Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• Xiao Chen reflects on the Thousand Mountains Tiger Talisman’s power: invoking it lets him draw on the earth’s essence, restore spiritual sense, and summon mountain ghosts, but each use consumes its limited divine nature and risks provoking nature’s backlash.
• He nearly comprehends an earth-element divine ability, but must wait for the talisman to recover. Still, its preserved demon-general power gives him confidence against Hong Wuyun’s forces.
• Xiao Chen plans to kill Hong Wuyun, claim his Calamity Hound soul essence, and gather more treasures so he can attempt a breakthrough to the Sixth King Realm.
• Hong Wuyun learns that Xiao Chen effortlessly killed three Sixth-Realm Martial Kings. Though alarmed, he resolves to confront him with a hundred Demon Kings.
• Elder Bai Feng suggests abducting Mu Qinghan to lure Xiao Chen into a trap. Hong Wuyun agrees, both to use her as bait and to pursue his own desire for her.
• A cautious elder warns that killing a Demon Heaven prodigy could bring the sect’s retaliation. Hong Wuyun counters that the sect has come to hunt the demons regardless.
• Hong Wuyun reveals the Marshland Killing Domain’s secret: the blood of a Calamity Hound, Shusi, and Jade Dragon, combined with a Tian Wu’s heart, can form Blood-Sea Stars, a relic that helps the Martial God’s successor unlock the Blood-Sea Star Sinking intent.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Chen grows more confident in his strength and next advancement, while recognizing the limits and dangers of relying on the Tiger Talisman.
• Hong Wuyun shifts from disbelief at Xiao Chen’s feat to an aggressive plan to kill him, using both force and Mu Qinghan as leverage.
• Elder Bai Feng advocates the abduction scheme; another elder, Shanhe, voices concern about provoking Demon Heaven.
• The demons’ fear deepens when they learn Blood-Sea Stars is linked not to a Demon God, but to the legendary Martial God. They nevertheless take comfort in the strength of their leaders, including the Six-Tailed Azure Dragon and Tian Wu Sacred Lord.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Xiao Chen’s borrowed strength has costs, and the natural world cannot be exploited without limit.
• Ambition and escalation: Xiao Chen’s planned breakthrough and Hong Wuyun’s mobilization set up a larger conflict.
• Treasure, blood, and destiny: Blood-Sea Stars connects the demons’ bloodlines to a legendary divine martial technique, making the conflict part of a much larger struggle.
• Fear and hubris: The demons are terrified by Xiao Chen’s strength, yet Hong Wuyun’s confidence and desire lead him toward a dangerous confrontation.

Key plot points

• Hong Wuyun leads nearly a hundred Demon Kings to intercept Lu Changgeng, Mu Qinghan, and the Radiant Light Sect disciples in the Marshland Killing Domain.
• Claiming the Red Hound Mountains’ losses must be repaid, Hong demands ten top-grade immortal herbs and three sacred pills. Lu bargains him down to seven herbs and two pills, which Hong accepts.
• Hong then refuses to let Mu Qinghan leave, blaming her for Xiao Chen’s earlier attack on the demons. Lu and the other disciples fight back, but the demons overwhelm them. Hong brutally kills and eats one disciple to intimidate the survivors.
• Hong calls on Xiao Chen to reveal himself, threatening Mu Qinghan. Xiao Chen is concealed nearby, watching and assessing the enemy, but he recognizes the trap and the demons’ overwhelming strength. The chapter ends with the demons doubting he will take the bait.

Character developments and interactions

• Hong Wuyun is ruthless and calculating. He uses the demons’ numbers and the Marshland Royal Court’s new strength—Water Earl Tian Wu’s breakthrough—to pressure the Radiant Light Sect, then turns a negotiated release into a trap for Xiao Chen.
• Lu Changgeng tries to protect his group through negotiation, then chooses to fight when Hong singles out Mu Qinghan. Despite his defiance, he is powerless against the vastly larger force.
• Mu Qinghan becomes the focus of Hong’s leverage against Xiao Chen, though she does not speak or act in this passage.
• Xiao Chen remains hidden and cautious. He studies the opposition rather than rushing in, aware that the hundred Demon Kings pose a serious challenge even to him.
• The Radiant Light disciples show courage by joining Lu’s breakout attempt, but their defeat and the killing of one of their number leave the group terrified.

Significant themes

• Power and political balance: Hong’s confidence grows because the Marshland Royal Court’s strength has shifted, constraining the Radiant Light Sect’s ability to intervene.
• Coercion and sacrifice: Lu gives up valuable sect treasures to save the group, but Hong exploits the bargain rather than honoring its spirit.
• Bait and manipulation: Hong uses Mu Qinghan as bait, assuming her connection to Xiao Chen will draw him into an ambush.
• Courage versus prudence: Lu and the disciples resist despite grim odds, while Xiao Chen weighs the danger before deciding whether to act.

Plot points and events

• A hundred Dog Demons surround Mu Qinghan and the Radiant Light disciples. Their leader, Hong Wuyun, intends to assault Qinghan and taunts her that Xiao Chen will not come.
• Lu Changgeng tries to defend her, but is easily thrown aside. Qinghan attempts to take her own life rather than be captured.
• Xiao Chen arrives and challenges the demons. The onlookers interpret his return as a romantic rescue, but he insists he came to subdue demons, not for love.
• Hong Wuyun suspects Xiao Chen and the Demon Heaven Sect are seeking Blood-Sea Star Sinking, though his accusation is based on a misunderstanding. Xiao Chen asks how to obtain it, prompting Hong Wuyun to order an attack.
• Outnumbered, Xiao Chen activates the Thousand Mountains Tiger Talisman. It opens a gateway and summons more than a hundred ancient, powerful demons—matching the Dog Demons’ force. They bow to Xiao Chen as their Mountain Lord.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Chen demonstrates courage and confidence by facing overwhelming odds, then reveals the immense power of his talisman. He rejects others’ assumptions that he is motivated by romance.
• Mu Qinghan moves from despair and mistrust to guilt and astonishment when Xiao Chen returns to help her.
• Lu Changgeng abandons his usual composure to defend Qinghan, revealing his long-standing feelings for her, but is powerless against the demons.
• Hong Wuyun is arrogant and predatory, yet becomes alarmed by Xiao Chen’s arrival and the force summoned against him.
• The Radiant Light disciples admire Xiao Chen, while the Dog Demons shift from mockery to fear as his reinforcements appear.

Significant themes

• Courage against overwhelming odds: Xiao Chen confronts a vastly larger force without hesitation.
• Misjudgment and appearance: Qinghan had doubted Xiao Chen because of his affiliation, while others mistake his motives for romantic devotion.
• Power and ancient inheritance: The Tiger Talisman’s ability to summon ancient followers reveals Xiao Chen’s authority and a deeper connection to the Thousand Mountains.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Lu Changgeng’s desperate defense of Qinghan contrasts with Xiao Chen’s broader claim to be protecting the righteous and subduing demons.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Chen commands the hundred Mountain Ghosts summoned through the Thousand Mountains Tiger Talisman to attack Hong Wuyun’s Fire Hound demons.
• Though evenly matched in numbers and cultivation, the Mountain Ghosts—empowered by Thousand Mountains faith—overwhelm their opponents. The Fire Hound forces are nearly wiped out, and their remaining fighters flee.
• Hong Wuyun repeatedly considers joining the battle but is held back by an intimidating presence emanating from Xiao Chen.
• After the fight, the Mountain Ghosts’ power is spent. They bid Xiao Chen farewell and fade away, leaving him impressed by the talisman but aware that its power must recover between battles.
• Hong Wuyun recognizes the talisman as a legendary divine artifact and decides that killing Xiao Chen and taking it could make his losses worthwhile.
• With the Radiant Light Sect disciples injured and unable to fight, they urge Xiao Chen to summon the ghosts again. He refuses, saying he can handle Hong Wuyun himself.
• Xiao Chen identifies Hong Wuyun as a mixed-blood Calamity Hound of the Seventh Realm and dismisses the threat. Hong Wuyun boasts of his ancestor’s legendary might; Xiao Chen points out that Hong himself lacks the pure blood needed to inherit it.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Chen gains confidence in the Tiger Talisman after seeing the Mountain Ghosts’ strength, while recognizing that their summoned power is limited. He remains calm and self-assured when facing Hong Wuyun alone.
• Hong Wuyun shifts from furious disbelief at the reversal to greed when he realizes what Xiao Chen possesses. His hesitation to attack reveals that Xiao Chen’s presence unnerves him, even as he boasts of his ancestry.
• The Mountain Ghosts prove themselves disciplined, powerful fighters and loyal followers, addressing Xiao Chen as their Mountain Lord before departing.
• The Radiant Light Sect disciples are frightened by the prospect of Xiao Chen facing Hong Wuyun alone and question his confidence.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: The Tiger Talisman can turn the battle, but its energy is finite and cannot be used endlessly.
• Faith and divine authority: The Mountain Ghosts’ strength comes from their connection to Thousand Mountains power and belief.
• Lineage versus personal strength: Hong Wuyun relies on his ancestor’s reputation, while Xiao Chen emphasizes that inherited blood matters only if it truly carries the ancestor’s power.
• Confidence and intimidation: Xiao Chen’s composure affects the battlefield even before he directly fights, while Hong Wuyun’s fear delays his intervention.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Chen stops the fight to bargain with Hong Wuyun for the secret of the Blood-Sea Stars. He offers the Thousand Mountains Tiger Talisman if Hong defeats him, and they swear matching oaths by their Dao hearts.
• Hong Wuyun reveals that Blood-Sea Stars form when the essence blood of the Calamity Hound, Shusi, and Jade Dragon is poured into Tian Wu’s heart. Xiao Chen already knows their significance and cuts off further explanation.
• Hong Wuyun immediately attacks. Though he is a Seventh Realm cultivator facing Xiao Chen at the Fifth Realm, Xiao Chen draws Dragon Slayer and counters with powerful sword techniques.
• Xiao Chen’s “Starlight Shines on Heaven” extinguishes and splits apart Hong Wuyun’s signature demon-flame hound, shocking both Hong Wuyun and the Radiant Light Sect disciples.
• Hong Wuyun escalates to his strongest technique, “Calamity Hound Devours Disaster.” A two-headed hound absorbs falling crimson stars and unleashes a massive pillar of calamity light at Xiao Chen. The chapter ends before the attack’s outcome is shown.

Character developments

• Xiao Chen shows confidence and strategic thinking, using the talisman to secure the secret before combat. His exceptional swordsmanship also reveals a strength unexpected from a Demon Heaven newcomer—and from a Fifth Realm fighter.
• Hong Wuyun is fiercely proud of his Calamity Hound lineage and enraged by insults to his mixed blood. After his first technique is defeated, he stops underestimating Xiao Chen and commits to his ultimate attack.
• Hong Wushuang begins to explain the Blood-Sea Stars’ power, but Xiao Chen silences him to keep the knowledge restricted.
• Lu Changgeng remains the Radiant Light Sect’s celebrated sword genius, but watching Xiao Chen defeat Hong Wuyun’s technique casts Xiao Chen’s ability—and Lu’s earlier defeat—into sharper relief.

Significant themes

• Bloodline and pride: Hong Wuyun’s identity is bound to his rare ancient-beast heritage, despite its mixed nature.
• Cunning and preparation: Xiao Chen secures valuable information through a bargain and oath before allowing the battle to begin.
• Power beyond rank: Xiao Chen’s Fifth Realm cultivation does not prevent him from overcoming a Seventh Realm opponent’s famed technique.
• Secrecy around rare knowledge: Xiao Chen deliberately prevents the Blood-Sea Stars’ full significance from being revealed to the gathered disciples.

Character interactions

• Xiao Chen and Hong Wuyun negotiate through mutual suspicion, then bind themselves to the deal with Dao-heart oaths.
• Hong Wuyun’s fury turns the exchange into a sudden fight; Xiao Chen responds with measured, increasingly forceful sword strikes.
• The Radiant Light Sect disciples watch in disbelief, comparing Xiao Chen’s sword intent and success against Hong Wuyun with Lu Changgeng’s earlier defeat.

Key plot points and events

• Hong Wuyun unleashes the Calamity Hound’s devastating bloodline art against Xiao Chen. A Radiant Light disciple assumes Xiao Chen is doomed, but Xiao Chen calmly summons the Horse Ancestor Bo Beast through the Wilds-Taming Scripture.
• The Radiant Light disciples are astonished that Xiao Chen has mastered the Demon Heaven Sect’s sacred art after joining only days earlier. Hong Wuyun is equally shocked by his ability.
• Xiao Chen and Hong Wuyun fight in the sky, exchanging thousands of blows. Despite being at the Fifth Realm against Hong Wuyun’s Seventh Realm, Xiao Chen’s superior Horse Ancestor bloodline gives him the advantage.
• Xiao Chen defeats Hong Wuyun, then kills him with a final palm strike. The surviving Red Hound demons and Radiant Light disciples are left stunned.
• Xiao Chen’s victory draws admiration from the Radiant Light women, making Lu Changgeng jealous. Lu condemns Xiao Chen as a Demon Gate disciple and tries to claim the Calamity Hound’s True Blood for the Radiant Light Sect, despite others pointing out that Xiao Chen won it himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Chen remains composed throughout the battle and reveals extraordinary talent, strength, and command of the Wilds-Taming Scripture. He wants the Calamity Hound blood to create a Blood-Sea Wonderstone.
• Hong Wuyun begins confident in his bloodline and cultivation, but dies unable to accept defeat by a younger, lower-realm opponent.
• Lu Changgeng shifts from admired senior brother to a resentful, self-serving rival. He attempts to turn the others against Xiao Chen and justify taking the blood.
• The Radiant Light disciples move from fear and suspicion to awe and, in some cases, gratitude toward Xiao Chen. Some challenge Lu’s accusations, while Mu Qinghan also disapproves of his conduct.

Significant themes

• Exceptional talent and power: Xiao Chen’s rapid mastery and victory overturn expectations based on age, sect status, and cultivation realm.
• Prejudice and moral contradiction: Lu uses Xiao Chen’s Demon Gate identity to cast doubt on him, even though Xiao Chen saved the Radiant Light disciples.
• Jealousy and status: Xiao Chen’s brilliance unsettles Lu, whose reputation and romantic attention diminish beside him.
• Ownership and entitlement: Lu’s attempt to seize the True Blood exposes the tension between a sect’s claimed duty and an individual’s earned spoils.

Xiao Chen collected Hong Wuyun’s demon essence and corpses after defeating the demons, but Lu Changgeng tried to turn the Radiant Light Sect against him. Wang Jiunu arrived and halted Xiao Chen’s attack, while Mu Qinghan began explaining how Xiao Chen had saved them.

• Xiao Chen extracted Hong Wuyun’s demon essence, converted the demon corpses into merit, and celebrated his gains.
• Mu Qinghan warned Xiao Chen that Lu Changgeng had betrayed him and wanted him dead.
• Xiao Chen struck at Lu Changgeng, whose Gengjin Thunder-Shattering Sword failed to stop the azure sword light.
• Wang Jiunu appeared and destroyed Xiao Chen’s sword light just before it could kill Lu Changgeng.
• Xiao Chen protested that he had slain demons and rescued the Radiant Light Sect disciples, and Mu Qinghan began recounting his deeds to Wang Jiunu.

Xiao Chen proved he had slain Hong Wuyun and nearly a hundred Demon Kings, earning Wang Nine Wrath’s admiration and an offer to join the Radiant Light Sect. But after learning the Calamity Hound’s blood could be tied to the Blood-Sea Stars and an Ancient God, Wang Nine Wrath demanded it, and Xiao Chen refused.

• Xiao Chen revealed the corpses of Hong Wuyun and nearly a hundred Demon Kings, and Wang Nine Wrath confirmed that he had defeated them.
• Wang Nine Wrath offered to take Xiao Chen as his disciple, but Xiao Chen declined because he intended to remain with the Demon Heaven Sect.
• Lu Changgeng warned Wang Nine Wrath that Xiao Chen’s Calamity Hound’s blood could help the Demon Heaven Sect forge a dangerous treasure.
• Wang Nine Wrath recalled that the Blood-Sea Stars could summon an Ancient God’s intent and demanded Xiao Chen hand over the Calamity Hound’s blood.
• Wang Nine Wrath offered his Nine Wrath Spirit Sword in exchange, but Xiao Chen refused to surrender the blood.

Xiao Chen refused to surrender the Calamity Hound's blood to Wang Jiunu, who attacked him despite the vast difference in their strength. Mo Yuan arrived and killed Wang Jiunu in one blow, then stopped himself from attacking the Radiant Light Sect at Xiao Chen's request, but barred Lu Changgeng from leaving.

• Xiao Chen refused Wang Jiunu's offer and challenged him rather than hand over the Calamity Hound's blood.
• Wang Jiunu pressured Xiao Chen with his Nine-Rage Sword Intent and demanded that he surrender the blood, become his disciple, and leave the Demon Gate.
• As Wang Jiunu prepared to strike, Mo Yuan appeared and killed him with a single attack.
• Mo Yuan prepared to attack the Radiant Light Sect disciples, but Xiao Chen asked him to spare them because they had pleaded on his behalf.
• Mo Yuan withdrew his pressure, but Lu Changgeng tried to leave and Xiao Chen stopped him.

Xiao Chenyān killed Lu Changgeng, learned from Mo Yuan why the Radiant Light Sect had not intervened, and set out to refine Calamity Hound's demon beast fat so he could grow stronger. Meanwhile, Lu Huiyu learned that Hong Wuyun had been killed by a single Demon Heaven disciple wielding the Thousand Mountains Tiger Talisman, and his scout hinted at a shocking secret.

• Xiao Chenyān asked Mo Yuan why he had killed Wang Jiunu despite the Radiant Light Sect having a Great Emperor, and Mo Yuan explained that the sect had allowed the slaughter because he was a Demon Heaven elder.
• Mo Yuan left to confront Water Earl Tian Wu, while Xiao Chenyān worried that his strength and remaining trump cards were insufficient to obtain the other ingredients for the Blood-Sea Stars.
• Xiao Chenyān flew toward an ancient forest to refine the Calamity Hound demon beast fat and attempt to break through to the Sixth Realm.
• An Eagle Scout told Lu Huiyu that Hong Wuyun had been killed by one Demon Heaven disciple, who had summoned mountain ghosts with the Thousand Mountains Tiger Talisman.
• Lu Huiyu recognized the token from the scout's description, and the Eagle Scout began to reveal a heaven-shaking secret he had overheard.

Lu Huiyu learned that the Demon Heaven Sect planned to kill all four Demon Lords to obtain the Blood-Sea Stars, while Xiao Chen faced an assassin sent by Xiao Yuntian. After revealing that he had killed Hong Wuyun, Xiao Chen exploited Cang Bai’s shock to attack, but Cang Bai countered his arrow.

• The towering eagle monster told Lu Huiyu that the Demon Heaven Sect intended to slaughter all four marshland Demon Lords to obtain the Blood-Sea Stars.
• Lu Huiyu ordered Eagle Ermao and several vicious birds to hunt down the Demon Heaven Sect members responsible for killing their hound brother.
• Cang Bai ambushed Xiao Chen in an abandoned demon residence, but Xiao Chen dodged his Golden Light Dragon-Piercing Arrow and identified him as a two-mark senior disciple sent by Xiao Yuntian.
• Cang Bai demanded to know whether Xiao Chen had killed Xiao Runhua, and Xiao Chen confirmed that he had.
• Cang Bai recognized the Calamity Hound Demon Paste and learned that Xiao Chen had killed Hong Wuyun, leaving him shaken by the danger of the Red Hound Mountain demons.
• Xiao Chen fired the Heavenly Thunder Mountain-Splitting Bow at Cang Bai while he was distracted, but Cang Bai punched out and narrowly shattered the lightning arrow.

Xiao Chen killed Hui Bai after surviving the Seventh-Realm Martial King’s attack, then fled the ruined cave dwelling as Eagle Ermao and two birds began tracking him. He found another abandoned demon nest and started absorbing Calamity Hound fat to break through toward the peak Moon King realm.

• Hui Bai tried to escape with a feather escape art, but Xiao Chen killed him with the Yin Spirit Scythe.
• Xiao Chen left the destroyed cave dwelling, worried that Xiao Yuntian’s men and the marsh demons were searching for him.
• Eagle Ermao arrived with Bangzi and a purple-eyed goshawk, used the goshawk’s ability to view the battle, and ordered the birds to keep tracking Xiao Chen.
• Xiao Chen found an abandoned demon nest, prepared himself, and began absorbing the Calamity Hound demon beast fat to advance.

Xiao Chen absorbed the Calamity Hound Demon Paste and summoned a special spiritual gate, the calamity hound purgatory. Inside it, he faced Hong Wuyun’s lingering soul and began breaking the gate with his truefires.

• Xiao Chen used his resistance to fire and Qiongqi’s ancient cultivation art to absorb and purify the Calamity Hound Demon Paste.
• The demon essence drove Xiao Chen’s power to its peak, and he called forth the Heavenly Gate.
• Xiao Chen discovered the gate was a special spiritual gate shaped by the Calamity Hound’s Dao resonance and resolved to break through it.
• Hong Wuyun’s lingering soul attacked Xiao Chen with calamity fire and dragonlike chains, demanding his life back.
• Xiao Chen countered with solar truefire, destroying the chains and calamity fire as Hong Wuyun mistook his power for an exotic flame and then king fire.

Xiao Chen killed Hong Wuyun with Solar Truefire and broke through to the Peak Moon King Realm, then received a Divine Ability Cocoon containing the Calamity Hound Disaster-Calling Fist. As night fell in the Nether Forest, a demon parrot recognized him from Ying San Yong’s wanted order and planned to claim the reward.

• Xiao Chen used Solar Truefire to destroy Hong Wuyun’s remnant soul and shatter the Spirit Gate.
• Xiao Chen broke through to the Peak Moon King Realm and lamented that no Divine Ability had appeared.
• A voice announced the Calamity Hound Disaster-Calling Fist, which condensed into a Divine Ability Cocoon in Xiao Chen’s Sea of Consciousness.
• Xiao Chen roasted a demon chicken inside his cave while dangerous beasts prowled outside in the night.
• A demon parrot recognized Xiao Chen as the man on Ying San Yong’s wanted order and decided to report him for a Third-Tier King Core.

Xiao Chen captured the Demon Parrot, learned that the Shusi Mountain Range had begun hunting him, and forced the parrot to lure its leaders into a trap. The chapter ended as Xiao Chen ambushed Eagle Ermao inside the abandoned cave abode.

• The Demon Parrot tried to flee and summon its allies, but Xiao Chen killed Hui Qi and captured it.
• The Demon Parrot revealed that Ying San Yong had sent it to watch Xiao Chen on orders connected to the Red Hound Mountain Lord's death.
• Xiao Chen spared the Demon Parrot on the condition that it obey him, then ordered it to lure Eagle Ermao and Ying San Yong to the cave.
• Xiao Chen forced the Demon Parrot to swallow a Heart-Burning Sun-Transforming Pill that would take effect if it failed to return within six hours.
• The Demon Parrot led Eagle Ermao and the other demons to the abandoned cave, where Xiao Chen struck Eagle Ermao in the chest and shattered his breastbone.

After killing Eagle Ermao and the other bird Demons, Xiao Chen discovered that his Calamity Hound Disaster-Calling Fist could turn certain calamities into opportunities. Following a trail of black aura, he found Demon Heaven disciples attacking a Sword Spirit Sect elder and child, and recognized their sect emblem from his master Ji Wushang’s sword.

• Xiao Chen killed Eagle Ermao with one palm strike, then defeated Ying San Yong and the other bird Demons.
• Xiao Chen told the demon parrot that the Heart-Burning Sun-Transforming Pill had been fake and let him go before fleeing to a secluded place.
• The Calamity Hound Disaster-Calling Fist emerged from Xiao Chen’s cocoon and taught him to seek calamities that could yield fortune.
• Xiao Chen followed a trail of black aura to a ruined sect entrance, where Demon Heaven disciples were attacking an old man and a child.
• Xiao Chen recognized the Sword Spirit Sect emblem as resembling the totem on his master Ji Wushang’s sword.

Xiao Chen learned that the Sword Spirit Sect guarded his master Ji Wushang’s Heaven-Defying Demon Slayer Art and watched Demon Heaven disciples threaten its last two members. He intervened as Long Qing was about to kill Ling Taixu, but Long Qing recognized him and dismissed the apparent threat.

• Long Qing and the Demon Heaven disciples demanded the Heaven-Defying Demon Slayer Art from Ling Taixu, insulting Ji Wushang and his fallen lineage.
• Xiao Chen discovered that Ji Wushang had been suppressed by Xiao Shenyuan of the Star God Hall and felt furious at the persecution of his master’s lineage.
• Ling Taixu prepared to die with his grandson Ling Feng rather than surrender the sect’s legacy, while the Sword Spirit Sect’s remaining disciples watched helplessly.
• Two Demon Heaven disciples disarmed Ling Taixu and held a sword to his neck as Long Qing threatened him and Ling Feng.
• Xiao Chen rushed forward and shouted for the attackers to stop, but Long Qing recognized him as Xiao E and lost his wariness.

Xiao Chen confronted Long Qing and the veterans for plotting against the Sword God Lineage, then revealed that he had killed Hui Bai. When they tried to kill him, Xiao Chen cut down a Seventh-Realm Martial King with one sword, leaving the others stunned by his strength.

• Xiao Chen rebuked Long Qing and the veterans for targeting the Sword God Lineage, while Ling Taixu was moved by his defense.
• Long Qing acknowledged Hui Bai’s mission to kill Xiao Chen and refused to act in Hui Bai’s place until he learned Xiao Chen had killed him.
• Xiao Chen showed Hui Bai’s bloodstained nameplate, and Long Qing ordered the veterans to kill him to avoid Xiao Yuntian’s wrath.
• Ling Taixu and Ling Feng urged Xiao Chen to flee as the veterans surrounded him, but Xiao Chen stood his ground.
• Xiao Chen unleashed his sword and Calamity Hound fire, killing a Seventh-Realm Martial King with one stroke and shocking the onlookers.

Xiao Chen revealed himself as the Sword God's successor and single-handedly slaughtered the Demon Heaven Sect cultivators threatening the Sword Spirit Sect. After Long Qing died, Ling Taixu thanked Xiao Chen, who asked why someone with such deep Dao resonance had been threatened by Seventh-Realm Martial Kings.

• Long Qing identified Xiao Chen as a Mortal World prodigy, and Xiao Chen showed Ling Taixu the Heaven-Defying Demon Slayer Art's Heavenly Manifestation and said he belonged to the Sword God Lineage.
• Xiao Chen put away his sword and charged the four Demon Heaven Sect cultivators, telling Ling Taixu he would explain after killing them.
• Xiao Chen used his Indestructible Golden Body to withstand their attacks and punched a Seventh-Realm Martial King apart.
• Xiao Chen moved like a phantom and killed another Second-Pattern Veteran Disciple, while the karmic mist faded and golden light in his Sea of Consciousness grew brighter.
• Xiao Chen killed Long Qing, and Ling Taixu thanked him for saving the Sword Spirit Sect.
• Xiao Chen introduced himself as Xiao E and the Sword God's successor, then asked Ling Taixu why Seventh-Realm Martial Kings had threatened him despite his profound Dao resonance.

Xiao Chen learned how Water Earl Tian Wu crippled Ling Taixu and left the Sword Spirit Sect in ruins, then used his Fortune-Absorbing Fist Seal to find and consume a Heaven Medicine. He discovered the seal could not yet be used repeatedly and planned to rest before continuing toward the Shusi Mountain Range.

• Ling Taixu told Xiao Chen that Water Earl Tian Wu had defeated him in ten moves and left his cultivation suppressed, and Xiao Chen worried about Mo Yuan's coming fight with Tian Wu.
• Xiao Chen left Ling Taixu and Ling Feng, while Ling Taixu concluded that Xiao Chen belonged to the Sword God Lineage and Ling Feng wondered whether he could revive it alone.
• Xiao Chen refined the golden art seed in his Sea of Consciousness and used the Fortune-Absorbing Fist Seal to find a Grade-D Heaven Medicine, a Bloodcap Mushroom.
• Xiao Chen consumed the mushroom and replenished his energy, then found that repeated punches could not summon fortune again.
• Xiao Chen decided to rest while the medicine took effect and resume fighting the next day, hoping to reach the Shusi Mountain Range before his rivals.