Recaps

After Xu Taiping completed three years of carving words through Sword Flight without complaint, Recluse Sansan appeared and agreed to teach him about the sword. He explained the Stored Swords Stance and asked whether Xu Taiping wanted to learn it, leaving Xu Taiping eager to accept.

• Xu Taiping told Recluse Sansan he held no resentment and was willing to become his disciple, but Recluse Sansan said he had only guided him at his Peak Lord's request.
• Recluse Sansan revealed that he had wagered with the Peak Lord to appear and teach Xu Taiping if he persisted for three years without complaint.
• Xu Taiping explained that he practiced the sword because he felt he would need it on his cultivation path, and Recluse Sansan described it as a final safeguard.
• Recluse Sansan introduced the Stored Swords Stance, a technique centered on keeping a sword in reserve for moments of utter desperation.
• Recluse Sansan asked whether Xu Taiping wanted the sword, and Xu Taiping immediately said yes.

Xu Taiping learned Recluse Sansan’s Stored Swords Stance and borrowed the righteous sword Rusty Lion before preparing to enter the Immortal Gourd Grotto-Heaven. He learned that the Peacock King might soon be released, and refused to let Bai Yu face him alone.

• Recluse Sansan taught Xu Taiping how to nurture and conceal a sword, and asked him to bring back plum trees from Jade Gourd Mountain.
• Recluse Sansan lent Xu Taiping Rusty Lion, a sword that rusted whenever its wielder intended an unrighteous deed.
• Fairy Lingyue praised Recluse Sansan’s swordsmanship and said she could only send a wisp of divine sense with Xu Taiping into the Immortal Gourd Grotto-Heaven.
• Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue discussed his cultivation and preparations, while Bai Yu and Ping'an learned they could not accompany him into the grotto-heaven.
• Bai Yu warned that the Seven Discipline Hall might release the Peacock King under the pretense of executing him, and Xu Taiping agreed there would still be time to deal with him after his return.
• Bai Yu offered to kill the Peacock King without Xu Taiping, but Xu Taiping sharply refused.

Xu Taiping prepared to enter the Immortal Gourd Grotto-Heaven, while Fairy Lingyue agreed to watch over Bai Yu and gave Xu Taiping three bamboo leaves containing her divine sense. As the Immortal Gourd Contest began and Xu Taiping was drawn into the grotto-heaven, a bloodshot eyeball suddenly appeared in the bronze mirror, accompanied by screams.

• Xu Taiping insisted that he would not abandon Bai Yu and entrusted Fairy Lingyue with keeping him from acting recklessly while he was away.
• Fairy Lingyue gave Xu Taiping three bamboo leaves containing her divine sense and reminded him to save them for the grotto-heaven's level entrances or a crisis.
• Five days later, Qingxiao, Zhao Linglong, Xu Ziyan, and Lin Buyu gathered to watch the Immortal Gourd Contest through a bronze mirror.
• Lay Buddhist Yuqing opened the jade gourd and drew the contestants into the Immortal Gourd Grotto-Heaven as the mirror showed its unfamiliar landscape.
• As Qingxiao searched the mirror for Xu Taiping, a bloodshot eyeball filled the image and screams came from inside the grotto-heaven.

Xu Taiping was transported to Phoenix Perch Hall in the Immortal Gourd Grotto-Heaven and began planning a route to gather the materials he needed. As he waited for Lay Buddhist Yuqing, Murong Song approached and invited him to help seize the cauldron on Jade Gourd Peak.

• Xu Taiping found himself at Phoenix Perch Hall and realized that the disciples had been scattered among different locations in the secret realm.
• Xu Taiping recognized Phoenix Perch Hall as a convenient starting point for collecting herbs and spirit stones, reaching Jade Gourd Mountain, and entering the lower level.
• Xu Taiping reviewed his plan to head north to Starfall Lake and gather Blue-Silver Pearls while watching for the catfish spirit.
• A brawny youth accused Xu Taiping of staring at a young girl, but the girl stopped him and said Xu Taiping had not been looking at her.
• Murong Song and his companions confronted Xu Taiping, and Murong Song invited him to help seize the cauldron at Jade Gourd Peak in exchange for a reward from Dustless Island.

Xu Taiping refused Murong Song's offer to join Dustless Island, then recognized the Blood Moon Tide as the sky darkened and a red moon appeared over Phoenix Perch Hall. While Murong Song fought to keep two siblings outside the hall, Xu Taiping noticed the girl's saber stance resembled the Cicada Cry Form.

• Xu Taiping rejected Murong Song's invitation to join Dustless Island and walked away.
• The Blood Moon Tide began, darkening the sky and preventing cultivators from escaping with Teleportation Scrolls; Murong Song urged everyone to take shelter in Phoenix Perch Hall.
• Xu Taiping recognized the blood-red full moon and retreated from the hall, suspecting a savage beast was suppressed beneath it and questioning whether Lay Buddhist Yuqing had foreseen the tide.
• Murong Song barred the brother and sister from entering Phoenix Perch Hall, and the siblings fought back with their sabers.
• Murong Song sent his flying sword at the siblings, but the girl shattered its attack with a powerful saber strike.
• Xu Taiping noticed that the girl's stance matched the Cicada Cry Form of Duan Tianya's Demon-Slaying Blade and wondered whether she belonged to the Heavenly Blade Sect.

Xu Taiping protected a Heavenly Blade Sect girl after her brother died, then fought off a pack of frenzied Windfeather Azure-Eyed Wolves outside the main hall. He slaughtered dozens of wolves and their king with one saber strike, stunning the gathered cultivators and alarming Murong Song.

• Xu Taiping punched away Murong Song’s two followers when they attacked the wounded Heavenly Blade Sect siblings.
• Frenzied Windfeather Azure-Eyed Wolves surrounded the main hall, and Murong Song claimed the cultivators inside would be safe while the three outside faced death.
• The girl’s brother died, and she thanked Xu Taiping for his help before preparing to hold off the wolves so he could escape.
• Xu Taiping drew Spring Tiger and killed the first wolf that charged them.
• The girl stepped in front of Xu Taiping to fight the attacking wolves, but he unleashed a saber technique that killed dozens of wolves and decapitated their king.

Xu Taiping and Duan Xiaoyu witnessed a powerful desolate beast erupt from beneath Phoenix Perch Hall and attack Murong Song and the other disciples. Murong Song escaped, and the beast turned on Xu Taiping and Duan Xiaoyu as they fled.

• Xu Taiping collected the Windfeather Wolf corpses while Duan Xiaoyu resolved to avenge her brother by attacking Murong Song.
• Xu Taiping sensed movement beneath the ground and urged Duan Xiaoyu to retreat from the ruined Main Hall.
• A giant tentacle burst from beneath Phoenix Perch Hall and consumed the disciples hiding inside.
• Murong Song wounded the tentacle with a Golden-Armored Divine General talisman, then escaped with a Heaven Rank Wind-Escape Talisman.
• The desolate beast attacked Xu Taiping and Duan Xiaoyu, and both ran away at great speed.

Xu Taiping and Duan Xiaoyu escaped a newly awakened ancient beast and took shelter at Yellow Leaf Slope during the Blood Moon Tide. He contacted Huang Que with a Nine Prefectures token, who warned that Lay Buddhist Yuqing might not survive and said Xu Taiping had to do something important to protect his life and the other sect disciples.

• Xu Taiping flew Duan Xiaoyu away from the savage beast that burst out of the ground near Phoenix Perch Hall.
• At a stone tower on Yellow Leaf Slope, Xu Taiping checked Sister Lingyue's map and learned that a Red-Scaled Leopard capable of matching a Mystic Understanding Realm cultivator slept nearby.
• Xu Taiping decided to stay indoors during the three-day Blood Moon Tide and abandon his plan to visit Jade Gourd Peak.
• Xu Taiping's Nine Prefectures token heated up and let him exchange messages with Huang Que.
• Huang Que told Xu Taiping that Lay Buddhist Yuqing might not survive, then said he had an urgent task for him involving the lives of the Nine Prefectures disciples inside.

Xu Taiping parted ways with Duan Xiaoyu after giving her a powerful pill, then activated the formation node in Pine Forest Valley for the Nine Prefectures. As he prepared to leave for the remaining nodes at Emerald-Drop Cliff and Ice-Crystal Cave, fighting broke out outside the well.

• Duan Xiaoyu reclaimed Vermilion Bird and told Xu Taiping she would seek out Murong Song to avenge her brother rather than rely on him.
• Xu Taiping gave Duan Xiaoyu three True Qi-restoring Pills and left; she swallowed one and realized it was a Spirit Pill.
• Xu Taiping activated the formation node in Pine Forest Valley and confirmed that Emerald-Drop Cliff and Ice-Crystal Cave were the remaining locations.
• Xu Taiping recalled Huang Que's instructions and the danger posed by ancient fierce beasts beneath the three sites.
• Xu Taiping heard fighting outside the well, took gray cloth from the Azure Gourd, and infused it with spiritual power.

Xu Taiping hid from Qingyu, a Nine Nether spy in Yellow Maple Valley, and learned that Nine Nether had discovered his mission and planned to kill him at the Ice-Crystal Cave. After activating a Formation Node, he told Fairy Lingyue what had happened, and she suspected Nine Nether had released ancient Demonic Qi from the grotto-heaven’s second layer.

• Xu Taiping overheard Qingyu admit he was a Nine Nether spy, then watched him kill his senior sister and throw her corpse into the well.
• Qingyu covered the well and spoke with his Master, who ordered him to kill Xu Taiping and guard the Ice-Crystal Cave.
• Xu Taiping asked Huang Que whether his movements had been exposed and learned a Nine Nether spy had revealed the Ice-Crystal Cave and warned them about his Teleportation Token.
• Xu Taiping demanded better payment, then activated the Formation Node below Emerald-Drop Cliff and summoned Fairy Lingyue’s Divine Sense.
• Fairy Lingyue said the Blood Moon Tide was likely false and that Nine Nether had probably released accumulated Demonic Qi from the grotto-heaven’s second layer.

Xu Taiping learned that the secret realm's second layers punished demon cultivators and planned to awaken a fierce beast to draw guards away from the Ice-Crystal Cave. He found Duan Xiaoyu after she killed Murong Song, and she clung to him in fear.

• Fairy Lingyue explained that the second layers were cages whose restrictions harmed demon cultivators, and Xu Taiping said he still needed to activate the Ice-Crystal Cave formation node.
• Xu Taiping planned to awaken the fierce beast underground to lure away the demon cultivators guarding the Ice-Crystal Cave.
• Xu Taiping followed a sword cry to a forest and discovered Duan Xiaoyu fighting Murong Song over her brother's death.
• Duan Xiaoyu trapped Murong Song's flying sword in her shoulder, took a pill, and killed him with her One Saber, Dustless technique.
• Duan Xiaoyu collapsed in tears, then recognized Xu Taiping and begged to stay with him until they escaped the secret realm.

Xu Taiping agreed to bring Duan Xiaoyu to Ice-Crystal Cave, where he needed help opening a formation node and feared they might encounter a demon cultivator. At the mountain, Qingyu and Tie Mian waited for Xu Taiping, and Qingyu spotted him approaching the cave entrance.

• Xu Taiping noticed Duan Xiaoyu’s wounds had healed unusually quickly, and she explained that a spirit herb had given her a knack for recovering after sleep or a good meal.
• Xu Taiping warned Duan Xiaoyu that a demon cultivator might be near Ice-Crystal Cave, but she insisted on accompanying him and offering help.
• Xu Taiping agreed to take Duan Xiaoyu with him after warning her that she could die there, and she asked to finish the roast boar first.
• Tie Mian questioned Qingyu about waiting for Xu Taiping, and Qingyu silenced him with a threat.
• Qingyu sensed someone approaching Ice Crystal Mountain and saw Xu Taiping heading toward Ice-Crystal Cave.

Qingyu followed a tall, thin youth into the Ice-Crystal Cave and discovered too late that the youth was a decoy who had awakened an Ice Toad. After the toad chased Qingyu away, Xu Taiping and Duan Xiaoyu reached the cavern, where Xu Taiping found the cave entrance he sought and asked Duan Xiaoyu to guard him while he went inside.

• Qingyu stopped Tie Mian from pursuing the figure, then turned into water and secretly followed the tall, thin youth into the Ice-Crystal Cave.
• The youth drew a blood pattern on the ice and chanted, so Qingyu attacked him, only to realize he had struck a decoy.
• An Ice Toad burst from beneath the ice, bound Qingyu with its tongue, and pursued him as he escaped toward the cave entrance.
• Xu Taiping and Duan Xiaoyu arrived at the cavern after the Ice Toad chased Qingyu away.
• Xu Taiping found an inconspicuous cave entrance and told Duan Xiaoyu to guard outside while he went in, then Duan Xiaoyu asked whether what lay inside was important.

Xu Taiping began melting the seven rune-protected sections of ice wall needed to activate Ice-Crystal Cave’s teleportation formation node. Qingyu entered the cave and attacked Duan Xiaoyu, who fought to keep him from discovering Xu Taiping’s location.

• Duan Xiaoyu promised Xu Taiping that she would keep anyone from entering Ice-Crystal Cave while he activated the formation node.
• Xu Taiping used the Red Crow Golden Flame Formula to melt the first ice wall section in the required sequence.
• An explosion blocked the cave entrance, but Qingyu gathered water into human form and entered Ice-Crystal Cave.
• Qingyu sent strands of water into the small caverns to search for Xu Taiping, so Duan Xiaoyu rushed out to stop him.
• Qingyu struck Duan Xiaoyu with his saber and knocked her into the Ice Pool, then slashed toward her chest.

Duan Xiaoyu fought Qingyu to keep him from reaching Xu Taiping inside the Ice-Crystal Cave, refusing to yield despite being badly wounded. As Qingyu moved to kill her, a fist from within the cave struck him and sent him crashing into the icy wall.

• Duan Xiaoyu used the Water-Wielding Blade against Qingyu, but he turned the pool against her and demanded to know which cave Xu Taiping was in.
• Duan Xiaoyu repeatedly attacked and guarded the cave entrance, enduring Qingyu's blows while refusing to move.
• Qingyu battered Duan Xiaoyu until her Vermilion Bird Saber shattered and she was left with a grave chest wound.
• As Qingyu raised his saber to strike Duan Xiaoyu's neck, a wild-bull bellow sounded from the cave and a black fist shadow smashed him into the icy wall.

Xu Taiping protected the badly injured Duan Xiaoyu and faced Qingyu in the Ice-Crystal Cave, revealing his tempered physique and overwhelming him with powerful punches. Qingyu escaped beneath the Ice Pool as a mass of blood, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Xu Taiping gave Duan Xiaoyu a Qi-Gathering Pill and used his Danxia True Qi to shield her from Qingyu's oppressive aura.
• Qingyu challenged Xu Taiping, while Duan Xiaoyu urged him to flee; Xu Taiping refused to abandon his injured friend.
• Xu Taiping awakened his Wilderness Lion-level physique and charged Qingyu, punching through his blade qi and blade shadow.
• Qingyu's Armor Pellet formed Fish-Scale Armor, but Xu Taiping's punches sent him crashing into the cave wall and pierced through the armor with Thousandfold Force.
• Qingyu's body burst into blood mist, which gathered together and fled beneath the Ice Pool.

Xu Taiping fought Qingyu in the Ice-Crystal Cave, first smashing his demonic body and then facing his towering true form and Sudden Rain saber strike. As Qingyu unleashed a storm of ice-crystal blades, Xu Taiping drew Spring Tiger and answered with a blade technique that summoned over a hundred cicada-wing shadows.

• Qingyu emerged from the Ice Pool in a scaled demonic form and attacked Xu Taiping, who shattered his arm and smashed his body back into the pool with Charging Ox Breaks the Formation.
• Qingyu rose again in his towering fish-tailed true form, declaring that Xu Taiping remained bound by his mortal body.
• Qingyu prepared his Sudden Rain saber strike, while Xu Taiping taunted him for speaking so much because he was afraid.
• Xu Taiping used Seizing Force to gather Qingyu's blade force behind himself, and Qingyu charged with his twin sabers as ice-crystal blades rained down.
• Xu Taiping drew Spring Tiger and unleashed a blade technique, manifesting over a hundred pairs of cicada wings against Qingyu's attack.

Xu Taiping and Duan Xiaoyu tortured Qingyu until he revealed that his master might be Su Chan and that Nine Nether had planted disciples in the major sects to attack those taking part in the Immortal Gourd Grotto-Heaven trial. After the teleportation array was repaired, Prefect Liu arrived with urgent business for Xu Taiping.

• Xu Taiping used the Demon-Slaying Blade and Frost Breath Art to trap Qingyu, then threatened him with True Fire Talismans.
• Duan Xiaoyu joined Xu Taiping in burning Qingyu with True Fire Talismans until he agreed to answer questions.
• Qingyu said his master might be the former Nine Prefectures Sword Champion Su Chan, but he did not know why the master wanted Xu Taiping dead.
• Qingyu revealed that Nine Nether had sent disciples to infiltrate the major sects and ordered them to kill every sect disciple in the Immortal Gourd Grotto-Heaven trial.
• A beam appeared above the Ice Pool as the teleportation array was repaired, and Huang Que arrived with Prefect Liu, who greeted Xu Taiping and said he had urgent business with him.

Xu Taiping learned that the Nine Nether Demon Cultivators sought fragments of an ancient Demon God's corpse hidden on the lower level of the Immortal Gourd Grotto-Heaven. He agreed to carry a Jade Disc there in exchange for Spirit Marrow Liquid, and Liu Chuxuan explained why the Nine Prefectures trusted him.

• Xu Taiping and Duan Xiaoyu greeted Prefect Liu Chuxuan, who sent Huang Que to take Duan Xiaoyu aside and treat her injuries.
• Liu Chuxuan told Xu Taiping that the Immortal Gourd Grotto-Heaven had an inaccessible lower level containing ancient Demon God's corpse fragments sought by the Nine Nether Demon Cultivators.
• Liu Chuxuan asked Xu Taiping to use the Teleportation Array to reach the lower level and place a Jade Disc on the altar so Nine Prefectures cultivators could teleport in.
• Xu Taiping negotiated for the Spirit Marrow Liquid beneath Jade Gourd Mountain, and Liu Chuxuan agreed to provide it.
• Liu Chuxuan said the Nine Prefectures trusted Xu Taiping because Ninth Uncle's Longyuan had brought him out of the Yunmeng Marsh Secret Realm and could detect any Demon Cultivator's disguise.

Xu Taiping entered the Lower Layer of the Immortal Gourd Grotto-Heaven to find the Blood Pool and earn Spirit Marrow Liquid, while Fairy Lingyue explained how to track it through the Jade Bone Grass. After Demon Cultivators closed in, Xu Taiping began cutting them down and searching for a rare green stalk of grass.

• Liu Chuxuan warned Xu Taiping that Demon Cultivators might ambush him and told him to beware Chen Sheng of the Pure Yang Sword Sect.
• Xu Taiping reached the Lower Layer and summoned Fairy Lingyue, who explained that the Jade Bone Grass bent toward the Blood Pool.
• Fairy Lingyue sensed at least a dozen Demon Cultivators searching nearby, and Xu Taiping prepared to test his blade against them.
• Xu Taiping killed a Demon Cultivator with Cicada Cry, looted him, and searched for the green jade bone grass.
• A Demon Cultivator revealed Xu Taiping's location, but Xu Taiping killed him and prepared a True Fire Talisman.

Xu Taiping continued toward the Blood Pool, killing isolated demon cultivators and avoiding Chen Sheng as the remaining hunters grew afraid. Chen Sheng gathered the survivors and activated the Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation to trap Xu Taiping inside a vast area.

• Xu Taiping killed a demon cultivator disciple with a True Fire Talisman and took his Storage Ring.
• Xu Taiping repelled a wolf-headed demon cultivator, then withdrew when he sensed a powerful enemy approaching and saw Chen Sheng of the Pure Yang Sword Sect.
• Xu Taiping dodged arrows meant to reveal his position and kept hunting lone demon cultivators, collecting several more Storage Rings.
• Chen Sheng rebuked the remaining demon cultivators and proposed trapping Xu Taiping with a sword formation while they attacked together in their true demon bodies.
• Chen Sheng summoned White Ye, Red Dove, and Dark Raven to form the Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation, enclosing a ten-li area with a wall of sword qi.

Xu Taiping used the Jade Bone Grass to separate and defeat the eight Demon Cultivators trapped in the sword formation. As he considered drawing Chen Sheng into the grass, a powerful Demon Venerable appeared and overwhelmed him with pressure.

• Chen Sheng contracted the Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation and ordered eight Demon Cultivators to enter it while he maintained control.
• Xu Taiping used the Jade Bone Grass to sense the area, redirect the Demon Cultivators, and trap them separately in the grass.
• The ram-horned Demon Cultivator attacked Xu Taiping, but Xu Taiping crippled him, took his treasures, and had the grass drag him away.
• Xu Taiping defeated the remaining Demon Cultivators one by one, killing all eight without Chen Sheng noticing.
• A voice called Chen Sheng a fool, and a Demon Venerable's immense pressure struck Xu Taiping as he looked toward the sky.

Xu Taiping used Jade Bone Grass to evade Wuchang Demon Venerable and reached the Blood Pool, where demonic cultivators were preparing to summon the Demon God Blood Jade. As he considered how to approach the Sacrificial Platform, a sword pierced the dome above the pool and a man from the Pure Yang Sword Sect announced his arrival.

• Xu Taiping watched Wuchang Demon Venerable destroy the Sword Formation and discover eight dead demonic servants, while Chen Sheng admitted his target had escaped.
• Wuchang Demon Venerable ordered Chen Sheng to return with him to the Blood Pool, where the Demon God Blood Jade was about to emerge.
• Fairy Lingyue explained that the Jade Bone Grass could help Xu Taiping conceal himself, warned him to protect his life, and said the Blood Jade could nourish the Earth Fruit.
• Xu Taiping used the grass to reach the Blood Pool and saw powerful demonic cultivators gathered around it and guards blocking the stone bridge to the Sacrificial Platform.
• A crack opened in the dome above the Blood Pool, and a man from the Pure Yang Sword Sect declared that he had arrived and challenged the Yaomo.

Xu Taiping recognized A Meng, the former Sword Champion of the Nine Prefectures, as he descended into the Blood Pool to confront the Demon Cultivators. A Meng defeated Demon Venerable Wuchang’s true demon body and stood unharmed amid his Raging Tide Sword Qi.

• Xu Taiping recalled A Meng’s history of challenging Su Chan and eventually claiming the title of Sword Champion of the Nine Prefectures.
• A Meng shattered the dome with his sword and struck at the Demon Cultivators gathered around the Blood Pool.
• Demon Venerable Wuchang blocked A Meng’s strike, then transformed into a two-headed hound and swallowed him.
• A Meng burst out from within Wuchang’s true demon body, which shattered and unleashed flames across the Blood Pool.
• Xu Taiping recognized the surging, tangible sword qi around A Meng as the Raging Tide Sword Qi.

A Meng unleashed his Ocean Sword against Su Chan’s sword and devastated the Demon Cultivators around the Blood Pool. While they focused on fighting him, Xu Taiping used a clone and the Concealment Cloak to reach the sacrificial platform, where a Purple-Eyed Demon Venerable attacked him.

• A Meng killed Chen Sheng and struck at the Demon Cultivators guarding the Blood Jade.
• Su Chan’s sword blocked A Meng’s Raging Tide Sword Qi, but A Meng transformed it into Ocean Sword Qi and scattered the three Demon Venerables, killing many Demon Cultivators.
• The Demon Cultivators rallied against A Meng while Xu Taiping used the Jade Bone Grass to see that the stone bridge guards had left their posts.
• Xu Taiping used a clone and the Concealment Cloak to sprint across the bridge toward the sacrificial platform.
• A Purple-Eyed Demon Venerable shattered Xu Taiping’s apparent body and the stone bridge, then realized the attack had not hit flesh.
• Xu Taiping appeared on the sacrificial platform as the Purple-Eyed Demon Venerable’s punches struck around him.