Recaps

Yang Xiao rose from a Yamen Runner to a seven-aperture Qi Gathering cultivator while hunting demons and earning his place in the Demon Suppression Division. In Li Family Hamlet, he killed the Pig Demon and fed its meat to the villagers, leaving Li Tie uneasy about their gathering.

• Yang Xiao broke ties with Hu Qingqing and Hu Kai, joined the rescue of Liu Family Village, and killed numerous Rat Demons to earn merit.
• Yang Xiao advanced through Body Forging, rescued Wang Village from a pack of Dog Demons, and became a constable after killing the Qi Gathering Realm old dog demon and clearing its lair.
• Yang Xiao reached Body Forging Perfection and entered the Qi Gathering Realm, then equipped a demon core and mastered the Demon-Slaying Blade Technique.
• Yang Xiao investigated the disappearances in Li Family Hamlet, found that a Black Pig Demon had eaten villagers, and killed it after discovering human remains in its belly.
• Yang Xiao sent his runners to alert the others, tracked the Pig Demon to a grove, and killed it and its lesser demons despite its offer to reveal secrets about Three-Demon Mountain.
• Yang Xiao equipped the Pig Demon’s Inner Core, opened his fifth, sixth, and seventh apertures, and gained the Purifying Silt to Transform Origin trait.
• Yang Xiao cooked the demon’s meat for the villagers, who praised him as they ate, while Li Tie watched the gathering with a darkened face.

Yang Xiao killed the remaining demons of Three-Demon Mountain, joined the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division, and partnered with Xu Qingshan to defeat the Painted-Skin Demon. After breaking into Liquid Condensation and strengthening his traits, Yang Xiao learned that Jiang Chen was connected to a new case involving bloodless corpses and missing ships.

• Yang Xiao killed the Ape Demon after it attacked the County Yamen, then absorbed its core and reached Twelfth Qi Gathering Orifice Perfection.
• Yang Xiao went alone to Three-Demon Mountain, killed the Bull Demon, and absorbed its core and the Condensed Essence Fruits as Shen Qingyang arrived.
• Shen Qingyang brought Yang Xiao to Qingzhou, where Yang Xiao passed the Captain examination, took the Foundation-Solidifying Qi-Condensing Art, and teamed up with Xu Qingshan.
• Yang Xiao and Xu Qingshan investigated the Painted Skin case in Heishui County, where Yang Xiao uncovered demonic infiltrators in the County Yamen and killed the Painted-Skin Demon.
• After returning to Qingzhou, Yang Xiao rejected Xu Mingting’s offer of support, exchanged Merit for the Myriad Rivers Return to the Sea Qi-Condensing Method, and reached Liquid Condensation mid stage.
• Yang Xiao fused his traits into stronger prefixes, then heard from Xu Qingshan that hundreds of bloodless corpses and three missing merchant ships pointed to Jiang Chen, the Guanlan Prefecture River Inspection Envoy.

Yang Xiao joined the campaign at Guanlan River, where he killed powerful demons, captured Jiang Chen, and defeated the Flood Dragon Lord. Promoted to Deputy General, he advanced into the Aperture-Penetration Realm and took command of a unit sent to investigate Golden Buddha Temple in Cloud Fir Commandery.

• Yang Xiao joined Zhou Zheng’s expedition to Guanlan Commandery and, despite refusing Li Mao’s unauthorized patrol, killed the Water Wraith that had slain several captains.
• Jiang Chen and the Blackwater Mystic Flood Dragon attacked the river outpost, but Yang Xiao defeated Jiang Chen and helped Zhou Zheng kill the dragon.
• Pei Xuance pinned the Flood Dragon Lord beneath the river, but it escaped, and Yang Xiao later found its wound, killed it with Pei Xuance’s spear, and accepted Pei Xuance’s offer of a Deputy General position.
• Yang Xiao returned to Qingzhou with the Army-Breaking Spear and was appointed Deputy General, then chose the Vajra Hell-Prison Body, Nine-Aperture Mystic-Penetration Method, and Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art.
• Yang Xiao used his Equipment Slot to perfect his spear art and break through to the perfected Aperture-Penetration Realm, then consumed the Flood Dragon Lord’s core.
• Yang Xiao joined the Demon-Slaying Battalion and subdued Zhao Kui, Old Saber, and the captains who challenged his command.
• Yang Xiao received reports that Golden Buddha Temple might be spreading disease and extorting offerings in Cloud Fir Commandery, then ordered his captains to prepare for the mission.

Yang Xiao exposed Golden Buddha Temple’s crimes, then grew stronger while helping the Mystic Bone Sect defeat the Bear Mountain Lord. He joined the campaign against the Seven Demons of She Mountain in Azure Mist City, where their ambush left Gu Chenshan’s squad captured.

• Yang Xiao investigated Golden Buddha Temple, discovered Abbot Huiming was harvesting human vitality, killed him, and exposed the bodies hidden inside the Golden Buddha before confiscating the temple’s wealth.
• Yang Xiao evolved the Lotus Platform Rebirth Body with the Nine-Aperture Mystic-Penetration Method and joined Zhou Zheng on a mission to aid the besieged Mystic Bone Sect.
• Yang Xiao killed several demons, increased his apertures, and combined traits into stronger physiques while the Bear Mountain Lord attacked the sect’s leaders.
• Yang Xiao confronted and killed the Bear Mountain Lord, gained a major physique transformation, and returned with Zhou Zheng, Yan Tieyi, and Meng Jiu to the Demon-Slaying Battalion.
• After learning the Seven Demons of She Mountain had attacked Azure Mist City, Yang Xiao redeemed Wind-Treading Wandering Dragon Steps and traveled there with Zhou Zheng, Yan Tieyi, and Meng Jiu.
• Yang Xiao entered Azure Mist City as the group learned the demons had gathered residents near the City Lord’s Residence and Shen Jingxian had disappeared.
• The Red-Faced Fox, Green-Scaled Serpent, Stone Bull Demon, and Blood Bat Demon ambushed Gu Chenshan’s squad, incapacitated its members, and dragged them away.