Chapter Summaries

Duàn Yì reflected on his martial arts bottleneck and learned from Yang Wuxia that powerful enemies were closing in on him. Yang Wuxia offered to lift his greatest threat in exchange for his help, and Duàn Yì guessed she planned to use him to lure out the Blood Butcher Monk.

• After Huo Xiaozu left, Duàn Yì hid his belongings, maintained the Songyang Iron Sword, and considered how his cultivation and martial arts had stalled.
• Yang Wuxia visited Duàn Yì and warned him that the Blood Butcher Monk, the Ten Directions Hall, Qiu Shaozhen, and others posed threats to him.
• Duàn Yì asked whether Yang Wuxia wanted him to join the Six Gates, then refused before she could make the offer.
• Yang Wuxia offered to resolve Duàn Yì's greatest crisis if he completed a task for her.
• Duàn Yì guessed that Yang Wuxia wanted to use him as bait to trap the Blood Butcher Monk with the Six Gates.

Yang Wuxia gave Duàn Yì the Bird Crossing Technique and asked him to help lure the Blood Butcher Monk into a Six Gates ambush. Duàn Yì agreed and began studying the manual, while Liu Zhicheng continued recovering from his injuries before a constable brought him a quiet message.

• Yang Wuxia asked Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen to lure the Blood Butcher Monk into a prepared ambush, then gave Duàn Yì her family's Bird Crossing Technique to improve his chances of escape.
• Duàn Yì accepted Yang Wuxia's request, watched her leave, and wrestled with his feelings for her, Guō Qíng, and Helan Yue'er.
• Duàn Yì studied the Bird Crossing Technique and learned how its mind-and-spirit cultivation could improve his lightness skill against the Blood Butcher Monk.
• Liu Zhicheng drank medicine and practiced regulating his qi and blood as he recovered from the wounds the Blood Butcher Monk had inflicted.
• A constable in uniform slipped into Liu Zhicheng's courtyard and whispered several words to him.

Liu Zhicheng learned that Yang Wuxia had visited Duàn Yì alone and grew jealous, while Six Gates used Duàn Yì as bait in a trap for the Blood Butcher Monk. Qiu Shaozhen found Duàn Yì’s cabin and confronted him, but after seeing him, he felt an unexpected urge to befriend him.

• Liu Zhicheng heard that Yang Wuxia had visited Duàn Yì alone and vowed to kill anyone who competed with him for her.
• Duàn Yì defeated twelve challengers on Wutong Road, then escaped the spies who followed him to his hiding place.
• Duàn Yì stayed in a secluded cabin as part of Yang Wuxia’s plan to lure the Blood Butcher Monk or another enemy into a hidden Six Gates net.
• Duàn Yì extinguished the candle and hid when he heard someone approach the cabin.
• Qiu Shaozhen arrived, called Duàn Yì out, and suspected their dispute might involve Yuwen Lan Jun.
• Duàn Yì stepped out to face Qiu Shaozhen, who admired his appearance and felt an urge to befriend him.

Duàn Yì faced Qiu Shaozhen over Xu Fan’s death and the rumors about Yuwen Lan Jun, but White Impermanence arrived and provoked Qiu Shaozhen into turning his anger on him. The Blood Butcher Monk then appeared, leaving Duàn Yì fearing that the plan to use himself as bait had put him in grave danger.

• Duàn Yì admitted killing Xu Fan but denied any improper relationship with Yuwen Lan Jun, and Qiu Shaozhen’s hostility began to ease.
• White Impermanence arrived and mocked Qiu Shaozhen over the rumors about his fiancée, prompting Duàn Yì to challenge his accusations.
• Qiu Shaozhen directed his saber intent at White Impermanence, who demonstrated his formidable inner cultivation with a sweep of his mourning staff.
• The Blood Butcher Monk arrived, and Duàn Yì worried that he and White Impermanence might attack him together.

The Blood Butcher Monk arrived to avenge Xu Fan and challenged Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen, intending to kill them both. Qiu Shaozhen met the monk’s opening attack with the Dominate the World Saber Technique, but the clash drove him to his knees as Duàn Yì watched for a chance to stall until the Six Gates arrived.

• White Impermanence withdrew from the fight after the Blood Butcher Monk arrived, leaving Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen to face him.
• The Blood Butcher Monk declared that he would kill Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen for Xu Fan’s death and to avenge the White Lotus Sect.
• Duàn Yì mocked the monk’s pretense of Buddhist compassion, while Qiu Shaozhen openly claimed he had killed Xu Fan to lure the monk out.
• The Blood Butcher Monk leaped at Qiu Shaozhen and brought down a powerful palm strike that sealed off his escape routes.
• Qiu Shaozhen countered with the Dominate the World Saber Technique, but the Blood Butcher Monk struck his saber aside and forced him to his knees.

Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen temporarily joined forces against Blood Butcher Monk, whose overwhelming strength and iron body withstood their attacks. Though Duàn Yì’s Cold Iron Sword Qi briefly slowed Blood Butcher Monk, he dispelled the chill and returned to peak condition.

• Qiu Shaozhen attacked Blood Butcher Monk with the Dominate the World Saber Technique, but Blood Butcher Monk shattered his saber force with overwhelming strength.
• Duàn Yì intervened with his Cold Iron Sword Qi, then circled Blood Butcher Monk and struck at his vital points without inflicting serious wounds.
• Duàn Yì withdrew and secretly told Qiu Shaozhen that Blood Butcher Monk’s vulnerable points were his eyes, armpits, groin, and tailbone.
• Qiu Shaozhen accepted Duàn Yì’s offer to set aside their conflict and fight Blood Butcher Monk together.
• Blood Butcher Monk’s torn kasaya revealed an uninjured body, and he used surging heat from within to dispel Duàn Yì’s icy Sword Qi and recover his strength.

Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen faced the Blood Butcher Monk until White Impermanence joined the fight, but Yuwen Mu arrived to challenge White Impermanence. With their rear protected, Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen joined forces against the Blood Butcher Monk.

• Duàn Yì assessed that he and Qiu Shaozhen had to coordinate their attacks to survive the Blood Butcher Monk’s overwhelming strength.
• White Impermanence entered the fight and offered to help the Blood Butcher Monk in exchange for Duàn Yì’s head.
• Yuwen Mu appeared before Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen, then challenged White Impermanence over the Ten Directions Hall’s actions against the Yuwen Family.
• Yuwen Mu and White Impermanence exchanged powerful attacks, tying each other down.
• Duàn Yì explained his plan to Qiu Shaozhen, and they surrounded the Blood Butcher Monk from the front and rear.

Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen fought Blood Butcher Monk to keep him occupied while Yang Wuxia’s hidden allies prepared an ambush. When Blood Butcher Monk unleashed the Great Law of Essence Slaughtering Blood and nearly overwhelmed Qiu Shaozhen, Duàn Yì struck toward his Tanzhong Acupoint.

• Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen coordinated their attacks, with Qiu Shaozhen confronting Blood Butcher Monk while Duàn Yì searched for an opening.
• Monk Huiqing warned Yang Wuxia that Blood Butcher Monk was losing control of his demonic nature, and Yang Wuxia fired a signal flare to summon the ambush.
• White Impermanence tried to withdraw after seeing the signal, but Yuwen Mu kept him trapped; Duàn Yì and Qiu Shaozhen continued holding Blood Butcher Monk in place.
• Blood Butcher Monk realized he had been lured into a trap and activated the Great Law of Essence Slaughtering Blood, turning crimson and surging with power.
• Blood Butcher Monk’s palm attack made Qiu Shaozhen’s blood and vital energy churn, leaving him barely able to swing his saber.
• Duàn Yì joined his dark iron sword and thrust toward Blood Butcher Monk’s Tanzhong Acupoint.

Duàn Yì’s strike failed to stop Blood Butcher Monk, whose shifting meridians and indestructible body left him facing a trap set by Six Gates and a group of martial experts. After Monk Huiqing confronted him over his stolen Shaolin arts, Blood Butcher Monk attacked first, leaving the assembled fighters to face his power.

• Duàn Yì struck at Blood Butcher Monk’s Tanzhong Acupoint, but Blood Butcher Monk shifted his meridians, withstood the sword, and sent Duàn Yì airborne while gravely wounding Qiu Shaozhen.
• Yang Wuxia, Fu Fei, Meng Shen, Ye Xiaoxian, and Monk Huiqing emerged from the woods as a torch-bearing force closed in around Blood Butcher Monk.
• Duàn Yì withdrew to watch, while Yuwen Mu and White Impermanence stopped fighting and turned their attention to the arriving experts.
• Monk Huiqing accused Blood Butcher Monk of misusing Shaolin martial arts and vowed to subdue him and reclaim them.
• Blood Butcher Monk rejected Huiqing’s challenge, unleashed a sonic art, and struck first with Shaolin’s Thirty-two Road Long Fist.

Monk Huiqing battled Blood Butcher Monk while Duàn Yì assessed Shaolin’s martial arts, until Ye Xiaoxian struck with the Flying Immortal Sword and wounded the White Lotus Sect’s Protector. The group realized the sword’s spirituality and sharpness had made the decisive blow possible.

• Monk Huiqing and Blood Butcher Monk exchanged ten attacks, with Blood Butcher Monk holding a slight advantage.
• Duàn Yì recognized the power of Monk Huiqing’s Boy Godly Skill and judged his martial arts superior to his own.
• Ye Xiaoxian seized an opening and drove the Flying Immortal Sword through Blood Butcher Monk’s shoulder.
• Duàn Yì and the others saw that the Flying Immortal Sword’s divine edge and inherited sword intent had enabled Ye Xiaoxian to pierce Blood Butcher Monk’s hardened body.

Duàn Yì watched the experts close in on Blood Butcher Monk, then narrowly escaped an ambush by constable Wu Qi. Enraged, he crippled Wu Qi by pinning his thigh to a rock, while the battle against the monk continued.

• Ye Xiaoxian wounded Blood Butcher Monk, who healed himself and vowed to fight the gathered experts to the death.
• Yang Wuxia, Monk Huiqing, Swift Sword Fu Fei, and the others attacked Blood Butcher Monk together, while Duàn Yì studied their techniques.
• Duàn Yì realized the experts were withholding their signature arts because they did not want to tarnish their reputations.
• Wu Qi secretly launched three poisoned needles at Duàn Yì, but Duàn Yì sensed the attack and blocked them with his sword.
• Wu Qi tried to flee as his fellow constables hesitated to stop him, so Duàn Yì pierced his thigh with the Songyang Iron Sword and pinned him to a rock.

Duàn Yì interrogated Wu Qi after stopping his attempt to kill him and learned that Wu Qi had attacked him out of obsessive jealousy over Yang Wuxia. Wu Qi named Liu Zhicheng as the source of the rumor, and Duàn Yì left after realizing someone had used Wu Qi to target him.

• Duàn Yì pinned Wu Qi's bleeding thigh beneath his foot and demanded to know why he had tried to kill him and who had ordered it.
• Duàn Yì threatened to castrate Wu Qi, breaking his silence and forcing him to confess that he was obsessed with Yang Wuxia.
• Wu Qi said he had attacked Duàn Yì after hearing that Duàn Yì had leverage over Yang Wuxia and had defiled her.
• Duàn Yì concluded that someone had exploited Wu Qi's obsession to use him as a borrowed knife.
• Wu Qi identified Xuanzhen Sect's senior brother, Liu Zhicheng, as the source of the rumor, and Duàn Yì kicked him toward a nearby constable before leaving.

Duàn Yì waited for a chance to kill Liu Zhicheng after learning the Blood Butcher Monk’s death had brought peace to Ji County and raised Six Gates’ standing. When Duàn Yì asked Ding Ling for the promised Jade Lingzhi, she explained its delivery was delayed and learned he still planned to settle things with Liu Zhicheng.

• Duàn Yì resolved to kill Liu Zhicheng but waited for an opportunity while they were both staying at the Six Gates branch office.
• News spread that Ye Xiaoxian had killed the Blood Butcher Monk, Yang Wuxia and her allies had injured White Impermanence, and Qiu Shaozhen had been seriously wounded.
• Yang Wuxia’s victory earned praise from the military governor, strengthened Six Gates’ reputation, and calmed the martial world in Ji County.
• Yan Chongtian arrived in Ji County and stayed with the Yuwen Family to prepare for his battle with Aorgel as more Zhaori Sect figures appeared.
• Duàn Yì asked Ding Ling for the Jade Lingzhi, and she said it had not arrived yet because the roads were dangerous and heavily guarded.
• Ding Ling asked why Duàn Yì had not acted against Liu Zhicheng, and Duàn Yì considered seeking her help.

Duàn Yì arranged for Ding Ling to deal with Liu Zhicheng in exchange for a piece of Jade Lingzhi. After Liu Zhicheng died inside Six Gates, Duàn Yì realized the Northern Demonic Cult’s reach was formidable, then found unexplained books on his bed.

• Duàn Yì asked Ding Ling to help kill Liu Zhicheng and offered most of the Jade Lingzhi as payment.
• Ding Ling accepted the deal and promised a result within three days.
• Two days later, Huo Xiaozu told Duàn Yì that Liu Zhicheng had died inside Six Gates, apparently from qi flowing in reverse.
• Duàn Yì suspected Ding Ling’s group had caused Liu Zhicheng’s death and feared the Northern Demonic Cult’s power.
• Duàn Yì found several books on his bed that had not been there before and wondered if Liu Zhicheng’s killer had entered his room.

Duàn Yì discovered that Ding Ling had arranged for him to receive four supreme Quanzhen Sect martial arts and studied them through the night, especially valuing the defensive Great Dipper Seven Forms. Meanwhile, Liu Zhicheng’s death was reported as qi deviation, and the news began spreading beyond Ji County.

• After Huo Xiaozu left, Duàn Yì searched the room and found Frost-Stepping Ice-Breaking Palm, Golden Goose Skill, One Qi Transforms Three Pure Ones, and Great Dipper Seven Forms.
• Duàn Yì realized Ding Ling had given him the four manuals as a surprise, likely obtained from Liu Zhicheng.
• Duàn Yì assessed the four arts and prized Great Dipper Seven Forms for strengthening his defenses against stronger opponents.
• Duàn Yì studied the manuals by lamplight until dawn and planned to conceal his use of Frost-Stepping Ice-Breaking Palm and Golden Goose Skill.
• Xuanzhen Sect disciples removed Liu Zhicheng’s corpse from the Six Gates branch office, while news of his death from qi deviation spread through Ji County and beyond.

Duàn Yì encouraged Huo Xiaozu to cultivate the Huo Family Swordplay and make something of himself in the Six Gates, but Huo Xiaozu shrugged off the advice and asked Duàn Yì to meet his beautiful distant cousin. The chapter left their plans for the cousin’s arrival pending.

• Duàn Yì lost three chess games to Huo Xiaozu, then challenged him to spar when he tired of playing.
• Duàn Yì described how the approaching battle and the troops stationed in Ji County had made the gathered martial artists behave more cautiously.
• Huo Xiaozu asked whether Chief Constable Yang would recruit him into the Six Gates after the current affair ended.
• Duàn Yì praised the Huo Family Swordplay and urged Huo Xiaozu to train seriously and comprehend its Divine Essence.
• Huo Xiaozu dismissed his chances of improving, then asked Duàn Yì to accompany him in a couple of days to meet his distant cousin.

Duàn Yì reunited with Helan Yue'er outside Ji County after realizing she was Huo Xiaozu’s distant cousin. After he confessed that he had missed her, she slapped him, leaving their reunion charged with unresolved feelings.

• Huo Xiaozu pointed out Helan Yue'er and her companions, and Duàn Yì recognized her along with Eunuch Qiu and Granny An.
• Duàn Yì recalled how Helan Yue'er had helped him in the past and worried about what she thought of him now.
• Helan Yue'er spotted Duàn Yì and hurried over, while the mismatched-eyed youth ordered Wang Xiong to follow her.
• Duàn Yì told Helan Yue'er he had missed her and asked whether she had been well.
• Helan Yue'er slapped Duàn Yì, and he accepted the blow without dodging.

Duàn Yì reunited with Helan Yue'er in You Prefecture and learned why she had come looking for him. As they continued toward the city, Helan Yue'er told him that the Golden Cauldron Sect had suffered a destructive internal conflict and that her uncle Qū Dōng Liú had disappeared.

• Helan Yue'er slapped Duàn Yì, then softened and caressed his cheek as the two rekindled their affection.
• Huo Xiaozu broke the pair's tender moment and led everyone toward the city, while Wang Kuan reluctantly accepted that Helan Yue'er and Duàn Yì were close.
• Helan Yue'er told Duàn Yì she had come to find him because of his broken Ten Refinements Sword and her worries about Guō Qíng; Wang Kuan had followed her on the journey.
• Duàn Yì learned that Wang Kuan was the third young master of the powerful Cangzhou Wang Family, whose charitable relief during a past famine had earned it great prestige.
• Helan Yue'er told Duàn Yì that Bái Xī Wén had taken over the Golden Cauldron Sect after a bloody internal conflict, while Qū Dōng Liú had vanished.

Duàn Yì kept his worries about Qū Dōng Liú to himself as he enjoyed time with Helan Yue'er, while Wang Kuan refused to give up his pursuit of her. A foreign monk attacked Wang Kuan after he refused to sell the crystal around his neck, and Huo Xiaozu confronted the monk.

• Duàn Yì concealed his concern that Qū Dōng Liú had survived and spent the day chatting and strolling with Helan Yue'er.
• Huo Xiaozu advised Wang Kuan to abandon his affection for Helan Yue'er, but Wang Kuan insisted he would ask his parents to propose and offered to pay Duàn Yì to leave her.
• A foreign monk stopped Wang Kuan and demanded to buy the Four-pointed Golden Crystal around his neck.
• Wang Kuan refused to sell the crystal and tried to push past the monk, who struck him with a force that sent him flying.
• Huo Xiaozu caught Wang Kuan before he hit the ground, and then angrily demanded to know why the monk had attacked him.

A foreign monk attacked Wang Kuan to steal the relic around his neck, and Huo Xiaozu tried to stop him despite being outmatched. Wang Xiong arrived with a thunderous display of power, placing himself between Wang Kuan and the monk.

• Huo Xiaozu restored Wang Kuan’s dislocated shoulders and learned that the foreign monk wanted the relic around his neck.
• Wang Kuan refused to sell the relic and called for Wang Xiong as the monk prepared to seize it by force.
• Huo Xiaozu used Pacify the War from the Huo Family Swordplay to block the monk, but the monk shattered two of his fingers.
• Huo Xiaozu shoved Wang Kuan out of the monk’s reach despite his injury.
• Wang Xiong arrived after hearing Wang Kuan’s cries and intimidated the foreign monk with his Thunderous Sound Skill.