Chapter Summaries

After more than two months of secluded cultivation, Xu Taiping emerged from the stone building and told Fairy Lingyue that the mountain’s abundant spiritual energy had improved his cultivation speed. He had adapted to one cup of Dragon Gall Wine and planned to try two cups next.

• Fairy Lingyue explained that the Red Crow Golden Flame Formula was a rare Heaven Rank technique and warned Xu Taiping that it also required him to learn the Shadow-Splitting Technique and Flame-Flicking Finger.
• Fairy Lingyue took charge of the mountain’s Immortal Fields and Medicine Garden while Xu Taiping began three months of cultivation.
• Fairy Lingyue made Bai Yu catch bugs in the Medicine Garden while Little Monkey Ping'an brought her plums and ate grapes.
• Xu Taiping emerged from secluded cultivation, and Bai Yu begged him to intervene against Fairy Lingyue before returning to the Azure Gourd to cultivate.
• Xu Taiping promised to make Bai Yu roast yellow sheep and Little Monkey Ping'an roasted sweet potatoes.
• Xu Taiping told Fairy Lingyue that he had adapted to one cup of Dragon Gall Wine and could soon try two cups to increase his cultivation speed.

Xu Taiping showed Fairy Lingyue his cultivation progress, received his new Tiger-Patterned Saber and pill furnace, and hurried to prepare for his first trial assignment. He arrived at Seventh Peak’s Cloud-Ascending Platform to descend the mountain, where Zhao Linglong urged him that he had time to leave later.

• Xu Taiping demonstrated his improved Shadow-Splitting Technique, Flame-Flicking Finger, and Red Crow Golden Flame Formula to Fairy Lingyue, who praised his progress.
• A spirit crane delivered Xu Taiping’s Tiger-Patterned Saber, pill furnace, and medicinal herbs, and Fairy Lingyue approved of the saber while warning that he would need a treasure-grade furnace for the Quenching Fire Pill.
• Xu Taiping decided to refine Qi-Gathering Pills that night so he could prepare for his first trial assignment and set off sooner.
• The following evening, Xu Taiping reached Seventh Peak’s Cloud-Ascending Platform, where Zhao Linglong hurried over and told him he could leave two days later.

Xu Taiping prepared for his first mission down the mountain, receiving talismans and help from his Seventh Peak seniors. As an immortal crane arrived to take him away, he agreed to pass a message for Wu Liang if he could.

• Qingxiao and Zhao Linglong gave Xu Taiping talismans and urged him to prioritize his safety on the escort mission.
• Wu Liang arrived and gave Xu Taiping a bag of gold, asking him to tell his former subordinates that their leader’s token and technique manuals were hidden in a cellar on Yangming Mountain.
• Xu Taiping agreed to pass Wu Liang’s message if he had the chance, while Qingxiao and Wu Liang reminded him to focus on his mission first.
• Xu Taiping wondered whether his relatives in Green Ox Village were still there after nearly ten years had passed below the mountain.
• An immortal crane arrived at the Cloud-Ascending Platform and told Xu Taiping that it was time to set off.

Xu Taiping left Cloud Cottage Mountain for a trial assignment in the mortal world, while his fellow disciples learned about Wu Liang’s Beggar Gang. At Lion Slope, Elder Yun Ye gave Xu Taiping his mission details and warned him that the little princess he must meet could bring trouble.

• Xu Taiping said farewell to Zhao Linglong, Qingxiao, and Wu Liang before flying away with Elder Yun Ye.
• Zhao Linglong asked Wu Liang about his gang, and he explained that he had founded the Beggar Gang after beggars helped him when he lost his travel money.
• Qingxiao told Wu Liang that the Beggar Gang was still active in Wujiao Country, and Zhao Linglong promised Xu Taiping would pass along his words.
• Elder Yun Ye told Xu Taiping to meet the little princess of White Tree Kingdom and her guards at Mantuo Manor, two hundred li south of Lion Slope, and return within three months.
• Elder Yun Ye gave Xu Taiping a jade bracelet half, maps, a life-saving spirit feather, and a spirit horse, then warned him to be cautious of the little princess.

Xu Taiping let Fairy Lingyue take control of his body so she could ride a horse, and she advised him to avoid polluted spiritual energy. Meanwhile, the Sixth Princess waited at Mantuo Manor for an unknown person as the Young Master of Blood Spider Valley closed in, and his threat forced her protectors to confront the danger.

• Fairy Lingyue took control of Xu Taiping and rode his horse through the woods, warning him to drink Dragon Gall Wine and keep Bai Yu and the little monkey in the gourd.
• Xu Taiping said he preferred cultivating on the mountain because Grandpa's death had left him with nowhere in the mortal world.
• At Mantuo Manor, the Sixth Princess refused to leave before the person she awaited arrived, despite Cao Qianhu and General Chu warning her that her pursuers were near.
• General Chu reported signs that the Young Master of Blood Spider Valley had reached the area, while the Sixth Princess worried that leaving would make her miss her meeting.
• A guard announced that two patrol guards had been killed and that the manor walls bore a threat demanding the Sixth Princess's hand in marriage.

The Sixth Princess and her guards faced Zhu Tianze, who attacked Mantuo Manor with Blood Spider Valley’s Blood Demon Spider and demanded that she marry him. The next morning, Xu Taiping reached Qingluo Valley, found it covered in spiderwebs, and saw a blood-soaked rider approaching.

• The Sixth Princess told General Chu that her mother’s brocade pouch said they needed to meet someone who could help defeat Fan Qi, but she agreed to withdraw when General Chu warned of Blood Spider Valley’s threat.
• Zhu Tianze arrived atop a Blood Demon Spider, captured guards in silk cocoons, and gave the Sixth Princess one night to accept his marriage proposal.
• General Chu ordered the guards to use Light Purifying Smoke and take shelter as the spider covered Mantuo Manor in a vast web.
• Xu Taiping reached Qingluo Valley, sensed a strong smell of blood, and cautiously entered after Fairy Lingyue identified the spiderwebs as the work of a Blood Demon Spider.
• An armored man drenched in blood galloped toward Xu Taiping from deep within the valley.

Xu Taiping reached Qingluo Valley and discovered that Blood Spider Valley had taken Princess Li Yu hostage. He killed the attackers with swift saber and fist techniques, leaving the guard wondering if Xu Taiping was the reinforcement Her Highness had awaited.

• An armored guard fled toward the entrance of Qingluo Valley, but Blood Spider Valley fighters captured him after bringing down his horse.
• Xu Taiping asked the Blood Spider Valley men whether they had seen Princess Li Yu, and the guard revealed that they had taken her hostage.
• The burly leader confirmed that Princess Li Yu was alive, and Xu Taiping prepared to rescue her.
• The burly leader attacked Xu Taiping, but Xu Taiping cut him down with a single saber strike.
• Blood Spider Valley's subordinates charged Xu Taiping, who destroyed them with a barrage of fist strikes.
• The captured guard asked whether Xu Taiping was the one Her Highness had been waiting for.

Xu Taiping rescued Cao Qianhu, learned that Blood Spider Valley had surrounded Mantuo Manor and forced the Sixth Princess to agree to marry its Young Master, then headed into the valley to save her. When Blood Spider Valley reinforcements confronted him, Xu Taiping prepared to test his Spring Tiger Saber.

• Xu Taiping burned the Blood Demon Spider that had fled, then gave Cao Qianhu a Minor Restoration Pill and learned he was the Sixth Princess's personal guard.
• Cao Qianhu told Xu Taiping that Blood Spider Valley had trapped everyone in Mantuo Manor and coerced the Sixth Princess into agreeing to marry its Young Master, who sought the rumored immortal power within her.
• Xu Taiping asked Cao Qianhu to wait with his horse and walked into the valley, unwilling to risk delaying the rescue by seeking reinforcements.
• Cao Qianhu followed Xu Taiping, and they encountered Blood Spider Valley fighters and two Blood Demon Spiders in the valley.
• Xu Taiping told Cao Qianhu to stand aside and prepared to test his Spring Tiger Saber against the approaching enemies.

Xu Taiping slaughtered the Blood Spider Valley pursuers and followed Cao Qianhu into Mantuo Manor, where the Sixth Princess was being forced to complete a wedding ceremony with the valley’s young master. The chapter left her walking toward the main hall to delay him while hoping Xu Taiping would arrive in time.

• Xu Taiping used the Spring Tiger Saber to cut down the Blood Spider Valley men and killed two fleeing Blood Demon Spiders with his fists.
• Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping that Blood Demon Spider silk required human blood food, and he realized the spiders had cost at least a hundred lives.
• Xu Taiping stored the spider corpses in his Azure Gourd and ordered Cao Qianhu to follow him.
• At Mantuo Manor, Blood Spider Valley underlings brought the injured General Chu before the Sixth Princess and revealed that Cao Qianhu had fled through the front entrance.
• The Blood Spider Valley young master demanded that the Sixth Princess complete their wedding bows, claiming he would then release her guards.
• The Sixth Princess went toward the main hall, resigned to buying time while hoping Xu Taiping would come.

Xu Taiping and Cao Qianhu arrived at Mantuo Manor during the Sixth Princess’s forced wedding to the Young Master of Blood Spider Valley. After breaking into the spider-guarded courtyard, Xu Taiping asked the Sixth Princess if she was there.

• The Young Master of Blood Spider Valley threatened the Sixth Princess with the Blood Demon Spider Ancestor until she agreed to proceed with the wedding.
• An explosion interrupted the ceremony, and the Young Master led his disciples outside while the matchmaker held the Sixth Princess at the hall entrance.
• Blood Spider Valley disciples fled back into the courtyard, reporting that a young man with exceptional blade techniques had overwhelmed them.
• The Young Master summoned Uncle Ya and ordered Blood Demon Spiders to guard the courtyard as the intruder approached.
• The Sixth Princess called out from inside, but the matchmaker sealed her acupoints at the Young Master's command.
• Xu Taiping shattered the courtyard gates with blade light, entered with Cao Qianhu, and asked the Sixth Princess if she was Her Highness.

Xu Taiping rescued the Sixth Princess from the Young Master of Blood Spider Valley and his Blood Demon Spiders. The Young Master fled with an important token belonging to the princess, but Xu Taiping refused to pursue him because his mission was only to keep her safe.

• Xu Taiping told the restrained Sixth Princess he had been sent to escort her, then held his ground as the Young Master of Blood Spider Valley ordered the Blood Demon Spiders to attack.
• Xu Taiping pulled the spiders from their webs, shattered the Young Master's Sword Shadows with a punch, and knocked down the Demon Lord Level Blood Demon Spider.
• Xu Taiping reached the Sixth Princess and stopped the matchmaker from killing her, then unsealed her acupoints.
• The Young Master of Blood Spider Valley fled on the Demon Lord Level Blood Demon Spider, and Xu Taiping defeated the remaining attackers in the courtyard.
• The Sixth Princess asked Xu Taiping to recover her important token, but he said his duty was only to keep her safe.

Xu Taiping confirmed the Sixth Princess’s identity and decided to pursue the Young Master of Blood Spider Valley after learning a possible Demon King-level Blood Demon Spider lived there. He charged into One-Line Sky with the princess and broke through an ambush with a single saber strike, leaving her convinced the bracelet prophecy was coming true.

• Xu Taiping compared the Sixth Princess’s half of the jade bracelet with his own and confirmed her identity.
• Cao Qianhu warned that Blood Spider Valley might harbor a king-level Blood Demon Spider, and Xu Taiping decided to go there with the Sixth Princess while leaving Minor Restoration Pills for the wounded guards.
• Xu Taiping and the Sixth Princess rode to One-Line Sky after tracking the Young Master of Blood Spider Valley’s aura to the gorge.
• Blood Demon Spiders trapped them with falling boulders and webs, but Xu Taiping destroyed the ambush with one saber strike and raced through the gorge.
• The Sixth Princess remembered her mother’s promise and eagerly clutched Xu Taiping’s robe.

Xu Taiping fought his way through Blood Spider Valley and reached the Blood Pool altar, forcing Cinnabar Ink to awaken the Blood Spider Ancestor from seclusion. The Ancestor emerged with his Spider Demon Art at the sixth layer and prepared to face Xu Taiping as the rider broke through the altar gate.

• Zhu Tianze told Cinnabar Ink that a mountain cultivator had wounded him and urged him to summon the Blood Spider Ancestor.
• Xu Taiping charged through Blood Spider Valley on horseback, cutting down its defenses, subordinates, and Blood Demon Spiders.
• Cinnabar Ink crushed a Blood Jade to summon the Ancestor, interrupting his secluded breakthrough.
• The Blood Spider Ancestor emerged from the drained Blood Pool and declared that his Spider Demon Art had reached the sixth layer and his Blood Spider Spear had reached minor completion.
• Xu Taiping reached the altar and shattered its stone gate with repeated blade strikes.

Xu Taiping confronted Blood Spider Valley over its attacks on the Sixth Princess and demanded that the Blood Spider Ancestor become his spirit pet for three hundred years. Their fight began, and Xu Taiping burned away the Ancestor’s blood web.

• Xu Taiping helped the Sixth Princess dismount and said Blood Spider Valley had offended her, not him.
• The Sixth Princess accused Cinnabar Ink and the Blood Spider Ancestor of hunting her and killing her guards, while Xu Taiping shielded her from the Ancestor’s murderous aura.
• Xu Taiping asked the Blood Spider Ancestor to repay him by serving as his spirit pet for three hundred years, then handed Ping'an to the Sixth Princess.
• The enraged Blood Spider Ancestor attacked with spider silk and its eight legs, but Xu Taiping parried its strikes and knocked it backward with Steel-Breaking of Three Kills.
• The Blood Spider Ancestor cast its refined blood web over Xu Taiping, but he destroyed it with a ball of fire.

Xu Taiping pummeled the Blood Spider Ancestor and froze him with his Ice Breath Art, completing Fairy Lingyue’s test. When the Young Master of Blood Spider Valley took the Sixth Princess hostage, Ping'an killed him and then struck down the attacking Blood Demon Spiders.

• Xu Taiping pierced the Blood Spider Ancestor with One-Finger Cloud-Piercing, then battered him with 108 punches.
• Xu Taiping stopped the Blood Spider Ancestor from going berserk by freezing him with Ice Breath Art, and Fairy Lingyue praised his progress.
• The Young Master of Blood Spider Valley took the Sixth Princess hostage while Zhu Mo ordered the Blood Demon Spiders to block Xu Taiping.
• Xu Taiping told Ping'an to act, and Ping'an grew enormous and killed the Young Master of Blood Spider Valley with one punch.
• Zhu Mo sent Blood Demon Spiders after the Sixth Princess and Ping'an, but Ping'an kicked two of them to pieces.

Xu Taiping rescued the Sixth Princess from the Blood Spider Valley, then learned that her mother had left her a plan involving a request to kill someone. The Sixth Princess offered him Su Chan’s scabbard as payment, and Xu Taiping agreed to consider the request after Fairy Lingyue sensed a terrifying sword aura from the ring.

• Little Monkey killed the valley lord and then clambered into the Sixth Princess’s arms, while Xu Taiping captured the Blood Spider Ancestor in the Azure Gourd.
• Xu Taiping recovered the black iron box from Zhu Tianze and the valley lord’s remains and returned it to the Sixth Princess.
• The Sixth Princess checked that her mother’s two brocade pouches were safe, opened the yellow one, and found a note and a Bronze Ring.
• The Sixth Princess asked Xu Taiping to help her kill someone, and he initially refused until Fairy Lingyue warned him that the ring carried a terrifying sword cultivator’s aura.
• The Sixth Princess revealed that the treasure was the scabbard of the former Great Sword Immortal and Nine Prefectures Sword Champion Su Chan.

Xu Taiping learned that the Sixth Princess wanted him to kill Fan Qi, the former White Tree Kingdom general responsible for a devastating massacre. She explained that Fan Qi’s death was also a condition for her to meet Wujiao Country’s emperor, and Xu Taiping still needed to decide whether to help her.

• Fairy Lingyue judged Su Chan’s scabbard valuable enough to nourish Xu Taiping’s Earth Fruit, but Xu Taiping said he would first need to know whom the Sixth Princess wanted killed and why.
• Xu Taiping and the Sixth Princess left Blood Spider Valley as the rescued villagers thanked them, while the valley burned behind them.
• At Mantuo Manor, the Sixth Princess identified Fan Qi as the target and recounted how his defection led to the massacre of nine White Tree Kingdom cities.
• The Sixth Princess explained that Fan Qi had become a Martial Arts Grandmaster and killed every challenger at his life-and-death arena.
• Xu Taiping asked whether Fan Qi’s death was connected to the Sixth Princess’s journey, and she said it was a condition for meeting Wujiao Country’s emperor.

The Sixth Princess explained that Wujiao Country had forced her into a perilous peace mission, and Xu Taiping decided to face Fan Qi using martial arts alone to avoid violating the Immortal Law Bureau’s rules. After his cultivation session, Fairy Lingyue offered to teach him a method from the Flame Emperor Furnace Art that used turbid qi to temper his apertures.

• The Sixth Princess told Xu Taiping that Wujiao Country required her to travel through designated cities and defeat Fan Qi before entering its Imperial City, and she had accepted to buy the White Tree Kingdom time to evacuate.
• Xu Taiping explained that mountain cultivators could not interfere in the martial world, then proposed fighting Fan Qi with martial arts alone and asked the Sixth Princess to prepare a dossier on him.
• The Sixth Princess warned Xu Taiping that Fan Qi was a peerless martial artist, but Xu Taiping left for his quarters to meditate and practice.
• After circulating the Rosy Dawn Scripture for three greater celestial circuits, Xu Taiping described the weight he felt while cultivating in the mortal world.
• Fairy Lingyue offered to teach Xu Taiping the Aperture-Pressing Chapter’s Turbid Qi Pressing Seven Apertures method, which used turbid qi to weigh down his apertures.

Xu Taiping began training with the Aperture-Pressing Chapter and prepared to accompany the Sixth Princess to Furious Fist Manor to confront Fan Qi. Their journey was interrupted at a ruined Old Mountain Temple, where an uncanny apparition appeared after the party shut its doors.

• Fairy Lingyue guided Xu Taiping in adding turbid qi to his apertures and explained how the Aperture-Pressing Chapter and Bone-Hammering Chapter strengthened his body.
• The Sixth Princess brought Xu Taiping records about Fan Qi, affirmed she would stay in Wujiao Country to protect her people, and said she trusted the final brocade pouch from her mother to guide her.
• Xu Taiping arranged to leave for Furious Fist Manor at dawn with the Sixth Princess.
• A sudden downpour forced Xu Taiping, the Sixth Princess, and their guards to shelter in a ruined temple thirty or forty li from Huangmei Town.
• After Cao Qianhu shut the temple doors, a naked, vacant-eyed man bearing Old Qian's face stood outside, though the sky showed no sign of rain.

Xu Taiping realized that a great ghost had cast an illusion over the guards and the Sixth Princess, making them see a ghost feast as ordinary food. He tried to keep the Sixth Princess from eating the enchanted meal while they waited for the ghost to reveal itself.

• Xu Taiping ate his own roasted lamb while Fairy Lingyue explained that the guards' food was a ghost feast that weakened their yang energy.
• Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue determined that killing the hidden great ghost was the only way to free the others from the illusion without harming them.
• The Sixth Princess joined the guards and began eating what she believed was Old Qian's Fragrant Jade Hairpin, which Xu Taiping saw as chopped cockroaches.
• Xu Taiping invited the Sixth Princess to try his lamb and urged her to avoid other food first, stopping her from eating the cockroach.