Recaps

Xu Taiping faced Qian Xiaofu and Bai Di when they entered his cell, where they beat and interrogated him. He refused Bai Di’s offer to trade his manuals for the removal of his Soul Needles and warned that his visitors were running out of time.

• Xu Taiping hid Red Lion and Old Smoky Ghost inside their paintings as Qian Xiaofu and Bai Di approached his cell.
• Qian Xiaofu kicked Xu Taiping and said her grandfather would take him away the next day, while Xu Taiping kept Old Smoky Ghost from revealing himself.
• Bai Di struck Xu Taiping and offered to remove his Soul Needles in exchange for his Body-Tempering Method and Fist Manual.
• Qian Xiaofu said it was past eleven, and Xu Taiping sat up and told Bai Di that they were the ones running out of time.

Xu Taiping warned Bai Di and Qian Xiaofu that danger was coming, but they ignored him and were trapped in the stone cell when a powerful crystal monster broke in. Bai Di tried to escape with Qian Xiaofu using his Sword Domain, but a young girl sent them back into the cell just as the monster attacked.

• Xu Taiping warned Bai Di and Qian Xiaofu to leave the stone cell before it was too late, but they refused.
• An attacker killed Elder Liu outside the cell and used a true intent that slowed Bai Di and Qian Xiaofu.
• A nearly twenty-foot crystal monster smashed through the stone door and entered the cell.
• Bai Di activated his Sword Domain and used Ten-Step Kill to carry Qian Xiaofu toward the passage.
• A young girl struck their sword light with her purple-glowing palm, sending Bai Di and Qian Xiaofu back into the cell.
• The crystal monster demanded to know who had let them run and hurled a fist at them.

Bai Di and Qian Xiaofu were overwhelmed by a stone demon’s Origin Demon Seed Power, which turned their attacks and treasures to dust. Xu Taiping recognized the arriving female Demon Cultivator as Su Xue, sent by Su Chan, but she and the stone demon revealed they had come to kill him too.

• Bai Di’s Sword Domain and Golden Light Talisman were destroyed by the stone demon’s Return to Dust power.
• Bai Di realized the stone demon was a Demon Cultivator from the Nine Abysses, while Qian Xiaofu’s jade disc also turned to dust.
• Xu Taiping recognized the young female Demon Cultivator as Su Xue and concluded that Su Chan had sent the intruders.
• Bai Di stabbed Xu Taiping’s shoulder and threatened to kill him if the intruders came closer.
• The stone demon and Su Xue mocked Bai Di and revealed that they had come to kill Xu Taiping as well.

Xu Taiping challenged the Nine Abysses Demon Cultivators while Old Smoky Ghost fought Stone Demon, and Su Xue tried to lure the Ghost Creature away. Xu Taiping forced out the soul needles and revealed a sudden surge of power, leaving Su Xue to wonder whether the Demon Cultivators had been ambushed.

• Bai Di submitted to the Nine Abysses, used Mind-Confusing Art to control Qian Xiaofu, and offered her as a captive.
• Stone Demon beat Bai Di nearly to death, but Bai Di continued begging to join the Nine Abysses.
• Xu Taiping challenged Su Xue and Stone Demon, and Old Smoky Ghost intercepted Stone Demon with his tobacco pipe.
• Su Xue feinted at Xu Taiping to draw Old Smoky Ghost away, but the Ghost Creature ignored her attack.
• Xu Taiping ate the Immortal Sword and forced the soul needles from his body, causing his power to surge as Su Xue realized they might be the ones ambushed.

Xu Taiping broke free of Witch Su Xue’s attacks and used thunder-infused blade qi to wound the Stone Demon, giving Old Smoky Ghost a chance to sever the demon’s arm. Su Xue restored the Stone Demon and sheltered them both inside her spiked Bronze Ring as Xu Taiping approached in a transformed, dragon-scaled form.

• Witch Su Xue attacked Xu Taiping with snowflakes carrying Cutting Through Iron Like Mud and tried to seize him with Steal Heaven and Swap Sun.
• Xu Taiping broke free and slashed at Su Xue, forcing her to use Instantaneous Movement to escape the strike.
• Xu Taiping’s thunder-infused blade qi struck the Stone Demon, and Old Smoky Ghost used the opening to cut off the demon’s arm.
• Witch Su Xue transformed her Bronze Ring into a spiked enclosure and healed the Stone Demon with a bloody heart.
• Xu Taiping walked toward the enclosure, covered in purple-gold dragon scales and carrying a saber that made Su Xue shudder.

Xu Taiping overwhelmed Witch Su Xue and Stone Demon in the stone prison, cutting through their Demon God Weapon and forcing them to flee. The Red-Haired Ghost King trapped them at the exit, leaving the two Devil Masters with no way out.

• Xu Taiping rejected Old Smoky Ghost's tobacco and destroyed Stone Demon's return to dust attack with a blade strike.
• Xu Taiping split the Demon God Weapon Hedgehog with the Water-Cutting Blade and injured Stone Demon with a torrent of blade qi.
• Witch Su Xue used Steal Heaven and Swap Sun to teleport herself and Stone Demon to the prison entrance, where Old Smoky Ghost struck them with his pipe.
• Xu Taiping summoned the Red-Haired Ghost King, whose beast-trapping cage blocked Witch Su Xue and Stone Demon's next escape attempt.
• Bai Di watched in disbelief as Xu Taiping cornered the two Devil Masters.

Xu Taiping faced Witch Su Xue and the Stone Demon inside Red Lion’s unbreakable cage as their plans were exposed. Witch Su Xue deduced that the cage’s rules could be challenged, but Red Lion revealed that the requirement to fight was inherent to his beast-trapping power.

• The Stone Demon failed to break Red Lion’s blood-red cage, and Witch Su Xue concluded that brute force could not overcome it.
• Witch Su Xue recognized Xu Taiping as someone connected to Su Chan, and the Stone Demon realized their plot had been exposed.
• The Stone Demon transformed into Vermilion Armor to gain strength, while Witch Su Xue prepared to fight Red Lion.
• Witch Su Xue deduced that she could establish a rule inside the cage, but Red Lion revealed that its demand for combat was inherent to his beast-trapping power.

Xu Taiping and Witch Su Xue set rules for a Beast Cage battle, then Witch Su Xue and Stone Demon attacked Xu Taiping and Old Smoky Ghost. After Stone Demon appeared to blast them apart, Xu Taiping revealed he had survived and aimed a Fire Origin arrow at Stone Demon while Old Smoky Ghost struck Witch Su Xue.

• Witch Su Xue banned both sides from using Qi and Blood Power, and Xu Taiping ruled that the battle would end only when one side died or could no longer fight.
• Witch Su Xue, convinced Xu Taiping was using them to reach Lord Su Chan, attacked him and Old Smoky Ghost with a storm of snow-like blade strikes.
• Old Smoky Ghost's smoke and starlike radiance countered the attack, but Stone Demon used his Return to Dust power to infiltrate the cloud and explode as an Armor Pellet.
• Stone Demon thought he had blasted Xu Taiping and Old Smoky Ghost apart, but Witch Su Xue spotted Xu Taiping behind him with his bow drawn.
• Old Smoky Ghost struck Witch Su Xue with his Tobacco Pipe as Xu Taiping fired a Fire Origin arrow toward Stone Demon.

Xu Taiping used the Shentu Bow and the Azure Luan Ring to counter Su Xue and the Stone Demon, eventually trapping the Stone Demon in its vulnerable infant form. As Su Xue prepared to fight to the death, Xu Taiping began fusing thunder with 𩙥 Flame, and she realized he was condensing thunderflame.

• Xu Taiping revealed that he had ambushed the Stone Demon and destroyed its re-forming body with a Fire Virtue Arrow.
• Su Xue tried to kill Xu Taiping with a Black Spear, but discovered she had struck a clone; she then used Steal Heaven and Swap Sun to attack Old Smoky Ghost and redirect the demons and attacks.
• Xu Taiping fired a Thunder Master Arrow, while Su Xue switched places with the Stone Demon and redirected the thunder strike onto it.
• The Stone Demon attacked Xu Taiping and Old Smoky Ghost with its return-to-dust power, but Xu Taiping tore through the starlight with blade qi.
• Xu Taiping used the Stone Demon's explosion to condense 𩙥 Flame, protecting himself and Old Smoky Ghost while the Stone Demon reverted to its vulnerable infant form.
• Su Xue threatened Xu Taiping and gathered her powers, while Xu Taiping began fusing thunder with 𩙥 Flame, prompting her to cry out that he was condensing thunderflame.

Xu Taiping used thunderflame to overwhelm Witch Su Xue and burn through the Stone Demon's defenses, then asked Witch Su Xue about Su Chan's plans. She knew nothing about his exact plans but offered to reveal something else about Emperor Su as the fight continued.

• Xu Taiping fused true fire and thunder origin power to unleash thunderflame, forcing Witch Su Xue to defend herself with both demon seed powers.
• Xu Taiping decapitated the Stone Demon and burned his body to ashes, while Old Smoky Ghost asked him to save some remains for tobacco.
• Xu Taiping asked Witch Su Xue to tell him Su Chan's plans, but she said they were all Su Chan's pieces and knew only their own assignments.
• The Stone Demon regenerated in Vermilion Armor and attacked Xu Taiping, who used his Blade Domain and mountain spirit power to pin him down and sever both arms.
• Xu Taiping's thunderflame burned the Stone Demon's armor and origin demon seed power, prompting Witch Su Xue to ask him to stop and offer information about Emperor Su.

Xu Taiping forced Witch Su Xue to reveal that Su Chan was hiding in Liuhe Pagoda in Liuxian Town, then brought Fairy Lingyue to confront him. The chapter ended with Witch Su Xue realizing Fairy Lingyue could kill Su Chan.

• Xu Taiping burned away Stone Demon's body, threatened his demon seed, and made Witch Su Xue reveal Su Chan's location in Liuhe Pagoda.
• Xu Taiping left Witch Su Xue and Stone Demon's demon seed sealed in Old Smoky Ghost's pouch and departed the Stone Prison.
• Liu Chuxuan and Qian Yi returned to find Qian Xiaofu unconscious and Bai Di seemingly mad; a recovered scene showed Qian Xiaofu insulting Chu Ping'an, enraging Qian Yi.
• Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue reached Liuhe Pagoda's fifth floor, where Xu Taiping confirmed the location with Witch Su Xue.
• Fairy Lingyue released her suppressed aura, and Witch Su Xue realized she had brought Su Chan someone capable of killing him.

Xu Taiping used his karmic power to locate Su Chan in Heavenly Character Number Five, and Fairy Lingyue confronted him by unleashing her true domain. Su Chan began breaking free of the freezing snowfield, confirming Xu Taiping's suspicion that the attendant was no ordinary demon cultivator.

• Xu Taiping identified Heavenly Character Number Five as Su Chan's room by following the karmic thread connected to Witch Su Xue.
• Xu Taiping prepared his Water-Cutting Blade and awakened the flame inside the Azure Luan Ring while Fairy Lingyue told him to stay behind her.
• An attendant confronted Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue, then reached for a jade slip when Fairy Lingyue claimed she was staying in Heavenly Character Number Five.
• Fairy Lingyue stamped the floor and transported them into her snowfield true domain.
• The attendant revealed his power was rising as he broke through the ice, and Xu Taiping realized he was Su Chan.

Fairy Lingyue and Su Chan clashed inside her True Domain as Su Chan countered her power with his Sword Domain and Taotie. Fairy Lingyue summoned Guanghan Palace and unleashed its Tide divine power against him.

• Fairy Lingyue recognized that Su Chan had mastered fourth-tier origin demon seed power despite only recently reaching the Demon Emperor Realm.
• Su Chan expanded his Sword Domain, manifested Taotie's Branch-Folding black tree, and began using Taotie to devour Fairy Lingyue's True Domain Power.
• Xu Taiping warned Fairy Lingyue that Taotie could devour the Spiritual Power of the surrounding region.
• Su Chan told Fairy Lingyue he could gravely injure her if he staked his life, and she challenged his claim.
• Fairy Lingyue manifested Guanghan Palace within her True Domain and used its Tide divine power to flip the sea in Su Chan's Sword Domain.

Fairy Lingyue and Xu Taiping battled Su Chan inside her true domain, where Su Chan retrieved an ancient wolf head and transformed into the Heavenly Wolf Demon God. As Su Chan’s power threatened to break through the domain, Fairy Lingyue called Xu Taiping to sit with her in Guanghan Palace.

• Fairy Lingyue froze the sea Su Chan had overturned and sent it crashing down on him.
• Su Chan split the frozen sea, then cut a fissure into Fairy Lingyue’s true domain and reached through it.
• Su Chan pulled out an ancient wolf head and transformed into the hundred-zhang Heavenly Wolf Demon God.
• Fairy Lingyue identified the wolf head as an object from the ancient Demon God Heavenly Wolf and explained that it granted Su Chan a portion of its combat strength.
• Su Chan unleashed the Sea Incineration heat and fired a huge fireball that began vaporizing Fairy Lingyue’s true domain.
• Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping to sit with her in Guanghan Palace as the fireball bore down on them.

Fairy Lingyue trapped Su Chan’s Heavenly Wolf Demon God in her True Domain, A Drop in the Ocean, and demonstrated how it could shrink enemies and enlarge attacks. She spent much of her true power to cut Su Chan’s body in two, leaving Xu Taiping wondering whether Su Chan had truly died.

• Fairy Lingyue revealed that her True Domain could shrink the Heavenly Wolf Demon God and its surroundings to the size of a grain of rice.
• Su Chan repeatedly enlarged the Heavenly Wolf Demon God and tried to reach Guanghan Palace, but Fairy Lingyue kept shrinking him.
• Fairy Lingyue enlarged Xu Taiping’s Gold Essence Coin and struck Su Chan, but Su Chan smashed the coin apart with the Heavenly Wolf Demon God’s body.
• Fairy Lingyue decided Su Chan had to die and warned that her next attack would take years of true power to recover.
• Fairy Lingyue sent an enlarged Moon Soul sword through the Spirit Mirror and sliced the Heavenly Wolf Demon God in two, leaving Xu Taiping unsure whether Su Chan had died.

Su Chan used the Heavenly Wolf Demon God's twin birth divine power to create two bodies and attack Guanghan Palace with a powerful flaming spear. As Xu Taiping prepared to intercept it, Fairy Lingyue stopped him and told him to remember how he had felt.

• Su Chan's severed Heavenly Wolf Demon God body split into two complete bodies through its twin birth divine power.
• Fairy Lingyue swept the two bodies into a mountain range, but they emerged and charged toward Guanghan Palace again.
• Su Chan turned one body into a flaming spear, which the other hurled toward Guanghan Palace with enough power to threaten Fairy Lingyue's true domain.
• Xu Taiping prepared to draw the Water-Cutting Blade as the spear reached the palace gates, but Fairy Lingyue pressed his arm down and told him to wait.

Fairy Lingyue revealed the seven worlds within her True Domain and explained that the world holding Su Chan was its smallest and least dangerous. Su Chan escaped using the Daoist True Intent of Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell, and as Xu Taiping prepared to alert the Nine Prefectures, Su Chan threatened the Azure Profound Sect to force a deal.

• Fairy Lingyue showed Xu Taiping the full extent of her True Domain and explained that Su Chan had been trapped in its smallest world.
• Fairy Lingyue explained that her weakened body could not open the other six worlds and that using a powerful innate Divine Ability risked attracting the upper realm's attention and Heavenly Tribulation.
• Su Chan broke out of the jade bottle using the True Intent of Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell, leaving behind a shed skin.
• Fairy Lingyue warned that Su Chan might be a new Demon Emperor capable of uniting the Nine Abysses and urged Xu Taiping to notify the Nine Prefectures.
• Su Chan threatened Senior Sister Zhao Linglong, Senior Brother Dugu Qingxiao, and the Azure Profound Sect, demanding that Xu Taiping put down the Jade Slip and meet him at Heavenly Character Number Five.

Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue confronted Su Chan’s phantom in Heavenly Character Number Five, where Fairy Lingyue checked the room for traps and Su Chan admitted he wanted to make a deal. Su Chan revealed an image of people gathered around a sickbed, leaving Xu Taiping unsettled by what he saw.

• Fairy Lingyue explained that Su Chan’s use of Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell had likely brought severe backlash that could damage his cultivation foundation.
• Fairy Lingyue entered Heavenly Character Number Five and found Su Chan’s phantom, then used “Unaffected by a Hundred Evils” to test the room for traps.
• Xu Taiping released Little Monkey Ping'an and Bai Yu to guard the doorway before entering the room.
• Su Chan said he wanted to make a deal, admitted he still intended to kill Xu Taiping if he got the chance, and Xu Taiping challenged whether he could do so.
• Su Chan snapped his fingers and produced another phantom showing a group gathered beside a sickbed, making Xu Taiping frown.

Su Chan revealed that Jiang Zhi had been replaced by Elder Mo, who had infected Azure Profound Sect disciples with a deadly Demon Seed power, and offered Xu Taiping two bargains. He demanded the Demon Seeds in Xu Taiping’s gourd to save the disciples, then required Xu Taiping to fight alone in the Sword Inquiry Trial if he wanted to save Jiang Zhi.

• Su Chan showed Xu Taiping an image of Jiang Zhi, who was secretly Elder Mo, discussing an imminent attack on the Azure Profound Sect.
• Su Chan revealed that Jiang Zhi’s soul remained sealed inside a Taotie and that he had used Branch-Folding to steal her identity and plant Elder Mo in the sect.
• Su Chan explained that Elder Mo’s Demon Seed power could kill every infected Azure Profound Sect disciple if one of them died, and Fairy Lingyue confirmed the power was real.
• Su Chan offered to have Elder Mo remove the power from the disciples if Xu Taiping returned the two Demon Seeds in his White Gourd.
• Su Chan demanded that Xu Taiping fight alone in the Sword Inquiry Trial’s final match in ten days to save Jiang Zhi, saying he wanted to watch Xu Taiping die.

Xu Taiping confronted Su Chan about why he had arranged a deadly Sword Inquiry, and Su Chan revealed that he saw Xu Taiping’s survival as an obstacle to his own Dao. Xu Taiping argued that Su Chan’s schemes were really an attempt to erase his original aspiration, giving him and Fairy Lingyue a possible lead against Su Chan’s Dao Heart.

• Fairy Lingyue warned Xu Taiping that Su Chan had replaced the Sword Inquiry’s cultivators with Demon Cultivators to kill him.
• Xu Taiping asked Su Chan why he hated him, and Su Chan said their shared origins in Qingxuan and Lü Daoxuan’s lineage meant only one of their paths could survive.
• Su Chan explained that Xu Taiping’s sword ring had split their paths and prevented him from freeing his Great Dao from its ties to the Azure Profound Sect.
• Fairy Lingyue reminded Xu Taiping of what she had taught him about cultivation, prompting him to ask Su Chan whether he remembered his original aspiration in seeking the Dao.
• Xu Taiping accused Su Chan of trying to erase his original aspiration, and Su Chan unleashed killing intent before withdrawing it and denying that he had forgotten his purpose.
• Fairy Lingyue and Xu Taiping concluded that Su Chan’s original aspiration might be a flaw in his Dao Heart, while Su Chan asked whether Xu Taiping had anything else to ask.

Xu Taiping accepted Su Chan’s wager to face his chosen demon cultivators in the Sword Inquiry, and the two sealed their terms in a Confucian Contract Deed. Nine days later, Xu Taiping had not returned, and Zhao Qian and Dugu Qingxiao feared he would miss the final Sword Inquiry.

• Xu Taiping agreed to wager his life against the Sixth Peak disciples’ lives if Su Chan released the cultivators under his branch-folding control, except Elder Mo, and kept Xu Taiping’s identity as Chu Ping'an secret until the Sword Inquiry ended.
• Fairy Lingyue wrote a Contract Deed with Confucian True Words, and Xu Taiping and Su Chan pressed their fingerprints onto it before Xu Taiping handed over Witch Su Xue’s and the Stone Demon’s Demon Seeds.
• Su Chan announced that he would meet Xu Taiping on the Sword Inquiry Platform at Heavenly Pillar Summit in ten days.
• Xu Taiping told Fairy Lingyue that he had seen a thread connecting Su Chan’s phantom to a place outside the window, giving them a lead to find Su Chan’s hiding place.
• Nine days later, Zhao Qian told Dugu Qingxiao that Linglong had survived but her cultivation would likely remain at Asking-Heaven Realm, while the Nine Prefectures still could not open the Golden Court Inner Grotto-Heaven gate.
• Zhao Qian and Dugu Qingxiao saw Xu Taiping’s name on the final Sword Inquiry list and worried that he would not return in time.

Dugu Qingxiao and Zhao Qian discussed Xu Taiping’s Sword Inquiry Token and their growing fears that the Nine Abysses would disrupt the Sword Champion Assembly. Their conversation ended when a group from the Nine Prefectures arrived at the Azure Profound Sect, claiming they had come to search for Chu Ping'an.

• Dugu Qingxiao worried that Xu Taiping would miss the final Sword Inquiry, while Zhao Qian said the token proved Xu Taiping was alive.
• Dugu Qingxiao admitted he had felt unsettled throughout the Sword Champion Assembly, and Zhao Qian revealed that Lü Daoxuan had ordered the Azure Profound Sect to seal its mountain gate for three months.
• Dugu Qingxiao suspected Lü Daoxuan had foreseen trouble, and Zhao Qian explained that the assembly’s success would strengthen the Shangqing Realm ahead of the Heaven-Demon War.
• Zhao Qian said the Nine Abysses would interfere with the assembly and agreed that it was behind the recent attacks and growing conflict between rogue cultivators and sect cultivators.
• An Azure Profound Sect disciple reported that a large group from the Nine Prefectures had arrived to search for the fugitive Chu Ping'an.

Xu Taiping arranged to obtain a Sword Inquiry Token without alerting Zhao Qian and Dugu Qingxiao, but Ping'an had to hide when they returned. Hearing that his old companions still believed in him, Xu Taiping resolved to fight for them as the Sword Inquiry began.

• Ping'an secretly stole the Sword Inquiry Token from the Sect Master's room using his transformation arts, but returned it and hid when Zhao Qian and Dugu Qingxiao came back.
• Xu Taiping decided not to meet Zhao Qian and Dugu Qingxiao before the contest, fearing their presence would affect his resolve and they would stop him from entering.
• Ping'an reported that Zhao Qian had kept Xu Taiping's token because he believed Xu Taiping would return in time for the Sword Inquiry.
• Xu Taiping was moved to learn that his companions were thinking of him and vowed that no one would take them from him as long as he could fight.
• The next day, the mountain-guarding elder summoned the thirty cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Group onto the Sword Platform.

Mu Yuchen learned why Xu Taiping had received a Sword Inquiry Token despite his stalled cultivation: True Martial Heaven and the Nine Prefectures were willing to wait for him. When Xu Taiping's name was called, spectators across the Five Heavens turned toward the Sword Platform.

• Mu Yuchen questioned Mu Yun about the unusual crowd and scanned the Sword Inquiry Cultivators list.
• Mu Yuchen spotted Xu Taiping's name, and Mu Yun explained that Zhao Qian had petitioned the Nine Prefectures for his token.
• Mu Yun told Mu Yuchen that most spectators were from True Martial Heaven and were willing to wait for Xu Taiping.
• Cultivators from True Martial Heaven defended Xu Taiping's token and recalled how his deeds had benefited them.
• The mountain-guarding elder called Xu Taiping of the Azure Profound Sect, and the crowd fell silent and turned toward the Sword Platform.

Dugu Qingxiao and the Azure Profound Sect disciples waited for Xu Taiping to appear at the Sword Champion Assembly, while Zhao Qian revealed that Xu Taiping had not collected his Sword Inquiry Token. After Xu Taiping failed to arrive, Fu Yuan announced that his name would be removed from the Sword Chief Ranking, which then unfurled above the Sword Platform.

• Dugu Qingxiao reassured Liang Zhu that Xu Taiping's name on the Sword Chief Ranking meant his life was not in danger.
• Zhao Qian joined the stands and told Dugu Qingxiao that Zhao Linglong's condition had improved slightly.
• Zhao Qian placed Xu Taiping's unclaimed Sword Inquiry Token on the table, confirming that Xu Taiping had not arrived.
• Fu Yuan called for Xu Taiping, but Xu Taiping did not appear.
• Fu Yuan announced that Xu Taiping's name would be removed from the Sword Chief Ranking, and the ranking unfurled above the Sword Platform.