Chapter Summaries

Cao Jinxing learned that the Maple Leaf Jade Pendant opened the Chess and Sword Music House’s Medicine Garden, though Li Yuzhou had depleted most of its herbs. As Cao Jinxing questioned Li Yuzhou about the Demon Cult, Li Yuzhou secretly hoped the pendant would lead him to his death.

• Cao Jinxing released Pei Sheng and Zhang Chong from their shackles and agreed that the Pacification Commission would punish only the chief culprits in the Chess and Sword Music House case.
• Pei Sheng told Cao Jinxing that the Maple Leaf Jade Pendant was the key to the Medicine Garden, the Chess and Sword Music House’s Secret Realm.
• Pei Sheng and Zhang Chong revealed that Li Yuzhou had used up most of the Medicine Garden’s spiritual plants, leaving mainly young seedlings.
• Cao Jinxing joined Wang Yingyang and Zhao Yeting as they questioned Li Yuzhou about Murong Yan and the Demon Cult, but Li Yuzhou remained silent.
• Li Yuzhou recognized the Maple Leaf Jade Pendant and secretly hoped Cao Jinxing would go to the Medicine Garden and fall into danger.

Cao Jinxing provoked Li Yuzhou into revealing that the hidden medicinal garden could be used against the Demon Cult Bright Lineage, while officials exposed Li’s crimes and the Chess and Sword Music House collapsed. After questioning Murong Bai’s account of Murong Yan’s expulsion, Cao Jinxing went alone to the medicinal garden to lure the Bright Sect pursuers into a trap.

• Cao Jinxing proposed using Li Yuzhou’s secret realm to trap the Bright Sect, and his taunts drove Li to spit blood and faint.
• The authorities published evidence of Li Yuzhou’s crimes, the Chess and Sword Music House was abandoned, and victims’ relatives burned its buildings.
• Murong Bai presented the family genealogy and claimed Murong Yan had been expelled as a child, while Cao Jinxing doubted the family had revealed everything.
• Cao Jinxing refused Qin Xuanji’s offer to accompany him and headed alone to the medicinal garden on Dragon Mountain Island.
• As unfamiliar presences arrived on the island, Cao Jinxing moved toward the concealed entrance mechanism, preparing to spring his trap.

Cao Jinxing lured the Bright Sect’s leaders into ambushing him at the hidden medicinal garden, then killed Yue Xiong and turned the fight against the others. He escaped their coordinated attacks long enough to seize Xiao Han and drain his true qi, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Cao Jinxing pretended to discover the medicinal garden entrance, but Shi Songqing and six other Bright Sect experts arrived and surrounded him with the Flame Might Demon-Breaking Formation.
• Cao Jinxing appeared to flee, but Aiyixiamu and Xu Shicheng caught him in the Green Ivy Net while the group launched attacks.
• Cao Jinxing used the net as a spinning blade and concealed a poisoned Phoenix-Tail Needle behind it, killing Yue Xiong.
• Cao Jinxing tried to escape again, but Aiyixiamu and Xu Shicheng struck him in midair, and he coughed up blood before redirecting the other pursuers’ attacks with Heaven and Earth Great Shift.
• Cao Jinxing caught Xiao Han’s sword and used Absorbing Power Great Method to drain Xiao Han’s true qi, then said Xiao Han would die.

Cao Jinxing killed the three Bright Sect Banner Envoys and lured Xu Shicheng, Aiyixiamu, Shi Songqing, and Nie Yang into the Medicine Garden before trapping them inside. As he treated his injuries outside, a furious Heavenly Flood Dragon descended on the trapped fighters.

• Cao Jinxing redirected Xu Shicheng’s Sea-Calming Divine Needle to kill Yang Yanting, leaving all three Banner Envoys dead.
• Cao Jinxing entered the Medicine Garden through its mechanism, escaped back outside, and blocked the Dragon-Breaking Stone doors with artificial hills.
• Xu Shicheng, Aiyixiamu, Shi Songqing, and Nie Yang failed to break out and discovered a scarlet Heavenly Flood Dragon in the garden.
• Cao Jinxing shot a Phoenix-Tail Needle through the door to enrage the Heavenly Flood Dragon, then taunted the four trapped fighters while he treated his wounds.

Cao Jinxing watched the Bright Sect’s wounded fighters battle Li Yuzhou’s Heavenly Flood Dragon, then led government reinforcements into the herb garden after the beast fell. He killed Xu Shicheng and helped overwhelm the survivors, but Aiyixiamu emerged in a blood-fueled rage and charged him.

• Cao Jinxing recognized Nie Yang’s Six Frost-Ao Techniques and sent Xuan Yuan Fourteen to summon reinforcements while the four Bright Sect fighters battled the Heavenly Flood Dragon.
• Wang Yingyang, Zhao Yeting, Zheng Shaohu, and five hundred soldiers arrived as the Heavenly Flood Dragon died, and Cao Jinxing led them into the garden.
• Cao Jinxing harassed Xu Shicheng, Shi Songqing, and Nie Yang with arrows, then coordinated a barrage and combined attacks that killed Xu Shicheng.
• Wang Yingyang, Zhao Yeting, and Zheng Shaohu pressed their attacks against the wounded Shi Songqing and Nie Yang, but Aiyixiamu burst from the serpent’s belly and drove them back.
• Aiyixiamu saw Xu Shicheng’s corpse, charged Cao Jinxing through the soldiers’ arrows, and reached the boulder to strike him with a powerful palm.

Cao Jinxing defeated Aiyixiamu with the Fire Charm Technique, though she went mad and unleashed a devastating scream before Qin Xuanji killed her and saved Cao Jinxing and Xuan Yuan Fourteen. News of Cao Jinxing’s victories reached the capital, where Jiajing rewarded him with training at Xuandu Temple and ordered him recalled because the north was unstable.

• Cao Jinxing used Xuan Yuan Fourteen’s roar and the Fire Charm Technique to distract Aiyixiamu, then stabbed her through the chest.
• Aiyixiamu awakened from the illusion, knocked out the government soldiers with her scream, and charged Cao Jinxing while mistaking him for Zhang Dajing.
• Qin Xuanji wounded Aiyixiamu with sound blades and killed her with a palm strike, then treated Cao Jinxing and Xuan Yuan Fourteen.
• Wang Yingyang, Zhao Yeting, and Zheng Shaohu arrived as news spread that Cao Jinxing had killed the Bright Sect’s Holy Maiden and Dharma King Protector.
• Liu Zhenyuan and Lu Bing reported Cao Jinxing’s deeds to Jiajing, who granted him fifteen days at Xuandu Temple’s Flying Tiger Pool and ordered him back to the capital.
• Jiajing told Lu Bing to keep a close eye on Qiu Luan.

Cao Jinxing recovered at the guard station, received the spoils from the battle, and learned that the court had publicized his achievements against the Bright Sect. As he shared Heavenly Flood Dragon soup with Qin Xuanji and Zhao Yeting, Wang Yingyang arrived with orders for him to travel to the capital for his rewards.

• Cao Jinxing woke from his injuries beside a healed Xuan Yuan Fourteen, and Qin Xuanji brought him the weapons and medicines taken from their enemies.
• Qin Xuanji identified the medicines and gave Cao Jinxing the Bright Light Pills; he shared half with her because she had killed Aiyixiamu.
• Qin Xuanji told Cao Jinxing that the government had taken control of Dragon Mountain Island and restored the medicinal garden.
• Zhao Yeting said the court had made Cao Jinxing's achievements public, turning him into a celebrity across the Southeast.
• Cao Jinxing, Qin Xuanji, and Zhao Yeting began eating Heavenly Flood Dragon soup, but Wang Yingyang arrived with orders for Cao Jinxing to set out for the capital within three days to receive his rewards.

Cao Jinxing left Hangzhou for the capital, where he hoped to explore the Limitless Elixir and Flying Tiger Pool, and exchanged the Heaven-Covering Formation for the Wind-Raising Formation after meeting Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five. Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five and Zhang Celestial Master then prepared to use the Heaven Formation to pursue their plans as turmoil approached.

• Wang Yingyang told Cao Jinxing that Jiajing had ordered him to return to the capital within three days because the northern frontier was growing unstable, and Cao agreed to leave.
• Cao Jinxing visited Yang Luoshi at the Weaving Bureau, received wine, provisions, and a fine horse, then accompanied Qin Xuanji to Lingyin Temple to return the Green Ivy Net.
• Qin Xuanji gave Cao Jinxing a bodhi-seed bracelet when he left Hangzhou, and she said she would find him again in the capital.
• On the road to Yangzhou, Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five confronted Cao Jinxing and demanded the Heaven-Covering Formation in exchange for the Wind-Raising Formation and help reaching Pengxuan Grotto-Heaven.
• Cao Jinxing handed over the Heaven-Covering Formation and accepted the Wind-Raising Formation, then rode on without asking the old man about his plans.
• Heavenly Secret Twenty-Five revealed to Zhang Celestial Master that he intended to use the Heaven Formation to divine the future, while they prepared for the coming upheaval and the emergence of the Divine Beasts.

Cao Jinxing returned to the capital, received rewards for his victory over the Bright Sect, and visited the Central Secret Vault to ask about the Heavenly Book Steles. He learned that three steles remained in the world, with one and a half hidden in the Imperial Palace.

• Cao Jinxing returned to the capital and met Liu Zhenyuan, bringing him wine, meat, and spoils from Hangzhou.
• Cao Jinxing handed over the Sacred Fire Tokens and Heaven and Earth Great Shift for the Secret Vault, while keeping the Four Public Masks.
• Liu Zhenyuan gave Cao Jinxing his Qianhu uniform, silver, a Limitless Elixir, permission to cultivate in Xuandu Temple's Flying Tiger Pool, and a token to choose two items from the Secret Vault's fifth floors.
• Cao Jinxing learned that Sun Lang and Su Yunsheng had advanced to Xiantian and that Lu Jiaming and Gu Yanzhu had improved their cultivation.
• Cao Jinxing asked the old Daoist about the Heavenly Book Steles and heard how ancient masters had gained insights from them.
• The old Daoist told Cao Jinxing that half a stele was in Black Dragon Pool, one was on Mount Tai, and one and a half were in the Imperial Palace.

Cao Jinxing mastered the Six Army Mirror in the Secret Vault, gaining control of eight types of true qi, and took a concealed weapon before returning to the Imperial Prison. He learned that Yan Shaoting had been released from confinement, leaving him wary of what might come next.

• The old Taoist advised Cao Jinxing to study the Nameless Manual, whose Military Formation Diagram appeared to contain Li Jing’s Six Army Mirror, and warned him about its danger.
• Cao Jinxing saw through the diagram’s deceptive battlefield and used it to transform his Cold Toad True Qi into eight types of true qi, mastering the Six Army Mirror.
• Cao Jinxing demonstrated his Holy Flame Heaven-Burning Palm to the old Taoist, then used his second chance to take a concealed-weapon tube of needles from the Secret Vault.
• Cao Jinxing returned to the Imperial Prison, where Lu Jiaming, Gu Yanzhu, Su Yunsheng, and Sun Lang greeted him and repeated exaggerated rumors about his fight with the Bright Sect.
• Lu Jiaming told Cao Jinxing that Qiu Luan had left for Xuanfu and that Yan Shaoting had been released from confinement after the Longevity Palace was completed.

After returning to the capital, Cao Jinxing learned about political changes, shared a welcome banquet, and tested the [Wind-Raising Formation], which extended his perception to three hundred meters. Zhang Chengfeng then thanked him for avenging his family and offered to teach him foreign languages, while revealing a new cannon design.

• Lu Jiaming briefed Cao Jinxing on Qiu Luan's departure, the Yan family's return to favor, and new defenses against unrest in the north.
• Xie An brought Cao Jinxing a banquet from the Huang Family and invited him to collect a batch of [Heavenly King Pills] from the Green Jade Tower that night.
• Cao Jinxing returned home, tested the [Wind-Raising Formation], and discovered that it let him perceive everything within three hundred meters.
• Zhang Chengfeng offered Cao Jinxing ten thousand taels in gratitude for saving his father and killing Aiyixiamu, but Cao Jinxing accepted only three thousand.
• Zhang Chengfeng agreed to teach Cao Jinxing several foreign languages and told him about the powerful 'Red Lotus General' cannon he had designed with the Divine Axe Sect.

Cao Jinxing visited the Green Jade Tower, where Huang Fangling dealt with Liu Tianyun’s unwanted marriage proposal and welcomed Cao warmly. She showed him the newly refined Heavenly King Pill and the tower’s upgraded defenses.

• Cao Jinxing arrived at the Green Jade Tower and found Liu Tianyun drunkenly demanding that Huang Fangling accept his proposal, brandishing a luminous pearl as a plucked star.
• Huang Fangling confronted Liu Tianyun with evidence of his bribery and lawbreaking, warned him to stay away, and drove him from the Ghost Market.
• Cao Jinxing and Huang Fangling greeted each other warmly, while Xie An and the Ghost Guards showed Cao deference; Liu Tianyun watched resentfully as they entered the tower together.
• Cao Jinxing learned Huang Fangling had put an Extreme Itch Pill on the paper, leaving Liu Tianyun to suffer unbearable itching for seven days.
• Huang Fangling told Cao about her father’s gratitude and approval, then invited him to inspect the Heavenly King Pill and the Green Jade Tower’s new mechanisms.

Cao Jinxing completed a fifteen-day retreat at Xuandu Temple and broke through to Tongyou Third Layer while trouble mounted in the north. After Zhu Qi and Qiu Luan were poisoned in an ambush, Jiajing ordered an urgent investigation into Qiu Luan, and Cao Jinxing set out for Xuanfu.

• Cao Jinxing toured Green Jade Tower with Huang Fangling, bought three Heavenly King Pills, and told her he planned to enter seclusion at Xuandu Temple.
• Huang Fangling painted Cao Jinxing in the Ghost Market, and Huang Huaijiang worried that his daughter had fallen for him.
• Cao Jinxing entered Flying Tiger Pool for fifteen days of cultivation, while Liu Zhenyuan and Lu Bing received an urgent report that Zhu Qi and Qiu Luan had been ambushed and poisoned with Blood Rose.
• Jiajing ordered Twelve and Thirteen to investigate Qiu Luan's military funds and authorized them to execute him if he had colluded with the enemy.
• Cao Jinxing broke through to Tongyou Third Layer, then learned from Liu Zhenyuan that he had to travel north to investigate and deliver cannons to Chen Gui.

Cao Jinxing escorted a heavily guarded convoy carrying cannons and medical experts toward Xuanfu, where they hoped to treat Shen Xiang’s poisoned subordinate. At Woniu Town, he detected a threat to the cannons and ambushed a group of Vajra Sect disciples, leaving their leader helpless.

• Cao Jinxing met Shen Xiang’s convoy at Dongzhi Gate and learned Huang Fangling had joined to help treat the poisoned Seventh Brother, with Ghost Guards assigned to protect her.
• The convoy set out for Xuanfu with ten cannons, stopping at Dengfeng Inn in Woniu Town after traveling for two double-hours.
• Huang Fangling ordered whole roast lamb, and Cao Jinxing abruptly left the inn after sensing danger.
• Vajra Sect disciples watched the cannons and planned to destroy them before they reached Xuanfu.
• Cao Jinxing attacked the black-cloaked group with the Absorbing Power Great Method, draining three disciples and forcing their leader to his knees.

Cao Jinxing and Shen Xiang captured He Chu, a Vajra Sect disciple sent by Toghto to spy on their convoy, and discussed their suspicions that Qiu Luan had bribed the Mongols with embezzled military funds. After the convoy continued north with He Chu captive, Toghto learned of the capture and ordered his agents to investigate the Embroidered Uniform Guards before arranging an ambush.

• Cao Jinxing used the Fire Charm Technique to place He Chu under an illusion, allowing Shen Xiang to question him and learn that Toghto had sent him to gauge their strength.
• Shen Xiang and Cao Jinxing discussed evidence of Qiu Luan's corruption and suspected that he had used military funds to buy the Mongols' restraint, but agreed they needed proof before acting against him.
• Cao Jinxing took He Chu away from the inn and handed him to the guards protecting the cannons, while warning Huang Fangling to stay safe during the journey.
• The convoy left Woniu Town with He Chu captive, and a messenger pigeon carried news of his capture to Toghto in Xuanfu Town.
• Toghto ordered his agents to obtain precise information about the two Embroidered Uniform Guards leading the convoy and summoned the Thirteen Wings to await his command.

Cao Jinxing and Shen Xiang led the cannon convoy into a stormy mountain pass, where Mongolia’s Thirteen Wings ambushed them. Secretary Cong drew lightning from the storm to reach peak Tongyou, but Cao Jinxing remained undaunted as the battle began.

• As the convoy neared Liangduan Mountain, Shen Xiang explained the history and abilities of Mongolia’s Thirteen Wings, warning Cao Jinxing especially about Secretary Cong.
• Cao Jinxing sensed danger in the pass, gave Huang Fangling the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Armor, and warned the convoy to stay alert.
• Secretary Cong and his allies Iron Fist and Elephant Slave emerged from a concealed cave and struck at the convoy; Shen Xiang’s sword attack was easily repelled.
• The Embroidered Uniform Guards prepared to defend the cannons while the Ghost Guards escorted Huang Fangling to safety.
• Secretary Cong used the storm’s lightning to raise his power to peak Tongyou, but Cao Jinxing dismissed the display and said he had already killed several fighters at that level.

Cao Jinxing and his allies ambushed Secretary Cong’s forces in the storm, injuring Iron Fist and Elephant Slave while Cao Jinxing drew Secretary Cong away from the battlefield. As Zhou Yun’s cavalry faced Hundred Faces’s drum attack, Cao Jinxing revealed his lightning-aspect true qi and commanded a thunder dragon to strike Secretary Cong.

• Cao Jinxing used the rain and Unity of Heaven and Man to blast Iron Fist and Elephant Slave into a cliff, then bound them with wind while Shen Xiang, Wu Canghai, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards attacked.
• Secretary Cong rushed down to save the two warriors, but Cao Jinxing intercepted him; Shen Xiang wounded Elephant Slave and Iron Fist before the pair fought back against Shen Xiang and Wu Canghai.
• Cao Jinxing evaded Secretary Cong with Demonic Shadow Doppelganger, then feigned injury and lured him away from the battlefield to the cliff summit.
• Zhou Yun led three hundred cavalrymen toward Two-Part Mountain to protect the reinforcements, but Hundred Faces confronted them with her Soul-Seizing Drum.
• Secretary Cong trapped Cao Jinxing’s bone-piercing needles with Thunder God Power Prison and prepared to kill him, but Cao Jinxing revealed lightning-aspect true qi and called down a thunder dragon on him.

Cao Jinxing and his allies defeated the Thirteen Wings ambushers, reached Xuanfu with the cannons, and began treating Zhu Seven’s poison. As they waited, Vice Minister Shi Dao arrived with armed experts and challenged Chen Gui over the order of treatment, prompting Cao Jinxing to confront him about his ties to Shi Yi.

• Cao Jinxing struck Secretary Cong with two heavenly lightning bolts, killing him, while Shen Xiang killed Elephant Slave and Huang Fangling shot Iron Fist dead.
• Huang Fangling’s accurate shot impressed Cao Jinxing, and he privately told Shen Xiang that he had mastered the Six Army Mirror.
• Zhou Yun arrived with three hundred cavalrymen and escorted Cao Jinxing, Shen Xiang, and their companions to Xuanfu, where they delivered the ten cannons to Chen Gui.
• Li Guishou, Huang Fangling, and two imperial physicians examined the poisoned Zhu Seven while Han Xinting explained that the Poison King had attacked him with Blood Rose powder.
• Shi Dao and Hou Rong arrived with three Jianghu experts, and Shi Dao demanded that the general be treated first; Cao Jinxing challenged him and brought up his connection to Shi Yi.

Cao Jinxing exposed Hou Rong to suspicion of colluding with the Mongols, then killed Xue Shidao and demanded a search of Hou Rong's quarters. Chen Gui approved the search, leaving Hou Rong and the others under guard as Han Xinting and Shen Xiang went to look for evidence.

• Cao Jinxing claimed Hou Rong had warned them of the Mongol ambush, and Hou Rong denied sending the message.
• Chen Gui introduced Xue Shidao, Duan Qingqiu, and Shentu Hai, revealing their martial skills to Shen Xiang and Cao Jinxing.
• When Xue Shidao leered at Huang Fangling, Cao Jinxing attacked and beheaded him despite Shi Dao's protests.
• Cao Jinxing accused Hou Rong of bribing the enemy and asked Chen Gui to let the Embroidered Uniform Guards search his quarters.
• Hou Rong refused the search, but Chen Gui ordered the guards to seal off the news and proceed while Cao Jinxing and Chen Gui restrained the men in the courtyard.

Cao Jinxing and his allies exposed Qiu Luan’s collusion with the Mongols and captured his accomplices, then pursued him through a secret escape route. Cao Jinxing intercepted Qiu Luan and the Twelve Earthly Branches, killing the women and confronting the disgraced general.

• Shen Xiang presented the Mongolian royal banner, golden arrow, and Alliance Blood Oath as proof that Hou Rong and Qiu Luan had colluded with the enemy, and Chen Gui ordered the suspects seized.
• Cao Jinxing drained Duan Qingqiu and Shentu Hai’s internal energy, advanced to the fourth level of Tongyou, and learned that Qiu Luan’s death warriors held the antidote to his Cold Poison.
• Cao Jinxing, Shen Xiang, and Han Xinting attacked the Ten Heavenly Stems, killed their leader Jia after learning he had handed the antidote to Qiu Luan, and discovered Qiu Luan’s secret passage.
• Han Xinting and Shen Xiang pursued Qiu Luan through the tunnel while Cao Jinxing sensed that the general had escaped through a hidden chamber behind a bookcase.
• Qiu Luan and the Twelve Earthly Branches emerged from the hidden chamber and tried to disguise him, but Cao Jinxing arrived and killed all twelve women before confronting Qiu Luan.