S1.E9 ∙ The Essence of a Sword

A teenage lad arrives at Double Flag Town to claim his betrothed bride, when he encounters a group of outlaws and kills one of them. A vendetta is expected.

The "iron triangle" of director Chang Cheh and protégés David Chiang and Ti Lung make The Heroic Ones a quintessential action epic, set during the waning years of the Tang Dynasty and centering on a royal family rife with intrigue.

Five kung-fu masters from different regions are fighting ruthlessly for a mysterious treasure map inside the Ming Palace; while they are all tangled in wild combat, the precious map unexpectedly disappears.

A simple fisherman helps a fugitive King in a fight, and offers him refuge in a hideout near his fishing village. When the King's group is attacked by his usurper brother, the fisherman is sent to find the King's betrothed, the daughter of the Emperor, and bring her back. On the journey love blossoms between the fisherman and the Emperor's daughter. Meanwhile the King's beautiful advisor seems to be in love with him, despite the fact that she is a traitor sent to kill him by the evil brother.

Set in an Eastern fantasy setting, Dan Fei and her brother, guardians of a sword known as the Tian Xíng Jin, are pursued by the evil Xuan Gui Zong clan, who seek to obtain the sword for their master, Mie Tian Hai. While her brother is defeated, Fei, who possesses the sword's crossguard, escapes and finds herself in the care of the wandering swordsman, Shang Bu Huan, and a mysterious man named Lin Xu Ya, who become her protectors from the pursuing Xuan Gui Zong clan.

Two clans compete for dominance over the martial arts world in this classic of violent swordplay and political intrigue. A complex tale of deception and double crosses. Killer Clans leaves viewers guessing every step of the way. Masterful fight choreography from Yuen Cheung Yan (Yuen Clan member and brother of Yuen Woo Ping) and Tong Gaai fills the screen with bloody sword fighting and imaginative weaponry, delivering both great drama and fantastic martial arts.