Recaps

Li Hanguang appointed Yang Xiao as a deputy general and explained that Pei Xuance had been carrying Qingzhou’s defense while the Governor-General’s strength declined. Yang Xiao accepted the document and set out to find Pei Xuance, then asked Li Hanguang about reaching the core illumination realm with multiple pill patterns.

• Li Hanguang gave Yang Xiao an official deputy-general appointment document and explained that Pei Xuance would choose his commandery and command his assignments.
• Yang Xiao hesitated over serving under Pei Xuance, while Li Hanguang explained that Pei Xuance had been traveling Qingzhou to suppress demons as the Governor-General’s cultivation declined.
• Yang Xiao accepted the document and said he would go find Pei Xuance.
• Yang Xiao asked how many pill patterns a martial artist could have and how someone with several could advance to the core illumination realm.
• Li Hanguang said most martial artists had one pill pattern, advised Yang Xiao to ask Pei Xuance about multiple patterns, and offered to explain the ordinary breakthrough.

Li Hanguang explained how Pill Patterns and the Mystic Core shaped breakthroughs into the Core Illumination Realm, and Yang Xiao decided to head to Guanlan Commandery. The chapter ended with Zhou Zheng watching Yang Xiao leave again without taking time to rest or share a drink.

• Li Hanguang explained that one or two Pill Patterns could support a breakthrough, but multiple patterns competed for the Mystic Core's limited capacity and could damage a martial artist's foundation.
• Li Hanguang said a Pill Pattern had to become complete before its cultivator could ignite it and develop a Core Illumination field that strengthened their power and suppressed intruders.
• Li Hanguang demonstrated his earth Pill Pattern's gravity field, which made Yang Xiao's body feel unbearably heavy until Li Hanguang dismissed it.
• Yang Xiao concluded that he should complete and ignite his pattern before considering how to combine the powers of multiple patterns, then thanked Li Hanguang and announced he was leaving for Guanlan Commandery.
• Zhou Zheng met Yang Xiao outside, but Yang Xiao left immediately, leaving Zhou Zheng unable to invite him for a drink.

Yang Xiao arrived at Guanlan Commandery to report to Pei Xuance, who was away pursuing a Demon King. Pei Xuance returned that evening with a demon’s head and recognized Yang Xiao’s breakthrough to the Mysterious Core Realm, leaving the Deputy Generals uneasy about his expected appointment.

• Cai Yuanzhen verified Yang Xiao’s transfer orders and welcomed him into the Demon Suppression General’s Residence after recognizing the spear Pei Xuance had given him.
• Cai Yuanzhen told Yang Xiao that Pei Xuance had gone north to pursue a Demon King threatening Qingzhou.
• Pei Xuance returned at dusk with wounded Deputy Generals and a likely Pill Pattern Demon King’s head beside his saddle.
• Pei Xuance recognized that Yang Xiao had reached the Mysterious Core Realm and invited him into the residence.
• The Deputy Generals worried that Yang Xiao would receive a Deputy General position without earning merit.

Pei Xuance sent Yang Xiao to Blackstone Ridge to deal with a perfected Core Condensation Earthsplitter Stone Kui, using the mission to assess his strength and establish his standing among the Deputy Generals. Yang Xiao traveled toward Wushi Commandery with Old Zhao, who explained that Lü Heng had repeatedly failed to capture the demon and that Pei Xuance had been giving him time rather than pressing him.

• Pei Xuance accepted Yang Xiao's transfer document and ordered Old Zhao to take him to Blackstone Ridge to deal with the Earthsplitter Stone Kui.
• Yang Xiao accepted the assignment, declined to choose companions, and left with Old Zhao.
• Old Zhao prepared two horses, and he and Yang Xiao set out for Wushi Commandery.
• During their journey, Yang Xiao let Old Zhao examine the Army-Breaking Spear that Pei Xuance had given him.
• Old Zhao told Yang Xiao that Lü Heng had failed three times to capture the Stone Kui and that Pei Xuance had not pressed him because he was giving him a chance.

Yang Xiao arrived at Blackstone Ridge alone to take charge of the unresolved Stone Ogre problem, surprising Lü Heng and the Demon Suppression Guards with his breakthrough to Mystic Core. He headed straight for the mine, where Lü Heng explained that the nearby mining town’s three hundred residents were waiting for the beast to be killed.

• Lü Heng worried that Pei Xuance had arrived to judge his failure to defeat the Stone Ogre, but Old Zhao told him the general was not coming.
• Yang Xiao rode into camp with Old Zhao and revealed that he had reached Mystic Core, stunning the Demon Suppression Guards.
• Han Chuan resented Yang Xiao’s arrival and potential claim to the Deputy General post, while an old man warned him to respect Pei Xuance’s choice.
• Yang Xiao declined to rest in camp and asked Lü Heng to take him directly to the mine.
• Lü Heng showed Yang Xiao the mine entrance and explained that the mining town’s residents could not leave and were waiting for the Stone Ogre to be defeated.

Yang Xiao entered the Blackstone Ridge mine alone to confront the Earthsplitter Stone Kui, which had evaded the Demon Suppression Guards for a month. He ambushed the demon with a powerful spear attack, and the enraged Stone Kui repaired his damaged body and prepared to fight back.

• Lü Heng explained that the Stone Kui kept burrowing away and warned that blowing up the mine would endanger the ore vein and the town above it.
• Yang Xiao rejected Lü Heng's suggestion to lure the demon out and entered the mine alone, telling the men to wait outside.
• Old Zhao urged the camp to watch Yang Xiao and prepare to rescue him if necessary.
• The Stone Kui waited underground, amused that it had stayed near Guanlan Commandery while Pei Xuance was elsewhere.
• Yang Xiao attacked the Stone Kui with blue crystal prisms, destroying its arms and badly damaging its body.
• The Stone Kui absorbed nearby ore to heal its injuries and angrily faced Yang Xiao, dismissing the attack as his opponent's strongest move.

Yang Xiao used the Canglan Water Pattern and Army-Breaking Spear to kill the Earthsplitter Stone Kui inside the mine. He emerged less than an incense stick later, dragging the Stone Kui’s corpse before the stunned soldiers.

• The Earthsplitter Stone Kui burst from the rubble and hurled a torrent of rocks at Yang Xiao.
• Yang Xiao gathered water to block the rocks and bind the Stone Kui.
• Yang Xiao pierced the Stone Kui’s brow with the Army-Breaking Spear and shattered his body after severing his connection to the earth veins.
• Outside the mine, Han Chuan dismissed concerns about Yang Xiao as the soldiers waited for the fight to end.
• Yang Xiao emerged from the mine dragging the dead Stone Kui, leaving the soldiers speechless.

Yang Xiao killed the Earthsplitter Stone Kui at Blackstone Ridge, silencing those who had doubted his appointment as Deputy General. As he returned to Guanlan Commandery with Lü Heng and the other Deputy Generals, he equipped the Stone Ogre’s demon core and gained the Sinking Stance prefix.

• Yang Xiao recovered the Stone Ogre’s demon core and left its corpse for the Demon Suppression Guards to clean up.
• Lü Heng realized Pei Xuance had sent Yang Xiao to Blackstone Ridge to win the others’ respect, and Han Chuan privately admitted he could not have killed the demon himself.
• Lü Heng and the other Deputy Generals agreed to return to Guanlan Commandery with Yang Xiao, while Han Chuan followed behind them.
• During the three-day journey, the Deputy Generals treated Yang Xiao with respect, and Yang Xiao said he was still far from Pei Xuance’s level.
• Yang Xiao equipped the Stone Ogre demon core and gained the blue Sinking Stance prefix as the remaining demonic power replenished the Heaven-Melting Treasure Furnace.

Yang Xiao was formally appointed deputy general of Guanlan Commandery after returning with the Stone Ogre’s corpse, then chose to investigate the disturbances in Baisha Commandery. A messenger reported that the sandstorm there had swallowed the Demon Suppression Watchtowers and left more than half the guards missing.

• Yang Xiao entered Guanlan Commandery with the deputy generals and the Stone Ogre’s corpse, and Pei Xuance appointed him deputy general.
• Yang Xiao accepted his waist token and uniform as the officials and soldiers congratulated him on his promotion.
• Pei Xuance described disturbances in Baisha and Xunjiang Commanderies and asked Yang Xiao to choose where to go.
• Yang Xiao chose Baisha Commandery, and Pei Xuance warned him to retreat if the enemy proved too strong.
• A messenger arrived with news that wind and sand had swallowed Baisha’s Demon Suppression Watchtowers and more than half the Demon Suppression Guards had gone missing.

Yang Xiao was sent to Baisha Commandery after abnormal sandstorms buried border outposts and caused Demon Suppression Guards to disappear. He rode north with Han Chuan, Lü Heng, and more than a hundred guards to investigate, while the messenger described the growing danger.

• A messenger reported that sandstorms had buried Baisha Commandery's border watchtowers and several Demon Suppression Guards had gone missing.
• Pei Xuance concluded that demons were systematically clearing the outposts and ordered Yang Xiao to investigate the destruction and any connection to Yellow Wind Mountain.
• Yang Xiao accepted the mission, and Pei Xuance assigned Han Chuan and Lü Heng to accompany him with more than a hundred Demon Suppression Guards.
• The force rode into Baisha Commandery, where windblown sand had stripped trees bare and buried wreckage along the road.
• The messenger told Yang Xiao that abnormal northwest winds had persisted for half a month, swallowed the watchtowers, and caused every investigating team to vanish.

Yang Xiao arrived in Baisha Commandery and learned that its outposts were being swallowed by worsening windblown sand, with the guards disappearing without a trace. At the last outpost, he detected an unnatural current in the sand, and Sand Crystal Rats ambushed the party.

• Yang Xiao reached Baisha Commandery and saw that windblown sand had badly eroded the city walls.
• Feng Weibing told Yang Xiao that the last outpost had been mostly buried and all thirty-seven guards stationed there had vanished.
• Yang Xiao set out with Feng Weibing and his party to inspect the last outpost, despite Feng Weibing's doubts about the young deputy general.
• At the outpost, Yang Xiao sensed that the wind and sand were being drawn toward Baisha Commandery and stopped Han Chuan from approaching.
• Sand Crystal Rats burst from the sand and attacked the party with claws and wind blades.

Yang Xiao learned that the Wind Falcon Demon King had opened seven wind passes to funnel Yellow Wind Mountain’s sand into Baisha Commandery, threatening to bury it. Feng Weibing knew where the passes were and offered to face the enemy’s Pill-Pattern Demon King as the small force prepared to retake them.

• Yang Xiao killed the attacking Sand Crystal Rats with precise spear thrusts, and Han Chuan captured one alive.
• The Sand Crystal Rat revealed that the Wind Falcon Demon King had altered the terrain and ordered demons to guard one of seven wind passes.
• Yang Xiao confirmed the demon’s report by killing it, and Feng Weibing realized that the fallen outposts had left all seven passes open to the sand.
• Feng Weibing explained that the sand would pour through the passes and gradually bury Baisha Commandery, then offered to confront the enemy because he had a stable pill pattern.
• Han Chuan warned that the force of fewer than two hundred men would be isolated in demon territory, while Feng Weibing revealed that he had gained his pill pattern with the Governor-General’s support.

Yang Xiao led Feng Weibing, Han Chuan, and Lü Heng to retake Sinking Sand Pass, where the Sandridge Demon General had been driving wind and sand toward Baisha Commandery. Yang Xiao and Feng Weibing defeated the demon general, leaving the pass within their reach.

• Yang Xiao ordered the group to set out for Sinking Sand Pass after Feng Weibing explained that reclaiming it could protect Baisha Commandery.
• Feng Weibing led the Demon Suppression Division party through the sandstorm, with the guards roped together to keep from being separated.
• The group reached the ruined pass, where the Sandridge Demon General attacked them with a wind-and-sand storm.
• Feng Weibing held off the Sandridge Demon General and cracked its rock armor with his saber.
• Yang Xiao used streams of water to disperse the demon general's sandstorm and bind its limbs, creating an opening for Feng Weibing to strike.
• Yang Xiao charged and split the Sandridge Demon General at the waist with his spear.

After retaking Sinking Sand Pass, Yang Xiao split his forces and led Feng Weibing toward Whirlwind Pass before the shifting dunes could engulf the route. As wind demons ambushed them at the narrow pass, two Sandridge Demon Generals lunged from the swirling sand.

• Feng Weibing warned that the dunes were still moving and that the troops needed to press onward before the passes were buried.
• Yang Xiao left the wounded and selected guards to hold Sinking Sand Pass, then led the remaining fighters toward Whirlwind Pass without sending a message back to Baisha Commandery.
• At Whirlwind Pass, Yang Xiao ordered Han Chuan and Lü Heng to keep the troops outside while he and Feng Weibing entered the gap.
• Wind Blades burst from the sand, but Han Chuan kept the Demon Suppression Guards in formation and stopped them from pursuing the attackers.
• Two Sandridge Demon Generals appeared from the wind and sand and lunged at Yang Xiao and Feng Weibing.

Yang Xiao and Feng Weibing killed two Sandridge Demon Generals at Whirlwind Pass, then led the Demon Suppression Guards toward Black Sand Pass despite suspecting the demons were luring them deeper. A swarm of Sand Crystal Rats attacked in the gorge, and a perfected Core Condensation Gravelclaw Sand Lizard ambushed Yang Xiao before Feng Weibing stepped forward to fight it.

• Feng Weibing killed one Sandridge Demon General while Yang Xiao bound and slew the other, and Han Chuan witnessed the power of the Pill-Pattern Realm.
• The Demon Suppression Guards found Whirlwind Pass nearly empty, and Yang Xiao suspected the demons wanted to draw them farther into Baisha Commandery.
• Yang Xiao left Feng Weibing and a small detachment to hold Whirlwind Pass, then led the remaining troops northwest toward Black Sand Pass.
• Sand Crystal Rats ambushed the column from the gravel ledges, and Yang Xiao recognized that they were meant to delay the force rather than confront it with high-tier Demon Generals.
• Yang Xiao and Feng Weibing pushed deeper into Black Sand Pass, where a perfected Core Condensation Gravelclaw Sand Lizard attacked and Feng Weibing offered to fight it.

Yang Xiao and his companions reclaimed four wind passes, but found Broken Ridge Pass abandoned and suspected the Wind Falcon Demon King was luring them deeper into enemy territory. The Demon King then demanded they seize the remaining three passes and meet him at Heavenwind Pass within one day, or he would bathe Baisha Commandery in blood.

• Feng Weibing killed the Gravelclaw Sand Lizard, and the group drove the surviving Sand Crystal Rats from Black Sand Pass.
• Yang Xiao and his companions reached the deserted Broken Ridge Pass and found signs that the demons had deliberately cleared out in advance.
• Han Chuan urged Yang Xiao to hold the four reclaimed passes rather than risk the hundred-odd Demon Suppression Guards by advancing deeper.
• Feng Weibing sensed the northwest winds gathering and warned that the Wind Falcon Demon King's plan to reshape the terrain was still underway.
• A Sand Crystal Rat delivered the Wind Falcon Demon King's demand to capture the remaining three passes and meet him at Heavenwind Pass within one day, threatening Baisha Commandery if they failed.

Yang Xiao and Feng Weibing advanced toward Heavenwind Pass after the Wind Falcon Demon King threatened Baisha Commandery and demanded that they capture the remaining passes. They reached the pass, where the Demon King had concentrated the winds to strengthen his position, and he appeared to confront them.

• Yang Xiao ordered Lü Heng to escort most of the troops and wounded back to Baisha Commandery, while Han Chuan stayed to hold Broken Ridge Pass.
• Yang Xiao and Feng Weibing continued toward Heavenwind Pass, where Yang Xiao sensed that the surrounding winds were flowing into it.
• Feng Weibing explained that the Wind Falcon Demon King had altered the terrain to gather the winds and turn Heavenwind Pass into a battlefield suited to him.
• Yang Xiao and Feng Weibing climbed the wind-scoured slope and saw the violent currents, flying stones, and eroded ground at Heavenwind Pass.
• The Wind Falcon Demon King descended from the clouds, landed on a rock pinnacle, and told the two men he had been waiting for them.

Yang Xiao and Feng Weibing faced the Wind Falcon Demon King in its artificial Heavenwind Pass, where it revealed its plan to bury Baisha Commandery under sand. After the Demon King wounded Feng Weibing and attacked Yang Xiao, Yang Xiao launched a counterattack that left the Demon King diving toward him as the Army-Breaking Spear returned from behind.

• The Wind Falcon Demon King explained that it had created the wind field by disrupting the seven wind passes and drawing in Yellow Wind Mountain's winds, intending to bury Baisha Commandery in sand.
• The Demon King attacked with a massive Azure Wind Blade, which Feng Weibing blocked at the cost of being driven backward while Yang Xiao shattered it.
• The Demon King surrounded Feng Weibing with wind blades and wounded his shoulder, then used its aerial mobility to evade his attacks.
• Yang Xiao used resilient spiritual threads to bind the Demon King's ankle, but it snapped the thread and pulled him into the air.
• Yang Xiao hurled the Army-Breaking Spear, grazing the Demon King's chest and lodging in the cliff, then called it back from the Demon King's blind spot as it dove toward him.

Yang Xiao and Feng Weibing worked together to defeat the Wind Falcon Demon King in the valley. Yang Xiao killed the Demon King with the Army-Breaking Spear, leaving Feng Weibing staring at him in shock.

• Yang Xiao pulled the Army-Breaking Spear into the Wind Falcon Demon King’s wing, and Feng Weibing struck at its leg when it fell low.
• Yang Xiao bound the wounded Demon King with the Canglan Water Pattern as it rose into the air and formed an Azure Wind Blade.
• Feng Weibing drew the Demon King’s attention away from Yang Xiao, then was struck by the wind blade and crashed into the cliff.
• Yang Xiao endured the wind blade’s cutting currents and shattered it with the Army-Breaking Spear.
• Yang Xiao wounded the Demon King with successive spear strikes, dragged it down with the water rope, and pierced its skull.
• Feng Weibing rose from the rubble and watched Yang Xiao beside the fallen Demon King in shock.

Yang Xiao claimed the Wind Falcon Demon King's pill pattern and gained control over wind, including the ability to remain airborne. He realized his mystic core could bear more pill patterns, so two were not his limit.

• Yang Xiao retrieved the Wind Falcon Demon King's core and demonic qi, then let Feng Weibing handle the cleanup.
• Yang Xiao equipped the Sandridge Demon Cores and gained the Sandridge Armor and Sand Wall entries.
• Yang Xiao equipped the Wind Falcon Demon King's core, and the Heaven-Melting Treasure Furnace refined its pill pattern into the sky-rending wind pattern.
• Yang Xiao sensed the wind more clearly, tested his ability to control it, and found that the pattern could enhance his movement and weapons and keep him airborne.
• Yang Xiao realized his mystic core could hold more pill patterns beyond the Canglan Water Pattern and sky-rending wind pattern.

Yang Xiao killed the Wind Falcon Demon King at Heavenwind Pass, earning the respect of Feng Weibing and the Baisha Commandery guards. After two days of hospitality in Baisha Commandery, Yang Xiao went alone to the Martial Arts Arena to test the abilities granted by his newly acquired sky-rending wind pattern.

• Yang Xiao awoke beside the wounded Feng Weibing, who noticed that Yang Xiao's aura had grown sharper.
• Han Chuan and Lü Heng arrived at Heavenwind Pass and found the Wind Falcon Demon King's corpse; Feng Weibing said Yang Xiao had killed him.
• Han Chuan warned the guards not to touch the corpse directly because its Pill-Pattern power remained, then recognized Yang Xiao as a worthy deputy general.
• Feng Weibing led the Demon Suppression Guards in hauling the Wind Falcon Demon King's corpse to Baisha Commandery, while Yang Xiao stayed behind to rest.
• During two days of hospitality, Lü Heng spread tales of Yang Xiao's victory and the guards discussed his strength.
• Yang Xiao went alone to Baisha Commandery's Martial Arts Arena to test the effects of his newly acquired sky-rending wind pattern.

Yang Xiao discovered that the Sky-Rending Wind Pattern let him control the wind, move faster, and hover. He traveled to Zhenshan Commandery to assist Chu Qingtian, who was hunting a wounded Core Illumination Realm Demon King.

• Yang Xiao tested the Sky-Rending Wind Pattern and found that it strengthened his attacks and movement and allowed him to hover.
• A messenger delivered Pei Xuance's order for Yang Xiao to go to Zhenshan Commandery while Han Chuan and Lü Heng returned to defend the Canglan River.
• Yang Xiao rode through the night and reached Zhenshan Commandery at dawn.
• Yang Xiao met Chu Qingtian, who explained that he had wounded a Core Illumination Realm Demon King and had recently detected its aura nearby.

After Chu Qingtian left Zhenshan Commandery in Yang Xiao’s hands, a sudden collapse at the Blackstone Mining Area forced Yang Xiao to rush to the site and search underground for survivors. He sensed a huge presence moving beneath the earth toward him.

• Chu Qingtian warned Yang Xiao that the Mountain Ridge Demon King could threaten Zhenshan Commandery after he left, and told Yang Xiao and Cheng Su to stop it outside the commandery.
• Cheng Su warned Yang Xiao against investigating the Demon Plague because the commandery lacked manpower, but Yang Xiao told him to carry on with his duties.
• The ground shook, and a Demon Suppression Guard reported that half the Blackstone Mining Area had collapsed with miners trapped underground.
• Yang Xiao hurried to the mine while Cheng Su gathered men and equipment to help with the rescue.
• Yang Xiao used the Canglan Water Pattern to search underground, sensed several faint breaths, and detected a colossal creature approaching through the earth.

Yang Xiao used his Pill Pattern ability to locate survivors beneath the collapsed blackstone mine, but a powerful demon appeared before the rescue could continue. Mountain E revealed that he had taken advantage of Chu Qingtian’s absence to destroy Zhenshan Commandery.

• Yang Xiao identified precise locations where miners and Demon Suppression Guards were trapped, and Cheng Su ordered his men to dig at the safest spots.
• The rescuers found survivors and bodies exactly where Yang Xiao had indicated, convincing Cheng Su that Yang Xiao could sense people beneath the rubble.
• A powerful tremor caused the cleared tunnel to collapse again, and Yang Xiao warned everyone to retreat.
• A five-zhang-tall stone ape burst through the northern mountain wall and introduced himself as Mountain E, the Mountain Ridge Demon King.
• Mountain E said he had struck while Chu Qingtian was away and intended to leave Zhenshan Commandery buried in stone.

Yang Xiao fought the Mountain Ridge Demon King after the demon buried the mine tunnels beneath a collapsing mountain. Though his attacks barely harmed the stone-bodied foe, Yang Xiao began drawing on the Heaven-Melting Treasure Furnace, leaving the battle poised to escalate.

• The Mountain Ridge Demon King crushed the mine entrance beneath a mountain, and Yang Xiao drew the Army-Breaking Spear and charged him.
• The Mountain Ridge Demon King struck Yang Xiao into a crater, but Yang Xiao stood back up and resumed the fight.
• The Mountain Ridge Demon King’s stomp sent rocks tumbling toward the bystanders, and Yang Xiao used spiritual threads to divert the largest boulders.
• Yang Xiao repeatedly stabbed the Mountain Ridge Demon King, but the demon healed his wounds by eating black stone.
• Yang Xiao opened the Heaven-Melting Treasure Furnace, and his aura surged with demonic light in his eyes.