Chapter Summaries

Zhao Feishan attacked Wang Chong at his residence and overwhelmed him and his allies with extraordinary martial power. Qiguan Sui arrived in time to stop Zhao Feishan’s killing blow, and the battle continued as Wang Chong rallied everyone to fight together.

• Wang Chong sensed a concealed presence and discovered that the visitor was Zhao Feishan, the Turkic State Preceptor.
• Zhao Feishan attacked, broke three of Wang Chong’s Candle-Bearing Sword Technique moves, and forced Wang Chong to expend most of his True Qi.
• Yueliduo, Jiang Wenjun, and Yuwen Xuandu joined the fight, but Zhao Feishan repelled their attacks and nearly killed Wang Chong.
• Wang Chong defended himself with the True Treasure Sign: Huayan Kasaya and the Pure Yang Divine Sword, surviving Zhao Feishan’s assault.
• Qiguan Sui arrived and deflected Zhao Feishan’s killing blow, giving Wang Chong time to recover some True Qi.
• Wang Chong urged his allies to attack Zhao Feishan together and hold out for reinforcements.

Wang Chong advanced to the Great Grandmaster Realm during his fight with Zhao Feishan, forcing the Turkic State Preceptor to retreat. After returning to Leizhou Prefecture, Wang Chong set out with Wen Chan'er and others to assassinate An Dushan, and the chapter ended with their caravan stopping at a relay station.

• Wang Chong broke through to the Great Grandmaster Realm and used the Earthly Fiend Art to evade Zhao Feishan until the arriving generals helped drive the State Preceptor away.
• Wang Chong learned from Qiguan Sui that peerless masters were nearly impossible to kill, then returned to Leizhou Prefecture with him.
• After three days of seclusion, Wang Chong told Qiguan Sui he planned to assassinate An Dushan and asked Jiang Wenjun to hold the fort.
• Wang Chong recruited Wen Chan'er, Yuwen Xuandu, Jiang Wenyue, and twenty Wudang Disciples for the journey, while Yueliduo and Wuzhumuqin stayed behind.
• On the journey, Wang Chong revealed the hidden blade and reflected secret in Wen Chan'er's short sword, then discussed the other Four Heavenly Prodigies with her.
• Wang Chong's caravan reached a relay station, where he decided they would rest for the day.

Wang Chong stayed at a relay station with Wen Chan'er and his companions, where Yuwen Xuandu helped Jiang Wenyue advance his martial arts. After hearing a group of martial-world travelers were searching for a mother and son surnamed Jiang in the Turks, Wang Chong captured them all and planned to question them.

• Wang Chong and his companions stayed at a relay station, where Wen Chan'er praised the food and Wang Chong spoke about providing for the people under his rule.
• Yuwen Xuandu offered Jiang Wenyue martial arts guidance, and Jiang Wenyue completed the Six Qi Skin-Aspect Method and increased his strength.
• A group of travelers arrived without military passes, and the relay station secretly reported their presence to the authorities.
• Wang Chong overheard the travelers say they had been entrusted with finding a mother and son surnamed Jiang in the Turks.
• Wang Chong attacked the travelers and sealed the acupoints of every one of them.

Wang Chong uncovered why martial adventurers were searching Turkic territory for descendants of Emperors Qin and Hou, then decided to flood the Jiang Clan’s search with false candidates. He visited Wen Xi with Wen Chan'er, where the furious Grand Preceptor challenged him and learned that Wang Chong had reached the Great Grandmaster realm.

• Jiang Wenyue and the Wudang Disciples learned that the Jiang Clan had hired martial adventurers to search Turkic lands for descendants of Emperors Qin and Hou.
• Wang Chong wrote to Gao Gun, Fu Qian, Qian Luoyi, and Qiguan Sui, asking them to sell foolish or disabled people to the adventurers as false candidates.
• Wang Chong released the captives and sent Wang Song to guide them, then took his caravan to Huangzhou to visit Wen Xi with Wen Chan'er.
• Wen Xi berated Wang Chong and charged him with his twin maces, but Wang Chong used his speed to gain the upper hand in their sparring match.
• Wang Chong told Wen Xi that he had become a Great Grandmaster and claimed he had driven Dashan Fei away, leaving Wen Xi to accuse him of exaggerating.

Wang Chong returned to Huangzhou Prefecture with Wen Chan'er and kept his Great Grandmaster advancement secret. When Chen Hong challenged the Prince of Yan's attendants, Jiang Wenyue defeated him, broke through twice during a series of bouts, and won seventeen fights without losing.

• Wen Chan'er reminded Wen Xi to keep Wang Chong's Great Grandmaster advancement and arrival in Huangzhou secret.
• Chen Hong challenged one of Wang Chong's attendants, and Jiang Wenyue volunteered to fight with Wang Chong's iron spear.
• Jiang Wenyue used his spear techniques to disarm Chen Hong, who left without retrieving his saber.
• Zhu Dasheng challenged Jiang Wenyue, who broke through to the fourth level of Maha Dragon-Elephant Great True Power and defeated him.
• Jiang Wenyue fought fifteen more bouts, broke through twice in succession, and remained undefeated after seventeen fights.

Wang Chong visited Wen Xi, stopped the martial bouts, and agreed to take Wen Chan'er to Chang'an, with the Caiying Army accompanying them. After they left Huangzhou, he offered to teach the Caiying Army and his followers the Seventy-Two-Road Flower Saber and Wind-and-Moon Horse.

• Jiang Wenyue won seventeen consecutive bouts, and Wang Xuanfeng defeated Han Meng in ten moves before Wang Chong halted the matches.
• At a family banquet, Wang Chong told Wen Xi he planned to take Wen Chan'er to Chang'an, and Wen Xi allowed her to bring the Caiying Army.
• Wen Xi saw Wang Chong and Wen Chan'er off, and they departed Huangzhou with the Caiying Army.
• During a roadside rest, Caiying Army officers sparred with Jiang Wenyue and Wudang disciples, then asked Wang Chong to teach them martial arts.
• Wang Chong offered to teach the Seventy-Two-Road Flower Saber and Wind-and-Moon Horse to the Caiying Army, Jiang Wenyue, and the Wudang disciples.

Wang Chong took Copper Pass and tried to recruit Li Cunshou’s former troops to help him hold it against An Dushan and the Eight Tribes Alliance. Li Hongji arrived with several hundred soldiers and demanded proof that Wang Chong was the Prince of Yan.

• Wang Chong let Jiang Wenyue and the Wudang disciples teach the Seventy-Two-Road Flower Saber to the Caiying Army, then agreed to teach it exclusively to Wen Chan’er’s soldiers.
• Wang Chong captured Copper Pass from several hundred Grasslands warriors and became convinced the fortress was destined to belong to him.
• When Yuwen Xuandu and Wen Chan’er warned that they lacked enough troops to hold the pass, Wang Chong sent them to summon Li Cunshou’s former soldiers.
• Three days later, Li Hongji arrived outside Copper Pass with several hundred ragged soldiers and asked to meet the marshal.
• Wang Chong revealed he was Wen Zhengchun, Prince of Yan, and told Li Hongji to join him in sealing off the pass; Li Hongji asked how he could prove his identity.

Wang Chong rallied Li Cunshou’s former troops and other local fighters at Copper Pass, then led a search for Wen Chan’er. He found a woman trapped by a bandit force and charged into the stronghold, where he fought its powerful leader, Li Hujie.

• Wang Chong captured Li Hongji, convinced him of his strength, and taught his veterans two martial arts techniques as more of Li Cunshou’s former troops joined him.
• Yuwen Xuandu returned with Chang Shusun and over a thousand men, and Wang Chong assigned Chang Shusun to organize Copper Pass’s civilians into the Tailwind Army.
• Jiang Wenyue returned with more troops and Cheng Huang, whom he had fought to a draw, and Wang Chong divided the new arrivals among his commanders.
• After Wen Chan’er failed to return, Wang Chong left forces at Copper Pass and led Cheng Huang, Chang Shusun, and Li Hongji’s contingents to search for her.
• Wang Chong learned that a female general was trapped on a hill by thousands of bandits and charged into their rear, killing fifty-seven men.
• Wang Chong confronted Li Hujie, the bandit chief, and realized he was a formidable fighter as Li Hujie wondered whether An Dushan had sent Wang Chong to subdue him.

Wang Chong defeated Li Hujie, learned the bandit chief was Li Bolong’s son, and persuaded him to join his forces. After sparing Wen Yaozhi and taking control of Li Hujie’s stronghold, Wang Chong headed toward Black Wind Mountain in search of Wen Chan’er.

• Wang Chong defeated Li Hujie and offered him the same terms he had promised Li Kerang, and Li Hujie surrendered.
• Wang Chong met Wen Yaozhi on the mountain, while Li Hujie explained that he had attacked her over her father’s role in impeaching Li Bolong.
• Wen Yaozhi’s retainer negotiated a truce, and Li Hujie let her and her people leave.
• Wang Chong asked Li Hujie to help defend Copper Pass and cut off An Dushan and the Eight Tribes Allied Army.
• Li Hujie told Wang Chong that Flower Fox held some of Li Cunshou’s remaining troops at Black Wind Mountain, and Wang Chong agreed to go there.
• Wang Chong sent Li Hongji with the old and infirm and supplies to Copper Pass, then left Chang Shusun to hold the stronghold as a Tailwind Army base.

Wang Chong recruited Li Hujie’s soldiers and Flower Fox’s stronghold after reassuring Wen Chan’er and proving his strength. Back at Copper Pass, he gathered his forces and ambushed a Grasslands cavalry force seeking entry.

• Wang Chong brought Li Hujie’s former soldiers toward Black Wind Mountain, intending to use the stronghold as a base and later return some troops to Li Kerang.
• Flower Fox tested Wang Chong by asking whether he would choose Wen Chan’er or an empire, and Wang Chong declared he would never surrender her to anyone.
• Wen Chan’er revealed herself, and Flower Fox honored her wager by agreeing to join Wang Chong and entrust her stronghold’s people to him.
• Wang Chong arranged for Flower Fox’s civilians to travel to Leizhou and brought the remaining fighters back to Copper Pass, assembling more than ten thousand troops and nine commanders.
• When Grasslands cavalry sought entry to Copper Pass, Wang Chong let half the force inside, dropped the gates, and led a slaughter.

After securing provisions at Copper Pass, Wang Chong left to assassinate An Dushan and infiltrated the rebel army’s city with Li Hujie, Flower Fox, and Cheng Huang. As they moved through the city, Flower Fox asked for a prefecture to restore the Huntian Sect, and Wang Chong agreed to let her choose one.

• Wang Chong slaughtered the grassland light cavalry at Copper Pass, pursued the fleeing enemy, and captured supplies that eased his army’s shortages.
• Wang Chong decided to leave Copper Pass and kill An Dushan before the rebel army could discover its retreat had been cut off and attack the pass.
• Wang Chong left Yuwen Xuandu and Wen Chan'er at Copper Pass and took Li Hujie, Flower Fox, and Cheng Huang to An Dushan’s encampment.
• The four killed a patrol, disguised themselves as An Dushan’s soldiers, and entered the city, where Wang Chong led them through several street clashes.
• Flower Fox asked Wang Chong for a prefecture where she could establish the Huntian Sect, explaining that the Shenxiao Sect had taken its scriptures and absorbed most of its followers.
• Wang Chong promised Flower Fox a choice of prefectures and offered to let her recruit disciples from the Wind-Treading Cavalry.

Wang Chong infiltrated An Dushan’s residence and killed the rebel leader with his self-created Immortal-Piercing Hammer. He left carrying weapons, while Li Hujie, Flower Fox, and Cheng Huang asked whether he had found An Dushan.

• Wang Chong captured Xun Hai outside An Dushan’s residence and left him with Cheng Huang while he scouted inside.
• Wang Chong entered the residence, killed dozens of guards, and reached the central hall, where An Dushan was beating a woman.
• An Dushan attacked Wang Chong, but Wang Chong struck him twelve times with the Immortal-Piercing Hammer and killed him.
• Wang Chong gathered weapons from the hall and left the residence without encountering anyone.
• Li Hujie, Flower Fox, and Cheng Huang called out to Wang Chong and asked whether he had seen An Dushan.

Wang Chong assassinated An Dushan, escaped to Copper Pass, and absorbed the remnants of An Dushan’s forces while defending the pass. As his allies launched an advance on An Dushan’s old base, Wang Chong strengthened his army and reopened communications through the Tailwind Army.

• Wang Chong had Cheng Huang kill An Dushan’s chief strategist, then gave Li Hujie a Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Saber, Flower Fox a gold-painted halberd, and Cheng Huang the Prajna Orthodoxy saber.
• Wang Chong, Li Hujie, Flower Fox, and Cheng Huang escaped the city; confusion over An Dushan’s remains delayed the pursuit, and his army fragmented after his disappearance and Xun Hai’s death.
• Wang Chong returned to Copper Pass and repelled successive attacks by An Dushan’s former troops, capturing and incorporating many into his own forces.
• Jiang Wenjun persuaded Qiguan Sui not to send troops to Wang Chong, and she and Yueliduo led their forces, along with tens of thousands from the Tailwind Army, toward An Dushan’s old base.
• Wang Chong arranged for Chang Shusun to hand over the Tailwind Army and gave him two thousand regular soldiers as the trade route reopened for messages.

Wang Chong fought Gao Chongxing outside Copper Pass and captured him with help from Li Hujie, Flower Fox, and Wen Chan'er. After declaring that Gao Chongxing had surrendered, Wang Chong led him into Copper Pass, where the general followed despite protesting.

• Wang Chong exchanged arrows with Gao Chongxing, then left Copper Pass to fight him in single combat.
• Wang Chong and Gao Chongxing fought for dozens of exchanges, with Wang Chong gradually gaining the advantage through his swift spearwork.
• Li Hujie, Flower Fox, and Wen Chan'er joined the battle, and Wang Chong's allies overwhelmed Gao Chongxing.
• Wang Chong struck Gao Chongxing, sealed his meridians, and captured him alive.
• Wang Chong claimed Gao Chongxing had agreed to surrender, unsealed him, and walked back toward Copper Pass with his allies.
• Gao Chongxing protested but followed Wang Chong into Copper Pass when Wang Chong called him along.

Wang Chong won Gao Chongxing's loyalty at Copper Pass, strengthened his forces, and learned that the three princess consorts had launched a bold campaign. Meanwhile, Gao Gun withdrew from a risky attack and traded territory with Li Cunshou and Shi Langying, leaving Wang Chong to inherit hundreds of thousands of slaves.

• Wang Chong welcomed Gao Chongxing into Copper Pass, gave him An Dushan's spear, and secured his loyalty with a banquet and warm treatment.
• Gao Chongxing brought his troops to Wang Chong, who selected five thousand elite soldiers for a new Wind-Treading Cavalry and assigned unfit soldiers to the Tailwind Army.
• Wang Chong received word that the three princess consorts had conquered two prefectures and ordered his generals to protect them while keeping the Wind-Treading Cavalry at its base.
• Gao Gun abandoned his planned attack on Tanhan Mountain and proposed exchanging the White Camel Tribe's lands for the two mountain territories held by Li Cunshou and Shi Langying.
• Gao Gun persuaded Li Cunshou to accept the exchange by offering four hundred thousand slaves, leaving Wang Chong to receive them.

Wang Chong’s campaign stalled after An Dushan’s remaining troops joined the Eight Grasslands Tribes, while the Empress returned to Chang’an and visited the Prince of Yan’s Residence. The chapter left Chu Qiuzi preparing to receive her and the Empress arranging for Red-Sleeved to attend her son’s wedding.

• Wang Chong learned that An Dushan’s remaining hundred thousand troops had joined the Eight Grasslands Tribes, forcing his campaign and the Empress’s advance on Luoyang into a stalemate.
• Li Cunshou traded two tribes’ territory for the White Camel Tribe, which Wang Chong told Su Luoyan to take over and rename White Province.
• The Empress returned to Chang’an, praised Wang Chong’s growing power and his consorts’ achievements, and decided to visit the Prince of Yan’s Residence.
• Shangguan Wanqin told Chu Qiuzi that the Empress was coming, and Chu Qiuzi hurried to prepare for the visit.
• The Empress warmly greeted Chu Qiuzi and said she had invited Red-Sleeved to Chang’an for her son’s wedding.

At Copper Pass, Wang Chong negotiated the Xianbei’s withdrawal in exchange for An Dushan’s former troops and awaited the Turks’ decision. A letter from Jiang Wenjun stirred his longing for his unreachable former home, while the Eastern Yi Demon Sect regretted refusing his earlier request for disciples.

• Qian Luoyi asked Wang Chong to let the Turkish army leave, and Wang Chong warned that the Turks could not abandon the other allied tribes without consequences.
• Han Hexuan admitted the Xianbei could not sustain the campaign and agreed to send Wang Chong An Dushan’s former troops in return for the Xianbei soldiers’ safe withdrawal.
• Wang Chong exchanged letters with the Xianbei as they negotiated the details of withdrawing their army.
• Jiang Wenjun wrote that she had taken eight provinces and invited Wang Chong to return, prompting him to grieve that he could never reach his former home.
• Wang Chong replied to Jiang Wenjun and wrote to his other consorts, while the Eastern Yi Demon Sect’s elders regretted rejecting his request for two thousand disciples.

Wang Chong managed the Xianbei and Turkic withdrawals while absorbing more than fifty thousand of An Dushan’s former troops, and arranged for the Empress to take over the Turkish-held half of Luoyang. He returned toward Huangzhou to consolidate his territory and prepare for court opposition and the delayed Yellow Heaven Assembly, where he found many more people gathered around Wen Xi.

• Gao Chongxing accepted responsibility for taking in the former troops of An Dushan that the Xianbei sent to Wang Chong.
• Wang Chong let most Xianbei columns pass through Copper Pass, detained the last two, and secured the surrender of their captives, including Luoyang nobles and women whom he assigned to the Tailwind Army and Wen Chan’er’s Caiying Army.
• The Turks agreed to leave An Dushan’s former troops behind and surrender their half of Luoyang, so Wang Chong asked the Empress to take the city while he focused on absorbing the new soldiers.
• Wang Chong left Li Hujie, Jiang Wenyue, and Wang Xuanfeng with thirty thousand troops to oversee the fighting in Luoyang, then led the rest of his army back toward his territories.
• Wang Chong planned to consolidate his lands, prepare for accusations from the court, drive out the Beggar’s Gang, and resume the Yellow Heaven Assembly.
• Wang Chong reached Huangzhou and found many more people gathered around Grand Preceptor Wen Xi.

Wang Chong foiled a poisoning attempt by envoys from Chang’an, but Wen Xi mistakenly believed Wen Chan’er had died and killed the conspirators. After learning the truth, Wen Xi pressed Wang Chong to give up his territory and the throne, while Wang Chong rejected the Jiang Clan’s claim to rule.

• Wen Xi asked Wang Chong to return the recovered provinces to the Empress, and Wang Chong agreed while privately dismissing the demand.
• A cook served Wang Chong poisoned braised fish, but Wang Chong recognized the danger and fed a piece to the cook.
• Chang’an envoys revealed they had poisoned the fish with Crane Like Snow and urged Wen Xi to seize Wang Chong’s generals.
• Wang Chong said Wen Chan’er had eaten the fish, prompting Wen Xi to kill the envoys before discovering that Wen Chan’er was safe.
• Wen Xi demanded an answer from Wang Chong about surrendering his territory, and Wang Chong argued that the Jiang Clan would not let him live and suggested Wenjun could take the throne.

Wang Chong consolidated his forces and advanced the Yellow Heaven Assembly while Beggar King Sima Yunshan confronted Qiguan Sui over the order’s leadership. Sima Yunshan refused to back down and said he had called on the realm to attack Wen Zhengchun.

• Wang Chong failed to recruit Xun Ba, who rejected his offer, and returned to Leizhou.
• Tai Sui Fu returned with plunder from the Grasslands, and Wang Chong agreed to buy the livestock for the Tailwind Army.
• Wang Chong reorganized his troops, expanded the Wind-Treading Cavalry to a hundred thousand, and reduced his forces to a more manageable hundred and eighty thousand.
• Yan Chongxiao and Lei Dongtian supported the Yellow Heaven Assembly, and Lei Dongtian joined as a Dharma King Protector of the Faith.
• Sima Yunshan demanded that Qiguan Sui surrender the order’s scriptures and denounce Wen Zhengchun, but Qiguan argued that Wen Zhengchun was the legitimate heir to the Way of the Yellow Heaven.
• Sima Yunshan said he had already called on the realm to unite against Wen Zhengchun.