Chapter Summaries

Gu Chang'an confronted Leader Zhao and the Hunter's Guild after slaying the Black Wind Wolf King, insisting the County Office settle the dispute. After he subdued hunters who tried to seize the pelt, he and his companions were escorted toward the County Office, with the conflict still unresolved.

• Liu Qing and Chen Dao accompanied Gu Chang'an to the Hunter's Guild, where Leader Zhao demanded proof that Gu Chang'an had killed the Black Wind Wolf King.
• Gu Chang'an challenged the hunters to inspect the corpse and warned them against doubting or threatening him.
• When hunters tried to seize the pelt, Gu Chang'an disarmed one and pinned three attackers without seriously injuring them.
• An elderly hunter urged Leader Zhao to wait for the County Office, and Zhao ordered Gu Chang'an and his companions detained until they could be taken there the next day.
• A child gave Gu Chang'an a piece of dry noodle cake and thanked him for saving Uncle Zhao from their village.
• Gu Chang'an, Liu Qing, and Chen Dao were escorted through the night toward the County Office.

Gu Chang'an led three bound constables into the County Office, throwing Blackmountain County’s officials into alarm. County Magistrate Tian Yongchang saw the captives and demanded an explanation.

• Gu Chang'an marched the bound Head Constable Zhang, Wu Tong, and Zhao Liang through the streets toward the County Office.
• Liu Qing and Chen Dao recognized that Gu Chang'an’s actions would reshape the situation in Blackmountain County.
• The County Office guards opened the gates and let Gu Chang'an’s procession enter.
• County Magistrate Tian Yongchang confronted the group and reacted with shock when he recognized the three captives.

Gu Chang'an accused three bound constables of colluding with Demonic Beasts and presented a Demon Core as evidence, but Tian Yongchang demanded stronger proof. Gu Chang'an named Liu Ergou as an eyewitness, leaving the trembling runner to decide whether to testify.

• Gu Chang'an brought the bound Head Constable Zhang, Wu Tong, and Zhao Liang before Tian Yongchang and accused them of conspiring with Demonic Beasts.
• Gu Chang'an presented a Demon Core and said Liu Qing and Chen Dao had witnessed the constables colluding with a demon wolf.
• Tian Yongchang refused to judge the constables on Gu Chang'an's claims alone, while the accused denied the charges and challenged his evidence.
• Gu Chang'an said the demon wolf's corpse could reveal the constables' aura, but Head Constable Zhang claimed the corpse had been destroyed.
• Gu Chang'an identified Liu Ergou as an eyewitness at Black Wind Mountain, and Tian Yongchang warned him to tell the truth as Liu trembled in silence.

Liu Ergou testified that Head Constable Zhang, Wu Tong, and Zhao Liang conspired with masked people to make wolves ferocious and frame demonic hauntings. Tian Yongchang and Gu Chang'an led an expedition into Black Wind Mountain, where Gu Chang'an sensed a foul stench unlike that of ordinary beasts.

• Liu Ergou accused Head Constable Zhang, Wu Tong, and Zhao Liang of trading blood-soaked flesh and red cores with masked people to provoke wolf attacks and seize villagers' property.
• Liu Ergou identified the Demonic Core on the desk as matching the red core he had seen, and offered to testify.
• Tian Yongchang kept the three constables in provisional detention and announced that he would enter the mountain with Gu Chang'an at dawn to investigate.
• Gu Chang'an asked that soldiers and people familiar with the mountain paths accompany them, and Tian Yongchang said he had made arrangements.
• At daybreak, Tian Yongchang, Gu Chang'an, Liu Qing, Chen Dao, Liu Ergou, and the assembled bailiffs and soldiers set out for Black Wind Mountain.
• As the procession entered the foggy mountain path, Gu Chang'an sensed a foul stench that had not come from ordinary beasts.

Gu Chang'an led Liu Qing, Chen Dao, Tian Yongchang, and the hunters to the Demon Suppressing Stele, where a demon wolf emerged from its fissure. The group fought it on Black Wind Mountain, but the battle remained unresolved as Gu Chang'an studied its movements and searched for an opening.

• Gu Chang'an led the group through the mountain forest to the Demon Suppressing Stele and ordered everyone to keep back from its fissure.
• Gu Chang'an sensed something emerging, and a huge demon wolf burst from the stele as the black qi surged.
• The hunters' arrows failed to stop the demon wolf, and several bailiffs fell as it charged.
• Gu Chang'an wounded the demon wolf with his saber while Tian Yongchang, Liu Qing, Chen Dao, and the others joined the attack.
• Gu Chang'an called on the group to watch the wolf's movements and find its gaps as the fight continued.

Gu Chang'an killed the demonic wolf near the fissure of the Demon Suppressing Stele, then discovered that the seal was decaying and something powerful was testing it from within. He warned that the seal may have been deliberately tampered with as Tian Yongchang urged them to report the danger to the prefectural city.

• Gu Chang'an used his footwork and Blade Stance to wound the demonic wolf while Liu Qing, Chen Dao, Tian Yongchang, and the others watched.
• Gu Chang'an struck down the demonic wolf, then told the hunters that deeper threats remained within Black Wind Mountain.
• Gu Chang'an examined the fissure and told Tian Yongchang that the seal was decaying and would eventually shatter.
• A giant claw burst from the fissure, and Gu Chang'an blocked it and forced it back inside.
• Tian Yongchang called for the danger to be reported to the prefectural city, and Gu Chang'an said someone may have deliberately tampered with the seal.

Gu Chang'an and the bailiffs faced a demonic shadow emerging from the fissure, while a greater fiend began breaking through its ancient seal. Gu Chang'an drove its giant head back temporarily and warned that Qingyang County faced an imminent catastrophe.

• Gu Chang'an used the demon core to provoke a response from the fissure, and a wolf-shaped demonic shadow emerged and attacked the group.
• Gu Chang'an fought the demonic shadow while ordering Tian Yongchang and the others to retreat.
• The Demon Suppressing Steles shattered, and a giant demon head emerged as its roar killed several bailiffs.
• Gu Chang'an unleashed a powerful strike that forced the demon head back into the fissure.
• Gu Chang'an told the survivors that the fiend was likely an ancient demon and warned that Qingyang County faced a great catastrophe.

Gu Chang'an warned that Black Wind Mountain's demon-suppressing seal was failing, but Qingyang County's officials planned to suppress the news and test him. When assassins attacked his lodging in Hunter's Ward, Gu Chang'an fought back with deadly force, leaving the attackers overwhelmed.

• Gu Chang'an warned Tian Yongchang that Qingyang County faced catastrophe if Black Wind Mountain's seal broke, and Tian Yongchang decided to report the danger to the prefectural city.
• Three days later, rumors of strange lights and a drained corpse spread through Qingyang County City while County Magistrate Zhang Shao and a Black Robed Man discussed the failing seal and ordered Gu Chang'an tested or killed.
• Liu Qing told Gu Chang'an that someone was watching him, and Gu Chang'an said he would wait for them to come.
• Several masked assassins attacked Gu Chang'an's lodging in Hunter's Ward, and he parried the first attack before knocking its assailant unconscious.
• Gu Chang'an killed two more attackers and wounded another as Liu Qing and Chen Dao fought the remaining assassins, who began to fear his strength.

After Gu Chang'an defeats assassins in Hunter's Ward, he discovers a clue linking them to the Black Wind Mountain guild. The County Office and a Black Robed Man plan to trap him on Black Wind Mountain, and Gu Chang'an decides to go into the mountain on his own terms.

• Gu Chang'an kills the attackers and finds a copper token bearing the Black Wind Mountain guild's secret insignia.
• Liu Qing and Chen Dao realize the assassins were testing Gu Chang'an's abilities, while the hunters of Hunter's Ward begin to view him with awe and reliance.
• At the County Office, Zhang Shao berates a surviving assassin, and a Black Robed Man says Gu Chang'an's aura confirms their suspicions about the Demon Suppressing Stele's disturbance.
• The Black Robed Man proposes trapping Gu Chang'an on Black Wind Mountain once the Demon Suppressing Stele cracks completely.
• Gu Chang'an tells Liu Qing he will enter the mountain and grant his enemies' invitation.

After Gu Chang'an repelled an attack, the Hunter's Ward grew more wary and respectful of him as signs of the Demon Seal weakening spread across Qingyang County. With Black Wind Mountain becoming increasingly dangerous, Gu Chang'an warned Liu Qing and Chen Dao that whatever the seal held would emerge once the Demon Suppressing Stele broke completely.

• Rumors of Gu Chang'an's fight spread through the Hunter's Ward, and its residents began to show him respect and rely on him.
• A subordinate told Zhang Shao that Black Qi, dying livestock, and monster sounds had appeared near Black Wind Mountain, prompting Zhang Shao to order surveillance of Gu Chang'an and prepare for the Demon Seal to break.
• Demonic Energy intensified around Black Wind Mountain, driving beasts to attack livestock and hunters to avoid the depths of the mountain.
• Liu Qing told Gu Chang'an that the worsening disturbances were frightening the hunters, while Liu Wan began recovering with medicine made from Crimson Flame Grass.
• Gu Chang'an told Liu Qing and Chen Dao that the thing beneath the Demon Suppressing Stele would appear when it cracked completely.

Gu Chang'an and the hunters reached the failing Demon Suppressing Stele on Black Wind Mountain, where demonic energy poured from a widening fissure. Gu Chang'an drove back the wolf-shaped demonic shadow, but the seal continued to weaken and a greater catastrophe loomed.

• Gu Chang'an led Liu Qing, Chen Dao, and the hunters deeper into Black Wind Mountain, cutting down tainted beasts along the way.
• The group found the Demon Suppressing Stele badly cracked, and Gu Chang'an warned that its seal could not hold much longer.
• A black wolf demonic shadow burst from the fissure and attacked Tian Yongchang’s bailiffs, while Gu Chang'an cut off its claws and rescued a hunter from its grasp.
• Gu Chang'an struck the wolf shadow and tore open its body, but the shadows within the fissure grew restless as he warned that the seal could no longer suppress them for long.

Gu Chang'an battled the black wolf Demonic Shadow beneath a Blood Moon after the rift unleashed terrifying Demonic Energy. He wounded the creature, but the rift continued to roil, hinting that an even greater threat was approaching.

• The rift's shriek overwhelmed the constables until Gu Chang'an's blade cry restored their senses.
• Black Qi burst from the rift and turned the moon blood-red as Tian Yongchang warned that a great demon could emerge.
• The black wolf Demonic Shadow grew stronger beneath the Blood Moon and knocked Tian Yongchang aside when he attacked.
• Gu Chang'an charged the Demonic Shadow and fought it through a series of powerful clashes.
• Gu Chang'an cut a deep gash into the Demonic Shadow, but the rift's Black Qi surged as something more terrifying drew near.

Gu Chang'an fought the enraged Demonic Wolf Shadow as a sealed fiend stirred beneath the fissure. He killed the wolf, but a pitch-black hand emerged from the fissure, revealing that the true enemy had arrived.

• The Demonic Wolf Shadow grew larger and attacked Gu Chang'an with black Qi and blood-lit claws, but he held his ground and wounded it.
• Drumbeats from the fissure battered the hunters and bailiffs, while cracks spread across the Stone Tablet and black shadows reached out.
• Tian Yongchang was blasted into the cliff, and the Demonic Wolf Shadow healed itself with Qi from the fissure and lunged at Gu Chang'an.
• Gu Chang'an cut through the Demonic Wolf Shadow and cleaved its body apart, but the drumbeats continued.
• A pitch-black palm reached out from the fissure, and Gu Chang'an prepared to face the real enemy.

Gu Chang'an fought the demonic hands emerging from the fissure as the people with him watched helplessly. After a second hand joined the attack, he was badly injured and left at a disadvantage, but he insisted that he had not yet lost.

• A grotesque black hand reached out of the fissure, and Gu Chang'an attacked it with his saber, only to be driven back.
• The hand struck again, sending Gu Chang'an crashing into an ancient tree and leaving him bleeding.
• A second black hand emerged as Tian Yongchang warned that the seal was breaking.
• Gu Chang'an confronted both hands in a desperate clash that left him kneeling, bloodied, and badly injured while the hands remained extended.
• Gu Chang'an hauled his saber back up and told the others he had not yet lost.

Gu Chang'an swallowed a Blood Burst Pill and burned his life to drive the Demonic Hands back into the rift. The rift began to close, but Gu Chang'an reached his limit and remained the last barrier against the abyss.

• Gu Chang'an refused to give up as the Demonic Hands threatened to break through the rift.
• Gu Chang'an swallowed the Blood Burst Pill despite Liu Qing and Tian Yongchang warning him of its deadly cost.
• The pill's power surged through Gu Chang'an, and he struck the Demonic Hands with a blood-flamed blade, forcing them back.
• Gu Chang'an continued attacking, burning his body and life to keep the Demonic Hands from reaching out again.
• The rift began to close and the Black Qi returned to the Demon Suppressing Stele, while Gu Chang'an trembled on the verge of collapse but kept holding the line.

Jiang Xuan arrived as Gu Chang'an neared collapse and used his sword to force the demonic hands back and reseal the rift. Gu Chang'an then suffered the Blood Burst Pill's backlash, and Jiang Xuan carried him away while warning that the seal would fail again.

• Tian Yongchang despaired as Gu Chang'an's strength failed, but Jiang Xuan arrived and drove back the demonic hand with a sword strike.
• Jiang Xuan fought off the demonic hands and sealed the rift temporarily with the Demon Suppressing Stele.
• Gu Chang'an collapsed after coughing blood as the Blood Burst Pill's backlash ravaged his body.
• Jiang Xuan suppressed Gu Chang'an's raging blood Qi and told Liu Qing and Chen Dao that secret techniques were needed to save him.
• Jiang Xuan ordered Tian Yongchang to report the failing seal to the Commandery Governor and request reinforcements.
• Jiang Xuan carried Gu Chang'an away, while Tian Yongchang prepared to send word to the commandery city.

Jiang Xuan brought the gravely wounded Gu Chang'an to his bamboo house and used his True Qi to suppress the damage caused by the Blood Burst Pill. Gu Chang'an remained unconscious the next morning as Jiang Xiaoyu watched over him and Jiang Xuan resolved to keep him there until he could wield a blade again.

• Tian Yongchang ordered men to report the battle urgently to the Commandery Governor.
• Jiang Xuan carried Gu Chang'an to his bamboo house, where Jiang Xiaoyu saw his wounds and learned he had taken a Blood Burst Pill.
• Jiang Xuan channeled True Qi into Gu Chang'an, suppressing the pill's violent effects and bringing him out of immediate danger.
• Jiang Xuan told Jiang Xiaoyu that Gu Chang'an fought according to the path in his heart and instructed her to care for him while he recovered.
• Jiang Xiaoyu stayed beside Gu Chang'an through the night and into the morning, preparing medicine as he remained unconscious.

After a month of care from Jiang Xuan and Jiang Xiaoyu, Gu Chang'an woke from his coma but remained gravely injured by the Blood Pill's poison. He agreed to recover in their secluded bamboo house, while Jiang Xuan warned Jiang Xiaoyu to respect whatever path Gu Chang'an chose.

• Jiang Xiaoyu noticed Gu Chang'an's fingers move and called Jiang Xuan as Gu Chang'an began to wake.
• Gu Chang'an coughed up stagnant blood, learned he had been unconscious for a month, and thanked Jiang Xuan and Jiang Xiaoyu for saving and caring for him.
• Jiang Xuan offered to help Gu Chang'an recover, and Gu Chang'an agreed to stay and recuperate despite his concern about dangers beyond the bamboo forest.
• Gu Chang'an drank Jiang Xiaoyu's medicine and rested, still feeling the Blood Pill's lingering poison and holding onto his blade.
• Jiang Xuan told Jiang Xiaoyu to respect whatever path Gu Chang'an chose, and she promised to remember.

Gu Chang'an recovered enough to practice in the bamboo grove, where Jiang Xiaoyu watched him and confessed her admiration. She revealed her own formidable sword skills and asked to learn from him, but he turned her down as she remained determined to follow him.

• Gu Chang'an practiced his fists and blade in the bamboo grove while Jiang Xiaoyu secretly watched and brought him water and a cloth.
• Jiang Xiaoyu told Gu Chang'an that his blade practice looked wonderful, and he told her to go back.
• Jiang Xiaoyu returned in martial arts clothes, challenged Gu Chang'an, and demonstrated a swift sword strike with her wooden sword.
• Gu Chang'an agreed to exchange blows with Jiang Xiaoyu and was surprised by her refined swordsmanship and emerging sword intent.
• Jiang Xiaoyu asked Gu Chang'an to teach her, but he said she had no need for his guidance and told her to leave.
• Jiang Xiaoyu watched Gu Chang'an walk away and resolved to keep following him despite his coldness.

Over ten days of training, Gu Chang'an recovered and grew stronger while Jiang Xiao Yu's swordsmanship advanced under his guidance. Jiang Xuan found them sparring, praised Jiang Xiao Yu's progress, and acknowledged his debt to Gu Chang'an as the two continued to grow closer.

• Gu Chang'an and Jiang Xiao Yu trained together in the bamboo grove for ten days, strengthening his body and refining her swordsmanship.
• Gu Chang'an and Jiang Xiao Yu exchanged a fierce spar until Jiang Xuan entered the bamboo grove and stopped them.
• Jiang Xuan teased Jiang Xiao Yu for spending her days training with Gu Chang'an, and she said she wanted to help him recover.
• Gu Chang'an told Jiang Xuan that Jiang Xiao Yu had begun to form her Sword Intent, and Jiang Xuan was secretly pleased by her progress.
• Jiang Xuan asked about Gu Chang'an's recovery and reminded him that Jiang Xiao Yu's care repaid his kindness to Lin Chuan County; Gu Chang'an said he would repay what he owed.