The martial arts world is in upheaval, and it's up to Yi, Xue, Ji, and whomever else they've recruited to set things right. Your next step in this process is Xungu Pass, to the northwest. You can no longer visit any of the major sects scattered throughout the lands, but you can still visit cities, so if you need to prep now is a good time.
As soon as you walk through the front gates of the Xungu Pass you'll be ambushed by a group of guards. Their health is universally around 1,500, so you should have no trouble mopping the floor with them. Several cut scenes will clear the matter up nicely, and you'll be free to continue to the northern lands.
Head east, to the Valley of Dragons' Slumber, where much of this mess began. Upon arrival you'll hit a cut scene, and a battle follows.
Ouyang Heng
This may be a 'friendly' match, but Ouyang Heng isn't messing around. He's not as strong as Qingxiao, whom you recently fought, but Heng has some powerful attacks:
- Two- and three- square line attacks
- A multi-directional, long-range line attack
- Celestial Fairy Swordplay, a long-range AOE attack
There are no wonky tactics to deal with here, just raw swordsmanship. Attack Heng from the sides or rear, and retreat if your health gets too low. Yi's Wind and Cloud Method should be powerful enough to get you through the battle.
Heng will give you a Chengying Sword, a Gold-Woven Belt, Rhinohide Beast Pattern Armor, and Black Gauze Heavenward Boots for winning the fight. All are top-level items that you should equip at your earliest convenience. Continue east after the cut scene.
Valley of Dragons' Slumber - Enemies
- Beggars' Sect Disciple
- Condor School Disciple
- Liushan School Disciple
- Shaolin Temple Disciple
- Wudang Sect Disciple
- Xuanhuo Cult Disciple
Valley of Dragons' Slumber - Drops
- Brocade
- Celestial Garment
- Coldiron Knuckles
- Demon Conqueror
- Fanyang Straw Hat
- Jadeite Guanyin
- Lanling Liquor
- Satin
- Silverlight Saber
- Tiger Claws Boots
- White Tiger Sword
Continue east and a cut scene will force you up into the hills, where you'll find rampant fighting underway. Head generally east to find a path that will take you back to the west, past the blockade that was troubling you earlier, and over to a huge clearing. A cut scene interjects, beginning the first of several boss battles. Be ready to earn a lot of very valuable (but, as far as I can tell, random) items.
Yin Wujin
As leader of the Condor School - and someone you may have fought already, if you did several side quests involving Sweetspring Village - Yin Wujin is not one to be trifled with. He uses the following attacks:
- Short-range claw attacks that can inflict Bleeding
- A long-range line attack that can inflict Bleeding
- Divine Blood Claw, a ranged AOE that does more damage to characters hurt by Bleeding
If Yi was fighting Wujin alone this would likely be a tough battle. Unfortunately for him, you get to use your entire party for this fight - and then some, if you've kept Xue and Ji out of your deployed group. Surround Wujin, pin him in place, and beat him down. He may be stronger than anyone in your party, but he can't withstand attacks from seven characters for long.
Alas, the next fight won't be quite as easy...
Zuo Jianglong
Next is Zuo Jianglong, the leader of the Beggars' Sect. Like Yin Wujin, Jianglong is quite powerful. Unlike Wujin, Jianglong brought in a bunch of Beggars' Sect Disciples to back him up, along with Hou Jiu. None of them hold a candle to their master in combat prowess, however. Zuo Jianglong uses the following attacks:
- A close-range, mutidirectional attack
- A ranged AOE attack
- A square AOE attack
- Repelling Staff Technique, a sizable AOE that lowers defenses
- Sleeping Arhat Staff, an AOE that buffs Jianglong's evasion
Your major advantage here is the fact that Zuo Jianglong uses polearm attacks, which hit many people at once but tend not to be terribly powerful. Let one or two party members keep Jianglong busy while everyone else works on taking out his troops, most of whom use short-range claw attacks. Once you've eliminated most of the mooks, which won't take long, everyone can gang up on Jianglong and finish him off.
The fighting's not done yet...
Liu Xiong
The marquis of Liushan School, Liu Xiong is, unsurpringly, no weakling. He's a master swordsman, and is backed by two Liushan School Disciples, as well as Jue Wuxin and Qiu Wudao, a pair of detectives whom you've likely met in the past. Still, this fight isn't that bad. Liu Xiong uses the following attacks:
- Normal sword thrusts
- A multi-directional sword attack
- Thunderbolt Swordplay, a ranged AOE attack
On the whole, a pretty standard fight. Xiong doesn't have enough backup, and the ones he brought are a little low on health. Wipe them out, then gang up on the leader. Pretty simple.
And then...
Yuan Wu, Yuan Nan, Yuan Ku
A trio of Shaolin monks, the three Yuans are all powerful foes. There are no mooks in this battle, and it's likely that Wu, Nan, and Ku are stronger than everyone else in your party, save perhaps for Yi. They use the following attack patterns:
- Yuan Wu is the strongest of the three, and uses short-ranged claw attacks. He is capable of pulling characters over to him, and will start the battle by doing this to Yi, exposing him to immediate attacks from the other two Yuans.
- Yuan Nan is a polearm fighter. His abilities are nothing extraordinary, but you want to avoid grouping too many characters around him at a time.
- Yuan Ku is more or less a weaker version of Yuan Wu, and can also pull characters over to him.
Despite outnumbering the monks you shouldn't split your party up too much. Pick one of them and batter him over and over until he falls. This will greatly lower their damage output. The two claw fighters should go first, given how annoying it can be to have your characters dragged all over the place, but it depends on the team you bring into the fight. Whomever you attack first, make sure you target the Yuans from the sides or rear, as they are obnoxiously good at blocking your hits.
And then...
The most powerful character you've fought so far, Master Qingxiao is a brutal, relentless swordsman, and this time you can't wait out the clock to end the fight. Backed by four Wudang Disciples, Qingxiao uses the following attacks:
Wuming
- Standard-range sword attacks
- Three-square sword attacks that can buff Qingxiao's stats
- Tai Chi Swordplay, a powerful diamond-shaped AOE
- Zhenwu's Sword Intent, a multi-directional, line-based attack
You can't afford to ignore Qingxiao until the Disciples are gone. He hits too hard. Instead, gang up on him and use AOE attacks to chip away at the Disciples as they wade into the fray. They only have around 3,000 HP apiece, and won't last all that long. After that, keep your characters out of straight lines as much as possible and whittle down Qingxiao. Yi is likely the only person who can go toe-to-toe with Qingxiao at this point, so use him as a distraction if anyone needs to back off and heal.
A great deal will happen after you defeat Master Qingxiao, and you'll learn some crucial backstory. Then the real fight begins.
At last, the leader of Villain Valley shows himself to the world. Wuming is terribly powerful, and even though your party (which now consists of only Yi, Xue, and Ji) is aided by the other sect leaders, Wuming still holds the upper hand. You won't win this battle, so just put on a good show.
A war breaks out after the battle with Wuming, and the party will face down another strong - but much easier - opponent.
Fang Kuohai
This guy just keeps showing up. Fang Kuohai and his gang of Rabid Xuanhuo Cult Secret Guards are all tough enemies, and you won't have Yao Ji to help you. Still, you can handle this lot. Kuohai is more or less a stronger version of Yao Ji, meaning he's strong close up but doesn't have a massive horizontal range. His buddies are all claw users, so they similarly have poor range. Remain at a distance if possible, let Yi take most of the hits, and whittle their numbers down. Not a big deal overall.
Once this fight ends you'll finally break out of the endless string of boss battles. Xiaotong will join the party - been a while since that last happened - and you'll be headed off to Xuanhuo Sect to bring all this madness to an end. (Maybe.)