Recaps

Xu Taiping and his companions discovered how the Wangchen Clan’s song pointed them to a bell on Lion Bridge, then used it and the Moon-Locking Key to summon cold crows. The crows led them toward a black pillar that might mark the Yellow Springs entrance, where Xu Taiping sensed another of Fairy Lingyue’s tokens.

• Xu Taiping flew above Lion Bridge with Xiaohei and saw that the netherfire formed a spiral centered beneath the bridge arch.
• Xu Taiping and Old Daoist Huang spotted a bell engraved with “Sunken Abyss” and realized the underwater abyss was likely a trap.
• Ping'an struck the bell repeatedly, summoning a flock of cold crows that stopped attacking when Xu Taiping showed them the key from the Fulai Inn's Boss's Wife.
• Xiaohei followed the cold crows north to a clearing with an enormous black pillar, which Ping'an believed stood near the Yellow Springs entrance.
• Xu Taiping's jade pendant grew hot beside the pillar, and he suspected Fairy Lingyue had left another token there, so he urged Xiaohei to fly faster.

Xu Taiping and Old Daoist Huang entered a hidden chamber beneath the black pillar, where they found a token left by Fairy Lingyue and three Jade Pillows. After touching one of the pillows, Old Daoist Huang suddenly experienced the Netherworld Realm.

• The black pillar sank into the Cold Pool, and a crow dropped a key into its center, opening a stairway beneath the stone platform.
• Xu Taiping and Old Daoist Huang descended into a chamber while Ping'an and Xiaohei stayed on guard above.
• Xu Taiping opened a bronze chest containing three Jade Pillows and a Jade Pendant that carried Fairy Lingyue's aura.
• Old Daoist Huang touched a Jade Pillow, froze, and then told Xu Taiping that he had entered the Netherworld Realm.

Xu Taiping and Old Daoist Huang discovered that the Crescent Jade Pillows led into Yellow Springs, and Fairy Lingyue confirmed they could also serve as an exit. She agreed that she could guide Dugu Qingxiao back, but insisted Xu Taiping reach the Dao Integration Realm before entering Yellow Springs.

• Old Daoist Huang explained that touching a Jade Pillow sent the soul into a strange realm, and Xu Taiping touched one to test it.
• Xu Taiping encountered a rotting creature in the realm before Old Daoist Huang pulled him back into the stone chamber.
• Xu Taiping summoned Fairy Lingyue with the Jade Pendant, and she confirmed the Jade Pillows were entrances to Yellow Springs.
• Fairy Lingyue warned that entering Yellow Springs would severely restrict their powers and expose them to deadly dangers.
• Xu Taiping insisted he would tell Dugu Qingxiao about the entrance, and Fairy Lingyue said she knew how to guide him out.
• Fairy Lingyue demanded that Xu Taiping break through to the Dao Integration Realm before entering Yellow Springs.

Xu Taiping learned that he needed to reach the Dao Integration Realm before he could uncover Fairy Lingyue’s method for rescuing his Second Senior Brother from the Yellow Springs, and he began planning the breakthrough. He and his companions gathered valuables in the forbidden grounds, while Ghost King Qin Ming feared they had died after half a month without their return.

• Fairy Lingyue’s Divine Sense phantom told Xu Taiping that the Jade Pendant held a method for rescuing his Second Senior Brother, but he had to reach the Dao Integration Realm and inject Divine Marrow to access it.
• Old Daoist Huang explained that Xu Taiping needed a safe Star Ruins rich in Star Marrow Power, protective formations, and powerful allies to survive his breakthrough and handle Otherworldly Heavenly Demons.
• Xu Taiping decided to use his accumulated connections, consult Ninth Madam or the Abyssal Pavilion, and break through sooner rather than wait years.
• Xu Taiping, Old Daoist Huang, Ping'an, and Xiaohei prepared to gather more valuables from the forbidden grounds to exchange for resources.
• After half a month without Xu Taiping and the others returning, Ghost King Qin Ming assumed they had perished in the Hundred Ghosts Night Run, then received another message from Ninth Madam.

Ghost King Qin Ming visited Nine Springs Market while waiting for news of Xu Taiping and his companions, who remained trapped at Wangjin Ferry. He learned that Yuwen Shuo and Guan Cixue had brought a batch of netherworld artifacts, including a major artifact, and spotted Heavenly Lord Hanjian protecting them.

• Qin Ming asked Market Master Bai Mo about Xu Taiping, and Bai Mo feared the group would not return from Wangjin Ferry.
• Bai Mo told Qin Ming that the recent upheaval had yielded many netherworld artifacts and that Nine Springs Artifact Pavilion had received several major ones.
• A young ghost official reported that cultivators had brought a large batch of artifacts to the pavilion, including a major artifact.
• Bai Mo recognized the cultivators as Yuwen Shuo and Guan Cixue, and Qin Ming realized Heavenly Lord Hanjian was protecting them.
• Yuwen Shuo impatiently demanded a price for the artifacts, and Bai Mo hurried over to apologize while Qin Ming searched the crowd and spotted Heavenly Lord Hanjian.

At the Artifact Pavilion, Bai Mo identified Yuwen Shuo’s Bronze Pestle as the legendary Netherworld Court Reverse Spring Pestle, and Yuwen Shuo demanded that Fengdu Prefecture provide protection in exchange for it. His accusations against Heavenly Lord Hanjian prompted Guan Cixue to remind him that the group had been trapped in Hanging Mirror Mountain because of his actions.

• Bai Mo used the Netherworld Appraisal Mirror to identify Yuwen Shuo’s Bronze Pestle as the Reverse Spring Pestle, a mighty treasure of the Netherworld Court.
• Yuwen Shuo said he would auction the pestle unless Fengdu Prefecture offered him a more favorable deal.
• Yuwen Shuo demanded that the Fengdu Great Emperor protect him in the four forbidden grounds and that Qin Ming accompany him throughout the Yellow Springs Ruins.
• Heavenly Lord Hanjian warned Yuwen Shuo to watch his words, but Yuwen Shuo accused him of neglecting him during the expedition.
• Guan Cixue rebuked Yuwen Shuo and said his insistence on taking the artifacts had trapped the group, while Heavenly Lord Hanjian had defeated the Chaos Demonic Beast that let them escape.

Yuwen Shuo refused to trade his powerful Netherworld Artifact unless Fengdu Prefecture met his demands, while Xu Taiping returned from Wangjin Ferry with his companions. After Yuwen Shuo stormed off in anger at the Great Emperor’s regard for Xu Taiping, Xu Taiping revealed that he had brought back a batch of Netherworld Artifacts.

• Yuwen Shuo accused Guan Cixue and the others of coveting his artifacts and insisted Fengdu Prefecture accept his two conditions.
• Qin Ming agreed to one condition but refused to let the Great Emperor serve as Yuwen Shuo’s protector, leaving negotiations at an impasse.
• Xu Taiping arrived at the Artifact Pavilion with Ping'an and their companions, and Qin Ming welcomed him back safely from Wangjin Ferry.
• Bai Mo revealed that the Fengdu Great Emperor had ordered a search for Xu Taiping, making the jealous Yuwen Shuo furious and prompting him to leave.
• Qin Ming explained the dispute over Yuwen Shuo’s powerful Netherworld Artifact, and Xu Taiping said he had brought back a batch of Netherworld Artifacts of his own.

Xu Taiping brought a batch of netherworld artifacts to the Artifact Pavilion, where Yuwen Shuo pushed for them to be appraised in front of the crowd. After the first item was identified as a low-rank white bone shoal, Xu Taiping learned it was worth one Spirit Marrow Crystal and accepted the price as onlookers mocked him.

• Ghost King Qin Ming and Pavilion Master Bai Mo were surprised that Xu Taiping had brought netherworld artifacts out of the forbidden grounds.
• Yuwen Shuo urged the Artifact Pavilion to appraise Xu Taiping's artifacts ahead of the waiting cultivators, and Xu Taiping agreed.
• Xu Taiping placed a white bone shoal beneath the Spirit Mirror, which identified it as a low-rank netherworld artifact.
• Xu Taiping asked whether the Artifact Pavilion would buy the white bone shoal, and Bai Mo offered one Spirit Marrow Crystal for it.
• Xu Taiping was pleased by the offer, while Yuwen Shuo and other cultivators mocked him for being excited over the price.

Xu Taiping sold Fengdu Prefecture nearly a hundred thousand White Bone Shoals, then Yuwen Shuo threatened to withhold his Reverse Spring Pestle unless Fengdu refused to buy Xu Taiping’s Netherworld Artifacts. Qin Ming delayed his decision until the Artifact Pavilion appraised Xu Taiping’s remaining goods.

• Xu Taiping poured nearly a hundred thousand White Bone Shoals from his Qiankun Bag into the Artifact Pavilion, astonishing the onlookers.
• Qin Ming agreed that Fengdu would buy the White Bone Shoals for one spirit marrow crystal each, while Yuwen Shuo dismissed their value compared with a Heavy Artifact.
• Yuwen Shuo demanded that Fengdu stop buying Netherworld Artifacts from Xu Taiping, drawing protests from Bai Mo, Xiahou You, Qu Chao Ci, and Jiang Shuoxue.
• Yuwen Shuo threatened Qin Ming and demanded that Fengdu choose between buying his Reverse Spring Pestle and choosing Xu Taiping.
• Xu Taiping told Qin Ming to cancel their transaction if his remaining artifacts were worth less than the Reverse Spring Pestle, and Qin Ming proposed appraising them before deciding.

Xu Taiping presented a mountain of valuable Netherworld Artifacts, then revealed the Sunken Abyss Bell, which the Artifact Pavilion confirmed was a supreme treasure and the key to guiding the way to the Yellow Springs. After declaring that Fengdu could finally reopen the Netherworld, Ghost King Qin Ming ordered Yuwen Shuo to leave.

• Xu Taiping displayed the Netherworld Artifacts he and his companions had collected, impressing Ghost King Qin Ming and Pavilion Master Bai Mo with their quantity and value.
• Xu Taiping had Ping'an bring out the Sunken Abyss Bell, and Bai Mo identified it after testing its Netherworld Qi.
• The Spirit Mirror confirmed that the Sunken Abyss Bell was a supreme treasure and the key to guiding the way to the Yellow Springs.
• Ghost King Qin Ming struck the bell, causing a wave of force to shake the cultivators' divine souls, and proclaimed that Fengdu could finally reopen the Netherworld.
• Ghost King Qin Ming struck the bell again, then turned on Yuwen Shuo and told him to leave.

Ninth Madam tried to secure the Sunken Abyss Bell for Black Prison, but Xu Taiping had already promised it to Fengdu Prefecture in exchange for support during his breakthrough. Xu Taiping then revealed that his group had found the entrance to Yellow Springs, leaving Ninth Madam stunned.

• Ninth Madam learned that Xu Taiping had survived the forbidden grounds and found the Sunken Abyss Bell, and she contacted him while Daoist Fengzhu and Heavenly Lord Xuanbei urged her to discuss their own business.
• Xu Taiping told Ninth Madam that he was in Fengdu Prefecture and asked her to check whether Elders Xuanbei and Fengzhu had decided about his trip to the forbidden grounds.
• Ninth Madam offered to pay more than Fengdu Prefecture for the Sunken Abyss Bell, but Xu Taiping said he had already agreed to trade it for a breakthrough site, a top-tier defensive formation, spirit marrow stones, and the Fengdu Great Emperor's protection.
• Ninth Madam accepted that Black Prison could not match Fengdu Prefecture's offer and decided not to compete for the bell.
• Xu Taiping told Ninth Madam that his group had found the entrance to Yellow Springs, and she sprang upright in disbelief.

Xu Taiping prepared for his coming Dao Integration breakthrough by seeking protection from the Abyssal Pavilion and considering a path to Half-Immortal offered by Heavenly Lord Xuanbei and Daoist Fengzhu. The chapter ended with Ninth Madam arriving with the two experts, while Old Daoist Huang asked whether Xu Taiping was tempted by their offer.

• Xu Taiping told Ping'an and Old Daoist Huang that he had informed Ninth Madam about the Yellow Springs Entrance because he trusted the Heaven-Hunting Great Sage, and explained that Xuanbei and Fengzhu had offered him a path to Half-Immortal.
• Bai Mo delivered Xu Taiping a Red Essence Yin-Yang Mirror, and Xu Taiping used it to contact Heavenly Lord Cangzhu for help protecting his Dao Integration breakthrough.
• Heavenly Lord Cangzhu agreed to arrange protection once Xu Taiping shared the location and timing of his breakthrough.
• Ninth Madam told Xu Taiping that she had brought Heavenly Lord Xuanbei and Daoist Fengzhu, and Ghost King Qin Ming offered to turn them away if Xu Taiping did not want to meet them.
• Xu Taiping agreed to see the visitors, and Old Daoist Huang asked whether he was tempted by their Half-Immortal Dharma Method.

Dong Cang persuaded the Xiao Clan Matriarch to help eliminate Xu Taiping, claiming his master foresaw a possible Great Dao Strife and offering a way to transfer Xu Taiping’s fortunes to Xiao Yu. At Cangwu Heavenly Lord’s Dao Field, another man identical to Dong Cang offered rewards for killing Xu Taiping and revealed that his master was Dong Cangzi.

• Fairy Yunxiao and Steward Zhou returned to the Xiao Clan and explained that the Hundred Ghosts Night Run had transformed the Wangjin Ferry Forbidden Grounds, causing their plan against Xu Taiping to fail.
• The Xiao Clan Matriarch ordered the pair to guard the clan’s Forbidden Grounds for three hundred years, but they pleaded to make amends and introduced Dong Cang as the expert who had rescued them.
• Dong Cang revealed overwhelming power and asked the Xiao Clan to help eliminate Xu Taiping, explaining that his master foresaw a possible Great Dao Strife and that Xu Taiping carried the Lower Realm’s and Dragon Clan’s fortunes.
• Dong Cang promised to reveal Xu Taiping’s hiding place and teach the Xiao Clan Matriarch how to transfer Xu Taiping’s fortunes to Xiao Yu, and she showed interest in cooperating.
• At Cangwu Heavenly Lord’s Dao Field, a young man identical to Dong Cang offered to help Cangwu obtain Xu Taiping’s Left-Eye Lotus Pupil and Soul-Merging Pill recipe in exchange for his death.
• When Cangwu demanded to know the young man’s master, the young man identified him as Dong Cangzi.

Xu Taiping met Ninth Madam, Heavenly Lord Xuanbei, and Daoist Fengzhu, then refused to enter a dangerous secret realm because he was already prepared to break through. They showed him a Moonlight Stone containing a record of an ancient battle between a Human Sovereign and a Demon God from Outer Heaven.

• Xu Taiping arrived at a side room with Ghost King Qin Ming and recognized Ninth Madam, Heavenly Lord Xuanbei, and Daoist Fengzhu in their puppet bodies.
• Ninth Madam explained that the Heavenly Dao Edict prevented the three seniors from visiting in their true bodies.
• Xu Taiping told the seniors he was prepared for his breakthrough and would avoid entering the secret realm unless absolutely necessary.
• Ninth Madam sealed the room with a formation, and Heavenly Lord Xuanbei praised Xu Taiping's cultivation foundation.
• Heavenly Lord Xuanbei gave Xu Taiping a Moonlight Stone containing an ancient battle record, and Xu Taiping reacted with horror.

Xu Taiping viewed the Moonlight Stone’s images and discovered that they showed the Flame Emperor battling a Demon God. After agreeing to enter the forbidden grounds in exchange for the stone, he learned they were called Three Paths Village, a name that alarmed Old Daoist Huang.

• Xu Taiping infused the Moonlight Stone with Divine Essence and saw the Flame Emperor unleash a devastating attack before Ninth Madam awakened him and replenished his depleted Divine Essence.
• Xu Taiping told Ping'an and Old Daoist Huang that the images showed the Flame Emperor, one of the Three Emperors, fighting a Demon God.
• Daoist Fengzhu said the battle’s Great Dao resembled Xu Taiping’s own and could help him break through to the Half-Immortal Realm if he comprehended it.
• Xu Taiping agreed to enter the forbidden grounds in exchange for the Moonlight Stone, and Heavenly Lord Xuanbei and Daoist Fengzhu identified them as Three Paths Village in the Cold Spring Domain of the Yellow Springs Ruins.
• Old Daoist Huang recognized Three Paths Village from legends about a mysterious village controlled by a Netherworld Edict, and Xu Taiping asked him how he knew of it.

Old Daoist Huang explained the danger of Three Paths Village, where anyone who changed its repeating seven-day cycle became trapped. Xu Taiping agreed to enter and retrieve a token holding Heavenly Lord Xuanbei and Daoist Fengzhu's divine senses, which they needed to break the shackles on their Great Daos.

• Old Daoist Huang told Xu Taiping that a Netherworld Artifact had trapped Three Paths Village's villagers in a repeating seven-day cycle, and that anyone who interfered would be trapped in their place.
• Heavenly Lord Xuanbei explained that intervening cultivators faced deadly backlash, while Daoist Fengzhu said Xu Taiping's steadfast Dao Heart, physique, and Fengdu Token made him their best candidate.
• Heavenly Lord Xuanbei revealed that more than six hundred mountain bandits would attack the village seven days later, and Xu Taiping agreed to enter despite the danger.
• Daoist Fengzhu promised to help Xu Taiping break through and watch the battle inside the moonlight stone if he retrieved the object from the village.
• Heavenly Lord Xuanbei and Daoist Fengzhu explained that the object was a token containing their divine senses, left with a mutual friend who became trapped in Three Paths Village; Daoist Fengzhu said it could help them regain their half-immortal standing within ten years.

Xu Taiping accepted the commission to enter Three Paths Village, triggering the fourth golden lotus linked to his future cultivation and the survival of the Azure Profound Sect. Its vision revealed eight Demon-Sealing Swords above the village and a girl who thanked him for granting her death.

• Heavenly Lord Xuanbei and Daoist Fengzhu explained that reclaiming their existing Half-Immortal seats would not count toward reopening the Heaven-Treading Contest.
• Xu Taiping accepted the commission, and Heavenly Lord Xuanbei transferred information about Three Paths Village into his divine soul, causing the fourth golden lotus to bloom.
• Ninth Madam gave Xu Taiping a spirit mirror so those outside could observe his journey and arrange help if needed.
• Xu Taiping instructed Ping'an and Old Daoist Huang to seek Second Senior Brother in the Yellow Springs rather than rescue him if he became trapped.
• Xu Taiping examined the golden lotus that night and saw eight Demon-Sealing Swords above a dim village, where Longyuan and Chengying wrote two names.
• Two figures resembling a grandfather and granddaughter appeared in the vision, and the girl thanked Xu Taiping for granting Cui'er death.

Xu Taiping learned that the Book of Life and Death could manifest through the Eight Demon-Sealing Swords in areas covered by the Netherworld Edict, and uncovered clues about the dangers inside Three Paths Village. He prepared to enter the village, where Ninth Madam and the others warned him to prioritize survival.

• Ping'er and her grandfather thanked Xu Taiping and revealed that Three Paths Village's genealogy was kept in the ancestral shrine, asking him to free the villagers with the Book of Life and Death.
• The Eight Demon-Sealing Swords joined together and manifested the Book of Life and Death, leading Xu Taiping to suspect it could be used in the Yellow Springs.
• The Lotus Eye's deduction showed a white-robed figure resembling Su Chan helping bandits prepare to ambush rescuers, and Xu Taiping concluded that heretical cultivators were seeking to kill the Orthodox Path cultivators.
• Xu Taiping reviewed Heavenly Lord Xuanbei's Divine Soul Mark and learned that cultivators often died entering the village or confronting the bandits, while those not sheltered by a household could be eaten by vengeful villagers after nightfall.
• Heavenly Lord Xuanbei, Daoist Fengzhu, Ninth Madam, Ping'an, and Old Daoist Huang gave Xu Taiping advice before he entered Three Paths Village through the teleportation array.

Xu Taiping entered Three Paths Village after waiting for three rooster crows, determined to find Cui'er and avoid interfering in anything else. He escaped Gu Changming and entered the village, where another cultivator immediately approached a villager.

• Ghost King Qin Ming warned Xu Taiping that other cultivators would enter Three Paths Village and gave him a Jade Pendant before he leaped into the Teleportation Array.
• Xu Taiping arrived at Three Paths Village and waited for the required three rooster crows while refusing Gu Changming's offers to join forces.
• After the third crow lifted the restrictions, Xu Taiping used the Wind and Thunder Steps to leave Gu Changming behind and enter the village.
• Xu Taiping saw another cultivator greet the butcher Uncle Zhao and wondered why the cultivator was speaking to a villager so soon.

Xu Taiping watched Zhou Xiaochuan try to enter Three Paths Village by ingratiating himself with Butcher Zhao, only for Zhao to expose his lies and kill him. The slaughter left Xu Taiping more wary of the dangers awaiting him in the village.

• Gu Changming speculated that Zhou Xiaochuan had researched Butcher Zhao and approached him because he was kind to outsiders.
• Zhou Xiaochuan told Butcher Zhao a tale about his orphaned childhood and elderly grandparents, then asked to become his apprentice.
• Butcher Zhao tested Zhou Xiaochuan's knife skills, but became suspicious of his soft hands and accused him of lying.
• Butcher Zhao transformed into an evil ghost and attacked Zhou Xiaochuan as he fled toward the village entrance.
• Butcher Zhao caught Zhou Xiaochuan beneath the ceremonial archway and hacked him to pieces while Xu Taiping and Gu Changming watched in horror.

Xu Taiping spent the day searching Three Paths Village for a villager, while observers learned that Gu Changming was a genuine Heavenly Net Sword Sect secret disciple who might have recognized Xu Taiping. As sunset approached, Xu Taiping found a lame old man, and Gu Changming warned that the notorious villager would never accept him.

• Ghost King Qin Ming explained that Zhou Xiaochuan had replaced Butcher Zhao, whose original body remained trapped in Three Paths Village under the Netherworld Edict.
• Ninth Madam learned that Gu Changming was a secret disciple of the Heavenly Net Sword Sect, and the group suspected his qi-reading skills had revealed Xu Taiping's identity.
• Ghost King Qin Ming warned that sunset was near and villagers would attack cultivators who had not gained acceptance.
• Xu Taiping found the lame old man calling for his missing granddaughter Cui'er, while Gu Changming realized this was whom Xu had been searching for.
• Gu Changming blocked Xu Taiping and warned that the lame old man was the village's most vicious villager and would never accept him.

Xu Taiping approached the Lame Old Man despite warnings that the man would become murderous after seeing his granddaughter Cui’er’s shoe. He used their contact to activate his divination abilities, then set off to find Cui’er, while observers in the Yellow Springs Ruins wondered why he searched for a girl they believed had drowned.

• Gu Changming warned Xu Taiping that the Lame Old Man would go mad and attack cultivators after discovering Cui’er’s shoe by the pond, but Xu Taiping trusted his Lotus Eye divination.
• Xu Taiping stopped the Lame Old Man from reaching the pond and described Cui’er as a girl in an emerald-green ruqun with pigtails who chased a big yellow dog.
• The Lame Old Man recognized the description, grabbed Xu Taiping, and begged him to lead the way to Cui’er; their contact activated Xu Taiping’s Lotus Eye and the true intent of Lotus Root Broken, Yet Its Fibers Remain.
• Xu Taiping promised to find Cui’er and bring her back before dark, and the Lame Old Man offered to let him stay at his home for up to half a month.
• Xu Taiping followed the visible thread from the Lame Old Man toward western Three Paths Village as Gu Changming warned him that failure could make him the old man’s first victim.
• At Fengdu Prefecture, Ninth Madam and Heavenly Lord Xuanbei questioned why Xu Taiping was searching for Cui’er, while Ping’an suggested that he must have seen something.

Xu Taiping followed clues from the Lotus Eye to track Cui'er through Three Paths Village, despite the Netherworld Edict disrupting his search. He reached a secluded house and spotted the goose from his vision swimming in a ditch, leaving him with a possible new clue to Cui'er's whereabouts.

• Xu Taiping discovered that the Netherworld Edict blocked his Lotus Root Broken, Yet Its Fibers Remain true intent, while Gu Changming advised him to seek shelter with a kind old man.
• Xu Taiping used the Lotus Eye to glimpse a stone block, a large goose, and a locust tree, then found the stone block and activated his tracking abilities on it.
• Xu Taiping saw a memory of Cui'er asking Xiaolong for food and a shoe, refusing to go home until she found Big Yellow, whom her grandfather had sent into the mountains.
• Xu Taiping followed Cui'er's trail to a secluded house on the village's western side and reasoned that she had probably entered the mountains.
• Xu Taiping spotted the large goose from the Lotus Eye's vision swimming in a ditch beside the house.

Xu Taiping followed the divine soul mark from the goose to Three Paths Village’s Old Bachelor, who transformed into a powerful blue-faced evil ghost and trapped him in battle. With the ghost’s strength rising and his own blade force waning, Xu Taiping unleashed his Demon-Sealing Sword, and his sword intent shattered the ghost’s blade force and sent it flying.

• Xu Taiping let the big goose bite him, using Lotus Eye and Lotus Root Broken, Yet Its Fibers Remain to trace the divine soul mark toward the mountain forest.
• The one-eyed Old Bachelor attacked Xu Taiping, and the Netherworld Edict transformed him into a blue-faced evil ghost that blocked Xu Taiping’s magic power.
• Xu Taiping countered the ghost’s attacks with the Annihilating Blade Art, Emberless Stance, but the ghost’s killing power grew after its courtyard gate broke.
• As the ghost’s blade force overwhelmed him, Xu Taiping sheathed his saber and summoned eight swords with his Demon-Sealing Sword.
• Xu Taiping’s Frost Slays All Grass sword intent shattered the evil ghost’s blade force and sent it flying.

Xu Taiping defeated a ghostly villager with the Eight Demon-Sealing Swords and followed a clue toward Cui'er. He reached a hillside near a cliff, where Gu Changming warned that Cui'er and Big Yellow were trapped with two mountain bandits.

• Xu Taiping used Longyuan and his Frost-Slaying Sword Intent to destroy the green-faced evil ghost, then fled before the Netherworld Edict could revive it.
• Gu Changming warned Xu Taiping that his flying swords could attract more ghost villagers and questioned whether they had inherited a Netherworld Edict.
• Xu Taiping viewed a Divine Soul Mark showing Cui'er bribing Tian Shouchun with steamed flatbread to learn that her grandfather and Big Yellow had gone east up the mountain.
• Xu Taiping followed the Lotus Root Broken, Yet Its Fibers Remain clue to a great locust tree on a hillside.
• Xu Taiping heard barking from a nearby cliff, and Gu Changming warned him that Cui'er and Big Yellow were there with two mountain bandits.