Chapter Summaries

Wang Chong became a Beast God and led a huge procession back toward Shangzhou, while Yuzao learned that someone claiming to be the Princess of Yan had arrived in Tongzhou. Unsure whether Wang Chong was truly married, she summoned Li Miaomiao to clarify the visitor’s claim.

• Wang Chong returned to the platform after Dadalaha fled, and Huotian Daluo and Sahan welcomed him as a newly appointed Beast God.
• Yueliduo, the Xiongnu king, and Shafeina concluded the assembly, and the tribes presented the new Beast Gods with guards, wealth, and supplies.
• Wang Chong left Tanhan Mountain with nearly a hundred thousand people and reorganized the guards and slaves into the Wind-Treading Cavalry and Tailwind Army.
• A party claiming to include the Princess of Yan arrived at the Tongzhou Prefectural Governor’s residence, and Yuzao arranged lodgings, troops, and messages to Wang Chong and his young mistress.
• Yuzao summoned Li Miaomiao to ask whether Wang Chong had formally married, and Li Miaomiao worried that an answer might anger Yuzao.

Wang Chong returned to Red Camel City with Wuzhumuqin and struggled to reassure Su Luoyan about their relationship and her status. A military dispatch revealed that a woman calling herself the Princess of Yan was waiting in Tongzhou, leaving Wang Chong uncertain about his mother’s plans.

• Wang Chong settled Wuzhumuqin in Red Camel City, then met Su Luoyan and admired the city she had built up in his absence.
• A seven-hundred-li military dispatch arrived from Tongzhou, and Su Luoyan learned that Wang Chong might already have a principal consort.
• Wang Chong told Su Luoyan he had never had a principal consort and promised to ask the Empress to grant them marriage.
• Su Luoyan wept with relief as Wang Chong comforted her, while he wondered who the woman claiming to be the Princess of Yan was.
• In Tongzhou, the Eldest Princess told her middle-aged subordinate she would wait ten days for Yuzao to meet her before considering the Empress’s command fulfilled.

Wang Chong returned to Tongzhou Prefecture and went to meet the Princess of Yan, who was revealed to be his cousin, Wen Zhengchun. After clashing with her guards, he entered her hall and saw her for the first time.

• Wang Chong left Su Luoyan and several allies to guard Red Camel City, then hurried to Tongzhou Prefecture with Wuzhumuqin.
• Yuzao handed Wang Chong the affairs of Tong and Chi Prefectures and explained that the Princess of Yan had once been designated as his bride.
• Wang Chong went to the government offices after Wen Zhengchun refused to visit him and ordered him to come alone.
• Wang Chong subdued Wen Zhengchun's middle-aged guard, but a skilled girl disguised as a page rescued the man from his throw.
• Wen Zhengchun ordered her people to disperse and welcomed Wang Chong, who entered her hall with Yuzao and Wuzhumuqin.

Jiang Wenjun visited Wang Chong to persuade him to return to Chang'an, but he challenged her account of the territories under his control and mocked Chief Steward Yuwen. The confrontation escalated when Han Hexuan attacked Wang Chong, prompting Yuwen Xuandu to join forces with him.

• Jiang Wenjun reflected on her arranged marriage to Wen Zhengchun and recognized that the Jiang Family intended to use her to lure Wang Chong back to Chang'an.
• Jiang Wenjun asked Wang Chong to surrender Tongzhou and return with her, but Wang Chong questioned her about Ba Prefecture, Yanzhou, Chi Prefecture, and Shangzhou.
• Yuwen Xuandu ordered Wang Chong to abandon his actions and go to Chang'an to beg forgiveness, and Wang Chong asked Jiang Wenjun if he could crush the old eunuch.
• Wang Chong boasted that Han Hexuan had fled after one palm strike, and Han Hexuan arrived angrily and punched at him.
• Yuwen Xuandu attacked Han Hexuan to protect Wang Chong, and Han Hexuan reduced the force of his punch to meet the eunuch's palm.

Wang Chong, Yuwen Xuandu, and Jiang Wenjun drove off Han Hexuan, who had come to Tongzhou Prefecture to kill Wang Chong. Yuwen Xuandu later learned how much territory Wang Chong had conquered and began reconsidering whom he might serve.

• Wang Chong and Yuwen Xuandu fought Han Hexuan together, while Wang Chong taunted him about their past encounters.
• Wuzhumuqin prepared to intervene, but Han Hexuan tried to seize Jiang Wenjun as a hostage and discovered she was a Grandmaster.
• Han Hexuan fled after Wang Chong’s Yang Flame Sword Qi only cut his clothing, and he vowed to kill Wang Chong at their next meeting.
• Jiang Wenjun warned Wang Chong not to return to Chang'an, and Wang Chong moved her and Yuwen Xuandu into the Prefectural Governor’s Residence for protection.
• Yuwen Xuandu learned that Wang Chong had taken Tongzhou, killed Shi Lushan, and captured several other territories, prompting him to consider serving an emperor surnamed Wen.

Wang Chong recruited Yuwen Xuandu to serve as Chief Eunuch of the Prince of Yan’s Residence and oversee the two Ya Offices. He gave Yuwen Xuandu several martial arts manuals, which Jiang Wenjun began identifying and assessing.

• Wang Chong invited Yuzao, Wuzhumuqin, Jiang Wenjun, and Yuwen Xuandu to a banquet after washing up.
• Wang Chong offered Yuwen Xuandu a title and charge of the two Ya Offices, and Yuwen Xuandu pledged himself to the Prince of Yan.
• Wang Chong had Yuzao bring Yuwen Xuandu several martial arts manuals, and Yuwen Xuandu eagerly accepted them.
• Jiang Wenjun examined the manuals, recognized Vajra Prajna Palm and Dragon Elephant Maha Great True Force, and suspected the Eastern Yi Demon Sect techniques were meant for training assassins.

Wang Chong and Jiang Wenjun compared their insights on the flaws in the Dragon Elephant Maha Great True Force, and Wang Chong revised the manual. The process gave him a sudden enlightenment, and he comprehended the True Treasure Sign, Huayan Kasaya, before testing it against Yuwen Xuandu.

• Jiang Wenjun and Yuwen Xuandu identified flaws in the Dragon Elephant Maha Great True Force, and Wang Chong proposed that they write down their views.
• Wang Chong, Jiang Wenjun, Yuwen Xuandu, and Wuzhumuqin exchanged their insights, after which Wang Chong revised the martial art and gave Yuwen Xuandu a copy.
• Wang Chong entered a sudden state of enlightenment while reflecting on the completed manual and comprehended the True Treasure Sign, Huayan Kasaya.
• Wang Chong invited Yuwen Xuandu to spar, and Yuwen Xuandu met the newly formed True Qi astral cloth with his palms.
• Yuwen Xuandu demonstrated more than a hundred martial arts across over sixty exchanges, and Wang Chong praised his martial potential.

Han Hexuan watched Wang Chong and Yuwen Xuandu, then welcomed the Jiang Family’s assault as a chance to kill Wang Chong. Wang Chong subdued the intruders, but as they assumed he would spare them, he ordered the Wind-Treading Cavalry to loose arrows.

• Han Hexuan decided the Jiang Family’s attack might give him an opportunity to assassinate Wang Chong, despite the formidable guards around him.
• After the Jiang Family fought into the Prefectural Governor’s Residence and killed Wind-Treading Cavalry, Wang Chong went out with Wuzhumuqin and Yuwen Xuandu while Jiang Wenjun withdrew.
• Yuwen Xuandu killed Jiang Yuanshan, an outsider granted the Jiang surname, to demonstrate his loyalty to Wang Chong.
• Wang Chong sealed the intruders’ True Qi and let them believe he would escort them safely back to Chang'an.
• Wang Chong raised his hand and ordered the Wind-Treading Cavalry to loose arrows as Yuwen Xuandu realized he should not intervene.

Wang Chong executed the Jiang Family conspirators and ordered Yuwen Xuandu to spread his account of the incident throughout the realm. Jiang Wenjun accepted her place as Princess of Yan despite learning Wang Chong had already promised the position to someone else, while the Empress appointed Chu Qiuzi as Wang Chong’s secondary consort.

• Wang Chong ordered the Wind-Treading Cavalry to kill the captured Jiang Family conspirators, preserve their heads, and send them to Chang'an.
• Wang Chong assigned Yuwen Xuandu to spread the claim that the Jiang Family had plotted against him, while his soldiers gathered their fallen comrades.
• Wang Chong told Jiang Wenjun he had killed the conspirators, and she decided to become the Princess of Yan and stay by his side.
• Wang Chong told Jiang Wenjun that he had already promised the position of Princess of Yan to someone else, and she laughed that it was a matter for women.
• The Empress named Chu Qiuzi Wang Chong’s secondary consort and sent a female official to guide her at the Prince of Yan’s Residence.

Wang Chong prepared to face the Empress’s forces and devised a risky plan to strike Huangzhou while its army was away. After the court ordered Huangzhou to provide troops, Wang Chong learned that its main army had advanced and sent his five columns toward Huangzhou Prefecture.

• Wang Chong sent Yuwen Xuandu and Tailwind Army troops to distribute his essays and deliver the Jiang Family members’ severed heads, then gathered reinforcements and prepared for war.
• Gao Gun arrived, identified Huangzhou as the likeliest enemy, and agreed to defend Tongzhou while Wang Chong planned a surprise attack on Huangzhou.
• At court, the Empress’s ministers debated punishing Wang Chong, then decided to summon him and ordered Huangzhou to provide troops.
• Wang Chong learned that Huangzhou’s main army had set out and led all five columns toward Huangzhou Prefecture.

Wang Chong captured Huangzhou Prefecture after Bo Yang marched away, while his other columns continued taking cities across the Five Provinces. He began reorganizing the newly conquered territory and advanced his cultivation, ending with a promise to show Jiang Wenjun around the city.

• Bo Yang marched out with the Heavenly Bear Army under an unclear edict, leaving Huangzhou Prefecture poorly defended.
• Wang Chong's five columns bypassed Bo Yang's army, and Wang Chong captured Huangzhou's capital by entering through its gates disguised as Heavenly Bear troops.
• Wang Chong received reports that Sun Mingke had taken six prefectural cities and Yueliduo, Dong Qing, and Mo Zhenxing had each taken five.
• Wang Chong sent Yuwen Xuandu to organize Huangzhou's officials into a Ya Office and planned to strip them of authority.
• Wang Chong meditated and improved his cultivation, then promised Jiang Wenjun that he would accompany her around Huangzhou Prefecture the next day.

After Sun Mingke’s army captured another city, he rewarded Jiang Wenyue by teaching him the Vajra Prajna Palm, which Jiang quickly began to master. Having experienced life as a slave and now enjoying the army’s food stalls, Jiang noticed a richly dressed young woman buying food.

• Sun Mingke’s troops captured a city after a battle lasting more than four hours.
• Sun Mingke asked Jiang Wenyue what reward he wanted, and Jiang asked to learn superior martial arts.
• Sun Mingke taught Jiang Wenyue the Vajra Prajna Palm and promised to seek a stronger art from Wang Chong.
• Jiang Wenyue practiced the palm art, formed two layers of force, and knocked down much of a wall with one strike.
• Jiang Wenyue bought flatbreads and soup from a Tailwind Army stall and noticed a noble-looking young woman buying food.

Jiang Wenyue resisted Jade Slave’s charm and hidden weapons, then fled to Sun Mingke, who recognized her as a disciple of the Azure Emperor Palace. Jade Slave revealed that her master had sent her to meet Wen Zhengchun about a possible alliance, and she wondered what sort of man he would be.

• A Tailwind Army soldier noticed Jiang Wenyue’s unusual presence, prompting Jiang to leave and run to warn Sun Mingke.
• Jade Slave intercepted Jiang, but he shattered her Lovesick Beans with a saber strike and escaped her pursuit.
• Sun Mingke confronted Jade Slave and identified himself as a disciple of the Taiyi Sect; she introduced herself as Jade Slave of the Azure Emperor Palace.
• Jade Slave told Sun Mingke that her master had sent her to meet Wen Zhengchun and explore joining forces, and Sun assigned Jiang Wenyue to escort her to Huangzhou Prefecture.
• Jade Slave reflected on rumors that Wen Zhengchun was a lustful, ruthless fiend and wondered whether he would try to seduce her.

Jiang Wenyue and Jade Slave reached Huangzhou Prefecture as the Heavenly Bear Army returned, and Wang Chong defended the city while learning that the Eastern Yi Demon Sect wanted to join him. Outside the walls, Military Governor Bo Yang concluded that the imperial court had left him no safe choice and considered pledging allegiance to Wang Chong.

• Jiang Wenyue escorted Jade Slave toward Huangzhou Prefecture, where they found the Heavenly Bear Army converging on the city.
• Jiang Wenyue and Jade Slave fought through the Heavenly Bear Army scouts and reached Huangzhou Prefecture's gates.
• Wang Chong rode out to cut down an approaching cavalry troop, then brought Jiang Wenyue and Jade Slave onto the battlements.
• Jiang Wenyue told Wang Chong that the Eastern Yi Demon Sect wished to join forces with him.
• Wang Chong explained the Heavenly Bear Army's supply problems as Military Governor Bo Yang feared the consequences of either winning or losing and considered killing the imperial envoy to pledge allegiance to Wang Chong.

Wang Chong’s attempt to persuade the Heavenly Bear Army to surrender unexpectedly convinced Bo Yang that Third Lord Jiang planned to destroy him and his household. Bo Yang killed the imperial envoy, then surrendered with his army to Wang Chong, who took control of the force.

• Wang Chong warned Bo Yang that he had been impeached, and Yuwen Xuandu explained how Third Lord Jiang had caused Li Geshu and Li Bolong to be executed.
• Terrified that Third Lord Jiang would destroy his household, Bo Yang summoned the imperial envoy and asked whether the Jiang Family had sent a message.
• The envoy threatened Bo Yang, so Bo Yang cut off his head and told his generals the court had condemned them through Third Lord Jiang’s influence.
• Bo Yang’s generals agreed to follow him, and Bo Yang led a small group to Huangzhou Prefecture’s walls to declare his surrender.
• Wang Chong and Yuwen Xuandu went out to receive Bo Yang, then took control of the Heavenly Bear Army within hours.

Wang Chong reorganized the surrendered Heavenly Bear Army and launched a rapid campaign to seize Ling Prefecture, relying on Gao Gun to draw Feng Pofeng’s troops away. After capturing several cities, Wang Chong positioned his forces at Great Thunder Mountain to block Lü Feng’s return route.

• Wang Chong broke up the Heavenly Bear Army, expanded his Wind-Treading Cavalry, reassigned its troops, and appointed Bo Yang to govern Chi Prefecture with Wang Dong as his deputy.
• After Gao Gun sent word that Tongzhou appeared undefended, Wang Chong announced his plan to attack Feng Pofeng’s forces in Ling Prefecture despite Bo Yang’s warnings.
• Wang Chong split his army into six forces and advanced into Ling Prefecture, while Gao Gun successfully induced Feng Pofeng’s army to move.
• Sun Mingke captured five cities in seven days, and Yueliduo, Dong Qing, and Mo Zhenxing each took a prefectural city; Bo Yang captured none.
• Wang Chong led his army to Great Thunder Mountain to block Lü Feng’s return route, where he found Jade Slave training Jiang Wenyue as her disciple.

Wang Chong tested Jiang Wenyue’s aptitude and taught him two martial arts, then asked Jade Slave to send two thousand people from the Eastern Yi Demon Sect to work across the prefectures. A military dispatch reported that An Dushan had rebelled and marched on Luoyang, leaving Wang Chong startled by the news.

• Wang Chong tested Jiang Wenyue with several breathing formulas and concluded that his constitution suited external martial arts.
• Wang Chong taught Jiang Wenyue the Six Qi Skin-Aspect Method and the Dragon Elephant Maha Great True Force, and explained how to practice them.
• Jade Slave agreed to send two thousand people from the Eastern Yi Demon Sect to serve across the prefectures.
• A Tailwind Army scout reported that An Dushan had rebelled and marched on Luoyang.
• Wang Chong wondered why so many people had rebelled, and the scout clarified that the offices belonged to An Dushan alone.

As Wang Chong’s forces conquered most of Ling Prefecture, he besieged its remaining prefectural seat while avoiding a costly assault. A scout then reported that five thousand troops had come out of the city, giving Wang Chong a chance to act.

• Yuwen Xuandu reported that Feng Pofeng had sent out more than a dozen parties and several hundred commoners, all of whom he had captured.
• Wang Chong ordered Yuwen Xuandu to recruit useful captives, send the rest to hard labor, and seize anyone who left Ling Prefecture’s seat.
• Wang Chong told Jiang Wenjun that he was besieging the city rather than risking heavy losses, and argued that An Dushan would reach his limit after taking Luoyang.
• Wang Chong wondered why An Dushan had rebelled, while Jiang Wenjun said she did not know the reason.
• A Tailwind Army scout reported that roughly five thousand troops had come out of Ling Prefecture’s seat.

Wang Chong led eight hundred Wind-Treading Cavalry against the Ling Prefecture Army and found himself locked in a horseback duel with Li Kerang, one of the Five Tigers. After Wang Chong’s men routed Li Kerang’s troops, he paralyzed Li Kerang with a hair-strike, then released him and invited him to fight again.

• Wang Chong led his eight hundred Wind-Treading Cavalry into the Ling Prefecture Army’s camp and began fighting Li Kerang, whose immense strength and heavy lance matched Wang Chong’s horseback techniques.
• Yuwen Xuandu charged into the Ling Prefecture Army while Jiang Wenjun stayed near Wang Chong to guard him.
• Wang Chong and Li Kerang exchanged more than a hundred moves, and Li Kerang revealed that he was one of the Five Tigers and the son of Li Geshu.
• Wang Chong tricked Li Kerang into looking toward his troops, then struck his Fengchi acupoint with a hair and made him fall from his horse.
• After waiting an hour, Wang Chong pointed out that Li Kerang’s troops had been routed, restored Li Kerang’s movement, and challenged him to fight again.

Wang Chong defeated Li Kerang and persuaded him to join his forces by promising him revenge against the Jiang Clan. As Wang Chong’s campaign brought Ling Prefecture nearly under his control, an envoy from An Dushan arrived with a proposal to form a marriage alliance.

• Wang Chong repeatedly defeated Li Kerang, then won him over by promising he could one day dig up a Jiang Clan imperial tomb to avenge his executed family.
• Li Kerang agreed to join Wang Chong, who assigned him three thousand Wind-Treading Cavalry and made Jiang Wenyue his deputy.
• Wang Chong learned that Feng Pofeng had sent Li Kerang to relieve Peach Blossom Mountain, and later received word that all of Ling Prefecture except its isolated seat had fallen.
• Yuwen Xuandu advised Wang Chong to send surrender letters into the city, and his men began shooting dozens of letters into it each day.
• An envoy from An Dushan arrived at Great Thunder Mountain, and after Wang Chong demanded he state his business, the envoy proposed a marriage alliance.