Recaps

After choosing the Red Flame Crystal over the Six Harmonies Mirror, Li Xiaoyu fed its fire energy to the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, which began developing a third source of power. He was then summoned with three other tournament standouts and assigned to investigate the Blood Refining Hall’s activity near Kongsang Mountain.

• Li Xiaoyu chose the Red Flame Crystal instead of the Six Harmonies Mirror, and Daoist Daoxuan granted his choice.
• Qi Hao learned that Li Xiaoyu’s refusal had left him the Six Harmonies Mirror, spat blood, and fainted again.
• Li Xiaoyu fed the Red Flame Crystal’s energy into the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, forming a scarlet flame cloud alongside its metal and thunder powers.
• Li Xiaoyu returned to secluded cultivation and continued nourishing the gourd as his Spiritual Energy grew purer and stronger.
• Shang Zhengliang brought Li Xiaoyu to Jade Purity Hall, where Daoist Daoxuan revealed the Blood Refining Hall’s activity around Kongsang Mountain.
• Daoist Daoxuan assigned Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, Qi Hao, and Zhang Xiaofan to investigate Kongsang Mountain.

Li Xiaoyu accepted Daoist Daoxuan’s appointment as leader of the Green Cloud Sect team bound for Kongsang Mountain and traveled to Heyang City with Lu Xueqi, Qi Hao, and Zhang Xiaofan. At the Mountain Sea Pavilion, a young monk recognized them as members of the Green Cloud Sect, and Li Xiaoyu asked his name.

• Daoist Daoxuan overruled Daoist Cangsong and Tian Buyi’s objections, named Li Xiaoyu team leader, and ordered him to meet the others in Heyang City.
• Li Xiaoyu accepted the duty and left Green Cloud Mountain, while Lu Xueqi followed warmly, Qi Hao resented taking orders from him, and Zhang Xiaofan felt grateful to him.
• The four traveled east and arrived in Heyang City, where Li Xiaoyu led them to the Mountain Sea Pavilion to rest and gather information about Kongsang Mountain.
• A young monk at the inn asked whether the group were immortals of the Green Cloud Sect, and Li Xiaoyu introduced himself and asked how to address him.

At Mountain Sea Pavilion, Li Xiaoyu met the leading disciples of Heavenly Sound Temple and Incense Burning Valley, then answered Li Xun’s provocation without losing his composure. That night, the other sects tested his authority by keeping him waiting, while Zhang Xiaofan struggled to order an unfamiliar restaurant meal.

• Li Xiaoyu greeted Faxiang of Heavenly Sound Temple, then met Li Xun and Yan Hong of Incense Burning Valley.
• Li Xun mocked Li Xiaoyu’s reputation, but Li Xiaoyu calmly challenged him to judge his strength by his sword; Faxiang intervened before the dispute escalated.
• Li Xiaoyu suggested that everyone rest and meet later, then led the Green Cloud Sect disciples upstairs as Qi Hao watched him uneasily and Lu Xueqi admired him.
• That night, Faxiang and Li Xun failed to attend the scheduled meeting, and Li Xiaoyu realized they were testing him by making him wait.
• Li Xiaoyu reassured Zhang Xiaofan and invited him to order, but Zhang Xiaofan chose the cheapest greens with tofu and someone at the next table snickered.

Li Xiaoyu deflected You Ji’s teasing of Zhang Xiaofan at the Mountain Sea Pavilion, while recognizing her as Bi Yao of the Ghost King Sect. After the sect disciples left Heyang City for Kongsang Mountain, Bi Yao and her guards followed them.

• You Ji mocked Zhang Xiaofan for ordering greens and tofu, but Li Xiaoyu defended him by calling the meal a test of skill and a path to the Dao.
• You Ji introduced herself as You Ji, bought Zhang Xiaofan steamed Sleep Fish and vegetarian dishes, and asked him to tell her stories about Green Cloud Mountain.
• Lu Xueqi sensed demonic Spiritual Energy and prepared to act, but Li Xiaoyu restrained her and recognized the girl as Bi Yao, daughter of Wan Renwang.
• Faxiang, Li Xun, and Yan Hong arrived, and Li Xiaoyu asked You Ji to leave before the group discussed their mission.
• The next morning, the three sects’ disciples flew toward Kongsang Mountain, while Bi Yao and her two guards followed at a measured distance.

Li Xiaoyu led the disciples into the Ancient Bat Cave, where they were attacked by a vast swarm of vampire bats. He and Lu Xueqi combined their powers to destroy the bats nearby, leaving the remaining swarm fleeing deeper into the cave.

• Li Xiaoyu protected Zhang Xiaofan from the poisonous miasma and refused Li Xun's proposal to search the area in separate groups.
• Li Xiaoyu led the disciples through Kongsang Mountain, where they fought demonic beasts and found the entrance to the Ancient Bat Cave.
• The group entered the cave and was surrounded by thousands of vampire bats, which began attacking Faxiang's golden shield.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi joined their sword techniques and thunder power to wipe out the bats within a hundred-zhang radius.
• The surviving bats fled deeper into the cave, and the disciples stared in shock at Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi's combined strength.

Li Xiaoyu and his companions discovered the Blood Refining Hall performing a ritual in the Ancient Bat Cave and confronted its Hall Master, Nian Laoda. The righteous group was quickly overwhelmed, while Li Xiaoyu narrowly dodged Nian Laoda’s devastating punches.

• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi destroyed the bat swarm, then led the others deeper into the cave toward the evil aura.
• Li Xiaoyu and his companions found Nian Laoda and other Blood Refining Hall members gathered around a ritual altar.
• Nian Laoda identified Li Xiaoyu and ordered Lin Feng, Liu Gao, the beautiful woman, and Wild Dog Daoist to fight the righteous cultivators.
• Li Xun and Faxiang struggled against Lin Feng and Liu Gao, Lu Xueqi became entangled with the beautiful woman’s Immortal Binding Rope, and Qi Hao and Zhang Xiaofan fought Wild Dog Daoist.
• Nian Laoda attacked Li Xiaoyu with a crushing punch, but Li Xiaoyu dodged it and evaded a barrage of follow-up strikes.

Li Xiaoyu wounded Nian Laoda, but the Blood Refining Hall’s sacrificial formation awakened and opened an abyss beneath the cavern. Li Xiaoyu fell into the darkness after saving Lu Xueqi, and she plunged in after him.

• Li Xiaoyu used the Autumn Water Sword and Geng Metal Dragon Qi to pierce Nian Laoda’s chest, but Nian Laoda struck him into a rock wall.
• As Nian Laoda prepared to finish Li Xiaoyu, the altar’s formation activated and the cavern began to collapse.
• Lin Feng revealed that the formation would sacrifice everyone on Kongsang Mountain to refine a Blood Pill, and the collapsing floor opened into a deep abyss.
• Li Xiaoyu shoved Lu Xueqi toward Faxiang to save her, then was dragged into the abyss.
• Lu Xueqi ignored Zhang Xiaofan and Qi Hao’s cries and jumped into the abyss after Li Xiaoyu.

Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi survived their fall into the Abyss of the Dead, where they faced a swarm of yin spirits as they searched for a way out. Li Xiaoyu began recovering with help from the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, but Lu Xueqi was injured while defending him.

• Lu Xueqi jumped into the abyss after Li Xiaoyu and held on to him as they fell.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi landed at the bottom of the Abyss of the Dead and realized its yin energy was draining their spiritual energy.
• Li Xiaoyu used the Heart-Calming Incantation to repel the approaching yin spirits while Lu Xueqi protected him with Tianya.
• Li Xiaoyu took healing pills and discovered that the Immortal-Slaying Gourd absorbed the yin energy and helped restore him.
• Lu Xueqi fought the seemingly endless swarm until a powerful yin spirit pierced her protective sword qi, making her spit blood.

Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi survived the Yin spirits in the Abyss of the Dead and reached the Sea of Heartlessness, where the Black Water Profound Snake attacked them. As the beast moved to devour them, Li Xiaoyu shoved Lu Xueqi toward shelter and prepared to use his last trump card.

• Li Xiaoyu recovered enough to summon the Immortal-Slaying Gourd and absorb all the Yin spirits, then led Lu Xueqi onward through the darkness.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi found the Sea of Heartlessness, but Li Xiaoyu sensed a terrifying presence beneath its black water.
• The Black Water Profound Snake erupted from the lake and its roar shattered Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi's defenses, leaving them injured.
• Li Xiaoyu tried to flee with Lu Xueqi, but the snake struck with its tail and knocked them down again.
• Lu Xueqi told Li Xiaoyu she was glad to die with him as the snake lowered its jaws toward them.
• Li Xiaoyu shouted for Lu Xueqi to close her eyes, shoved her toward a boulder, and faced the snake with his last trump card in mind.

Li Xiaoyu used the Immortal-Slaying Gourd’s Innate Geng Metal Sword Qi to drive off the Black Water Profound Snake, but the strike left him gravely weakened and unconscious. He awoke three days later in a cave with Zhang Xiaofan and Bi Yao, while Lu Xueqi was nowhere to be seen.

• Li Xiaoyu pushed Lu Xueqi behind a boulder and unleashed the Immortal-Slaying Gourd’s sword qi at the Black Water Profound Snake.
• The sword qi pierced the Black Water Profound Snake, forcing it to flee into the Sea of Heartlessness.
• Li Xiaoyu collapsed as the gourd lost its power, and the Snake’s waves swept his unconscious body into the darkness.
• Li Xiaoyu woke in a cave after three days and discovered that Lu Xueqi was missing.
• Zhang Xiaofan told Li Xiaoyu that a force had pulled him underground, and Bi Yao revealed her identity and taunted the weakened Li Xiaoyu.

Li Xiaoyu recovered in the Blood-Dripping Cave with Bi Yao and Zhang Xiaofan while worrying about Lu Xueqi, who had been separated from him in the Abyss of the Dead. Lu Xueqi eventually found the cave, but her reunion with Li Xiaoyu was interrupted by Bi Yao’s taunts, leaving the two women facing off.

• Bi Yao told Li Xiaoyu she had not seen Lu Xueqi and guessed Lu had survived after being swept elsewhere in the Abyss of the Dead.
• Li Xiaoyu healed while Zhang Xiaofan gathered food and water and Bi Yao teased him, growing fond of his kindness.
• After recovering part of his strength, Li Xiaoyu prepared to explore the cave when Lu Xueqi arrived, having followed the Tianya Divine Sword’s sense of his aura.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi joyfully reunited, but Lu Xueqi raised her sword when she noticed Bi Yao.
• Bi Yao taunted Lu Xueqi by claiming she had been taking care of Li Xiaoyu for the past few days.

Li Xiaoyu stopped Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao from fighting and led her, Zhang Xiaofan, and Bi Yao deeper into the Blood-Dripping Cave to search for an exit. They discovered an ancient cultivation chamber whose writings awakened Li Xiaoyu’s Taiji Profound Clarity Path and revealed a new realm of understanding.

• Bi Yao provoked Lu Xueqi by claiming she had been feeding Zhang Xiaofan and Li Xiaoyu, and Li Xiaoyu intervened before the two women could fight.
• Li Xiaoyu persuaded the group to search the cave for another exit, assigned their positions, and led them deeper inside.
• The four entered a vast stone chamber with a statue, scattered magical artifacts, and walls covered in ancient writing that Bi Yao identified as connected to the Joyous Union Sect.
• Li Xiaoyu and the others read the defiant words and profound cultivation theory carved on the walls, and Li Xiaoyu’s Taiji Profound Clarity Path began operating on its own.

Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, Bi Yao, and Zhang Xiaofan comprehended the Heavenly Tome in the Blood-Dripping Cave, transforming their abilities and helping Zhang Xiaofan break through to the fifth layer of the Jade Purity Realm. They then discovered the former master's remains and a mysterious Joyous Union Bell in a hidden bedchamber.

• Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, Bi Yao, and Zhang Xiaofan recognized the writing on the cave wall as the legendary Heavenly Tome and sat down to study it.
• The four gained new insights as their existing techniques resonated with the Heavenly Tome, and Zhang Xiaofan's Buddhist and Daoist methods merged.
• Zhang Xiaofan broke through to the fifth layer of the Jade Purity Realm, while Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, and Bi Yao also strengthened their understanding and abilities.
• After the four awakened, Bi Yao noticed another chamber and opened it despite Zhang Xiaofan's warning.
• Bi Yao found the former master's skeleton holding a glowing Golden Bell and identified it as the Joyous Union Bell.

Bi Yao discovered Madam Golden Bell’s letter about the Love Obsession Curse, and the four companions grew closer as they searched for a way out of the Blood-Dripping Cave. The Joyous Union Bell led them to an underground river and an apparent exit, where Great Black Leeches attacked.

• Bi Yao read Madam Golden Bell’s letter and learned that the Love Obsession Curse could save someone at the cost of the caster’s soul and chance of rebirth.
• Bi Yao asked what they would do if a loved one sacrificed herself to save them, and Zhang Xiaofan and Li Xiaoyu expressed their resolve to protect the people they loved.
• After several days of recovery, Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, Bi Yao, and Zhang Xiaofan planned their escape from the Blood-Dripping Cave.
• Bi Yao used the Joyous Union Bell to sense spiritual energy, guiding the group through the tunnels to an underground river and a cave opening on the far bank.
• Several Great Black Leech tentacles burst from the river, and the four companions summoned their magical treasures to fight back.

Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, Bi Yao, and Zhang Xiaofan combined their powers to defeat the Great Black Leech and escape the Abyss of the Dead. After parting ways with Bi Yao and Zhang Xiaofan, Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi traveled together and stopped to rest in Little Pond Town.

• Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, Bi Yao, and Zhang Xiaofan joined their powers in a single strike that destroyed the Great Black Leech and split the underground river.
• The four escaped the Abyss of the Dead and emerged into the sunlight.
• Bi Yao thanked Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi, then flew away after telling Zhang Xiaofan she might visit him again.
• Zhang Xiaofan thanked Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi before flying back toward Green Cloud Mountain to report to his master.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi flew together for several days, then landed near Little Pond Town to rest.

Li Xiaoyu learned that a demon near Black Stone Cave had been draining livestock and had recently killed a man, Liu Erlai. He decided to investigate, and Lu Xueqi joined him as they flew north toward the cave.

• Li Xiaoyu checked into the Fortune Inn with Lu Xueqi and heard townspeople discuss livestock disappearing and leaving behind blood and a foul stench.
• An old man told Li Xiaoyu that authorities had found drained animal remains near Black Stone Cave and that Liu Erlai had recently been found dead there.
• Li Xiaoyu decided to investigate Black Stone Cave, and Lu Xueqi firmly agreed to go with him.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi quietly left the inn, summoned their flying swords, and headed north toward Black Stone Cave.

Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi confronted a powerful Three-Tailed Demon Fox in Black Stone Cave after finding signs of bloodshed and demonic energy. Their combined attack wounded her, but Li Xiaoyu realized she had been holding back and did not intend to kill them.

• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi entered Black Stone Cave and found a Three-Tailed Demon Fox waiting beside a bonfire.
• Li Xiaoyu accused the fox demon of killing people and livestock, while she replied that she had no choice.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi attacked together, but the fox demon blocked their swords and drove them back with a rain of flames.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi combined their techniques into a powerful sword aura, which broke through the fox demon's flame dragon and wounded her.
• Li Xiaoyu noticed that the fox demon's attacks had not been aimed at killing them and sensed sorrow and despair in her eyes.

Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi learned that the Three-Tailed Demon Fox had been consuming lifeblood to keep the gravely wounded Six-Tailed Demon Fox alive. Six-Tail revealed the Incense Burning Valley’s massacre of his clan and the fatal wound Shangguan Ce had dealt him, leaving Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi with the truth behind the foxes’ desperate flight.

• Li Xiaoyu persuaded the Three-Tailed Demon Fox to let him and Lu Xueqi talk, promising they would judge her actions rather than her kind.
• A voice from another cave asked the Three-Tailed Demon Fox to let them in, and the two Qingyun Disciples discovered the dying Six-Tailed Demon Fox.
• Six-Tail apologized for the Three-Tailed Demon Fox’s actions and confirmed that she had consumed lifeblood to save him.
• The Three-Tailed Demon Fox blamed the Incense Burning Valley for Six-Tail’s wound, and Six-Tail recounted how the valley had destroyed the Nine-Tail Celestial Fox Clan.
• Six-Tail explained that Shangguan Ce had struck him with the Nine Cold Freezing Thorn as he fled with the Mystic Fire Mirror, and that the Three-Tailed Demon Fox had been prolonging his life while searching for a cure.

Li Xiaoyu used the Immortal-Slaying Gourd to draw the deadly cold poison from the Six-Tailed Demon Fox, hoping to save him. The poison was removed, but the fox’s life force remained nearly extinguished as a new wisp of life energy began forming inside the gourd.

• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi apologized to the fox demons for Incense Burning Valley’s deeds, and the Three-Tailed Demon Fox accepted that the blame was not theirs.
• Li Xiaoyu offered to try to save the Six-Tailed Demon Fox with his Immortal-Slaying Gourd, and the Three-Tailed Demon Fox agreed to trust him and not interrupt.
• Li Xiaoyu used the gourd to draw the cold poison out of the Six-Tailed Demon Fox, enduring the frigid energy as Lu Xueqi and the Three-Tailed Demon Fox watched anxiously.
• Li Xiaoyu removed all the cold poison, but the Six-Tailed Demon Fox remained near death, and Li Xiaoyu told the Three-Tailed Demon Fox that the treatment was not over.
• Li Xiaoyu found that the gourd had formed a new frost-white cloud and that a wisp of life-filled green energy was beginning to appear at its center.

Li Xiaoyu used Wood Vitality to save the Six-Tailed Demon Fox, then accepted the Mystic Fire Mirror and promised to rescue the Nine-Tail Celestial Fox from Incense Burning Valley. He left the cave carrying the mirror and a dangerous obligation.

• Li Xiaoyu infused the Six-Tailed Demon Fox with Wood Vitality, restoring his heartbeat, but fainted from the effort.
• Li Xiaoyu woke after a day and a night to find his strength restored and his Cultivation at the peak of the Jade Purity Realm Seventh Layer.
• Lu Xueqi told Li Xiaoyu that the Six-Tailed Demon Fox was recovering at a spirit spring.
• The Three-Tailed Demon Fox thanked Li Xiaoyu and offered him the Mystic Fire Mirror, explaining that her husband had taken it from Incense Burning Valley and been injured.
• The Three-Tailed Demon Fox asked Li Xiaoyu to rescue her imprisoned mother-in-law, the Nine-Tail Celestial Fox.
• Li Xiaoyu accepted the Mystic Fire Mirror and swore to rescue the Nine-Tail Celestial Fox.

The Six-Tailed Demon Fox advised Li Xiaoyu about his magical treasure and taught him a Fox Clan flame-control secret art before Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi left Black Stone Cave. On their return journey to the Green Cloud Sect, the two grew closer, and Li Xiaoyu told Lu Xueqi that she was his god.

• The Six-Tailed Demon Fox warned Li Xiaoyu that his Wine Gourd would require rare treasures to grow and taught him a Fox Clan secret art to control the Mystic Fire Mirror.
• The Six-Tailed Demon Fox shared what he knew about Incense Burning Valley and the Mystic Fire Altar, warning Li Xiaoyu to beware of Shangguan Ce.
• After resting for two days, Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi bid farewell to the Three-Tailed Demon Fox and Six-Tailed Demon Fox and set off for the Green Cloud Sect.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi traveled home together, sharing stories and growing closer as they visited mountains, towns, and rivers.
• When Lu Xueqi asked whether gods existed, Li Xiaoyu told her that his god was beside him.

Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi reached Liubo Mountain after learning that the Demon Sect had gathered there, and found the righteous sects facing a mysterious, fortified enemy. In the Green Cloud Sect camp, they reunited with Zhang Xiaofan and encountered Jin Ping'er, who claimed she had come to investigate a strange beast.

• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi heard that the Demon Sect had mobilized at Liubo Mountain and hurried east toward the East Sea.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi arrived at Liubo Mountain and learned that the Demon Sect had fortified its peak and repelled several assaults.
• Li Xiaoyu reunited with Zhang Xiaofan, who admitted he had secretly followed his master because he was worried about Bi Yao.
• Jin Ping'er approached Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi, teased them about their relationship, and said she had come to see a strange beast.
• Li Xiaoyu took Lu Xueqi and Zhang Xiaofan toward the central tent, while Jin Ping'er called after them.

Jin Ping'er warned Li Xiaoyu that the Demon Sect leaders planned to use the Kui Ox gathering to eliminate the young disciples of the three righteous sects. Li Xiaoyu urged the leaders to strike first and began outlining a three-pronged plan to turn the Demon Sect’s trap against them.

• Jin Ping'er told Li Xiaoyu that the Ghost King Sect, Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, and Longevity Hall intended to wipe out the young elites of the righteous sects, then left.
• Li Xiaoyu brought Lu Xueqi and Zhang Xiaofan to the Green Cloud Sect’s central tent and reported Jin Ping'er's warning to Daoist Daoxuan and the other leaders.
• Daoist Cangsong dismissed Li Xiaoyu’s intelligence as hearsay and accused him of being bewitched, but Daoist Daoxuan asked him to continue.
• Li Xiaoyu proposed striking first and using the Demon Sect’s plan against them, arguing that their forces were trapped on the main peak while the righteous sects remained mobile.
• Li Xiaoyu began presenting a three-route strategy, assigning Li Xun and Yan Hong to lead a frontal feint against the Demon Sect.

Li Xiaoyu won approval for a three-pronged assault on the Demon Sect and led the Green Cloud Sect’s force toward its supplies. Near the target cave, he discovered a disguised Green Cloud Sect disciple among the Demon Sect guards.

• Li Xiaoyu proposed that Heavenly Sound Temple attack from the flank while the Green Cloud Sect circled behind the Demon Sect to strike its logistics and command center, and Daoist Daoxuan approved the plan.
• As the forces prepared to attack at midnight, Zhang Xiaofan worried about the operation, so Li Xiaoyu reassured him and gave him a protective jade talisman.
• Li Xiaoyu led Lu Xueqi, Zhang Xiaofan, and Green Cloud Sect elites around the main peak, where they silently eliminated a Demon Sect patrol and climbed toward a supply cave.
• Near the cave, Li Xiaoyu sensed someone concealing the Taiji Profound Clarity Path and spotted an inconspicuous guard whose true cultivation was far higher than it appeared.

Xiao Yicai destroyed the Demon Sect’s supplies while undercover, but Li Xiaoyu stopped him from rushing into a full assault. They decided to wait and exploit divisions among the Demon Sect’s three factions.

• Xiao Yicai lured Demon Sect disciples into a cave, triggered an explosion that destroyed the supplies, and escaped through a hidden exit.
• Li Xiaoyu confronted Xiao Yicai and revealed that he had recognized the trace of the Taiji Profound Clarity Path in Xiao Yicai’s aura.
• Xiao Yicai admitted that Daoist Daoxuan had ordered him to infiltrate the Demon Sect and sabotage its plans.
• Xiao Yicai proposed joining the other disciples for a full assault, but Li Xiaoyu warned that the Ghost King, Poison God, and Yu Yangzi had not yet appeared.
• Li Xiaoyu proposed waiting in the shadows and worsening the Demon Sect factions’ infighting before attacking, and Xiao Yicai accepted his strategic judgment.