In this second of three "Swordsman" martial arts thrillers, the swordsman Ling Jet Li is traveling with his sister to a religious retreat when they are informed that the leader of the sect has been captured by a mysterious being who has been transformed into a nearly immortal woman through the agency of a sacred scroll. At the same time, the Japanese are once again threatening to take over the Chinese mainland, and this dire fate can only be thwarted by a heroic few. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi