Chapter 457: Titles

After the battle at Wan’an Temple, Kai Xin disappeared once again from the eyes of the jianghu folks. This time, he was gone for half a month without showing up, leaving Yipin Tang in a state of anxiety throughout that period.
The three top leaders of Yipin Tang did not leave the capital at all, practicing day and night in the gang’s prison cells. Even Zhou Yu went to the north…
Half a month passed.
Subtle changes took place in the jianghu landscape!
South of the Yangtze River, Xiayi Men grew stronger, with its branches increasing rapidly from over forty to more than seventy, spreading across many important cities. Many gangs, once under Yipin Tang’s dominance, now obeyed Xiayi Men’s orders. Fortunately, Xiayi Men wasn’t as ruthless as Yipin Tang; in each city, it formed alliances with one or two of the largest local gang forces to jointly manage key resources. Thus, Xiayi Men progressed more smoothly and gained more popularity.
South of the Yangtze River, Mo Feng, Lin Xiao, and Hong Chen maintained strict control!
The three also received distinct jianghu titles!
Moyang Butterfly “Lady Marquis” — Mo Feng! (Because his contributions to Xiayi Men were less than Lin Xiao’s, and he lacked decisiveness in combat, strength, and vigilance, missing out on the title containing “hou”.)
Righteousness to the Sky “Marquis of Loyalty” — Lin Xiao!
Monk in the World “Marquis of Mortal Dust” — Hong Chen!
…
North of the Yangtze River, Yipin Tang still held sway:
Although the battle at Wan’an Temple cost them the vice leader “Blood-Clothed,” three top-tier experts, and several skilled fighters, reducing their reputation to its lowest point ever, it wasn’t enough to seriously weaken them. Moreover, after pulling back many disciples from southern branches, Yipin Tang’s forces in the north became even stronger, unshakable.
Meng Yun stepped in with ruthless efficiency!
He swiftly destroyed two large gangs, finally silencing those in the north who had been criticizing Yipin Tang’s failures…
A thin camel is still bigger than a horse, let alone Yipin Tang, which was now like a giant tiger with only minor injuries!
Despite the failure at Wan’an Temple, many discerning eyes in the jianghu held Meng Yun in exceptionally high regard. If not for Kai Xin’s appearance, Xiayi Men might have fallen from the top of the hierarchy to become just another ordinary first-tier gang, or even worse.
Meng Yun’s campaign was a decisive move!
Xiayi Men’s three best leaders gathered together:
Tang Feng led the Assassins’ Hall to hunt down Hong Chen; Blood-Clothed, Zhou Yu, Tong Xin, Evil Wolf, and Thick-Browed Monk — five top experts, together with people from the Changle Sect — ensured that not a single member of Xiayi Men could escape.

With the death of the three leaders of the Xiyi Gate, Yipin Hall could instantly sweep away all of its branches in the north, then march across the Yangtze River to crush the Xiyi Gate beyond resistance—although the Mu family might be influential in Baokang, their ability to send troops for aid was limited, and without the support of these three local gangs, they couldn’t turn the situation around.
So…
Afterward, many people compared Mengyun to a fierce tiger lurking in the shadows, ready to show its fangs at any moment against its enemies.
The Flame Goddess, the Ruthless Queen of Swords—Mengyun!
Zhou Yu!
Their strength was beyond doubt, but their reputation suffered slightly after escaping from the Battle of Wanan Temple…
Known in the martial world as the Young Zhou Lang, here comes the Divine Archer, the Young Zhou Lang—Zhou Yu!
Xueyi and Huangsha both died at the hands of Kai Xin once, but both were inheritors of supreme martial arts, and their strength was unquestionable—they were also listed among those bearing the title “Marquis.”
The successor of the Star-Sucking Art, the Star Marquis—Xueyi. (Formerly the Star King)
The Immortal Nether King, who had died once before, the Nether King Marquis—Huangsha! (Formerly the Nether King)
…
With the Yangtze River as the boundary, neither the Xiyi Gate nor Yipin Hall hindered the growth of another powerful gang—Lingxiao Palace!
The largest gang in the coastal cities, Lingxiao Palace never got involved in the battles or confrontations between the two major gangs, nor did it side with either party. It simply expanded in the coastal areas, monopolizing all the best resources there. It often set sail to suppress pirates, ranging from Heilongjiang in the north to Dali in Yunnan. They encountered not only pirates but also frequently entered the territories of neighboring countries—present-day Russia, Vietnam, North Korea, and South Korea.
Due to language barriers, both sides thought the other’s members were NPC pirate groups, leading to fierce battles whenever they met…
No one knew the exact results, but Lingxiao Palace thrived effortlessly, carrying out large-scale operations almost daily, clearly reaping no losses!
Lingxiao Palace.
Qin Qing was known as the calmest and wisest queen.
Winning hearts with the zither, the Zither Queen—Qin Qing!
Unfortunately, none of Lingxiao Palace’s members had yet earned the title of “Marquis”…
The Heartless Knife and the Compassionate Sword were at most top-tier experts, while Evil Wolf and the Thick-Browed Monk were first-rate, but slightly inferior to figures like Xueyi and Lin Xiao.
…
In a world divided among these three major gang empires, countless martial artists noticed another territory that didn’t belong to any of them—a player gang that wasn’t aligned with the three major gangs, growing at an astonishing pace!
…
Baokang!

Located north of the Yangtze River and close to it, yet without any influence from Yipin Tang in the vicinity, nor within the territory defined by the Xiyi Gate, it is also at a certain distance from the coastal areas.
A dozen or so cities centered around Baokang operate independently from the three major forces, belonging to the Central Plains yet not under anyone’s control.
Only the Mu Family rules supreme!
Moreover, the Mu Family is developing at a steady pace, showing clear signs of becoming the fourth major force in the Central Plains!
After all the branches of Yipin Tang in the south were destroyed, the Mu Family took over nearly half of them. Sharing numerous resource sites equally with the Xiyi Gate, they divided everything in half without hesitation.
Starting with seven or eight branches centered around Baokang, they now have no fewer than fifteen branches south of the Yangtze River, with over twenty combat units!
As a result, the Mu Family has rapidly grown to nearly 40,000 members!
Its combat forces number over 7,000, giving it combat strength far surpassing that of ordinary large gangs!
In addition, various professions are evenly distributed across the resource sites managed by the twenty-plus branches; with substantial daily income, it is said the Mu Family’s gang warehouse already holds over 50 billion worth of resources. Leveraging this vast resource base, they quickly developed facilities such as the “Alchemy Hall,” “Divine Weapons Hall,” and “Armor Crafting Hall” in addition to “Gang Prisons.”
Many “alchemists” like “Youzi” and “blacksmiths” like “Tie Wuxin” have emerged, leading to breakthroughs in medicinal pills.
Grade 2 medicinal pill: Bao Yuan Wan – increases attack power by 20% and attack speed as well as movement speed by 10% within one hour, and defense by 10%.
Grade 2 poison: He Ding Hong – when applied to weapons, it remains effective for one hour, poisoning the wounded enemy and reducing their capabilities by 60%. If no strong antidote is taken within three minutes, death occurs; even after taking a strong antidote, it takes half a minute to completely eliminate the poison’s effects.
Many top experts from the Mu Family have received titles:
“Three Corpse, Ten Thousand Poisons,” Marquis of Ten Thousand Poisons – Xiao Bei!
“Strategic Mastermind,” Marquis of Traps – Lei Zhan!
“Finger Magic Expert,” Marquis of Miracles – Mo Mo!
“Silver Mask,” Marquis of Silver Face – Yin Hu!
And “Kai Xin,” an undefeated warrior on par with the mysterious “Emperor,” who has yet to suffer a single defeat. Currently, both are figures of unfathomable strength.