Chapter Summaries

Xu Taiping served the Sixth Princess roast lamb while pretending to be affected by the spirit creature’s illusion. The Sixth Princess endured the revolting taste to spare his feelings, and Xu Taiping kept urging her to eat more.

• Xu Taiping saw Lao Qian as a goat spirit and resolved to deal with him after drawing out his master.
• The Sixth Princess tasted Xu Taiping’s roast lamb and struggled to swallow it because the illusion had distorted her sense of taste.
• The Sixth Princess tried to leave for Lao Qian’s Fragrant Jade Hairpin, but Xu Taiping feigned offense and offered her another piece.
• The Sixth Princess dismissed General Chu and Cao Qianhu’s attempt to intervene, then swallowed the second piece of lamb.
• Xu Taiping asked how the lamb tasted, and the Sixth Princess called it wonderful before he cut her another piece.

Xu Taiping and the Sixth Princess waited for the Nature Spirits to reveal themselves while pretending to be weakened by the ghost banquet. The fox spirit and its creatures attacked the temple, but Xu Taiping remained alert as the fox spirit approached the Sixth Princess.

• Xu Taiping fed the Sixth Princess and watched the Guards grow weaker as their yang energy drained away.
• A fox spirit and a Pig Demon arrived disguised as a soaked woman and an old man with a child, and General Chu let them into the temple.
• The fox spirit announced that it was time for the Nature Spirits to feast, and the Goat Demon and clay statues knocked out General Chu and the Guards.
• The fox spirit approached the Sixth Princess and threatened to eat her heart and liver, but Xu Taiping raised his head and faced her.

Xu Taiping defeated a fox spirit that had trapped the group in an illusion and ambushed them at a mass grave. After the illusion ended, the Sixth Princess and the guards awoke to discover the demonic creatures and a ghost feast around them.

• Xu Taiping overwhelmed the spirits with his danxia true qi and demanded to know who had ordered the ambush.
• The fox spirit threatened to kill the others, then tried to charm Xu Taiping into sparing it.
• Xu Taiping killed the fox spirit with the Spring Tiger Saber and captured its remnant soul in the Azure Gourd.
• Xu Taiping picked up a bracelet of fox teeth while Fairy Lingyue began examining the fox spirit's remnant soul.
• The Sixth Princess, General Chu, Cao Qianhu, and the guards awoke and realized they were in an overgrown mass grave rather than a ruined temple.
• The group found plates of dead rats, cockroaches, and maggots, and General Chu and Cao Qianhu recognized them as a ghost feast.

Xu Taiping revealed that the guards had eaten food from a fox spirit’s illusion, then met Huang Que, a Xiaoyao Sect disciple and Immortal Law Bureau Walker. Huang Que warned him that he would die if he faced Fan Qi without using cultivation, but Xu Taiping refused to abandon the mission.

• Xu Taiping told the Sixth Princess and the guards that a fox spirit had trapped them in an illusion and that everyone except him and the Sixth Princess had eaten ghost food; the revelation made them vomit.
• Huang Que appeared at the mass graveyard, introduced himself as a Xiaoyao Sect disciple and Immortal Law Bureau Walker, and used the Merit and Demerit Register to verify his identity.
• Huang Que confirmed that Xu Taiping was traveling to Furious Fist Manor to fight in the Life-and-Death Arena for the Sixth Princess.
• Huang Que warned that Fan Qi was a Martial Arts Grandmaster and that using spells in the arena would violate Bureau rules, while fighting him without cultivation would mean certain death.
• Xu Taiping said he would not abandon the mission and would choose his life over the Immortal Law Bureau’s rules if forced to choose.

Xu Taiping explored Huangmei Town with the Sixth Princess before the Life-and-Death Arena at Furious Fist Manor, despite struggling under the weight of his training. When a runaway carriage threatened two children, he and a mysterious old man stopped it together, each recognizing the other's extraordinary strength.

• Huang Que denied knowing anything about the fox spirit and vanished after telling Xu Taiping they would meet at Furious Fist Manor.
• The Sixth Princess showed Xu Taiping Fan Qi's manor, and he explained through his actions that he needed to keep moving while adjusting to the strain of carrying five thousand jin.
• Xu Taiping and the Sixth Princess walked through town with Little Taiping, and he decided to wait until after the arena to give a beggar Eighth Senior Brother's money pouch.
• A driverless carriage drawn by three horses charged toward two children, so Xu Taiping ordered Ping'an to protect the Sixth Princess and rushed to stop it.
• A short, thin, bald old man joined Xu Taiping in knocking the horses and carriage backward, saving the children; the two then exchanged astonished looks at each other's strength.

Xu Taiping met a powerful old man whose identity he suspected might be Fan Qi, then returned to the inn and learned that Huang Que knew his Second Senior Brother. The old man left for the Drunken Immortal Abode, while Huang Que warned Xu Taiping to prioritize staying alive before his arena challenge.

• Xu Taiping exchanged greetings with a frail-looking old man whose strength suggested he might be near the Martial Dao Supreme realm, and Fairy Lingyue noted that someone would recognize him if he were the notorious Fan Qi.
• The old man comforted two children, invited Xu Taiping for a drink, and advised him that entering the Life-and-Death Arena at his age was premature before heading to the Drunken Immortal Abode.
• The Sixth Princess told Xu Taiping that Fan Qi wore a mask in the arena and that his unmistakable killing intent came from slaughtering people of the White Tree Kingdom.
• Back at the inn, Xu Taiping asked the Sixth Princess to take Little Monkey upstairs and confronted Huang Que about following him.
• Huang Que said Xu Taiping's Second Senior Brother shared his concerns and urged him to keep himself alive before departing.

Xu Taiping prepared to face Fan Qi in the Life-and-Death Arena, while the Sixth Princess learned that wandering heroes had come to fight and die for her. The arena opened with Fan Zhong named as the first challenger, as Xu Taiping waited for his turn.

• Xu Taiping resolved to challenge Fan Qi to win Su Chan's sword scabbard and hone his martial arts.
• General Chu and Cao Qianhu told the Sixth Princess that Fan Zhong and other wandering heroes had gathered to weaken Fan Qi for Xu Taiping, and she vowed to remember their sacrifices.
• Xu Taiping signed the life-and-death waiver after other challengers crowded ahead of him.
• Fan Qi entered the arena and invited challengers to fight him for his life and the possessions of Furious Fist Manor.
• Fan Ye announced Fan Zhong as the first challenger.

Fan Zhong challenged Fan Qi over a generations-old grudge and used the Acupoint-Exploding Technique to fight beyond his limits. Fan Qi ultimately struck him out of the arena with a single punch, leaving his survival unclear.

• Fan Zhong confronted Fan Qi, invoking his great-grandfather Fan Sheng’s dying order to avenge him, and Fan Qi removed his mask to face him openly.
• Fan Zhong attacked with surging gang qi, but Fan Qi read his moves and broke Fan Zhong’s leg with a palm strike.
• Fan Zhong revealed his Acupoint-Exploding Technique, severed his own broken leg, and exploded the Bright Clarity Acupoint to increase his strength.
• Huang Que explained to Xu Taiping that the technique could briefly surpass a Martial Dao Grandmaster’s power, but using all seven life acupoints would leave its user with fewer than ten breaths to live.
• Fan Zhong pressed his attack with a knife-hand strike, but Fan Qi dodged, kicked him into the air, and punched him out of the arena in a burst of blood.

Fan Zhong returned to the Life-and-Death Arena and fought Fan Qi with the Acupoint-Exploding Technique, seeking to restore the Fan Household Fist's name rather than win. His final kick forced Fan Qi back a step, but Fan Qi fatally struck him, and Fan Zhong did not rise again.

• Xu Taiping and Huang Que assessed Fan Qi's strength and caution as Fan Zhong climbed back onto the arena despite his injuries.
• Fan Zhong condemned Fan Qi for betraying the White Tree Kingdom and the Fan Household, then declared that he sought only to restore the Fan Household Fist's name.
• Fan Zhong activated the Acupoint-Exploding Technique and exchanged Cauldron-Shattering punches with Fan Qi, losing both arms without harming him.
• Fan Zhong unleashed the technique's final explosion and kicked at Fan Qi, declaring he had no regrets about dying for the Sixth Princess and the people of the White Tree Kingdom.
• Fan Qi met Fan Zhong's kick with a Cauldron-Shattering punch, shattered his thigh, and punched through his chest; Fan Zhong fell from the arena and never got up.

After Fan Zhong, Qi Yan, and other wandering knights died challenging Fan Qi to defend the Sixth Princess, Xu Taiping understood their resolve and prepared to take his turn. He entered the arena determined not to waste the kindness they had shown the princess.

• Fan Zhong died after his final strike failed to hurt Fan Qi, and Xu Taiping praised his courage.
• Qi Yan challenged Fan Qi because the Sixth Princess had once saved his life, but Fan Qi killed him with a single punch.
• Xu Taiping asked Wang Zhenghao to let him challenge Fan Qi first, but Wang refused and was killed in the arena.
• As more wandering knights died for the Sixth Princess and the White Tree Kingdom, Xu Taiping watched their bouts and grew solemnly respectful.
• After the last wandering knight's corpse was carried away, Xu Taiping walked toward the arena and vowed not to waste their kindness.

Xu Taiping entered the Life-and-Death Arena to fight Fan Qi and found his fist intent taking shape as he watched earlier challengers face him. He began suppressing Fan Qi with Green Ox Fist and brute strength, leaving the fight still raging.

• Xu Taiping's aura grew sharper and more solid as he recognized the resolve behind the challengers' punches.
• Fan Ye announced Xu Taiping as the ninth challenger, and Xu Taiping told Fan Qi he had come to take his head.
• Xu Taiping and Fan Qi exchanged rapid punches after thunder shook the arena.
• Xu Taiping dodged Fan Qi's heavy blow and struck him with Ox Horn Crashes the Mountain, knocking him into the air.
• Xu Taiping met Fan Qi's charging shoulder strike with Ox Horn Crashes the Mountain, then followed with a barrage of alternating punches using Charging Ox Breaks the Formation.

Xu Taiping defeated Fan Qi with a powerful Green Ox Fist strike, then both fighters removed their ship-ballast iron and prepared to continue the duel. Fan Qi and Xu Taiping each saw the other as a chance to advance, while Huang Que recognized the sharp aura of Xu Taiping’s martial potential.

• Xu Taiping broke through Fan Qi’s defenses and blasted him out of the arena with Charging Ox Breaks the Formation.
• The Sixth Princess cheered and cried with relief, while General Chu and Cao Qianhu reacted with restrained excitement.
• Fan Qi returned to the arena, removed his ship-ballast iron, and challenged Xu Taiping to fight without the weights.
• Xu Taiping also removed his ship-ballast iron, drawing Huang Que’s admiration for his self-discipline.
• Fan Qi unleashed his killing intent and vowed to use Xu Taiping as a stepping stone, and Xu Taiping took his stance as Huang Que recognized his cutting aura.

Xu Taiping fought Fan Qi, whose rage fist intent repeatedly shattered his attacks and drove him to the edge of the arena. Remembering the wandering heroes who had died for their convictions, Xu Taiping forged his mortal backbone into fist intent and faced Fan Qi with newly strengthened resolve.

• Fan Qi infused his punches with rage and killing intent, overwhelming Xu Taiping and nearly knocking him out of the arena.
• Xu Taiping dodged Fan Qi's relentless attacks but could not find an opening, and the Sixth Princess and the others watched with alarm.
• As Fan Qi's blows battered him, Xu Taiping remembered Fan Zhong, Qi Yan, Ran Yong, and Huang Que's words about mortal bones and loyalty.
• Xu Taiping realized the heroes had chosen to die rather than abandon righteousness, and his shattered fist force gathered again.
• Xu Taiping vowed to preserve the backbone of his mortal bones and use it to guard his Dao Heart, solidifying his fist intent.
• Xu Taiping's fist force surged as he struck toward Fan Qi's incoming punch once more.

Xu Taiping and Fan Qi fought a brutal contest of fist intent, with Xu Taiping’s unyielding conviction overcoming Fan Qi’s fury and killing intent. As Xu Taiping gathered the final punch of Charging Ox Breaks the Formation, Fan Qi struggled to his feet and called Xu Taiping’s fist intent dazzling.

• Xu Taiping fused his fist intent and drove Fan Qi backward, but Fan Qi rallied by concentrating his fury and killing intent into a powerful punch.
• Xu Taiping and Fan Qi repeatedly traded blows, and Xu Taiping’s pure, tenacious fist intent eventually overpowered Fan Qi’s furious fist intent.
• Xu Taiping shattered Fan Qi’s fist force and struck him in the abdomen, then continued trading punches with him as both men became drenched in blood.
• Fan Qi vomited blood and his fist force collapsed, while Xu Taiping’s fist intent burned brighter and his Charging Ox Breaks the Formation reached its final punch.
• Fan Qi struggled to his feet and watched Xu Taiping gather momentum, describing his blazing fist intent as dazzling.

Fan Qi overcame his anger and fought Xu Taiping with his true fist intent, but his exhausted body failed him and he died after asking how his final punch had seemed. The Sixth Princess took Fan Qi’s head and opened her mother’s last brocade pouch, only to find a letter telling her to die for the White Tree Kingdom.

• Fan Qi remembered his great-grandfather’s words about protecting the Fan family and White Tree Kingdom, gathered his fist intent, and exchanged a final, evenly matched punch with Xu Taiping.
• Fan Qi’s body rapidly aged as his essence vitality drained away, and he died after Xu Taiping told him that his last punch had shone with boundless radiance.
• The Sixth Princess wept for the White Tree Kingdom’s dead, then resolved to use her mother’s last brocade pouch to persuade Wujiao Country’s emperor to withdraw his troops.
• Xu Taiping gave Spring Tiger to the Sixth Princess, who took Fan Qi’s head and fulfilled their agreement.
• At the inn, Xu Taiping prepared to meditate while Fairy Lingyue watched the Sixth Princess open her mother’s final brocade pouch.
• The Sixth Princess read the first line of her mother’s letter: “Li Yu, my child, please go to your death for the White Tree Kingdom.”

Fairy Lingyue explained that the Sixth Princess had been groomed as a pawn in a plan to assassinate Wujiao Country's emperor, but Xu Taiping suspected the plot concealed a conflict among cultivators. She revealed that the true struggle might be Dao Strife, a contest over Exiled Immortals' Dao Seals and their chance to regain their former lives.

• Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping that the Sixth Princess's mother had arranged her daughter's mission, Fan Qi's betrayal and massacre, and the creation of Infant's Cry to enable an assassination.
• Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue concluded that the Sixth Princess was being driven toward a likely death, and Xu questioned why her mother would sacrifice so many lives just to kill the emperor.
• Fairy Lingyue agreed that Xu's suspicion of a hidden motive was right and suggested the plan involved a contest within the Cultivation World.
• Xu Taiping asked about Exiled Immortals, and Fairy Lingyue explained how they used Liberation by Violence to extend their lives and could leave Dao Seals to awaken memories of their previous lives.
• Fairy Lingyue explained that enemies could sabotage an Exiled Immortal's lingering obsession by breaking their Dao Seal, preventing them from returning to cultivation; this conflict was known as Dao Strife.

Xu Taiping received a letter Fan Qi had left behind, revealing the Imperial Consort’s role in the conflict and her plan to use the Sixth Princess against the Emperor of Wujiao Country. He examined a strange script copied from the Imperial Consort’s secret letter, hoping it would help him break the deadlock.

• Fairy Lingyue warned Xu Taiping that saving the Sixth Princess would be nearly impossible without learning which figures were Exiled Immortals and identifying their Dao Seals.
• Xu Taiping resolved to keep trying to save the Sixth Princess, and Fan Ye arrived with a letter from his great-grandfather, Fan Qi.
• Fan Ye explained that Fan Qi had instructed him to deliver the letter if Xu Taiping defeated him fairly, and said Fan Qi had accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.
• Xu Taiping read that Fan Qi had served the Imperial Consort’s scheme and later discovered she intended to use the Sixth Princess to destroy the Emperor of Wujiao Country’s Dao Seal.
• Fan Qi’s letter revealed that he had copied the strange writing on a secret letter kept by the Imperial Consort, and Xu Taiping asked Fairy Lingyue if she could recognize it.

Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue identified a poem in Dragon Script that might awaken an Exiled Immortal, and planned to test it when the Sixth Princess met Wujiao Country’s emperor. As the princess entered the imperial city, Xu Taiping prepared to use a clone and Huang Que’s surveillance to conceal his own movements.

• Fairy Lingyue translated the Dragon Script poem and explained that a poem could serve as a Dao Seal, though it would need to be recited at a crucial moment.
• Xu Taiping proposed testing the poem when the Sixth Princess met Wujiao Country’s emperor, and he created a clone to help evade suspicion without shaking off Huang Que.
• A month later, the Sixth Princess gave Xu Taiping her half of the Jade Bracelet and entered Wujiao Country’s imperial city with General Chu and Cao Qianhu.
• Huang Que appeared and escorted Xu Taiping to a tavern, warning him not to cause trouble in the capital.
• Xu Taiping asked Huang Que about the Sixth Princess’s peace mission and invited him to play Go the next morning while they waited for her to emerge.

Xu Taiping arranged help from the Beggar Gang to rescue the Sixth Princess from the Imperial City, while setting up a go match to keep Huang Que occupied. He entered the fog under concealment as Fairy Lingyue took over his game, leaving the rescue plan underway.

• Two Beggar Gang members disguised as beggars passed Xu Taiping a note with instructions to meet at the Sweet Soup Shop the next afternoon.
• Xu Taiping learned the Beggar Gang had gathered useful information and coordinated support for rescuing the Sixth Princess and escaping the capital.
• Fairy Lingyue reminded Xu Taiping to create a thick fog over the Imperial City, and he used a Qi-Gathering Pill to prepare.
• At the Great Fortune Restaurant, Xu Taiping challenged Huang Que to a go match for his Nine Prefectures' No Taboos Talisman, then used a clone to keep Huang Que occupied.
• Xu Taiping put on a Human-Skin Mask, took Concealment Grass, and vanished into the fog while Fairy Lingyue played Huang Que in his place.

The Sixth Princess, Li Yu, used the Infant-Crying Sword to attack the emperor of Wujiao Country after Fan Qi’s head transformed into the sword, but the emperor survived and Ren Chong cornered her. Xu Taiping appeared in time to save her, then faced the emperor and hoped his Dao Seal would work.

• The emperor of Wujiao Country demanded that Ren Chong verify Fan Qi’s head and ignored Li Yu’s White Tree Kingdom armistice document.
• Fan Qi’s head opened its eyes, released a blood sword, and transformed into the Infant-Crying Sword in Li Yu’s hand.
• Li Yu unleashed the sword against the emperor, killing his guards and overpowering Ren Chong, but the emperor stopped her attack with a golden palm shadow and dodged.
• Ren Chong struck Li Yu down as she prepared to die, but Xu Taiping appeared and blocked his saber with a wind wall.
• Xu Taiping looked toward the emperor and wondered whether his Dao Seal would work.