Chapter Summaries

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.

Blood-Sucking Old Demon attacked the Orthodox Alliance camp, but Li Xiaoyu’s Immortal-Slaying Gourd suppressed the fiend’s Blood Skull. Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, Zhang Xiaofan, and Xiao Yicai prepared to fight him as Tian Buyi stood ready to protect them.

• A bloodlust-filled aura swept over Liubo Mountain, and Li Xiaoyu and Xiao Yicai raced toward its source.
• Tian Buyi and Master Shuiyue discovered that Blood-Sucking Old Demon had drained the blood and vital essence from several Orthodox patrol disciples.
• Li Xiaoyu arrived with Lu Xueqi, Zhang Xiaofan, and Xiao Yicai, and Blood-Sucking Old Demon attacked him with the Blood Skull.
• The Immortal-Slaying Gourd suppressed the Blood Skull’s suction, shocking Blood-Sucking Old Demon and the gathered Orthodox experts.
• Lu Xueqi, Zhang Xiaofan, and Xiao Yicai joined Li Xiaoyu, while Tian Buyi stepped aside but remained ready to support them.
• Blood-Sucking Old Demon summoned a thick blood mist and threatened the four young fighters.

Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, Zhang Xiaofan, and Xiao Yicai fought the Blood-Sucking Old Demon with coordinated attacks and forced him to flee. The four Jade Purity Realm disciples celebrated their victory as the righteous alliance cheered.

• Li Xiaoyu attacked the Blood-Sucking Old Demon with Geng Metal Sword Qi, drawing his attention.
• Lu Xueqi struck the demon with the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique and pinned him behind a blood shield.
• Zhang Xiaofan smashed through the demon’s defenses with the Fire Poker, leaving him exposed to Xiao Yicai’s strike.
• The Blood-Sucking Old Demon used Blood Demon Disintegration to escape, and Li Xiaoyu’s Immortal-Slaying Gourd failed to stop him.
• The righteous alliance cheered as Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, Zhang Xiaofan, and Xiao Yicai praised one another for their teamwork.

After realizing the Blood-Sucking Old Demon had been a diversion, Li Xiaoyu led the righteous cultivators to Liubo Mountain’s main peak, where the Demon Sect’s ritual summoned the ancient beast Kui Ox. The Kui Ox emerged from the sea, leaving both sides stunned by its overwhelming power.

• Li Xiaoyu suspected the Blood-Sucking Old Demon’s attack had been a diversion and warned that the Demon Sect was performing a ritual on Liubo Mountain’s main peak.
• Li Xiaoyu, Zhang Xiaofan, Lu Xueqi, Tian Buyi, and the other righteous cultivators rushed toward the summit.
• Ghost King Wan Renwang, Poison God, and Yu Yangzi poured demonic energy into an ancient stone disc, unleashing a storm and a vast vortex in the sea.
• The Kui Ox rose from the vortex, and its roar injured weaker righteous disciples and shook even the Upper Purity Realm experts.
• Poison God and Yu Yangzi rejoiced at the Kui Ox’s arrival as the righteous cultivators stood in awe of its might.

As the righteous sects and Demon Sect clashed over the Kui Ox, Li Xiaoyu realized the Demon Sect’s formation was draining power from the beast and the lightning. While he and his companions planned to provoke the Kui Ox to create an opening, Tian Ling'er’s jealousy and resentment drove her to seek a chance to prove herself.

• Daoist Daoxuan, Master Puhong, and Yun Yilan ordered their disciples to form arrays and attack the Kui Ox and the Demon Sect.
• Li Xiaoyu discovered that the Demon Sect’s formation was absorbing energy from the Kui Ox and the lightning, but his warning went unheard.
• The righteous sects and Demon Sect began fighting as the Kui Ox attacked both sides, and Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, Zhang Xiaofan, and Xiao Yicai defended themselves together.
• Li Xiaoyu urged his companions to provoke the Kui Ox into rampaging more violently so they could exploit the resulting chaos.
• Tian Ling'er watched Qi Hao fight, resented seeing Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi work together, and resolved to prove herself when she spotted an opportunity.

Tian Ling'er’s reckless attack on the Demon Sect’s formation caused it to run wild, unleashing blood-red lightning and driving the Kui Ox berserk. As the injured Tian Ling’er fell toward the beast’s crushing hoof, Zhang Xiaofan caught her and confronted the attack with the united power of Buddhism, Daoism, and the demonic path.

• Tian Ling'er struck a formation node with the Amber Vermilion Ribbon, triggering a violent backlash that sent her flying and threw the Demon Sect’s formation out of control.
• Blood-red lightning killed hundreds of Demon Sect members, while the backlash drove the Kui Ox mad and sent it attacking everyone on the battlefield.
• The injured Tian Ling'er fell toward the Kui Ox’s descending hoof as Tian Buyi could not reach her and Qi Hao froze in fear.
• Zhang Xiaofan rushed beneath the hoof, caught Tian Ling'er, and revealed the Taiji Profound Clarity Path and Great Brahma Prajna within himself.
• Zhang Xiaofan infused the Fire Poker with the three forces and thrust it toward the Kui Ox’s hoof.

Zhang Xiaofan wounded the Kui Ox with the Fire Poker and saved Tian Ling'er, revealing that he had secretly cultivated Buddhist and Daoist techniques. As Green Cloud Sect leaders argued over his secret, Ghost King summoned the Dragon Subduing Tripod and used it to capture the Kui Ox.

• Zhang Xiaofan used the Fire Poker to pierce the Kui Ox's hoof, then fell unconscious while protecting Tian Ling'er.
• The gathered righteous and Demon Sect fighters realized Zhang Xiaofan had cultivated the Heavenly Sound Temple's Great Brahma Prajna.
• Daoist Cangsong accused Tian Buyi and Big Bamboo Peak of treason, while Master Shuiyue defended them.
• Ghost King seized the chance created by the Green Cloud Sect's discord and summoned the Dragon Subduing Tripod.
• Ghost King sent the Dragon Subduing Tripod after the injured Kui Ox, and the enormous tripod enveloped the beast.

The Ghost King captured the Kui Ox and escaped Liubo Mountain, while the righteous sects argued over Zhang Xiaofan’s possession of Heavenly Sound Temple’s Great Brahma Prajna. Back at Green Cloud Mountain, Zhang Xiaofan was placed under house arrest as the sects prepared a joint inquiry, and he woke to face the crisis in silence.

• The Ghost King captured the Kui Ox with the Dragon Subduing Tripod and led the Demon Sect forces away after the Ghost King, Poison God, and Yu Yangzi blocked the righteous cultivators.
• Faxiang asked to take Zhang Xiaofan to Heavenly Sound Temple, but Tian Buyi refused, and Daoist Daoxuan proposed a joint inquiry with Incense Burning Valley.
• The righteous sects escorted Zhang Xiaofan toward Green Cloud Mountain, while Li Xiaoyu reassured Lu Xueqi that he would protect him.
• Daoist Daoxuan ordered Zhang Xiaofan placed under house arrest at Big Bamboo Peak and invited Master Puhong and Yun Yilan to a meeting seven days later.
• Zhang Xiaofan woke the next day, heard about his predicament from Tian Buyi, and sat in silence while holding the Fire Poker.

After hearing Li Xiaoyu’s account of Zhang Xiaofan’s predicament, Shang Zhengliang warned him that the matter exceeded the Green Cloud Sect’s control but allowed him to help. As Li Xiaoyu prepared for the trial, Zeng Shushu found an old record that could support a defense of Zhang Xiaofan.

• Shang Zhengliang listened to Li Xiaoyu’s account of the Abyss of the Dead, the Heavenly Tome, and the conflicts surrounding Zhang Xiaofan, then warned that the matter involved forces beyond their control.
• Li Xiaoyu insisted on helping Zhang Xiaofan, and Shang Zhengliang told him to proceed carefully.
• Lu Xueqi comforted Li Xiaoyu, who asked her to vouch for Zhang Xiaofan’s character at the trial’s crucial moment.
• Zeng Shushu arrived with old books and showed Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi a record that Zheng Tong and Zhen Yu, ancestors of Green Cloud Sect lineages, had once shared their knowledge.
• Zeng Shushu proposed arguing that Zhang Xiaofan had inherited Heavenly Sound Temple’s cultivation arts and studied them to unite Buddhist and Daoist teachings, making his offense less severe.

Li Xiaoyu prepared with Lu Xueqi and Zeng Shushu to defend Zhang Xiaofan at the sect trial, then visited Big Bamboo Peak and instructed Zhang Xiaofan to claim that he had inherited Great Brahma Prajna from a dying Heavenly Sound Temple elder. The chapter left the trial still ahead, with Li Xiaoyu’s plan poised to be tested.

• Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, and Zeng Shushu planned how to defend Zhang Xiaofan and counter Martial Uncle Cangsong at the hearing.
• Li Xiaoyu told Lu Xueqi to rest, and she stayed beside him as dawn approached.
• Li Xiaoyu went to Big Bamboo Peak, where Tian Buyi, Su Ru, Tian Ling'er, and the other disciples grieved over Zhang Xiaofan’s predicament.
• Li Xiaoyu helped Zhang Xiaofan up despite Tian Buyi’s initial protest and said the situation might still be salvaged.
• Li Xiaoyu told Zhang Xiaofan to say he had inherited Great Brahma Prajna from a Heavenly Sound Temple elder who saved him in Grass Temple Village.

Li Xiaoyu persuaded Zhang Xiaofan to follow a plan that could save his life, then accompanied him and Tian Buyi to Jade Purity Hall for the three sects' trial. There, Daoist Cangsong accused Zhang Xiaofan of betrayal and being a Demon Sect spy, while Big Bamboo Peak's disciples defended him.

• Li Xiaoyu convinced Zhang Xiaofan not to confess and revealed his plan to Tian Buyi, who gratefully agreed to it.
• A bell from Heaven-Reaching Peak announced the trial, and Tian Buyi led Li Xiaoyu and Zhang Xiaofan to Jade Purity Hall.
• Daoist Daoxuan presided over the trial as Zhang Xiaofan knelt before Green Cloud Sect leaders and representatives from Heavenly Sound Temple and Incense Burning Valley.
• Daoist Cangsong cited Zhang Xiaofan's Heavenly Sound Temple technique and black rod as evidence, accusing him of betraying Green Cloud Sect and spying for the Demon Sect.
• Song Daren and the other Big Bamboo Peak disciples defended Zhang Xiaofan, but Daoist Cangsong dismissed their claims and insisted he was protecting the sect.