Arc 18The Dragon Stele and the Mountain King Drum

Chu Tianshu dismantled the Golden Triangle’s Spirit Track scheme, then entered the Great Tang world and killed Zheng Tianchang while freeing Cheng Xin’s family. He began investigating the Mountain King Divine Drum and exchanged medicinal formulas with Su Xian for the Weapon Soul art.

  • Chu Tianshu and Yungu defeated Luo Sichao at Great Tong Mountain, captured Luo Hanwen, and uncovered the Dragon Stele and the tunnels storing cultivated power.
  • Chu Tianshu tracked Victor to the factory, where Victor and Sahong tested the Spirit Track Formation, then joined Yungu in destroying the formation and killing Sahong.
  • The three neighboring armies entered the Golden Triangle as Yungu recovered the stone stele and Chu Tianshu prepared to release evidence of the fighting.
  • Chu Tianshu brought Chen Taozhi into the Grotto-Heaven, where Chen Ying explained how it could reduce cultivation backlash, and then took the sleeping Yuan Zhonglü home.
  • Chu Tianshu entered the Great Tang world, rescued Yao San’s child from a giant eagle, and forced the nineteenth prince and his riders to kneel after they threatened the fishermen.
  • Chu Tianshu confronted Zheng Tianchang in the royal city and killed him, then freed Cheng Xin’s family and helped Cheng Xin take temporary charge of the country.
  • Chu Tianshu found Zheng Tianchang’s carvings at West Brightness Pool and recognized them as the Scattered Rain and Sudden Wind Wisdom King Finger Spear.
  • Chu Tianshu defeated Fire Tree Dhuta, learned that he wanted the Mountain King Divine Drum to challenge Hai Donglai, and exchanged medicinal formulas with Su Xian for the Weapon Soul art before tapping the drumhead.
Chapters 432–456 Vol. 5 Read

Ch. 432Two Preparations: Plowing the Ground and Drinking Wine

Chu Tianshu set the Special Investigation Bureau’s plan in motion to search the Golden Triangle while he and Yungu prepared to visit Luo Sichao. At Great Tong Mountain, Luo Sichao supplied Luo Hanwen with spirit blood and privately plotted to gain power as Spirit Realm visitors infiltrated human society.

  • Chu Tianshu ordered Chen Taozhi to keep questioning Samar and told Sun Buyuan to advance the Bureau’s plan to search the Golden Triangle with help from cultivators and local forces.
  • Chu Tianshu and Yungu set out to find Luo Sichao, taking the Formation-Breaking Spear and medicinal wine with them.
  • The chapter revealed that armed men had taken over the beekeepers’ houses on Great Tong Mountain, where Luo Sichao lived beside the Great Yu Dragon Stele.
  • Luo Hanwen asked Luo Sichao for more spirit blood, insisting that he needed to gain Yu Mountain’s recognition before Spirit Realm visitors replaced human leaders.
  • Luo Sichao gave Luo Hanwen a syringe of spirit blood while privately hoping the infiltration plan would remain slow enough for him to strengthen himself and claim the best souls and blood food.

Ch. 433The Tunnel-Digging Preservation Master Turns Green

Chu Tianshu and Yungu discovered that Luo Sichao had filled the Thousand Flowers Forest mountain with tunnels that stored cultivated power, and they launched a coordinated attack on his lair. Luo Sichao fought Chu Tianshu by drawing on the tunnel network, while Yungu charged into the mountain’s root to wreck its power channels.

  • Chu Tianshu and Yungu sensed an unusual flow of primordial Qi beneath the Thousand Flowers Forest and discovered tunnels spreading through the mountain to store cultivated power.
  • Chu Tianshu used the Great Void Heavenly Eye to corrupt the stored power, turning it green and alerting Luo Sichao.
  • Luo Sichao mobilized the tunnels’ power and sent five earth mounds surging toward Chu Tianshu, who pierced them with the Sanqi Divine Sword.
  • Luo Sichao attacked Chu Tianshu with a whirlwind of leg strikes, and the two clashed as he reinforced himself with power from the tunnels.
  • Yungu struck through the mountainside with his Formation-Breaking Spear and charged into the mountain’s root, damaging the tunnels and causing stored power to leak out as black smoke.

Ch. 434The Wild Goose Conveys Divine Language, Palm and Finger Unleash Divine Might

Chu Tianshu pursued Luo Sichao through the mountain and countered his Wild Goose Divine Language movement technique with a devastating fire palm and finger strike. Luo Sichao’s body was destroyed, but his evil spirit remained trapped in the flames as he demanded to know what technique Chu Tianshu had used.

  • Luo Sichao used Wild Goose Divine Language to evade Chu Tianshu and hinder his pursuit with traces of force across the air.
  • Chu Tianshu sent his divine sword after Luo Sichao, then attacked from above with a blazing palm strike.
  • Luo Sichao severed his own head to let his headless body escape the palm, but Chu Tianshu smashed the head.
  • Chu Tianshu redirected the palm’s remaining power through his middle finger and struck Luo Sichao’s body, destroying it in flames.
  • Luo Sichao’s black evil spirit emerged from the burning remains, unable to escape, and asked Chu Tianshu about his palm and finger technique.

Ch. 435The Evil Path Has Always Been the Orthodoxy

Zhang Mengxi persuaded his spirit-blooded followers to build support instead of launching a reckless invasion, then met Sahong to discuss Luo Sichao’s death and the threat posed by Chu Tianshu. Although Zhang Mengxi considered abandoning the Golden Triangle, Sahong insisted they must destroy the Grotto-Heaven before withdrawing, and Zhang Mengxi agreed to consider their remaining options.

  • Zhang Mengxi told the armed men that the evil path had often been orthodox, but warned that unrestrained violence would bring their destruction.
  • Zhang Mengxi urged his followers to conceal their nature and gather allies, convincing the crowd to accept his strategy.
  • Sahong told Zhang Mengxi that Luo Sichao had been killed by Chu Tianshu and another human Taboo, and Zhang Mengxi studied a report about Baosheng Temple’s market campaign.
  • Zhang Mengxi judged that the Mystic Kingdom had enough Taboos to threaten them and proposed abandoning the Golden Triangle.
  • Sahong argued that leaving would doom their mission to destroy the Grotto-Heaven, and Zhang Mengxi agreed that they had to destroy it before withdrawing.

Ch. 436Civility and Peace

Chu Tianshu and Yungu captured Luo Sichao and discovered that the Great Yu Dragon Stele could be divided by a secret method, then questioned Luo Hanwen about the Yu Mountain Priests’ influence. The next day, Alexis Green arrived on behalf of Victor Green to discuss the Golden Triangle, while Sahong and Zhang Mengxi watched the Americas move toward recognizing the North Sai Democratic State.

  • Yungu captured the armed men at Great Tong Mountain and subdued Luo Hanwen, while Chu Tianshu imprisoned Luo Sichao.
  • Chu Tianshu examined the Great Yu Dragon Stele and used True Words Soul Bewitchment to learn from Luo Hanwen that a Yu Mountain Priest had devoured Sahong and that Zhang Mengxi might be under their control.
  • Chu Tianshu arranged for the stele to be removed and returned to the market, where he planned to question Luo Sichao.
  • Alexis Green arrived by plane and introduced himself as Victor Green’s representative, then connected Chu Tianshu to Victor to discuss the Golden Triangle’s resources and international cooperation.
  • Chu Tianshu revealed Luo Sichao in his teapot and challenged Victor’s claims about cooperating with Sahong, while Victor and Alexis argued for civility and peace.
  • Sahong told Zhang Mengxi that the Americas were preparing to recognize the North Sai Democratic State, and Zhang compared the political situation to tea leaves spreading through boiling water.

Ch. 437An Invitation to a Meeting, the Six Great Realms!

Chu Tianshu negotiated with Victor while preparing to counter American interference, then learned the Great Yu Dragon Stele could measure cultivation realms. The stele revealed the first four great realms and showed that Chu Tianshu had advanced farther than Yungu, leaving him with new information about Self-Perfecting Transformation.

  • Chu Tianshu invited Victor to arrange a face-to-face meeting with Sahong, but Victor only promised to pass along the request.
  • After Victor left, Chu Tianshu told Chen Taozhi he suspected the Americans wanted to prevent nearby countries from cooperating, and he asked their people to intercept Victor’s communications.
  • Sun Buyuan reported that the Great Yu Dragon Stele could be activated by Kingdom-Founding Dragon Qi and that dripping blood between the brows could make it measure realms.
  • Yungu tested the stele, which identified six realms and showed his level near the beginning of the second realm.
  • Chu Tianshu tested the stele and reached nearly halfway through its second layer, receiving detailed information about Self-Perfecting Transformation.

Ch. 438Leakless Mystic Art, True Force, and Innate Nature; a Cautious, Overthinking Dog

Chu Tianshu learned the three paths to Mortal Transcendence Great Accomplishment and resolved to pursue all three before attempting Returning Light. After Luo Sichao died under the Great Void Heavenly Eye, Chen Taozhi reported that Victor was heading to Kachin State Airport, and Chu Tianshu prepared to use the Heavenly Eye to investigate.

  • Yungu explained that Mortal Transcendence Great Accomplishment had three paths—Leakless Innate Nature, Leakless True Force, and Leakless Mystic Art—and that a cultivator's path became fixed after the first attempt to reach Returning Light.
  • Chu Tianshu decided to aim for accomplishment in all three paths and began tempering himself with the Great Void Heavenly Eye alongside Yungu.
  • Chu Tianshu intensified the Heavenly Eye's light until it destroyed Luo Sichao, whose final curse warned that Sahong would make Chu Tianshu experience helplessness between life and death.
  • Chen Taozhi reported that Victor had bought a plane ticket under a false identity to Kachin State Airport in Pagan and might travel through the jungle to reach the Golden Triangle.
  • Chu Tianshu told Chen Taozhi that the team should wait until they could use Victor to locate Sahong, then aligned the Great Void Heavenly Eye with his right eye.

Ch. 439A Storm on the Horizon, a Sword of Blazing Flame

Victor met with Sahong to verify the Spirit Realm’s ability to transport resources, while Chu Tianshu and Yungu secretly observed. After Sahong and Zhang Mengxi demonstrated the transport and arrived in person, Sahong detected Chu Tianshu, who launched a sudden sword attack that froze the scene.

  • Chu Tianshu and Yungu followed Victor from the airport to an abandoned factory without being noticed.
  • Victor contacted Sahong and agreed to inspect the Spirit Realm’s transport capacity by helping establish a Spirit Track Formation.
  • Victor used formations to dig trenches across the factory grounds, and Sahong guided him in pouring the supplied materials into them.
  • The trenches produced far more Spirit Blood than the crates contained, and Sahong and Zhang Mengxi appeared at the factory to demonstrate the transport’s potential.
  • Sahong sensed Chu Tianshu hiding in the forest, and Chu Tianshu sent out his Sword Soul to attack, freezing the people and Spirit Blood in place.

Ch. 440Three Steps, Life and Death, Three Sentences

Chu Tianshu unleashed the Phoenix Nirvana Sword Strike, incinerating Zhang Mengxi and destroying the evil spirit within him. He then frightened Victor into fleeing and turned his attention to Sahong, who was restrained by Yungu as Chu Tianshu attacked.

  • Sahong pushed Zhang Mengxi into the path of Chu Tianshu’s sword, but Zhang Mengxi caught the blade between his palms.
  • Chu Tianshu’s Phoenix Nirvana Sword Strike ignited the surrounding vital Qi, burning Zhang Mengxi and the evil spirit inside him to ash.
  • After being blasted backward, Chu Tianshu retreated into the mountain forest while Sahong began activating the trenches with dark purple flames.
  • Yungu charged in and disrupted the trench formation, pinning Sahong’s spearhead as Sahong called for Victor’s help.
  • Chu Tianshu confronted Victor in three steps, and Victor fled using a red cloak that turned him into fast-moving smoke.
  • Yungu’s Gang Qi wrapped around Sahong’s wrist as Chu Tianshu advanced and thrust his sword toward Sahong’s face.

Ch. 441A Dance Across the Sky Shatters the Evil Haze

Chu Tianshu and Yungu fought Sahong together, using saber, spear, and the Great Void Heavenly Eye to overcome his defenses. Sahong was killed and his sinister Qi was destroyed when Chu Tianshu charged into the purple tornado and shattered the chimney he had turned into a cannon.

  • Sahong tried to repair the Spirit Track Formation, but Chu Tianshu and Yungu pressed him with coordinated saber and spear attacks.
  • Chu Tianshu’s Great Void Heavenly Eye subtly influenced Sahong’s movements, allowing Yungu to predict his dodges and keep him trapped in their rhythm.
  • Sahong lost his right arm and used the Three Lives One Heart Jade to turn a red-brick chimney into a cannon that unleashed a purple tornado.
  • Chu Tianshu used the spear and the Great Void Heavenly Eye to break through the tornado and pierce Sahong, causing his body to explode and leaving his evil spirit impaled.
  • Chu Tianshu charged into the tornado and destroyed the chimney, dispersing its sinister Qi and reducing the evil spirit on the spear to nothing.

Ch. 442Learning to Look Straight at the Sun

Chu Tianshu used the gathered evil-spirit materials to optimize his cultivation method into the Great Void Sun-Boiling True Exposition, which could let him wield the Great Void Heavenly Eye more effectively. Meanwhile, Alexis received Victor’s warning to comply with Chu Tianshu’s demands, and wondered whether he was being told to show submission on his uncle’s behalf.

  • Chu Tianshu combined the evil-spirit materials and Zhang Tongxuan’s trait to create the Great Void Sun-Boiling True Exposition.
  • Chu Tianshu realized the new technique could help him adapt to the Great Void Heavenly Eye and eventually convert his cultivation power into formless Sha Fire.
  • Yungu expelled the Heavenly Eye from his spear and handed it to Chu Tianshu, who called Sanqi back and asked about Teacher Little Yuan.
  • Chu Tianshu decided to message the others before visiting the Grotto-Heaven, while Chen Taozhi hurried toward Alexis after seeing a message on his watch.
  • Alexis received Victor’s instruction to accept Chu Tianshu’s conditions and stay alive, then suspected Victor wanted him to demonstrate submission.

Ch. 443Plow the Courtyard, Sweep the Lair, and Crush All Before Them

The armies of Siam, Pagan, and another neighboring country advanced into the Golden Triangle, where Zheng Jing and the black-and-white armored warriors helped crush the armed resistance. Yungu recovered the stone stele linked to the Grotto-Heaven ruins, while Chu Tianshu and Sun Buyuan prepared to release evidence against Sahong as a storm gathered.

  • The Kingdom of Siam’s commander received orders confirming that North America’s ambassador had agreed with the Mystic Kingdom, and he ordered his troops to carry them out fully.
  • The armies of three neighboring countries joined forces and advanced into the Golden Triangle as fighting spread through the mountains and settlements.
  • Zheng Jing killed the defense corps leader’s guards, returned to the drug factory, and supervised the Siamese officer’s inventory and destruction of its supplies.
  • Black-and-white armored warriors reinforced the Kingdom of Pagan’s troops and crushed the armed men’s counterattacks, while Yungu found and removed the stone stele from Sahong’s safe.
  • Chu Tianshu and Sun Buyuan discussed releasing evidence from the reporter and the soldiers’ body cameras as thunder and lightning signaled approaching rain.

Ch. 444The Grotto-Heaven's Wondrous Effects

Chu Tianshu and Chen Taozhi explored Chen Ying’s Grotto-Heaven and discovered it could neutralize the backlash from failed breakthroughs, potentially helping practitioners attempt dangerous advances more safely. Chu Tianshu then found Yuan Zhonglü asleep under a turtle-breathing technique and took her out for congee.

  • Chu Tianshu brought Chen Taozhi into the Grotto-Heaven, where Yungu guided them to Chen Ying.
  • Chen Ying recognized Chen Taozhi’s planned breakthrough and invited him to attempt it in the Grotto-Heaven.
  • Chen Taozhi failed his breakthrough without suffering his usual backlash and quickly identified his mistake.
  • Chen Ying explained that the Grotto-Heaven could neutralize backlash for many practitioners, and could intercept about seventy percent of Chu Tianshu’s cultivation backlash.
  • Chen Ying brought out the sleeping Yuan Zhonglü, who had been using turtle breathing, and Chu Tianshu took her out for congee.

Ch. 445Burning Incense in the Office

Wei Qidong agreed to oversee Shencheng while Qin Si prepared to attempt a breakthrough, and she and Helai discussed the Grotto-Heaven’s benefits and the dangers of expanding into the Spirit Realm. After Chu Tianshu left for another trip, he returned home and entered a river landscape where fishermen sang.

  • Helai told Wei Qidong that Qin Si might be reassigned to attempt a breakthrough to the Taboo and asked her to watch over Shencheng.
  • Wei Qidong reviewed the Golden Triangle mission report and learned that the Grotto-Heaven could help resolve backlash, even for those who had entered the Taboo.
  • Helai described dangerous Spirit Realm regions and said that flying toward the area corresponding to Shencheng had nearly left him lost; Wei Qidong agreed to keep watch there.
  • Helai bowed to three incense sticks facing Lingnan, and Chu Tianshu entered with medicinal incense, mistaking the ritual for a crude curse.
  • Chu Tianshu left on another trip, then returned home, vanished through a door, and found himself beside a river where fishermen sang.

Ch. 446Tall and Sturdy

Chu Tianshu saved Yao San’s child from a giant eagle and discovered that he had returned to the Great Tang world. When the falcon’s owner, a prince, arrived with armed riders and ordered the fishermen killed, Chu Tianshu confronted the group.

  • A giant eagle snatched Yao San’s child, but Chu Tianshu severed its talons, caught the child, and healed his wounds.
  • Chu Tianshu killed the eagle and handed the unharmed child to the old fisherman, who warned him the bird might belong to a wealthy household.
  • Chu Tianshu recognized the Great Tang world through his token and sensed riders approaching; his Heavenly Eye revealed two extraordinarily tall, heavily trained men among them.
  • The prince accused Chu Tianshu and the fishermen of killing his falcon, then ordered Guard Zhao to kill the commoners and demanded that Chu Tianshu’s clothes be stripped off.
  • When the riders’ horses refused to move, Chu Tianshu rebuked the group and commanded them to kneel and answer.

Ch. 447Ancestors Who Truly Did Their Descendants Proud

Chu Tianshu defeated the nineteenth prince’s guards and learned that more than a century had passed since his previous visit to Great Tang. The scholar explained how a blood-colored starry sky had reshaped martial arts, and Chu Tianshu discovered that the prince’s ruling family descended from Zheng Hui.

  • Chu Tianshu released his oppressive presence, forcing the nineteenth prince, Mr. Wen, and the riders to kneel or fall from their horses.
  • Two armored giants attacked Chu Tianshu with a combined hammer technique, but he crushed their weapons and fatally wounded them.
  • Chu Tianshu questioned the scholar and learned that Hai Donglai’s duel with Duan Zhong had taken place 107 years earlier.
  • The scholar explained that a blood-colored starry sky had appeared after the war against Tubo and inspired new martial arts across the world.
  • Chu Tianshu learned that the nineteenth prince’s ruler descended from Zheng Hui and recognized the prince as a sign of how far Zheng Hui’s legacy had fallen.

Ch. 448The Good-for-Nothing Little Bastard

Chu Tianshu entered Tianchang’s inner city with the Nineteenth Prince and the scholar, seeking news of Cheng Xin and the sealed restaurant. After Yang Zhenyi attacked him, Chu Tianshu defeated the general and hurled him through the palace gate, loudly summoning Zheng Tianchang.

  • Chu Tianshu rode through the outer and inner city with the Nineteenth Prince and the scholar, noting that the appeal drums were guarded and unused.
  • At the sealed restaurant once owned by Lady Wenjing, Yang Zhenyi arrived and explained that Cheng Xin and his family had been imprisoned.
  • Yang Zhenyi mistook Chu Tianshu for a threat connected to the Red Emperor and attacked him with an iron comb, but Chu Tianshu stopped the blow.
  • Yang Zhenyi sprang backward and caught the Nineteenth Prince, while Chu Tianshu threw the prince and scholar toward him.
  • Chu Tianshu struck Yang Zhenyi in the chest, sending him through the palace’s main gate and collapsing the gate tower.
  • Chu Tianshu called out for Zheng Tianchang to come out.

Ch. 449The Child Was Still Young, So Just One Palm Strike

Chu Tianshu confronted Zheng Tianchang over the killing of his youngest son and defeated him with a devastating internal palm technique. Zheng Tianchang died after learning that Chu Tianshu had been an old friend of his great-grandfather, Zheng Hui.

  • Zheng Tianchang heard Chu Tianshu shouting in the royal city and went to the palace roof to confront him.
  • Zheng Tianchang recognized Chu Tianshu as the man in a portrait his great-grandfather Zheng Hui had shown him.
  • Chu Tianshu accused Zheng Tianchang of helping his youngest son overcome his fear by having palace maids dressed as deer hunted and killed.
  • Zheng Tianchang attacked Chu Tianshu with a spear-like hand strike, then vanished from sight and launched a punch using Fist Beyond the Mind.
  • Chu Tianshu met Zheng Tianchang's punch with the Qian Character Seal and sent an internal force through his arm and chest, causing tumors to swell across the right side of his body.
  • Chu Tianshu counted down three seconds, and Zheng Tianchang's tumors exploded; Chu Tianshu said he had come to set his old friend Zheng Hui straight.

Ch. 450The Prince's Revenge, Barely Begun

Chu Tianshu defeated Zheng Tianchang’s remaining guards and used the Great Void Heavenly Eye to immobilize the people across the palace, extinguishing the fires they had started to escape. He then went to the imperial prison, where Cheng Xin’s family learned that they were being freed.

  • An imperial guard commander attacked Chu Tianshu, who killed him with a palm strike as more guards rushed to the palace hall.
  • Guards tried to smuggle princes and princesses out of the palace and started fires, but Chu Tianshu unleashed the Great Void Heavenly Eye and immobilized the guards, royals, and fleeing servants.
  • Yang Zhenyi crawled out of the ruined palace gate, and Chu Tianshu told him to take him to the imperial prison to see Cheng Xin.
  • Cheng Xin reflected on his family’s imprisonment and refused to yield to Zheng Tianchang, while his granddaughter remained sickly from confinement and poison.
  • A jailer told Cheng Xin that someone had attacked the palace and that his whole family would be freed as a crowd approached the prison.

Ch. 451A New Face for All Under Heaven

After Chu Tianshu freed Cheng Xin’s family and killed Zheng Tianchang, he asked Cheng Xin to take charge of the country and organize new ministers. Yang Zhenyi offered to help investigate court officials in exchange for leniency toward worthy members of his clan, then revealed where Zheng Tianchang had hidden a set of martial arts figurines.

  • Officials and household guards freed Cheng Xin’s family from prison and restored their strength and appearance.
  • Chu Tianshu helped Cheng Xin break through Qingtang’s poison and told him that Zheng Tianchang was dead.
  • Chu Tianshu asked Cheng Xin to lead the country temporarily and appoint new civil and military ministers, and Cheng Xin proposed following Great Tang’s System of Valuing the Public Good.
  • Cheng Xin explained how Great Tang’s shared-power system worked and why other countries had adopted similar arrangements.
  • Yang Zhenyi offered to provide evidence against court officials if Chu Tianshu spared Yang clan members who proved innocent.
  • Yang Zhenyi revealed that Zheng Tianchang had carved an old tree into fist-manual figurines and hidden them at the bottom of the West Brightness Pool.

Ch. 452Wisdom King's Ten Finger Spears, Each Martial Dao Has Its Own Merits

Chu Tianshu examined the Zheng family’s Wisdom King Finger Spear manual and discovered how its techniques used wind and water to amplify physical force. He planned to learn its moves to comprehend a new essence of heaven and earth and refine it into internal force.

  • Chu Tianshu inspected the carvings in the West Brightness Pool and recognized the three parts of the Scattered Rain and Sudden Wind Wisdom King Finger Spear.
  • Chu Tianshu realized the martial art suited humid, windy conditions and explained how its robes represented water vapor and air swept up by the practitioner.
  • Chu Tianshu used physical force and precise technique to suspend the falling carvings with a surge of water, then flicked a droplet hard enough to chip a distant rock.
  • Chu Tianshu decided he needed the Wisdom King Finger Spear’s moves more than its strength-building stances, since he could use them to comprehend the essence of heaven and earth.
  • Chu Tianshu resolved to refine that essence with the Great Void Sun-Boiling True Exposition and hoped to exchange cultivation arts with Brother Donglai.

Ch. 453A Good Person Comes Calling

Li Chenxiang and Elder Su brought the Mountain King Divine Drum toward the Great Kingdom of Tianchang, but a pursuing ascetic confronted their caravan at the city gate. At the royal palace, Chu Tianshu sensed the challenge and wondered whether the ascetic had come to avenge Zheng Tianchang.

  • A brown-robed young man told Li Chenxiang and Elder Su that Zheng Tianchang had been killed and General Cheng Xin released, and they discussed disguising themselves after entering the city.
  • The caravan’s horses panicked at the outer gate as an ascetic monk confronted Elder Su and demanded the Mountain King Divine Drum.
  • Elder Su challenged the ascetic to take the treasure from his mechanism-filled carriage, but the monk insisted they bring it out.
  • Chu Tianshu practiced the Wisdom King Finger Spear at West Brightness Pool while Cheng Xin discussed his plans and a letter to Chang'an.
  • Chu Tianshu sensed Buddhist Fist Intent at the outer city gate and suspected that the ascetic had come to challenge him over Zheng Tianchang’s death.

Ch. 454The Benefits of Having Plenty of Blood, the Mechanism Weapon Soul

Chu Tianshu intervened when Fire Tree Dhuta attacked Su Xian’s mechanical carriage and the caravan outside the royal city. He defeated the dhuta in a single devastating blow and demanded that he explain the fight.

  • Chu Tianshu reached the city wall and saw Fire Tree Dhuta blocking Su Xian’s caravan as Su Xian transformed his carriage into a spider-legged Weapon Soul.
  • Fire Tree Dhuta attacked the transformed carriage, but its eight legs forced him back while draining spices from the caravan to fuel its power.
  • Chu Tianshu confronted Fire Tree Dhuta after the dhuta threatened the soldiers, and he pursued the dhuta when he tried to flee.
  • Chu Tianshu melted Fire Tree Dhuta’s iron staff with his palm, seized him, and smashed him into a deep pit, leaving him badly injured.
  • Chu Tianshu refused to let Fire Tree Dhuta die and ordered him to climb out and explain himself.

Ch. 455Enemies Everywhere, Friends Across the Four Seas

Chu Tianshu defeated Fire Tree Dhuta and learned that the dhuta had sought the Mountain King Divine Drum to challenge Hai Donglai. Su Xian and Li Chenxiang explained that they were taking the drum to Chang'an to offer it to Hai Donglai, hoping he could use it to mend his weakness and protect Great Tang; Chu Tianshu laughed as he reflected on Hai Donglai’s many enemies and the people who wished for peace.

  • Chu Tianshu pulled Fire Tree Dhuta back to the caravan and questioned him about the fight at the city gate.
  • Fire Tree Dhuta admitted he had come for the Mountain King Divine Drum, hoping to use it to kill Hai Donglai and make his name.
  • Cheng Xin explained the drum’s legends, including the claim that it could expose a fatal flaw in Hai Donglai’s martial arts.
  • Chu Tianshu questioned the people inside the mechanism carriage, and Su Xian and Li Chenxiang came out with the sandalwood box containing the drum.
  • Su Xian and Li Chenxiang said they intended to present the drum to Hai Donglai so he might address his weakness and preserve peace; Chu Tianshu laughed again.

Ch. 456Such Pure Tea, the Divine Drum's Mysteries

After killing Fire Tree Dhuta, Chu Tianshu treated Su Xian and Li Chenxiang with medicinal tea and exchanged his medicinal formulas for Su Xian’s Weapon Soul art. He examined the Mountain King Divine Drum and tapped its drumhead, leaving its mystery unresolved.

  • Chu Tianshu brought Su Xian and Li Chenxiang to a pavilion and served them medicinal tea, which made Su Xian’s nose bleed until he circulated his strength to absorb the tonic.
  • Su Xian asked Chu Tianshu to teach him tea brewing, and Chu Tianshu offered medicinal formulas in exchange for the Great Tang’s Weapon Soul art.
  • Su Xian wrote the Weapon Soul art on his brocade pouch, while Chu Tianshu considered how to use it to improve Sanqi and combine his treasures.
  • Chu Tianshu gave Su Xian the medicinal formulas for his caravan, and Su Xian handed over the completed Weapon Soul art.
  • Chu Tianshu opened the case containing the Mountain King Divine Drum, sensed an incomplete Weapon Soul within it, and tapped the center of its drumhead.
Arc 18 of 27
Arc 18 of 27