Chapter Summaries

Li Xiao prepared to travel alone to the Mine Secret Realm before returning to the Three Origins Sect. After seeing his powerful Sword Qi and the Sword Talisman Zhou Bai gave him, the Flying Cloud Peak Master reluctantly allowed him to leave, warning him to stay alive.

• Li Xiao packed his belongings and told Elder Shi he would not return to the sect with the group; Elder Shi gave him a pair of Superior Treasure Artifact boots.
• Li Xiao asked the Flying Cloud Peak Master to let him travel alone, but the Peak Master urged him to wait until after the Candidate Saint Son Battle.
• Li Xiao revealed that his black Sword Qi could threaten a Sixth Turn expert, impressing the Flying Cloud Peak Master.
• Li Xiao showed the Peak Master Zhou Bai's Sword Talisman, which contained a Sixth Turn technique from the Sword Sect.
• The Flying Cloud Peak Master returned the Talisman and let Li Xiao go, reminding him to put his life first.

Wang Yuheng arrived in Zhennan City and, after dining lavishly, asked a group of Fourth Turn Martial Masters about Li Xiao. One of them pretended to offer help while leading Wang Yuheng toward the Three Origins Sect's residence, and his companions followed to rob him.

• Wang Yuheng entered Zhennan City and eagerly feasted on cheap Demonic Beast Meat at a tavern.
• Wang Yuheng paid the waiter with a Spirit Stone, prompting several Fourth Turn Martial Masters to mistake him for a wealthy, naive target.
• A Martial Master approached Wang Yuheng and dropped his plan to rob him when Wang Yuheng asked about Li Xiao.
• Wang Yuheng explained that the woman he liked had a connection to Li Xiao, and the Martial Master offered to lead him to Li Xiao's lodging.
• The Martial Master led Wang Yuheng toward the Three Origins Sect's residence while his companions followed and he probed Wang Yuheng about his background.

Wang Yuheng killed the men who lured him into an alley and learned where Li Xiao was staying. He visited Li Xiao to persuade him to give up Liu Qingyue, offering an alliance in exchange.

• Wang Yuheng discovered that the tavern men had trapped him to claim a reward from Li Xiao, then killed three attackers with Rain Swords.
• Wang Yuheng broke the round-faced Bearded Man’s leg, learned Li Xiao’s courtyard location, and killed him.
• Wang Yuheng arrived at the Three Origins Sect residence and introduced himself to Li Xiao as someone from Clear Subtle Hall.
• Wang Yuheng told Li Xiao that Liu Qingyue was destined to inherit Clear Subtle Hall’s Dao lineage and that the elders hoped to pair her with him.
• Wang Yuheng urged Li Xiao to let Liu Qingyue go and offered to become his ally and support his claim to the Three Origins Sect Master position.

Wang Yuheng tried to persuade Li Xiao to give up Liu Qingyue, but Li Xiao refused and explained that Qingyue had chosen her path to help him. After Wang Yuheng challenged him and agreed to wager his treasures, they arranged to fight at the city's Martial Arts Training Ground the next day.

• Wang Yuheng offered Li Xiao treasures and an alliance if he would let go of Liu Qingyue, but Li Xiao refused.
• Wang Yuheng proposed a sparring match to decide whether Li Xiao should withdraw, and Li Xiao said Qingyue was not a commodity and had joined Clear Subtle Hall to help him.
• As Li Xiao headed to bed, Wang Yuheng fired a Rain Sword at him, and Li Xiao dodged and shattered it with a punch.
• Li Xiao agreed to fight Wang Yuheng the next day at the city's Martial Arts Training Ground, with Wang Yuheng's treasures and Spirit Stones as the stakes if Li Xiao won.
• Wang Yuheng accepted the wager, promised to fight openly without holding back, and left Li Xiao's courtyard.

Li Xiao met Wang Yuheng for breakfast before they went to the city’s Martial Arts Training Ground to spar. As Wang Yuheng gathered water-based Spiritual Qi on the platform, Li Xiao prepared to face the Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator seriously.

• Wang Yuheng arrived at Li Xiao’s courtyard at dawn, eager to spar, but Li Xiao made him wait until after breakfast.
• Li Xiao invited Wang Yuheng to share the Demonic Beast meat with him and Chen An, and Wang Yuheng eagerly devoured the meal.
• Wang Yuheng told Li Xiao about Qingwei Temple and Clear Subtle Hall, including his Master’s cultivation and his own Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
• Li Xiao and Wang Yuheng went to the Martial Arts Training Ground, where the gathered martial artists cleared the reinforced central platform for their match.
• Wang Yuheng focused his Spiritual Qi and gathered droplets of water around himself as Li Xiao readied himself for the spar.

Li Xiao fought Wang Yuheng in a platform match, countering his spells and Spirit Artifacts while concealing much of his strength. Wang Yuheng unleashed a powerful fiery blade strike, leaving Li Xiao facing its full force.

• Li Xiao used Listening Wind and Observing Qi to see death qi mixed into Wang Yuheng’s favorable Fortune and Destiny.
• Wang Yuheng attacked with Rain Swords, but Li Xiao shattered them with Iron Wire Fist and rushed him with Flying Cloud Leg.
• Wang Yuheng protected himself with an ancient cauldron and attacked with a massive seal, forcing Li Xiao to block it with golden and black Sword Qi.
• Wang Yuheng used fireballs to trap Li Xiao between them and the seal, but Li Xiao evaded the attack with Flying Cloud Leg.
• Wang Yuheng summoned a fiery Spirit Artifact blade and warned Li Xiao before bringing its powerful strike down toward him.

Li Xiao defeated Wang Yuheng in a high-platform duel by overpowering his attacks and knocking him off the platform. After Wang Yuheng acknowledged his loss, Li Xiao hurried him away to discuss the promised spoils.

• Li Xiao sustained his Three Absolutes Returning Origin Qi sphere against Wang Yuheng's flaming blade light, replenishing his True Qi with the Exotic Insect Sub-insects.
• Li Xiao shattered Wang Yuheng's blade light, damaged his great cauldron, and drove him to the platform's edge with a series of kicks.
• Wang Yuheng sent his seal at Li Xiao and tried to retreat, but Li Xiao struck the seal, used its recoil to launch a counterattack, and kicked Wang Yuheng off the platform.
• Wang Yuheng admitted defeat, and Li Xiao politely claimed his victory had partly come from luck.
• Li Xiao dismissed the cultivators seeking to approach him and left with Wang Yuheng to discuss the promised Talismans, Pills, Superior Treasure Artifacts, and Spirit Stones.

Li Xiao collected his winnings from Wang Yuheng, then shared a feast and offered him pills before seeing him off. After Wang Yuheng left, Li Xiao turned his attention to the black qi above him and began preparing to enter the Mine Secret Realm.

• Wang Yuheng honored his wager by giving Li Xiao two Superior Treasure Artifacts, Talismans, pills, and several hundred Spirit Stones.
• Li Xiao praised Wang Yuheng and planned to build ties with Qingwei Temple and Clear Subtle Hall while keeping an eye on the black qi above him.
• Li Xiao hosted Wang Yuheng to a feast and gave him several Blood Explosion Pills.
• Li Xiao offered Wang Yuheng Zhou Bai's azure Sword Talisman, but Wang Yuheng refused it because he already had protective treasures.
• Li Xiao escorted Wang Yuheng out of the courtyard, then returned to his room and began planning for the Mine Secret Realm.

As the forces withdrew from Zhennan City, Li Xiao distributed resources to Chen An and set off alone for the Zhou Kingdom. Elsewhere, Feng Tianning encountered the hungry Wang Yuheng, who revealed that Li Xiao had beaten him and taken his possessions.

• Elder Shi admired Li Xiao’s demonic beast meat, dragon kidneys, and other spoils while secretly hoping to get some of the kidneys.
• Li Xiao said farewell to Huangfu Yuan, Du Tianshan, and others, gave Chen An cultivation resources, and instructed him to return with the main group to the Three Origins Sect.
• Li Xiao left Zhennan City alone and headed north toward the Zhou Kingdom.
• Wang Yuheng, penniless and hungry after losing his belongings to Li Xiao, offered to draw a Talisman in exchange for buns, but the stall owner turned him away.
• Feng Tianning paid for Wang Yuheng’s buns and asked how he had come to be in need.
• Wang Yuheng told Feng Tianning that he had lost a competition against Li Xiao of the Three Origins Sect, whose strength was formidable.

Feng Tianning tried to persuade Wang Yuheng to help him lure Li Xiao out, but Wang Yuheng refused to fight dishonorably. After learning Wang Yuheng came from Qingwei Temple, Feng Tianning and Xuanzhenzi plotted to kill him and frame Li Xiao.

• Feng Tianning learned that Wang Yuheng had lost a match against Li Xiao and was now penniless.
• Feng Tianning offered to help Wang Yuheng challenge Li Xiao again, but Wang Yuheng refused to accept help or use tricks.
• Wang Yuheng revealed that he came from Qingwei Temple, reminding Feng Tianning of his grudge against Daoist Nun Jingyun.
• Feng Tianning left Wang Yuheng and met Xuanzhenzi in an empty alley, where they discussed their failed plan to lure Li Xiao out.
• Xuanzhenzi suggested killing Wang Yuheng and framing Li Xiao, and Feng Tianning agreed.

Feng Tianning and Xuanzhenzi ambushed Wang Yuheng after he left Zhennan City, but Wang's Spirit Artifacts and their divided control of one body kept them from quickly defeating him. Wang tried to bargain for his life by offering to help lure out Li Xiao, leaving Feng Tianning wavering while Xuanzhenzi insisted that Wang must die.

• Feng Tianning waited three days for Wang Yuheng to leave Zhennan City, then attacked him as he traveled underground toward Qingwei Temple.
• Wang Yuheng was injured, but his ancient cauldron blocked most of Feng Tianning's blow, and he recognized Feng as the young man who had paid for his buns.
• Wang sent a communication talisman toward Zhennan City, but Feng stopped it before it could escape.
• Wang used several Spirit Artifacts to defend himself while Feng Tianning and Xuanzhenzi struggled to coordinate their attacks through their shared body.
• Wang offered to help Feng Tianning lure out Li Xiao, and Feng demanded a Heavenly Dao Oath while Xuanzhenzi insisted that Wang be killed.

Wang Yuheng escaped Feng Tianning and Xuanzhenzi by destroying his Natal Spirit Artifact, but the backlash left him gravely injured and unconscious near Zhennan City. Unaware that Wang Yuheng had taken the danger meant for him, Li Xiao continued north, planning to visit Qingwei Temple after returning from the Mine Secret Realm.

• Wang Yuheng destroyed his cracked cauldron, blasted Feng Tianning and Xuanzhenzi back, and fled underground toward Zhennan City.
• Xuanzhenzi berated Feng Tianning for letting Wang Yuheng escape, while Feng Tianning departed in the opposite direction.
• Two Fifth Turn Martial Masters investigated the ruins, decided not to pursue the injured cultivator, and reported the Spirit Artifact's destruction to the Marquis.
• Wang Yuheng's destroyed Natal Spirit Artifact severely injured him, and he collapsed unconscious near a small town outside Zhennan City.
• Li Xiao traveled north, sneezed as Wang Yuheng cursed him, and planned to find Qingwei Temple and bring his family to the Northern Border.

Li Xiao returned to the Secret Realm and tried to move or damage the pale golden remains of an Eighth-Turn expert, but failed. He discovered that the Seven Orifice Insect could slowly draw essence from the bones and stayed to let it feed.

• Li Xiao reached the ruined mine near Huainan Commandery City and drove away the Martial Masters searching its outskirts.
• Li Xiao used Zhou Bai’s Token to reopen the Secret Realm entrance and entered the looted ruins.
• Li Xiao found the pale golden skeleton still kneeling by the pavilion and failed to move it with his strength.
• Li Xiao struck the skeleton’s arm with his Sword Qi, leaving only a shallow white mark.
• Li Xiao placed the Seven Orifice Insect on the skeleton, discovered it could draw out the bone’s essence, and sat down to let it continue feeding.

After the Seven Orifice Insect completed its ritual, the remains of Venerable Jingyang’s ancient enemy resurrected as a Black Shadow. He explained the origins of Exotic Insects to Li Xiao, then questioned him about his Sword Sect inheritance and identity.

• The Seven Orifice Insect absorbed the essence from the skeleton and completed its ritual, after which the bones crumbled and a Black Shadow emerged.
• The Black Shadow demanded to fight Jingyang, and Li Xiao told him that Jingyang and the Sword Sect had been gone for more than a thousand years.
• The Black Shadow celebrated Jingyang’s death and vowed to destroy the Sword Sect, then noticed the sleeping Seven Orifice Insect beside Li Xiao.
• The Black Shadow explained that the Dao Ancestor created Exotic Insects from stolen Heavenly Dao laws and that fusing with them drew the Heavenly Dao’s hostility.
• The Black Shadow recognized the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture as Jingyang’s inheritance, and Li Xiao said he had obtained it by chance rather than joining the Sword Sect.
• The Black Shadow asked Li Xiao who he was, and Li Xiao identified himself as Fang Yuan of the Heaven-and-Earth Great Love Family Alliance.

Venerable Manqiong tried to force Li Xiao to become his disciple, then possessed him when Li Xiao refused his offer of inheritance. Manqiong’s triumphant laughter turned to terror inside Li Xiao’s Sea of Consciousness before he vanished, leaving Li Xiao unsure what had happened.

• Li Xiao admitted that the Seven Orifice Insect had absorbed the remaining power of Venerable Manqiong’s bones and described the outside world to him.
• Venerable Manqiong offered to take Li Xiao as his disciple, but Li Xiao refused and warned him that his Master was an Eighth Turn expert.
• Venerable Manqiong attacked, but Li Xiao threatened to activate the Sword Talisman and destroy the Secret Realm, forcing him to stop.
• Venerable Manqiong offered Li Xiao his body-cultivation method and insights, but Li Xiao asked only for the method and refused to accept cultivation he had not earned himself.
• Venerable Manqiong entered Li Xiao’s glabella and attempted to seize his body, then screamed in terror before going silent and disappearing from Li Xiao’s Sea of Consciousness.

Li Xiao gained the Mystic Glazed Body Scripture after Venerable Manqiong’s failed possession, then triggered an apparition of an ancient Sword Sect elder while trying to destroy Manqiong’s lingering Vengeful Qi. The elder, who identified the Devil Ancestor as the force behind the Sword Sect and Jing Kingdom’s destruction, offered Li Xiao an opportunity in exchange for a favor.

• The Panel revealed the Mystic Glazed Body Scripture, a Ninth-Turn body-refining method, and Li Xiao considered its potential and difficult resource requirements.
• Li Xiao retrieved the sleeping Seven Orifice Insect and attacked the lingering shadow left by Venerable Manqiong, but his Sword Qi could not harm it.
• Li Xiao’s attack disturbed the Secret Realm, causing it to shake as phantom Sword Qi gathered and formed an elderly man.
• The elder drew Li Xiao’s Sword Qi to himself, asked about the Sword Sect, and listened as Li Xiao described its current state.
• The elder said the Devil Ancestor had destroyed the Sword Sect and Jing Kingdom, but refused to reveal further details about the kingdom’s fall.
• The elder identified the shadow as Venerable Manqiong’s Vengeful Qi and offered Li Xiao an opportunity in return for a favor; Li Xiao cautiously asked what he wanted.

Li Xiao learned that Venerable Manqiong’s attack had been only a fragment of resentment, while Venerable Jingyang entrusted him with a Sword Sect cultivation method to return to the sect. Jingyang recalled his strength and defeat of Manqiong, then revealed that the Devil Ancestor may have plotted against Manqiong and might be connected to the Zhou Kingdom’s Royal Family.

• Venerable Jingyang explained that Manqiong’s lingering resentment could not possess Li Xiao, but could have caused his memories to clash with Manqiong’s and driven him mad.
• Jingyang gave Li Xiao a jade talisman containing a Sword Sect cultivation method and asked him to deliver it to the Sword Sect’s younger generation.
• Li Xiao showed Jingyang his two strands of Sword Qi, and Jingyang praised his potential and described the power of the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture at Great Accomplishment.
• Jingyang recalled that he had been among the strongest Eighth Turn experts and had defeated Manqiong, who had been close to Fleshly Sainthood.
• Jingyang said the Devil Ancestor may have plotted against Manqiong and suspected that the Zhou Kingdom’s Royal Family was connected to her.

Venerable Jingyang revealed that the Devil Ancestor may have orchestrated Emperor Jing’s death and the fall of the Jing Kingdom, though her motives remained unknown. He asked Li Xiao to protect the Jing Kingdom’s descendants if he grew powerful, then summoned a black bead to grant him an opportunity.

• Venerable Jingyang explained that transcended beings restrained one another and said the Devil Ancestor might have influenced the Zhou Kingdom’s rise.
• Venerable Jingyang revealed that his nephew, Emperor Jing, had died under the Nail-Head Seven Arrows Book despite the protection of his imperial destiny.
• Venerable Jingyang said Manqiong had prevented him from investigating the Jing Kingdom’s fall, and he suspected the Devil Ancestor had used a woman and the curse to destroy the dynasty.
• Li Xiao promised to look after the Jing Kingdom’s descendants if he gained the ability to do so.
• Venerable Jingyang praised Li Xiao and drew a shadowy black bead toward his palm, preparing to grant him an opportunity.

Venerable Jingyang purified Manqiong’s lingering resentment and condensed it into a third strand of Sword Qi for Li Xiao, then warned him about its dangers. He explained how he had cultivated the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture and proposed mass slaughter as a way to strengthen the new Sword Qi, leaving Li Xiao disturbed by the scale of the killing.

• Venerable Jingyang purified Manqiong’s remaining resentment and shaped it into dark green Sword Qi for Li Xiao.
• Li Xiao gained a third strand of Sword Qi, and Venerable Jingyang warned him that its lingering Ferocious Qi could affect his mind.
• Li Xiao asked how Venerable Jingyang had cultivated the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture to Great Accomplishment, and Venerable Jingyang described founding assassin organizations and refining their Sword Attendants.
• Li Xiao asked how to strengthen Sword Qi quickly, and Venerable Jingyang suggested slaughtering small kingdoms and tribes to gather Vengeful Qi.
• Venerable Jingyang estimated that several hundred million to over a billion people would be needed to bring the Vengeful Qi Sword Qi to Great Accomplishment, leaving Li Xiao silent and troubled.

Li Xiao received Venerable Jingyang’s method for refining Sword Warriors, collected some of Venerable Manqiong’s ashes, and escaped as the Mine Secret Realm collapsed. He headed for the Three Origins Sect, where his battlefield reputation had grown so great that disciples and cultivators flocked to his empty courtyard to seek him out.

• Venerable Jingyang taught Li Xiao how to refine Sword Warriors and use their battlefield auras to strengthen the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture, then urged him to bring the method to the Sword Sect Member.
• Li Xiao gathered a small handful of Venerable Manqiong’s unusually heavy ashes before fleeing the collapsing Mine Secret Realm.
• Li Xiao escaped just before the entrance vanished beneath the mountain’s collapse and set off toward the Three Origins Sect.
• Rumors of Li Xiao’s battles and achievements spread through the Three Origins Sect, raising his reputation and prompting speculation that he would become Flying Cloud Peak’s Candidate Saint Son.
• Disciples and cultivators visited Li Xiao’s courtyard to meet him or seek his help, but found it closed because he had not yet returned.