A fierce battle for supremacy unfolds under the vast sky. Yuko flees, while Master Ji reprimands Liu Hua; the red-haired gather, plotting to eliminate Master Ji.

After successfully capturing Jiang City, Commander Ji watched the jubilant soldiers and sighed. "Lieutenant Lei, what are the casualties?"

"Reporting, sir, our Divine Strategy Army suffered 1,314 fatalities, leaving 2,025 men. The Tiger Might Army lost 2,024 soldiers. As for the forces outside the city originally under Yoko Fei, they sustained minimal losses, with over 50,000 troops remaining."

"I see. You may step down."

"Yes, sir!"

Hearing the casualty report, Commander Ji remained standing by the table, staring long and silently at the map, his expression inscrutable.

After a long moment, he picked up a pen and circled a spot on the map—Baling!

"Bad news, General Ji! Yoko Fei has disappeared!" A servant burst in, panic-stricken.

"Disappeared!" Ji's voice suddenly rose. "That Xiao Liuhua—what a useless eunuch! Completely unreliable. Bring him in immediately!"

Soon, Xiao Liuhua staggered into the room. "General Ji, I swear, the medicine I administered to Yoko Fei should have rendered her unconscious for at least three hours! Unless... yes, she must be a martial artist of considerable rank, at least at the Division Realm level! That explains it!"

"So, if you could easily capture her, your rank must be high as well?"

"Indeed, General Ji. I have spent half my life cultivating and have fortunately reached the early Elemental Realm."

"In that case, I won't kill you. Go bring Yoko Fei back—alive, I want to see her; dead, I want to see her corpse. If you fail, find a suitable place outside and face death honorably." Ji turned to Jia Kang, who had just arrived. Being an agent of the Southern King, his opinion mattered.

"A mere dog. If the mission fails, the disposition is entirely up to General Ji." Jia Kang said as he kicked Xiao Liuhua out, then looked to Ji.

"Now that Jiang City is in our hands, what are your plans?"

Ji smiled and looked down at the map. Jia Kang followed his gaze and paused. "Truly... such ambition!"

"Such ambition what?" Ji asked, puzzled.

"Nothing. Let's discuss the next steps." Jia Kang rubbed his nose, eyes evasive.

Meanwhile, near the border between Jiang City and Yuzhou, a tattered woman walked slowly along the dusty road. "Commander Ji, when I return home, I will make my father grind your bones to dust—but my elder sister will surely mock me again, sigh." If Ji were here, he would recognize the woman as the escaped Yoko Fei. Little did she know, a hungry "wolf" followed close behind.

Within Ruzhou territory, a scholar laughed, "Ha ha ha, my little beauty, finally awake! Hurry, wash up; I intend to enjoy you thoroughly!" He addressed a scruffy female beggar.

"Master, why bring a beggar home? Could it be..." A servant leered at the scholar but saw only a face filled with shifting expressions—indeed, this was the disturbed and repulsive Ji.

"Go, go! She's a rare gem. Don’t be fooled by her current filth; after some grooming, she’ll be a true beauty. With my decade of experience, I can’t be wrong! Now, take her to wash. I can hardly wait!"

At the hour of Hai, Ji gently pushed open the door, gazing at the shapely body on the bed. "Little beauty, have you missed your brother?" His face flickered with complex emotions.

Just as his greedy, lustful hands reached for her collar, she sprang with the speed and precision of a snake, flipping him onto the ground.

Dust rose as Ji was disoriented. Before he could react, the woman pinned him down, one hand clutching his throat, the other delving into a pouch at her waist to produce a wriggling worm. Her cold eyes silenced all protest as she forced the worm into Ji’s wide-open mouth. He gasped in horror, a desperate sound escaping his throat.

"Fortunately, this bone-needle poison didn’t die. But that Commander Ji—who knows what secret arts he employs—he cannot be a late-stage Grandmaster! Speaking of which, what is this scholar? I belong only to Lady Ni Zhan, but her... Ah, forget it." If Ji were here, he would be shocked—the nemesis he thought vanquished right under his nose had appeared in Ruzhou.

Ji, trembling, begged, "P-please remove the worm!"

"Heh heh heh, remove it? What tone! You’re my dog now. If you disobey, this worm will inject the bone needle into your body, controlling your thoughts and actions, turning you into a numb tool. But if you behave, I’ll administer medicine regularly to control it. Otherwise... ah ha ha!"

Facing the woman’s chaotic mix of beauty and madness, Ji’s face flickered with emotion, but inside he was nearly speechless with terror.

"Do you know Zhu Shengzhiyin?" The woman suddenly asked.

"I do! I do! Please spare me if I tell you! I beg you!"

"Stop stalling, or I’ll castrate you first!" She slapped him sharply.

Dazed, Ji realized she wasn’t trying to squeeze him dry and relaxed slightly. Nervous but shifting expressions, he said, "I can introduce you to Zhu Shengzhiyin. My brother works in his mansion."

"Good dog, lead the way!"

With Ji’s resentful gaze following, the woman led him by a rope to the Zhu estate.

The guards were puzzled by Ji’s strange appearance but said nothing. Most who knew him understood he was a hypocritical scoundrel who had done many vile deeds beneath his polished exterior.

A guard reported inside. Soon after, "You may enter, sir. The master is in the outer hall."

The woman and Ji entered. Zhu Shengzhiyin looked at Ji’s ever-changing face in confusion, which then flushed red. "Prince, please do me justice! This wretch fed me a poison worm—kill her at once!"

Hearing this, Zhu’s expression darkened. "Miss, what is the meaning of this?"

"Zhu Shengzhiyin, don’t you recognize me? Three years ago at the Qianzhong Grand Contest, you were soundly defeated. I never expected you to still be at the Elemental Realm, while I have long reached Grandmaster level, ha ha ha!"

"It’s you, Faxiang! Your Blood Alliance took my bounty, failed to capture the 'Chicken Beauty,' and pocketed the money. What do you mean by that?"

"Don’t bring up your bounty—your misinformation nearly destroyed my Blood Alliance, even my beloved Ni Zhan is..." Faxiang glared darkly at Zhu.

Under her gaze, Zhu felt a chill. "Impossible. Even with the Southern King’s help and Jia Kang’s protection, how could Ji..."

Faxiang recounted every detail about Commander Ji, paying no attention to Ji’s fluctuating, amused expression nearby.

Just as Faxiang finished, a soldier burst in, stumbling. "Bad news, master! Urgent intelligence!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to remain calm in crises? Stop panicking!" Zhu scowled. "What is it?"

The soldier glanced at the two women and hurried on. "Sir, spies in Jiang City report that Commander Ji has already taken it!"

"Jiang City? No big deal!" Zhu suddenly stood, startling Ji. "Jiang City... Yoko Fei, what use is she? I knew that woman was useless! Now Ji wields the power to cut me down!" Zhu slumped into a chair, despairing. "Faxiang, Ji’s rise is unstoppable. I fear I won’t enjoy defeating him, sigh."

"Don’t lose heart. Just say a few good words to your father to send covert aid. First, take Shaozhou, then attack Gannan. With proper preparation, you might stand a chance against Ji. Besides, he’ll have to face Liu Shoukong of Zhongshan—getting past him won’t be easy."

After hearing Faxiang’s words, Zhu looked northward, grinding his teeth. "Chicken Beauty, you really are hard to enjoy!"

Ha! "Someone’s thinking of me? Could it be Chibiao?" Commander Ji stood suddenly at the table, lost in military strategy. "I understand now!"

He then turned toward Xing City. "Chibiao, I look forward to our next encounter."