Recaps

Li Xuancang overwhelmed the Sky-Crippled Old Man, but the old man escaped after unleashing two evil artifacts. The group returned to the commandery city, where Li Xuancang arranged for Wang Dalong and his brother to be publicly executed while Huang Huayuan recovered so he could track their enemy.

• Li Xuancang broke the Sky-Crippled Old Man's spine, but the old man sacrificed much of his cultivation to escape his grasp and repair his body.
• The Sky-Crippled Old Man unleashed the compass and Hundred-Infant Banner to trap and attack Li Xuancang, but Li Xuancang broke through the barrier and battered the artifacts until they cracked.
• The Sky-Crippled Old Man fled into the dark forest and detonated the two artifacts to cover his escape, leaving Li Xuancang with only flesh wounds.
• Huang Huayuan told Li Xuancang he had planted a tracking method on the Sky-Crippled Old Man, but needed to recover before using it.
• Li Xuancang and the others returned to the commandery city, where Huang Huayuan and Liu Qingyao recovered with Zhang Tianxuan's help.
• Li Xuancang ordered Wang Dalong and his brother to be executed by slow slicing at noon the next day.

Li Xuancang had the Wang Dalong brothers publicly executed by death of a thousand cuts, avenging their victims and frightening the jianghu forces. After the crowd dispersed, the surviving jianghu figures decided to lie low while Li Xuancang remained in Flowing Cloud Commandery.

• Citizens gathered to watch as Wang Xiaoniu brought the crippled Wang Dalong brothers to the execution platform and forced them to kneel.
• Wang Xiaoniu broke the brothers’ legs after they refused to kneel and invoked the Northern Liang King's Heir.
• At the third quarter of noon, executioners began cutting the brothers apart while Li Xuancang watched them curse him.
• The executioners continued until sunset, and Li Xuancang ordered the brothers’ remains thrown outside the city to feed wild beasts.
• Citizens thanked Li Xuancang for avenging their murdered loved ones, while jianghu figures withdrew and resolved to stay hidden.

After escaping the Wang Dalong brothers, the gravely wounded Sky-Crippled Old Man fled to the Black Miasma Abyss and begged the Devil Master for help. Seven days later, Huang Huayuan and his companions tracked him there, where Huang Huayuan chose to investigate the Demon’s lair alone.

• The Sky-Crippled Old Man reached the Black Miasma Abyss and was carried into its depths to meet the Devil Master.
• The Sky-Crippled Old Man confessed his failure to collect Origin-Nurturing Fetal Breath, and the Devil Master spared him and used demonic qi to heal his damaged foundation.
• Seven days later, Huang Huayuan, Liu Qingyao, and Zhang Tianxuan tracked the Sky-Crippled Old Man north and reached the Demon Abyss ten days afterward.
• Huang Huayuan recognized the aura of Demons, while Liu Qingyao and Zhang Tianxuan urged him to report the danger to their sect.
• Huang Huayuan refused to turn back and insisted on investigating the abyss alone as a member of the Prison Tiger Bureau.

Huang Huayuan, Zhang Tianxuan, and Liu Qingyao discovered a terrifying Demon sealed in the Black Miasma Abyss and rushed to warn Li Xuancang. As the authorities sealed off the area and sought help, Evil Cultivators continued feeding the Demon until its chains began to crack.

• Huang Huayuan, Zhang Tianxuan, and Liu Qingyao entered the Black Miasma Abyss and were badly injured by a wisp of the Demon’s power.
• Huang Huayuan ordered the group to retreat, then told Li Xuancang that a catastrophic Demon lay beneath the abyss.
• Huang Huayuan and his companions asked Li Xuancang to seek aid and returned to guard the abyss while they awaited their sect’s experts.
• Li Xuancang sent Nangong Zhan with a letter for Du Tianhao and ordered the authorities to keep civilians away from the abyss.
• Evil Cultivators delivered large amounts of flesh and blood to the Demon, whose chains cracked as it struggled against its seal.

Li Xuancang ignored Du Tianfeng's order to abandon Flowing Cloud Commandery and went to the Demon Abyss to rescue Huang Huayuan, Zhang Tianxuan, and Liu Qingyao from Evil Cultivators. He faced Black Plains Old Man, Life-Taking Scholar, and their allies, while the Prison Tiger Bureau fighters prepared to stand with him.

• Du Tianfeng ordered Li Xuancang to withdraw from Flowing Cloud Commandery after learning that terrifying Demons threatened the region.
• Li Xuancang chose to remain, sent Yang Tiangang back to Peace Prefecture City with a letter, and went toward the Demon Abyss with several guards.
• Huang Huayuan, Zhang Tianxuan, and Liu Qingyao were overwhelmed by dozens of Evil Cultivators, and Zhang Tianxuan was gravely wounded while saving Huang Huayuan.
• Li Xuancang arrived in time to block the burly man's fatal strike against Zhang Tianxuan and knocked the attacker back.
• Black Plains Old Man and Life-Taking Scholar joined the burly man, and the Evil Cultivators surrounded Li Xuancang as Huang Huayuan, Zhang Tianxuan, and Liu Qingyao rallied beside him.

Li Xuancang confronted Savage Battle, Life-Taking Scholar, and Black Plains Old Man, overpowering them and killing Savage Battle despite being frozen by an icy arrow. After wiping out several Evil Cultivators, he turned on Black Plains Old Man and Life-Taking Scholar, while Ye Wuchen joined them and Huang Huayuan's group fought the remaining Astral Qi Realm enemies.

• Savage Battle, Life-Taking Scholar, and Black Plains Old Man attacked Li Xuancang, but he shattered Savage Battle's Sword Qi, caught his heavy sword barehanded, and emerged unharmed from Black Plains Old Man's giant hand.
• Li Xuancang grievously wounded Savage Battle with a punch and killed him with the heavy sword, even as Life-Taking Scholar's icy arrow struck and froze him.
• Li Xuancang broke free of the ice, killed five Blood Condensation Realm Evil Cultivators, and charged at Black Plains Old Man and Life-Taking Scholar.
• Ye Wuchen joined Black Plains Old Man and Life-Taking Scholar against Li Xuancang, while Huang Huayuan's group fought the other three Astral Qi Realm Evil Cultivators.

Li Xuancang overwhelmed the Evil Cultivators in the Abyss, killing Life-Taking Scholar and escaping with Black Plains Old Man as reinforcements arrived. After reaching safety, Li Xuancang killed Black Plains Old Man, while Huang Huayuan warned that the Demons might soon escape the Abyss.

• Ye Wuchen and his allies unleashed their strongest attacks, but Li Xuancang emerged unharmed and seized Life-Taking Scholar.
• Li Xuancang struck down Ye Wuchen and Black Plains Old Man, shattered Life-Taking Scholar's freezing power, and killed him.
• As more than a dozen Evil Cultivators, including two Late Astral Qi Realm experts, approached, Li Xuancang grabbed Black Plains Old Man and led Huang Huayuan and the others out of the Abyss.
• The Devil Master's servants met Ye Wuchen and his group inside the Abyss and led them deeper after confirming their exchange.
• Once they were safe, Li Xuancang killed Black Plains Old Man, and Huang Huayuan warned that the Evil Cultivators could help the Demons escape soon.

Li Xuancang prepared to withdraw from Flowing Cloud Commandery under the court’s orders, but Du Tianfeng arrived with new orders to stop a great demon from escaping the Abyss. Du Tianfeng revealed his Demon-Sealing Nail and promised to protect Li Xuancang’s family if they died, leaving their perilous battle ahead.

• Li Xuancang persuaded Huang Huayuan and the other Prison Tiger Bureau cultivators to retreat to Flowing Cloud Commandery City, then told them the court had ordered him to withdraw his army to Peace Prefecture City.
• Huang Huayuan and the others accepted Li Xuancang’s decision and parted from him without blaming him for abandoning Flowing Cloud Commandery’s people.
• Nangong Zhan summoned Li Xuancang, who rushed to his tent and found Du Tianfeng waiting there.
• Du Tianfeng explained that the Commandant Lord had sent him to stop the great demon, which Prince Fu had joined forces with, from escaping the Abyss.
• Li Xuancang warned Du Tianfeng that their forces could not overcome the great demon and its Astral Qi Realm allies, but Du Tianfeng said he carried a Demon-Sealing Nail that might delay the escape until reinforcements arrived.
• Du Tianfeng told Li Xuancang that the battle would decide the fate of Peace Prefecture and promised the Commandant Lord would place Li Xuancang’s family under the Du Family’s protection if they perished.

Du Tianfeng, Li Xuancang, and their allies entered the Demon Abyss to stop the Great Demon from escaping, but the demonic qi suppressed most of them and the defenders held firm. As their forces weakened and the seal began to crack, the battle turned increasingly desperate.

• Du Tianfeng led Li Xuancang, three Colonels, and Huang Huayuan and his two companions into the Demon Abyss.
• The demonic qi suppressed seven of the eight intruders, while Ye Wuchen and the other defenders prepared to kill Du Tianfeng and Li Xuancang.
• Du Tianfeng fought two late-stage demonic servants as Li Xuancang attacked Ye Wuchen and three other Evil Cultivators, and the three Colonels battled the demonic servants.
• Huang Huayuan and his companions used the Evil-Suppressing Demon-Binding Formation to counter the demonic qi, but the defenders' home-ground advantage wore down the intruders.
• The Great Demon struggled against its chains as the seal cracked, while the exhausted intruders remained unable to break through the defenders' line.

As Prince Fu's Residence and the demonic forces overwhelmed the fighters in the Demon Abyss, Du Tianfeng and Li Xuancang fought to open a path toward the great demon. Du Tianfeng entered the depths to use the Demon-Sealing Nail while Li Xuancang held off the demonic servants, and the evil cultivators abandoned the battle.

• Du Tianfeng took a medicinal pill, crippled the two Late Astral Qi Realm demonic servants, and collapsed from the demonic qi backlash.
• Li Xuancang broke through and defeated an evil cultivator, then joined Du Tianfeng in charging toward the depths of the Demon Abyss.
• Huang Huayuan and the other two strengthened their formation while the three Colonels held back the demonic forces, allowing Du Tianfeng and Li Xuancang to advance.
• Li Xuancang stayed behind to fight Puppet One and Puppet Two while Du Tianfeng pushed farther into the Demon Abyss.
• Li Xuancang overpowered the two demonic servants and kept them from pursuing Du Tianfeng.
• The three remaining evil cultivators from Prince Fu's Residence withdrew with the Blood Condensation Realm evil cultivators, leaving Sky-Crippled Old Man and the demonic forces behind.

Du Tianfeng used the Demon-Sealing Nail to suppress the great demon and reinforce its failing seal, then collapsed from his injuries. As the group fled the Demon Abyss, Li Xuancang stayed behind to face the eleven demon servants.

• Du Tianfeng reached the sealed core of the Demon Abyss and found a colossal sheep-shaped great demon close to breaking free.
• Du Tianfeng drove the Demon-Sealing Nail into the great demon, suppressing its demonic qi and strengthening the four remaining chains.
• Du Tianfeng collapsed as the group realized the chains would not hold for long, and the demon servants attacked them in a rage.
• Li Xuancang carried the unconscious Du Tianfeng out while a Colonel was killed by a demon servant.
• Li Xuancang handed Du Tianfeng to Huang Huayuan and stayed behind to hold off the eleven demon servants as the others escaped.

Li Xuancang drove the demonic servants back from the Demon Abyss and returned with Du Tianfeng to suppress unrest in Peace Prefecture City. There, Ye Wuchen forced Prince Fu’s allies to commit to rebellion by killing a leader who urged them to wait for confirmation of Du Tianfeng’s death.

• Li Xuancang withstood the demonic servants’ attacks, killed one of them, and sent the others fleeing into the Demon Abyss.
• Li Xuancang reunited with Huang Huayuan and the others, then returned to Flowing Cloud Commandery City, where Du Tianfeng awakened and ordered an immediate return to Peace Prefecture City.
• Li Xuancang agreed to escort Du Tianfeng back with three thousand Battle Soldiers, while Huang Huayuan and the others stayed in Flowing Cloud Commandery.
• Ye Wuchen gathered Prince Fu’s allies in the Yan Lineage’s secret chamber and urged them to act before Du Tianfeng could return.
• When a faction leader proposed waiting to confirm Du Tianfeng’s death, Ye Wuchen killed him with a blast of Palm Qi, leaving the gathered leaders terrified and silent.

Ye Wuchen forced Peace Prefecture’s powers to support Prince Fu’s takeover, while the Marquis of Peace Prefecture pretended to surrender, killed the envoy, and ordered his family to flee. Prince Fu’s allies then began coordinated attacks across the city.

• Ye Wuchen killed a hesitant man and threatened Peace Prefecture’s powers into obeying Prince Fu’s orders.
• Yan Yuanlong and the other local forces pledged their support, and Ye Wuchen ordered them to attack government officials, surround the military camp, and seize Peace Prefecture City.
• A scholar told Lin Zhenyue that the Six-Eyed Sheep Demon would soon break free and urged him to surrender to Prince Fu.
• Lin Zhenyue feigned submission, then killed the scholar and ordered his sons to evacuate the Marquis Estate through a secret passage, leaving the Pei Family uninformed.
• The Yan Lineage, Jadewave Pavilion, Fierce Tiger Hall, and other Prince Fu allies mobilized and split into three forces targeting the military camp, the State Shepherd Residence, and prominent families.

Ye Wuchen’s forces launched a night attack on Peace Prefecture City, catching its factions and the Battle Soldiers off guard. By dawn, the city remained engulfed in fighting as Li Xuancang and Du Tianfeng hurried back with their army.

• Ye Wuchen led several thousand men in a surprise assault on the military camp, where the Battle Soldiers were nearly wiped out.
• Du Xiong evacuated the Li Family through a hidden passage after Evil Cultivators attacked the city.
• Qian Qianshan helped Liu Qingyuan flee the prefectural governor’s residence, but the seized city gates forced them to change course.
• The Pei Family suffered heavy losses while fleeing, and Pei Hongwen led his family to hide among ordinary citizens.
• The Iron Fist Sect fought its way toward the Heavenly Dipper Sect as other factions organized resistance there.
• At dawn, the governor’s residence lay in ruins, the Battle Soldiers had been almost completely destroyed, and Li Xuancang and Du Tianfeng raced back to the city.

Ye Wuchen’s rebel forces surrounded the Heavenly Dipper Sect and trapped its gathered survivors inside an evil formation. As the civilians learned that Peace Prefecture City had fallen, the sect’s defenders searched for a way to escape while facing the loss of all hope for reinforcements.

• Ye Wuchen ordered his forces to surround the Heavenly Dipper Sect and wait for experts from Prince Fu's Residence rather than risk a direct assault.
• Duan Tian told the gathered survivors they had to hold their ground, and Liu Qingyuan revealed that Du Tianfeng was confronting a great demon while Prince Fu had allied with it.
• Liu Qingyuan explained that the Peace Prefecture Army could not help because Cloud Prefecture's army had attacked, leaving the survivors to consider breaking out of the city.
• An evil formation surrounded the Heavenly Dipper Sect, killed cultivators who attacked its barrier, and trapped everyone inside.
• Duan Tian urged the survivors to search for the formation eye, while Ye Wuchen's side watched them and the city's civilians learned that the gates were controlled by traitors.

Du Xiong led the Li Family toward Flowing Cloud Commandery after telling them Li Xuancang might have died, but they soon reunited with Li Xuancang and his army. Li Xuancang brought his family with him as he returned to Peace Prefecture City to suppress the rebellion, while Du Xiong went to tend to the wounded Du Tianfeng.

• Du Xiong urged the Li Family to flee to the imperial capital, but Father Li and Mother Li insisted on going to Flowing Cloud Commandery to find Li Xuancang.
• Du Xiong agreed to take the Li Family toward Flowing Cloud Commandery, and three days later they hid from an approaching army before recognizing Li Xuancang's banners.
• Li Xuancang reunited with his parents and elder sister's family, who were relieved to find him safe.
• Du Xiong explained the upheaval in Peace Prefecture City, and Li Xuancang thanked him for protecting the Li Family and revealed that Du Tianfeng was wounded in a carriage.
• Li Xuancang invited his family to accompany him as he returned to Peace Prefecture City to suppress the rebellion, then discussed the situation with Du Tianfeng on the march.

Li Xuancang led his army back to Peace Prefecture City while the rebels hunted survivors and trapped the Pei Family. The Pei Family was discovered and forced to flee, and Li Xuancang launched an assault on the city, revealing his overwhelming strength.

• Du Tianfeng told Li Xuancang that Cloud Prefecture's army had likely attacked, and Li Xuancang resolved to retake Peace Prefecture City.
• Pei Hongwen learned that the Pei Family lacked the strength to escape and vowed they would never submit to the rebels or Evil Cultivators.
• The rebels discovered the Pei Family's hiding place, and Pei Hongyuan fought through their encirclement while the others fled under pursuit.
• Li Xuancang reached Peace Prefecture City, left one thousand Battle Soldiers to protect Du Tianfeng and the Li Family, and led the rest in an assault on the walls.
• Li Xuancang leapt onto the city wall and slaughtered the rebels with such force that the Li Family members were shocked by his power.

Li Xuancang returned to Peace Prefecture City, routed the rebels, and rescued the surrounded Pei Family from Hu Kui. He left to continue suppressing the rebellion, while the Pei Family was left ashamed of having rejected him and Pei Qingyuan began to see him differently.

• Li Xuancang broke through the city gate, and his army routed the leaderless rebels as Sun Hu fled to warn the Heavenly Dipper Sect.
• The rebels surrounded the wounded Pei Family, and Hu Kui moved to assault Pei Qingyuan and the other women while Wei Feng restrained Pei Hongwen.
• Li Xuancang arrived, killed Hu Kui, rescued Pei Hongwen, and drove the rebels into a panicked retreat.
• The Pei Family thanked Li Xuancang, who said suppressing the rebels was his duty and left without looking at Pei Qingyuan.

Li Xuancang led his army to the Heavenly Dipper Sect and fought Ye Wuchen and thirteen Astral Qi Realm experts, overwhelming them with his growing strength. As the battle continued, the people trapped inside the evil formation found its formation eye and began breaking free, threatening to turn the fight against Ye Wuchen’s forces.

• Sun Hu warned the Heavenly Dipper Sect that Li Xuancang had returned to kill them, and Ye Wuchen rallied the rebels to fight him together.
• Li Xuancang arrived and struck Ye Wuchen, whose protective barrier failed to prevent him from being injured by the blow.
• Ye Wuchen ordered his forces to attack, and Li Xuancang fought thirteen Astral Qi Realm experts at once, suppressing them with his iron fists.
• Du Xiong and Du Tianfeng watched Li Xuancang’s overwhelming strength, and Du Tianfeng acknowledged that his former disciple had surpassed him.
• The people trapped inside the evil formation attacked it while Ye Wuchen was absent, exposed its formation eye, and began to break it, alarming the rebels outside.

Li Xuancang helped Duan Tian and the others defeat the rebels and reclaim Peace Prefecture City, then returned to the military camp to protect his family. Meanwhile, Cloud Prefecture’s overwhelming force and the experts recruited by Prince Fu’s Residence pushed the Peace Prefecture Army to the brink at the border.

• Li Xuancang broke through the rebels’ formation and helped Duan Tian’s forces rout them from Peace Prefecture City.
• Five Late Astral Qi Realm experts from Prince Fu’s Residence attacked Li Xuancang, but he survived their combined strike with only superficial wounds.
• Ye Wuchen and Yao Guangxing led the rebel leaders in retreat, while Li Xuancang abandoned the pursuit to stay near his family.
• Duan Tian and the others slaughtered the remaining rebels and recovered Peace Prefecture City.
• Cloud Prefecture sent one hundred thousand troops and hundreds of Evil Cultivators against the thirty-thousand-strong Peace Prefecture Army, and Prince Fu’s recruited experts joined the attack.

Du Tianhao and Prince Fu's chief commander fought above the battlefield while Evil Cultivators devastated the Peace Prefecture Army with corpse puppets, blood fog, and attacks on soldiers' souls. Du Tianhao opened a breach for his army to escape, but the Cloud Prefecture Army pursued them.

• Du Tianhao rejected the chief commander's offer to abandon the imperial court, and the two clashed, each injuring the other before restraining one another.
• Several hundred Evil Cultivators raised fallen soldiers as Corpse Puppets and unleashed blood fog and vengeful souls against the Peace Prefecture Army.
• The Peace Prefecture Army's formations collapsed as its soldiers and commanders suffered heavy casualties, and Du Tianhao ordered a retreat.
• The Cloud Prefecture Army cut off the Peace Prefecture Army's route, but Du Tianhao forced the chief commander downward and opened a breach for his soldiers.
• The Peace Prefecture Army fled through the breach as the Cloud Prefecture Army pursued them, intent on killing them all.

After the Peace Prefecture Army was routed, panic and unrest spread through Peace Prefecture City as Li Xuancang tried to keep order. The weakened Pei Family remained trapped and vulnerable, while Pei Qingyuan faced blame for the calamity and Lin Jingtan’s silence.

• The defeated Peace Prefecture Army retreated toward the city as the Cloud Prefecture army advanced, prompting residents and factions to prepare to flee.
• Li Xuancang deployed Battle Soldiers and government offices to suppress disorder in Peace Prefecture City, while allowing factions to leave.
• Pei Hongwen and Elder Pei decided they could not safely escape through the Qilian Mountains and worried that rioters would attack the undefended Pei Residence.
• Pei Hongwen took the Lineage’s treasured items and left to ask Li Xuancang for troops to guard the residence, while the Pei Family members remained on high alert.
• Pei Family members blamed Pei Qingyuan for the family’s losses and criticized her choice of Lin Jingtan; she felt unable to defend herself and grieved over his silence.

Pei Hongwen sought Battle Soldier protection for the Pei Residence from Li Xuancang, but Li Xuancang refused, citing a lack of manpower and his desire to keep the Pei Family at a distance. Pei Hongwen returned with the rejected gifts as Pei Family clansmen blamed Pei Qingyuan and challenged his authority.

• Pei Qingyuan told Wan Cui not to confront the Pei Family clansmen, recognizing that her father would not defend her and the Pei Residence depended on their support.
• Li Xuancang refused Huang Tianyun’s silver and treasures but sent one hundred Battle Soldiers and fifty yamen runners to protect his residence in repayment for Huang Tianyun’s past help.
• Pei Hongwen arrived to request Battle Soldier protection for the Pei Residence and offered Li Xuancang silver and treasures.
• Li Xuancang refused Pei Hongwen’s request, promised only to have patrols make more rounds near the Pei Residence, and returned the gifts.
• Pei Family clansmen questioned why Huang Tianyun had received protection, blamed Pei Qingyuan for their troubles, and criticized Pei Hongwen’s discipline of his children.

Tie Shanhe and the gang factions plotted to loot the weakened Pei Family before fleeing Peace Prefecture, and they attacked the Pei Residence that night. The attackers killed nearly everyone and escaped, while Pei Hongwen and several relatives remained hidden in the secret chamber; Li Xuancang was awakened with news of the massacre.

• Tie Shanhe urged the gang leaders to plunder the Pei Family and flee before Cloud Prefecture's army arrived, and they agreed to prepare their disciples for departure.
• After Li Xuancang increased patrols around the Pei Residence, masked attackers broke in and slaughtered the Pei Family members, servants, and guards.
• Pei Hongwen, Old Master Pei, and several female relatives hid in the secret chamber as the attackers looted the residence and fled when the patrol returned.
• The Battle Soldiers found the Pei Residence covered in corpses and reported the extermination to Li Xuancang.
• Nangong Zhan woke Li Xuancang and informed him that the Pei Residence had been exterminated.

Li Xuancang investigated the massacre at the Pei Residence, then confronted the Heavenly Dipper Sect after learning it and several gangs had carried out the attack. Duan Tian ordered the city’s martial factions to stop attacking officials and aristocratic clans, provoking an angry uproar.

• Li Xuancang inspected the Pei Residence, ordered the bodies collected, and learned that Pei Hongwen and his family were missing.
• Pei Hongwen and the survivors emerged from a secret chamber at dawn, and Old Master Pei collapsed after seeing the bodies.
• Li Xuancang strengthened patrols as fear spread through the city, and Provincial Governor Liu Qingyuan moved his family into the military camp.
• Nangong Zhan reported that the Iron Fist Sect and several gangs had attacked the Pei Residence but escaped arrest.
• Li Xuancang visited the Heavenly Dipper Sect, and Duan Tian later summoned the city’s gangs and forbade them from attacking officials or great aristocratic clans.
• The gathered martial factions angrily challenged Duan Tian’s order and accused the Heavenly Dipper Sect of serving the court.