warned him not to give her the wrong impression before he returned to Chang’an Commandery.
  • Chen Zhang outlined the Bone-Digging Corps’ businesses, including trafficking people, mining rare deposits, hunting underground soul beasts, and collecting rent and protection money in Iron Jaw Fortress.
  • Zhu Yanfeng condemned the Bone-Digging Corps for exploiting people, while Qin Lüguang noted that the Imperial Capital’s underground factions monopolized the gray-market industries.

Ch. 1888Two Hundred Million, One Core and Three Wings

Chen Zhang reviewed the spoils from the Bone-Digging Corps and arranged how the four families would distribute resources and build a joint force. He then outlined the prisoners and the corps' fractured leadership, revealing that Chen Xiaojun had killed four Soul Saints.

  • Jian Hezhi read the public accounts, which included mineral deposits, workshops, Soul Bones, and nearly thirty million Gold Soul Coins and crystal cards.
  • Chen Zhang offered the Bone-Digging Corps' special arrow stockpile to Yang Zhicheng, who accepted it for the Yang Family.
  • Zhu Yanfeng proposed using the captured furnaces and ore for a joint armed force, and Chen Zhang assigned resources and requested craftsmen from the Ximen Family.
  • Jian Hezhi reported over fourteen hundred former slaves and youths with soul master aptitude, along with 1,846 prisoners from the corps.
  • Chen Zhang explained that the Bone-Digging Corps' leaders belonged to four factions and said Chen Xiaojun had killed four of Barton's Soul Saint followers.

Ch. 1889Spirit Hall's Golden Crocodile Jin Family

Chen Zhang reported the captured factions and Zhu Yanfeng described Barton’s powerful techniques and escape, leading the council to identify him as a likely Jin family operative serving the Qian Family. The council suspected Barton had monitored Soul Fighting City and warned that he might be only one of many covert agents.

  • Chen Zhang said Xiaojun and the others had defeated the small factions, while Dou Jing and four Soul Saints were captured but refused to talk.
  • Qin Lüguang mocked Zhu Yanfeng for letting Barton escape, and Zhu admitted Barton’s strength and escape abilities had been extraordinary.
  • Zhu Yanfeng described Barton’s nine-stage Iron Crocodile Tail Sever, advanced movement technique, and ancient Soul Bone.
  • Yang Zhicheng and Chen Zhang concluded Barton’s abilities and metal-attribute crocodile martial soul pointed to the Jin family and a connection to the Qian Family.
  • The council suspected Barton had monitored Soul Fighting City for years, and Ma Zhibin warned that other covert agents might remain.

Ch. 1890Spy purges and embers

Chen Zhang ordered a thorough purge of Barton’s suspected Spirit Hall network and laid out plans to exploit the Black Market, expand mining and Soul Hunting, and integrate regional intelligence networks. The meeting ended with Qin Lüguang tasked with investigating the prisoners and reorganizing the Rusty Brotherhood, while the group prepared to tighten its control of the Canopy District.

  • Chen Zhang and Ximen Wen Ye discussed tracing Barton’s contacts with the Holy Hall, and Qin Lüguang volunteered to interrogate Dou Jing, Mao Zeqian, and the other prisoners.
  • Chen Zhang ordered the Black Scale Guards to secure Iron Jaw Fortress and sent the four families’ guards to capture escaped Bone-Digging Corps members.
  • Chen Zhang proposed selling the families’ goods and repurposed Crimson equipment through Black Market channels, with the Hahn Trade Association helping distribute them.
  • Chen Zhang ordered screened prisoners assigned to mining or resettled in trades, and placed Soul Hunting under the combined armed forces.
  • Chen Zhang proposed expanding the Phantom Shadow Sisterhood’s and Rusty Brotherhood’s intelligence networks and retaining certain gray businesses as covert traps.
  • Chen Zhang assigned Qin Lüguang to handle the Rust-Eaten Corridor and reorganize the Rusty Brotherhood.

Ch. 1891An ingenious strategy stunned the hall

Chen Xiaojun proposed a sweeping plan to develop the Canopy District through breeding, trade, transport, defense, and tourism. His ideas won the hall’s enthusiastic approval and left Chen Zhang with a vision for turning Iron Jaw Fortress into a thriving commercial hub.

  • Chen Zhang asked Chen Xiaojun for his thoughts, and Chen Xiaojun argued that the Canopy District should shift from breaking the old order to building a new one.
  • Chen Xiaojun proposed surveying the underground river, building a reservoir and soul beast breeding facilities, and coordinating the Phantom Shadow Sisterhood, Sincerity Trade Association, and Rusty Brotherhood in a three-district trade network.
  • Chen Xiaojun suggested diverting the river to defend Iron Jaw Fortress and concealing a sluice gate that could flood the Elevated Platform Plain if the fortress faced destruction.
  • Chen Xiaojun proposed an Earth Vein Light Network to illuminate main routes across the three districts and draw merchants and travelers to their roads.
  • Chen Xiaojun urged the Chen Clan to turn Iron Jaw Fortress into a center for entertainment, commerce, and tourism connecting the Underground City with Heaven Dou City, and the hall praised his plans.

Ch. 1892Awakening of Insects

Chen Xiaojun defended taking control of the Bone-Digging Corps’ population-trade channels and presented test results showing remarkable Soul Master talent among those they had rescued. Chen Zhang’s council resolved to turn the channels into a regulated system for recruitment and resettlement, leaving the Joint Management Council in control.

  • Chen Xiaojun argued that the council should control the Bone-Digging Corps’ population-movement channels rather than let other gangs exploit them.
  • Chen Xiaojun shared test results with the elders, who were astonished by Winter’s eighth-grade Iceblood Dragon martial soul, Level 8.7 innate soul power, and Level 28 soul power at age thirteen.
  • Ma Zhibin tried to claim Winter as a personal attendant for his son, but Zhu Yanfeng rebuffed him.
  • Chen Zhang declared that the Joint Management Council would retain the channels, screen everyone brought in, train promising Soul Masters, and properly resettle ordinary children and women.

Ch. 1893Embracing Yin and Yang

Chen Xiaojun proposed establishing a training base for Soul Masters with negative-attribute martial souls at Iron Jaw Fortress, then outlined a plan to manage refugees and recruit talent in the Canopy District. Chen Zhang approved the base and assigned its preparation, while the district’s response to the spreading unrest remained to be implemented.

  • Chen Xiaojun proposed a training base at Iron Jaw Mountain Fort for adult and young Soul Masters with negative-attribute martial souls, with the possibility of a specialized academy later.
  • Qin Lüguang, Ximen Wen Ye, Yang Zhicheng, and Ma Zhibin supported the proposal, and Chen Zhang designated an area in the fort’s western section for the base.
  • Chen Zhang assigned Qin Lüguang to prepare and manage the base, with Zuo Jinhua assisting, and directed them to plan recruitment, training, and oversight.
  • Chen Xiaojun warned that unrest and refugees from the Imperial Capital could spill into the Canopy District and proposed opening its gates under a three-stage screening and merit system.
  • Chen Xiaojun proposed giving refugees basic aid in exchange for labor, monitoring arrivals, and admitting those who earned merit into the district’s outer ranks and Reserve Corps.

Ch. 1894Baleful Energy Absorption Magic Formation, Seven Kill Qi-Concealment

Chen Xiaojun revealed Chen Cong’s Baleful Energy Absorption Magic Formation, designed to gather and store the dangerous negative energies permeating Iron Jaw Fortress. The formation could supply the Chen Clan’s Seven Kill Sword Soul Masters with controlled baleful energy, potentially easing a longstanding problem, though its practical use remained ahead.

  • Chen Xiaojun unfolded a large schematic and announced that it depicted the Baleful Energy Absorption Magic Formation researched by Chen Cong.
  • Chen Xiaojun explained that years of slaughter had soaked Iron Jaw Fortress in resentment and baleful energy, making the place unnaturally cold and dangerous.
  • Chen Xiaojun demonstrated how his Seven Kill Sword could absorb negative energy and said the formation would gather such energy on a larger scale.
  • Chen Xiaojun explained that the Chen Clan’s Soul Masters struggled with excess or insufficient killing intent and baleful energy, which they had to suppress using the Seven Kill Qi-Concealing Technique.
  • Chen Xiaojun described how Chen Cong combined research on natural barriers, clan techniques, mimicry environments, energy compression, and yin-yang conversion to complete the formation’s design.

Ch. 1895The Ximen Family's Dawn After a Thousand Years

Chen Xiaojun revealed that the Baleful Energy Absorption Magic Formation could theoretically absorb the Ximen Family's Karmaflame Demon Blade fiend qi, potentially ending their thousand-year affliction. He agreed to pursue the formation's construction and said it was meant to benefit the entire Four-Family Alliance.

  • Chen Xiaojun explained that the formation could supply the Chen Clan's Seven-Kill Sword with negative energy and said its principles could also support the Ximen Family's Karmaflame Demon Blade.
  • Ximen Wenye realized the formation might absorb the fiend qi harming his family, and Chen Xiaojun confirmed that it could provide killing qi and blood qi while removing accumulated fiend qi.
  • Chen Xiaojun explained that the formation had only been theoretically designed and had not yet been tested, but Ximen Wenye still urged him to begin construction and promised the Ximen Family's full support.
  • Chen Xiaojun said he had brought the blueprint not just for the Chen Clan and Ximen Family, but to benefit everyone in the Four-Family Alliance.

Ch. 1896Nine Yin Return to Origin, the Main Formation Core

Chen Xiaojun explained how the Baleful Energy Absorption Magic Formation could gather and purify negative energies at Iron Jaw Fortress for cultivation and combat. He revealed the Divine Wood Heart as a candidate for the formation’s Main Formation Core.

  • Chen Xiaojun described how the formation’s converted energies could benefit the Ma and Yang families and other Soul Masters.
  • Chen Xiaojun examined Zuo Jinhua’s Mountain Fort blueprint and identified nine sites for energy-absorption nodes and channels leading to the Main Formation Core.
  • Chen Xiaojun explained that mithril from Iron Jaw Fortress’s deposits could be used in the formation’s energy conduits.
  • Yang Zhicheng asked Chen Xiaojun about material for the Main Formation Core, and Chen Xiaojun opened a treasure box containing the Divine Wood Heart.
  • Qin Lüguang, Zhu Yanfeng, and Yang Zhicheng recognized the Divine Wood Heart, which had helped transform the Yang Family’s old poplar tree into a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.

Ch. 1897Turning Poison into Blades, Gathering Treasure with the Flame of Legacy

Chen Xiaojun explained how the Baleful Energy Absorption Magic Formation would purify Iron Jaw Fortress’s negative energy, strengthen its defenses, support cultivation, and attract visitors. Chen Zhang made the formation the Four-Family Alliance’s top priority and assigned the work needed to prepare for its construction.

  • Chen Xiaojun explained that the Divine Wood Heart would serve as the formation’s main core, while subsidiary cores and Soul Masters would improve its ability to absorb specific kinds of negative energy.
  • Chen Xiaojun proposed turning the remaining fiendish qi into defensive barriers, traps, and spiritual attacks that could weaken intruders.
  • Chen Xiaojun said the formation could cleanse Mountain Fort and ease visitors’ accumulated baleful energy, encouraging them to return.
  • Ma Zhibin praised the formation’s combined benefits and questioned whether Chen Xiaojun had planned it for Iron Jaw Fortress in advance.
  • Chen Xiaojun explained that the formation schematic had taken shape a month earlier and that the fortress, resources, and circumstances made its construction possible.
  • Chen Zhang ordered all four families to prioritize construction, while Qin Lüguang took charge of surveys and preparations and Jian Hezhi was tasked with assembling the needed personnel.

Ch. 1898Chen Zhang, you're tempting me!

Chen Zhang’s council settled on interrogating Barton to uncover the Martial Soul Holy Hall’s hidden agents and plans in Heaven Dou City. Qin Lüguang, Zhu Yanfeng, and Chen Xiaojun entered the Interrogation Room, where Qin confronted the captured Dou Jing and four Soul Saints.

  • Qin Lüguang volunteered to interrogate the bandit leaders, and Chen Zhang stressed the need to uncover Barton’s secrets and hidden agents.
  • Chen Xiaojun spoke privately with Zuo Jinhua, then followed Qin Lüguang and Zhu Yanfeng toward the Interrogation Room with the Ximen Darkfire Guards.
  • Ma Zhibin asked Chen Zhang about yin-yang and the five elements, while Ximen Wenye and Yang Zhicheng teased him and Xia Yun reminded him to pay for the wine.
  • The guards opened the reinforced doors to the Interrogation Room, and Chen Xiaojun entered despite a warning about its blood aura.
  • Qin Lüguang found Dou Jing and four captured Soul Saints bound in the cavern and taunted Dou Jing about being made to suffer the same treatment he had inflicted on others.

Ch. 1899Tendon-Splitting Bone-Crushing Hand

Chen Xiaojun and his allies tortured captured opponents to force them to reveal what they knew, but the prisoners resisted. Dou Jing learned that Barton had escaped, while Yan Zhen discovered the accusation that Barton served Spirit Hall’s Jin Family.

  • Qin Lüguang demanded that Dou Jing, Yan Zhen, and Mo Li talk, but they refused.
  • Qin Lüguang broke Dou Jing’s ribs, while Zhu Yanfeng aggravated Li Wuyaya’s shoulder wound as Chen Xiaojun watched.
  • Zhu Yanfeng used his Tendon-Splitting Bone-Crushing Hand on Yan Zhen, who endured the pain without screaming.
  • Qin Lüguang ordered the Darkfire Guards to tighten the prisoners’ chains and drain their soul power, making Li Wuyaya groan.
  • Zhu Yanfeng told Dou Jing that Barton had escaped, and Dou Jing acknowledged it.
  • Qin Lüguang accused Barton of serving Spirit Hall’s Jin Family, shocking Yan Zhen.

Ch. 1900A Vicious Needle's Surprise Attack

Zhu Yanfeng accused Dou Jing’s faction of hiding Barton’s ties to the Jin Family and Spirit Hall, while Chen Xiaojun offered the prisoners a chance to reduce their punishment by revealing Barton’s covert network. Dou Jing appeared ready to answer, then attacked Chen Xiaojun with a concealed burst of icy energy.

  • Zhu Yanfeng argued that Barton’s secret techniques pointed to the Jin Family and challenged Dou Jing over the faction’s failure to watch him.
  • Yan Zhen questioned Dou Jing after realizing Barton might have been a Jin Family plant, while Li Wuyaya and Yin Jiu defended the prisoners and accused the Chen Clan of seeking a pretext.
  • Chen Xiaojun told Dou Jing that Barton, the Jin Family, and Spirit Hall would abandon them, and urged him to reveal the covert network and secret communication channels.
  • Dou Jing fell silent, then challenged Chen Xiaojun to force the information out of him.
  • Dou Jing unleashed a concealed, concentrated surge of icy energy at Chen Xiaojun.

Ch. 1901Great Siming, Was That a Good Snack?

Chen Xiaojun survived Dou Jing’s Mental Pierce because the Black-Red Cocoon absorbed the attack, leaving Dou Jing’s hidden power exposed. Chen Xiaojun then pressed Dou Jing about his ties to Barton, the Martial Soul Holy Hall, and the Golden Crocodile Jin Family.

  • Dou Jing’s Mental Pierce struck Chen Xiaojun, but Chen Xiaojun remained unharmed as the Black-Red Cocoon pulled the needle into itself.
  • Qin Lüguang tried to attack Dou Jing, but Zhu Yanfeng stopped him until Chen Xiaojun revealed he had deliberately tested the attack.
  • Chen Xiaojun’s divine sense asked the cocoon whether it had enjoyed its snack, and the cocoon flashed after devouring the needle.
  • Chen Xiaojun questioned Dou Jing about the source of his mental technique and possible links to Barton, the Martial Soul Holy Hall, and the Golden Crocodile Jin Family.
  • Zhu Yanfeng accused Dou Jing of betraying his followers, while Li Wuyaya protested and Nine Yin retreated into the shadows.

Ch. 1902Opening a Breach

Chen Xiaojun sealed Dou Jing’s mental power and questioned the Bone-Digging Corps members, learning that Yan Zhen and Mo Li knew little about Barton’s secret dealings. Yin Jiu revealed that Bloodfang had been Barton’s most trusted confidant, but Chen Xiaojun had already killed him, leaving a crucial lead lost.

  • Yan Zhen chose to confess after Chen Xiaojun confronted him with evidence against Dou Jing.
  • Chen Xiaojun used the Yin Fiend Abyss-Sinking Seal to seal Dou Jing’s Upper Soul Nest and prevent another mental attack.
  • Yan Zhen said he had handled fighting and killing, while Barton and Dou Jing managed the corps’ arrangements and dealings.
  • Mo Li admitted that he had sold stolen goods and once overheard Dou Jing and Bloodfang discussing pressure from people above them.
  • Yin Jiu explained that Bloodfang alone held Barton’s crucial information and suggested Bloodfang had been sent by Spirit Hall.
  • Chen Xiaojun recognized Bloodfang as the powerful Soul Saint he had killed, realizing that Barton’s most important lead was gone.

Ch. 1903Great Siming's Mind Reading

Chen Xiaojun used his Blood Fiend Qi to read Dou Jing’s recent memories and guessed that Barton was using Dou Jing’s children as leverage. Dou Jing surrendered and agreed to talk after Chen Xiaojun promised to spare them, though Chen Xiaojun admitted he had bluffed rather than learned the full truth through mind reading.

  • Chen Xiaojun used five strands of Blood Fiend Qi to assault Dou Jing’s mind and discovered that Barton had his children as bargaining chips.
  • Dou Jing reacted in terror, confirming Chen Xiaojun’s guess, and Chen Xiaojun claimed he knew where the children were.
  • Chen Xiaojun threatened Dou Jing’s children, and Dou Jing agreed to talk if Chen Xiaojun spared their lives.
  • Chen Xiaojun agreed, then revealed to himself that his beginner-level mind reading had only shown recent memories and that he had bluffed Dou Jing.
  • Qin Lüguang and Zhu Yanfeng discussed how Dou Jing’s fear and resistance had suggested he was protecting someone or awaiting rescue.

Ch. 1904Power-Seizing Record: From Soul Emperor to Lord of the Bone-Diggers

Dou Jing recounted how Barton rose through the Bone-Digging Corps and revealed the Jin Family’s influence behind his career. He described Barton’s consolidation of power, expansion into human trafficking, and rapid cultivation, leaving Qin Lüguang and the others assessing his true talent.

  • Dou Jing said Barton joined the Bone-Digging Corps as a Level 69 Soul Emperor and quickly rose through the Soul Hunting Department after earning a reputation for bravery.
  • Dou Jing explained that Barton reached Level 78 and became deputy regiment commander in his seventh year, aided by a 65,000-year soul bone.
  • Dou Jing said Barton became regiment commander after the old commander died, securing support from Tang Hengyu, Hahn, and the Zhicheng Merchant Association.
  • Dou Jing described how Barton took control of key departments, expanded mineral trading, and increased the corps’s involvement in human trafficking.
  • Dou Jing said Barton’s rival later died in an unexplained accident and Barton became a Soul Douluo after reaching Level 80 in his tenth year with the corps.
  • Zhu Yanfeng calculated Barton’s later advancement and concluded his claimed innate soul power of just over Level Seven seemed plausible.

Ch. 1905Bone-Digging Corps: Spirit Hall's Hidden Stronghold

Dou Jing revealed how Barton and Spirit Hall factions turned the Bone-Digging Corps into a channel for trafficking young Soul Masters and supplies. He explained that Bloodfang’s Garrison Army faction had taken control of human trafficking, while Barton retained authority over ordinary operations.

  • Dou Jing named Bloodfang, Huo Yifeng, Mao Zeqian, and the Quentin Brothers as powerful figures who entered the corps and helped channel its supplies to hidden partners.
  • Dou Jing said the corps’ large-scale human trafficking expanded after Bloodfang and the others arrived, with many young Soul Masters sent to Spirit Hall in exchange for generous resources.
  • Dou Jing identified the enslaved Soul Masters’ apparent destination as Spirit Hall’s Garrison Army and said Bloodfang’s faction could overrule Barton because its members controlled the trafficking route.
  • Dou Jing explained that Barton’s influence over special channels and trafficking declined after a dispute with Bloodfang, though Barton still managed ordinary operations, intelligence, funds, and supplies.
  • Chen Xiaojun concluded that the Garrison Army faction controlled trafficking while Barton retained authority over routine affairs, and Dou Jing confirmed that the two sides divided special resources while keeping their domains separate.

Ch. 1906Brothers in life and death! No debts between us!

Dou Jing recalled how Barton had saved his life, given him the Xuan Bing Life-Nourishing Orchid, and won his loyalty during a power struggle. Years later, Dou Jing began to suspect that Barton’s dealings with outside forces ran deeper than he had known.

  • Twenty-one years earlier, Barton rescued Dou Jing from Crystal Scorpions at the Soul-Eating Crystal Mine and was badly wounded in the process.
  • Barton gave Dou Jing a Xuan Bing Life-Nourishing Orchid, and Dou Jing’s wife later became pregnant.
  • During the struggle to replace the old regiment commander, Barton offered Dou Jing earth-core jade marrow in exchange for the Guard Department’s support, and Dou Jing helped secure his takeover.
  • Three months after Barton seized power, Dou Jing led the killing of ten opponents while Rusty Brotherhood members blocked the Blackstone Mine Tunnel’s exit.
  • Dou Jing realized Barton’s collusion with outside forces was extensive after learning he had been involved in killings, smuggling, and contacts tied to the Jin Family’s network.

Ch. 1907Trapped in a Cage, No Longer His Own Master

Dou Jing recalled how Barton had protected his wife and child while keeping them under surveillance, used him to eliminate risks, and bound him with a soul bone and political favors. In the dungeon, Dou Jing told Zhu Yanfeng and Qin Lüguang that Barton had lost control of his life to the Jin Family and Spirit Hall.

  • Ten years earlier, Dou Jing agreed to fake his wife and child's deaths and move them to Heaven Dou City, where Barton later placed them under surveillance in the name of protection.
  • Seven years earlier, Dou Jing killed and erased an informant on Barton's orders.
  • Five years earlier, Barton gave Dou Jing a thirty-thousand-year soul bone that helped him break through to level 80, and Dou Jing realized the gift had also shackled him.
  • Three years earlier, Dou Jing learned that Bloodfang's faction had discovered his child and planned to abduct him, while Barton had only managed to keep the child in Heaven Dou City.
  • In the dungeon, Dou Jing told Zhu Yanfeng and Qin Lüguang that Barton retained some principles but was no longer his own master under the Jin Family and Spirit Hall.

Ch. 1908Chen Jianjun! You Cliffhanger Bastard!

Ma Yin Qi exposed the concealed details of Chen Xin Yi’s identity and power to the Soul Fighting Academy team, forcing Chen Jianjun to explain the family’s gag order. The team ended the meeting furious and shaken, with their arena tactics needing a complete overhaul.

  • Ma Yin Qi burst into the tactical room and confronted Chen Jianjun with intelligence identifying Chen Xin Yi as Donghuang Xiuyi, Lesser Siming, and revealing her hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
  • Gui Dang and the others reacted with shock as they learned Donghuang Xiuyi was the top-ranked prodigy and a Soul Emperor whose Time-Space Prison had blocked a powerful attack.
  • Fang Yiling warned that the hidden information could have gotten people killed, while Xue Wanni broke down over learning Chen Xiaojun’s poem was written for Donghuang Xiuyi.
  • Chen Jianjun said the Chen family had ordered him to keep Chen Xin Yi’s identity and strength secret, but Ma Yin Qi and Gui Dang blamed him for misleading them and demanded compensation.
  • The team recognized that their plans against Chang'an had to be scrapped, and Chen Jianjun gave Ma Yin Qi his money pouch before she complained it was not enough.

Ch. 1909Xiu Yi Couldn't Take Much Punishment!

Chen Jianjun and his teammates learned that Chen Xiaojun had slain six Soul Saints and that Xiao Yi had powerful, unusual abilities, forcing them to revise their tournament plans. They ended by treating the coming tournament as a fight to the death.

  • Ma Yin Qi confronted Chen Jianjun with a confidential letter reporting Chen Xiaojun's battlefield feats and Ma Liang's repeated injuries.
  • Chen Jianjun's teammates reacted to Chen Xiaojun and Xiao Yi's powers, while Fang Yiling warned that their abilities exceeded conventional soul skills.
  • Chen Jianjun urged the team to overcome their fear and prepare to face Chen Xiaojun and Xiao Yi together.
  • Gui Dang, Xue Wanni, and Fang Yiling rallied themselves and discussed ways to counter the pair, including the limits of their sword techniques and Xiao Yi's soul skills.
  • Chen Jianjun suspected Chen Xiaojun had gained a new sword inheritance and concluded that the tournament would be a fight to the death.

Ch. 1910Crimson Embrace

As the authorities searched Heaven Dou City's Underworld for Sword Lord Azure Bamboo, the Blackbird Bureau identified the Crimson Embrace cult as his likely abductors. An elite Ye Xiao team found the cult preparing a blood ritual with Azure Bamboo as its intended vessel and launched an attack.

  • The City Guard Army, intelligence forces, clans, sects, and underground factions fought across the Underworld as the search for Azure Bamboo stretched into its fourth day.
  • Marshal Ge Laihao demanded that the Imperial Capital Garrison Legion be sent underground, but adviser Zuo Tinggang argued that the narrow passages made that plan too dangerous.
  • A Blackbird Bureau report named the Crimson Embrace as the prime suspect in Azure Bamboo's abduction, and Prince Xue Jiqing ordered Ye Xiao and Shadow Fang to locate its lair and track its priests.
  • Xue Jiqing also ordered Imperial Guards and Military Intelligence units to keep searching for the missing informant Black Tongue.
  • Ye Xiao elites entered a Crimson Embrace altar and discovered cultists preparing to use Azure Bamboo as a vessel for the Lord of Corrupt Blood.
  • The Ye Xiao team attacked as the cult's Soul Douluo-level priest called for the fanatics to sacrifice themselves.

Ch. 1911Doomsday Panic

Ge Laizheng and Yu Yuancheng defeated the cult priest, but his prophecy that Sword Lord Azure Bamboo would unleash a flood of corrupt blood within seven days triggered mass panic in the Underground City. The authorities faced widespread disorder as the threat of the prophecy loomed over Heaven Dou City.

  • A cultist’s burst of corrosive blood killed three Blackbird Bureau elites as the battle against the cultists reached a stalemate.
  • Ge Laizheng and Yu Yuancheng arrived, broke through the priest’s defenses, and struck him down.
  • Before dying, the priest prophesied that Sword Lord Azure Bamboo would become the Evil God’s vessel and flood the surface with his blood within seven days.
  • The prophecy spread through the Southeastern District’s Underworld and sent residents, smugglers, and gray-market groups fleeing toward the exits.
  • Crowds overwhelmed the entrances, leaving the City Guard Army struggling to hold its shield wall as disorder spread.
  • Ge Laihao saw the Underground City’s exits marked by severe disorder and recognized that the cult’s panic had created a new crisis; finding Sword Lord Azure Bamboo became urgent.
Arc 75 of 81