Chapter Summaries

After the Su Family thanked Wang Chong for avenging Su Luoyan’s younger brother, Tongzhou constables begged him to help them avoid execution over Wen Zhengming’s murder. Wang Chong promised to find a way and recruited their young relatives, leaving his garden packed with men amid rumors that the Prince of Yan was rebuilding the Yulin Army.

• A third-rank official from the Su Family visited Wang Chong to thank him for killing Wenducheng and offered him books and writing supplies.
• The constables told Wang Chong that the Prince of Yan had given them ten days to find Wen Zhengming’s murderer or face execution.
• Wang Chong reassured the constables and asked them to send him young men from their families, promising to secure them official positions.
• The constables hurried away to send their sons and nephews, and Wang Chong began accepting the young men they brought.
• By the tenth day, Wang Chong’s garden was packed with recruits, and rumors claimed the Prince of Yan was rebuilding the Yulin Army.

Wang Chong learned that a brutal cavalry force from the Nine-Bend Alliance was approaching Pengshan County and had to decide whether to flee or defend its people. He chose not to abandon the county and acted quickly as the attack drew near.

• Yuzao refused to keep feeding the hundreds of men who had gathered around Wang Chong, while Xuangang rebuked Wang Chong for making reckless promises and suggested he lead them into the mountains.
• Liao Bian told Wang Chong that Luo Dayong of the Qinghe Gang had come with news of an approaching cavalry force.
• Luo Dayong reported that about two thousand horsemen from the Nine-Bend Alliance were heading for Pengshan County and would arrive within two hours.
• Luo Dayong identified their leader as Yelüge Clan Ye Hu, the Fragrant Marshal, and described his history of massacring civilians and roasting human flesh.
• Wang Chong decided he could not flee and leave Pengshan County's people to die, then sealed Luo Dayong's acupoints.

Wang Chong gathered Pengshan County’s people and whatever weapons and supplies he could find to defend the town from the Nine-Bend Alliance’s cavalry. As the attack began, he risked a desperate leap toward the enemy commander and struck with Sword Slashes the Star River.

• Wang Chong persuaded Luo Dayong to gather the nearby Qinghe Gang members, then recruited Pengshan’s officials and able-bodied men, seized weapons and grain, and prepared the county’s defenses.
• Monk Xuangang warned that Pengshan’s weak walls and hastily assembled defenders could not withstand the Yaoluoge Clan’s elite cavalry, but Wang Chong insisted they resist rather than face a massacre without fighting.
• As the cavalry arrived under its armored commander, Wang Chong asked Xuangang to launch him toward the enemy and shouted that he wished to surrender.
• Xuangang struck Wang Chong’s foot and sent him soaring toward the commander, while Wang Chong used his lightness skill to close the distance.
• The commander thrust his spear, and Wang Chong met him with the full force of Sword Slashes the Star River, clashing with him hundreds of times before spotting an opening.

Wang Chong fought the Yegeluo Clan cavalry to protect Pengshan County, while Yuzao rallied the defenders by spreading false claims that their commander had been killed. As Wang Chong neared exhaustion, he awakened the Army-Breaking Bodhisattva Aspect, leaving the battle poised for a dramatic turn.

• Wang Chong wounded the Yegeluo Clan leader and seized his horse, then charged into the cavalry before they could form up.
• Monk Xuangang recognized that the fallen commander was not Yegeluo Ye Hu, while Yuzao shouted that the chieftain had been killed and promised rewards to spur the defenders into action.
• Wang Dong charged out after Wang Chong, and Monk Xuangang followed to retrieve him; Yuzao's cries and covert kicks sent more defenders pouring from the walls.
• Wang Chong fought the enraged Yegeluo Clan cavalry until his True Qi ran out and he barely evaded a spear strike.
• Wang Chong recalled the Buddhist scripture about killing to save the innocent, and the Army-Breaking Bodhisattva Aspect formed in his sea of consciousness.

Wang Chong and his allies turned the battle against the Yegeluo Clan cavalry, while he fought his way out of the encirclement and chose to return rather than abandon them. After Luo Dayong arrived with reinforcements, Wang Chong broke the enemy’s morale by announcing that the dynasty’s army was coming, prompting horsemen to flee.

• Wang Chong used the Army-Breaking Bodhisattva Aspect to kill six Yegeluo Clan horsemen and create room to recover.
• Yuzao directed Pengshan County’s defenders, while Xuangang, Tie Mingzhu, and Nan Xinlan helped fight the cavalry.
• Wang Chong fought through the encirclement but turned back rather than leave Xuangang and the others behind.
• Luo Dayong arrived with seventy or eighty fierce fighters who formed battle groups and cut down Yegeluo Clan horsemen.
• Wang Chong shouted that the dynasty’s army would arrive within an hour and that their chieftain was dead, breaking the cavalry’s morale and starting a wave of desertions.

Wang Chong’s forces defeated the Yegeluo Clan cavalry, and Gan Ci of the Hengjiang Tigers pledged himself to Wang Chong after he promised to secure honors for the bandits. Wang Chong recovered his strength while Gan Ci organized the troops and gathered the battlefield spoils, leaving Wang Chong responsible for their valuable and potentially illegal armor.

• Gan Ci introduced himself to Wang Chong, who promised to secure official honors for the Hengjiang Tigers in return for their service.
• Wang Chong ordered Gan Ci to kill the enemy troops who had not escaped, and Gan Ci led his men to finish them off.
• Monk Xuangang reminded Wang Chong that Yuzao had promised rewards, while Tie Mingzhu and Nan Xinlan offered money to help fulfill them.
• Wang Chong reassured Yuzao and the others, then recovered his True Qi by practicing the Innate Pure Yang Formula for over four hours.
• Gan Ci killed the remaining Yegeluo Clan troops, organized captains, and collected horses, armor, and weapons before leaving Wang Chong to deal with the spoils.

After defeating the Yegeluo Clan cavalry, Wang Chong led a small force to destroy their supply camp and decided to make it his base. As new riders arrived and Monk Xuangang identified their leader as Yelüge Clan Ye Hu, Wang Chong killed a scholar who seemed to recognize him.

• Wang Chong had Luo Dayong search for the enemy's supply camp, then assigned Gan Ci to organize his troops and sent Yuzao, Tie Mingzhu, and Nan Xinlan to buy food.
• Luo Dayong reported a camp twenty li away where routed Yegeluo Clan soldiers were regrouping, so Wang Chong selected a small force to attack it before the enemy recovered.
• Wang Chong, Monk Xuangang, and Gan Ci led the surprise assault, routing and killing the camp's defenders within the time it took a stick of incense to burn.
• Wang Chong found the camp suitable as a base and told Gan Ci to bring the rest of their people there.
• A dozen riders arrived, and Monk Xuangang identified their armored leader as Yelüge Clan Ye Hu and engaged him while Wang Chong attacked a scholar among the newcomers.
• The scholar began to recognize Wang Chong, but Wang Chong killed him with seven hairs before he could finish speaking.

Wang Chong fought Yegeluo Clan Ye Hu and his expert followers, then lured them away from Monk Xuangang and the camp. As Ye Hu pursued him into the mountains, he fired an arrow at Wang Chong.

• Wang Chong killed a scholar with a surprise attack while Monk Xuangang fought Yelüge Clan Ye Hu.
• Wang Chong fought through Ye Hu’s followers, stole a horse, and urged Xuangang to flee with the camp’s men.
• Ye Hu caught up with Wang Chong, but Wang Chong used a sword and horse to evade his strike before attacking with the Candle-Bearing Sword Technique.
• Wang Chong escaped on horseback after surviving Ye Hu’s counterattack, and Ye Hu recognized him as the killer of Pishaluo.
• An arrow killed Wang Chong’s horse, so he fled into the forest and up the mountain while Ye Hu’s men pursued him.
• Ye Hu drew a bow and fired an arrow infused with icy True Qi at Wang Chong.

Wang Chong escaped Ye Hu and the Yegeluo Clan pursuers by capturing Princess Pijia and using her as a hostage, then faking her death to buy time. Alone, hungry, and unsure where to go, he fled while Gan Ci and Monk Xuangang prepared to defend the camp outside Pengshan County against Ye Hu’s expected return.

• Wang Chong deflected Ye Hu’s ice-imbued arrows and captured Princess Pijia after defeating her in a clash.
• Wang Chong threatened to kill Princess Pijia, secured fifty breaths without pursuit, and then faked her death to delay Ye Hu further.
• Ye Hu discovered Princess Pijia was alive and stopped to release her acupoints, allowing Wang Chong to escape farther.
• Wang Chong realized he could not return to Pengshan County, had no money or supplies, and continued fleeing after recovering some True Qi.
• Gan Ci argued that the camp outside Pengshan County should be held to capture more Yegeluo Clan soldiers, while Monk Xuangang worried about Ye Hu’s return.

Wang Chong, pursued by Ye Hu's forces, faced Bone Demon and a whip-wielding woman who tried to trap him together. He wounded the woman with Wudang's Object-Borrowing Power Transmission and turned to confront Bone Demon, though his own injuries left the fight uncertain.

• Wang Chong reflected on his three-day flight from Ye Hu's trackers and his inability to reach Tongzhou Prefecture.
• Bone Demon and a whip-wielding woman blocked Wang Chong's escape and threatened him and Chu Qiuzi.
• Wang Chong charged the woman to keep Bone Demon from joining her, then used Nine-Headed Fire Dragon Flash against her.
• The woman countered with a poisoned iron claw, but Wang Chong struck through it with Wudang's Object-Borrowing Power Transmission and kicked her away.
• Bone Demon hesitated after seeing Wang Chong's ferocious counterattack, while Wang Chong recovered his True Qi and challenged both pursuers.

Wang Chong avoided a dangerous fight with Bone Demon and Tall Woman, then rescued martial world fighters from grassland warriors and discovered rumors of his earlier exploits had made him famous. He left alone while the fighters mistakenly believed he was pursuing several notorious enemies single-handedly, and their claim sent Bone Demon and Princess Pijia after him.

• Wang Chong escaped Bone Demon and Tall Woman, then rested overnight after finding no more pursuers.
• Wang Chong learned Tongzhou Prefecture was nearby, ate at a town eatery without money, and fled with flatbreads.
• Wang Chong rescued a group of martial world fighters by killing the grassland warriors attacking them.
• The fighters recognized Wang Chong and praised his rumored victories, then asked him to lead their group to protect the Prince of Yan.
• Wang Chong declined to travel with them and left in borrowed clothes after naming the enemies pursuing him.
• Bone Demon left to find help after hearing Wang Chong had killed the grassland warriors, and Princess Pijia rode after Wang Chong when the fighters pointed her in his direction.

Wang Chong arrived in Tongzhou Prefecture and took up his official posts while Li Qingge told him about new complications in the White Chrysanthemum case. He began to suspect someone was committing crimes under White Chrysanthemum’s name, as local chief constables sought his favor after his victory over the Yegeluo Clan.

• Wang Chong entered Tongzhou Prefecture with help from Zhu Hongru and visited Li Qingge before assuming office.
• Li Qingge said White Chrysanthemum had struck again, clues pointed toward people around the Prince of Yan, and Wen Zhengxi was blocking an investigation.
• Li Qingge told Wang Chong that the former head of Tongzhou's Ministry of Justice bureau and former chief constable might have been framed, then asked him to help investigate.
• Wang Chong suspected someone was using White Chrysanthemum’s name to commit crimes and asked Li Qingge to accompany him as he assumed his posts.
• Wang Chong took charge of the Ministry of Justice bureau and met Tongzhou’s prefectural chief constables, who sought his favor after his victory at Pengshan County.

Wang Chong received gifts and offers of young retainers from the prefectural chief constables, then admitted local gangs into the Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance. A visitor named Wen Zhiwei arrived to discuss the Prince of Yan, and Wang Chong misunderstood her family’s Chrysanthemum-Slaying Plan as a plot to turn him into White Chrysanthemum and kill him.

• Wang Chong accepted gifts from the chief constables and welcomed their younger relatives as retainers.
• More chief constables arrived with gifts, and Wang Chong admitted eight local gang members into the Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance for protection.
• Wang Chong spent the day receiving visitors, then sent a young subordinate to repay the shop where he had eaten without paying.
• Wen Zhiwei visited Wang Chong privately and said the Wen Family and Wudang shared concerns about Wen Zhengchun, the Prince of Yan.
• Wen Zhiwei said she and Wen Zhengxi had devised a Chrysanthemum-Slaying Plan, and Wang Chong guessed that it involved turning the Prince of Yan into White Chrysanthemum before killing him.

Wen Zhiwei revealed the Wen Family’s plan to frame the Prince of Yan and have the Eighteen Tribes of the Grasslands kill him, then asked Wang Chong whether he knew where the missing prince was. Wang Chong exposed himself as Wen Zhengchun and, after appearing to trust his sister, struck her with a lethal attack.

• Wen Zhiwei told Wang Chong that the Wen Family had framed Wen Zhengchun as White Chrysanthemum to drive him from Chang'an and arrange his death by the Eighteen Tribes of the Grasslands.
• Wen Zhiwei said the Prince of Yan had disappeared, and Wang Chong denied knowing his whereabouts.
• Wen Zhiwei left after insisting she disdained the question of whether the prince had to die, but Wang Chong stopped her by claiming he knew where he was.
• Wang Chong washed off his disguise, revealing himself as Wen Zhengchun, and Wen Zhiwei recognized him as her little brother.
• Wen Zhiwei approached Wang Zhengchun with relief, and he unleashed Nine-Headed Fire Dragon Flash against her, destroying her organs and chest and abdominal bones.

After learning that he was Wen Zhengchun, the Prince of Yan, Wang Chong returned to the Tongzhou Prefectural Governor's Residence to reclaim his identity publicly. He left with Qin Han and Fang Jingru, drawing them into his faction as the court dispute over the prince continued.

• Wang Chong resolved to reclaim the identity of Wen Zhengchun, the Prince of Yan, after learning the truth from Wen Zhiwei.
• Wang Chong hid Wen Zhiwei's corpse and forced his way into the Prefectural Governor's Residence, defeating servants and guards who tried to stop him.
• Wang Chong announced himself as Wen Zhengchun, Prince of Yan, before the gathered residents and officials, including Wen Zhengxi, Qin Han, and Fang Jingru.
• Wang Chong declared that he would celebrate with the Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance and left with Qin Han and Fang Jingru, leaving other matters to Wen Zhengxi.
• Qin Han offered to give Wang Chong credit for killing White Chrysanthemum, but Wang Chong dismissed the achievement as insignificant.

Wang Chong rallied the Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance and Tongzhou’s martial artists after grassland experts moved to attack him. He led a charge east, killed A Chi Le in one strike, and left his followers fighting the outnumbered enemy.

• Qin Gao pledged his loyalty to Wang Chong, who welcomed him and invited him to drink with the Chrysanthemum-Slaying Alliance.
• Wang Chong hosted a feast across Tongzhou, while Wen Zhengxi decided to summon the Eighteen Tribes of the Grasslands to carry out the Chrysanthemum-Slaying Plan.
• Grassland experts surrounded Tongzhou and shouted for Wang Chong not to escape.
• Wang Chong rallied the martial artists with a boast about his victories and led them out through the eastern gate.
• Wang Chong killed A Chi Le with one thrust of Qin Han’s cavalry lance, and the Central Plains martial artists swarmed the grassland fighters.

Wang Chong led his fighters around Tongzhou Prefecture, using the heads of defeated grassland warriors to rally his men and lure the remaining enemies into battle. After killing Princess Pijia with a volley of arrows, he ordered a fighter to claim her head, leaving the man terrified of the Yegeluo Clan’s revenge.

• Wang Chong killed A Chi Le and routed the grassland contingent, then ordered Qin Han to lead exhausted fighters slowly toward the north gate while shouting that the Prince of Yan was fleeing.
• Wang Chong divided his forces, carried enemy heads beneath their horses, and led one group toward the south gate to keep the grassland warriors from surrounding him.
• Wang Chong ambushed and killed a dozen grassland warriors without losing any of his men, then settled a dispute between two society leaders over the captured heads.
• Wang Chong shot down a distant grassland warrior with an arrow and taunted the Eighteen Tribes, drawing Princess Pijia and her fighters toward him.
• Wang Chong killed Princess Pijia with arrows imbued with Pure Yang True Qi and told the black-clad society leader to take her head, while the man feared Ye Hu would destroy his society.

Wang Chong fought Yegeluo Clan Ye Hu in a decisive duel at the south gate after provoking him with the sight of Princess Pijia’s severed head. The battle escalated into a clash of their strongest techniques, leaving the watching warriors holding their breath as neither fighter had yet prevailed.

• Qin Gao claimed Princess Pijia’s head, encouraged by Wang Chong’s willingness to share credit.
• Wang Chong blocked the south gate and defeated three waves of grassland warriors as they arrived in disorganized groups.
• Yegeluo Clan Ye Hu returned to the south gate, and Wang Chong taunted him with the heads of his children and threatened his clan.
• Wang Chong and Yegeluo Clan Ye Hu exchanged blows on horseback, wounding one another as their duel reached its seventh pass.
• Wang Chong feigned weakness, hurled his lance, and attacked with Sword Roars in the Firmament while Ye Hu countered with the Ice Soul Divine Skill.
• The two pinnacle Innate Realm fighters clashed with their full strength as the assembled warriors watched, with the duel’s outcome still undecided.

Wang Chong broke through to the Grandmaster Realm during his duel with Yegeluo Clan Ye Hu and killed him with his second sword strike. With Lichiluo’s cavalry approaching and reinforcements arriving, the grassland forces scattered, and Wang Chong awarded Ye Hu’s head to Qin Han.

• Wang Chong realized that his True Qi had not stalled but had carried him through the first barrier of the Innate Realm into the Grandmaster Realm.
• Wang Chong fought Yegeluo Clan Ye Hu again and killed him with the second move of the Candle-Bearing Sword Technique.
• Lichiluo arrived with more than a thousand cavalrymen, but fled after spotting Ye Hu’s corpse and seeing reinforcements approaching.
• The martial artists of the Eighteen Tribes of the Grasslands scattered as the Central Plains reinforcements arrived.
• Wang Chong declared that Yegeluo Clan Ye Hu’s head would go to Qin Han, and the gathered martial artists agreed.

After defeating Yegeluo Clan Ye Hu and winning the loyalty of his men, Wang Chong used Wen Zhiwei’s body to frame Wen Zhengxi for her murder. He publicly accused Wen Zhengxi at the governor’s residence, leaving the constables and onlookers to witness the confrontation.

• Wang Chong’s men celebrated his victory over Yegeluo Clan Ye Hu, and Wang Chong gave Qin Han credit for the feat.
• Wang Chong entered Tongzhou Prefecture, won the chief constables’ compliance, and threatened the seven who had previously failed to appear.
• Wang Chong secretly placed Wen Zhiwei’s body in Wen Zhengxi’s bedroom.
• Wang Chong returned to the Prefectural Governor’s Residence with constables and alliance members, then arranged for them to discover the body.
• Wang Chong accused Wen Zhengxi of killing Wen Zhiwei, while Lu Mingyuan hinted that evidence in the White Chrysanthemum case pointed toward the Prince of Yan’s Residence.