Chapter Summaries

Li Xiao arrived at Nanxi Town as its exhausted defenders faced a siege by two Fifth Turn Yaksha commanders and thousands of Demonic Beasts. He killed dozens of beasts with his bow, but the Yaksha commanders battered the town’s formation until it nearly collapsed.

• Elder Han led the main force toward Xi City while Li Xiao took several Fourth Turn disciples and hundreds of soldiers to reinforce Nanxi Town.
• Guardian Chen explained that the town’s formation could hold for no more than a day and that two powerful Fifth Turn Yaksha commanders led the siege.
• Li Xiao arrived, learned the Yaksha commanders’ strengths, and shot down dozens of Demonic Beasts, including two Fourth Turn Yaksha.
• The two commanders attacked the formation together, worsening its cracks until Guardian Chen warned that it would not hold much longer.

Li Xiao proposed leaving the city to attack the Demon Race before the defensive formation failed, claiming he could slay a Marrow-Piercing Realm Yaksha. After Guardian Chen hesitated over the danger to the city’s people, Li Xiao persuaded him to join the battle, and the defenders prepared to fight.

• As the Demon Race withdrew at dusk, Li Xiao gathered the city’s fighters and proposed taking the initiative against the enemy.
• Guardian Chen warned that the Yaksha commanders were too powerful and asked to keep defending behind the formation.
• A Qi Cultivator lent Li Xiao a Foundation Establishment Magic Artifact sword, and Li Xiao said he could kill one Yaksha if Guardian Chen held off the other.
• Disciples of the Three Origins Sect criticized Guardian Chen for hesitating, but Li Xiao stopped their argument and explained the danger of waiting for the formation to fail.
• Guardian Chen agreed to join Li Xiao’s attack and rallied his deputy generals and soldiers to fight.

Li Xiao prepared to challenge the Fifth Turn Yaksha threatening Nanxi Town, while Guardian Chen debated whether to flee or support the Three Origins Sect. The next morning, Li Xiao rallied the defenders and prepared to face the encircling Demonic Beast army.

• Li Xiao examined his Foundation Establishment Magic Artifact and cultivated through the night to prepare for battle.
• Guardian Chen told his wife and Chen An to pack and flee, but Chen An argued that they should support Li Xiao and the Three Origins Sect.
• Guardian Chen agreed to gamble on Li Xiao's plan and promised to cooperate with him the next day.
• Li Xiao organized food, healing Pills, and weapons, then told the defenders to attack if he killed the Marrow-Piercing Realm Yaksha.
• Li Xiao and the defenders climbed onto the city wall and faced the Demonic Beast army surrounding Nanxi Town.

Li Xiao left the city formation and challenged a Fifth Turn Yaksha Commander, hoping to exploit its weakness and draw the Sword Qi he had cultivated. As the battle continued, he studied the commander’s attack rhythm while struggling to evade its increasingly violent assaults.

• Li Xiao passed through a gap in the city’s formation and killed more than ten Demonic Beasts with arrows from Po Jun.
• A Fifth Turn Yaksha Commander attacked Li Xiao, while its Marrow Birth Realm companion obeyed its order to stay back.
• Li Xiao dodged the commander’s Bone Fork and countered with Iron Wire Fist and Azure Wave Palm, but could not break through its tough scales.
• Li Xiao retreated and waited for a flaw, secretly sensing the Sword Qi in his dantian as he studied the commander’s attack rhythm.
• The Yaksha Commander grew impatient and intensified its assault, while Li Xiao’s strikes began to shake its Qi and Blood despite failing to pierce its defense.

Li Xiao used his movement and striking techniques to frustrate a Yaksha Commander, then baited it into using its Mountain Moving ability. After punching through the thrown mountain, he prepared to draw his sword as the Yaksha Commander attacked during his recovery.

• Li Xiao kited the Yaksha Commander and struck it whenever it left an opening, while avoiding its Bone Fork.
• A second Marrow Birth Realm Yaksha Commander attacked Li Xiao, but he knocked it back with a powerful kick; Guardian Chen then emerged from the formation to intercept it.
• Li Xiao continued evading the first Yaksha Commander until its rage drove it to use the Yaksha Race's Mountain Moving ability.
• Li Xiao exploited the Yaksha Commander's vulnerable moment to punch through the hundred-zhang mountain.
• The Yaksha Commander stabbed at Li Xiao while he recovered, and Li Xiao gathered his Sword Intent with his hand on his short sword.

Li Xiao killed a Marrow-Piercing Realm Yaksha Commander with one sword, breaking the siege and sending the remaining Yaksha Commander and Demonic Beasts fleeing. He helped defeat the routed beasts, while the Killing Intent he gained began to gather inside him.

• Li Xiao split the Yaksha Commander in two with a single sword strike, stunning the defenders on the city wall.
• The surviving Yaksha Commander fled using a life-burning secret technique, and Li Xiao let him escape because his True Qi and Sword Qi were nearly exhausted.
• The Three Origins Sect disciples, Guardian Chen's soldiers, and Qi Cultivators charged out of the city as the Demonic Beasts' morale collapsed and they scattered.
• Li Xiao used Po Jun to shoot down fleeing Fourth Turn Demonic Beasts, killing more than ten and gathering a small amount of Killing Intent.
• The defenders pursued the routed beasts until the fighting subsided at sunset, leaving piles of corpses and blood flowing into the Moat.

After Li Xiao helped Nanxi Town repel the Demon Race, the townspeople honored him with a living shrine while he recovered from the sword strike that killed a Yaksha Commander. The next morning, he arranged for the battle’s rewards and Demonic Beast materials to be distributed according to everyone’s contributions.

• Li Xiao ordered the Demonic Beast corpses gathered and thanked Guardian Chen for his praise after the battle.
• The Three Origins Sect disciples and town guards pursued the fleeing Demonic Beasts before stopping at the edge of another territory and returning to Nanxi Town.
• Nanxi Town’s people celebrated their survival and praised Li Xiao for killing a Marrow-Piercing Realm Yaksha Commander with one sword.
• The townspeople set up a living shrine for Li Xiao, while he took an Origin-Returning Pill and replenished his True Qi.
• Li Xiao told Guardian Chen to reward and promote people according to merit and to distribute the best Demonic Beast materials to the Three Origins Sect disciples and Qi Cultivators.

Li Xiao agreed to refine pills from Demonic Beast materials for the disciples and Qi Cultivators gathered in Nanxi Town. Meanwhile, an uninvited swordsman discovered that Demonic Qi had taken hold of the Commandery Governor Mansion in Linlan Commandery and confronted its commandery governor.

• Li Xiao accepted the disciples’ requests to refine pills, and a Qi Cultivator supplied a Pill Furnace from his Storage Bag.
• Qi Cultivators brought Li Xiao Demonic Beast materials, spirit herbs, and ores for him to refine.
• Guardian Chen watched Li Xiao win the group’s trust, then returned to organizing the Demonic Beast corpses.
• A black-clad swordsman followed Demonic Qi to the Commandery Governor Mansion and killed guards whose bodies released black centipedes.
• The swordsman entered the mansion, killed the Demonic Qi-infested officials and centipedes, then found the commandery governor in the rear courtyard.

A Demon Hunter confronted the commandery governor, exposed him as a Round Marrow Realm centipede demonic beast, and killed him after a fierce battle. After absorbing the beast’s brutal Demonic Qi, the Demon Hunter formed a strand of black Sword Qi and examined it with complicated emotions.

• The commandery governor threatened the Demon Hunter, who revealed that he had detected the governor’s hidden Demonic Qi.
• The commandery governor transformed into a Round Marrow Realm Centipede Demonic Beast and unleashed swarms of centipedes across the mansion.
• The Demon Hunter fought the centipede, evaded its attacks, and gradually wounded it with his sword.
• The Demon Hunter stabbed through the centipede’s carapace into its skull, killing it, then cut down the tiny centipedes fleeing its corpse.
• The Demon Hunter absorbed the brutal Demonic Qi released by the corpse and formed a strand of black Sword Qi in his palm.

Li Xiao spent three days refining hundreds of pills for the disciples and cultivators at Nanxi Town, while civilians and weaker fighters began fleeing the threatened city. After learning that Heavenly Devil Palace and the Dragon Race had wounded Marquis Jingbian and Master Liao Chen and broken the front line, Li Xiao ordered everyone to retreat.

• Li Xiao refined Fourth and Fifth Turn pills using Zhi's flesh and blood, which subtly increased the recipients' trust and closeness toward him.
• Civilians and low-level Martial Masters left Nanxi Town while Guardian Chen watched over their retreat.
• Li Xiao distributed the pills to the Three Origins Sect disciples and Qi Cultivators, who praised him and pledged their loyalty.
• A disciple reported that Heavenly Devil Palace and the Dragon Race had attacked together, gravely wounded Marquis Jingbian and Master Liao Chen, and forced the front line to collapse.
• Li Xiao ordered Guardian Chen to evacuate the civilians and defenders and told the disciples and Qi Cultivators to gather at the city gate the next morning.

Li Xiao led the evacuation from Nanxi Town and stayed behind to cover the retreat when the Demon Race caught up. He fought the Sixth Prince and three Yaksha Commanders alone, overwhelming the commanders as the battle continued.

• Li Xiao led the civilians and Martial Masters out of Nanxi Town while Guardian Chen burned the supplies left behind and followed the procession.
• The Sixth Prince arrived with a horde of Demonic Beasts, learned the town had been evacuated, and ordered his forces to pursue the humans.
• Li Xiao told Guardian Chen and the Three Origins Sect disciples to keep withdrawing while he held the rear.
• Li Xiao shot the Sixth Prince with an arrow, wounding his fist and revealing his strength to the Yaksha prince.
• The Sixth Prince sent three Marrow Birth Realm Yaksha Commanders to attack Li Xiao, but Li Xiao dodged their Bone Forks and beat them back with his cultivation methods.

Li Xiao fought off the Sixth Prince and three Marrow Birth Realm yaksha commanders to protect the evacuating Human Race members. After striking the Sixth Prince with golden Sword Qi, he left it badly wounded, but it escaped with a life-saving talisman.

• Li Xiao interrupted the Sixth Prince's attack on the Human Race members with three arrows, wounding its shoulder.
• The Sixth Prince hurled four hills at Li Xiao, then clashed fists with him and learned his strength matched its own.
• Three yaksha commanders attacked Li Xiao, but he blasted them with Three Absolutes Returning Origin Qi and left them unable to fight.
• The Sixth Prince unleashed Corrosive Poison Water, and Li Xiao split it with golden Sword Qi before cutting through the Sixth Prince's body.
• The Sixth Prince used a precious talisman to escape as Li Xiao's Sword Qi circled back toward it.

Li Xiao defeated three Yaksha Commanders, learned that the Yaksha Race had joined the Dragon Race and Heavenly Devil Palace, and rejoined the retreating group. Meanwhile, the Demon Hunter entered Prince Jing'an's Mansion and discovered that demonic Qi had infected everyone inside.

• Li Xiao killed one wounded yaksha trying to self-destruct, sealed the Demonic Qi of the other two, and interrogated them about the Yaksha Race and its alliance with the Dragon Race and Heavenly Devil Palace.
• After learning that the Yaksha Race had two Seventh Turn Old Ancestors and five or six Sixth Turn elders, Li Xiao killed the remaining yakshas and collected all three corpses.
• Li Xiao caught up with Guardian Chen and the retreating Three Origins Sect disciples, who praised his victory, and told them to hurry toward the Prefecture City.
• The Demon Hunter arrived at Prince Jing'an's Mansion and saw Demonic Qi entwined with Dragon Qi above it.
• The Demon Hunter discovered that the mansion's maids, servants, and guards had Demonic Qi in their marrow and organs.

Demon Hunter Zuo Qianshan discovered that the people in Prince Jing'an’s mansion were dried corpses and confronted a golden Buddha intertwined with Buddha, Dragon, and Demonic Qi. After the Buddha claimed to be Prince Jing'an and said the others had gone to the front lines, Zuo attacked the chanting monks, revealing centipedes and demonic energy within them.

• Zuo Qianshan entered the mansion, killed guards whose corpses released black centipedes, and found the Commandery Governor and other officials reduced to dried shells.
• Zuo Qianshan descended beneath the hall and found monks and Arhat statues wrapped in Demonic Qi, along with a golden Buddha bearing intertwined Buddha, Dragon, and Demonic Qi.
• The Buddha statue opened its eyes and identified itself as Prince Jing'an, claiming its dharma body fused Buddhist and Dragon Race techniques and that the mansion’s residents had gone to fight the Demon Race.
• Zuo Qianshan suspected the figure was not what it claimed and sent a sword to behead a chanting monk, whose body released centipedes and shriveled.
• Zuo Qianshan struck down dozens of monks as black centipedes spread across the underground palace floor.

Zuo Qianshan battled Prince Jing and three Round Marrow Realm experts in the underground palace, using his swordsmanship and six-sword array to wound Prince Jing. Prince Jing’s body became an empty shell as a massive golden centipede emerged and began absorbing Buddha Qi from the dead monks.

• Zuo Qianshan cut down the puppet monks, then fought off three awakened Round Marrow Realm experts with his sword.
• Prince Jing recognized Zuo Qianshan’s Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture and intervened with a giant hand of Demonic Qi.
• Zuo Qianshan used six high-grade Long Swords in a Sword Array to shatter Prince Jing’s giant hand and attack him.
• Prince Jing fought back with six Magic Artifacts, but Zuo Qianshan’s Evil-Slaying Sword Array wounded him in the chest.
• A pale golden centipede emerged from Prince Jing, leaving his shriveled body behind, then absorbed Buddha Qi from the monks’ corpses.

Zuo Qianshan battled Cangwu Old Ancestor, a centipede demon posing as Prince Jing'an who was absorbing Dragon Qi to transform into a dragon. After trapping the wounded demon with his Sword Array, Zuo Qianshan sent black Sword Qi toward King Jing's corpse, leaving Cangwu Old Ancestor enraged.

• Cangwu Old Ancestor attacked Zuo Qianshan, but Zuo dodged and struck the demon's tough carapace with his sword.
• Cangwu Old Ancestor continued absorbing Dragon Qi while Zuo Qianshan focused his six-sword Sword Array on the demon's joints and eyes.
• Zuo Qianshan wounded Cangwu Old Ancestor and pierced one of his eyes, forcing the demon to release his accumulated Dragon Qi and breathe fire at him.
• Zuo Qianshan's Sword Array clashed with the dragon breath, knocking him back, while Cangwu Old Ancestor suffered backlash from interrupting his cultivation.
• Zuo Qianshan trapped Cangwu Old Ancestor with six Sword Qi phantoms and launched black Sword Qi toward King Jing's shriveled corpse.

Zuo Qianshan escaped Cangwu Old Ancestor after a devastating battle, while Li Xiao led refugees into Prefecture City and investigated the abandoned Commandery Governor Mansion. Inside, Li Xiao found several dried corpses in the silent main hall.

• Cangwu Old Ancestor used three Round Marrow monks as shields and explosives, breaking Zuo Qianshan’s Sword Array and severely injuring him.
• Zuo Qianshan used his remaining strength and a blood-powered Sword Array to escape the underground palace, while Cangwu Old Ancestor stayed behind to protect his plans.
• Li Xiao and the refugees entered Prefecture City after Guardian Chen persuaded the guards to open the gates.
• Li Xiao heard that everyone at the Commandery Governor Mansion had died and turned into dried corpses, then went to investigate.
• Li Xiao entered the mansion’s main hall and found several dried corpses scattered across the floor.

Li Xiao investigated the Commandery Governor's death, found traces of the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture, and organized the Prefecture City's defenses. The city was then surrounded by overwhelming Demonic Beast forces led by three powerful Yakshas, while refugees outside were slaughtered and its defenders watched helplessly.

• Li Xiao met Zhao Hong and learned that the Commandery Governor and the mansion's officials had been found drained of their flesh and blood.
• Li Xiao sensed the aura of the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture in the Commandery Governor's secret chamber and reported the situation to Elder Han and Shi Xin.
• After Shi Xin reported that Demonic Beasts had trapped his group, Li Xiao summoned him to retreat toward the Prefecture City and agreed to share command with Zhao Hong and two other patriarchs.
• A huge Demonic Beast horde surrounded the city, with three Fifth Turn, third-stage Round Marrow Realm Yakshas at its head.
• The defenders watched as Demonic Beasts attacked and killed refugees approaching the city, leaving Zhao Hong and the other patriarchs furious but unable to intervene.

As the Prefecture City endured a Demonic Beast assault, Li Xiao stopped Sun Boyong from sacrificing the city's millions to rescue his family and promised to help retrieve them when reinforcements arrived. Sun Boyong secretly sabotaged the formation and attacked its weakest point, leaving the city on the verge of collapse.

• Li Xiao learned from Shi Xin that he would arrive in three days with a small group of Martial Masters, and promised to draw the Demon Race's attention so they could enter the city.
• Sun Boyong tried to destroy the formation to save his clansmen, but Li Xiao struck him down and warned him that the city's people were his responsibility.
• The Demonic Beasts launched a fierce assault on the walls, and Li Xiao, Zhao Hong, the Patriarchs, and the defenders fought to hold the formation.
• Sun Boyong rose in secret, killed the Qi Cultivator sustaining the formation, and attacked the formation node.
• The Yakshas directed the Demonic Beasts toward the weakened corner as Zhao Hong shouted at Sun Boyong, and the assault intensified.

Li Xiao killed Sun Boyong for attacking the city’s formation, then ordered the Sun Family exterminated despite the other patriarchs’ protests. As reinforcements prepared to reach the Prefecture City, the local leaders resisted Li Xiao’s plan to leave the city and meet them, revealing their distrust and self-interest.

• Li Xiao slew Sun Boyong with a single strike of golden Sword Qi, and the demonic beast horde withdrew from the city.
• Li Xiao ordered the remaining Sun Family members killed, and Zhao Hong reluctantly led men to carry out the order.
• Li Xiao cultivated for three days while the Demon Race surrounded the Prefecture City without attacking.
• Shi Xin told Li Xiao that he and the reinforcements would arrive at dawn, and Li Xiao planned to meet them outside the city.
• At Li Xiao’s meeting, Guardian Chen agreed to follow him, but Zhao Hong and the other local leaders opposed leaving the city to receive the reinforcements.