Chapter Summaries

The Ghost-Killing Squad and Tiger-Killing Squad raided homes across Windrise Stronghold, killing Bao Long and abducting Fu Yingying and several senior officials. The residents welcomed the officials’ arrests, while the City Guard Battalion stood aside and Ye Xicheng refused to meet their families.

• Pi Hou and Du Gang ambushed Bao Long as the Ghost-Killing Squad carried the unconscious Fu Yingying away.
• Pi Hou ordered his men to clean up the courtyard, then led them away while Du Gang departed with his own squad; Mo Wuyang arrived at Bao Long’s corpse afterward.
• The Ghost-Killing Squad and Tiger-Killing Squad stormed the mansions of Song Yuan, Xiao Yi, and other senior officials, beating or killing their guards and taking the officials away.
• Windrise Stronghold’s residents recognized the Demon Hunting Camp uniforms and quietly celebrated the officials’ arrests.
• The City Guard Battalion avoided interfering with the raids and ignored the officials’ families’ reports; Ye Xicheng refused to let the families enter the Demon Hunting Camp.

Chen Shi'an and Xiang Chuxiong sprang a series of traps on Tian Wenguang in the Water Prison, leaving him gravely wounded. Xiang Chuxiong returned with dozens of experts and taunted Tian Wenguang as he saw his enemy’s condition.

• Tian Wenguang entered the cage to demand the key, but Chen Shi'an shed his chains and ambushed him with the Windbreaker Saber.
• Xiang Chuxiong attacked Tian Wenguang with the Mysterious Edge Sword, which revealed his Fourth Grade power and pierced Tian Wenguang’s chest.
• Black-Iron Arrows killed Tian Wenguang’s two companions, while Tian Wenguang struck Xiang Chuxiong and pursued him despite his wound.
• Chen Shi'an and Tian Wenguang defended themselves against successive waves of Black-Iron Arrows, until the arrows stopped with Tian Wenguang badly wounded.
• Xiang Chuxiong returned with dozens of experts and laughed as he taunted the wounded Tian Wenguang.

Chen Shi'an killed Xiang Chuxiong after pretending to be mortally wounded, then took control of the Water Prison as Windrise Stronghold descended toward chaos. He sent Pi Hou to find Fu Nantian and kept his promise to Mo Wuyang by securing two fourth grade Martial Artists.

• Tian Wenguang was beaten and hacked to death after Xiang Chuxiong ordered his men to kill him.
• Xiang Chuxiong entered Chen Shi'an's cage and thrust the Mysterious Edge Sword at his throat, but Chen Shi'an dodged and killed him with Leveling Mountain.
• Chen Shi'an left the cage and ordered Xiang Chuxiong's subordinates to disperse and avoid crimes during the coming chaos.
• Chen Shi'an searched the Water Prison for Fu Nantian, and Pi Hou reported that the people Chen Shi'an had named were restrained and locked up in the Camp.
• Chen Shi'an sent Pi Hou to the City Lord's Mansion to find Fu Nantian, then told Mo Wuyang he had secured both fourth grade Martial Artists.

After Xiang Chuxiong and Tian Wenguang died, Windrise Stronghold’s factions fought over control while Chen Shi'an urged Hu Wanli to preserve order and stay out of the power struggle. Jiang Can seized the City Lord’s Mansion and great seal, and the chapter ended with Xiang Li confronting Chen Shi'an about Xiang Chuxiong’s death.

• Chen Shi'an warned Hu Wanli not to join the struggle among the Stronghold’s higher-ups and advised him to keep order; Hu Wanli ordered his soldiers to secure the streets.
• After Xiang Chuxiong and Tian Wenguang’s deaths became known, factions battled for control, while Ye Xicheng kept the Demon Hunting Camp neutral and Hu Wanli’s troops controlled key streets.
• Chen Shi'an returned to the Demon Hunting Camp headquarters and cultivated as the unrest continued through the night and into the next day.
• Jiang Can defeated his rivals, seized the City Lord’s Mansion and great seal, and summoned Windrise Stronghold’s higher-ups, including Ye Xicheng, Hu Wanli, and Ye Zhengxiong.
• Xiang Li confronted Chen Shi'an and demanded to know why he had acted, and Chen Shi'an replied that Xiang Chuxiong had tried to kill him, so he had defended himself.

Chen Shi'an persuaded Xiang Li to become Windrise Stronghold’s City Lord, offering his support while making clear he planned to leave. Meanwhile, Jiang Can claimed the position but met open resistance from the stronghold’s senior figures.

• Chen Shi'an told Xiang Li that he had killed Xiang Chuxiong because Xiang Chuxiong intended to kill him.
• Chen Shi'an urged Xiang Li to take the City Lord position, promising support and warning that Windrise Stronghold could fall into infighting or face invasion; Xiang Li finally nodded.
• Jiang Can dressed in Xiang Chuxiong’s oversized City Lord’s robe and delayed his arrival to the Council Hall to assert his authority.
• Jiang Can announced himself as City Lord and promised to protect and advance the interests of those present, but the assembled leaders stayed silent.
• Hu Wanli addressed Jiang Can as Chief Clerk rather than City Lord, while Ye Xicheng and Ye Zhengxiong withheld their support.

Jiang Can tried to force the stronghold’s senior figures to recognize him as City Lord and ordered his armed men to seize Ye Xicheng, Hu Wanli, and Ye Zhengxiong. Hou Fang and Du Gang arrived with masked Demon Hunting Camp squads, and their revealed Entry-Rank strength turned the confrontation against Jiang Can.

• Jiang Can threatened Ye Xicheng, Hu Wanli, and Ye Zhengxiong and surrounded them with armored men, demanding they support him as City Lord.
• Ye Xicheng rejected Jiang Can’s authority and declared that Windrise Stronghold’s rules could be changed; Hu Wanli refused to intervene on Jiang Can’s behalf.
• Jiang Can ordered his men to seize the three, but fighting broke out outside the Council Hall before the order could be carried out.
• Hou Fang and Du Gang entered with masked squads, claiming control of the City Lord’s Mansion for the Demon Hunting Camp.
• Hou Fang killed an attacking subordinate with a single strike, and he and Du Gang revealed that they were both Entry-Rank Martial Artists.

Chen Shi'an entered the council hall with Xiang Li as Jiang Can revealed his concealed third-grade-perfection cultivation and demanded the senior figures submit to him. Chen Shi'an killed Jiang Can with a swift saber technique, leaving Xiang Li positioned to become City Lord, while Pi Hou proposed wiping out the remaining senior figures and rebuilding the Stronghold.

• Jiang Can attacked Pi Hou and Du Gang, but stopped when Xiang Li and Chen Shi'an entered the council hall.
• Jiang Can revealed that his cultivation had reached third grade perfection and demanded that the Stronghold's senior figures submit to him.
• Chen Shi'an offered to spare Jiang Can if he swore loyalty, but Jiang Can attacked him instead.
• Chen Shi'an drew the Windbreaker Saber and killed Jiang Can with eight rapid slashes.
• Pi Hou urged Chen Shi'an to eliminate the remaining senior figures and tear down the Stronghold to start again.

After Jiang Can's defeat, Xiang Li took the City Lord's seat and gave Chen Shi'an command of a new, highly autonomous Three-Killing Battalion. Three days later, with the Stronghold's purge largely complete, Chen Shi'an told Xiang Li he needed to disappear for a while and left the matter of Tian Wenguang in his hands.

• Chen Shi'an stopped the senior officials from being killed and called on them to recognize Xiang Li as City Lord; the officials and Jiang Can's surviving subordinates submitted.
• Xiang Li took the City Lord's seat, received the hall's greetings, and ordered the creation of the Three-Killing Battalion under Chen Shi'an's full command.
• Chen Shi'an accepted Xiang Li's decision to grant him authority over the Three-Killing Battalion, and the officials returned to their posts as Windrise Stronghold resumed normal operations.
• Chen Shi'an directed a purge of Jiang Can, Song Yuan, and Xiao Yi's followers, while the Three-Killing Battalion moved into new quarters and took in prisoners Song Yuan and Xiao Yi, along with Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying.
• After three days, Chen Shi'an told Xiang Li that he needed to disappear before Sister Qian returned and left Tian Wenguang's matter to him.

Chen Shi'an confronted Ye Xicheng over his past attempts to harm him and forced him to choose between death and swearing loyalty. Ye Xicheng pledged himself to Chen Shi'an, while Chen Shi'an prepared to stay away until the danger surrounding Tian Wenguang's death passed.

• Chen Shi'an gave Xiang Li the Mysterious Edge Sword to pass to Sister Qian and told him to rely on Pi Hou while he was away.
• Chen Shi'an visited the Demon Hunting Camp, where its men welcomed him, then met Ye Xicheng in the Great Tent.
• Chen Shi'an accused Ye Xicheng of urging him to practice the Mad Flame Saber Technique and trying to kill him at Blackwater Ridge.
• Chen Shi'an offered Ye Xicheng the choice of death or swearing loyalty, and Ye Xicheng initially refused.
• Chen Shi'an argued that Ye Xicheng valued power and status, promised not to interfere in the Demon Hunting Camp, and gave him six breaths to decide.
• Ye Xicheng swore on his Martial Dao Heart to serve Chen Shi'an and greeted him as Master.

Chen Shi'an advised Ye Xicheng to adapt to Windrise Stronghold’s changing power structure and stop pursuing Tao Yaoyao. When Song Yuming barged in demanding his father’s release and threatened Chen, Ye expelled him from the Demon Hunting Camp and ordered his dantian crippled.

• Chen Shi'an told Ye Xicheng he had used only sixty percent of his strength to kill Jiang Can and advised him to stop pursuing Tao Yaoyao and treat Cui Zhu honestly.
• Chen Shi'an explained that Windrise Stronghold’s circumstances had changed and urged Ye Xicheng to focus on his duties as commander of the Demon Hunting Camp.
• Song Yuming stormed into the military tent, demanded that Chen release his father, and threatened to bring the Song Family’s power against him.
• Ye Xicheng ordered Song Yuming to apologize, then stripped him of his position and expelled him from the Demon Hunting Camp for threatening Chen.
• After Song Yuming resisted arrest and cursed Chen, Chen told Ye to cripple his dantian, and Ye ordered the guards to carry it out.

Chen Shi'an recruited Iron Bull and his intelligence network into the Three-Killing Battalion as the Shadow-Killing Squad, then ordered them to expand their reach across the Outer City and beyond. He encouraged Iron Bull to keep pursuing Martial Dao cultivation and gave him all fifteen of his remaining Marrow-Washing Pills.

• Chen Shi'an told Iron Bull that the City Lord would clear his group's names and offered them a choice between returning to the Demon Hunting Camp and joining the Three-Killing Battalion; Iron Bull chose to follow Chen Shi'an.
• Chen Shi'an named Iron Bull's intelligence network the Shadow-Killing Squad and tasked it with building a network in the Outer City before expanding into nearby strongholds and beyond.
• Iron Bull joked that Chen Shi'an had painted him a huge pie in the sky, and Chen Shi'an said they might actually get to eat it.
• Iron Bull admitted that more than a dozen Marrow-Washing Pills had not helped him undergo marrow-washing and bone-tempering, but Chen Shi'an urged him not to give up.
• Chen Shi'an gave Iron Bull the fifteen Marrow-Washing Pills he had left and resolved to find more for the Three-Killing Battalion.

Chen Shi'an rewarded Iron Bull for his loyalty and then visited the Windrise Martial Academy to set new limits on its involvement in Windrise Stronghold's affairs. Ye Zhengxiong agreed to separate the academy from the stronghold's factions within six months.

• Chen Shi'an gave Iron Bull Marrow-Washing Pills, and Iron Bull swore lifelong loyalty before moving into the Three-Killing Battalion with his subordinates.
• Chen Shi'an visited the Windrise Martial Academy, greeted its disciples, and joked with one female disciple who claimed she met his requirements for a wife.
• Ye Zhengxiong welcomed Chen Shi'an into his study, where Chen thanked him for staying out of the recent upheaval.
• Chen Shi'an told Ye Zhengxiong that the academy must stop interfering in affairs outside its walls and separate from the stronghold's factions within six months.
• Ye Zhengxiong acknowledged the academy's ties would be difficult to sever quickly and accepted Chen Shi'an's six-month deadline.

Chen Shi'an reconciled with Fang Ruyu over tea, then returned to the Three-Killing Battalion and prepared his officers to manage Windrise Stronghold while he was away. The chapter ended with Zhu Neng warning that Song Yuan and Xiao Yi's hidden followers could remain a threat unless they were rooted out.

• Chen Shi'an assured Ye Zhengxiong he would honor their agreement and hunt a Fire-Tailed Fox for the Demon Core when he had time.
• Ye Zhengxiong introduced Fang Ruyu as his disciple, and she thanked Chen Shi'an for the pills that had helped her undergo Marrow-Washing and Bone-Tempering.
• Chen Shi'an and Fang Ruyu exchanged blessings over tea and put their past grievances behind them.
• Chen Shi'an ordered Pi Hou, Du Gang, Zhu Neng, and Iron Bull to maintain order, pursue the great families, and watch for suspicious arrivals with the supplies from Desolate Suppression City while he was away.
• Chen Shi'an raised the fate of Song Yuan, Xiao Yi, and their imprisoned allies, and Zhu Neng warned that hidden followers could remain a danger if they were not caught together.

Chen Shi'an ordered his men to release Song Yuan, Xiao Yi, and their associates under surveillance so they could expose their remaining allies. He then visited Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying, returned Fu Nantian’s jade pendant, and told them Windrise Stronghold’s leaders had fallen and they were free to leave.

• Chen Shi'an instructed Pi Hou and Du Gang to escort Song Yuan, Xiao Yi, and the others back while Iron Bull monitored them and their contacts.
• Chen Shi'an told his men to recruit promising fighters for the newly independent Three-Killing Battalion, prioritizing loyalty.
• Chen Shi'an visited Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying at the Three-Killing Battalion’s garrison and explained that he commanded the battalion.
• Chen Shi'an offered Fu Nantian the jade pendant, but Fu Nantian asked him to keep it and eventually deliver it to Fu Qianfan.
• Chen Shi'an told Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying that Tian Wenguang and the other enemies of Azure Sun Stronghold had been killed and that Xiang Li would let them leave Windrise Stronghold.

After Tian Wenguang and Xiang Chuxiong died, Chen Shi'an agreed to escort Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying from Windrise Stronghold to Hundred Miasma Forest. He drove them out of the stronghold and through the Outer City, while the Three-Killing Battalion began establishing control there.

• Chen Shi'an told Fu Nantian that Tian Wenguang and Xiang Chuxiong had killed each other and that he could leave Windrise Stronghold.
• Fu Nantian asked Chen Shi'an to escort him and Fu Yingying to Hundred Miasma Forest, and Chen Shi'an agreed to depart immediately.
• Chen Shi'an drove the carriage out through Windrise Stronghold's gates by showing the City Guard Battalion his Three-Killing Battalion token.
• Pi Hou and a squad of Ghost Masks cleared Central Street in the Outer City before Chen Shi'an's carriage passed through without trouble.
• Fu Nantian sat beside Chen Shi'an on the driver's seat and praised how far he had risen since entering Windrise Martial Academy.

Chen Shi'an asked Mo Wuyang to scout Hundred Miasma Forest before he escorted Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying there, hoping to find a suitable saber in the Martial Saint Treasury. After Mo Wuyang left, Chen Shi'an returned to camp and prepared a meal while Fu Yingying watched him.

• Chen Shi'an asked Fu Nantian to keep his identity secret because of the feud between Windrise Stronghold and Azure Sun Stronghold.
• Chen Shi'an caught four rock sheep with Mo Wuyang, who ate three of them.
• Chen Shi'an told Mo Wuyang about the Martial Saint Treasury and asked him to scout Hundred Miasma Forest for danger and information.
• Chen Shi'an promised Mo Wuyang a chance to eat Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and Mo Wuyang set off into the night.
• Chen Shi'an returned to Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying, prepared the remaining rock sheep, and Fu Yingying watched him quietly.

Chen Shi'an traveled with Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying toward Hundred Miasma Forest, where he learned that Fu Qianfan had lost control of the stronghold to Xu Liang. He used three Demon Cores to restore the Saintly Dao Stele, but still could not activate its space-sealing power.

• Fu Nantian watched Fu Yingying develop feelings for Chen Shi'an and blamed himself for failing to protect her.
• Chen Shi'an protected Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying during their half-month journey through the Desolate Ruins, killing weaker Demon Beasts and gathering supplies.
• Near Hundred Miasma Forest, Chen Shi'an met Mo Wuyang, who told him that Xu Liang and several Ranked Martial Artists now challenged Fu Qianfan's authority.
• Chen Shi'an worried that the power struggle could delay opening the Martial Saint Treasury and said he would leave the matter to Pi Hou and the others.
• Chen Shi'an fed three Demon Cores to the Saintly Dao Stele, strengthening its azure light and slowing its absorption of his Mind Power.
• Chen Shi'an tried to pour Mind Power into the Saintly Dao Stele, but its space-sealing power did not appear.

Chen Shi'an brought Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying to the Hundred Miasma Forest, where they waited for someone to emerge. On the fourth morning, they met Zhang Honglin, who told Fu Nantian that his father and uncles had died when their stronghold fell.

• Chen Shi'an and Mo Wuyang discussed the slow recovery of the Saintly Dao Stele and the missing Flame Lizard's Demon Core before setting out to hunt.
• Chen Shi'an returned to camp with rabbits and asked Fu Nantian how they could contact his son Qianfan, but Fu Nantian had no way to reach him.
• Chen Shi'an brought Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying to a concealed vantage point near the Hundred Miasma Forest, where they waited for four days.
• A middle-aged man named Zhang Honglin emerged from the Hundred Miasma Forest, and Chen Shi'an stopped him before Fu Nantian recognized him.
• Zhang Honglin told Fu Nantian that his second and third uncles died fighting and his father was killed by Blackwater Stronghold while helping him escape.

Chen Shi'an escorted Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying to Hundred Miasma Forest, where Zhang Honglin claimed Fu Qianfan still led Azure Sun Stronghold. Suspecting the welcoming party was hostile, Chen Shi'an warned Fu Nantian, and the newcomers revealed their contempt for the weakened former City Lord.

• Zhang Honglin told Fu Nantian that Fu Qianfan had led Azure Sun Stronghold to grow stronger, then left to fetch an escort from Hundred Miasma Forest.
• Fu Nantian thanked Chen Shi'an and offered to notify him when the Martial Saint Treasury opened, while Fu Yingying urged Chen Shi'an to visit the stronghold.
• Zhang Honglin returned with Zuo Rong and Tao Qianqian, and Chen Shi'an sensed killing intent and warned Fu Nantian not to greet them carelessly.
• Zhang Honglin brought Zuo Rong and Tao Qianqian into the woods, where they flanked the group and claimed they had come to escort Fu Nantian.
• Zhang Honglin introduced Zuo Rong as a Second-Rank Martial Artist, and Tao Qianqian mocked Fu Nantian for becoming a wretched old man.

Zhang Honglin demanded the Martial Saint Treasury key from Fu Nantian and threatened Fu Yingying, but Chen Shi'an intervened and defeated the attackers. Chen Shi'an pursued Tao Qianqian after Zhang Honglin fled, cornered her near Hundred Miasma Forest, and refused to let her go.

• Zhang Honglin revealed his resentment toward Fu Nantian and demanded the Martial Saint Treasury key, while Zuo Rong threatened Fu Yingying.
• Chen Shi'an stepped in and killed Zuo Rong with a single strike of the Windbreaker Saber.
• Zhang Honglin and Tao Qianqian fled, and Chen Shi'an severed Zhang Honglin's left leg before leaving him to Fu Nantian.
• Chen Shi'an chased Tao Qianqian out of the woods and blocked her escape toward Hundred Miasma Forest.
• Tao Qianqian pleaded that she had only intended to kill Fu Nantian and Fu Yingying, but Chen Shi'an told her to face death with dignity.