Chapter Summaries

Wang Chong accepted Yueliduo’s people into his army, then sought Gao Gun’s guidance on martial arts and the spirit. He learned how Great Grandmasters wield spiritual power and how martial artists might strengthen it, while Gao Gun was surprised by his disciple’s rapid understanding.

• Wang Chong asked Gao Gun to teach him Shangtuo Tribe martial arts, and Gao Gun suggested he ask Yueliduo instead.
• Wang Chong accepted Yueliduo’s nearly thousand followers, selecting over thirty Wind-Treading Cavalry riders and adding the rest to the Tailwind Army.
• Wang Chong asked Gao Gun about the Fundamental Scripture for Cultivating the Thirty-Two Marks of Divine Transformation and the lost Xuanhuang Dao arts, but Gao Gun explained the scripture’s history and declined to teach him its martial arts.
• Wang Chong asked what the spirit was, and Gao Gun demonstrated how a Great Grandmaster could project a terrifying spiritual image beyond the physical body.
• Gao Gun explained the power and vulnerabilities of Great Grandmasters and described arduous cultivation and life-or-death battles as ways to strengthen the spirit.
• Wang Chong questioned Gao Gun about martial arts, impressing his teacher with a sudden depth of understanding.

Wang Chong mastered Yang Flame Sword Qi after discussing martial arts with Gao Gun, then studied the Xuanhuang Dao’s scripture while traveling with Yueliduo. Yueliduo offered a way for him to become leader of the Eternal Life Holy Church, but said his abilities were not yet sufficient, and Wang Chong asked how the church was structured.

• Wang Chong suddenly unleashed Yang Flame Sword Qi and explained to Gao Gun that he had realized he should master it before trying to refine Sword Qi into threads.
• Gao Gun cautioned Wang Chong that advancing to the Pure Yang Divine Sword stage would be difficult, then gave him seven volumes of the Fundamental Scripture for Cultivating the Thirty-Two Marks of Divine Transformation.
• Wang Chong studied the volumes while traveling on Yueliduo’s red camel and improved his understanding of the Nine-Headed Dragon King Aspect and the Army-Breaking Bodhisattva Aspect.
• Wang Chong projected the Army-Breaking Bodhisattva Aspect into Yueliduo’s mind, but she broke the illusion with the Eternal Heaven Heart Method.
• Yueliduo suggested Wang Chong could challenge Shafeina, and Wang Chong replied that he would aim to challenge a Great Grandmaster instead.
• Yueliduo offered to help Wang Chong become leader of the Eternal Life Holy Church but said he was not yet strong enough, so Wang Chong asked how the church was structured.

Wang Chong learned more about Yueliduo and the Eternal Life Holy Church while traveling with the Shangtuo Tribe, then heard that Dong Qing ranked third among the Divine Generals. He declared that he would compete for one of the Four Great Beast God titles at the Heroes' Assembly.

• Yueliduo spent the afternoon talking with Wang Chong and was assigned a cozy motorhome for the journey.
• Wang Chong asked Dong Qing about his rank, and Dong Qing revealed that he was third on the Divine General Ranking.
• Mo Zhenxing identified Mi Jixiang as the second-ranked Divine General and explained her past performance at the Heroes' Assembly.
• Sun Mingke suggested that he, Mo Zhenxing, Dong Qing, and Wang Chong compete for the Divine General rankings.
• Wang Chong said that his teacher had instructed him to contend for a Four Great Beast God title, surprising Dong Qing and Mo Zhenxing.

Wang Chong’s party approached Tanhan Mountain for the Heroes’ Assembly, where the Shangtuo Tribe and its allies faced political opposition. Wuzhumuqin visited Wang Chong and offered to speak for him, and he agreed to honor her as the Shangtuo Tribe’s Divine Master.

• Wang Chong’s party entered Xiongnu territory and received provisions from Xiongnu cavalry on their way to Tanhan Mountain.
• Wang Chong’s companions reflected on his and Sun Mingke’s rapid progress in martial arts as the party continued toward the assembly.
• Wuzhumuqin rode out alone to meet Wang Chong, and he welcomed her with food and drink.
• Wuzhumuqin told Wang Chong that A Hai and the Yegeluo Clan were seeking troops against him, but that the strongest tribes opposed war.
• Wuzhumuqin offered to speak on Wang Chong’s behalf if the Shangtuo Tribe honored Eternal Heaven, and Wang Chong agreed to make her their Divine Master.

Wang Chong promised Wuzhumuqin that she could restore the Eternal Life Holy Church’s influence among the Shangtuo Tribe, then charmed her while concealing that its Great Consort, Yueliduo, was still alive. After Wuzhumuqin left, Wang Chong told Gao Gun that he would settle the matter of his relationships while protecting the people who depended on him.

• Wang Chong agreed to let Wuzhumuqin reclaim the Shangtuo Tribe for the Eternal Life Holy Church, hoping to avert war with the Eighteen Tribes of the Grasslands.
• Wang Chong told Wuzhumuqin he had spared the Shangtuo Tribe’s Great Consort, while Yueliduo listened nearby and struggled to hide her anger.
• Wuzhumuqin thanked Wang Chong for sparing her martial aunt, and Wang Chong teased her until she blushed and called him Brother Wang Chong.
• Wuzhumuqin rode away to meet her followers, and Wang Chong called out a romantic line that nearly made her fall from her horse.
• Gao Gun asked how Wang Chong would explain his flirtation to Miss Su, and Wang Chong said he would resolve his personal relationships while taking responsibility for his people.

Wang Chong revealed his newly attained martial prowess, then survived a sudden attack by Han Hexuan, the last Great Grandmaster of the Xianbei. Gao Gun pursued the assassin while Wang Chong recognized that his own Prajna Blade had turned Han Hexuan’s borrowed force against him.

• Yueliduo teased Wang Chong about his remarks concerning two women, while Gao Gun praised his insight into winning the tribes’ recognition.
• Wang Chong demonstrated innate Gang Qi and explained that Gao Gun’s instruction had helped him begin cultivating the Pure Yang Divine Sword.
• Han Hexuan attacked Wang Chong by borrowing the force of Gao Gun’s punch, but Wang Chong countered with a palm strike and suffered injuries.
• Gao Gun drove Han Hexuan back with his presence and pursued him, while Yueliduo identified the attacker as a Great Grandmaster of the Xianbei.
• Mo Zhenxing noted that Wang Chong had not used the Pure Yang Divine Sword, and Wang Chong revealed he had countered with the Prajna Blade.

Wang Chong pursued Gao Gun and Han Hexuan after recovering from their fight, but stopped to rescue a child from two battling men. He eventually caught up with his teacher and joined the fight against Han Hexuan.

• Wang Chong recovered from Han Hexuan's attack, told Sun Mingke to guard the caravan, and set off after Gao Gun and Han Hexuan.
• Wang Chong encountered two men fighting and dodged a hammer deliberately thrown at him by the hammer-wielder.
• Wang Chong found a child with sealed acupoints, freed him, and carried him away after the child claimed both fighters wanted to harm him.
• Wang Chong doubted the child's story but continued carrying him as he pursued the Great Grandmasters.
• Wang Chong found Gao Gun fighting Han Hexuan, taunted his teacher, and took Gao Gun's place in the battle with a Prajna Blade strike.

Wang Chong defeated Han Hexuan’s pursuit, advanced his cultivation, and joined Wei Zhiying’s Kunlun party on the way to Tanhan Mountain. After exposing and killing Demon Infant Helian Wanli, he settled in the Gaoju Tribe’s camp and began considering how to provoke trouble.

• Wang Chong traded three palm strikes with Han Hexuan, who withdrew rather than face Wang Chong and Gao Gun together.
• Wang Chong pursued Han Hexuan with Gao Gun, carrying a child, and broke through to form his second Pure Yang Divine Sword before meeting Wei Zhiying and her Kunlun disciples.
• The child revealed himself as Demon Infant Helian Wanli, a criminal who had deceived people and caused blood feuds, and Wang Chong killed him after learning he had tortured the Lu Family couple to death.
• Wei Zhiying invited Wang Chong to travel with her party to Tanhan Mountain, and he accepted after deciding there was no point in catching up with Han Hexuan.
• Wang Chong arrived at the Gaoju Tribe’s camp at Tanhan Mountain, where he made friends with the young competitors and considered secretly killing Great Chieftain A Hai.

Wang Chong considered infiltrating the Shangtuo camp, but a confrontation with Han Hexuan forced him to withdraw until nightfall. Disguised as a Yegeluo clansman, he entered the camp and overheard A Hai and his followers struggling to secure allies to reclaim their territory.

• Wang Chong reviewed the Six Qi Skin-Aspect Method he had taken from Helian Wanli and decided he could not practice it.
• Wang Chong circled the Shangtuo camp and encountered Han Hexuan, who chose not to attack him during the Heroes' Assembly.
• Wang Chong withdrew after Han Hexuan left, avoiding a fight that could break the assembly's rules.
• Wang Chong returned at night disguised as a Yegeluo clansman and silently killed several Shangtuo patrolmen.
• Wang Chong listened outside the royal tent as A Hai, Namut, and others discussed their failure to borrow troops from the other tribes.

Wang Chong slaughtered Great Chieftain A Hai and the Shangtuo Tribe's leaders, then took over their camp and began building alliances to become the tribe's new Great Chieftain. After Shi Bao joined the Xiongnu, Wang Chong went to seek the Eternal Life Holy Church's support at the Eagle God Palace.

• Wang Chong entered the Shangtuo great tent and killed A Hai, Namut, and the gathered experts in a short, overwhelming attack.
• The next day, Wang Chong took over the abandoned Shangtuo camp and welcomed Dong Qing, Mo Zhenxing, Sun Mingke, and the arriving caravans.
• Wang Chong invited the Gaoju Tribe, the Nine-Bend Alliance, and the White Camel Tribe to a banquet, where Wei Zhiying agreed to ally with the Shangtuo Tribe if the Heroes' Assembly recognized him as its ruler.
• Shi Bao offered the Yegeluo Clan's Great Consort to the Xiongnu Great Chieftain and asked to become his adoptive son, gaining the Xiongnu's protection for the clan's remnants.
• After learning Shi Bao had joined the Xiongnu, Wang Chong prepared gifts and went to the Eternal Life Holy Church's Eagle God Palace to seek its support.

Wang Chong visited the Eagle God Palace and negotiated with Shafeina, the Holy Mother of the Eternal Life Church, over Wuzhumuqin’s role in his grassland territories. Shafeina revealed that someone had already pleaded Wang Chong’s case to her, leaving him wondering who had intervened on his behalf.

• Wuzhumuqin joyfully reunited with Wang Chong and led him up the Eagle God Palace to meet her sister, Shafeina.
• Wang Chong met Shafeina and offered the five prefectures of Tong, Ba, Yan, Shang, and Chi to the Eternal Life Holy Church if Wuzhumuqin became their Divine Master.
• Shafeina demanded that Wuzhumuqin become Wang Chong’s Great Consort and that their son inherit his title; Wang Chong agreed to the first condition but reserved the right to choose his heir.
• Shafeina warned Wuzhumuqin that people might exploit her and said she hoped Wang Chong would protect those around him as he had promised.
• Shafeina revealed that someone had come to the Eagle God Palace in advance to plead Wang Chong’s case, surprising him.

Wang Chong secured the Eternal Life Holy Church’s support for his bid to become Great Chieftain and left the Eagle God Palace with Wuzhumuqin to seek more allies among the grassland tribes. He visited the Turks and met Qian Luoyi and Bie Laji, then asked to meet Prince Fu Qian.

• Shafeina promised the Eternal Life Holy Church’s full support for Wang Chong’s bid, and Wang Chong assured Wuzhumuqin he would take her away even if she refused.
• After Wang Chong and Wuzhumuqin left, Gao Gun revealed himself to Shafeina, who acknowledged Wang Chong’s ability before serving Gao Gun wine and fruit.
• Wang Chong decided to seek support from the strongest grassland tribes and went to the Turks’ camp with Wuzhumuqin.
• Wang Chong met Qian Luoyi and Bie Laji, discussed the Heroes’ Assembly, and learned that Bie Laji’s sister Princess Ayi had married Jiang Liehai.
• After drinking with Qian Luoyi, Wang Chong explained that he had come to meet Prince Fu Qian.

Wang Chong negotiated with Fu Qian for support in the Shangtuo Tribe and the return of Han slaves, then learned Fu Qian was unlikely to inherit the Turkic throne. After gaining support from most tribes, Wang Chong avoided visiting the Xianbei and prepared for the Beast God Assembly, until Han Hexuan summoned him to the Eagle God Palace.

• Fu Qian offered Wang Chong gifts in exchange for mercy in the Divine General contest, and Wang Chong said he had already promised Qian Luoyi not to compete.
• Wang Chong offered to have Mi Jixiang and Dong Qing stay out of the contest in return for Fu Qian's support as Great Chieftain of the Shangtuo Tribe and the release of thirty thousand Han slaves.
• Fu Qian agreed to Wang Chong's requests and arranged for his men to accompany Wang Chong on visits to the grassland tribes.
• Qian Luoyi warned Wang Chong that Fu Qian was not next in line to rule because his mother was low-born and the Great Consort had a son of her own.
• Wang Chong visited the tribes and won support from seven, received noncommittal responses from three, and was refused by two, leaving only the Xianbei unvisited.
• Wang Chong stayed back to cultivate rather than risk visiting the Xianbei, but Han Hexuan invited him to the Eagle God Palace the day before the Heroes' Assembly.

Wang Chong bargained with Han Hexuan for seven Shangtuo Tribe Divine General slots and spoke with Shafeina about taking Wuzhumuqin away and protecting her. After learning how the Heroes' Assembly rankings worked, he considered challenging for a Beast God position and suggested that he fight a few rounds himself.

• Wang Chong traded seven Divine General slots to Han Hexuan for fifty-eight thousand Han slaves.
• Wang Chong told Shafeina he would take Wuzhumuqin away after the Heroes' Assembly, and Shafeina asked him to protect her younger sister.
• Wang Chong asked Yueliduo how challenges determined rankings and learned that absent or dead Divine Generals could still be challenged.
• Yueliduo warned Wang Chong against challenging the Wolf God or Eagle God, then described Dragon God Damo Pinu and Camel God Dadalaha as veteran Grandmasters.
• Wang Chong suggested that he fight a few rounds himself after Yueliduo rejected his idea of claiming both Beast God positions.

Wang Chong arranged to disguise himself as Yueliduo for the Heroes' Assembly, then challenged three tribes to secure recognition as the Shangtuo Tribe's new Great Chieftain. He defeated the first challenger with ease, leaving the other tribes to see the gap between them and the Prince of Yan.

• Wang Chong decided that he would pose as Yueliduo at the Heroes' Assembly while she pretended to be him, and he reassured Dong Qing, Sun Mingke, and Mo Zhenxing about yielding the Divine General Ranking's top place.
• The King of the Xiongnu opened the Heroes' Assembly, and Gao Gun announced his recommendation of Wen Zhengchun as the new Great Chieftain of the Shangtuo Tribe.
• After most tribes recognized Wen Zhengchun, Wang Chong challenged the Huhe, Wusun, and Yuezhi tribes to send warriors against him in exchange for their recognition.
• The Huhe prince agreed that each tribe would send ten warriors, and Wang Chong invited them to begin.
• The first challenger rushed onto the platform, but Wang Chong redirected two Yang Flame Sword Qi strikes into his knees and knocked him down.

Wang Chong demonstrated his Grandmaster abilities at the Heroes’ Assembly and defeated King Tuolian Hai in a duel, forcing the Huhe and Yuezhi tribes to recognize him as the Shangtuo Tribe’s Great Chieftain. The contest ended after only one fight, leaving Wang Chong annoyed that he had not used a more decisive technique.

• Wang Chong knocked a Huhe Tribe challenger from the stone platform without injuring him, and the tribes’ experts realized he had reached the Grandmaster Realm.
• The Huhe Tribe’s young prince asked for another challenger, and King Tuolian Hai of Wusun stepped onto the platform to fight Wang Chong.
• King Tuolian Hai used the Wusun Tribe’s Deer God Fist, but Wang Chong countered with Yang Flame Sword Qi and the Pure Yang Sword-Refining Chapter, steadily gaining the upper hand.
• Wang Chong’s Great Snow Flies Slantwise sliced off half of Tuolian Hai’s eyebrow on their twentieth exchange, and Tuolian Hai conceded defeat.
• The Huhe and Yuezhi tribes acknowledged Wang Chong as the Shangtuo Tribe’s Great Chieftain, while Wang Chong regretted that he had not ended the duel sooner with the Candle-Bearing Sword Technique.

At the Heroes’ Assembly, Wang Chong helped Gao Gun secure support for Mi Jixiang as Great Chieftain of the Nine-Bend Alliance, then watched the Divine General contests unfold. Sun Mingke entered the competition, defeated a challenger, and began testing palms with Huo Mo.

• Wang Chong backed Gao Gun’s nomination of Mi Jixiang, and the tribes accepted her as the next Great Chieftain of the Nine-Bend Alliance.
• Wang Chong asked Gao Gun to permit trade among three tribes and exempt the Tailwind Army from fees, and Gao Gun agreed.
• Fu Qian challenged Qian Luoyi, who conceded, while Dong Qing defeated two opponents with the Fire-Burning Eyebrows Sword Technique.
• After more than twenty days of contests, Sun Mingke stepped onto the platform and kicked the burly challenger off it with the Golden Light Shrinking-Earth Technique.
• Huo Mo of the Green Mountain Sect challenged Sun Mingke and unleashed the Vajra Prajna Palm, but Sun Mingke met his strike with the Nine Profound True Scripture.

Sun Mingke defeated Huo Mo and two other fighters, while Mo Zhenxing won several matches and secured his place among the Divine Generals. The Heroes’ Assembly then began selecting the Four Beast Gods, and Dragon God Damo Pinu assigned Wang Chong to fight Wen Zhengchun before Wang Chong had challenged anyone.

• Sun Mingke defeated Huo Mo, then struck down the two fighters battling each other and secured second place on the Divine General Ranking.
• Mo Zhenxing defeated Chamu Khan and another challenger, while Sun Mingke and Dong Qing held their positions through the tournament.
• The Xiongnu king and the Eternal Life Holy Church's Great Divine Master announced the Thirty-Six Divine Generals, bringing the main event to a close.
• Holy Mother Shafeina announced the selection of the Four Beast Gods, and Wang Chong and Yueliduo joined the other Grandmaster Realm challengers on the platform.
• Yueliduo explained the Beast God Assembly's rules, under which each Beast God could assign a challenger a different opponent three times.
• Dragon God Damo Pinu assigned Wang Chong to fight Wen Zhengchun before Wang Chong had issued a challenge.

Wang Chong killed Sana Muli with one sword strike, advanced his Pure Yang Sword cultivation, and prepared to challenge Dragon God Damo Pinu. After several challengers conceded to him, Wang Chong disguised himself in Yueliduo’s clothes to fight the Dragon God.

• Wang Chong killed Sana Muli with Sword Candle Mountain Sea, shocking the Eighteen Tribes’ experts with his overwhelming power.
• Wang Chong recovered his True Qi, awakened a third Pure Yang Divine Sword, and learned that his strike might injure a Great Grandmaster.
• Gao Gun warned Wang Chong to strengthen his foundations and stayed with him overnight, while three heads appeared outside the tent by morning.
• At the resumed Beast God Assembly, two challengers assigned to Wang Chong conceded, and Damo Pinu defeated two other challengers to retain his Dragon God seat.
• Wang Chong paused before challenging Damo Pinu, then changed into Yueliduo’s clothes and veil so he could fight under her identity.

Wang Chong disguised as Aydana defeated Dragon God Damo Pinu in the arena and received the dying Beast God's sheepskin pouch containing Dragon Elephant Maha Great True Force. He returned to Yueliduo, who helped him change back into men's clothes.

• Wang Chong challenged Dragon God Damo Pinu while disguised as Aydana and overwhelmed him with rapid palm strikes.
• Wang Chong struck Damo Pinu with the Prajna Blade, making him vomit blood, then wounded him through his protective Gang Qi.
• Damo Pinu recognized that Wang Chong was not Aydana and asked him to pass on Dragon Elephant Maha Great True Force before dying.
• The Eternal Life Church's Great Divine Master announced Wang Chong as one of the new generation of Four Beast Gods.
• Wang Chong returned to Yueliduo's tent, set aside the sheepskin pouch, and let her help him change back into men's clothes.