Chapter Summaries

The God of Tai Sui and White Bone Daoist met a mysterious man who delivered an old photograph bearing a shocking secret, while the White Lotus Sect Master confronted the stranger afterward. At dawn, hundreds gathered at the Martial Arts Arena for the Three Teachings Chief Seat contest, which was poised to begin.

• Four contemporary masters of Foresight finished eighteen rounds of mahjong without a winner because someone had erased the markings from every tile.
• The God of Tai Sui and White Bone Daoist discussed the Boundary Guardians and their dwindling chances of reaching Mystic Connection before a mysterious bald man stopped Tai Sui’s punch.
• The mysterious man told the two that Eyeless Monk had likely died at Daoist Xuanming’s hands and Corpse Old Ghost had been killed by Xuanming’s disciple.
• The mysterious man gave White Bone Daoist an old photograph of a damaged stele, and the Daoist reacted with horror to its inscription.
• The White Lotus Sect Master asked the mysterious man what secret the photograph contained, but he refused to tell her and fled when she turned hostile.
• At dawn, hundreds gathered outside the Martial Arts Arena as someone announced that the next contestant had arrived.

Situ Wudi and Lian Youming met in the Martial Arts Arena, accepting that only one could advance and pursue their shared goal of ending the Martial Way. Situ Wudi revealed his hidden-meridian training and prepared to fight Lian Youming, leaving their battle poised to begin.

• Situ Wudi and Lian Youming entered the arena as Gu Feiyan, Gong Wuer, the White Lotus Sect Master, and others watched.
• Situ Wudi and Lian Youming agreed that they had to fight alone to gain the strength needed to face the coming calamity.
• The two discovered that they shared the aim of ending the Martial Way and bringing the Demon-Slaying Battle to a close.
• Situ Wudi removed golden needles that restrained his central yellow meridian and revealed his Heavenly Pass Divine-Binding Lock and mastery of Hung Fist.
• Situ Wudi and Lian Youming clasped hands, unleashing a surge of qi that shook the ground and drove the onlookers back.

Lian Youming and Situ Wudi discovered that they were evenly matched and turned their contest into a fierce battle in the rain. They led their hidden pursuers into a remote forest, where they began fighting in earnest while preparing to confront their enemies.

• Lian Youming and Situ Wudi tested their strength in a handshake and found themselves evenly matched.
• Situ Wudi attacked with Crane Beak Hands, and Lian Youming countered with fist and palm techniques.
• Lian Youming and Situ Wudi left the Manor and drew their pursuers after them, while Gu Feiyan, Gong Wuer, and others followed.
• Situ Wudi described his past battlefield exploits as he and Lian Youming raced through the storm.
• Lian Youming sensed nine people nearby, including the White Lotus Sect Master, Gong Wuer, and Gu Feiyan, and he and Situ Wudi continued to a remote mountain forest.
• Lian Youming and Situ Wudi each threw a full-strength punch, beginning their battle in earnest.

Lian Youming and Situ Wudi fought fiercely through a rain-soaked mountain forest while two boys secretly watched. After each killed a lurking attacker, they resumed their duel without either gaining the upper hand.

• Two boys sheltering from the rain spotted Lian Youming and Situ Wudi fighting and followed them to a mountain summit.
• Lian Youming redirected a boulder at Situ Wudi, then used Taiji soft jin against his powerful Springing Leg attacks.
• Situ Wudi pierced Lian Youming's bell-shaped defense with his kicks, but Lian Youming withstood the blows using Golden Bell Cover.
• Situ Wudi killed a lurking attacker with Leopard-Form Fist, and Lian Youming killed another with Xingyi Crushing Fist.
• Lian Youming and Situ Wudi resumed exchanging direct punches as they raced through the rain, shattering wood and stone along their path.

Situ Wudi revealed that he sought to become a Dragon Among Men and used his Myriad Transformations Method to imitate Lian Youming’s techniques before attacking from within the storm. Lian Youming countered with the Three Yin Seven Killings Sword, and their battle continued as a clash between the Human Dao and Heavenly Dao.

• Situ Wudi and Lian Youming exchanged nearly a hundred blows, tempering themselves as they fought through the rain-soaked forest.
• Situ Wudi’s spirit and presence rose like a dragon, and he told Lian Youming that he aspired for Everyone Is Like a Dragon.
• Situ Wudi matched Lian Youming’s breathing, stance, techniques, and force patterns, then struck him with a more powerful Taiji Hammer.
• Situ Wudi vanished into the storm and attacked Lian Youming from beyond seven steps, landing several blows and reopening his chest wound.
• Lian Youming stood firm against Situ Wudi’s attacks and invoked the Three Yin Seven Killings Sword, drawing on heavenly thunder and water momentum.

Lian Youming fought Situ Wudi through a storm, using thunder, rain, and circling force to counter his growing momentum before defeating him with Divine Mobility and a strike to his sealed vital points. As both men collapsed in the downpour, Red Hair appeared and asked whether Lian Youming was the Taiji Demon.

• Lian Youming struggled to keep pace with Situ Wudi as his speed and strength increased amid the wind and rain.
• Lian Youming recognized that Situ Wudi was gathering momentum and used clockwise circling movements to counter his opponent's counterclockwise attacks.
• Situ Wudi revealed his double pupils and charged with a killing strike, but Lian Youming met him head-on and was knocked flying.
• Situ Wudi pursued Lian Youming and deflected his Sword Pellet with Flying Locust Stones.
• Lian Youming used Divine Mobility to appear behind Situ Wudi and struck the vital points sealed by golden needles, causing Situ Wudi to collapse.
• Lian Youming sat down to recover, and Red Hair emerged from the rain and asked if he was the Taiji Demon.

The God of Tai Sui confronted the badly wounded Lian Youming and revealed his mastery of the Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover, overwhelming Lian Youming with his strength. Lian Youming’s apparent defeat turned out to be part of a trap, as Situ Wudi and Gong Wuer joined him to face the God of Tai Sui together.

• The God of Tai Sui approached Lian Youming and said he had mastered the Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover to its eleventh stage.
• Lian Youming questioned whether the art’s dietary supplementation method had been added later, then realized the God of Tai Sui knew nothing about it.
• The God of Tai Sui attacked with a thrown stone, and Lian Youming’s blows failed to penetrate his defenses.
• The God of Tai Sui struck Lian Youming with a light tap and then used his roar to disperse Lian Youming’s force and make him cough blood.
• Situ Wudi rose from the ground, and Gong Wuer emerged from the forest to join Lian Youming against the God of Tai Sui.
• The God of Tai Sui recognized that they had laid a trap and advanced on the three with his baleful aura.

Gong Wuer, Lian Youming, Situ Wudi, and Xue Hen joined forces against the God of Tai Sui, first suppressing his Tiger’s Roar with their own Sound Strikes before attacking him together. The God of Tai Sui countered with Baji and Pigua techniques, and his first exchange left the four unable to gain the upper hand.

• Gong Wuer, Lian Youming, and Situ Wudi challenged the God of Tai Sui and combined their Sound Strikes to counter his Tiger’s Roar.
• Xue Hen arrived and joined the others, helping them silence the God of Tai Sui’s roar.
• Xue Hen attacked with Crushing Fists, but the God of Tai Sui evaded him using his Ability of Foresight.
• Situ Wudi, Gong Wuer, Lian Youming, and Xue Hen surrounded the God of Tai Sui and attacked from different directions.
• The God of Tai Sui unleashed Black Dragon Coiling Strike, overpowering Lian Youming, knocking Situ Wudi away, and injuring Xue Hen’s arm while Gong Wuer was driven back.

Lian Youming, Xue Hen, Situ Wudi, and Gong Wuer coordinated their attacks against the God of Tai Sui, but his iron-like body repelled them. As the God of Tai Sui unleashed his Golden Bell Cover, Lian Youming clung to him with Coiling Silk Force, and the two battled through the storm, toppling trees and scattering rocks.

• The God of Tai Sui overpowered Lian Youming and Xue Hen, while Xue Hen, Situ Wudi, and Gong Wuer launched a coordinated assault against him.
• Lian Youming caught the God of Tai Sui's Yama's Three-Point Hand and redirected its force as Xue Hen struck his chest.
• Gong Wuer, Situ Wudi, and Xue Hen attacked the God of Tai Sui together, but his outward force knocked them back and left him uninjured.
• The God of Tai Sui revealed his powerful Golden Bell Cover, and Lian Youming formed a matching bell-like defense.
• Lian Youming maintained his Coiling Silk Force as the God of Tai Sui tried to break free, and the two moved through the storm, toppling trees and sending rocks flying.

Lian Youming and his allies struggled to overcome the God of Tai Sui’s overwhelming Golden Bell Cover, while Lian Youming remembered the golden needles that might pierce it. Gong Wuer unleashed Five Phoenixes Cry in Unison, and after the God of Tai Sui knocked Lian Youming aside, Lian Youming recovered the needles and returned to the fight.

• Lian Youming, Xue Hen, Situ Wudi, and Gong Wuer attacked the God of Tai Sui, but Lian Youming bore the brunt of the force and began to weaken.
• The God of Tai Sui revealed that his advanced Golden Bell Cover let him shift his vital organs, frustrating their attempts to strike his weak points.
• Lian Youming remembered Gan Xuansu’s golden needles and searched for the Zhongshan Suit containing them, but the God of Tai Sui forced him into a direct clash and sent him flying.
• Gong Wuer used Five Phoenixes Cry in Unison to strike the God of Tai Sui’s spinal center acupoint, but he unleashed his full strength and grew even more powerful.
• Situ Wudi stepped forward to defend while Gong Wuer and Xue Hen continued fighting, and Lian Youming found his torn garment, took the three golden needles, and leaped back into the battle.

Lian Youming, Xue Hen, Gong Wuer, and Situ Wudi fought the God of Tai Sui, whose overwhelming strength kept them on the defensive. Lian Youming wounded him at the Yinqiao Point, and as the God of Tai Sui’s energy began to leak away, someone reached for his right eye.

• Situ Wudi challenged the God of Tai Sui head-on, but was driven back by his powerful fists.
• Lian Youming joined the fight and revealed Heavenly Dipper Strength, drawing the God of Tai Sui’s attention.
• Xue Hen, Gong Wuer, Lian Youming, and Situ Wudi attacked together, but the God of Tai Sui countered with Imitative Form Art and battered them aside.
• Lian Youming locked down the God of Tai Sui’s legs and struck his knee, weakening a devastating blow aimed at Gong Wuer.
• Xue Hen and Situ Wudi pinned the God of Tai Sui while Gong Wuer attacked his eyes, but he broke free and struck back.
• Lian Youming touched the God of Tai Sui’s Yinqiao Point, causing his energy to leak away, and another hand reached toward his right eye.

Lian Youming, Situ Wudi, Xue Hen, and Gong Wuer fought the God of Tai Sui at the cliff, exploiting his injuries to weaken him and send him plunging below. After surviving the battle, Lian Youming proposed that he and Situ Wudi share the legacy instead of fighting over it.

• Lian Youming wounded the God of Tai Sui with golden needles, and Situ Wudi and the others joined him in attacking.
• The God of Tai Sui used Wudang Taiji Fist to turn the attackers' force aside, then drove Lian Youming toward the cliff's edge.
• Lian Youming used White Bone Contemplation to distract the God of Tai Sui and struck at him, but the God of Tai Sui dragged Lian Youming, Xue Hen, and Gong Wuer over the cliff.
• Xue Hen attacked the God of Tai Sui's groin, Lian Youming struck his throat, and Gong Wuer wrenched his spine, weakening him enough for Xue Hen and Gong Wuer to escape.
• Situ Wudi caught Lian Youming with a vine, and Lian Youming freed himself and threw the God of Tai Sui down the cliff.
• Lian Youming offered to split the legacy evenly with the badly injured Situ Wudi.

After defeating the God of Tai Sui, Lian Youming returned to the Manor and was acknowledged by Hongmen as its new leader. The White Lotus Sect Master and Gu Feiyan agreed to face him in a life-and-death battle in two days, while the Sect Master's unsettling affection for him hinted at a dangerous obsession.

• Lian Youming explained that he had shared his reserves because he believed martial practitioners should not slaughter one another, and Gong Wuer warned that the White Lotus Sect Master had begun cultivating Divine Knowledge.
• Gong Wuer revealed that several old masters in Four-Nine City were near death, and she went down the cliff to collect the God of Tai Sui's remains.
• Situ Wudi pretended to be dead so he could disappear from public view, and Lian Youming told Situ Qingqing that he had died.
• Lian Youming returned to the Manor, where the Hongmen disciples greeted him as their Chief Boss after his victory over Situ Wudi.
• The White Lotus Sect Master challenged Gu Feiyan to join their battle with Lian Youming in two days, and both women agreed to settle things in a single fight to the death.
• The White Lotus Sect Master's gaze revealed an intense, unsettling attachment to Lian Youming, and she and Gu Feiyan vanished when the candles went out.

White Bone Daoist questioned Boss Chen about an ancient jade coffin and sought a path to immortality before leaving to find her elder brother. Meanwhile, Lian Youming recovered from his injuries and learned that the northern battle had claimed many lives, while the old patriarch and Xuanling Perfected Person were missing.

• White Bone Daoist confronted Boss Chen and asked whether her father had left clues about other inconceivable beings after describing an ancient body preserved by jade spikes.
• White Bone Daoist revealed that he wanted to become an immortal, and Boss Chen suggested he seek out her elder brother before he vanished into the rain.
• Lian Youming treated his severe injuries with the old eighth-leaf ginseng Yang Shuang brought him and prepared to recover before the coming three-way battle.
• Yang Lian reported that the deputy sect leader of the Xingyi Sect and two elders had died, the Eight Trigrams Sect had lost two seniors, and Yang Cuo had been gravely wounded.
• Lian Youming heard that the old patriarch and Xuanling Perfected Person had gone deep into the grasslands and were missing, and concluded that the old man had found his opponent.

With danger rising in the North and the White Lotus Sect threatening to dominate the Three Teachings, Lian Youming agreed to open the Incense Hall and claim the chief seat of the Two Teachings before his coming duel. He called on everyone to attend the opening the next day.

• News of Mystic Connection Old Monsters, hidden Remnants of the Old Era, and foreign factions targeting Chen Baihu alarmed the martial world’s leaders.
• The gathered factions urged Lian Youming to open the Incense Hall and unite them under his leadership before the decisive battle.
• Old Saber-Wielder Li and Old Madam Situ encouraged Lian Youming to accept the position and withstand the pressure of Grand Momentum.
• Boss Chen arrived and urged Lian Youming to act with the fearless spirit he had held when he first entered the Martial Way.
• Lian Youming agreed to throw open the gates and fill the Incense Hall the next day.

After Lian Youming decided to hold an Incense Hall ceremony and take in disciples, Boss Chen spoke with him about her cultivation and the White Bone Daoist. She warned him that the White Lotus Sect Master would use their coming battle to complete her spirit, leaving Lian Youming to face a dangerous trial that might also bring him closer to foresight perfection.

• Lian Youming's decision to hold an Incense Hall ceremony sent the gathered disciples rushing to spread the news, while Wu Jiu, Liu Wudi, and Situ Wudi affirmed his choice.
• Lian Youming followed Boss Chen to a pavilion, where she said her attainment had advanced and explained how renewed family ties and pills that averted the Scattered Power Tribulation had helped her.
• Boss Chen warned Lian Youming that the White Bone Daoist was somewhat stronger than she was and would certainly target him.
• Boss Chen revealed that her mother had been the White Lotus Sect Holy Maiden and told Lian Youming how the White Lotus Sect Master was born to A Lan and Xiao Yong in a fortress where people had resorted to cannibalism.
• Boss Chen explained that the White Lotus Sect Master grew up among bones, developed another personality, and was later taken into the sect by a guardian elder.
• Boss Chen warned that the White Lotus Sect Master planned to use Lian Youming to fill the gaps in her spirit, and said that surviving their spiritual contest could bring him close to foresight perfection.

Lian Youming learned that the White Lotus Sect Master wanted to use him to complete her spirit before killing him, but he decided to face the coming fight despite having no clear countermeasure. At the Green Gang’s ceremony, he discussed his suspicions about Divine Knowledge and left with confidence that he would return as the Three Teachings Chief Seat.

• Lian Youming reflected on the White Lotus Sect Master’s nature and her plan to use him, then resolved to fight despite his fear and uncertainty.
• The Green Gang disciples prepared the Incense Hall as Yang Lian opened the sect’s doors to welcome new disciples and guests.
• Lian Youming joined Wu Jiu and the others, joked about the coming fight, and said his study of Divine Knowledge had made the conflict seem mysterious.
• Lian Youming warned Wu Jiu to watch the Heavenly Principle Sect Master if the fight took them far from Hong Kong, and Wu Jiu promised to do so.
• Lian Youming said he expected to return and become the Three Teachings Chief Seat, then answered Yang Qing’s call to begin the ceremony.

Lian Youming prepared to lead the Green Gang and the Hongmen disciples through a simplified initiation ceremony, drawing strength from the news that Lingyun was pregnant again. He faced thousands of assembled people and began the ceremony, which ended as more than fifty prospective disciples entered to submit their cards.

• Yang Lian showed Lian Youming a list of more than fifty people to be initiated, including Xu Baishi and Situ Qingqing, and explained the simplified ceremony.
• Yang Lian told Lian Youming that Lingyun was pregnant again, and he tucked away Lingyun’s Peace Amulet and declared that he had to win the battle.
• Lian Youming entered the main hall, where thousands greeted him as Chief Boss, and he returned their salute before taking his seat.
• Lian Youming addressed the crowd, spoke of following Boss Du’s example, and called for the ceremony to begin.
• Yang Qing led more than fifty people carrying their discipleship cards into the hall, and a Green Gang elder called for the Patriarchs.

During Lian Youming’s Green Gang ceremony, the new disciples’ faith awakened and strengthened his perception. He sensed an impossible blind spot in the crowded hall, then saw a young man appear there, leaving him unsure whether a terrifying master had been watching.

• Lian Youming performed a half-bow to the Green Gang patriarchs as the elders and new disciples completed their rites.
• As the disciples bowed to him, Lian Youming sensed their Grand Momentum and found that Xu Baishi’s conviction was the strongest.
• Lian Youming’s sharpened senses let him map the people in the hall, but he detected an unexplained gap in one crowded corner.
• Lian Youming suspected an unseen master was present and wondered whether it was the White Bone Daoist or someone else.
• A young man suddenly appeared in the gap, and Lian Youming found no sign of the presence he had sensed.

Lian Youming completed the Green Gang’s initiation ceremony and used the gathered disciples’ homage to strengthen his spirit before the expected confrontation. When the White Lotus Sect Master and Gu Feiyan arrived, they found him surrounded by characters for “kill,” and the three soon departed to test her power to reveal their past lives.

• Lian Youming oversaw the new disciples’ oaths and was honored as leader of the Two Teachings.
• After the ceremony, Lian Youming waited alone in the cleared hall while Green and Hong Gang fighters guarded the manor.
• Lian Youming covered the hall in characters for “kill,” concentrating Supreme Killing Intent through his writing.
• The White Lotus Sect Master and Gu Feiyan entered, recognized the terrifying killing intent, and the White Lotus Sect Master offered to show them their past lives through Divine Knowledge.
• Lian Youming accepted the dangerous revelation, Gu Feiyan agreed, and the three left together beneath the moon.