Chapter Summaries

Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five used the [Celestial Star Formation Diagram] to trap the Qilin, then revealed the [Kunlun Sword] and attacked it. Cao Jinxing stabbed Zhao Xizhen to break the formation, but Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five still wounded the Qilin before vines pierced him.

• Zhao Xizhen activated the [Celestial Star Formation Diagram], restraining and disorienting the Qilin so the Faxiang experts could attack.
• The Faxiang experts failed to penetrate the Qilin’s defenses, while Xie Yunli returned to help the injured elders.
• Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five drew the [Kunlun Sword], revealed his powerful Immortal Grade cultivation, and charged at the Qilin.
• Cao Jinxing stabbed Zhao Xizhen, causing the formation to collapse and freeing the Qilin.
• The Qilin raised earthen walls and sent vines after Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five, who pierced the walls and wounded the Qilin with the [Kunlun Sword] before the vines ran him through.

Cao Jinxing ambushed Zhao Xizhen and disabled several opponents while the Qilin and Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five lay gravely wounded. As the Faxiang experts rushed to claim the Qilin, Song Chengxi intervened with his powerful ice technique.

• Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five wounded the Qilin with the [Kunlun Sword], but the Qilin's counterattack left him gravely injured.
• Zhang Mingyan, Master Kuxing, Murong Hua, and Ji Runcheng charged toward the fallen Qilin as Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five tried to recover.
• Cao Jinxing struck Zhao Xizhen unconscious, wounded Jiang Yuebai, and disabled Li Chonglou and Ji Wenfeng.
• Bai Yunxiu revealed that her gu insects had poisoned Ji Wenfeng, while Cao Jinxing stood unharmed.
• Song Chengxi appeared before the Qilin and unleashed [Ice-Seal Three Thousand Li].

Song Chengxi froze the battlefield and attacked the four Faxiang masters before confronting Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five and the others over the Qilin. As the six Faxiang clashed, Cao Jinxing prepared a shot with the Eight Desolations Sun-Shooting Bow, aiming at Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five.

• Song Chengxi unleashed Ice-Seal Three Thousand Li, freezing everyone in the forest except Cao Jinxing and Bai Yunxiu, then struck the four Faxiang masters and wounded them.
• Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five and Murong Hua challenged Song Chengxi over the Qilin, while Ji Runcheng demanded to know where Ji Shaoqin was.
• Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five convinced Ji Runcheng that Ji Shaoqin was likely alive, and Ji Runcheng joined the others against Song Chengxi.
• Song Chengxi manifested Chiyou, and he fought Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five, Murong Hua, Ji Runcheng, and the other Faxiang masters inside the Ice Lotus.
• Cao Jinxing recognized that Song Chengxi could not sustain the battle for long, drew the Eight Desolations Sun-Shooting Bow, and aimed at Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five.

Cao Jinxing and Song Chengxi fought the four Faxiang practitioners while trying to protect the Qilin, and their attacks killed Murong Hua and Ji Runcheng. As the surviving three began draining the Qilin’s vital blood, a fire phoenix rose from the mountain.

• Cao Jinxing’s Vermilion Bird Arrow forced Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five backward, opening a gap that Song Chengxi used to kill Murong Hua.
• Master Kuxing’s mantra briefly disrupted Song Chengxi, allowing Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five and Ji Runcheng to injure him while Zhang Mingyan deflected Cao Jinxing’s arrows.
• Cao Jinxing fired all four Sun-Shooting Arrows; Song Chengxi’s black ice and Lice Gu trapped Ji Runcheng, and the arrow pierced him before Song Chengxi beheaded him.
• Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five, Zhang Mingyan, and Master Kuxing reached the Qilin, broke its ice shell, and began drawing its vital blood.
• A cry rang out, golden flames burst above the cave, and a fire phoenix soared into the sky.

The Fire Phoenix rescued the Qilin, and the two divine beasts drove the intruders into a desperate retreat across Heavenly Maiden Mountain. Song Chengxi forced Zhang Mingyan and Master Kuxing to surrender their Qilin Blood Pearls before letting them into the cave, while Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five fled alone; Song Chengxi, Cao Jinxing, and Bai Yunxiu then concluded that the Great Dao Stele was not at Qilin Cave and prepared for the fallout.

• The Fire Phoenix healed the wounded Qilin with its essence blood, and together they attacked the fleeing intruders as Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five fought back with the Kunlun Sword and escaped toward the cave.
• Song Chengxi sealed the cave entrance with ice and demanded Zhang Mingyan and Master Kuxing hand over their Qilin Blood Pearls in exchange for passage.
• Zhang Mingyan and Master Kuxing surrendered their pearls and entered the cave, while Song Chengxi and Cao Jinxing blocked Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five, who turned west and fled from the pursuing divine beasts.
• Xuan Yuan Fourteen shared seven rare spirit herbs with Cao Jinxing, and Song Chengxi led the group back after declaring their mission accomplished.
• Song Chengxi reasoned that the Great Dao Stele was not at Qilin Cave and warned Cao Jinxing and Bai Yunxiu that other sects and clans might question them after Zhang Mingyan and Master Kuxing returned.

Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five escaped the Qilin and Fire Phoenix by transplanting a Qilin scale into his chest, while the divine beasts joined forces with Qiongqi. The chapter ended with the beasts infusing five survivors with their blood essence and commanding them to break open the Qin Mausoleum and release the Three Fiends.

• Song Chengxi, Cao Jinxing, and Bai Yunxiu left the Heavenly Maiden Mountain Secret Realm while Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five continued fleeing the Qilin and Fire Phoenix.
• Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five cut away his burning right side, transplanted a Qilin scale into his chest, and escaped by diving into a river.
• The Qilin and Fire Phoenix returned to the battlefield with Qiongqi, the second of the Four Fiends.
• The Qilin revealed Zhao Xizhen, Wang Daozong, Ji Wenfeng, Jiang Yuebai, and Li Chonglou frozen beneath the earth, while Murong Hua, Ji Runcheng, and Ma Boyi were already dead.
• The Fire Phoenix burned the three corpses to ash and healed the five survivors with phoenix blood essence; Qiongqi then infused them with its own blood essence.
• The five survivors opened their eyes as a voice commanded them to break open the Qin Mausoleum and release the Three Fiends.

After the Dragon Pool Secret Realm was found ruined and the Faxiang masters vanished, Cao Jinxing and his companions divided the spoils in a secluded cave. Cao Jinxing absorbed qilin blood, reached Tongyou Peak, and formed a Faxiang modeled on Lü Dongbin.

• Dong Fuliang and Zhao Cheng watched Kuxing and Zhang Mingyan emerge from the Dragon Pool, then saw White Dragon Gu carry three people away and suspected Cao Jinxing was among them.
• At dawn, the factions entered the Secret Realm and found a scorched wasteland with no people, bodies, or treasures; prominent sects and families headed to Shaoxing to question the surviving witnesses.
• Cao Jinxing, Bai Yunxiu, and Song Chengxi divided the qilin blood and spiritual herbs in a secluded cave on Kuaiji Mountain, and Song Chengxi gave the two younger cultivators the blood pearls and herbs first.
• Cao Jinxing absorbed a blood pearl, broke through to Tongyou Peak, and used the surplus energy to condense a false Faxiang of Lü Dongbin.
• Cao Jinxing opened his eyes as the newly formed Faxiang did the same, filling the cave with golden light and sword qi.

After Cao Jinxing and Bai Yunxiu reached Tongyou Peak, Song Chengxi returned to Miao territory while Cao Jinxing sent the Pacification Commission an account of the battle at Heavenly Maiden Dragon Pool. Liu Zhenyuan ordered Lu Yi to travel to the Southeast and join Cao Jinxing, both to assist with unrest and to protect him from possible retaliation.

• Cao Jinxing advanced to Tongyou Peak and formed a false Faxiang, while Bai Yunxiu also reached Tongyou Peak after absorbing a blood pearl.
• Song Chengxi gave Cao Jinxing another portion of the ice containing Qilin Blood, warned him that sects might target him, and departed with Bai Yunxiu for Miao territory.
• Cao Jinxing watched Song Chengxi and Bai Yunxiu leave, then decided to write to the Pacification Commission because he suspected the events were not simple.
• At the Northern Pacification Office, Lu Yi reported that only Kuxing and Zhang Mingyan had emerged from the Heavenly Maiden Dragon Pool, and Liu Zhenyuan assigned officers to several urgent missions.
• Liu Zhenyuan, Han Xinting, Zhu Jingzhong, and Lu Yi discussed Cao Jinxing's letter and questioned whether the Xie clan and the missing Faxiang practitioners had truly died.
• Liu Zhenyuan sent Lu Yi to join Cao Jinxing in the Southeast, where they would assist General Qi's forces and help guard Cao Jinxing against retaliation.

Cao Jinxing returned to Shaoxing, learned that the Wokou were hiding at Black Jade Studio, and went there alone in his Flying Fish Uniform. After arresting Zhu Lu, he confronted the Japanese warriors sheltering inside as Kitahara Ryusei led them in an attack.

• Cao Jinxing reunited with Lu Kunlun and the others, then secretly told Lu Kunlun the truth about the deadly expedition and warned him to keep his distance in public.
• A Beggar Gang disciple reported that the Wokou were hiding at Black Jade Studio, where Zhu Lu had been secretly feeding dozens of people.
• Cao Jinxing sent his token to the Shaoxing prefect's office to summon officials, put on his Flying Fish Uniform, and headed to the workshop alone while Lu Kunlun followed at a distance.
• Cao Jinxing smashed through Black Jade Studio's storefront and ignored Zhu Lu's bribe and threats about his powerful connections.
• Cao Jinxing accused Zhu Lu of harboring Wokou for Yan Shifan, paralyzed him with a finger strike, and called the hidden warriors out.
• Kitahara Ryusei charged from the guest rooms with Futsu-no-Mitama, followed by thirty warriors who rushed at Cao Jinxing.

Cao Jinxing slaughtered the Wokou at Black Jade Studio and captured Kitahara Ryusei and the other survivors, uncovering their connection to Zhu Lu and the God of Wealth Gang. He ordered the Shaoxing authorities to guard the prisoners and search for stolen treasures while he awaited Lu Yi and a full investigation.

• Kitahara Ryusei attacked Cao Jinxing with [Futsu-no-Mitama], but Cao Jinxing severed his arm and killed the thirty Wokou fighters in a single pass.
• Cao Jinxing restrained Kitahara Ryusei, summoned Xuan Yuan Fourteen to control the courtyard, and identified himself as the man who had chipped [Futsu-no-Mitama].
• Lu Kunlun watched the fight as Wan Heqing arrived, then Wan Heqing brought Wu Shixun to Cao Jinxing and presented him as Zhu Lu's brother-in-law and a God of Wealth Gang hall master.
• Fan Zikun arrived with soldiers and arrested everyone in the courtyard, while Cao Jinxing warned him to protect the three survivors and search for the Wokou's stolen treasures.
• Cao Jinxing told Fan Zikun that Lu Yi would arrive to investigate, then accepted the prefect's offer to stay at his residence.

Cao Jinxing interrogated Zhu Lu, Kitahara Ryusei, and Wu Shixun in Shaoxing Prison, uncovering a scheme to gather treasures for a monstrous weapon aiding the Wokou. He learned the danger facing the Qi Family Army and prepared to report it while vowing to make Yan Shifan’s faction pay.

• Cao Jinxing intimidated Wu Shixun and used the Fire Charm Technique to make Zhu Lu reveal that Luo Longwen had ordered him to shelter Kitahara Ryusei’s group.
• Cao Jinxing used the Cold Toad Mind-Seizing Technique on Kitahara Ryusei, who disclosed that Xu Hai had traded the Elixir of Immortality recipe to Luo Longwen for Zhejiang’s help smuggling Wokou through the region.
• Kitahara Ryusei revealed that Xu Hai’s forces had awakened Gyuki, a gigantic, ancient sea monster, and were gathering treasures to feed and heal it for use against the Qi Family Army.
• Cao Jinxing realized that the Qi Family Army faced a hidden threat, ordered the clerk’s testimony completed, and vowed to make Yan Shifan and his faction pay.

After Cao Jinxing exposed Yan Shifan’s dealings with the Wokou, Yan Song went to Jiajing to contain the scandal and save the Yan Family from destruction. Jiajing punished the Yan family’s allies, sent Yan Shaoting to the Southeast, and ordered Cao Jinxing protected and empowered to root out traitors.

• Luo Longwen told Yan Song and Yan Shifan that Cao Jinxing had captured Kitahara Ryusei and Zhu Lu, putting their dealings with the Wokou at risk of exposure.
• Yan Shifan secretly ordered eight guards to kill Luo Longwen, while Yan Song prepared to go to the palace with chests of gifts and a list of implicated officials.
• Jiajing summoned Yan Song, who blamed the conspiracy on Luo Longwen and asked to resign and have Yan Shifan stripped of his post.
• Jiajing ordered Yan Song to recuperate, demoted Yan Shifan, appointed Zhang Juzheng to the Grand Secretariat, and sent Yan Shaoting to serve under Qi Jiguang.
• Jiajing ordered the officials on Yan Song’s list flayed and their property confiscated, then granted Cao Jinxing the Soaring Dragon Armor, a shadow guard, and authority to act without restraint.

The Wokou leaders feared Cao Jinxing would expose their plans and reveal the secret of [Gyuki], while Kitahara Hayato struggled over whether to rescue his captured son. Qi Jiguang struck [Gyuki] on Dongji Island, and two experts finally entered Cao Jinxing’s domain at Shaoxing Prison.

• Kitahara Hayato learned that Cao Jinxing had captured Kitahara Ryusei, and Wang Zhi warned him that a rescue attempt might be a trap.
• Xu Hai warned that Kitahara Ryusei might reveal the existence of [Gyuki], especially if Wan Heqing used the [Mind-Seizing Technique] on him.
• [Gyuki] roared from beneath Dongji Island, and Fukuda Kaoru realized someone was attacking it.
• Qi Jiguang recognized [Gyuki] as a threat to the Great Ming fleet and wounded the beast with a saber strike.
• Cao Jinxing waited at Shaoxing Prison as two experts entered his domain, ready to test the power of his false Faxiang.

Cao Jinxing waited outside Shaoxing Prison as assassins converged on him, confident he could defeat them. Wan Heqing prepared to assist him, while an old acquaintance arrived at the city gate.

• Cao Jinxing identified Laosheng and Hongsheng as Opera House assassins and sat outside the prison, inviting them to summon the rest of their allies.
• Hongsheng fired a signal arrow, bringing hidden assassins toward the prison.
• Wan Heqing and her deputies watched the attackers converge, and Wan Heqing ordered them to prepare three bottles from the Main Altar so she could help Cao Jinxing.
• A girl in a black dress and bamboo hat arrived at Shaoxing's city gate from Sichuan and worried that Cao Jinxing might be in trouble.

Cao Jinxing faced a coordinated assault by the Opera House, demonic factions, and Japanese swordsmen outside Shaoxing Prison. He revealed a newly condensed false Faxiang and annihilated much of the attacking force, leaving the surviving enemies terrified as the battle continued.

• Zhang Mingyan and Master Kuxing watched Cao Jinxing's enemies gather, choosing not to intervene themselves.
• Cao Jinxing drew out [Futsu-no-Mitama], drawing the Japanese warriors and demonic practitioners out of hiding alongside the Opera House assassins.
• Sixteen peak Tongyou fighters attacked Cao Jinxing together while twenty Japanese warriors threw shuriken at him.
• Cao Jinxing manifested Patriarch Lü's golden Faxiang and used Xiantian Astral Qi to block and rebound the attacks.
• Cao Jinxing counterattacked, killing Chu Kuangren, a Maitreya guardian vajra, the three Peace Sect elders, Lü Mingfeng, and the red-faced-role performer.
• The remaining attackers lost their nerve as Cao Jinxing turned his sword qi toward the blind swordsman.

Cao Jinxing killed the attackers at Shaoxing Prison with the Earthwalking Technique and the Snowbound Siege Song, then survived a surprise attack by Zhang Mingyan and Kuxing. Seriously injured, he was left with Qin Xuanji as Wan Heqing approached.

• Cao Jinxing evaded the attackers’ combined assault by using the Earthwalking Technique, then trapped them in the Snowbound Siege Song’s freezing illusion.
• Cao Jinxing shattered Nangong Die and the other frozen attackers, killing them all.
• Zhang Mingyan and Kuxing ambushed Cao Jinxing with a sonic blade and their Faxiang, but Qin Xuanji rushed to his side and helped him face them.
• Cao Jinxing accused Zhang Mingyan and Kuxing of abandoning their principles, and the two withdrew rather than continue fighting.
• Cao Jinxing coughed blood from his injuries, and Qin Xuanji gave him Mist-Flow Island’s secret medicine as Wan Heqing approached.

Cao Jinxing survived Wan Heqing’s attempt to drug him, then headed to Tianyuan Tower to confront her. There, Yao Hongli revealed that she had poisoned Wan Heqing with Desire Demon Water and attacked her under Cao Jinxing’s influence.

• Wan Heqing used the Fire Charm Technique to trap Qin Xuanji in an illusion and tried to make Cao Jinxing drink a potion she called Nine-Flower Jade Dew Water.
• Qin Xuanji broke free and shattered Wan Heqing’s bottle with her qin, but Wan Heqing surrounded Cao Jinxing with the potion’s vapor before leaving for Tianyuan Tower.
• Cao Jinxing reassured Qin Xuanji and went to Tianyuan Tower, intending to deal with Wan Heqing.
• Wan Heqing met Yao Hongli, reviewed the gang’s accounts, and drank wine that Yao Hongli had laced with Desire Demon Water.
• Yao Hongli revealed that she had killed several gang members at Cao Jinxing’s instruction and admitted she was under his Fire Charm Technique.
• Yao Hongli told Wan Heqing that Cao Jinxing had ordered her to kill anyone who tried to kill him, then attacked Wan Heqing with her sword.

Cao Jinxing killed Wan Heqing and put Yao Hongli in charge of founding Tianyuan, then reunited with Qin Xuanji and agreed to travel with her to Taizhou to check on Little Hei. News of Cao Jinxing’s decisive victory over the attackers spread through the Jianghu, leaving his enemies convinced that ordinary Faxiang-level opponents could not defeat him alone.

• Yao Hongli killed Wan Heqing, and Cao Jinxing used the Absorbing Power Great Method to raise Yao Hongli’s cultivation to Tongyou Eighth Layer.
• Cao Jinxing gave Yao Hongli the Four Public Masks and tasked her with recruiting trusted experts for a new organization named Tianyuan.
• Cao Jinxing returned to Shaoxing Prison, where Qin Xuanji explained that she had rushed back after hearing reports of trouble along the southeastern coast and then learning about Cao Jinxing’s battle.
• Cao Jinxing agreed to travel with Qin Xuanji to General Qi’s camp in Taizhou to check on Little Hei and discuss the threat posed by the Wokou’s Gyuki.
• The Demon Cult, Wokou, and Opera House learned that Cao Jinxing had defeated sixteen Tongyou Peak experts and twenty elite Shinto-ryu warriors, and his reputation spread throughout the Jianghu.

Cao Jinxing learned that Qin Xuanji had met Zhang Sanfeng, who gave her a mysterious martial song, a hidden parchment, and a pendant made from He Shi Bi. After the Yan Family’s allies were executed and Cao Jinxing began studying the song, Lu Yi arrived with Cao’s reward and the Soaring Dragon Armor, escorted by Shadow Guard Yang Xi.

• Cao Jinxing questioned Qin Xuanji about the immortal she had met, and they identified him as Perfected Master Zhang Sanfeng.
• Qin Xuanji showed Cao Jinxing the pendant and parchment Zhang Sanfeng had given her, and Cao recognized the pendant as He Shi Bi.
• Cao Jinxing gave Yao Hongli a copy of Xiantian Astral Qi and arranged for Fan Zikun to sentence the three prisoners to death.
• Cao Jinxing and Qin Xuanji studied Zhang Sanfeng’s song, Rootless Tree, while Cao tried to decipher its martial arts secrets.
• Lu Yi arrived with Cao Jinxing’s reward, accompanied by Shadow Guard Yang Xi, who carried the Soaring Dragon Armor and saluted Cao as the Thirteenth Guardian.

Cao Jinxing received imperial rewards and reunited with Lu Yi and Shadow Guard Deputy Commander Yang Xi, but urgent reports revealed a massive Wokou invasion near Ningbo. As Cao Jinxing rushed to reinforce Fenghua, he suspected the invasion was coordinated with forces inside Zhejiang and might target Ningbo itself.

• Cao Jinxing welcomed Yang Xi and reunited with Lu Yi, who delivered the Emperor’s rewards, including Immortal Pills, silver, the Soaring Dragon Armor, and entry to the Great Yan Pansi Cave.
• Prefect Fan Zikun brought urgent intelligence that three hundred Wokou warships had gathered near Xiangshan and threatened Fenghua and nearby counties.
• Cao Jinxing learned that Qi Jiguang had wounded Gyuki in a raid, prompting Wang Zhi to launch a direct assault, and decided to hurry ahead with Lu Yi and Yang Xi.
• Cao Jinxing and Qin Xuanji flew toward Fenghua on Yinghuo while Lu Yi and Yang Xi rode the Cloud-Turning Steed.
• Cao Jinxing suspected the Wokou invasion was coordinated with forces inside Zhejiang and that Ningbo itself might be the real target.
• Wokou forces began landing across Ningbo’s counties as Hu Zongxian oversaw operations from Hangzhou.