TL;DR
- Four Fierce Axes is a side quest (Tale) in Weeping Creek Valley — one of the earliest you’ll pick up.
- You need to collect 8 case files total — 1 from the start area, 1 from boss Peng Meng, and 6 more scattered around the valley.
- The 7th file is locked until you reach the Village of Lu and start the “Leave None Alive” quest.
- Deliver all evidence to the Child of Insight in Pangzhen to complete the quest.
- Reward: Blood Oath Dagger — used to Soul Temper the Dread Axe Phantom Edge.
- All document locations are marked on the map with red icons once you’re in range.
The Four Fierce Axes quest is one of Phantom Blade Zero’s longest side quests — and one of the most missable. It starts before you even know it’s a quest, spans two regions, and requires unlocking specific Phantom Edge tools before you can collect every piece of evidence. If you’re stuck on where to find a case file or have no idea who the Child of Insight is, this guide covers every step.
What Is the Four Fierce Axes Quest?
Four Fierce Axes is a side Tale that tasks Soul with uncovering the truth behind a rebellion led by a group called the Four Fierce Axes — a band of axe-wielding warriors who defied The Order. Someone is covering up what really happened, and it’s your job to piece the story together by collecting case files spread across Weeping Creek Valley.
The quest is structured in three stages. First, you trigger it by finding an initial document in Broken Puppet Valley. Then you defeat Peng Meng, the boss tied to the rebellion. After that, you hunt down the remaining case files before delivering them all to a character in Pangzhen to get your reward.
This quest is heavily tied to exploration and the Festering Secret side quest, so it takes longer than most Tales in the game. Stick with it — the reward is worth it, and it adds real context to the story of Weeping Creek Valley.
How to Start the Four Fierce Axes Quest
The quest starts automatically when you pick up the first case file document in Broken Puppet Valley — the same area where you deal with the red thread barrier. After clearing the shielded enemy and opening the barrier, explore the buildings in the area. There’s a case file sitting on a table inside one of the houses. Pick it up and the quest begins.
If you’re still at the red thread barrier stage and need help getting past it, check out our guide on how to go through the red thread barrier in Phantom Blade Zero.
Step 1: Uncover the Truth Behind the Four Axes Rebellion
After picking up the first document, the quest tells you to “uncover the truth behind the Four Axes Rebellion.” This means progressing through the main story and heading to the Outpost in Weeping Creek Valley, where you’ll face a boss.
Defeat Peng Meng, the Axemaster
Keep heading west through the Outpost until you reach a clearing. Here you’ll encounter Peng Meng, the Axemaster — a heavy, powerful fighter who swings a massive axe. This is an early boss fight and the game’s first real test of how well you’ve learned to parry and dodge.
Key tips for this fight:
- Watch for the blue flash (Brutal Move): Press L1 just before impact to parry and trigger Ghost Step behind Peng Meng.
- Dodge the red flash (Killer Move): These cannot be parried — dodge with R1 at the last second to trigger Ghost Step instead.
- Peng Meng has big, sweeping axe attacks. The pauses between his combos are where you deal most of your damage.
- Like most bosses, this fight has two phases. The second phase gets faster and more aggressive, so don’t get comfortable after surviving phase one.
Defeating Peng Meng rewards you with the Dread Axe Phantom Edge — an incredibly useful secondary weapon that breaks shields and smashes chain barriers blocking paths throughout the valley. He also drops a case file for the Four Fierce Axes quest, which counts as your second document.
Step 2: Gather All the Evidence — All 7 Case File Locations
After the boss fight, the quest updates to ask you to gather evidence of the conspiracy against the Four Fierce Axes. You need to find seven case files in Weeping Creek Valley (not counting the one from Peng Meng and the first one that started the quest — the total collection across the whole quest is 8 documents including those two).
All document locations are marked on your map with red icons once you’re in range of the area, so keep an eye on the map as you explore. Here’s where every one of them is:
Case File 1 — Broken Puppet Valley (Quest Starter)
This is the document that starts the quest. It’s on a table inside one of the houses near the Broken Puppet Valley Bell, in the area you access after clearing the shielded enemy. You should already have this if the quest has begun.
Case File 2 — Broken Puppet Valley Shrine
Still in the Broken Puppet Valley area. After picking up the first document, look for a corpse near the shrine in the same zone. The second case file is on the body. You can grab both of these in the same pass through the area before heading back through the red thread barrier.
Case File 3 — Peng Meng Boss Drop
This drops directly from defeating Peng Meng, the Axemaster at the Outpost. It’s unmissable as long as you loot after the fight.
Case File 4 — Before the Outpost Courtyard Bell
Head through the Outpost area after defeating Peng Meng. Before you reach the Outpost Courtyard Bell, there is a table in an area where the game gives you an optional tutorial prompt to perform a jump assassination on an enemy sitting by a campfire. The case file is on the table in that same area. Look around — it’s easy to walk past if you focus on the enemies instead.
Case File 5 — Axemaster’s Holding Cell
Near the Axemaster’s Holding Cell Bell, you’ll find an area where The Hunt (a boss character you’ll encounter later) has already cut down everyone in the vicinity. There are bodies and signs of a massacre. A table in this area has the fifth case file on it. Pick it up before moving on.
Case File 6 — Valley Sha-Chi Tower Forge Area
This one requires extra steps. After completing the Sha-Chi Tower section and defeating The Hunt (Hunter of the Order boss), you’ll earn the Hunter’s Chain Sickle Phantom Edge. Use it to grapple to the top of the Sha-Chi Tower and retrieve the Sha-Chi Tower Base Camp Key from the top.
Take that key back down and use it to unlock the door near the Creek Valley Plains Entrance Bell. Head into the lower level of the tower to find a forge area. The sixth case file is on a table there.
Case File 7 — Through the Festering Secret Quest (Lieutenant at Long Pillar Overlook)
This one is tied to the Festering Secret side quest, which runs alongside Four Fierce Axes. After defeating Peng Meng, use the Dread Axe to smash the chain barrier inside the Outpost. Defeat the enemies beyond it, then speak to the Captain sitting on a tree branch at the Outpost entrance. He will give you a set of orders to deliver to his lieutenant.
Find the Mandate Lieutenant near the Long Pillar Overlook Bell — the same area you unlocked above using the Sha-Chi Tower Base Camp Key. Deliver the captain’s orders to the lieutenant and he will hand you the seventh case file.
Case File 8 — Lady’s Cave (Requires Village of Lu Progress)
This is the one that catches most players off guard. You cannot get this file until you reach the Village of Lu region.
Once you arrive in the Village of Lu, a new quest called Leave None Alive begins. This quest sends you back to the Weeping Creek Valley Outpost. When you arrive, you’ll find things have changed — the NPCs who were neutral before have turned hostile and must be defeated.
After clearing the area, a path that was previously inaccessible opens up. Head into the area with the houses, then go up and into Lady’s Cave. Follow the cave through to the outside, then use the Hunter’s Chain Sickle to grapple up to a platform. The eighth and final case file is on that platform.
Step 3: Deliver Evidence to the Child of Insight in Pangzhen
Once you have all the evidence, you need to deliver it to a character called the Child of Insight in Pangzhen — the game’s fourth region. You’ll reach Pangzhen naturally by progressing through the Village of Lu area, so this step falls into place as you move through the story.
Here’s how to find the Child of Insight:
- Head to the Pavilion of Knowledge Crossroads Bell in Pangzhen and look for the large building nearby that’s marked on your quest map.
- Fight through the Shadow Order guards blocking the entrance.
- Work your way up through three floors of masked enemies inside the building.
- Defeat them all to obtain a key to the rooftop.
- Unlock the door on the top floor and head outside. The Child of Insight is standing on the roof.
- Speak to him about the Axemaster and present all the case file evidence.
Four Fierce Axes Quest Reward
Completing the quest and handing over all the evidence rewards you with the Blood Oath Dagger. This is a tempering material, not a weapon you equip directly. It’s used to Soul Temper the Dread Axe Phantom Edge — the same Phantom Edge you picked up from beating Peng Meng earlier in the quest.
Soul Tempering is unlocked later when you gain access to the underground tavern through Myst, a character you meet as the story progresses. Once that’s available, use the Blood Oath Dagger to push the Dread Axe to its full potential. The upgraded version becomes one of the strongest shield-breaking tools in the game, which matters a lot for certain bosses with blue Sha-Chi bars.
Tips for Completing Four Fierce Axes Without Missing Anything
- Don’t rush through Broken Puppet Valley. Both case files in that area are easy to miss if you blow straight past the houses after clearing the red thread barrier. Loot everything before heading back.
- Get the Dread Axe as fast as possible. You need it to break the chain barrier in the Outpost for the Festering Secret step. It’s a boss drop, so you’ll get it naturally — just don’t fast travel away from the Outpost before using it.
- Complete the Sha-Chi Tower section fully. Both the 6th and 7th case files require gear you get after clearing the tower (the Chain Sickle and the Tower Key). Don’t skip or rush the tower.
- Don’t leave Weeping Creek Valley expecting to return easily. While you can fast travel back at any time, the 8th case file is intentionally gated behind a later quest (Leave None Alive). Accept that the quest will stay open for a while and come back naturally when the story sends you.
- Watch for red icons on the map. Every case file location shows up as a red icon once you’re within range of the area and have activated the nearby Bell. Keep resting at Bells to reveal map sections.
Is Four Fierce Axes Missable?
Not entirely — but parts of it can become harder to access depending on your story progress. The earlier documents are straightforward, but the last file (Lady’s Cave) requires the Leave None Alive quest trigger, which only appears after you’ve reached the Village of Lu. The documents themselves don’t disappear, but skipping the Festering Secret steps means missing the 7th case file. Do those steps while you’re still in the Outpost area the first time, and you won’t have to backtrack later.
More Phantom Blade Zero Guides
Need help with other parts of the game? These guides cover more of what you’ll encounter:
- Phantom Blade Zero: How to Go Through Red Thread Barrier
- Phantom Blade Zero: All Outfits and How to Unlock Them
- Phantom Blade Zero: All Chapter List — Every Mission and Region
- Phantom Blade Zero Review (PS5 & PC)
Where to Buy Phantom Blade Zero
The game is out now on PS5 and PC from these official stores:
Final Thoughts
Four Fierce Axes is one of those quests that shows what Phantom Blade Zero does well with its side content. It’s not just fetch and deliver — you’re actually piecing together a tragic story about a rebellion that got buried. The documents build context as you go, the boss fight at the centre of it all gives you a crucial Phantom Edge, and the reward at the end upgrades that same weapon.
Take it slowly, explore every building in Broken Puppet Valley, and complete the Festering Secret steps before you move on. Do that and you’ll wrap this one without any backtracking headaches.
